Chapter 199: Seal Broken
Adam stood beneath a tall tree, a wide smile spreading across his face as he watched the Golden Group team flee in terror. He knew he had just accomplished something significant.
An investigation team would surely arrive later, but that didn’t matter to him. The Phoenix, a blazing comet of fire, continued its pursuit, herding the panicked students through the forest.
One of the third-years risked a glance back. Seeing the fiery beast still gaining on them, their desperate sprint turned into a frantic, chaotic scramble.
Then Adam saw it. Through his enhanced vision, he noticed Alina falling behind. Her stamina was not on par with the upperclassmen or the princess. She was stumbling, her face pale with exhaustion. The smile instantly vanished from Adam’s face. He raised a hand, his expression hardening into a mask of cold command.
"Return," he ordered.
The Phoenix, still streaking through the air after the fleeing students, simply vanished. One moment it was there, a terrifying spectacle of flame, and the next, it was gone.
Adam stared at the empty sky, surprised. His summoning had been reversed. He looked down at his own hands, a frown creasing his brow. I didn’t send it back, he thought. I just called it to me. How did it get unsummoned?
He was still pondering this anomaly when the System Window materialized before him. This time, it was not its usual serene blue. It was a deep, alarming crimson, flashing like a warning beacon.
[Master! A magical barrier has been erected in the surrounding area! My contact with all other students has been severed. I am unable to utilize any magical abilities outside of this immediate vicinity!]
The words hit Adam with the force of a physical blow. He froze, his mind racing. Could it be? he wondered, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. Did my summoning of the Phoenix trigger an alert? Have the Empire’s elite soldiers already arrived?