It was nighttime in the capital, and though the hour was late, celebrations still raged in many corners of the city, as mages from the Eastern and Southern kingdoms joined the Northern citizens in revelry, toasting to the three academy teams that had advanced to the semi-finals of the competition, because they belonged from their kingdom.

As for the mages from the Central and Western kingdoms, they kept to themselves, sequestered in their suites and inns.

While all this merriment unfolded, the three qualified academy teams had decided to rest and enjoy the night. Meanwhile, the remaining academies slated for the final loser’s bracket battles were locked in intense meetings with their deans.

Amidst it all, at the capital Space Axis, two figures emerged.

Alec and Terran had finally returned to the capital city, without delay, they took to the skies, flying straight toward the quarters assigned to the War God Mage Academy, after being informed of the restoration of Estonia City’s Space Axis, Alec had fetched his master.

He was deeply worried about the state of his team, he could only hope things had gone well with them since he had left.

Since he’d already delivered a cache of high-rank cultivation and mental pills to his clan, he believed they could bolster the clan’s strength in short order.

That way, if rebellion or another attack struck, they’d be equipped to handle whatever came.

Moreover, with the city hall now under his clan’s control, he could return on the blood moon day using the Space Axis without restrictions to lend his aid, he believes now that he commanded a mini golem army of his own, he felt he could be of far greater help to his clan.

_ _

At the War God Mage team quarters, the atmosphere was bleak, every member of the team sat in silence, unable to utter a single word, the quiet was so profound that even the dean and grand dean had run out of things to say, in that moment, it was as if they had all accepted whatever fate had in store for them.

They all understood the harsh reality, that for the team to advance, they’d have to battle the two other academies tomorrow in the final loser’s bracket match.

But their captain, Alec, was still nowhere to be seen, and then there was Beatrice, lost in a deep slumber after draining her mana to summon a Tier 7 living puppet.

The exhaustion had been so profound that she hadn’t even been able to tap into his full power, it was as if the puppet had fought with invisible limiters and restrictions holding it back.

And the second mage the dean had hoped to rely on to lead the team, Lucas Blade—was still gravely injured, though the competition’s healing department mages had tended to him, but everyone knew such treatments were mere surface-level mending, and the evidence of it was the fact that Lucas still remained in agony.

The healers of the competition would never fully restore a mage if they were not in a life threatening situation; their spells were little more than a performance, it left the true recovery to the teams themselves.

It was almost like a subtle message to the academy executives saying: if you want your top mages back in the fight, dip into your stock of healing pills and push them to peak form yourselves why should we make losses for you.

Surveying the mages he had left, excluding the main Gordons clan members he didn’t feel like fielding, the dean could only sigh, as he felt the other two teams were in far better shape than his own team, and he knew those teams must have realized it too.

Which made him fear that those rival academies might conspire to target the War God Mage team first, thinning their numbers before turning on each other to decide the true victor.

“I would lik...” Old Man Alderic stepped forward, with the intent of addressing them, because no matter how dire things seemed, he refused to let the team enter tomorrow’s battle with such defeated mindsets.

As he began to speak, everyone lifted their heads to stare at him, but then he halted mid-sentence and turned his gaze toward the door, this prompted the others to glance that way in surprise—as the abrupt stop was anything but normal.

And truly, when they all strained their ears, they began to hear faint footsteps, clearly someone approaching, though still far from the door, this only deepened their confusion about why the grand dean’s eyes remained fixed there.

His unusual behavior put the mages on high alert, as they all started bracing as if an attack could erupt at any moment.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time their team had faced such peril.

However, Old Man Alderic paid them no mind, because their mental powers simply weren’t on his level.

He’d enveloped the entire area in his mental energy before even beginning to speak earlier, as he was trying to ensure no one could spy on their conversation without him finding out.

But then he sensed Alec’s and Terran’s auras brushing against his mental defenses, confirming without a doubt that Alec had returned.

_ _

Twenty seconds later, Terran swung open the door, with his broad frame filling the doorway, in that instant, the team finally understood why the grand dean’s gaze had been locked in that direction.

But it took only a split second for Terran to step aside, revealing Alec behind him, instantly emotions exploded in the room as the Gordons clan members surged forward first, enveloping him in hugs, with the rest of the team close behind.

Somehow, just his presence washed away their worries, easing their minds about the grueling battle awaiting them the next day. The Dean, who had sensed Alec’s aura even before he entered just a little later than the Grand Dean, watched the scene unfold and couldn’t help but smirk.

“All this while, we’ve been trying to lift their moods but failed woefully, and all he had to do was waltz in and the whole team goes crazy about him. Clearly, we don’t even match Alec’s prestige in the team,” the dean said, while Old Man Alderic simply nodded, not bothering to argue.

For now, he wasn’t about to scold Alec for his actions; he just wanted them to savor the moment.