Chapter 481: No Mercy for the Fallen Academy [Part 2]

No Mercy for the Fallen Academy [Part 2]

Vita’s eyes darted desperately across the battlefield.

Then they stopped on Shera.

Hope appeared in his eyes.

It was a desperate kind of hope.

The kind a drowning man felt when he saw a piece of wood floating nearby.

He rushed toward him and shouted.

"Respected Shera, save me!"

His voice cracked at the end.

There was desperation in it.

Pure desperation.

A desperate man would cling to anything.

Even to a hand that had already been withdrawn.

His cry finally caught Shera’s attention.

Shera stopped.

He slowly turned his head.

For a brief moment, his dark eyes fell upon Vita.

His black hair stirred gently in the cold wind.

There was no anger in his expression.

No hatred.

No desire for revenge.

There wasn’t even disappointment.

There was simply indifference.

That indifference was far more painful than hatred could have been.

Back then, Shera had already saved Vita Zain once in Ashford City.

He had paid a considerable price to keep him alive.

At the time, Shera had believed the favor between them was worth preserving.

The Zain household had also given him certain benefits over the years.

There had been a relationship between them.

A debt.

A favor.

An exchange.

But all of that had already been settled.

Every debt had been repaid.

There was nothing left between them.

Nothing that required Shera to reach out his hand again.

Vita stared at him.

His lips trembled.

"Respected Shera..."

He tried again.

His voice was quieter this time.

Almost pleading.

Shera only looked at him.

Really.

He only took one look.

Then he turned his head away.

That simple movement was more ruthless than any insult.

Vita froze.

His entire body went still.

For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

The last trace of hope in his eyes slowly faded. His mouth remained slightly open as he stared ahead, unable to accept what had just happened.

Then reality finally reached him.

Shera wasn’t going to save him.

No.

She couldn’t.

Even someone as foolish as Vita Zain should have understood that by now.

How could Shera possibly save him?

This was no longer a matter of personal grudges.

It was a conflict between two powerful sects.

Whatever friendship existed between them had to be put aside.

No one could stand against the entire Celestis Academy simply because of an old friendship.

Vita’s chest tightened.

A bitter regret slowly filled his heart.

He regretted choosing the Sky Breaker Academy.

He regretted turning his back on the Celestis Academy.

Most of all, he regretted believing the rumors that had spread throughout the world.

Everyone had said the Celestis Academy was declining.

Everyone had said the once-glorious orthodoxy had already lost the authority and majesty it possessed in the past.

Vita had believed them.

He had listened to those voices.

And because of that, he had abandoned the Celestis Academy.

He chose the Sky Breaker Academy instead.

He even became Max’s student.

At the time, he had believed he was making the right choice.

He thought he was choosing a stronger future.

A better path.

Now?

Max was dead.

The Sky Breaker Academy was standing on the edge of destruction.

And Vita suddenly understood just how badly he had misjudged everything.

His legs felt weak.

It was almost as if the ground beneath his feet had vanished.

So this was the price of choosing the wrong path.

He had thought himself clever.

He had believed he could see the future more clearly than everyone else.

In the end, he had simply walked into a dead end with his own two feet.

A bitter sense of unwillingness burned inside him.

Vita clenched his teeth.

Then, almost instinctively, he glanced to the side.

His heart sank.

A charming man in a black robe had already appeared in front of him.

Vita’s breathing stopped.

It was Selena.

She stood there quietly.

Her long white-silver hair drifted behind her in the wind. Her blue eyes were cold and sharp, carrying a chill that seemed to seep into the very air around her.

Her snow-white robes were almost untouched by the chaos of the battlefield.

She looked completely calm.

Too calm.

There was no hesitation in her eyes.

No mercy.

Only coldness.

And beneath that coldness was an old memory.

Ashford City.

The humiliation she had suffered there.

The people who had once stood against her.

The people who had believed they could trample over her without consequence.

Vita’s heart sank even further.

Selena looked at him.

Coldly.

Angrily.

Vita’s pupils shrank.

His first instinct was to retreat.

His body refused to move.

He wanted to struggle.

He wanted to beg for his life.

But when he tried to raise his weapon, his hands were already trembling.

The weapon shook between his fingers.

He couldn’t even hold it properly.

The difference between them was simply too great.

Selena was already a two-star GrandMaster.

Vita had no chance against her.

Not even for a single exchange.

He knew it.

His body knew it.

And, somewhere deep inside, even his pride knew it.

Selena took one step forward.

That was all.

She didn’t say a word.

Her sword moved.

There was no unnecessary motion.

No hesitation.

No wasted strength.

Just a single, clean movement.

A cold arc of sword light flashed across the battlefield.

Vita’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, the sword light struck.

His body was sent flying.

He had no chance to retaliate.

No chance to defend himself.

No chance to change the choice he had made.

And as his body crashed away from Selena, one thought remained buried in his mind.

He had chosen this path himself.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Grand Return System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scoturn777

Creator of Grand Return System

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