Chapter 255 The Decisive Battle
Higo\'s sword plunged toward Artur\'s head.
However, suddenly the sand around them began to move, forming a thick blanket that covered Artur\'s body. The tip of Higo\'s sword was stopped by the sandy blanket and couldn\'t penetrate it. Despite using all his strength to push the sword forward, it remained immobile.
"I think that\'s enough, Higo," a woman\'s voice sounded from behind him.
Higo turned around and saw a black-haired woman squatting with both palms pressed against the cave floor. She smiled gently, enhancing the beauty of her lovely face. But Higo furrowed his brow even deeper upon seeing her presence in this place.
Higo pointed his sword at the black-haired woman. "What is the meaning of this? Do you want to fight against Milton and Yin? Kira Rangkuti," he said.
Kira only smiled wider without answering. The one who responded was a man emerging from the shadows of the cave. "Can\'t you see? Neither of us is afraid of Milton or Yin," he said.
"Awni Mahdavi! Have you become Robert\'s lapdogs now?" Higo snorted while keeping his sword raised.
"Whatever my fiancée and I do is none of your concern. Higo, lower your sword and step back, or I won\'t show you any mercy anymore! Though you may be Milton\'s dog, it\'s not the same for your classmates. Do you want to be wiped out here?" Awni\'s aura suddenly changed, as if a house cat had transformed into a tiger. Awni was currently extremely dangerous. While his eyes remained fierce, Higo reluctantly lowered and sheathed his sword.
Without saying anything, Higo walked out of Class A15\'s base. As he passed by Awni, Higo whispered, "You better rethink who you\'ll lick. Stent Gaht\'s position in the Gurru Committee isn\'t as strong as it used to be. He\'s just a former hero trapped in his war dreams." Without waiting for a response from Awni, Higo continued walking without looking back followed by his other classmate.
Kira rose from her squat and quickly approached the still-lying Artur. She knelt down again and examined Artur, who was growing paler by the moment. Blood continued to flow from his lips, and his injured lungs worsened with every breath he took.
"Hani! Over here!" Kira shouted.
"Yes, My Lady!" Hani emerged from the mouth of the cave and hurriedly ran over to Kira.
She knelt down and placed her palm on Artur\'s chest. By then, Artur had regained consciousness, but he lacked the strength to utter a single word. He could only lie there and gaze at Hani, who was examining him.
"How is it?" Kira asked.
"His ribs pierced his lungs. His condition can be considered critical," Hani replied succinctly.
"Can you fix him?"
"I can," Hani answered without hesitation. Then she turned around and asked, "But how much mana should I use to heal him?"
Kira fell silent for a moment, not providing an answer. Then Awni approached her and touched Kira\'s shoulder. "He is important, not just for Robert but also for the battles that will follow. Didn\'t you see him fight against Higo just now?" Awni said.
Though his name may not be as famous as Robert, Milton, or Yin, Higo was well-known among the Class A students. Hailing from the Shion royal family, Higo was revered by all his classmates and served as the leader of Class C23. With his prowess in the fire spell faction, Higo managed to rank among the top 20 strongest students of Class A in the Demon\'s Slayer generation.
Yet no one anticipated that Higo Shion would almost be killed by Artur, someone who had been regarded as nothing more than Robert\'s shadow. The spell Artur employed in their final duel even left Awni doubtful about his ability to evade it. It was highly likely that he would have to sacrifice one of his hands to escape Artur\'s [Sonic Boom].
Kira nodded and turned back to Hani. "Use all your mana until he recovers completely," she said earnestly.
"Yes, My Lady," Hani simply nodded and unleashed her spell.
"[Healing Palm]!"
Suddenly, Hani\'s hand emitted a bright light, and mana flowed into Artur\'s chest. He felt a chilling sensation followed by a sudden burst of heat that engulfed him. Artur wanted to scream in pain, but he was more surprised by what was happening.
The healing spell faction was the rarest among all spell factions. It couldn\'t be learned; only those with the ability to control the healing mana color could wield the healing spell faction. Therefore, those who could harness the healing mana color were the most special individuals among all humankind.
Due to the rarity of mages with the Healing spell faction, every time one appeared, the Gurru Committee would immediately give them special attention. Unfortunately, Hani was not a commoner; she was from the Rangkuti clan, with the last name Rangkuti. Although she wasn\'t an heir, her existence was crucial for the Rangkuti clan so even the Gurru Committee need think twice before trying to poach her.
However, to compensate for their exceptional ability, mages with the Healing spell faction were unable to use any other spell faction. Ultimately, they couldn\'t be brought to the frontlines of battle and could only remain in the rear, tending to the wounded.
Nevertheless, it would be a different story when a mage with the Healing spell faction reached Level 5 Constellation Mage and learned Domain spells. They would be immediately deployed to the frontlines, using their Domain spell to create an army of zombies that would never die until the mana within the mage\'s body was depleted.
The most legendary example of this was during the battle between the human alliance and the Beast Kingdom in Dartwell Lake (before known as Dreary Flatland). At that time, Ember the White Wolf used a Domain spell to turn the Beast Kingdom\'s forces into an invincible army. When their hearts were pierced, they would heal within a breath\'s time. When their heads were severed, they would reconnect within seconds. And when their bodies were dismembered, new limbs would grow back within minutes.
The only way to defeat this army was to kill the caster themselves. However, this was undoubtedly difficult to accomplish as mages with the healing spell faction were always closely guarded by their elite teams. As a result, the battle would continue until the caster\'s mana was depleted.
However, Hani couldn\'t be compared to Ember the White Wolf. Her journey was still far from reaching such legendary status. That\'s why, to heal Artur, Hani needed all the mana within her body.
Another drawback of mages with the Healing spell faction was the length of time it took for their mana to regenerate. It took twice or thrice as long as regular mages for those with the Healing spell faction to replenish their mana. Therefore, when Hani depleted her mana to heal Artur, she wouldn\'t be able to use any healing spells for several days to come.
Within a matter of minutes, Artur\'s broken ribs returned to their original state, and his injured lungs healed as if nothing had happened. He stopped coughing up blood, and his body became mobile once again.
"Hani, thank you," Artur said with weary eyes.
"You don\'t need to thank me, it\'s just an order from My Lady," Hani replied, her face pale, visibly exhausted, and in need of rest.
However, Jemah, who appeared out of nowhere, didn\'t waste the opportunity to taunt her. "This cold-hearted bitch is just too embarrassed to accept your thanks, Artur. Look at her pale face, she\'s acting all shy," he jeered.
Hani was too tired to respond to her arch-nemesis, but her eyes burned with anger.
Artur simply smiled at the banter between these adversaries and turned to Kira and Awni. "Thank you, Kira, Awni. I won\'t forget your kindness."
"It\'s okay," "You should," two different responses came from the engaged couple, causing Kira to give Awni an annoyed look. Awni could only shrug innocently.
Artur pushed himself to sit up and surveyed his surroundings. "How are the members of my group?"
"They\'re fine, just in need of a short rest. Healing Potions will help them recover. Unlike you, who almost died even though Higo didn\'t kill you," Awni replied.
"That\'s good to hear. I want to thank you for saving us, but I know you both bring bad news. Is it about Robert\'s group or Sigurd\'s group?" Artur\'s face turned serious.
"We encountered Sigurd\'s group on our way back. They\'re injured, and not in better condition than your group. It seems they also fell into the traps set by Milton and Yin. Meanwhile, Robert\'s group..."
"Artur!" a woman emerged from the shadows of the cave, walking quickly towards Artur\'s location.
"Anggi!" Artur exclaimed, seeing his classmate who had joined Robert\'s group covered in wounds. "Where\'s Robert?" Artur asked anxiously.
Anggi sat down beside Artur, filled with regret as she spoke. "Artur, forgive us. Robert sacrificed himself to buy us time to escape. He\'s currently captured by the coalition of Milton and Yin."
Like being struck by lightning, Artur\'s eyes widened, his fists clenched so tightly that his whole body trembled. Filled with frustration, he shouted,
"FAIRNESS IS A SON OF A BITCH!!!!!"