Meanwhile, a half a mile from their direction, beyond that hill the conflict between the two forces was still ongoing. On the Hawk Academies side, the adults had taken the front line, trying their damnedest to block any of these black-clothed men from passing through a barrier they had set up around the about 20 students.

The adults themselves were only around 10, a mixture of teacher's and a few guards to keep the students protected. Most were all at the Late Stage Inner Haven Rank, while some were even at the Spirit Rank. Yet so were their foe, and there were around 20 of them!

They were outnumbered, but they fought on with all their might to protect themselves and the students. But being only so few against so many. Eventually one of the teachers, a rather buff male, was struck by a wild bolt of an electric spell, stunning him to the ground. This opened room in their defensive line, allowing two of the black-clothed men through to their horror.

Unable to react in time, the two black-clothed men both revealed glowing gems in their hands that when touching the erected barrier around the students, shattered it immediately on impact!

The screams of the various students rang out, and outside the barrier, all of the adults increased their aggressiveness in an attempt to throw off their attackers so that they could rush off to help the students. But they were finding no luck, these attackers were like leaches as they maliciously stuck close to them, only attempting to hold them at bay. It was clear that the students were their targets!

Inside the barrier, while most of the students were shaking in fear, three students in particular were standing protectively at the front. If Andria and Lexa were to see them, they would recognise them as the good Farhawk, Seph. The shaking and anxious, Jared Lolan. And finally, the cool girl, Sandra Button.

"Stop! If you dare to attack a Hawk Academy student, we will hunt you down!" a teacher outside growled viciously as he held back another attack from one of the black-clothed men. The teacher looked on with a pained expression as another teacher beside him was struck with a large cut across her arm and his anger grew further.

"Kehehe! That's if you can find us afterwords!" One of the two men who had entered the barrier sneered as he walked towards the students at his leisure, the other walking in close step.

"Stand back, I've got this!" Seph Farhawk breathed out heavily, seemingly preparing himself.

"Idiot, you can't do anything. None of us can at our levels!" Jared cried out as he reached out his hand to grasp him, but was too late as Seph was already sprinting forward, one hand behind his back. Jared and Sandra could see a blade concealed in those hands.

Against this small child, the black-clothed man sneered once more as he sent an aura-enforced punch leisurely in Seph's direction, only to find the boy swinging a blade out in the last second to meet his fist. Still, he only sneered further. How could the attack of a Foundation Ranked Magician hurt him who was at the Early Stage of Spirit Rank!

But shockingly, the blade actually began to dig into his fingers, splashing blood into the air.

"How?!" The black-clothed man's eyes went wide in shock before he clenched his teeth and let out a nasty growl.

'This blade is the strongest weapon my father left for me and can break most any weapon!' Seph Farhawk continued to dig the blade into the man's fingers, only to find the other black-clothed man sending a torrent of wind in his direction in the shape of a thick spear. Reacting quickly, he pressed his right foot down and casted a spell that erected a thick earth wall before disengaging with the other black-clothed man, quickly moving in retreat.

But to his shock, in his retreat, he saw that the spear-shaped wind didn't even bother striking the earthen wall, which would have slowed it down for a second, but actually swerved around it in a natural curve before shooting into his shoulder at the speed of a crossbow!

Seph let out a pained cry as he tumbled on the ground. Watching on, Jared and Sandra cried out as well.

On the floor, Seph let out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to get up, only to fail.

'To think the distance between Ranks is so much. That one spell didn't just pierce me, but tore up my insides as well...' Seph could only hold back the pained cry that threatened to release from his parched lips.

"Rather impressive brat... But, more foolish than anything." The black-clothed man let out a sinister laugh as he shook his bloodied hand, droplets of blood scattering into the air and onto the ground.

"Enough, lets stay on objective!" The other man spoke lazily before walking forth once more, and Seph could only curse himself as he watched the two men do so from his prone position.

Jared and Sandra looked in each other's eyes, seeing a determined gleam in them before they turned to look at the two encroaching men. They sang out long chants that the two incoming men didn't even bother interrupting. They didn't put these kids in their eyes.

While a thick, metallic glove formed around Jared's fists, a fiery shape erupted from behind Sandra, taking on the shape of a bird made out of pure magma. She had chosen to use the Volcanic Eagle spell right off the bat; she couldn't afford not to!

Outside the barrier, several of the teachers and the guards had been restrained, held roughly on the ground and watching on helplessly as these two men threatened down on the children they had worked so hard to protect.

Their eyes held despair and guilt while the black-clothed men above them let out sinister laughs and looked on expectantly.

Without any warning, the Volcanic Eagle and Jared charged forth in conjunction. Faced with these two attacks, the two men's smiles didn't fade for even a second.