The world exploded.
A wave of black energy tore across the battlefield like a storm.
BOOOOOOM!
The courtyard shattered.
Walls collapsed.
Windows burst apart.
Students screamed as teachers rushed to protect them.
The Great 8 barely reacted in time.
"Noah!" Lily shouted.
Noah slammed both hands into the ground.
Massive stone walls erupted upward.
Zoya immediately froze the barriers, strengthening them with ice.
The Executioner's attack crashed into the defense.
CRAAAAASH!
For a moment—
everything held.
Then cracks appeared.
Noah gritted his teeth.
"Too much power!"
The barriers began breaking.
Daniel stepped forward.
Black energy surged around his arm.
Mary grabbed her weapon.
Felix clenched his fists.
Lucy strengthened everyone with healing light.
David struggled to remain standing.
And together—
they pushed.
BOOOOM!
The attack finally exploded outward.
The battlefield vanished beneath a cloud of dust.
For several seconds, nobody could see anything.
Then the smoke cleared.
The Great 8 were still standing.
Injured.
Exhausted.
But alive.
The Executioner stared silently.
Then—
for the first time—
it looked interested.
"Remarkable."
Its voice echoed like thunder.
Felix laughed weakly.
"Thanks."
The giant warrior pointed its sword toward him.
"I wasn't talking to you."
Felix frowned.
"Rude."
Even in the middle of the battle, Mary almost smiled.
Meanwhile, McLone continued watching from above.
She wasn't fighting.
She wasn't helping.
She was observing.
As if waiting for something.
Or someone.
Suddenly the Spearwoman appeared beside the Executioner.
"The Vessel is adapting."
The Executioner nodded slowly.
"Faster than expected."
Daniel didn't like the way they were talking about him.
Like he wasn't a person.
Like he was a weapon.
Before he could think further—
David suddenly screamed.
Everyone turned.
David dropped to one knee.
The whispers had returned.
Louder than ever.
Thousands of voices flooded his mind.
He saw flashes.
A ruined temple.
A black door.
Ancient chains.
Then—
three glowing symbols.
The same symbols from his earlier vision.
The Three Locks.
David gasped.
"I can see it..."
Lucy knelt beside him.
"What can you see?"
David pointed toward the battlefield.
Toward McLone.
Toward the Ghost Court.
"They're looking for the second lock."
Silence.
The hidden boy froze.
"What?"
David's eyes widened.
"The academy isn't their final target."
The whispers became clearer.
"The second lock."
"The second prison."
"The second seal."
Then the vision vanished.
David nearly collapsed.
Mary helped him stay upright.
Meanwhile Lily quickly connected the information.
"If there's a second lock..."
She looked toward Mr. Stone.
"...then this war is much bigger than the academy."
Mr. Stone didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
The truth was worse than anyone imagined.
Far worse.
Then—
the ground shook again.
BOOM.
Everyone froze.
Another impact came from below.
BOOM.
The seal.
Something beneath the academy was striking it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
McLone finally smiled.
"The Queen grows impatient."
Daniel felt a chill run down his spine.
The whispers returned.
Only one this time.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Dangerous.
"Come to me."
Daniel grabbed his head.
"No."
The voice laughed.
"Soon."
Black energy burst around him.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Everyone stepped back.
Even Daniel looked frightened.
Mary immediately grabbed his hand.
"Daniel!"
For a second, the black energy stopped growing.
Daniel looked at her.
And slowly regained control.
The Spearwoman noticed.
"So that's how."
McLone noticed too.
And her smile disappeared.
Because she finally understood something important.
Daniel's greatest strength wasn't his power.
It was his friends.
The Great 8.
The thing keeping the Vessel from awakening completely.
Then suddenly—
The Executioner raised its sword toward the sky.
Dark clouds gathered instantly.
Lightning flashed overhead.
The giant warrior spoke.
"Enough."
Every ghost soldier stopped moving.
Every Courted member looked toward him.
The battlefield became silent.
Then the Executioner pointed its sword directly at the academy.
And at the Great 8.
"The next strike ends this."
Dark energy gathered around the blade.
Far more than before.
The sky itself began splitting apart.
Teachers stared in horror.
Mr. Stone's face turned pale.
Even McLone looked surprised.
"Wait—"
But the Executioner ignored her.
The attack was too powerful.
Too dangerous.
Even for allies nearby.
The Great 8 prepared themselves.
Noah raised stone barriers.
Zoya gathered ice.
Lucy prepared healing light.
Felix stepped forward.
Mary stood beside Daniel.
Lily directed everyone.
David fought against the whispers.
And deep beneath the academy—
something ancient opened one eye.
The Queen was waking.
The Executioner's sword blazed with darkness.
Then—
it swung.
To Be Continued...