Dark Magus Returns-Chapter 1288: Help Me, Help Alterian

When Raze first arrived in Alterian, he already knew his target, the Grand Magus. But the question wasn't if he would go after one, it was which one he needed to eliminate first.

After a long period of deliberation, he finally settled on Ibrain. There were multiple reasons for his decision.

For one, the other Grand Magus were notoriously hard to track. Their movements were unpredictable, and striking when they were surrounded or hidden made any attack plan nearly impossible to execute. The goal was simple: take down one Grand Magus before the others could react. Raze believed that much was still within reach, and Ibrain was the only one who consistently stayed in one central location.

The Central Mage Academy.

It was the most prestigious of all the academies, both in size and reputation. It wasn't just a school; it was the heart of magical learning in Alterian.

There were other reasons, too. In terms of sheer strength, Raze believed the remaining Grand Magus might be slightly stronger than Ibrain. But more than that, the Central Academy held something valuable: knowledge. He could potentially find ways to expand his time magic there, and maybe even discover rare crystals or magical tools that could help him break through to the Eight Star level, something he would need to stand a real chance against the others.

Lastly, Raze suspected that the root of the corruption began in the academies themselves. They were the ones who selected and shaped students, determining which guilds they would be funneled into, controlling the system from the inside. An operation of this size couldn't run without many people being involved, yet somehow all of them remained silent.

There had to be a reason.

"I can see why you'd go after Ibrain out of everyone," Alen finally said, shaking his head. "I still can't believe I'm even considering this. I don't know if Ibrain did anything wrong… and the same goes for the rest of the Grand Magus. You're asking me to assist in bringing down one of the most powerful figures in our world.

"And even if everything you told me in the past was true, that doesn't mean everything you say now is."

"Don't worry," Raze replied. "From the beginning, I decided that punishing them wasn't enough.

"I'm going to expose everything the Grand Magus have done. I'll reveal their crimes to the world before taking them down. Even though Enaxx has already been dealt with, the others used him as their pawn. I'm sure there's still a lot of information we can gather about what he did while under their control.

"I'll bring all of that to light too. You won't have to carry the guilt of helping take down an innocent man. You'll know the truth."

Alen had been listening closely this whole time, weighing Raze's words in silence. Eventually, he leaned back in his seat and exhaled deeply.

"Alright… alright. You've opened my eyes too much for me to ignore this," Alen admitted. "And how could I let you do this alone, especially after everything you did to protect my sister?"

Moments later, Alen stood up again, determination returning to his eyes.

"I need to figure out how I can help," he muttered, pacing back and forth in thought. No one interrupted him. Everyone could tell he was thinking deeply.

Raze had plans of his own, but they were all high risk. The most important thing was acting before the other Grand Magus became aware. This had to be a quick and decisive strike, just one battle. Unlike the war that erupted on Pagna, something like that could never work here in Alterian.

"There's no way for me to get you into the Central Academy," Alen finally said. "Even though Aura studies there, that place is out of my reach, even with my power.

"You should know that they have very strict requirements for entry. And I don't think it's a good idea for you to go in guns blazing either. If you openly attack the academy, innocent people will get hurt, and you promised me you'd do this the right way. That promise matters to me, Raze."

"I know," Raze replied. He understood all too well how difficult this would be.

"However," Alen said, a spark of an idea in his tone, "I can get you into a different mage academy. I know it sounds counterproductive, but let me explain."

He took a breath before continuing.

"The mage academies often host exchanges, meet-ups, things like that. Events where students from different schools show off what they've learned, and share techniques.

"And of course, the Central Academy, the biggest and most arrogant, loves to flaunt its power. They often invite the other academies to visit, tour the grounds, see their facilities, meet their students."

He paused, letting the idea settle in.

"That will be your chance. That's when you'll get to walk through their halls, dig up whatever dirt you can, and, if everything lines up, strike down Ibrain."

But suddenly, Alen's expression grew serious, his gaze intense.

"Just remember, that's the academy my sister goes to. No matter what, you cannot involve the students. You cannot hurt them. If there's even a chance that taking down Ibrain will put them at risk… you have to abort.

"You understand me, Raze?"

Raze gave a solemn nod in response.

"Alright then. I'll reach out to my contact at the mage academy and set things in motion. There's one more issue, though. All of you will have to pass their assessment to be allowed in. And I'm guessing not all of you can use magic."

Raze could. So could Safa. But the others… they definitely couldn't.

"It'll be fine," Dame said with a grin. "We'll find a way to bluff our way in. And if we fail the test, well… at least you guys will still get inside."

"Then it's settled," Alen said, reaching for his comms. "I'll contact him now and make the arrangements."

It was decided. Raze and the Pagna warriors would be heading to a mage academy.

Their true goal?

To get to Ibrain.

*****

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