The roar shattered the air.
It wasn't merely loud — it was alive, rippling through mana and bone alike, shaking the academy to its very foundations.Students covered their ears. Mana lamps flickered out. The sky, once overcast, darkened into a sickly violet hue that mirrored the energy radiating from the swirling gate below.
Then came the first wave.
Out of the black vortex crawled goblins — dozens of them, their small, wiry frames hunched and twitching as they hissed in the wet air. Their green skin glistened with mana residue, their crude blades gleaming faintly red. Behind them followed heavier steps — hobgoblins, their white hair dripping with dark energy, red eyes burning with hunger. They carried massive wooden clubs reinforced with black iron, the ground trembling beneath their charge.
The third-years held their formation.
"Range units, front! Melee, intercept on my mark!" Lauren's voice cut through the storm.
Mana flared as the air around them shimmered — defensive enchantments coming alive. Bolts of elemental light arced through the rain, searing into the front ranks of the goblins. The courtyard exploded into chaos.Spells collided with howling monsters; the sharp clang of weapons echoed against the gate's hum.
Ziriah smashed a hobgoblin's club aside with his gauntlet, mana swirling around his fists.He spun, slammed his foot into the ground — and a wave of jagged rock erupted upward, skewering three goblins at once.
"They just keep coming!" someone shouted from behind.
"Then keep killing!" Ziriah roared back, snapping his arm forward. The earth beneath him cracked like glass as spikes of hardened stone shot toward the advancing line.
Amid the chaos, Lilith sprinted through the courtyard, dodging mana blasts and shattered debris until she caught up with Seren Hi'orei, who stood at the rear line commanding the reinforcements.
"Senior!" Lilith shouted, breathless. "Asher's still inside!"
Seren didn't even glance her way at first. Her hand flicked, directing a volley of defensive wards toward the gate before answering."Let him be."
Lilith froze. "What? He could be in danger!"
Seren turned to her, eyes calm but cold. "Do you know Asher? Because if you did…" — she stepped forward, her mana aura briefly flaring — "…you wouldn't be worried about him."
Lilith faltered. The words hung in her chest. Something in Seren's tone wasn't dismissive — it was certain. As if she knew something the others didn't.Before Lilith could speak again, a new wave of monsters burst from the gate, forcing Seren to turn back to command.
Lilith bit her lip, then followed, her unease growing.
The Battlefield
The courtyard had become a warzone.
Lightning from mana discharges painted the sky in flashing arcs. The rain turned to steam each time a fire spell detonated.Students fought in formation, their spells weaving together into complex arrays — a living barrier of light and steel. For a moment, it seemed they were holding.
But then — the air changed.
A new energy slithered out from the gate. It wasn't wild like the monsters before. It was focused. Ziriah felt it first — a deep, resonant pressure that made his mana core tighten in warning.
Lauren, still fighting beside him, noticed his sudden stillness. "Ziriah? What is it?"
He didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the gate.
The ground trembled as something heavy stepped through.The goblins and hobgoblins that had lingered near the portal immediately scattered — ran from it.
And then they saw it.
A humanoid figure emerged, its silhouette towering over the remaining monsters.It was tall — over six feet — its skin pale and slightly luminous under the faint light. Purple hair, wild and untamed, framed its sharp face. But what truly froze them were the eyes.
Glowing. Deep violet. Unmistakably intelligent.
It smiled — a slow, cruel smile that showed far too much understanding for a monster.
For a brief second, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Lauren's pulse quickened. That thing… it's different.
Ziriah stepped forward instinctively, placing himself between her and the creature. "Stay back."
"Ziriah—"
But he was already moving.
The earth trembled...
Mana burst around Ziriah like a quake. The ground cracked in wide circles as jagged fissures spread outward from his feet.
"Earth Mana Art: Crustbreaker!"
He stomped once, and the ground exploded in a shockwave. Huge slabs of rock surged upward, flying toward the humanoid monster like a storm of boulders. Each rock carried enough force to crush a wyvern's skull.
The monster raised its hand.
A faint hum — then blink. It vanished, reappearing several meters to the side. The rocks crashed harmlessly where it had stood, leaving deep scars in the courtyard.
Ziriah's eyes widened, but he didn't hesitate. He surged forward, his gauntlet glowing with earthen mana.He leapt, spun, and slammed his fist into the ground mid-air.
"Stone Spiral!"
Pillars of spinning rock erupted in a spiral pattern, forcing the creature to dodge backward. The ground shattered under the force. But every time Ziriah closed in, the monster slipped past him — precise, efficient, almost playful.
Their clash sent mana waves across the courtyard. Stone shattered under the impact of the creature's kicks. Ziriah's punches cracked the air itself.
Lauren shouted orders behind him — "Cover him! Support fire now!" — but Ziriah was already too deep in.
The monster grinned, tilting its head. "You're strong," it said — voice low, distorted but unmistakably human.
Ziriah didn't reply. He slammed his fist into the ground once more, forcing a column of rock upward beneath the monster's feet.
The creature flipped effortlessly, landing behind him — and before Ziriah could turn, it struck.
A purple blur. A sound like air ripping. Blood sprayed into the rain.
Ziriah stumbled back, his gauntlet cracked, his shoulder slashed open. He gritted his teeth and swung wildly, connecting with a glancing blow that barely made the creature flinch.
The monster chuckled — then with a fist, backhanded him across the face.
Ziriah hit the ground hard, rolling through the mud. The impact broke several of his earth wards at once, their light flickering out around him.
"Ziriah!" Lauren screamed, eyes wide.
He pushed himself up, breathing hard. "Don't—"He coughed blood. "Don't just stand there, Lauren. You're—"
The creature's dagger plunged into his side before he could finish. A clean, efficient strike.
Ziriah gasped, his body convulsing. The monster leaned close, whispering something inaudible before yanking the blade free. Ziriah fell, the rain immediately washing the blood from his armor.
"ZIRIAH!" Lauren's voice broke through the thunder.
The Inferno
Lauren's mana flared violently — a burst of red and gold flashing around her. The heat around her rose, evaporating rain midair. The creature turned its head lazily toward her, unbothered.
Lauren raised both hands, her voice trembling with fury.
"Fire Magic: Crimson Storm!"
Circles of fire bloomed in the sky above her — one, then two, then six — each inscribed with complex runic lines that pulsed with lethal intensity.
A downpour of fire rained from the heavens. The monster darted and weaved through the inferno, its movements almost blurred by the speed. Each step left a faint violet trail in the air.
"Stay still!" she roared, sending another barrage.Flames engulfed half the courtyard. The ground turned molten where her fire touched.
Still — it wasn't enough.
Her teeth clenched. "Fine… you want something different?"
The air shifted again — this time green. The smell of sap and soil filled the air as her mana signature changed.
"Wood Magic: Impaler Roots!"
The ground around the monster erupted. Spears of thick wood burst upward, snapping through stone and dirt. The monster dodged the first few, sliced through the next, then spun to avoid a wall of twisting vines that surged toward it.
Lauren didn't stop. Her eyes glowed with focus, her voice a sharp whisper through the storm.
"Forest Creation Magic… Verdant Domain!"
The earth cracked open. Trees — ancient, towering, and alive with mana — burst forth from the ground, their roots snaking wildly. The entire battlefield transformed into a forest in seconds. Every branch, every vine moved under her control, aiming to trap the creature.
For a moment, it worked. The monster's limbs were caught between twisting vines, the ground beneath it glowing with runic circles that sealed its movement.
Lauren seized the chance. "Got you!"
She slammed her hands together — the trees groaned, bending inward, forming a crushing dome.
But then — a surge of violet energy exploded from within.
The wood around the monster shattered.
Splinters flew like arrows. The shockwave threw Lauren backward, her shoulder slamming against a fallen trunk. She gasped, barely raising a mana shield as the monster stepped through the smoke, dagger gleaming with a faint purple light.
It moved in silence, eyes fixed on her.
Lauren forced herself up, panting. Her robes were torn, her hair wild and singed from her own fire spells. But her gaze burned bright.
"Come on then," she muttered, summoning another shield. "Let's see if you bleed."
The monster lunged.
Blades met light. She ducked, rolled, kicked off a root, and countered with a burst of fire. He sidestepped — fast, too fast — and drove his knee toward her ribs.She blocked with a wall of wood, only for his dagger to cut through the barrier like paper.
Each strike pushed her back. Her spells grew desperate — fire, wood, raw mana blasts, anything to keep him at bay.
Lilith and Seren stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching in silent awe. Around them, the other students — bruised, exhausted, victorious over the lesser monsters — gathered, unable to look away.
Lauren's final shield shattered. The monster raised its dagger, its grin widening.
A faint purple glow built behind its eyes — then fired. A beam of condensed mana shot forward, slamming into her chest and hurling her several meters back. She hit the ground, coughing, clutching her side. Pain flared hot and sharp.
Her vision blurred as the monster stepped closer, its shadow falling over her.
It lifted the dagger high.
"Lauren!" Ashley's voice broke the silence as she sprinted from the rear, her own mana blazing. But she was too far. The dagger was already descending.
Lauren's pupils dilated. She saw the blade coming — the faint curve of it reflecting her own terrified eyes.
Then — impact.
Or rather… the lack of it.
The dagger stopped just short of her face — its tip trembling in the air. The monster's arm was frozen mid-strike.
Lauren's breath hitched. What…?
Then she realized she was no longer where she'd been. Someone had grabbed her — pulled her backward in the blink of an eye. She stumbled, gasping, and looked up.
A figure now stood between her and the monster.
Tall. Calm. Silent.
The rain fell softly around him, steam rising where droplets touched his aura. The faint glow of violet eyes cut through the haze.
Lilith's lips parted, her expression shifting from fear to recognition — and then to joy.
"Asher…"
The monster tilted its head slightly, grin fading for the first time. The air grew heavy again, but this time — it was different. Not the suffocating dread of the gate, but the quiet, crushing pressure of something far deeper.
Asher's voice was calm when he finally spoke."Get her out of here."
Lauren blinked — she recognized the voice, but not the cold authority behind it.
The monster stepped back, its grin returning, almost curious. Asher raised his head slightly, rain sliding down his face.
His purple eyes gleamed brighter.
The battlefield, silent moments ago, felt the air shift again — like the world itself had just inhaled.
And then the wind began to move.