Chapter 69: The Prodigy’s Pursuit

Celeste possessed an innate talent, exhibiting an acute sensitivity to killing intent emanating from strangers.

Even if that aura merely flickered for an instant, it could not evade her perception.

She spun her head sharply, and indeed, on a nearby rooftop, she caught sight of a figure draped in a black cloak.

Beneath the shadows cast by the hood, a faint, eerie red glow flickered into view.

‘Red light…’

A tremor went through Celeste’s heart as she recalled Yalin’s eyes, which seemed to have held a similar light just before he fell unconscious.

Could it be that *she* was the culprit who had attacked Yalin with mental magic?

Meanwhile, almost simultaneously, Carol also became aware of Celeste’s gaze.

“Hmph… a surprisingly quick reaction, indeed.”

Her form flickered, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished among the rooftops.

“Don’t even think of escaping!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Celeste’s feet conjured a swirling vortex of wind.

With a light push from her toes, Celeste leaped high, hurtling in the direction where Carol had disappeared.

The white magic enhancing her body, combined with the speed boost from wind-attribute magic, propelled her to a terrifying velocity in an instant, her flame-like long hair trailing a blazing arc through the air.

‘Was it because Yalin was injured? Or was there… some other reason?’

Regardless, Celeste was seething with anger, an unnamed fury lodged in her chest, desperately needing an outlet for release.

“Where did she go?”

Celeste rapidly scanned her field of vision.

Carol had hidden herself with such cunning that even though Celeste had pursued her immediately, she had still lost her trail.

However, this did not mean Celeste was without recourse.

She murmured a few incantations under her breath, and a pale blue magical energy converged within the pupil of her right eye.

It was a unique spell, one that forcibly distorted vision by calculating and adjusting the refraction of light, allowing her to see behind shadows and obstacles.

The scene before her instantly sharpened, every nuance of light and shadow between the alleyways and rooftops becoming vividly clear.

Finally, in an inconspicuous corner, Celeste spotted the fleeting glimpse of a black cloak.

“Found you.”

Celeste narrowed her left eye, pointing her index finger in Carol’s direction.

A stream of purple electricity coalesced at her fingertip.

Celeste truly lived up to her title as a prodigy; her formidable power lay not only in the intensity of her magic but also in her exceptionally precise control over it.

Throughout the entire academy, merely maintaining a single spell consistently in real combat was considered quite remarkable.

As for those capable of sustaining two spells simultaneously, they were, without question, the cream of the crop among their peers.

Even Liyang, who had trained under Professor Fulin since childhood, would find achieving this feat somewhat challenging.

Yet, Celeste was able to maintain four different spells concurrently, with not the slightest conflict or obstruction in their operation, as if she could perfectly divide her consciousness into four distinct parts.

The electricity shimmered with dazzling light, crackling loudly as it converged into a single point at her fingertip.

As the energy was compressed to its absolute limit, a scorching bolt of electricity burst forth from her fingertip in an instant.

The lightning sliced through the air, piercing through a rooftop with a resounding crash along its trajectory, scattering tiles across the ground.

Yet, even after such an impact, its speed and accuracy remained undiminished, continuing its straight trajectory toward Carol.

Carol seemed to have anticipated it, dodging to the side as the lightning grazed past her ear, then violently struck the stone ground, leaving a charred crater that still emitted faint wisps of heat.

Carol turned her head, and within moments, Celeste’s figure materialized nearby.

“Give up; you have nowhere left to run.”

Celeste stated coldly.

Blazing flames erupted around her, coiling like fiery serpents, their scorching heat distorting even the very air.

“Haha… hahahahahahaha!”

Facing Celeste’s threat, laden with killing intent, Carol remained completely unfazed, instead her shoulders began to shake with laughter.

Her laughter grew louder, carrying an incomprehensible blend of morbidity and madness.

A chill crept down Celeste’s spine.

Although her voice sounded merely like that of a young girl, Celeste’s intuition warned her that the person before her might be more dangerous than any foe she had ever encountered.

“Flee? Celeste, you truly overestimate yourself.”

The laughter gradually ceased, and Carol’s emotionless voice echoed through the dim alleyway, sending shivers down Celeste’s spine.

“You know me?”

“Of course. After all, among that swarm of mosquitoes, you’re the most annoying one.”

Carol’s words caused Celeste’s brow to furrow even deeper.

“Though it’s not the right time yet, never mind… bothersome mosquitoes will be eradicated eventually.”

“Not the right time? What exactly do you mean? What are you planning?”

“Heh heh, a dead person has no need to know.”

Carol’s eyes were vacant as she raised her hand and bit down fiercely on her slender wrist.

Flesh tore, and blood instantly gushed forth, the crimson liquid dripping down her arm, emitting a sickly sweet, metallic scent.

With a casual flick of her hand, droplets of blood scattered but did not fall; instead, they hung suspended in the air, coalescing into eerie red points of light.

They gradually merged, twisting and rotating into a pitch-black vortex, as if it were a portal to another world.

Carol reached her hand into the vortex, and accompanied by a low, guttural murmur, she slowly drew out a massive scythe.

The scythe was nearly a head taller than she was, its dark blade wreathed in black mist, as though some living entity writhed within it.

Alarm bells screamed in Celeste’s mind.

She had initially considered showing mercy, sparing Carol’s life to hand her over to the guards.

But the moment that scythe was drawn, she knew the situation before her had far surpassed her wildest imagination.

Such power was absolutely beyond anything an ordinary person could possess.

Celeste immediately raised her hand, and the flames encircling her transformed into a roaring fire dragon, surging towards Carol with waves of searing heat.

There was no holding back in this attack; even indestructible steel would melt instantly under the inferno’s extreme temperature.

The fierce flames bathed the alley in a crimson glow, while violent heatwaves swept through the surroundings, threatening to devour everything in their path.

Yet, Carol showed not the slightest intention of dodging.

She sneered, raised her scythe, and swung it horizontally.

“Boom!”

A dense black mist instantly burst forth, astonishingly cleaving Celeste’s fire dragon in two.

The blazing flames were diverted to either side, exploding against the walls and leaving vast, charred marks, as a pungent odor permeated the air.

“H-how could this be?”

A wave of horror washed over Celeste, and before she could even process it, Carol had already burst through the flames, lunging directly at her.

The dark scythe was raised high, slicing through the air with a piercing whoosh, driving straight towards Celeste’s chest.