At this point, nearly half of the magus inmates held at this level had managed to break free of their containment. These inmates boasted a total of thirty strong individuals, and in moments like this, it wasn't just Emery's life that was at risk, but also the two Magus Academy guards that tagged along.
Around the corner, the magus prisoner guard assigned to shut down the formation was being attacked. He was being assaulted by three magus inmates who had broken out of their cells, and the man seemed to be in critical condition.
The brutal sight forced Headmaster Delbrand to take action lest the man's life forfeited. He went ahead and cast his special spells, summoning four smoke creatures that possessed strength comparable to that of peak Full Moon magus to assist the others who needed help.
He then turned to look in Emery's direction and gazed at Annara and the Shadow magus, "Release him!", his voice boomed.
The wicked-looking magus left Emery to Annara's care before he stepped forward and bravely stood between him and Headmaster Delbrand. With a calm tone, he said, "Let Cassian go, or today's next year will be the death anniversary of this young tasty Academy champion."
Headmaster Delbrand looked at the man with a sharp gaze as he said, "If you think you can escape this place, you are sorely mistaken."
While the two figures were engaged in a battle of words, the weakened Emery had his gaze fixed on the girl holding him captive. Despite the weakness he felt, he asked what he wanted to know.
"Y-You poisoned me, didn't you..? Why.. why are you doing this..?"
Confusion, surprise, disappointment; an array of emotions could be felt in the words he spoke. Yet her eyes remained cold, and her lips unmoving..
Receiving no answer, Emery quickly tried to struggle free. However, the red-haired girl quickly tightened her grip on him. This, however, didn't dampen his struggles. He continued until she suddenly whispered something.
"You crazy bast-.. If you want to live, just stay silent.. This is not the time to be a hero and the headmaster can't help you… One wrong move, and you will definitely die."
Emery froze his struggle when he heard that. He was completely confused, his mind went to work rapidly wondering if the red-haired girl was actually a friend or a foe. Then, he thought of her words.
Since he knew that Headmaster Delbrand's strength was said to be on the third cosmos, none of these people here could be his equal. Emery should not be in danger with the protection of such an individual.
Then why did the girl think that they were in such danger?
His thought was suddenly interrupted by another wave of tremors that shook the facility. It was quickly followed by the appearance of a huge crack on the floor. The heat blasted his face as molten lava started pouring out from the crack, widening it and creating a huge hole.
With the poison affecting his spirit reading, he was surprised to see three figures emanating a powerful aura ascend through the hole. His face changed greatly when he realized that all of them without exception were grand magus figures.
Seeing this sight and recalling what was below, Emery's face turned sour. The arrival of these people could only mean that the Warden had failed to keep those held in Level 5 contained.
"Hey, look there. That's Delbrand, isn't it? The deputy headmaster of the academy?" said one of the three figures, a middle-aged man with a muscular build and messy hair that covered his forehead.
"You've been locked up for too long, Igo. He's the headmaster now!"
The figure standing beside the muscular man was a beautiful woman dressed in traditional clothes. Lava could be seen pouring out of her hands, proving she was the one who broke through the floor.
As for the last figure, his presence was not as overbearing as the first two. It was a thin, anxious-looking man who had an ordinary face and body. The man then said, "Let's not waste time. We need to get away before the old Devil comes here!"
This idea of his, however, was rejected by the muscular man. "No! How far do you think we can go before the old fart catches up? So no. Let's just go as planned. This guy is our ticket out of here!" He said, gesturing to Headmaster Delbrand.
Seeing the new arrivals and understanding they were another threat, Annara dragged Emery with her as she sneakily made her way towards a corner of the area. Once again, she whispered to him. "I told you.. I'm trying to save your life here"
Hearing the girl's words, it was obvious that something big was at play. This eventually made Emery decide to heed her words and observe. Besides there was nothing he could do in the battle between grand magus.
What happened next was a fight that was beyond his comprehension.
Under the muscular man's charge, the three figures shot forward and attacked Headmaster Delbrand. A three-on-one battle involving entirely grand magus figures soon affected their surroundings. Their aftermath completely destroyed the floors and prison cells.
In just a matter of minutes, Emery saw several magus-level fighters die from the byproducts of the fight. Those powerful figures were killed merely by being present nearby, getting obliterated by the grand magus' offensive spells because they were in the way.
"As expected of the Ghost of Lymhurst!! It seems you haven't lost your touch Delbrand!"
Emery was completely in awe to see Headmaster Delbrand manage to hold his ground against the combined attacks of the three grand magus. He wove his Tier 7 wind and fire spells in such an exquisite way and they were more than enough to keep his opponents at bay.
On the other hand, the two Magus Academy guards weren't able to stand long as they were quickly overwhelmed multiple magus inmates. They were completely surrounded in all directions, and suffice to say, they had done their best.
While everyone was embroiled in the ferocious atmosphere of battle, the two magus – Cassian and Gorro – decided to take a step back, making sure they wouldn't be swept up by the chaos around them.
"This is beautiful, brother." said the Shadow Magus, as he let out a maniacal chuckle. On the other hand, Cassian was focused on healing his crushed arm. Intentionally or unintentionally, both of them ignored Emery and Annara.
"Just get ready to follow my lead," whispered Annara, causing Emery to raise his eyebrows.
He had absolutely no idea what the red-haired girl was planning. He was completely entranced by Headmaster Delbrand who was fighting an epic battle even though the odds were stacked against him.
While the spells crushed the floor, cells, and ceiling around him the entire floor shook once again.
A loud growl was heard, followed by a huge hairy arm that burst from the glaring hole in the floor. One big enough to grab a whole adult male.
It then proceeded to grab and tear the high-quality metals that prevented its emergence, the entire floor shook again as the figure pulled its similarly massive body up.
The owner of the hand gradually revealed themself to everyone at the Level 4 prison.
A gigantic humanoid, half human, half creature with two swirling horns on its head.
It was tall enough to reach the ceiling of the level, and evidently strong enough to break it open if it so wished. When it finally came out of the hole, it casually dropped an object held by its other hand.
As it fell and rolled on the floor, Emery's eyes widened when he realized what it was.
It was a head with a metal plate covering one of its eyes, the head of the Warden.