Chapter 276: The Start of a War (2)

Thorne, Kaelor, and Sylra made their way back to their respective academies, each moving with purpose under Lucas's command. Thorne, the clone of the once mighty elder, was the first to arrive at the Celestial Academy.

As Thorne reached the grand entrance of the Celestial Academy, he staggered forward, his body swaying with each painful step. Blood stained his robes, and his face was pale, drained of its usual commanding presence. The disciples nearby froze in place, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"Elder Thorne!" one disciple gasped, rushing forward but stopping short, too stunned to know what to do. "He's... he's seriously injured!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as more and more disciples gathered. They exchanged glances, their confusion turning to fear. "How can this be?" another whispered. "Elder Thorne is one of the strongest in the academy!"

"I've never seen him like this…" someone else muttered, disbelief thick in their tone.

The shock spread like wildfire. Thorne was a living legend, a symbol of unwavering strength and dominance. To see him so battered and weak, his body trembling as if on the brink of collapse, was unimaginable.

The noise reached the upper levels of the academy, where the top elders—Darius, Sylph, and Aric—sat in council. The whispers from below grew louder, more frantic, until finally, they could no longer ignore the commotion. In unison, they rose from their seats and descended to the main area, their expressions darkening as they saw the scene before them.

Darius, the most senior of the three, pushed through the crowd, his eyes narrowing as he approached Thorne's collapsed form. His usually composed expression was now etched with concern. Sylph and Aric followed closely behind, their faces a mixture of confusion and alarm.

"Thorne!" Darius barked, his voice carrying authority despite the underlying worry. He knelt beside him, eyes searching Thorne's face for answers. "What happened? Who did this to you?" His tone was urgent, but beneath the strength, there was a tremor of disbelief.

Thorne lifted his head slowly, his breath labored, as though each word took tremendous effort. "It... it was..." he rasped, his voice barely audible. He coughed weakly, then forced the words out. "The top elders of Necrovauld Academy."

Sylph's eyes widened at the name. "Necrovauld? Them? But..." she began, but her words trailed off as Darius cut her a sharp glance, his expression demanding more details. Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"How could they have done this?" Darius's voice was a mixture of confusion and anger. "You are one of our strongest! What could they have possibly used against you?"

Thorne winced, his hand clutching his side as if the pain was too much to bear. His voice was low, almost trembling as he spoke again. "They... they've discovered something. A new... a powerful new cultivation manual." His eyes flickered with the memory of the battle, filled with dread and exhaustion.

Aric, usually calm and composed, looked alarmed. "A new manual? That can't be possible... They've never been able to match us in power!" His voice, usually steady, cracked with disbelief.

Thorne grimaced, his face tightening in pain as he continued. "I faced them. They've become much stronger... impossibly so. Their power... it's beyond what we've seen.

They plan to use this new cultivation method to... launch an attack on the Celestial Academy."

Darius stiffened, his face a mask of shock and fury. "Attack the academy?" he repeated, his voice cold with anger. His fists clenched at his sides, the veins on his neck pulsing as he tried to process what he had just heard.

"This can't be..." Darius muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed deeply. "How could they have grown so strong so quickly? We would have heard of something like this." His voice was filled with disbelief, but beneath that, there was a deep-rooted fear that this could be true.

Sylph exchanged a worried glance with Aric. "If what you say is true," she said softly, "we may not be ready for this. Not if their power has truly grown that much." Her voice was tight, her usual calm slipping as the gravity of the situation dawned on her.

Thorne nodded weakly, his eyes dark and hollow as though reliving the horror of the battle. "We barely escaped... I could only bring this." With a shaking hand, he reached into his robes and pulled out a glowing mana stone, offering it to Darius.

His hand wavered as he offered the stone to Darius. The elder, his brow furrowed in concern, took it carefully, his fingers brushing against the cool surface. The moment his skin touched the stone, a wave of raw, concentrated energy pulsed through him, and his eyes widened in shock.

"The mana inside..." Darius muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He lifted the stone, studying it with disbelief. "It's... it's incredible. I've never felt anything like it." His eyes darted to Thorne, searching for answers. "Where did you find this?"

Thorne's body sagged further, as if even speaking took all the strength he had left. He nodded slowly, his breath labored. "There's... more," he whispered hoarsely, his voice fading. "But... I couldn't retrieve it...

before..." His words faltered, his head lowering as though the effort of speech had become too much.

Darius opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Thorne's body stiffened. His muscles seized, his breath hitched violently, and his eyes rolled back. A chilling silence fell over the room. His head slumped forward, and with a final, shuddering gasp, Thorne collapsed entirely.

"No... Thorne!" Darius shouted, his voice laced with panic as he dropped to his knees beside the fallen elder. Sylph and Aric rushed forward, their faces etched with alarm.

Sylph knelt beside Thorne's body, her fingers pressed to his wrist, searching for any sign of life. She shook her head slowly, her face pale. "He's gone," she whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow. Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net

"Damn it!" Darius growled, his fist clenching around the mana stone as his eyes burned with frustration. His voice trembled with both grief and fury.

"How could this happen?!" His gaze flicked toward the stone, as though demanding answers from it, as though the raw power it contained could explain the loss of one of their strongest elders.

Aric stood in stunned silence, his hand covering his mouth, his usually calm demeanor shattered by the unexpected turn of events. "Thorne... dead? Just like that?" he murmured, disbelief etched across his face. "How...?"

Unnoticed by the others, a faint shimmer flickered on Thorne's face. The Divine Mask, which had blended seamlessly with his features, silently detached, its surface rippling as it slipped away.

The mask moved like a shadow, vanishing into the air, returning to Lucas without a sound, leaving no trace of its existence behind.