As king finished his speech the ball started and everyone eventually to dance as the ball had began and seeing that we were going to join them but I was stopped by Amanda and pull me to back out group and upon reaching there she said
"" Listen, why don't you dance with me ? "" She said as I raised my eyebrows as sammy and talia came to us laughing.
"" Guess somone has found their partner "" Talia said while smiling.
"" Looks like someone is lucky tonight"" sammy said smirking.
"" Oh shut up and look at yourself Sammy, you are practically drooling right now seeing someone right now. "" I shot back while sammy hurriedly covered his face.
"" What was that Rudra ? "" Talia asked me while sammy hurriedly started to shake head sideways.
"" Nothing just some code words for the boys "" sammy said hurriedly.
"" Were you guys badmouthing both me and amanda just now ? "" Talia said while coming furiously at us but amanda came to save our life and said
"" Listen come with me and you sammy go with talia "" saying that amanda grabbed my hand while sammy face went red but he nodded and took her to dance floor.
-----
Entering the dance floor of the ball we started to dance, amanda put her hand in my shoulder and another on my waist and pulled my closer to which I got startled and whispered
"" Regarding the threat which we were taking about, let's first continue to dance while keeping an eye on the every person in the ball as most probably the threat will come from of the person present in the room and once we identify the culprit we should probably take the silent route to ensure the masscare can stop got it ."" She said as started to glance around while dancing
After searching for a while
Finally we found the culprit.
Amanda's grip tightened on my arm as our eyes locked on Ms. Kaori. She whispered to one of the academy staff, her voice low, her movements sharp, too damn suspicious. Every flick of her gaze screamed danger.
We followed her down into the basement, where the air grew colder, heavier. A massive circle sprawled across the floor, drawn in chalk and blood. Symbols twisted unnaturally, candles flickering at each point. Kaori and several staff stood around it, chanting.
Amanda's breath caught. "It's demon summoning."
The circle flared, shadows clawing upward. Demons spilled out, grotesque and shrieking. Amanda's fire burst from her palms, flames roaring across the basement, consuming the first wave.
But then it came.
The most powerful demon of the group. A Rank‑C demon.
It towered above the rest, its body a nightmare of bone and smoke, claws longer than swords, eyes burning like furnaces. Its aura alone pressed against my chest, suffocating, making my knees want to buckle.
Amanda's voice was sharp. "Rudra, this one's Rank‑C. If we don't stop it, the ballroom is finished."
My stomach dropped, but I nodded. "Then I'll f*ing stop it."
The demon lunged. I barely raised my blade in time, steel clashing against claws that felt like iron. The force sent me sprawling, pain exploding in my shoulder. I rolled, gasping, and swung upward, slicing into its leg. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling as it hit the ground.
It shrieked, retaliating with a swipe that slammed into me. My arm twisted under the impact, bone snapping with a sickening crack. White‑hot pain tore through me. I screamed, clutching my broken arm, vision blurring.
The Rank‑C demon loomed, claws raised to finish me.
Amanda's fire surged, a wall of flame forcing it back. "Get up, Rudra!" she shouted, her voice fierce.
I staggered to my feet, blade gripped in my good hand. My broken arm hung useless, agony pulsing with every breath. But I couldn't stop. Not here. Not now.
The demon roared again, charging. I ducked under its swing, driving my blade into its chest. It shrieked, claws raking across my side, tearing fabric and flesh. Blood spilled, but I pushed deeper, steel biting into its heart of smoke.
Amanda hurled a spear of fire, the blaze piercing its skull. The creature convulsed, shrieking, before collapsing into ash and smoke.
The circle cracked, candles sputtering out. The remaining demons shrieked, their forms unraveling, clawing at the air as they were dragged back into the void.
Kaori screamed, her voice breaking. "You fools! You don't understand what you've done!"
Amanda stepped forward, flames still licking her hands. "We understand enough. You tried to unleash hell on this ballroom. And we stopped you."
The basement was silent now, the summoning circle cracked, the Rank‑C demon reduced to ash. My arm throbbed with every heartbeat, broken and useless, but Amanda's fire still flickered faintly at her fingertips. We thought we had won.
But when we pushed open the ballroom doors, the illusion shattered.
The ballroom was a slaughterhouse. Thousands of Rank‑C demons swarmed across the marble floor, tearing into nobles, shredding guards, ripping through guests who had no chance to defend themselves. Blood pooled beneath the chandeliers, screams echoed against the walls, and the air reeked of sulfur and death.
Amanda's flames roared to life, cutting through the first wave that lunged at us. I raised my blade with my good arm, teeth clenched against the pain. We hacked and burned our way forward, desperate to find survivors.
After what felt like an eternity, we spotted them — Sammy and Talia.
They were cornered near the shattered buffet tables, barely holding their ground. Sammy's hands glowed with icy mist, shards of frost exploding from his palms to freeze demons mid‑lunge. Talia stood beside him, water swirling around her arms like living serpents, lashing out to slice through demonic flesh. Their powers kept them alive, but only just. Sweat poured down their faces, their movements slowing under the endless assault.
"Hold on!" I shouted, charging forward. My blade cleaved through one demon's neck, ichor spraying across the floor. Amanda's fire engulfed another, its shriek cut short as it dissolved into ash.
Sammy collapsed against the wall, gasping, frost still clinging to his hands. "You… you made it."
Talia's eyes were wide, tears streaking her cheeks. Her water whip lashed out one last time, cutting down a demon before she stumbled. "We thought we were done for."
Amanda stood over them, flames blazing, her voice fierce. "You're not done. Not while we're here."
We fought side by side — Amanda's fire scorching, Sammy's ice freezing, Talia's water slicing. The ballroom became a storm of elements, fire and frost clashing against demonic flesh, steam rising as water hissed against flame.
I raised my blade, my broken arm screaming with pain, my good hand steady. The ballroom was hell itself, but with fire, ice, and water at our side, we weren't going to let it consume the rest.
Not while we still stood