Karamon grinned smugly."Yeah, that's right — all dead. Twelve Unranked, one Ascended. We wiped them out easily, no pressure at all."
Aegor feigned modesty."Come on, not that easy. They were tough — especially that Ascended crow-beast. You've no idea how hard that thing's hide was. I swear, it wasn't a low-tier creature. Mid-tier, maybe even high."
Raistlin frowned."Enough bragging, you two. We barely made it. I took some bad hits, and everyone's drained. Supplies are gone too. From here on, it's up to your squad."
Only then did the four newcomers smile faintly.
Their tall captain said, "Those wounds need tending. Infection out here could kill you. We've got a medic—let him take a look."
A man in blue robes stepped forward, a crystal glowing faintly in his palm. Ripples of azure light spread outward, pulsing with soothing energy. The effect was almost mesmerizing.
"I can do that too," Karamon muttered, but followed the others toward the healer anyway.
Relief washed through Rhod. His last thread of tension finally snapped.Eight of them now—no way the sentry would make a move. Once they disposed of the corrupted remains, the patrol would be done, and he could finally catalog their loot in peace.
He watched Raistlin and the others walk toward the healer. Just as he was about to close his Soul Eye to save a bit of energy, something caught his attention.
The four "allies" ahead of them—every one of their soul-lights suddenly flared.Power surged violently, the air itself trembling with pulse waves.
Rhod's mind flashed like lightning. He shouted, "Watch out! They're enemies!"
Too late.
A warhammer crashed into Karamon's skull from behind; he dropped instantly.Raistlin was impaled through the chest by a rapier.Only Aegor reacted fast—his body dissolved into white smoke as two greatswords slashed through him.
The blue-robed man sneered. His crystal flipped upside down; the blue ripples turned sickly violet-black and shot out like chains, wrapping the cloud of smoke. The smoke writhed, trying to escape, but couldn't.
Aegor was forced to reform, slamming into the ground hard.
The robed man stepped forward, boot grinding into Aegor's face. The dark ripples twisted into ropes, binding him tight."So this is the academy's 'most promising student,' the one they call White Smoke Aegor? Pathetic."
Aegor's eyes blazed. "You... you're Doomsday cultists!"
The healer laughed. "Wrong. We're humanity's saviors. 'Cultists'—that's what the blind worms call those who see the truth."
"Enough talk!" barked their leader. "Extract their soul traits!"
A blur of motion—A flash.
Something kicked the half-charged soul-rifle out of Rhod's hands.
"Useless trash!" a voice hissed.
A man seized Rhod by the throat and dragged him across the ground.Despair flooded him. Without his rifle, he was helpless. He'd only been at the academy for ten days; he'd barely learned to channel soul energy. With Raistlin down, they were finished.
Even if he could charge another shot, it was hopeless—the real sentry hadn't even joined the fight yet. There was no way to win.
But then—everything changed.
Rhod saw it clearly:Above them, the silent sentry shifted position, dropping down from the shadows.No one noticed. His right hand gleamed with a cold, abyssal light——and he drove it straight through the cultist's skull.
Boom.
The man's head exploded. The body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Blood splattered across Rhod's face. He stared, dumbstruck, as the sentry lunged forward, attacking the remaining three.
Wait—he's not with them?
The realization hit him hard. If the sentry wasn't part of the ambush, then there was only one explanation:He'd known about the Doomsday cult all along. He'd used them as bait—used them as bait—to lure the traitors out and kill them all.The mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Anger welled up in Rhod's chest.If that's the case, why didn't you warn us?Even if he couldn't risk exposing himself, he could've struck the moment the cultists revealed themselves. They could've fought together.Why wait until they were nearly wiped out?
Rhod couldn't understand. He snatched up his fallen rifle and rushed to Raistlin's side.The mage's chest was pierced clean through; blood was pouring out, his face pale as chalk. But there was still a faint flicker of breath.
Rhod scrambled to wrap the wound, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.
Then Aegor's voice shouted from behind, strained and urgent:"Rhod! Forget me—help Karamon first! He's the only one who can heal us!"
Rhod turned.Aegor was lying on the ground, bound tight in coils of dark light that sealed his powers completely.
"How?" Rhod gasped.
"In the second pouch on his left belt—Soul-Wake Powder! It'll rouse his spirit!"
Rhod fumbled through the pouches—no idea which was which—so he dumped everything out: boxes of ointments, colored powders, blue pills, and a bottle of orange fluid that looked suspiciously like fruit juice.
"The green one!" Aegor shouted. "Take a pinch and put it under his nose!"
Rhod, panicking, grabbed the entire green box and poured the powder straight into Karamon's nostrils.
Karamon bolted upright instantly.He sneezed violently, tears and snot streaming down his face."Ah-choo! What—ah-choo—what happened? My head—ah-choo!—it hurts—ah-choo-choo-splurt!"
Aegor ignored the disaster."Karamon! Heal Raistlin—he's dying!"
"What!?"Karamon stumbled to his feet, eyes watering. He saw Raistlin bleeding out and rushed over, pressing glowing blue hands to his chest. Rings of liquid light enveloped the wound layer by layer.
The bleeding slowed, then stopped. The hole sealed.Raistlin's breathing steadied.
Rhod exhaled shakily, then looked toward the battle.
The sentry now held the upper hand.He moved through the shadows like a phantom, dodging strikes, his twin shadow-spears flashing in relentless rhythm.The cultists were forced back again and again.
With a clang, the sentry parried a greatsword, slipped into mist form, and let a rapier thrust pass straight through him. No damage.His other spear tore through the violet barrier, shattering the healer's crystal.A surge of black energy poured out like smoke, and Aegor's bindings snapped.
He leapt up instantly, sprinting toward his friends, pulling two vials from his belt and forcing them down Karamon's throat.
Karamon's hands still glowed, the blue light engulfing him entirely.
"Enough!" Aegor shouted. "Your soul energy's almost gone! You'll kill yourself!"
"But—but…"Karamon's voice shook, tears and mucus everywhere. The overdose of wake-powder made him tremble like he was freezing."I was afraid he'd die…"
"He won't," Aegor said softly. "He's safe now."
Karamon finally released his magic and collapsed to the floor, still wiping at his streaming face.
Aegor's eyes hardened, his voice low and cold."Those Doomsday bastards… none of them leave alive."
There is nothing more infuriating than being betrayed by your own kind.Aegor downed every remaining potion he carried, feeling his soul surge like fire—and just as he turned to rejoin the fight, something unexpected happened again.
Would you like me to continue translating the rest of the chapter (the next fight and aftermath)?I can also adapt the style slightly — more epic fantasy (Brandon Sanderson-like) or more grimdark cinematic (Warhammer/Berserk tone), depending on which you prefer.