Inside the dark hall, silence lingered after the leader spoke.
The massive mirror continued showing the battlefield in real time. Explosions of mana lit up parts of the ruins while awakened and beasts clashed endlessly beneath the looming presence of the Dragon Blood Serpent.
Then—
The leader's hand slowly lifted.
A long, bony finger pointed toward one section of the mirror.
Toward Zael.
Currently tearing through beasts almost effortlessly.
A massive armored beast lunged at him only for its head to vanish an instant later beneath a void-infused slash. Another tried attacking from underground.
Zael stomped once.
The ground collapsed inward and crushed it before it could even emerge fully.
The leader's voice turned colder.
"The boy is here."
The other two figures immediately focused on Zael's image more carefully.
Their expressions shifted slightly beneath their cloaks.
"We can't let him foil our plans again," the leader continued.
One of the cloaked figures hesitated before speaking carefully.
"There's nothing he can do here."
His gaze returned toward the Dragon Blood Serpent within the mirror.
"The more beasts he kills, the faster the serpent evolves."
Another beast died on screen.
A faint stream of blood-colored energy drifted toward the serpent immediately.
"In its current state, it's already questionable whether those awakened can stop it."
His tone lowered.
"So if it evolves successfully…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
The implication alone was enough.
A fully evolved dragon.
Even a partial one—
Would be catastrophic.
"I understand," the leader replied calmly.
Then his tone sharpened.
"But to be safe…"
The air inside the hall suddenly felt heavier.
"The two of you will go deal with him."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
The two cloaked figures looked at each other briefly.
"But—"
The moment the word left his mouth—
The leader turned toward them slowly.
"Are you defying my orders?"
A terrifying red hue suddenly spread around him.
Not mana.
Not aura.
Something thicker.
Denser.
It smelled of blood.
Pure blood.
The pressure crashed into the hall instantly, forcing the other two backward slightly.
One of them trembled visibly beneath his cloak.
"N-No…"
The second hurriedly lowered his head.
"We're going."
The red hue lingered for another moment before slowly fading.
The leader turned back toward the mirror afterward, gaze locking onto Zael once more.
Cold.
Focused.
Almost murderous.
"…This time," he muttered softly, "you won't survive long enough to interfere."
—
Zael moved through the battlefield like a machine.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Every strike killed.
Every step pushed the beasts back further.
A wolf-type beast rushed him from the side. He caught it by the throat mid-leap and slammed it into another creature hard enough to crush both instantly.
A serpent lunged from underground.
His blade shifted forms fluidly and split the creature apart before it fully emerged.
Nothing lasted more than a few attacks against him.
Not three.
Not four.
Definitely not five.
The gap between him and the other awakened around the area was becoming more obvious with every passing minute.
And because he had already reached the limit before his next class advancement—
All the EXP kept pouring directly into his pool.
The numbers rose rapidly.
Exponentially.
Zael could practically feel the accumulated energy building within him.
But he didn't have time to focus on that now.
The battlefield was getting worse.
More beasts kept arriving while the Dragon Blood Serpent silently absorbed everything happening around it.
Then suddenly—
Zael froze.
Not physically.
Instinctively.
Every nerve in his body screamed at once.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Sovereign Instinct activated immediately.
Too late.
Two attacks came from different directions simultaneously.
Fast.
Absurdly fast.
The hair on Zael's neck rose instantly as his pupils contracted.
A black spear of condensed energy pierced through space itself from one side while a blood-red slash descended from above almost at the exact same moment.
BOOM!!
The impact detonated violently.
The ground beneath Zael shattered apart as the force launched him downward through layers of stone and ruined structures.
Dust exploded upward.
Shockwaves spread across the battlefield instantly.
Nearby awakened and beasts alike were thrown backward from the collision.
Auralis' eyes widened.
"ZAEL!"
Deep within the crater—
Zael slowly pushed himself upright.
Blood dripped lightly from the corner of his mouth while several injuries covered parts of his body.
Then—
They started healing.
Rapidly.
Flesh reconnecting.
Bones repairing.
Skin restoring itself almost immediately before he had even fully stood up.
His expression darkened slightly.
Because for the first time in a while—
Something had actually managed to injure him.
Above the crater, two figures stood silently atop broken ruins.
Black cloaks.
Hidden faces.
And overwhelming pressure.
Zael looked up at them slowly.
His eyes narrowed.
"…You again."
To Be Continued…