Hate me, Miss Witch!-Chapter 31 - 28: He Will Eventually Embark on the Point of No Return Known as Heroism

Having received these instructions from the Ashes Cult leader, the Arsonist leader didn’t waste any more time.

He spoke in a deep voice, "I agree to your deal."

"However—" The Arsonist leader turned his gaze to Enola standing beside Shiayar, "you must ensure she does not take action to sabotage the completion of the ritual."

From beginning to end, this blonde girl had exuded an immense sense of pressure. If she didn’t leave, even with dozens of cultists assisting him, he couldn’t guarantee the Fire Sacrifice Ritual would proceed without incident.

"Agreed."

Shiayar looked at Enola beside him. "Ennie, withdraw with Dyres and the others shortly."

Enola glanced at Shiayar, said nothing, silently nodded, and receded into the crowd.

"Then let’s start quickly." Shiayar looked at the Arsonist leader before him and urged impatiently, as if what awaited him was not to become a sacrifice, but a leisurely outing. "Hurry up, I’m getting a bit bored."

Though termed a standoff, it all transpired within a few minutes.

Soon, one by one, the students were roughly freed from their bonds. They stood up, dirty and disheveled. Once they had loosely formed a line, the Arsonist leader raised the sickle in his hand. With a slight wave, a narrow gap tore open in the wall of fire.

"You’re very lucky." The Arsonist leader looked at the students who had regained their freedom, his voice hoarse, reminiscent of a viper from the desolate yellow sands. "I never thought that in this world, there would indeed be such fools, willing to sacrifice their own lives to secure a way out for you."

There was a hint of emotion in his words. Though on opposing sides, Shiayar’s fervent and pure spirit seemed to be shining. It’s just a pity that he was about to meet his maker. Of course, for such a radiant soul, being able to detach from the tainted mortal world and become part of the master might even be considered fortunate.

"Get lost now." He waved dismissively at the students.

The students, their clothes tattered, paid no heed to their disheveled appearance as they hurriedly evacuated through the opened passage. As they passed by Shiayar, they unconsciously lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

Even though it seemed Shiayar’s actions were largely for President Dyres, he had undeniably saved their lives. There was no question about that. Many among them hadn’t even known Shiayar’s name before this.

They asked themselves: if it had been them, could they have sacrificed themselves for classmates whose names they might not even have known? They knew they certainly couldn’t. This stark contrast made the students, who once prided themselves as Heaven’s favored, feel deeply ashamed.

The crowd quickly passed through the fiery wall, with only Dyres remaining still. Her delicate, pitiable face was flushed red from the intense heat of the fire, but she paid it no mind, instead speaking urgently to Enola.

"What are you doing here? Go save him!"

"I know Student Shiayar is very strong. The academy’s internal records don’t reflect his full strength. He might even be stronger than you, perhaps even surpassing many professors at the academy."

"A person like him could never just die without resisting. Maybe he’s waiting to launch a counterattack after entering the altar..."

"But none of you have truly felt what’s inside that altar. You don’t understand what’s being nurtured in there, what kind of existence it truly is..."

The student council members who had previously tried to attack the altar directly had all fainted and were now being frantically carried away from the passage. Among all the teachers and students present, only Dyres, who had been assisting at the time, knew what was hidden inside that sealed altar...

That black flame, it was as if it gathered all the evil in this world. Merely coming into contact with a trace of it felt like it would burn one’s very soul to cinders. Even a 4-Ring Master Rank Beastmaster couldn’t withstand that black flame for long before being incapacitated. That was why the Arsonists from the Ashes Cult dared to confidently place that dark altar in the center, allowing others to approach. It was their strongest defense, even more reliable than the 4-Ring cult leader outside the fire formation.

However, facing Dyres’s urgent plea, Enola’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. She merely stood at the entrance of the passage, vaguely blocking Dyres, who seemed to want to rush in. Her pale golden, shoulder-length hair drifted with the undulating heatwaves, her cool voice echoing softly amidst the roar of the flames.

"That was his decision."

It was a decision Shiayar had made after careful consideration. Therefore, Enola would not question his judgment, nor would she pry into the specific details of the plan he had devised. She would only appear at the right place at the right time and do what Shiayar expected of her. This was just as they had promised each other eight years ago, in that small, ice field city shrouded in black fog and thick smoke.

Dyres’s brows knitted tightly. She couldn’t comprehend Enola’s obstinacy. She tried several times to move past her, only to find herself locked by a Sharpness aura.

"Just because it’s his decision, you blindly believe it? This is a gamble of life and death, but Student Shiayar lacks a lot of information."

"Have you ever thought—"

"What if his decision is wrong? What will you do then?"

Just then, Dyres suddenly froze. She had seen the blonde girl’s sky-blue eyes. The gaze was indifferent, as cold as ever. Yet, the silent answer contained within made Dyres’s heart clench.

Only then did Dyres realize that, as the one who should have had a grasp of the overall situation at St. Roland Academy... she had never truly understood not only Shiayar but also Enola, the academy’s top-ranked student who often made appearances.

Dyres opened her mouth, seeming to want to reveal something, but ultimately, she said nothing.

In that instant of Dyres’s distraction, the flames billowed, and the wall of fire sealed shut once more.

Soon, the instructors and soldiers waiting outside arrived, escorting the students to a safe zone far from the academy. According to the reconnaissance from Colonel Zieg’s Eye Demon Pet Beast, an extremely dangerous fluctuation of Magic Power was nurturing within the dark altar. If it erupted, more than half of St. Roland Academy would be razed to ruins.

Having silently reached the army’s lines, the students’ attention was quickly drawn to the psychic detection screen projected by the Eye Demon Pet Beast.

Within the inferno, only the Ashes Cult members, poised and ready, and Shiayar, targeted by countless gazes and killing intent, remained.

The Arsonist leader said something.

Then, everyone watched on the screen as Shiayar, hands in his pockets, strode towards the dark altar.

At that moment, his slender figure seemed exceptionally tall in the eyes of St. Roland Academy’s teachers and students.

It was as if he were stepping onto a hero’s path of no return.

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