The Moon Thief

When Heinald stopped running and turned around, he saw a mushroom cloud rising into the sky. After watching the scene in front of him nervously for a few seconds, he started running again with all his effort.

As he was a Level 1 Ainsar, he could run for hours whenever he wanted, and this wouldn't tire him too much. Moreover, if he pushed himself, he could advance faster than most animals. Naturally this would tire him out faster, but in the current situation he had no choice but to push his limits.

Her ran across the wide plains. He wasn't sure what Eneel's situation was, but he hoped he had managed to create a certain time slot for himself.

He wasn't far from the forest where the Dimensional Gateway was located, but he wasn't anywhere near, either. So he would run until he pushed his limits, trying to destroy the formation Eneel had created if he could reach there.

Heinald ran for days.

When he was too tired to bear it, he took a breather for a maximum of ten minutes and resumed running.

When he finally entered the desolate forest where the gateway was located, the uneasiness in his heart increased. If he could n't destroy the formation Eneel had created, all he could to do would be wait for his end.

He began to feel surges of Magical Energy as he move through the center of the desolate forest.

"What's going on?" Heinald's brows furrowed.

He continued to move deeper into the desolate forest. As he go ahead, the power of the energy waves he felt grew stronger. The scene he saw as he approached the dimensional gateway deep in the desolate forest took him by surprise.

"Lady Tisha!?"

Heinald saw her trying to break through a pyramid-shaped barrier that surrounded the dimensional portal. This explained the Magic Energy waves he was detecting, these waves were caused by the explosion of spells.

As a Level 2 Ainsar, Tisha immediately realized that there was another entity nearby and turned her gaze towards Heinald's area. However, she couldn't see him because the distance between them was too far.

When Heinald noticed this situation, he quickly started running towards her. As he approached her he shouted, "Lady Tisha, it's me!"

"Y-You are alive!" When Tisha saw him, a moment of surprise appeared in her eyes.

"I'm glad to see you alive!" Heinald was greeted with a slight nod of his head.

"How did you manage to survive?" Tisha asked.

"I've been lucky!" Heinald shrugged. Of course he didn't want to tell her about what he had done.

Tisha sighed and said, "I was lucky too, unfortunately Arlies wasn't as lucky as me..."

"Can you destroy this formation?" Heinald turned his gaze to the pyramid-shaped barrier.

"HAHA...I don't think she can!"

Heinald and Tisha shuddered at the familiar voice they heard. The owner of this voice belonged to a being that was far beyond the power of either of them. The deep calm and slyness of this voice made their hearts tremble.

This voice belonged to Eneel Alsen!

"No way…" Heinald's pupils were starting to shake. They hadn't even felt him coming.

"You're a really good runner, son." Eneel grinned at Heinald. Then he sighed and continued, "You are like an ant in front of me, but you still thought you could escape. Still, despite your low power, you are pretty good compared to many who are stronger than you. Unfortunately, you made the mistake of underestimating me, that's for sure. It's something I won't forgive."

Terrifying surges of Magic Energy began to radiate from Eneel's body. Even Tisha was trembling with fear at these surges and she was starting to be unable to breathe. A small-scale storm had formed around, and the branches and leaves that had fallen from the trees began to circle around them in an orderly shape.

"Is this how it's going to end!?" Heinald, who was being crushed by the pressure at the time, roared inside. Naturally, he knew that he didn't stand a chance against a Level 3 Ainsar.

At that moment, the pyramid-shaped barrier suddenly shattered like glass.

The two figures emerged like an unshakable mountain.

"Professor Arin! Professor Lapin!" Tisha cried out in excitement.

She knew these two people. They were high-ranking supervisors of Ruthas Academy and also disciples of Lord Alveron. Seeing them naturally made Tisha very happy because she was like a tiny dot against a Level 3 Ainsar. However, each of these two people had the same level of power as him. The combined power of the two should have been enough to defeat him.

These two men were both Level 3 Ainsar!

"Looks like our master Alveron was right as always...Everything went as he predicted." Professor Arin gave Eneel a disdainful look.

"Alveron!" Eneel's eyes flashed coldly for a moment. At the same time, a vague fear began to grow within him.

He had known Alveron for a long time. He had always been in competition with him. The fact that these two Level 3 Ainsars referred to him as their master meant that he had managed to become a Level 4 Ainsar.

Eneel's tense expression loosened after a while, giving way to sarcasm. "It seems Alveron has gotten more timid with age. He knows I've spent too long with Aenarath's Sunstone, so he doesn't dare confront me."

"Our master told us that you were far from being qualified to fully master Aenarath's Sunstone. So he didn't bother to come here to take care of an ant like you." Professor Lapin grinned.

"Hmph! Keep believing the empty lies. I'll show you why your master didn't dare come here!"

An oval stone appeared on Eneel's forehead, emitting a golden light. A mighty Fire Element Energy began to radiate from his body, more powerful than Heinald had ever felt before. All of his arms were covered with golden flames, and golden flames began to overflow from his eyes.

"As always, you come up with your trump cards very quickly...You really dared to reveal the sunstone so easily." Both professors said at the same time.

"T-This…" Heinald's eyes widened. An aura of unshakable authority suddenly enveloped the entire environment.

The two professors' bodies turned into black smoke, and they fused together to form a figure. It was a figure that everyone there had seen at least once before.

"It's you! Alveron!" Eneel cried out in shock.

"With Aenarath's Sunstone, you may be stronger than many Level 3 Ainsars, but before me you're like an infamous insect! You dared to think I'd be afraid of you just because you actually have the sunstone! I'll show you the might of a Level 4 Ainsar..." Alveron raised his right hand, a few streaks of black light flew and engulfed Eneel.

The barrier that had formed around Eneel fell apart before it could protect him for a second. He began to flutter like a bird caught in the claws of a monster, but all his efforts were in vain.

Alveron walked slowly towards Eneel and reached for the stone on his forehead and easily plucked it from his forehead.

The light in Eneel's eyes instantly disappeared and was replaced by the eyes of someone whose vital energy had been completely exploited. His whole body began to float away like ash paper, and within seconds it disappeared into the environment.

"This is the might of a Level 4 Ainsar…" Heinald would never forget the scene he saw. He was both impressed and horrified by the illusion technique Alveron used. He had initially presented himself as two professors and no one had even noticed that they were fake.

Even Eneel was easily fooled by this illusion, revealing the sunstone.

They both bowed respectfully as Alveron's gaze fell on Tisha and Heinald. They felt like an ant in the face of this mighty existence standing in front of them. Just his gaze made time stand still for them.

"Just you two made it?"

Tisha nodded and said, "Yes, my lord."

"Arlies was a Level 2 Ainsar..." Alveron's gaze settled on Heinald, "But only the survivors win, power doesn't matter in the face of death."

Heinald immediately lowered his head.

Alveron sighed and asked, "Will you come back with me or do you intend to stay here?"

"I intend to return!" Tisha answered.

"Me too." Heinald also replied.

With Alveron's wave of his hand, they were both pushed towards the dimensional gateway.

Before Heinald could even realize what had happened, he found himself inside the vast dimensional tunnel. Unlike his previous experience, this time he saw too many stars crumble and bend. He felt both fixed and floating, like a ball trying to hold itself together in the face of infinite spatial energy that was completely unfamiliar to him.

The white light coming towards him caused him to close his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a comfortable and wide bed. He ignored the sharp pain in his head and slowly straightened up. His body ached all over and he felt very low on energy.

He sighed in relief when he saw the familiar sunlight streaming through the window. He walked slowly to the window and looked out. A view from one of the extensive gardens of the Ruthas Academy greeted him.