Return of the Runebound Professor

Chapter 576: Return

Verrud’s mouth went slack. He stared at Noah like he was witnessing a ghost rise back up from the depths of hell. All things considered, that wasn’t too far from the truth. Disbelief gripped the professor’s entire body and he took a step back. Burnt ground crunched beneath his heels as he took another step.

“Impossible,” Verrud stammered. “You’re dead.”

Even though Isabel had already known that Noah still lived she couldn’t help but feel the same shock crossing over her own face. Her lips parted as dozens of emotions crashed within her like oceans all meeting at a single point. Relief, surprise, exhaustion — there was just too much to properly handle at once.

“Dying seems to be a reoccurring symptom for me,” Noah said, baring his teeth. Arcs of purple magic danced across his fingers. “Unfortunately, it just never seems to stick. Maybe you can take that up with management when you see them.”

“You’re an Archdemon,” Verrud said. His face went as pale as a sheet. “That’s why you took the worthless girl in. You were planning to take the Soul Master Rune for yourse—”

The air cracked as a bolt of lightning ripped from Noah’s palms. Verrud’s shield flared to life, twisting gray energy enveloping his body and absorbing the magic with a ripple. He flinched, then blinked when he realized the shield hadn’t fallen.

“Don’t group me in with the likes of scum like you,” Noah said. “You know what the problem with Arbitage — no. With every single noble family — is? It’s people like you. All machinations and stupid little plots to try and wrest power from each other instead of fucking earning it for yourself. You can’t even comprehend the idea that others aren’t trying to lie and cheat their way to strength.”

“You’re no Archdemon,” Verrud said, looking at his rippling shield. His eyes lifted back to meet Noah’s and he bared his teeth in a sneer. “That magic was Rank 5 at the strongest. You’re just the same coward professor. Was that just a lightshow? Some trick to make for a grand reappearance after you abandoned your students to go into hiding?”

“Whoa, look at the switchup. You’re really grasping at straws here,” Noah said. He glanced at Jakob, who still laid on the ground, wheezing for air. “What happened to that moron? He lost a fight to a bunch of teens — speaking of which, good job, all.”

“Your mockery will mean nothing when I kill you properly,” Verrud spat. The water he’d gathered churned in the air like an ocean preparing to come crashing down on their heads.

“I mean seriously,” Noah said, shaking his head. “Isn’t that fucking prick a Rank 4? What was he doing with his domain? Sitting on it? How do you let a Rank 3 damage you at Rank 4? Is his control over his domain so poor that this was the extent of his power?”

The flush of embarrassment and anger that crossed Jakob’s face was enough to tell Isabel that Noah had hit the nail on the head. It seemed that Jakob wasn’t anywhere near as capable of a mage as he would have liked people to believe.

Even through the pain and exhaustion, Isabel let out a laugh. Verrud’s features erupted in fury.

“Enough!” With a roar, Verrud brought his hands crashing down.

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The enormous amount of water in the air came down directly upon Noah’s head like an avenging waterfall, bearing with it thousands of pounds of force. The ground rumbled under the immensity of the magic and Noah was enveloped entirely within it.

Isabel’s stomach clenched. Verrud was one of the most powerful mages she’d ever seen in combat. Noah was strong, but she’d never seen him survive an attack like that before.

Verrud thrust his hand up, drawing up the water in preparation for another attack — and his eyes widened.

Noah stood with an amused expression on his lips. There wasn’t a single wet hair on his body. He was as dry as a bone in a desert. His head tilted to the side and he arched an eyebrow.

“Would you look at that. It looks like my domain is stronger than your magic.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Verrud spat. He twisted his hands and the water separated into dozens of twisting spikes that gathered in the air above Noah. “You’re nothing but the scum of the Linwick family. Using artifacts isn’t going to save you forever.”

“Using artifacts?” Noah let out a burst of laughter. “You know, if I cared enough to correct you, then I would.”

A spike of water screamed toward Noah. He lifted a palm toward it and gray magic erupted from within it, arcing out and slamming into the water. The spike exploded in a spray of mist that dissipated before it could reach Noah.

“What was that?” Verrud asked, his confidence faltering as he stared at Noah. “What did you do?”

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“Water counts as matter,” Noah said, flexing his palm. “Good to know. I’d love to make a proper example of you, Verrud. Unfortunately, I’m on a time limit.”

“You are using artifacts,” Verrud said. His lips curled up in a sneer. “False power will never—”

“God, you’re a moron,” Noah said. He clapped his hands together, pulling them apart as blocky gray energy gathered and twisted between his fingers. “I know it’s been a while, all. But please, watch closely. We’ve got a lesson to catch up on.”

“What are you blabbering about?” Verrud snarled, sending a dozen spikes of water crashing down for Noah. “If you have real power, then show it. Talk is for the weak.”

Noah thrust his hands outward. His magic slammed into Verrud’s and ripped through it, destroying every drop of the water before it could grow anywhere near him. The unease on Verrud’s features grew stronger.

“I’ll happily oblige you,” Noah said. His expression went flat. “Today’s lesson: don’t fuck with my students.”

Noah blurred into motion, moving faster than Isabel had ever seen him. Her eyes went wide. He was nearly as fast as Lee.

Verrud jerked his hands back and water twisted around his body in a defensive orb — but Noah hadn’t been going for him. He’d been going for Jakob. Noah’s foot lifted into the air.

“Wait,” Jakob rasped. “I—”

Noah’s heel slammed into Jakob’s skull. The professor’s head slammed back against the ground and bone shattered with a crunch. Blood splattered across the dirt as Noah lifted his foot free, disgust twisting his features.

“That one was from Moxie,” he said. There wasn’t a single trace of amusement left in his voice. “Enjoy the wait, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have company.”

“Killing an Arbitage Professor is an assault on the school itself,” Verrud snarled, sending two blades of water screaming out.

Noah turned to face Verrud and lifted a hand into the air. Gray energy stretched out from his palm and consumed the magic before it could reach him. His eyes narrowed. “And what does attempting to kill its students count as?”

“When they are worthless? Taking out the trash,” Verrud spat. He sent a dozen blades of rippling magic slicing through the air toward Noah from every direction.

Every single one of them missed. Noah blurred past the magical attacks, his body twisting and contorting in ways that Isabel would have sworn that only Lee was capable of. The distance between him and Verrud evaporated like summer rain.

The Herron Professor ripped a dagger free from its spot at his waist and thrust it forward. More spikes of water shot down toward Noah at the same time. Once more, every single attack missed as he blurred out of the way, not even bothering to use magic to stop the strikes.

“You can’t even get through my shield,” Verrud spat. “What do you think you’ll be able to—”

White cracks carved through the air from Noah’s palm. Verrud didn’t even try to dodge out of the way. The sneer was still present on his face when the magic passed clean through the gray shield as if nothing was there. It wound past the Professor’s hip, traveling about a foot away from Noah’s palm.

Then the cracks detonated with a loud, sharp snap. Verrud let out a scream of pain as his Shield shattered — along with several of the bones in his right leg. He crumpled, suddenly no longer able to support himself, and landed on his back as his eyes went wide in horror.

The professor’s eyes went wide in disbelief. He dragged himself back with his hands as Noah stared down at him, his features still as flat as the stone face of a cliffside.

“That wasn’t an artifact,” Verrud stammered, pain tinging his voice. His hand scrabbled at his side and he grabbed a healing potion.

He never got a chance to use it. Noah’s foot slammed down on his arm, driving it into the ground in a blur. The potion rolled from Verrud’s grip, coming to a stop in a burnt pit in the ground several feet away from them.

Isabel could barely believe what she was seeing. Verrud wasn’t just losing the fight. He was getting manhandled. The bastard looked like he’d never used magic a day in his life — but she knew that wasn’t the truth. He was a powerful mage that should have been able to fight back against even a low level Rank 6, even if he had no chance of winning.

She swallowed heavily.

How strong has Noah become?

“No extensions,” Noah said. White lightning buzzed across his palm as he lifted a hand into the air. “I don’t have time for those right now.”

“Demon,” Verrud rasped.

“Would you make up your goddamn mind?” Noah exclaimed. “First I’m a demon, then I’m not. When will you stop twisting the truth and realize that you’re just fucking weak? This isn’t a fight, Verrud. You’re a rabid dog, and I’m putting you down. I’d tell you to find an opponent your rank the next time around instead of going after my students — but, well, there won’t be a next time.”

“My family will destroy you,” Verrud spat. “You cannot kill me and get away with it. The Herrons will find out. They will rip you and the thieving bitch into shreds. You will never know peace. Every one of your waking moments will—”

Noah’s foot slammed into Verrud’s stomach and the rest of the man’s sentence vanished in a wheeze of pain as he folded like a sheet of paper. He crouched down, the white magic racing across his fingertips intensifying.

“If you happen to run into Renewal, do me a favor and let her know that I owe her a fruit basket.” He grabbed Verrud by the head. Jagged white cracks expanded through the air all around the man’s skull.

The other professor’s eyes only had an instant to go wide before there was a loud, ear-splitting crunch.

And in that moment, it struck Isabel that her professor hadn’t been posturing. At no point had she witnessed an actual fight between Verrud and Noah. That would have required one of the parties to have a chance of victory.

No, this hadn’t been a fight.

It had been an execution.

Noah straightened, shaking the blood from his hand as he let the shattered corpse tumble from his grip. He turned, and the cold anger that had burned within his eyes evaporated in an instant as he properly laid eyes on his students for the first time since falling into the Damned Plains.

“Professor,” Isabel said, pushing through the pain and rising to her feet. The only emotion that still remained in her was relief, and a small smile crossed over her lips. “Welcome home. We’ve missed you.”