I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

The effect was immediate.

"GO!" Katherin's voice pierced the air. A call to action responded immediately.

She charged like a speeding train. Her human physique serving as the only limit to her movement.

The distance closed within a few seconds with Rhabanz remaining unpuzzled on the spot.

His gaze traced her movements as she closed the distance effortlessly, each step laced with urgency.

For a second, his gaze trailed past her toward a veil of steam that exuded into the air.

The source of the steam tugged at something half forgotten, slowing his thoughts to a near pygmy.

At this point, Crown dashed around Cadwin. A slight groan from the pain his body throbbed in as he headed for the Headmaster as well.

Unlike Katherin, Crown was naturally faster – built for speed despite the pain. But that had been impaired by the collision from earlier.

His vision blurred from the intensity when his ears perked to the sides.

A squeaky noise projected in the air, followed by a burst of movement.

Cadwin rushed past him in a blur, rotating around and forming an obstacle in his path.

His muscles were taut with adrenaline as he raised his arm in the air.

In an instant of the clash, Crown collided with Cadwin. Their arms were raised in the air as they slammed against one another.

A brief wave of concentric wind blasted from the strike.

Crown bit down on his lip as a subtle groan escaped his lips.

A sharp glare fixed in his expression as he pivoted it at Cadwin.

The latter remained neutral. Expression hidden behind the wraps of bandages. Yet, Crown could tell how easily Cadwin was holding him back.

'Shit.' He thought to himself.

His breathing was haphazard as his chest rose and fell in a frenzy.

There was no mana to augment his physique. Simply muscle mass and technique and in terms of that, he lacked greatly when compared to Cadwin.

But even besides that. The power that Cadwin exuded right now without his mana was much more than it should have been, ordinarily.

'It's like his entire body is made of steel…'

His brow furrowed. An image of a light bulb flicking to life above his forehead.

Though, it was more of a hunch than it was, an idea.

He bared his teeth and tightened his muscles as he pushed harder. Attempting to overthrow Cadwin from his path as his gaze caught movement in the peripheral.

A swift motion from a figure who had been neutral for a while.

Phestus rushed forward and stood in the path, right in front of the Headmaster, just as Katherin had gotten close enough.

His strength and speed, more than proved he was nothing but just a mage.

In that flick of a moment, Phestus raised his hand as Katherin whipped out a fist for a punch.

A small breeze exuded from the strike as he caught her punch.

Muscles tensed from the brunt of the strike as his facial muscles flinched from the slight pain.

Katherin snapped her head up at him.

"What do you think you're doing? Get out of the way."

"Sorry, Katherin. I can't do that."

"You fool!"

She cried out as she sent her other fist flying. A subtle blur in Phestus's eyes which would have sent a truckload of pain on his face had he not bent it slightly to the side.

A small breeze blasted from the tip of the punch. Nearly grazing the Headmaster behind.

Phestus grimaced as he grabbed her other arm, stood straight and pushed into her.

His shoulder slammed against her chest before trailing his grip to her arm.

Katherin's expression twisted slightly from confusion to realization.

"What do you thin–

Before she could complete the statement, her entire figure was sent spiralling in the air, legs up, head down, thoughts swimming through mud – before crashing into the ground with a deafening thud!

Phestus gripped her arms yet again and locked them behind her back as she lay, helplessly on the floor.

"Hah! Shit! Get off me, you idiot!" Her frustration laced into her words as she wriggled in his grasp.

"Sorry, Miss Katherin, but I can't," Phestus replied with a sigh. Holding her arm tightly as she wiggled free from his grasp.

"And don't forget I take both Magic and Warrior Classes, so don't expect to beat me without mana."

Katherin growled as she forced her body into motion. A frenzied motion that achieved absolutely nothing but built fatigue in her system.

This continued for a few seconds before she finally stopped. Accepting her fate with stiff, refutant, arms.

Phestus shook his head slightly as he glanced back at the Headmaster. His brows arched in curiosity.

"Headmaster? What is going on?"

This was probably the first question that popped into everyone's mind as they all turned towards the Headmaster for a response.

A moment of silence passed before the Headmaster's sigh escaped into the air.

He turned around towards the screens. A frown formed on his face as the static sounds of the magic screens echoed in the air.

The sudden mana influx had damaged the magic orbs he had been using to watch the events unfold.

Artistry of Magic engineering made invalid in a time of need.

He stood silently for a few seconds. Processing his thoughts for a good minute with his head bowed.

Then in the next, he looked up with a calm gaze.

He nodded silently, shovelled his hands into his pocket and drew out a wand.

A dull black one, metallic with delicately fixed dents.

Raising it into the air, a spark of mana ignited at the tip and the six screens shuddered in a rushed hue.

Static noise projected like the sounds of a siren until pictures began to play in motion.

The others watched silently for a moment. Completely absorbed in what he was doing, yet holding their thoughts and suspicions for a bit longer.

Phestus thought differently.

"What are you doing, Headmaster?"

As the Head of the Student Body and practically the Student Representative. He had to be aware of whatever his Headmaster was doing.

Not because of curiosity or some sort of personal agenda, but simply because of duty. An obligation to ensure the students are fine. Or at least, the Majority.

"That explosion wasn't planned." The Headmaster replied. His tone was low, yet remarkably composed, unlike the sudden shift in the room.

Katherin gasped as she shook her head.

"What do you mean, it wasn't planned?"

The Headmaster sighed, visibly as he continued to use the wands on the screens. Flashes of images and static rubbish intertwine in disharmony.

"It is just as I said it – I didn't plan it. Something must have gone wrong in one of the fights, and I have a feeling which."

Phestus remained silent for a moment while his mind played back the footage. Soon, a scene resurfaced, vivid. Clear and his eyes flicked into realization.

Then it narrowed to suspicion.

"No." He muttered slowly.

"Yes." The Headmaster said with another sigh. "An explosion like this can only be possible through a catastrophic spell."

"Something more than a normal transcendent skill should be possible to achieve."

"Not a transcendent, but a transcendent spell." The headmaster corrected. "You must have been aware of this by now, but not every skill seems equal."

Phestus nodded. "Yes. Just because two skills are of the same tier– let's say, Master, doesn't mean they will cause equal damage."

"Yes, exactly." The Headmaster paused.

At this point, the static images had begun to clear, leaving Claire footage of the past events that unfolded while they weren't paying attention.

"None of our students or Lecturers should be able to achieve this level of Worldly Effect."

Katherin's ears flicked into realization. A subtle motion that could have been easily missed if one wasn't paying attention.

Her head already drove the pieces together, a snap of realization brewing from the result.

'The Red Peacemakers.' She concluded. 'Or better still, Mila Jack.'

"Wasn't…." Phestus took a brief sigh. "Wasn't your daughter facing Mila Jack?"

The silence resumed.

Filled instead with static noise and the Headmaster's focus on getting the proper images to flow.

"It's not just her, Phestus." He replied.

Phestus turned away. His shoulders dropped to a point while his expression shifted. A slight crease in his brow, a sternness in his eye and the downward curl of his lips.

He turned serious.

'Thalia Jun. Monica Lorientt and even Sophia. These are all major contributors against the attackers….'

However, it wasn't just their contributions he was worried about.

Their family history too, won't take it likely with the Academy.

'Thalia and Sophie perhaps….but the Lorientt household?'

His thoughts froze. 'What am I thinking? Rebecca would be entirely devastated if she found out I was doing apparently nothing but watching the whole thing.'

He nearly rose to his feet when he realized Katherin was still holding him. Stopping him dead straight from rising.

The Headmaster chuckled loudly. Somehow feeling the tension that brewed in the air and the hesitation that festered in Phestus's chest.

"Worried you might hear one or two from someone?"

Phestus whipped his head in his direction. A sigh of resignation escaped his lips. "How long do you think this 'Mana block' will continue?"

"only for a few more minutes. The average is ten minutes, but a few have passed." The Headmaster replied.

Finally, with another twirl of his wrist, the artificial wand ignited a spark on the screens, and the images flared to life.

"Hopefully, our girls are the type that bites instead of just taking it."

The Headmaster folded his hands, adjusting his monocle for a second and glued his attention to the screens as they replayed from the very beginning.

It would take a while for it to play out and reach the point they were all expecting.

But till then….

"Phestus, Cadwin. Keep them in check, will you."

It wasn't a question, nor a request.

Simply a command that they easily abided by without needing to respond.

They held their captives tighter now, waiting silently for the result of their postulation to come to fruition.

But even they didn't put everything into consideration because, with remarkable ease, Katherin slid her legs across the floor. Forced her body to complete an awkward angle to her left. Pivoted her torso off the ground and struck her knee against Phestus' face.

The result was immediate.

A solid hit that completely dazed him in surprise as he was sent reeling away from her figure.

He groaned as she whipped herself back to her feet.

Cracking her disjointed arms back in their sockets as she fixed a glare at Phestus.

"You idiot." She said with a heavy sigh. "Who do you think advised you to go for both Magic and Warrior Classes?"