Departure

Unlike what some might expect, Kilian didn't care much for Klaus and Niklas' return. More accurately, he already knew when they'd awake. Due to his Six-Wheels Throne Heart, Jezebel knew that her seal couldn't restrain Klaus for over two months. As for Niklas, though he should have remained asleep much longer, the Throne Heart enabled Klaus to heal him too. And with the two's return, the chapter of imperial strife neared its end.

At the Sura Hunting Game, Kilian would deal with the juniors. Afterward, the seniors would follow. Since the inevitable clash approached with great strides, what need was there for wild emotions? In Orloth's undergrounds, the venandis and boyars number rose daily. The venandis now numbered 30,000 and could rival low-level High Emissaries while the boyars' count rose to 270, all at low-level Archon tier.

The Philosopher's Stone didn't just boost Kilian's strength but also increased his clones' productivity by a large margin. Still, despite his successes, Kilian didn't forget that the von Skolls were only a fraction of the enemies he had to crush to establish his state.

*BANG*

But as thousands floundered, the rumbling sounds of the plasma beams colliding with the academy's energy shield reminded all that death stood at arm's reach.

"As you can see, the 4 million man-strong army was just a diversion. The rebels' true target has always been the Imperial Academy. Fortunately, His Majesty foresaw their aim and sent a division of 15,000 Golden Guards to protect us. They will not last one hour," there was a uniqueness in how Hanns broke the news that left even the professors appalled. Blunt and tactless, most would forget that he held the title of elder prince.

"The enemy came prepared. Anti-energy shields, anti-teleportation and communication fields, black hole generators, heaps of nanomachines, and bewildering mobility; anyone of those 3,000 fighters can handle 500 Golden Guards. Together, they can threaten the whole army. In today's Arcadia, only top Exarchs can handle such a threat, and since you're still our students, protecting you behooves us. We must leave at once."

The gravity of Hanns' words left none unfazed, with some von Skol scions now realizing why the emperor couldn't just rescue them. With communication and teleportation shut down, by the time the Imperial City realized the threat, the academy would have fallen to the invaders. Little did they know that the entire situation was a setup concocted by Ayden and Marcel to force Kilian into the Sura Plane.

Just like Kilian, the two foresaw the Technocracy's true aim and believed that once they made their move, their striking force would make Exarchs shiver. Thus, to prepare for the unknown—Ayden advocated to use the academy as a Trojan horse—put on a false struggle, then send the students and all valuables away.

As soon as Hanns led the students into the Sura Plane, the imperial family's NK-97, the most dreadful neutron lasers in history—would fire at and wipe out the island—alongside all its threats. Across three million square kilometers, nothing would remain. Marcel approved the plan, and alongside Hanns, started the preparations. Those three aside, only Niklas knew of the details. And to prevent potential spies from leaking the news, they even kept the elder council in the dark.

In the imperial leaders' eyes, Kilian and the Technocracy were the only internal threats to their sovereignty. If sacrificing the academy enabled them to break the two, why not? Of course, giving up 15,000 Golden Guards was not part of the initial plan. But since Niklas commanded it, Hanns could only obey—not like it didn't make the scheme more convincing.

"I suppose I don't have to explain this time's Sura Hunting Game's importance to you. The more suras you capture, the more Imperial Grace you can get. For those of you that teeter on house extermination, Imperial Grace is the only thing that can save you. Professors and Chairs will assist you in the largest hunt of all times. Think of it as the establishment of a foreign colony.

For too long, the sura savages stayed trapped in their primitive way of life. Worse than primates, they still live in tribes and have no civilization to speak of. It is time we bring them the light." Spinning 180, Hanns extended his hand toward a gray portal perched on a small step pyramid.

Before the portal, a sky-blue orb hovered, with an Arcanist Robe, and knife-staff sealed within. As if answering Hanns' summon, the orb flew toward him and rose in altitude so that all students could glance at what it held. For an instant, greed flashed in the 3,000 students' eyes. But in Kilian's, the greed remained.

"As you well know, Arcanist Robes provide as much defense as our elites' Golden Power Armors and boost spellpower by 50%. The knife-staff is 100% zuri and will not only multiply your casting speed by two but increase spellpower by another 35%. The benefits are self-explanatory.

However, we only have one set. For fairness' sake, we will grant it to this year's fastest spellcaster," Hanns explained. But while the sight of those two items filled his heart with greed, through his cyberkinesis chip, Kilian could see what others couldn't: the portal was rigged.

The usual portal would send all students to the same spot, but this one instead spread them to various locations of the Sura Plane. Whoever held the staff could control the landing point of students and professors alike. Worse, the staff hid a nano-bomb Hanns could activate at all times. So while the fastest spellcaster title naturally belonged to Ayden, should Kilian attempt to claim the knife-staff through his status, Hanns could later blow him up. A vicious plan, but carried out on the wrong target.

Standing up, Ayden and other purple-gold students walked toward the stage, eager to demonstrate their casting speed. On the scene, no one else stepped forward. But they'd barely left their seats that Kilian sent Adam a mental message. Adam relayed it to Hanns, and the headmaster's eyes twitched.

"Or so it should have been. Instead, we will give it to Kilian, in hopes he's not discouraged by his lack of attributes and strives to become the best magus of all times. Thank you for your understanding," Hanns added, stopping the purple-golds mid-tracks. Three-thousand pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward Kilian, but while in some awe shone—in the majority—hatred blazed.

"Now this is what you call having eyes bigger than one's stomach. Kilian, Kilian, are you not afraid of public anger, or is that what you want?"

Ayden wondered, and indeed the students could not restrain themselves. If not for Hanns keeping them all suppressed with his Dra Shackle, many would have pounced on Kilian. Forced to swallow their anger, they silently grumbled, swearing to let it all explode during the hunt.

Kilian received his new toys, and Hanns had the students line up before the portal. Their servants stood beside them. Brown robes could bring one servant. Silver robes could bring three; black golds had a quota of nine, white golds of 27, and purple golds of 81. Few came without a full house.

Activating the portal, Esther stood at its left, watching the purple-gold robes dive into the multicolor vortex, and mark the academy's departure for the Sura Plane.