(BOOM!)

Ansh suddenly heard a loud explosion which was coming from the auditorium.

[Fuck!! what was that?....explosion….where did that sound come from?] Ansh was startled by the sudden loud noise. He found out that the explosion came from the same auditorium where the exam was held. He also heard people screaming and running out of the auditorium.

[Monsters!!!...run …][kyaa!!][save me! Monsters are coming….] People started bolting out of the auditorium in a frenzy.

{monsters?....Did I hear that right?} Ansh was shocked even more. He grabbed one of the people who was running and tried to ask him..

[Hey what happened?...Why is everyone running?]

[Run…monsters are attacking inside…you should run too!!...] that man replied while running away.

[Monsters ……is that even possible….I mean how did a portal open right in the auditorium…fuck let’s run first..] Ansh also started running.

{wait ... ..the orientation thing was for freshers …that means …Jeevika must be inside…} Ansh suddenly stopped running as he was reminded of Jeevika.

[what should I do?... Should I go in?....but what can I do even if I go inside?........ahh fuck let's just go inside..] Ansh hesitated for a moment but decided to go in and started running towards the auditorium. He pushed his way through the people who were running away from the auditorium. Even though people were saying monsters while running, he still couldn’t believe it because it took 5-6 days for monsters to break out generally and It was impossible that a portal would go unnoticed in that time in an academy full of Slayers.

As he entered the auditorium he was stunned.

{Shit!..they really are monsters…are they thunder wolves?....but where did they come from..}

As Ansh looked around he found a big square-shaped portal on the other side of the auditorium opposite the entrance. He also identified the monsters as he topped the Monstrology exam for 3 years straight.

{Is that a portal..woah!....shit it's not time to get excited by seeing the portal.} It was Ansh’s first time seeing a portal in reality. He was a geek for portals and monsters so it was hard for him to not get excited. As he was observing the portal he saw some of the slayers were trying to reach for a black slab-like thing that was just below the portal.

{Is that slab of void……does that mean someone opened an artificial portal?}

Slab of Void was a small black slab the size of a medium-sized book. It was an artifact that could open a portal forcefully but it was activated only after absorbing someone's life force…i.e. Anyone who had to open the portal had to offer his life as a sacrifice to the Slab. Ansh was stunned to see that someone deliberately opened a portal in the fresher's orientation in an academy full of slayers. Ansh knew exactly what kind of situation they were in as he studied about monsters and portals a lot when he was preparing for the slayer's exam.

..

..

..

Before the explosion…

Inside the Auditorium…

Almost every student who passed yesterday was present in the auditorium as it was important to attend the orientation ceremony as this was a chance to get acquainted with future powerful slayers. A lot of parents also came to support their children who were going to become slayers in the future….

Instructors who were also active slayers and were going to teach these freshers were also present on the stage.

..

{Bump}

Jivika looked behind as somebody had bumped into her. She saw a little girl who fell to the ground.

[Ouch!] She looked like she was about to cry.

[Hey are you ok?....does it hurt?...] Jivika picked her up and asked while brushing off dust from her clothes.

[uh….I am ok..] She said hesitantly. She thought that she might get scolded by Jivika so she was still a little afraid.

{Sigh}[Thats good then] Jivika was relieved after hearing her.

[By the way…what is your name? ] Jivika asked with a bright smile on her face.

[Bh..bhagya] She was still sluttering a little.

[Bhagya… that's a really pretty name just like you. My name is Jivika. Are you lost? Where are your parents?] Jivika asked while patting her head gently.

[Mumma and I came to give a surprise to my Akka*, but I got lost. I don't know where they are…] Bhagya said with teary eyes.

[Don’t cry Bhagya…Can you tell me your akka’s name?..I’ll take you to her.] Jivika said while holding her hand gently.

[Mri..Mrigya Pillai] Bhagya said. After Jivika held her hand she calmed down a little.

[I..I see..Ok let's go find your sister]

{So She was a princess of The Pillai clan}

Jivika was surprised a little after hearing Mrigya’s name. Mrigya was also considered one of the prodigies of this generation. She was also considered a successor of the Pillai Clan. The Pillai clan was one of the very few ancient clans that could use divinity. Divinity in simple words, was the power of gods. These ancient clans had the power to use divinity way before the catastrophe hit the world 71 years ago. It wasn’t known how they were able to use the divinity as it was a strictly kept secret among these clans. The existence of these divine clans only came to light after the catastrophe. These clans were so powerful that they could even destroy smaller countries if they wanted to and Mrigya was considered as the one who could potentially inherit one of such clans.

While this conversation was going they heard a voice from behind.

[Bhagya…..Bhagya where are you?.....oh there you are!] Mrigya who was looking for her, finally found her. She saw Bhagya, so she ran towards her.

[Bhgya how many times have I told you not to run around…..Mom and I were so worried..] Mrigya said while crouching down to Bhagya’s level.

[I… I am shor..rry Akka] Bhagya started crying.

[I am not scolding you….I was just really worried ok…so stop crying now] Mrigya said while wiping her tears. Mrigya sighed with relief when she looked at her sister.

[Hello…Mrigya right? I am Jivika ..Nice to meet you!] Jivika said while extending her hand toward Mrigya.

[Oh! right!...I am Mrigya ..Nice to meet you….Sorry, I didn't introduce myself earlier.] Mrigya also accepted the handshake and introduced herself. She was so worried about her sister earlier that she didn't even notice Jivika.

[Thank You for taking care of her] Mrigya said and bowed slightly.

[No worries…you don’t need to be so formal …we are in the same class after all so let’s be friends.] Jivika said with a bright smile.

[Sure…. let's do that!.] Mrigya also replied as she smiled gently.

[Bhagya let’s go now..mom is waiting for us..say thank you to this big sister for helping you.] Mrigya said while holding Bhagya’s hand.

[Tha..nk you!] Bhagya said while bowing.

[Are you here with your parents?] Mrigya asked.

[Nope….they were busy so they couldn’t come] JIvika replied dejectedly.

[I see…then if you don’t mind shall we sit together…] Mrigya asked.

[Really!... I would like that.] Jivika happily agreed.

[Let’s go then] Mrigya then guided Jivika to where her mother was sitting.

……..

[Hello everyone….I am Erica Evans welcome all new slayers and their parents on behalf of our academy. I am an A-rank slayer working as an instructor for the academy. Maybe some of you already know but this event is organized every year for the new slayers to get familiarized with the academy, some of their seniors who are also present here, and for parents to see where their children will train for the next 2 years……so without wasting too much time let’s start the event. First, our student body president Arush will inform you about the academy curriculum for the next 2 years] After doing the introduction she signaled Arush who then went on the mic.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

[Hello everyone! As all the freshers must already know, I am Arush Pandya. I am the student body president for this year. I’ll brief you about what you’ll be doing for the next…….]

At the same time in one of the corner seats of the auditorium.

{Enjoy the remaining moments of your lives you ignorant fools……..Soon your tainted souls will be purified by our supreme lord. …You should be grateful to our lord you pests….hahaha} A Man sitting in one of the corners of the auditorium pulled out a black slab that he hid inside his clothes.

{It’s time…now hah ha hah aha}

[Oh Supreme Lord, please accept my soul as a sacrifice and punish these ignorant fools who don't believe in your divine beliefs….glory to The NOIR] As soon as he yelled his last words, he sliced his hand and then poured his blood on the black slab. Everyone was surprised to hear the sudden loud voice that came from behind. The NOIR was an evil cult that was involved in terror activities like these artificial portals around the world. No one knew how that cult started or what their goal was.

It activated as soon as The Slab of Void touched that person's blood. It started absorbing the life force of that person at a rapid speed. That man was grinning as he was getting absorbed. As soon as the slab absorbed all the life force, it fell to the ground. As the slab was sucking out his blood, his lifeless body which became like a dried stick fell to the ground. As everyone was still trying to grasp the situation before them…the slab suddenly started emitting thick black fog. That fog soon enveloped almost half of the auditorium. Due to the fog, people couldn't exactly see what was happening.

[Howllll!] Suddenly people heard an ear-deafening howl. This howl sent normal humans and weaker slayers into a state of fear. The howl had a frightening effect that affected those with lower levels than the caster into a state of fear. Howl made a lot of normal humans fall to the ground as they lost strength in their legs due to fear. Lower level slayers were barely standing resisting the fear. Stronger slayers, although they were surprised by the howl, were able to resist the fear. They still couldn't see anything due to the fog but some of the high-level experienced instructors and slayers already knew what kind of monster was going to appear after hearing that howl.

Instructors who were experienced slayers reacted quickly to the situation as they prepared themselves.

[Everyone run….get up and start running]. Anurag Sinha one of the instructors who seemed the most experienced among them shouted.

[All slayers below rank B start evacuating normal people first…everyone above will fight with us let’s go ..] Navya Tripathi, another one of the instructors who followed Anurag shouted.

All the other instructors and some of the parents who were also slayers gathered in front of the portal forming a defense line.

As ordered, those slayers who were below B rank started evacuating normal humans out of the auditorium. As this academy was one of the most prestigious academies of the world everything was being carried out somewhat smoothly.

As the fog cleared, the scene that appeared shocked everyone. A giant portal which was almost 20 feet wide and 10-12 feet tall was opened. It was way bigger than what they expected. As if the size wasn't enough, what terrified them more was the huge number of wolves inside the portal.

{Gasp} Almost everyone lost hope as they saw hundreds of wolves waiting to come outside the portal.

[Fuck!! We are doomed!..] Navya who was one of the less experienced instructors said in a low voice. He sounded as if he had lost all hope. Almost everyone there was also in the same condition after seeing the large number of wolves.

[Get a grip everyone……don’t be afraid. We have 3 S-rank and 6 A-rank slayers with us. This is enough to hold them off till everyone is evacuated. Reinforcement will also arrive soon so calm down. They are thunder wolves so they aren't so hard to take care of …..what we need to worry about is the wolf whose howl we heard earlier. Although their number also is a problem we will somehow be able to hold them off so focus and get ready] Anurag said in a calm low voice. He was the most experienced, so he took charge of the situation.

[Yes sir….][yes ]....as he was a well-respected name among slayers, his words calmed everyone and they nodded.

Thunder wolves were quite similar to normal wolves except for being slightly larger and were able to summon lightning through horns on their heads. They were black in color and had blue eyes….

[HOWL!!] As another loud howl was heard, the wolves started running and leaped outside the portal.

[They are coming…..Slayers with earth attributes, create a huge wall between the portal and us and leave only a narrow space open so that we can control their numbers. Everyone else focus on that narrow area and kill as many as you can.] Anurag said and gripped his long sword tightly.

[Stone wall!] [Mud wall].....Slayers who came forward after hearing him touched the ground and spelled. Suddenly two giant walls were raised from the ground leaving only a narrow space between them.

[howl][howl..]..... a lot of howls were heard when the wolves started pouring outside of the portals. The wolves in front entered the narrow opening, while those to the sides rammed the walls instead of running through. Those with physical attributes could manifest mana through their bodies to strengthen them They generally used a weapon or their body to fight the monsters. While some of them used ranged attacks and AOE attacks.

{cling}{boom}{clash} The fight finally started as loud noises of weapons and shields clashing were heard. The plan of controlling their number was effective for some time but as the wolves were continuously coming through the narrow space, their numbers started overwhelming slayers. 2nd-year slayers who had a little bit of experience due to their practical classes also started to join the fight slowly after evacuating people.

Present time,

As Ansh reached inside, his eyes started looking for Jivika.

{please be safe!!...ah found her…} Ansh found JIvika in one of the corners of the Auditorium. He sighed in relief after seeing her safe. He ran through all of the chaos toward his sister. It was his first time seeing monsters and bloodshed but he was surprisingly calm. As he saw the slayers who were fighting against the wolves near the narrow opening he knew that they would not be able to hold them off for long.

…….

[Damn It…There is no end to them!..] Mrigya was frustrated as the wolves kept on attacking.

[I know..Fuck!!...] Jivika was the same.

[Akka …I am scared..] Bhagya was scared as she saw all the chaos and bloodshed. Mrigya’s mother who came with them was a slayer so she joined the fight at the frontline leaving three of them together.

[Don’t worry…Bhagya…I am right here…Nothing will happen to you.] Mrigya said as she

swung her sword at one of the wolves who jumped at her.

[I am reaching my limit … I don't think I can hold on for much longer…let’s think about how to send Bhagya outside first..] Jivika said while invoking ‘fire arrow’, one of the basic fire spells.

As Jivika used a lot of her mana she was barely standing.

Both of them had been trained since they were 7-8 years old but there was a lot of difference between training and real battle.

[Fuck!...are they coming for us……. ..] Jivika yelled as she saw a pack of 7-8 wolves coming towards them.

[We can’t handle them while protecting Bhagya……I’ll lead them away..you should protect her..] Mrigya who was a lot calmer than JIvika said and jumped towards the wolves.

[Akka..don’t leave me..] Bhagya who saw her sister going away panicked and ran towards Mrigya.

[No ….Bhagya wait….] Jivika who was barely standing tried to grab Bhagya but she failed.

Bhagya managed to slip out of her hands and ran towards Mrigya. Because of all this commotion one of the wolves was nearby saw Bhagya as an easy target and started running towards her. Mrigya who was fighting the pack of wolves from earlier saw the wolf running towards her sister. She tried to fend off the wolves somehow to go and save her sister but she failed as the wolves kept attacking her one after another.

[Noooooo!] The thought of losing her sister petrified Mirgya. Her heart sank deeper and deeper as she saw the wolf getting closer to her sister.

{fireball}{fire arrow][inferno}.....Jivika kept invoking spell after spell but nothing worked as she used all of her mana. It was just pointless desperation. She also felt a lot of mixed emotions. She felt that it was her fault that Bhagya was going to die. She felt disappointed in herself as she couldn’t even protect one little girl and because of her incompetence Mrigya was going to lose her sister.

[[Bhagya!!]] Both of them held their breath and closed their eyes as the wolf leaped towards Bhagya with its jaw wide open.

{Swoosh} When both of them thought that they had lost Bhagya someone suddenly picked Bhagya and jumped away removing her from the wolf’s way, As the wolf which was still in the air missed its target, it wasn’t able to land properly and fell on its face. The one who saved Bhagya was none other than Ansh who saw what was going on earlier when he was going towards Jivika. But it was not over yet, the wolf which fell earlier recovered itself and leaped towards them again. Ansh had been training himself physically since he was little so he was stronger than most of the average humans. That was how he was able to save Bhagya earlier but when it came to fighting monster head-on, he was no match. As the wolf came closer Ansh knew that he couldn’t outrun the wolf, so he hugged Bhagya tightly and leaned down a little with his back facing the monster. He was trying to use himself as a shield to protect Bhagya. As the wolf jumped once again Ansh closed his eyes as he accepted his nearing end.

{bump} Ansh opened his eyes as he heard a bumping noise. When he looked behind, he saw that the wolf was squealing in pain. Its jaw was broken as it had bumped into an invisible shield that was formed around Ansh. Ansh stood up and saw that something was glowing around his neck. It was a pendant given to him by his mother when he was a child. It was emanating a golden light which formed a shield around Ansh and Bhagya. Ansh was surprised after that had happened but quickly recovered himself and took this chance to run away from that wolf.

Luckily as Ansh had bought some time, Mrigya was able to distance herself from the wolves that were attacking her and threw her sword towards the wolf that attacked Bhagya and killed it.

[Are you ok?] Ansh asked Bhagya while putting her down.

[..] She couldn’t say anything as she was terrified. Ansh looked at her carefully to see if she was hurt anywhere.

{She seems fine…she is just terrified.} Ansh sighed in relief. Ansh picked her up and ran towards Jivika. After picking up her sword, Mrigya also followed him.

[Bhagya …are you ok?..] Mrigya asked. As soon as Bhagya saw her sister she started crying loudly. It seemed that she eased up a little after seeing her sister.

[She seems fine…She is just scared] Ansh said as he saw Mrigya’s worried face. He didn’t know why but every time he saw Mrigya, he felt something, just like yesterday when he saw her for the first time.

[Thank you!! Thank you very much for saving her!!] Mrigya held Ansh’s hands and kept bowing. Ansh was confused about how he should react to this.

[It’s ok..I mean anyone could’ve done the same..] Ansh replied. He was a little embarrassed as it was the first time anyone had thanked him. He was always belittled otherwise.

[What are you doing here?...] Jivika was surprised to see her brother.

[It’s a long story……let’s think about how to get out of here first…… You don’t look good?] Ansh replied when he saw Jivika’s pale face.

[Do you really think you can worry about me when you are just a pathetic loser?...No matter how tired I am, I am still a S rank slayer] Jivika replied. She felt like Ansh was looking down on her.

[well you seem fine, if you can still talk like that] Ansh was used to her treating him like that so he replied nonchalantly.

[Excuse me…do you guys know each other?....] Mrigya who was looking at them asked.

[Yeah he is my stupid brother] Jivika replied. Although Ansh seemed fine as if he was used to this kind of treatment.... Mrigya could see the disappointment in his eyes.

While this conversation was going on the atmosphere suddenly became heavy..

{Howl!!!!} Soon another ear-deafening howl was heard from the portal. Every wolf who was outside the portal also started howling. That howl was so loud that it shook the whole auditorium. The wolves suddenly stopped attacking after that howl.….it felt as if they were waiting for someone.

As slayers were confused by the sudden change in wolves, they looked towards the portal.

[Oh my God!!.....]

[Fuck!!][The number was already overwhelming but now……we are going to die]...

[Damn it!!! This is what I was worried about the most!!] Anurag was shocked. They saw a huge silhouette with fierce red eyes coming out of the portal.