Hate Me, Witch!

Since he had already received direct orders from his superior, the Ashen Pontiff, the arsonist leader saw no reason to waste any more time.

His voice was low as he spoke.

"I accept your deal."

"But—" The arsonist leader shifted his gaze to Ailora beside Xia Ya. "You must ensure that she does not interfere with the ritual."

From beginning to end, this blonde girl had given him an immense sense of oppression.

If she stayed, even with dozens of cultists assisting him, he couldn’t guarantee that the Fire Sacrament would go off without a hitch.

"Fine."

Xia Ya turned to Ailora.

"Xiao Ai, go with Diris and the others when they leave."

"Then let’s hurry up and get started."

Xia Ya looked at the arsonist leader impatiently, as if he weren’t about to be offered as a sacrifice but was instead waiting for a casual outing.

"Move faster. I’m already getting bored."

…

Though it had felt like a prolonged standoff, in reality, everything had happened in just a few minutes.

Soon, one by one, the students had the ropes around their hands roughly cut off by the arsonists and stood up, disheveled and exhausted.

Once they had formed a scattered line, the arsonist leader finally raised his scythe and gave it a slight wave, tearing open a narrow gap in the wall of fire.

"You’re all very lucky."

The arsonist leader looked at the newly freed students, his hoarse voice evoking the image of a viper slithering through the funeral sands.

"Never thought I’d see a fool in this world willing to sacrifice his own life to buy you all a way out."

There was a tinge of lament in his tone.

Despite being on opposing sides, Xia Ya’s blazing and pure spirit seemed to shimmer with light.

A shame, really—

Soon, he would be meeting the Lord.

Of course, for a soul that shone this brightly, perhaps being freed from the filth of the mortal world and becoming part of the Lord would be a blessing in itself.

"Now get lost."

He waved his hand dismissively at the students.

And those who had been reduced to a ragged state wasted no time in fleeing through the opened path, too desperate to worry about their disheveled appearances.

As they passed by Xia Ya, they instinctively averted their eyes, avoiding his gaze.

On the surface, it seemed obvious that Xia Ya had done all of this for Diris’s sake.

But no matter what the reasoning was, the fact remained—

Xia Ya had saved their lives.

Many of them hadn’t even known his name before today.

And when they searched their own hearts, they knew—

If they were in his place, they could never have done the same,

Could never have sacrificed themselves for classmates they might not even know.

The stark contrast left these students—who had always seen themselves as the chosen elite—

Drowning in shame.

The crowd rushed through the wall of flames—

Only one person remained.

Diris.

Her delicate face, already flushed from the heat, showed no concern for the burning air around her. Instead, her expression was anxious as she turned to Ailora.

"What are you doing standing here? Go save him!"

"I know Xia Ya is strong. The academy’s records barely scratch the surface of his true strength. He might even be stronger than you—stronger than many of the professors."

"Someone like him would never just walk to his death without resistance. He’s probably waiting to get inside the altar before launching his counterattack—"

"But you guys haven’t felt what’s inside that altar firsthand. You have no idea what’s brewing in there!"

The Student Council members who had tried to attack the altar earlier had all fallen unconscious—

Now being carried away by the others in a panicked rush.

Among all the students and teachers present, only Diris, who had provided support during the fight, truly understood what lay inside the sealed altar.

That black flame, as if it contained all the malice in the world—

A flame so vile that even the slightest contact with it felt as if it could burn away one’s very soul.

Even a Fourth-Ring Master-Tier Beastmaster would be rendered helpless before it in mere moments.

That was why the Ashen Order dared to leave the dark altar completely unguarded, allowing others to approach freely—

Because it was their greatest safeguard, more reliable than even the Fourth-Ring Pontiff outside.

But as Diris desperately tried to explain, Ailora’s expression remained unmoved.

She simply stood at the passage’s entrance, subtly blocking Diris, who seemed intent on rushing back in.

Her golden-blonde hair swayed in the waves of heat, and her cool, steady voice drifted through the crackling flames.

"That’s his decision."

This was the choice Xia Ya had made after careful consideration.

So Ailora would not question it.

She would not probe for more details about his plan.

She would simply appear in the right place at the right time—

And do exactly what Xia Ya expected her to do.

Just as she had promised him,

Eight years ago,

In that snow-covered town, shrouded in black fog and smoke.

Diris frowned deeply, unable to understand Ailora’s stubbornness.

She tried multiple times to step around her—

Only to find herself locked in place by an invisible, razor-sharp pressure.

"You’re saying you trust him blindly just because it’s his decision?"

"This is a gamble with his life on the line! And Xia Ya doesn’t have all the information he needs!"

"Have you even considered—"

"What if he’s wrong?"

Diris suddenly froze.

Because she saw it—

The look in the blonde girl’s sky-blue eyes.

That gaze was as indifferent as ever, cold and serene.

Yet within it lay an unspoken answer that made Diris’s heart tremble.

And it was in that moment—

That she realized—

As the person who was supposed to understand everything in Saint Roland Academy—

She had never truly understood Xia Ya.

Nor had she ever truly understood Ailora,

The academy’s number-one ranked student,

Who had stood before her so many times before.

Diris opened her mouth, as if wanting to confess something—

But in the end, the words never left her lips.

And in that fleeting moment of hesitation—

The flames roared.

The wall of fire sealed itself shut once more.

…

Soon, the instructors and military forces stationed outside arrived, swiftly escorting the students to safety, away from the academy.

Lieutenant Colonel Zieg’s Void Eye had detected an exceptionally dangerous magical energy brewing within the black altar—

Once unleashed, it would obliterate at least half of Saint Roland Academy.

As the students were led into the secured military formation, the projection from the Void Eye instantly drew everyone’s eyes.

The flames still raged.

The Ashen Order stood ready.

And in the midst of countless hostile gazes and murderous intent—

Xia Ya stood alone.

The arsonist leader spoke, saying something—

And then, before all their eyes—

Xia Ya, hands still in his pockets, took a step forward.

Toward that pitch-black altar.

That lone, slender figure—

In the eyes of every student and teacher of Saint Roland Academy—

Suddenly seemed immensely tall.

Like a man who had already stepped—

Onto a path of no return,

A path called heroism.