The Philosopher's Stone was a product created by extracting and refining the fifth element, otherwise known as the spiritual element. It was a powerful weapon capable of killing even a Dragon King.
However, once the Philosopher's Stone was formed into a physical object, it became extremely fragile. The instant it encountered something stronger than itself on a physical level, it would shatter.
That was what had happened when Parsi Gattuso tried to use a Philosopher's Stone against Xia Mi. Because he had used it improperly, Xia Mi had simply destroyed it.
Therefore, a Philosopher's Stone had to be handled with extreme care.
None of that mattered to the girl, however. Those rules applied when the user intended to kill a Dragon King. All she needed was for her bullet to touch Jovian while he sat in his chair.
Her objective was not to kill him. She only needed her attack to penetrate the Dragon King's Authority and make contact with Jovian.
There was a fundamental difference between the two.
"Sorry about this..."
The girl aimed at Jovian's chest, waited for the perfect opportunity, and pulled the trigger.
The bullet traced a beautiful path through the air as it raced toward Jovian.
It traveled at nearly three thousand feet per second, almost three times the speed of sound. Even exceptionally powerful hybrids possessing Moment or Time Zero would struggle to react to a projectile moving that quickly.
However, just before the bullet reached Jovian, a blade appeared in its path.
The projectile instantly shattered into countless crimson fragments.
The person who had intercepted it was the beautiful young man who had remained beside Jovian all this time.
He held a razor-sharp katana in his hands. His blazing eyes radiated a piercing orange-gold light, while tiny white scales resembling those of a dragon covered his cheeks.
The young man was no ordinary A-rank hybrid. Even an S-rank bloodline, which represented the very pinnacle of hybrid society, could not compare to the blood flowing through his veins.
If someone were to drain his blood at that moment, the sight would shock the entire world. What flowed through his body was not the bright red blood of a human being, but a thick, pitch-black substance resembling crude oil.
It was dragon blood.
The young man was practically a dragon in human form. In Japan, someone like him was known as an Emperor, an extraordinarily powerful hybrid whose proportion of dragon blood had long since surpassed the limit a normal hybrid could endure.
With the assistance of the resurrected great God, he had broken through the barrier separating humans from dragons.
He was now effectively a dragon wearing a human body, a powerful second-generation dragon whose violent strength seemed inexhaustible.
"Oh, well..."
"I missed."
The red-haired woman with the perfect figure and striking curves put away her sniper rifle after realizing that her attack had failed. She immediately prepared to find a new vantage point.
"Naughty girl."
Jovian remained seated in his chair as he watched the crimson silhouette retreat. There was a trace of displeasure in his expression.
"Erii, go teach that girl a lesson."
Jovian turned toward the little witch beside him.
Erii fell silent after hearing his order. Her eyes were filled with concern. She seemed worried that no one would be left to protect Jovian once she departed.
"Don't worry. I still have this idiot beside me."
Jovian pointed at Xia Mi.
"Idiot? Do I really look that stupid to you?"
Xia Mi glared at Jovian before turning toward Erii.
"Don't worry, Erii. I'll stay here. Jovian will be perfectly safe with me protecting him."
Erii nodded.
Only then did she gather up the hem of her shrine maiden robes and run after the crimson-haired woman.
"Don't let her interfere with Nono!"
The A-rank students who could still fight beneath the Dragon King's Authority rushed forward when they saw Erii elegantly running toward the tower.
"Move."
Erii's expression turned cold as she spoke to the group blocking her path.
A low hum filled the air.
Then came an explosion.
A violent storm instantly swept through everything in front of Erii.
The elite A-rank students, whose bloodlines were second only to S-rank, were thrown high into the sky. Even the buildings behind them collapsed beneath the force.
Erii seemed genuinely angry.
She wanted to complete Jovian's order immediately, so anything standing in her way would simply have to be crushed.
Once the trash had been cleared away, her target naturally came into view.
"What a monster..."
Nono leaned against the back of the clock tower, clutching her sniper rifle and breathing heavily.
The ease with which Erii had destroyed an entire street left Nono feeling completely powerless.
She had only wanted to say hello to Jovian. How had that attracted a monster like this?
Admittedly, her greeting had not been especially friendly.
"Naughty girls need a spanking."
Jovian remained seated with his legs crossed, calmly waiting for the game of cat and mouse to end.
He was somewhat interested in watching the ultimate confrontation between the little shrine maiden and the little witch, though the result had already been decided.
The naughty shrine maiden would ultimately receive a thorough spanking from the little witch who served her god.
Elsewhere, the final confrontation between the leaders of the Lionheart Society and the Student Union continued inside the church.
Caesar held a machine gun in each hand, both fully loaded. Since he could no longer use his Yanling, firearms were his best means of attack.
Chu Zihang faced him with a katana in his hands.
The Dragon King's Authority had not affected him. However, after realizing that Caesar could no longer use his Yanling, Chu Zihang had deactivated his own.
He wanted a fair battle.
He had no interest in using an ability that his opponent could not access.
The machine guns erupted.
"Chu Zihang!"
Caesar roared like a maddened lion as countless bullets poured from the weapons in his hands.
"Caesar!"
For the first time, Chu Zihang frowned.
The intense concentration in his normally expressionless face gave him an even more resolute appearance.
Blades flashed while bullets tore through the air.
Time passed one second at a time.
When Caesar's machine guns could no longer fire another round, he knew that he had lost.
Chu Zihang's blade was already resting against his neck.
"I lost."
Caesar smiled.
It was the smile of a proud man accepting his own defeat.
Chu Zihang nodded.
He wasted no words. The instant Caesar admitted defeat, Chu Zihang withdrew his blade and walked out of the church without looking back.
Caesar watched him leave, then removed a half-empty pack of cigarettes from his coat. He took one out, placed it between his lips, and began searching his clothes for a lighter.
Ever since Nono had been abducted and later returned to meet him, Caesar had been smoking constantly.
This Day of Freedom marked his farewell to the college.
It was also...
"Need a light?"
Just as Caesar failed to find anything with which to light his cigarette, a man who looked every bit as miserable as he did offered him a flame.
Caesar said nothing. He leaned toward the lighter, ignited his cigarette, and inhaled deeply.
"I rarely see you smoke," the disheveled man remarked.
"Usually, I don't need cigarettes," Caesar answered honestly.
"But you need one now?"
"I do."
"Because the college doesn't need me anymore."
"My family may also decide to replace me because of this pointless farce. Perhaps I'm finally about to become free."
Caesar began to laugh, but there was something deeply defeated in his smile.
"That's wonderful. You're finally going to be free."
The disheveled man put away his lighter and headed toward the church doors.
"Finger, where are you going?" Caesar asked as he watched him leave.
"To fight one last battle."
Finger tied back his loose, flowing hair and discarded his faded shirt, revealing a powerful body covered in tightly forged muscle.
When Finger stepped outside the church, the expressionless super hybrid Chu Tianjiao was waiting for him.
As for Chu Zihang, after defeating Caesar, he sat alone in an empty corner with his eyes closed.
His assignment had apparently been limited to defeating Caesar. Once that task was completed, he had nothing else to do, so he simply rested.
Chu Zihang had no interest in watching the battle between the perennial failure Finger and his father, Chu Tianjiao.
He already knew how it would end.
There was no possibility of an unexpected outcome.
"Bronze Throne!"
The moment Finger lifted and hurled an enormous boulder, Caesar, who was still standing inside the church, finally understood.
He should have realized it earlier.
Apart from Lu Mingfei, the college's only S-rank student, Finger also possessed a unique bloodline.
On the surface, Caesar and Chu Zihang were regarded as the two strongest students at Cassell College.
In reality, Lu Mingfei and Finger, who had always remained hidden in the shadows, stood at the very pinnacle.
"I can't believe that at my age, I still have to help you fight a monster like this."
The speaker was an old cowboy.
His clothes alone made him look like someone who had stepped directly out of the Wild West. In truth, he simply loved Western movies and beautiful women with long legs.
Considering his age, he could have been the grandfather of most of the women he admired, but that did nothing to diminish his enthusiasm.
"Vice Principal..."
Caesar froze when the old cowboy appeared.
Even Chu Zihang opened his eyes when he heard the man's voice, though he closed them again almost immediately.
"Of course it's me. Do you expect me to stand by and watch one of my adorable students get killed?"
Finger's previously dominant demeanor had completely vanished after Chu Tianjiao grabbed him with one hand and spun him around twice like a top.
He had returned to being the same pathetic failure as always and was now pleading for help from the old, shameless, but undeniably handsome cowboy.
"Just this once."
"Remember, I have no personal grudge against that man. I'm only helping because you people threw me out of this place and denied me the pleasure of admiring beautiful legs!"
The old man drew a revolver like a cowboy.
"I thought you didn't know how to use that kind of gun," Finger said, staring at the antique weapon that looked as if it had come straight from an old Western.
"It looks cool. What else matters?"
The old cowboy answered with complete seriousness.
Chu Tianjiao, the Vice Principal, and Finger immediately plunged into battle.
Chu Tianjiao fought both opponents by himself and still appeared to have plenty of strength to spare. It seemed that he had yet to reveal the full extent of his abilities.
The bloodline flowing through that man was simply too powerful.
Both Chu Tianjiao and the old cowboy were super hybrids whose bloodlines surpassed S-rank.
Erii had left to pursue Nono. Chu Zihang had voluntarily withdrawn after defeating Caesar. Lu Mingfei was openly refusing to work. Chu Tianjiao had been occupied by Finger and the Vice Principal, while Gen Chime had taken over Chu Tianjiao's task of clearing away the remaining students.
That left only Xia Mi beside Jovian.
"So..."
"If all of you idiots let yourselves get lured away, who's supposed to protect Jovian?"
Xia Mi felt as though her head might explode.
This was obviously the enemy's strategy. They intended to lure everyone away and defeat them one by one.
No, that was not right.
Even if they were separated, the useless students at Cassell College had no chance of defeating any of them.
The enemy's real plan was to draw everyone away and then launch a surprise attack against Jovian.
"It's such an obvious plan! It's so incredibly stupid! How did every last one of you idiots still fall for it?"
Xia Mi no longer knew what to say.
"Because they're all stupid," Jovian replied.
"That's true..."
"No, wait."
"You're the one who ordered them to leave!"
"Seriously, are you even trying to win?"
Xia Mi glared at Jovian.
"Isn't it obvious? I trust you."
Jovian answered her with a smile.
"I strongly recommend that you stop trusting me."
Xia Mi covered her forehead.
She and Jovian were supposed to be partners, yet somehow, she had gradually become one of his subordinates.
How had this happened?
While Xia Mi was silently questioning her status, organized groups of armed students surrounded her and Jovian.
"Greetings. My name is Lancelot, and I'm the current president of the Lionheart Society."
The newcomer carried himself with perfect elegance.
Once Chu Zihang's trusted supporter, he had now become the sharpest blade aimed at Jovian.
"Look at that. The Student Union was responsible for drawing the tiger away from the mountain, while the Lionheart Society prepared to deliver the final blow and slay the dragon."
"Tsk, tsk."
"What impressive coordination."
Jovian smiled at the elite members of the Lionheart Society surrounding them.
"This only happened because of the orders you gave!"
Xia Mi was furious.
Would it not have been easier for everyone to remain together and protect Jovian? Why had they needed to split up?
"Xia Mi, my safety is entirely in your hands."
Jovian smiled at her.
"Can I refuse?"
Xia Mi had no desire to protect him.
"Probably not."
The instant Jovian finished speaking, countless gun barrels were aimed directly at him and Xia Mi.
Gunfire erupted.
A storm of bullets poured toward them.
"You people really don't know when to stop, do you?"
The sight of bullets approaching Jovian filled Xia Mi with anger.
How dare a group of hybrids attack someone under the protection of a Dragon King?
A wave of violent pressure erupted from her body.
Xia Mi was finally taking the battle seriously.
Seeing her enter a proper fighting state, Jovian raised his voice.
"You can do it, Xia Mi!"
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