As the room's roof tore away into disparate shards, it revealed a bright streak of light tearing across the dark sky.
"No way… NO WAY!" Jun's voice echoed through the darkness. Their eyes were wide with shock as they watched the streak of flame shoot across the darkness. It arced away from them, heading towards the distant explosions that lit up the horizon like a fiery dawn."Hyun, grab Inio!" Mr. Kim's shout pierced the chaos, his voice urgent and commanding."Alright!" Hyun responded, sprinting towards Inio.Mr. Kim extended his hands, summoning a vast bubble of water that enveloped everyone just as the room disappeared into nothingness. He stood atop the bubble, balanced on a slab of ice, his breath misting in the cold air. With a powerful thrust of his arms, the bubble surged forward, gliding towards the looming beast.As they drew closer, the creature came into view, and Hyun's blood ran cold. "What the hell is that…" he muttered, his gaze locked on the horror. The beast was a grotesque fusion of human and deer, its eyes glowing with a malevolent intelligence. Hyun could see the twisted sinew and bone, the way its muscles rippled beneath its patchy fur.Treading water, Hyun struggled to keep Inio from slipping off the ice. He held him firmly, his arms straining as he simultaneously concentrated on maintaining Inio's blood circulation. Each heartbeat was a desperate push against the numbing cold, a fight to keep Inio alive.. . . "ARGHHH!!!" Another air manacian agent screamed, collapsing to the ground, dying in a pool of blood mingling with the fallen comrades around him. The battlefield was a grim scene of chaos and death, littered with the bodies of air manacians.Atop the monstrous beast stood the remaining members of the Uon family. Kazami's parents, sister, and aunt watched the carnage with cold detachment. Some of the agents beneath had already caught the rest of the family."…Pull back," the team leader finally commanded, his voice strained with the weight of their dire situation. He understood the futility of defeating the beast on its turf, especially surrounded by earth. The beast's mana pool was immense, rendering their attempts at earth manipulation futile. And with the other Uon family members bolstering it, the odds were insurmountable.Suddenly, a commanding voice cut through the chaos. "TERRITORY: Vacuum of the Void." A swirling wind began forming atop the beast, creating a vortex of power. The remaining Uon family members leapt down, positioning themselves at the beast's legs, ready for whatever came next."Who are you guys?" the team leader demanded, stepping forward, his tone a mixture of desperation and hope."We are students of the school," Yatagarasu replied, stepping into the dim light. "We are highly ranked and should be able to help."The team leader hesitated for a moment, scanning their faces with hesitation. Could he afford to risk the lives of children for the sake of the mission? Seeing no other way out, he nodded grimly."We don't have a choice," the team leader said grimly, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "We need to distract the beast while we disable it. Disable means cutting off its limbs. Its regeneration is insanely fast, so we need four people to try and sever its limbs. As for capturing it... we don't have enough paralysis toxin to bring it down—"Before he could finish, the beast suddenly dropped its main body, causing the people inside to escape the territory quickly. The air was thick with tension as they regrouped, only to be interrupted by a sudden attack.A member of the Uon family launched themselves at the team leader, moving with deadly speed."Fuck off!" Yatagarasu yelled, kicking upwards. A powerful gust of wind surged towards the attacker, but the Uon adeptly swung his arms together, summoning slabs of earth that crashed into each other. The collision was deafening, a shower of dirt and rock exploding outward.Yatagarasu and the others narrowly dodged the deadly impact, their movements swift and desperate. The ground trembled beneath them as they regained their footing, eyes wide with adrenaline.The team leader barked orders, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Form up! We need to focus! You guys keep him off us!"Yatagarasu nodded, his expression fierce. He summoned another gust of wind, more powerful this time, aiming to drive the Uon attacker back. The wind howled, ripping through the air with relentless force."Yeah… There should be more reinforcements coming," Yatagarasu said, his voice steady amidst the chaos. "Knowing my brother, he won't die easily. He's a strong air manacian. Tell him what to do when he arrives. His group should be strong."The battlefield was a whirlwind of activity. Fuji dodged and disrupted flying shrapnel, kicking up wind gusts to deflect the incoming debris. Yunosuke moved with precise grace, slicing through the flying rocks while freezing approaching spikes, his shield shattering them with each swing.Jin landed beside them, his presence a momentary anchor in the storm. With a sweeping motion, he disrupted the ground, sending another two oncoming Uon attackers off balance. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his arm, unleashing a slicing wind that cut through the air, aiming straight for the disoriented Uons.. . . Fireballs fell from the sky, each trailing a fiery tail illuminating the battlefield with a hellish glow."Infernal Rain," Kana muttered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the flames, mustering what little mana she had left. Hugo descended slowly; his figure wreathed in the heat of the falling fire. The balls of fire impacted the ground with explosive force, forcing the Uons to erect earth barriers, momentarily pushing them back."Kana!" Yatagarasu called out, striding over. They exchanged a quick, firm handshake, their clasped hands conveying a silent understanding of their hardships during their separation. One had fought desperately for survival, while the other had tirelessly searched for their companions."Sorry we couldn't find you guys," Yatagarasu said, glancing over to the unconscious Yonu, his burnt leg wound visible through the opening in the purple uniform.Kana nodded solemnly. "It's okay; let's focus on what needs to be done now." 'Arg…' Suddenly, loud noises echoed in my ears, jolting me back to reality. My eyes flew open to a scene of fiery chaos and frantic movement. As I struggled to sit up, Kana was there, supporting me."Yonu… are you okay?" Kana's voice was filled with concern.I glanced around, taking in the sight of people once again fending off the Uons in a desperate battle.'What's happening…' I managed to say, turning to Kana, who stood beside me.'Hugo flew us here. This is our last bastion…' Kana explained, her voice tense.I followed her gaze and beheld a towering, animal-like monster—its bulk towering at least three stories high. Its movements were slow but filled with raw power, each step shaking the ground beneath us.Hugo extended his hand towards me, and I gratefully took it. With his help, I pulled myself up to my feet.'Great to see you again,' I said, unable to contain my relief. I hugged him briefly, patting him on the back once before turning to face the daunting creature before us.'So what's the plan now?' I asked, looking to Hugo for guidance. But before he could respond, a powerful force sent Yunosuke flying straight at me. I caught him, but the impact knocked us both to the ground."COUGH… Argh… Sorry…" Yunosuke groaned, shaking his head as he tried to stand back up.The Uon loomed over us, ready to strike. Yunosuke quickly muttered under his breath, "Sakata Technique."Suddenly, a gigantic, snowflake-like structure materialized, rotating before us and blocking the incoming shards."Spinning Compass!" he shouted, holding out his hand as a ring of ice spun around his wrist.The Uon suddenly leaped towards us, encased in earthen armor. Before it could reach us, a powerful gust from Yatagarasu's kick sent it flying. As the Uon tumbled away, shards rained down on us again, but Yunosuke's Spinning Compass deflected them.The compass shattered into floating ice shards as Yunosuke drew two daggers. "I'll hold them off for now. You guys rest up. Great to have you back, Yonu, Kana."'Haha, You've improved so much… Let's finish this.' I stood up and closed my eyes, trying to sense my mana pool. To my dismay, it was nearly depleted.'On second thought…' I trailed off, feeling the exhaustion.Kana chuckled softly. "Do you need more of my mana, Yonu?"'Haha… I think I'll support from the sidelines…' I began to say."I'll give you the mana," Hugo interjected.'Through Kiss too?'"Bruh, no, you dickhead," Hugo cut in, "I'll concentrate it into an orb and give it to you. I'm sure you can make better use of it that way."'Ohhhh…ahem, I knew that.'"Just wait," Hugo muttered, his palms pressing together with a fierce determination. A concentrated ball of mana began to take shape between his hands, glowing intensely."There's no need for that. We shall finish this quickly!" a booming voice suddenly bellowed through the chaos.Far away, a few figures emerged, falling into my line of sight."I'll finish it.""Ichizen Killer Technique: Slash and Resonance." The small figure in the distance swung his arm, and the next thing I knew, a streak of blood flowed from the centre of the beast as if it had been cut in half.'No way…' I muttered, eyes wide as more and more lines of blood formed on the beast until it simply exploded into a ball of flesh flying outward. The carnage was abruptly contained as all the flesh was scooped up by a ball of water and compressed into a sphere of earth. The men landed with ease.It's Kami Ichizen and his gang... Haha... they're just too good!I wanted to walk over and congratulate them, but my attention was drawn downward to a splatter of blood with a strange red gem in the centre.'What is…' I began, but the words caught in my throat as flesh started to form around the gem. The flesh burst out from the ball of earth in the form of spikes, piercing the nearby fighters. Even Kami Ichizen was hit."No way…""Quick, destroy that gem!" Kami shouted, his voice strained with urgency.I fumbled, trying to grab the growing blob of flesh enveloping the gem. Panic surged through me as I attempted to muster some fire, but my mana reserves were too low."YONU!" A yell pierced through the chaos.I spun around and immediately tossed the growing blob to Yunosuke. He slashed at the gem with his dagger, but to our horror, nothing happened. The blade made a futile chink sound upon contact."Ah!" Yunosuke yelled, dropping the gem as flesh continued to form around it."This doesn't make any sense… it cannot just create flesh out of nothing," I muttered in disbelief."…It's a mana core…" a familiar voice called out as they landed. It was the final group to join the fray."Hyun!" Jin yelled."Vice!" we echoed.But this was no time for reunion hugs. The grotesque mass grew rapidly, and a guard finally rushed over to protect Hugo. He must be royalty; I didn't think a random foreigner would be able to join Javan's Elite Mana Academy.As we prepared for another attack, the flesh shot out in spikes again, catching Kami Ichizen and his gang off guard. The guards pierced their bodies, eliciting cries of pain and alarm. The guard reacguardwiftly, using slabs of earth to block the spikes and shield Hugo from harm."Kami!" Jin yelled, sprinting toward his fallen comrades, but the spikes continued to shoot out unpredictably.Helpless, I could only watch as blood spilt onto the ground, the gravity of the situation sinking in."Guards, bring these men out and make sure they are attended to," Hugo commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos."But Sire… There are barely enough men to protect you," a guard protested hesitantly."JUST DO IT. Those are my orders," Hugo insisted, his tone firm and authoritative."…Yes, Sire." The guard's vanguardism was hesitant, unable to assure the prince's safety."Listen up, everyone! This is Team Leader," he shouted, commanding attention amidst the chaos."I need an earth manacian—003—and two others to follow him. Get those casualties out of here," he ordered, his voice unwavering despite the turmoil around us. "The rest of you, concentrate manpower around Sire. Protect him at all costs. 003, call for reinforcements once you're clear.""Yes, Leader!" The response came in unison from the assembled guards.