Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

Krom was momentarily stunned. He turned around quickly, only to see a noblewoman, elegantly dressed and holding a parasol, gracefully approaching from a distance.

She moved slowly, as though partially blind—every few steps, she had to be assisted by her attendants. Yet her voice rang out clear as day, piercing through the crowd like a blade through silk.

Krom's brow furrowed. His gaze locked onto the woman, eyes filled with caution and veiled menace.

But the noblewoman acted as if she hadn't noticed. She let out a soft chuckle, covering her mouth politely as she spoke.

"What, afraid to admit it? You from Lioncrest Academy abducted this young man's sister and lured him here, and now you're trying to turn the tables—accusing him of being the aggressor for fighting back? Truly shameless."

The crowd began murmuring at once.

"So Alan had a reason to attack?"

"His sister's just a regular girl, isn't she? Lioncrest Academy would go so far as to harm a child?"

"Unbelievable. Worse than animals!"

"Alan did the right thing. These bastards deserve to die—a warning to the rest!"

Hearing this wave of criticism, Krom's face darkened to an almost pitch black hue.

At that moment, more footsteps echoed from within Lioncrest Academy.

Alan turned his head calmly and saw the familiar figure leading the procession—Eisen, followed by a large number of Lioncrest students.

"Professor Krom," Eisen said confidently, "there's no need for someone of your stature to deal with small fry like this. Allow me."

Krom nodded and stepped back, but not before muttering a warning.

"Don't underestimate him. Something about him feels… different."

Eisen smirked, brushing the caution aside.

"Just some cheap tricks. Nothing I can't handle."

He turned to Alan with a mocking grin.

"So? Did you like the little gift I left you? Those chains were originally made for dogs. I've got a set for you too—just need to—huh?"

Mid-sentence, Alan vanished.

Even though Eisen's eyes no longer registered the figure, his instincts screamed danger.

He immediately dropped low, narrowly avoiding the mana blade that came slashing toward his neck.

In one fluid motion, Eisen countered by shaping mana into a massive boulder, which he hurled at Alan with tremendous force.

It was dense, heavy, and brimming with lethal energy—enough to crush an ordinary mage to pulp, even if they braced for impact.

But Alan was anything but ordinary.

He didn't flinch.

With a deep breath, he raised his fist—and punched the mana boulder head-on.

Szzzt—!

The moment contact was made, the deadly mana solid melted into water, splashing harmlessly across the ground.

The Stone of Sage had granted him the ability to alter physical properties, and Alan used it with terrifying precision.

Even dense, combat-grade mana could be transmuted into harmless liquid in an instant.

But Eisen had expected this.

The boulder had merely been a distraction.

As it dissolved, he had already surged forward, arriving behind Alan in a flash.

Deep crimson magic arrays glowed across his arms, radiating devastating energy.

Alan remained calm.

In the blink of an eye, he shaped his mana into a transparent tether, which lashed out and dragged him sideways.

To the spectators, it looked as if Alan glided like a ghost, moving with an inhuman swiftness.

"W-What?!" Eisen gasped. He hadn't expected Alan to move in such an unnatural way.

That moment of hesitation was all it took.

Alan closed the gap in a flash, holy sword staff burning with searing light, and drove a strike toward Eisen's chest.

The mana fluctuations pouring off the blade were staggering.

This power—this couldn't belong to a mere tier-bronze!

But Eisen was no novice.

Light element was his specialty.

He spread his arms wide and suddenly fell backward, as if preparing to embrace the sky.

Alan shifted immediately, switching his horizontal slash into a vertical stab mid-air.

In that moment, Eisen gathered a massive surge of light mana around him.

Six radiant wings of holy light began forming on his back—shimmering with divine intensity.

The tips of the wings sharpened into blades and thrust toward Alan like javelins of justice.

But Alan didn't retreat.

He charged forward, staff braced.

A harsh screeching hum rang out as mana clashed with mana.

Alan emerged unscathed.

But the radiant wings?

Shattered.

Cracks spread from the tips of Eisen's wings to the very roots.

He stumbled backward, coughing blood, barely keeping his footing.

And just as he regained balance—

Alan appeared behind him.

The staff in his hand now burned with furious white fire, aimed squarely at Eisen's heart.

The mana pressure was overwhelming. The very air grew hot.

Eisen felt like he had been thrown into a pool of lava.

He bit his tongue hard, using the sharp pain to keep from blacking out.

Then—slamming his fists to the ground—he propelled himself upward, using the rebound force and what was left of his broken wings to launch himself into the sky.

Alan clicked his tongue in annoyance, then bent his knees and leapt after him.

The two figures disappeared again, clashing mid-air in a series of rapid, violent exchanges.

In under a minute, the skies around Lioncrest were streaked with dozens of battle scars.

When they finally reappeared, Eisen was in tatters.

His body was scorched and slashed all over.

His mana reserves were nearly depleted.

His wings flickered like candles in the wind.

Meanwhile, Alan stood untouched. Not even dust clung to his robe.

Calmly, he raised the holy sword staff, ready to strike the final blow—

Suddenly, a mana ripple burst forth from inside Lioncrest Academy.

A student rushed toward them, apparently trying to shield Eisen.

Alan's expression twisted into disgust.

With a growl, he thrust the holy sword staff behind him.

**Eisen would die—**but so would this annoying insect.

Squelch!

The blade sank deep into the charging student's chest.

Alan yanked it free and kicked the body aside like a piece of garbage.

Then, as if to drive home the point, he walked over—

Raised his foot—

And crushed the student's skull beneath his heel.

The sound echoed.

Silence followed.

Blood spread across the cobblestone like ink spilled on parchment.

And Alan…

Didn't even blink.