The horn echoed again.
MOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!
The battlefield froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The giant shadow behind Finn Foster continued growing larger.
Larger.
And larger.
Until it completely covered the moon.
Even the Ghost Army looked nervous.
The Chained Warrior's smile disappeared.
The Spearwoman tightened her grip on her weapon.
The Executioner took a step backward.
That terrified everyone.
If the Executioner was retreating—
Then what exactly was approaching?
David's whispers became chaos.
Thousands of voices screaming at once.
His knees nearly gave out.
"No..."
Mary caught him before he fell.
"David!"
David pointed toward the sky.
His hands shaking.
"It's here."
The hidden boy had once spoken of monsters.
Ancient creatures.
Things even ghosts feared.
But nobody had believed those stories.
Now they weren't so sure.
The darkness inside the crack twisted violently.
Then two enormous eyes opened.
Golden eyes.
Ancient eyes.
Eyes older than kingdoms.
A wave of pressure exploded across the battlefield.
BOOOOOOM!
Students fell.
Teachers struggled to remain standing.
Even experienced Ghost Killers were forced to kneel.
Only a few people remained upright.
Finn Foster.
Bill Williams.
Mr. Stone.
Daniel.
And strangely—
Mary.
Everyone else was overwhelmed.
The giant eyes focused on the academy.
Then on Daniel.
The Queen's voice suddenly screamed inside Daniel's head.
"NO!"
Daniel grabbed his head.
The pain was unbearable.
For the first time—
The Queen sounded terrified.
Not angry.
Not threatening.
Terrified.
Meanwhile Finn Foster slowly looked upward.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes were serious.
Very serious.
"You're early."
The giant eyes blinked.
Then the horn echoed again.
MOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!
The sound alone shattered several windows.
David's whispers suddenly united into a single voice.
One ancient sentence.
"The Hunter has arrived."
Silence.
The Hunter.
The same name David had heard before.
The same name from the visions.
The same name that terrified the whispers.
Nobody knew what it meant.
But everyone knew one thing.
It was powerful.
Very powerful.
Then something unexpected happened.
The Hunter wasn't looking at the academy.
It wasn't looking at the Great 8.
It wasn't looking at the Ghost Army.
It was looking directly at Finn Foster.
Bill noticed immediately.
Mr. Stone noticed too.
The Hunter had come for Finn.
Not for them.
Finn smiled slightly.
"Still holding a grudge?"
The giant eyes narrowed.
The battlefield shook.
Nobody understood.
How did Finn know this creature?
What history existed between them?
Then suddenly—
The Hunter moved.
A gigantic claw emerged from the crack.
The entire academy looked tiny compared to it.
Students screamed.
Teachers shouted warnings.
The claw struck.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The battlefield exploded.
Dust covered everything.
Buildings collapsed.
Stone shattered.
When the dust cleared—
Finn was standing exactly where he had been before.
Unharmed.
Completely unharmed.
The Great 8 stared in disbelief.
The attack that could destroy entire buildings—
Had done nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Even Bill looked shocked.
Finn slowly brushed dust from his coat.
Then looked up.
"Pathetic."
The Hunter roared.
The sky itself trembled.
This time Finn moved.
For the first time since arriving.
His power erupted.
Dark energy exploded around him.
The cracked sky widened.
The battlefield shook violently.
Ghost soldiers retreated.
Teachers backed away.
Even McLone looked stunned.
Nobody had ever seen this much power before.
Finn raised one hand.
And pointed toward the Hunter.
The giant creature froze.
Silence.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The Hunter was blasted backward into the darkness.
The moon became visible again.
The battlefield stared.
Nobody could believe what they had just witnessed.
Finn had just pushed back a creature large enough to block the moon.
With one attack.
One.
Attack.
Daniel felt cold.
Bill's face had gone pale.
Mr. Stone looked grim.
Because they all understood the same thing.
If Finn truly wanted—
He could destroy the academy.
Then Finn lowered his hand.
His eyes returned to Daniel.
The smile disappeared.
For the first time—
He looked completely serious.
"The interruptions are becoming annoying."
Daniel's heart raced.
The Vessel power reacted violently.
Black energy spread across his arms.
Finn took one step forward.
Bill immediately moved in front of Daniel.
Mr. Stone joined him.
The two veterans stood side by side.
Ready to die if necessary.
Finn looked at them.
Then laughed softly.
"Still protecting him."
Bill gritted his teeth.
"Always."
Mr. Stone nodded.
"Until my last breath."
Finn's smile vanished.
Then he raised his hand toward Daniel.
And the Queen's voice screamed once more.
"DO NOT LET HIM TOUCH YOU!"
The battlefield exploded into motion.
To Be Continued...