Chapter 2330 Leader


    The spell Hardy had just disyed was [Temporal Barrier], a spell that momentarily distorted time within a limited space. With his current strength, Hardy could only hold the spell for a single second, but that brief window was all he needed to evade sudden attacks.


    "Huh! That was close!" Hardy eximed.


    Taking advantage of the confusion around him, Hardy swiftly maneuvered away from his opponents, using the precious moment to create distance and steady his spirit core. His mind raced as he focused on controlling the turbulence caused by hisst spell.


    The truth was that, despite his rare mastery of thew of time, Hardy''s body wasn''t well-suited to handle such power. Each time he bent time to his will, there was a significant bacsh. His spirit core would be erratic, threatening to destabilize entirely with repeated use.


    It was for this very reason that Hardy had developed a highly adaptive fighting style, one that prioritized speed, mobility, and keeping his enemies at a distance. To ovee his weakness, he became proficient with ranged weapons—firearms. Hardy had been training with them for years honing his marksmanship to cover for his physical vulnerabilities.


    "Come on! Have you given up already?!" Hardy taunted, his grin never fading as he hovered in the air, wings ring as he prepared for the next onught.


    But this time, King Rig and ine attacked in unison, their movements more coordinated and relentless. Despite Hardy''s remarkable agility and evasive techniques, he struggled to keep ahead of the two top-tier rank 9 acolytes. Their teamwork was impable, and they had quickly adapted to the rhythm of his ster''s rapid-fire shots. Each energy st that Hardy fired was now skillfully dodged, timed perfectly to avoid any direct hits. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Hardy, ever the trickster, had yet another card up his sleeve. As King Rig and ine relentlessly pressed their attacks, Hardy seamlessly cast two more time-manipting spells: [elerate] and [Decelerate]. He infused these spells into his ster shots, altering the speed of each projectile unpredictably. The sudden change in rhythm made the shots nearly impossible to dodge.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    "Urgh!!" King Rig grunted, bruises beginning to form on his body as he failed to evade the elerated sts. ine, on the other hand, had his formidable armor to rely on, which absorbed most of the hits. Yet, even he couldn''t help but feel the mounting pressure of Hardy''s shifting tactics.


    Whenever Hardy found himself cornered or unable to cast his temporal spells, he would use his sters to propel himself away from danger or—most annoyingly—position himself behind one of his opponents, forcing them to sh with each other.


    "That''s it! You''re done! I''m going to use my strongest spell!" King Rig roared, his fury reaching its peak as he prepared for a final assault, his chaotic energy crackling wildly around him.


    But this time, Hardy did something unexpected. He stood still, lowering his sters with a cocky grin. "Unfortunately… it''s already 30 moves," he said, the smugness in his voice undeniable.


    "What?! No way! I haven''t even—" King Rig began to protest, but Hardy''s grin widened. It suddenly dawned on both King Rig and ine that Hardy had outwitted them. The deal they had agreed upon was 30bined moves between the two, and with King Rig''s reckless charges, he had already burned through 20 of them alone.


    ine''s stoic face faltered, and he nced over at King Rig, who looked equally dumbfounded. Neither of them could argue. Hardy had not only held his own in the fight but had also cleverly used his wits to win the battle.


    With Hardy''s clever victory, the leadership mantle was officially his.


    The 50 acolytes of Hall 33 epted him as their new leader without further contest. Now, Hardy would guide them through the uing group exam.


    There were only five days left before their mission began, and the acolytes wasted no time in making thorough preparations. They pored over maps, memorized the nt geography of the exam location, studied the creatures they might encounter, and refined their battle tactics to ensure they were ready for whatever challengesy ahead.


    ####


    Amidst the hustle of training and strategizing, an unexpected visitor arrived at the hall. Shinta, Emery''s daughter, walked in alongside her head instructor—none other than Grand Magus Lucius. The air in the hall grew tense as soon as Lucius appeared.


    "What are you doing here? What do you want?" Emery asked, his voice edged with barely concealed frustration. Lucius, however, seemed unbothered. Treating himself as a VIP guest, the wolf Grand Magus strolled into the hall as if he owned the ce. He nced around before leaning to whisper his intention.


    "I''m here to share some information about the group exam," Emery listened intently as Lucius divulged the details of the uing group exam. To his surprise, their Hall 33 would be traveling to the same as Lucius''s Hall 9. Although both halls would be exploring different regions of the, the fact that they were grouped so closely was enough to raise suspicions.


    In total, ten high-ranking halls and three top halls were being sent to this for the exam. However, Lucius pointed out a critical detail that had him on edge: two of the Nephilim-controlled halls, Hall 6 and Hall 22, were part of the group. Moreover, Hall 15—belonging to the Aryan faction under the Church of Purity—would also be present.


    "I don''t like this at all," Lucius said, his usual arrogance reced by genuine unease.


    Emery could understand why. Thebination of the Nephilim halls and the Church of Purity''s deeply zealous followers was a vtile mix. Lucius believed there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage both their halls, perhaps orchestrated by one or more of these factions. "There''s no way this is just a coincidence,"Lucius continued, his sharp gaze locking with Emery''s. "I think they''re nning something, which is why I''m suggesting our acolytes to work together when they get there."


    Lucius handed him a set ofmunication devices, sleek andpact, designed to keep their halls in contact throughout the exam. Little did Lucius know, Emery had a far superior method ofmunication—the Khaos hub. As Lucius left, Emery fell in deep contemtion. The notion that the Nephilim and the Church of Purity were conspiring against his hall gnawed at his mind. He knew that simply waiting for his enemies to strike was a fool''s approach—he needed to act preemptively, to gather more information and understand the true scope of the danger they were walking into.


    Emery''s thoughts quickly turned to someone who had more insight into the situation: Grand Magus Aurora, the academy''s deputy headmaster, and the famous Oracle. Without hesitation, Emery made up his mind to seek her out, hoping she could provide some guidance or reveal any underlying plots.


    However, as he arrived at the academy''s administration halls, he was surprised to find Urix waiting for him. "The deputy headmaster is currently away," Urix said in his calm, measured tone, "but she left something should youe looking for her." He then handed over a sealed letter.


    Emery''s eyes widened as he scanned the message and Immediately, he began making the necessary preparations. One more chapter before the end of the month, dont miss it. Thank you for reading, dont forget to share your golden ticket