Thirty minutes.
Thirty minutes had passed since the battle began between the Calamity of Despair and the examinees.
In those thirty minutes, Lucas hadn't moved an inch as he gazed at the chaos happening beneath him.
The moth had countless injuries, but none were fatal. It was starting to show signs of exhaustion from battling the examinees.
Klaus, Leonne, and Amaya had a few wounds, with Amaya being more exhausted than wounded since she wasn't a close-combat mage.
Sylviette, on the other hand, didn't have a single wound and didn't even look tired. Since the mental attack by the beast, she had stayed far back, assisting them with her ice magic.
Two more examinees had died in those thirty minutes, their bodies disappearing and leaving blue particles in the air.
The sound of the battle and the behemoth's screeches attracted a lot of attention in the city, causing more beasts and examinees to appear. The newcomers instantly helped the champions when they saw they were facing one of the calamities.
Confirming Lucas's theory, many of the new beasts were spiders, ranked between D and C, but no C-rank king predators like the ones Lucas encountered earlier.
He was sure now that the second great calamity was a spider, leaving only the third unknown... for now.
He knew other beasts must be in the city, but most were spiders, as if the other beasts had been killed by them.
The examinees decided to put themselves to good use by fighting the spiders to prevent them from interfering with the champions and the behemoth.
Even though Lucas could have prevented the five deaths that occurred, he didn't. He just sat there, occasionally receiving hateful glares from the examinees.
The newcomers were especially enraged, not knowing him well and thinking he was just being lazy.
Sylviette also kept glancing at him, annoyed, knowing that he could end this already.
The reason he didn't help prevent the deaths or try to kill the calamity was simple...
He didn't want to.
There was no reason for him to prevent the deaths of others since he had already figured out how the exam worked.
You could pass this exam in three different ways if he was right.
The first way was what those who fled did before the battle against the Calamity of Despair happened. If they managed to survive until the time limit, they would pass the exam.
The second way was killing one or all three of the great calamities, resulting in an instant pass.
The third and final way was also really simple. Shield was a place for nurturing future heroes. What are they going to do if they see someone stand up and face a situation knowing they wouldn't win but still give their all, even if it results in death?
It was obvious that such a person has the potential to become a hero. If you fight against one of the three calamities, it wouldn't matter if you died by it or survived—you would still pass.
The last way was the reason for Lucas not preventing them from dying. In the end, they should be grateful to him, no? By not helping them, they passed the exam and could already go and rest!
As for why he didn't help them kill the beast... he was in a dilemma, that is why.
He didn't know if he should fight the beast or not. He was confused, knowing that if he stepped in, the fight would be over much faster. Especially now, even if he was limited, the behemoth was weakened enough for Lucas to end it.
But the words of his grandfather still echoed in his mind as he gazed at the battle still happening.
"Should I fight or not? And if I do fight, should I reveal more of my affinities or not?"
Lucas was thinking about how to face the calamity.
Not the Calamity of Despair that the champions were fighting, but the calamity that was currently approaching them...
Even though he didn't see anything, he could hear and occasionally see buildings and other structures falling down far away, getting closer and closer to them.
He knew the sound of battle would attract many beasts, but apparently, even one of the calamities was interested... perhaps even both.
"Do not attract the attention of unwanted guests."
Those were the words Magnus left him with before Lucas left the estate.
Lucas agreed with what his grandfather said, or at least he would have if it wasn't for the fact that he firsthand saw the difference between a C-ranked beast, a B-ranked beast, and... Karciel.
He needed more power... and fast. He felt like the time when Karciel and he would meet again wasn't far off, and when that time came, he would make sure to make him pay for everything.
Not just him but Abadux as well. The both of them shall suffer until they beg him for mercy, and he wouldn't grant it. He would make them face despair as they cry out in agony...
Lucas's face suddenly became darker as his eyes took on a dark shade.
A subtle, dangerous energy of red and black started leaking out of him, alerting everyone present as they felt the shift in the air from something dangerous.
Everyone froze and stopped fighting as they sensed something perilous.
Looking toward the source of the dread they felt, they saw it was Lucas, casually sitting on the edge of the rooftop of the parking garage.
His face, however, was not the same as before. His face was frightening.
Everyone suddenly panicked and became confused at Lucas's sudden change as he was lost in thought.
The behemoth was the first to snap out of it, seizing the opportunity to strike at the annoying little bugs in front of it.
Suddenly, before anyone could react, it appeared in front of Amaya, its grotesque claw poised to strike. But before the deadly blow could land, Klaus interceded, his sword intercepting the attack just in time. A golden trail shimmered in his wake, marking the path from where he had been standing.
"Not this time," Klaus declared, his golden eyes burning brightly like the sun as he faced the monstrous moth.
Enraged, the behemoth flapped its colossal wings, generating powerful shockwaves that forced Amaya and Klaus to stagger backward. Several people and beasts were sent hurtling away by the force.
Taking to the air, the behemoth created even louder shockwaves, its single red eye fixed intensely on Klaus, radiating pure malevolence. Its annoyance was palpable.
The creature's intentions were clear: it aimed to quickly dispatch these persistent foes and then confront the enigmatic figure on the rooftop, whom it instinctively knew was the most dangerous of all.
Despite its arrogance, the behemoth couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that this person was a being of greater power and danger.
An annoyed screech echoed from the moth as it soared above, dodging a barrage of ice spears and wind blades. Though it danced through most of the attacks, a few ice spears managed to graze it, exacerbating its irritation.
Locking eyes with Sylviette was its fatal mistake.
In that brief moment of distraction, a beam of light shot towards it, burning a hole through one of its wings. The behemoth hurled downwards, crashing hard to the ground with an agonized screech.
As it staggered back to its feet, its remaining bulging eye locked onto Klaus with a hatred so intense it seemed to pulse visibly.
A familiar blue hue began to pulsate throughout its body, just as it had before, signaling the buildup of another devastating attack. Everyone around tensed, alert to the imminent threat.
"Enough."
Suddenly, before the two could clash again, an extremely cold voice resonated through the battlefield, freezing everyone in place.
Lucas was suddenly standing between the hero and the Calamity of Despair. His face and eyes were devoid of any emotion, as was the strange aura that had been surrounding him earlier. Lightning crackled around his body as he calmly watched the moth in front of him.
Most of the newcomers were shocked; no one had even seen him arrive. As they glanced at his face, they felt an overwhelming sense of discomfort. His presence surpassed even that of the champions, causing many to gulp in apprehension.
Not only were the humans affected, but even the spiders were fleeing as they felt the presence of another strong being. Though the Calamity of Despair was formidable, they had deemed it manageable to get some prey for themselves. However, the moment they sensed Lucas's presence—a presence that rivaled the calamity itself—they instantly began to flee, their instincts screaming of danger.
The spiders perceived that Lucas was fundamentally different, far more dangerous than any other being on the battlefield. He was not like anyone else here, and his very essence radiated a lethal threat.
Many were surprised to see the other beasts suddenly flee, but there were no cheers. All eyes were now locked on Lucas and the behemoth, who stared intently at each other. The blue hue on the behemoth's body pulsated even faster as it remained on high alert.
As the tension thickened, Lucas's cold voice cut through the silent battlefield.
"I'll take over from now on. You can all go and rest...
Good job."
[AN: Have you been enjoying my novel so far? I hope so! Anyway, if you have been enjoying it, consider writing a review and throwing your power stones at me so my novel gets recognized more... Please.]