Amon strode closer and closer.

The woman's head turned in his direction. That same burgundy hair swayed faintly, and a grin stretched across her twisted face.

A heartbeat later, more than twenty sharp, massive, tar-colored limbs lashed forward at once.

The air around Selena wavered.

She vanished.

In the next instant, she appeared between Amon and the oncoming tentacles.

She exhaled slowly. Her muscles tightened, veins bulging faintly under her skin, glowing with condensed mana. Her grip tightened around her sword's hilt until her knuckles turned white.

The air shimmered.

A violent surge of energy exploded from her body as the space around her began to twist and fold. Silver mana particles gathered around the tip of her blade, condensing rapidly, spinning like a tiny spiral storm.

It coiled tighter and tighter, forming a black and silver sphere of unstable energy that pulsed with an ominous hum.

It was her second ability—

the one she had avoided using until now.

But she didn't care anymore.

"Void Sphere!" she shouted.

She thrust her sword forward.

The black-silver sphere shot forth, distorting the air around it as it moved. The sound of bending space echoed like a deep, metallic groan.

A powerful suction pulled everything toward it the air, the dust, the darkness itself.

Selena coughed violently, blood spraying from her lips. Tears of blood rolled down her pale cheeks as the strain on her mana circuits grew unbearable.

Still, she didn't stop.

The sphere traveled forward, spinning faster and faster.

The sharp tips of the tentacles met it head-on.

The moment they touched—

the sphere compressed, shrink, and pulled the limbs inward like a black hole.

One by one, the dark limbs were devoured. They had no chance to retreat. The force was absolute.

The monstrous tentacles writhed, screeching and twisting, but nothing escaped. The sphere consumed them all.

And then, the air went still.

The path ahead was clear.

Selena's body fell from the tentacle mass, slamming against the bloodstained stones below.

Thud!

She lay there, her breathing ragged, vision fading in and out. Her dim red eyes lifted weakly, watching Amon still moving forward through the chaos.

He bent his knees, pushed down hard, and leapt high into the air.

The shadow beneath him surged upward—

rising from his feet and coiling around his arms like liquid smoke.

Ding!

The familiar chime of a status window notification echoed faintly in his mind. He ignored it.

The shadow thickened, covering the blade of his sword completely.

The once silver steel was now pitch black, glowing faintly with a dark mist.

He had already thrown his hatchet aside. Now he gripped his sword in both hands.

He lunged down toward the burgundy-haired woman's head.

The sword raised high over his right shoulder, its black aura trailing like smoke.

Her gaze locked onto him. The boy with messy black hair and a blood-soaked face.

That unsettling grin.

But what froze her wasn't his smile.

It was the weapon in his hands.

That blade wrapped in darkness felt like death itself.

At that moment, he looked like an omen of death.

The sword look like a shadow of death.

A reaper descending from the heavens or may be abyss.

For the first time, the abomination felt fear.

The entire mass of corpses beneath her head stopped moving.

The twisted, merging flesh trembled.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't move.

Her crimson eyes widened and the boy's blade came down.

Slash!

A dark arc ripped through the air.

The sword sliced through the abomination's flesh with a horrifyingly clean sound.

The woman's head spun in the air flipping, tumbling her crimson eyes still locked on Amon's figure.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Her head collided against the broken ground, rolling until it stopped beside the mountain of bodies.

The smile on her face was gone.

What remained was pure terror, frozen on her pale features.

The faint crimson glow in her eyes flickered…

and slowly faded away.

Amon crashed onto the top of the abomination's collapsing body.

His sword slipped from his grasp and clattered away.

He rolled slightly, ending up flat on his back, staring at the cloudy night sky.

The shadows retreated quietly, leaving his sword bare once again.

Then, the surface of mosnter began to shake violently.

Crumble… crumble…

The massive corpse structure started to collapse.

Whatever force had held those bodies together had broken.One after another, the fused corpses began to fall apart, separating from each other.

The entire mound crumbled like a tower of rotting flesh.Within moments, the square was flooded with corpses.

Amon lay amidst the sea of bodies his body unmoving, barely distinguishable from the dead around him.

Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

Selena managed to crawl away from the wreckage, dragging herself to a half-collapsed wall.

She leaned against it, her chest heaving.

A small, weak smile appeared on her face.

They did it.

They killed that thing.

Finally… it was over.

Her red eyes scanned the ground until she spotted Amon lying among the corpses.

When she saw his chest still moving, her body relaxed. A soft breath of relief escaped her lips.

Amon's gaze found her too.

She was barely conscious, slumped against the wall, covered in cuts and blood.

The last attack had drained everything from her.

Even now, blood streamed from the corners of her eyes.

'Hah… my mind is damn tired.'

Amon pushed himself up.

His bones creaked with every movement.

"Hah… ahh…" he groaned.

He stumbled through the heap of corpses, clutching his right shoulder. His left arm hung uselessly at his side it was dislocated.

He didn't even understand how he was still standing. Maybe it was pure will.

Or maybe the faint satisfaction of victory kept him upright.

His lips twitched upward faintly as he staggered closer to Selena.

'Is she… dying?'

He stopped in front of her.

She looked up at him.

Neither of them spoke.

They just stared at each other two survivors at the end of hell.

Amon knelt beside her. He summoned two health potions, opened one, and carefully pressed it to her lips.

Slowly, he poured it down her throat.

She swallowed weakly.

Then he drank the second potion himself. Warmth spread through his chest, dulling the pain just enough to breathe.

But before he could say anything a sudden disturbance rippled through the air.

Amon narrowed his eyes.

Several of the corpses began to twitch.

And then from within the pile the severed burgundy-haired head emerged.

Its forehead began to tremble and bulge grotesquely. The skin split open, tearing apart in a sickening motion.

Something pushed its way out. A red, fist-sized crystal rose from the torn flesh.

An ominous eye was embedded at its surface, glowing faintly with a vertical, dark red pupil. Two black, feathered wings unfurled from the crystal's sides.

It hovered in the air, flapping slowly.

The eye stared at Amon unblinking.

For a few seconds, the two watched each other in silence. Then the crystal turned and began to fly away, leaving the square.

Amon's eyes widened.

He didn't know what that thing was, but every part of him screamed that it was dangerous.

His revolver appeared in his right hand.

He raised it, aimed at the fleeing crystal.

Click.

Cling!

Bang!

The first bullet shot through the air.

Bang! Bang!

Two more followed.

Crack!

The bullet struck the crystal, forming a thin fracture.

Amon adjusted his aim and fired again.

Bang!

The crystal shattered exploding into red fragments.

A wave of energy burst outward, shaking the square.

Above the town, the crimson barrier shimmered into view once more and then shattered into countless particles of light.

It faded into the night sky like fireflies.

Amon's arm dropped limply to his side.

It was finally over.

He let out a long exhale, leaning his head against Selena's shoulder. He loose his consciousness.

The moonlight broke through the clouds again, illuminating the ruined town.

The two of them sat motionless, the last living souls in Mistvale.

Selena fumbled and pull out pager from her storage ring. The moment the barrier vanished, the signal returned.

With trembling fingers, she typed a short emergency message; not to anyone random,

but to Headmistress Isabel Dawnheart herself.

Then her body slumped.

Her consciousness faded.

The dark clouds slowly drifted away.

The pale light of the moon washed over the silent streets, revealing nothing but death.

Only two hearts still beat in the entire town.

---

Late that night, inside Arcadia Academy.

In the Headmistress's office, Isabel Dawnheart sat behind her desk, a worn book open before her.

She had been reading through old records, still searching for information about the Order of Avasthāna.

Clirrrk!

The pager on her desk vibrated sharply.

Her eyes narrowed.

She reached for it and checked the message.

An emergency request from Selena.

If Selena had sent it,

it wasn't a small matter.

She checked the coordinates.

"Mistvale Town," she muttered quietly.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and sliced the air in front of her.

Space split open like glass.

She stepped through.

---

In Mistvale Square,

A huge crack tore open in the air.

Isabel stepped out of it.

The moment her boots touched the ground, an evil sensation washed over her.

Her golden eyes scanned the surroundings.

Bodies. Thousands of them.

Headless, mangled corpses littered the entire town.

Especially near the center, a mountain of dead lay piled high.

She closed her eyes briefly, sensing.

Only two life forces remained.

She turned her gaze toward one corner.

There, against a broken wall,

sat two of her students bloodied, broken, and barely breathing.

She vanished.

In an instant, she stood before them.

Mana radiated from her palms, wrapping around both Amon and Selena.

The soft glow seeped into their skin, healing wounds, mending torn flesh, and stabilizing their shattered mana flow.

The night wind blew gently, carrying away the stench of death.

The battle of Mistvale had ended but something far darker had just begun.

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