[Ground Floor of the School Campus]
Masha, Axel, and Zane stood over the defeated Orc, their bodies trembling from exhaustion. They had fought valiantly, drawing on every ounce of their strength, but now they were spent, barely able to stand.
The wires they needed to connect to disrupt the mana flow sparked dangerously nearby, the energy from the storage building to critical levels. The feedback loop was about to reach a point of no return, and they knew they didn't have the strength left to finish the job.
Just as despair began to set in, a blur of red light flashed before them, and suddenly Sam was there, standing between them and the unstable mana chamber.
"Sam!" Masha gasped, her voice weak with exhaustion.
Sam didn't waste a moment. He took in the situation at a glance and knew what needed to be done. Without a word, he reached out and grabbed both wires, his hands crackling with red energy as he forced the connection.
The moment the wires touched, a massive surge of energy coursed through Sam's body, far more intense than anything the students had felt before. The power was immense, nearly overwhelming, but Sam held on, his resolve unshakable.
Masha, Axel, and Zane could only watch in awe and fear as Sam absorbed the energy, his body glowing with a fiery red light that seemed to pulse in rhythm with the mana storage. It was as if he had become one with the energy, a conduit through which the immense power flowed.
"He's… he's actually doing it," Zane whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Axel nodded slowly, unable to tear his gaze away from Sam. "How… how is he this strong?"
Masha, her vision blurring from exhaustion, felt tears welling in her eyes. "Sam… you're going to die…"
But Sam didn't falter. He forced the energy into submission, channeling it through his body and into the ground, stabilizing the feedback loop that had threatened to destroy the school. The ground shook violently as the mana flow was disrupted, the storage chamber cracking under the strain.
The red flames around Sam burned brighter, hotter, as he pushed himself to his absolute limits. He could feel his body screaming in pain, the energy tearing through him like wildfire, but he refused to let go. He refused to fail.
With a final, agonized scream, Sam channeled every last ounce of his power into the wires, forcing the connection to stabilize. The energy within the chamber surged one last time, then—miraculously—began to dissipate, the feedback loop breaking as the flow of mana was finally contained.
The ground stopped shaking, the air cooling as the danger passed. Sam, his body trembling from the strain, slowly released the wires, his hands badly burned, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
He turned to face Masha, Axel, and Zane, a weary smile on his face. "It's… it's done…"
The silence that followed Sam's collapse was deafening. His body lay motionless, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just engulfed them. Masha, Axel, and Zane stood frozen, their minds racing, their hearts pounding. They had witnessed the impossible, seen a man push his body to its absolute limit, and now, he was gone."Sam!" Masha cried out, her voice filled with desperation. She rushed to his side, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse. There was nothing. His body was cold, his eyes closed, and there was no sign of life.Despair washed over them. They had lost him. The boy who had saved their lives, who had become their beacon of hope, was gone. Tears streamed down their faces as they realized the full extent of their loss.But even as the words left his lips, his body swayed, the toll of the battle and the immense energy he had channeled finally catching up to him. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious, his body seemingly lifeless.
"Sam!" Masha screamed, rushing to his side, her heart pounding in her chest. She knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse, for any sign of life. But Sam's body was unresponsive, his skin pale, his breath shallow.
Axel and Zane stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. The boy who had just saved them, who had fought with a power beyond anything they had ever witnessed, now lay motionless on the cold ground.
"Is he… is he dead?" Zane whispered, his voice trembling with fear.
Masha didn't answer, her hands shaking as she tried to rouse Sam, but it was no use. Tears welled up in her eyes, the reality of the situation crashing down on her like a wave. "Sam… you can't be…"
Axel clenched his fists, his body trembling with a mix of anger and grief. "He gave everything… to save us… and now…"
Before they could fully process what had happened, the ground rumbled violently, and a dark, malevolent energy filled the air. The boss, thought to be defeated, wasn't dead. He had absorbed the remaining mana, transforming into a monstrous, demonic figure, his body radiating with dark energy.
"Get back!" Axel shouted, pulling Masha and Zane away from Sam's prone form. "We need to get out of here!"
But Masha hesitated, her eyes fixed on Sam. "We can't just leave him here…"
"We don't have a choice!" Zane urged, grabbing her arm. "If we stay, we'll all die!"
With a heavy heart, Masha allowed herself to be pulled away. As they fled the underground chamber, Masha glanced back one last time, her vision blurred by tears. Please… please, Sam… don't die…
[Outside the School Campus]
The remaining students had managed to escape to the safety of the campus grounds, but the atmosphere was tense. The school, once a place of learning and safety, now loomed like a dark shadow over them, the battles that had taken place within its walls leaving them shaken and terrified.
Soldiers arrived shortly after, dispatched to secure the area and ensure the students' safety. But the sense of relief was short-lived.
As the soldiers began to organize the students and prepare for a counterattack, a terrifying roar echoed through the air. The ground shook, and from the rubble of the school's lower levels, the monstrous form of the boss emerged. He had survived yet again, his body twisted and mutated by the dark energy he had absorbed.
The soldiers readied their weapons, but the boss didn't hesitate. He pulled out a blue tablet from within his tattered clothes, swallowing it in one swift motion. His body convulsed as the tablet took effect, and before their eyes, he transformed into a humanoid beast—a towering figure of muscle and rage, with glowing red eyes and claws sharp enough to cut through steel.
The soldiers opened fire, but their bullets and spells barely made a dent in the beast's hide. With a guttural roar, the boss charged at them, tearing through the soldiers with terrifying ease. Blood and chaos filled the air as he slaughtered anyone who stood in his way, his eyes burning with a singular purpose: to destroy everything and everyone in his path.
The students watched in horror, their hope slipping away with each passing second. "He's… he's unstoppable…" one of them whispered, fear choking his voice.
"We need to run!" another shouted, panic spreading through the group.
But just as despair began to take hold, the ground beneath them shook once more—not from the boss, but from something far more powerful.
The wall of the school campus suddenly exploded outward, debris flying in all directions. From the cloud of dust and rubble, a figure emerged—Sam, his body crackling with red energy, his eyes burning with an intensity that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
He walked forward, each step sending tremors through the ground, and without a word, he clenched his fist, channeling his power into a single, devastating punch. The boss, caught off guard, didn't have time to react as Sam's fist connected with his jaw, the force of the blow sending him skidding across the battlefield.
The students and soldiers stared in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. "He's alive…" Masha whispered, tears of relief streaming down her face. "Sam's alive…"