All-around teacher at the magic academy

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Eric. I’ve gone to great lengths to make sure you see this.”

The butler slowly turned around, a strange light flickering in his deep eyes. He looked at the figure standing not far in front of him, a hint of pity in his voice.

Eric's face was ashen. He didn't respond to the butler's words; the only response was the burning killing intent within him and the magic poised to be unleashed in his hands. Wind elements danced at his fingertips, coalescing into sharp blades that seemed capable of slicing through anything.

The butler watched as countless wind blades hurtled towards him. He simply stood there, a mocking smile playing on his lips, making no other move. His figure appeared unusually calm amidst the torrent of wind blades, as if those deadly attacks had nothing to do with him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The wind blades struck the butler's surroundings one after another, but seemed to hit an invisible barrier, and were all deflected.

Those wind blades that narrowly avoided him unfortunately struck the sycamore tree behind him. The thick trunk snapped instantly under the cutting force of the wind blades, splinters flew everywhere, and the crown collapsed with a crash. This sycamore tree, which had grown for countless years, ended its life in that brief moment, as if it had been mercilessly abandoned by time.

"No need to be so angry. Duke Adams passed away peacefully, it's just that his body wasn't intact." The butler's words carried a deliberate understatement. His purpose was clear: to provoke Eric and keep him in a vortex of anger.

He knew that anger could cloud one's mind, and a confused opponent was always easier to deal with. Nevertheless, he wasn't entirely confident that he could defeat Eric under normal circumstances.

After speaking, he casually tossed the severed head he was holding to Eric. The gesture was full of provocation and mockery, but Eric didn't catch it. He remained unusually calm, without a trace of panic in his eyes. He had only one thought in his mind: to torture the man before him to death.

Eric moved with lightning speed, as if traveling with the wind, and in an instant, he was behind the butler. In his hand, a wind blade condensed into the shape of a longsword, incomparably sharp, carrying a chilling killing intent, and slashed towards the butler's neck.

The butler was also taken aback by Eric's actions. He hadn't expected Eric to remain so calm and launch such a swift counterattack under such provocation. It seemed he had underestimated his opponent's strength, and he needed to be extremely vigilant in this fight.

The wind blade, about to strike the neck, was stopped by an invisible force just before it touched the skin. A hint of surprise flashed in Eric's eyes, but he did not stop there. He dispelled the magic, clenched his fist, and, with a burst of blazing flames, fiercely attacked the butler's face.

Flames traced a scorching trail in the air. Sensing the approaching heat and the threat of death, the butler hurriedly raised his hands to shield his face. However, the immense force of Eric's punch still sent him flying, like a leaf swept up by a gale.

Before he could even land, countless feathers made of flames rained down on him like shooting stars. The fiery feathers touched the ground, instantly triggering a massive explosion. A deafening roar erupted, flames shot into the sky, and smoke enveloped the two in chaos.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, the butler struggled to his feet from the ruins. His arms were burned beyond recognition, revealing stark white bones—a gruesome sight. He gasped, secretly relieved. He had managed to cast a spell using spatial magic to protect himself from Eric's attack; otherwise, his arms would likely have been ruined.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?" A sense of unease welled up in the butler's heart; he had a bad feeling. Logically, reinforcements should have arrived by now. His gaze involuntarily drifted into the distance, as if anticipating the arrival of some saviors.

He sighed, forcing himself to refocus on the battle at hand. Now was not the time for distraction; he had to concentrate on dealing with Eric's attacks. The butler took a deep breath, calming himself.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, dispersing the surrounding smoke and revealing the two figures. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Eric instantly moved in front of the butler, his fingertips crackling with thin, blue electricity that quickly enveloped him.

The butler was about to turn to look at Eric, but in that instant, his head flew off. Eric's hand sliced ​​off the butler's head as easily as cutting tofu.

He stared at the flying head, his brow furrowing. The sensation was very wrong.

Just as he realized what was happening, Eric quickly moved away from his position, but even so, he was still struck by the sudden spatial slash. It was an almost imperceptible cut, so fast that even the air didn't have time to make a sound.

Looking at his arm lying on the ground, Eric didn't feel the expected pain. His expression was unusually calm. Luckily, he reacted in time; otherwise, it wouldn't have been his arm that fell to the ground, but his head.

"You actually figured it out." The butler emerged from the other side, looking at Eric with a hint of surprise in his voice. Eric had actually seen through his spatial mirroring magic; this was beyond his plan.

Just before the smoke cleared, the butler used his spatial magic to create a spatial mirror image in his area. This mirror image perfectly replicated everything around him, indistinguishable from reality, but Eric eventually saw through it.

Eric used flames to burn his left shoulder, the flames licking the wound and making a soft crackling sound. He did this to seal the blood vessels and prevent shock from excessive blood loss. His face showed no sign of pain, as if the burning flames weren't on his own body.

He looked at the butler standing there, his eyes showing no fear, no anger, and not even any emotional fluctuation.

The butler looked at him, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and said, "You seem to be overrated; you're not as genius as the legends say."

He had barely finished speaking when he sensed something was wrong. His expression froze, and he reached up to touch his forehead, finding his fingers touching a sticky liquid. Opening his hand, he saw a large patch of blood, its bright red color starkly glaring in the air.

"When..." A chill ran through him. He had been hiding himself perfectly well, so when did he fall for it?

He glared at Eric, his eyes filled with shock and anger, wanting to shout at him, but before he could speak, a strong wave of dizziness hit his head, and then his body fell straight down, motionless.

Eric watched the fallen figure, and a weight was finally lifted from his heart. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Excellent, excellent." Just as Eric was about to get up to check on the butler, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the room.

Eric looked up sharply at the man standing on the roof. The man wore a mocking smile, silently watching Eric, his eyes gleaming with an ominous light.