"What?!" Samael roared as he rose up, shaking the carriage.

"What's happening there right now?" Ajax asked.

"There are no clear communications as of the moment. It's as if something is blocking word from getting out. It's how I knew there was an attack," Icarius said.

"We need to go back," Samael said as he felt his heart beat faster by the second. Lilith was there at the moment; she is in danger.

"Calm down," Icarius said.

"CALM DOWN?!" Samael roared, his astral pressure halting the carriage.

Icarius frowned as he spoke. "I said..."

"Calm. Down."

A heavier pressure struck Samael as he was forced to withdraw his own aura. Then again, how can he calm down when Lilith is in danger?

"Don't worry about them," Icarius said.

"How are you so sure?" Samael asked as he suppressed his fear.

A small smirk made its way to Icarius's lips. "Because they have a monster among them."

***

Cole, the new Saint of Tera, stood atop one of the defensive towers where a dozen knights gathered, watching in horror as a. army of silhouettes began to form in the foggy distance. Some were small but large in number, as though they were the waves in the oceans. While some stood towering in height, their steps were enough to cause small earthquakes. However, what worried Cole wasn't the number, but the ranks. Although vague, he can feel that some of those abominations were Saint-ranked monsters. He could handle one, but multiple? That was impossible.

Cole gritted his teeth as he took out his staff. He knew being the saint of a sanctuary was a big responsibility that required you to fight for those who couldn't. even if it costs you your life. It looks like it's his turn.

Raising the staff high in the air, Cole's lips parted when a voice overshadowed his.

"Put down your weapon. You're only wasting your strength."

Cole's eyes widened as he shot a look beside him. There stood Aphemis, her hair being swept by the raging winds.

"I'll handle the Saints; you increase the defence of the walls. There are more coming, and they're coming fast," Aphemis said.

Cole nodded as he slammed his staff down, causing a wave to disperse outward.

"Woodland realm."

The earth shook and the winds howled as the ground cracked. From it came thousands upon thousands of large wooden vines, tangling themselves to the wall and strengthening its defence. As it did, Aphemis glanced at the incoming predators.

"Annoying," she muttered as her figure vanished, appearing high above the air, black flames billowing from her soles. "You should have never come here."

Back in the academy, the students hastily guided the people to the bunkers deep below the city. As they heard the incoming sounds of the beasts, they couldn't help but feel panic slowly overwhelm them.

Sabbath and the rest immediately made post as they treated the injured and sick, treating their wounds and patching them as they sent them down. With their help, they were able to guide the other students of other familias to coordinate and aid with the cause.

Meanwhile, Desmond and his team made rounds, making sure to give all the information the other students needed. Mainly, the situation at hand, what to do, and where they are going. This lessened the chaos and allowed for a smoother evacuation.

On the other hand, Lilith and the rest had begun to form a defensive line along with other students who followed them. They have seen her powers, and as such, it was natural to follow her lead.

As they waited for the waves of abominations, the familia leaders all gathered near the centre of the city to slow down the downpour of the monsters and investigate where they were coming from.

Standing atop the houses of Tera, they saw multiple portals appear continuously, fuelling the arrival of the abominations that seemingly have no end.

"Why are they forming here?" Therese muttered, fear and confusion present in her eyes.

"Those bastards...!" Arnold said as his fists began to emit low, popping sounds.

"No time to waste. Focus on what's ahead," Raymond intervened as he went on ahead, greeting the monsters head-on. Following his lead, the other four leaders went in pursuit, with Michael remaining silent, knowing the synergy they have.

Meanwhile, Oliver, the headmaster, walked along a large hallway with windows lighting the path. As he arrived at the end of the corridor, he went inside a room where a silhouette stood next to a window.

"...Found... You," the cloaked figure said as he slowly looked at Oliver, dropping the head he's holding. The head of one of the Thaesir leaders.

The room was painted red, along with the corpses of the other Thaesir clan heads, gathering flies as their guts spilt.

Oliver clenched his jaw as he looked at the dead faces of his friends. Although they are now rivals, they were once his students. Now, they are reduced to this state.

Shifting his gaze at the cloaked assassin, Oliver held his cane as he unsheathed it, revealing a thin blade that hummed in the air. "You came for me; now I'm here."

In the span of a second, a massive explosion shook the building as the entire side was blown off. From the dust cloud, two figures emerged, their blades clashing.

Standing on the roofs of two separate houses, Oliver and the assassin stared at each other, their auras colliding, shattering the surrounding structures.

Raising his blade, Oliver spoke

"Wind sheathe."

Slowly, the thin steel sword was coated in a nearly transparent greenish aura. Enhancing its speed and taking away the wind resistance.

In response, the assassin raised his hands, revealing a pair of blades embedded in his forearms, stitched into his skin.

"Severing light."

A wave of light slowly stemmed from the knives, jutting outward, highlighting the curve of the blades. But in contrast to most Light users of the Ministry, the assassin's light was murky and slightly darkish.

"Let's see which is faster, my wind or your light," Oliver said.

For a second, the two remained idle before their figures vanished without trace. Like thunder, an ear-shattering explosion thundered in the air as the two collided.

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Not wasting time, Oliver swiftly circled the assassin, forming multiple afterimages as he attacked without stopping.

The assassin kept its stand as it deflected and dodged the strikes, weaving and slipping past Oliver's attacks. But it wasn't going to just stand idle.

Going into the aggressive, the cloaked assassin curved inwards as multiple light spikes exploded from his back, nearly hitting Oliver as he nimbly backed away.

However, the assassin wasn't done yet as he spoke.

"Separate."

Without warning, the spikes of light burst outward, hauling fast at Oliver as his eyes widened.

Reacting fast, he weaved and danced around the projectiles, each time closing the distance as he too countered.

"Wind parade."

Thrusting multiple times a second, he sent forth a barrage of wind stabs enough to tear holes through metal.

The assassin dashed back as he avoided the stabs, some of which he deflected.

"Purging light."

Swinging his arms forward, the assassin sent two wide arcs of light, cutting through the air without resistance. But Oliver stood his ground as he drew upward, cutting through the attack and even sending a wind blade forward.

The assassin raised his hand as a shield made of light formed, blocking the attack as he spun it and sent it like a boomerang.

"Multiply."

Before Oliver's eyes, the disc tripled in number. Reacting fast, he hopped and positioned his body in between the two first discs, avoiding them while at the same time dashing forward as he landed.

As their blades clashed again, a plethora of sparks followed as they danced around the battlefield, their strikes shattering everything that came into contact, leaving nothing but rubble in their wake. But it wasn't the worst of it, as multiple spells followed close, pulverising the prized structures of Tera.

"Let's speed this up," Oliver said as he doubled his speed. The assassin returned the gesture as he too spoke.

"Mimic."

The assassin's body glew murky golden for a second as another figure separated from him, another clone of him.

"Nice trick," Oliver said.

Circling the headmaster, the two attacked simultaneously, overwhelming him—or so they thought.

Oliver kept up with the two, even firing counterattacks occasionally as he weaved and threaded like a leaf in the wind.

Parrying one of the assassins, Oliver swept him off his feet as he turned fast, delivering a swift slash at the clone's body, shattering it to pieces as it fell like sparks of light.

"You and me again," Oliver said. "Let's try this again."

The assassin rose up as he spoke, surprising the headmaster.

"No, it's time to go serious."

Oliver released a soft sigh. "As you wish."

Lowering his blade, Oliver planted the tip down the earth as one would with a cane, his eyes closed as though he were enjoying the breeze.

The assassin, on the other hand, connected the handles of his daggers before separating them, forming a golden handle made from light. Slowly, he began to spin them, each second speeding up.

As the two stood before each other, they spoke in unison.

"Sub zone."

"Hurricane march."

"Scorching light."

Oliver's subzone began to generate extreme winds as multiple hurricanes formed, all charging straight at the assassin, picking debris on the way. On the other hand, the assassin's domain emitted rays of light that burned everything it touched.

As the two collided, multiple explosions and earth-shattering earthquakes shook the ground, destroying the surrounding area and leaving nothing but a wasteland.

As the two sub zone slammed against each other, the struggle intensified as they both felt the backlash of the clash.

The assassin grunted as he felt his foot slide back, slowly but surely. However, Oliver stood strong as his clothes waved back.

Gathering his strength, the assassin poured all his strength, causing a large explosion that sent shockwaves of great magnitude. So strong, even the students felt the tremors.

As the dust clouds rose high in the air, blocking the sun, a brilliant ray of light creeped from the darkness, revealing a giant, four-armed humanoid made of light. But on the other side, the smoke screen was blown away as a giant made of wind revealed itself opposite the other.

The two charged at each other, colliding as Oliver slammed his fist over the light avatar. However, the four-armed behemoth swiftly recoiled back, striking him with twice the power. But the headmaster wasn't done yet as he whipped his arm, forming chains made of wind that bound his foe down.

Taking advantage of this, Oliver sent his knee forward, shattering the face of the avatar as it tumbled back. Using his momentum, he formed a wind spear and leaped in the air.

But the assassin wasn't going to give up so easily, as he raised two of his arms, followed by a ginormous blade of light stemming from the ground, impaling the wind avatar. Yet the spear kept going, embedding itself in the torso of the assassin.

Oliver smiled as a drop of blood trickled down his lips. Meanwhile, the assassin coughed up blood as he rose up.

Raising his hand, Oliver shattered the sword as his Avatar fell on its knee. But with his sheer willpower, he too stood back up.

The two circled each other before they clashed again, going hand in hand as they struck without stopping, their blows enough to cause shockwaves that could shatter the very earth.

Oliver, with his speed, kept a pace of attack that overwhelmed the assassin, striking him multiple times in the same place without him being able to defend. But the assassin, with his strong physiology, tanked the attacks and instead attacked rather than defend, striking blows that Oliver would dodge, but the little that hit was enough to make him shake.

The two kept sharing blow after blow, turning the ground to mush as the assassin roared, the intensity of his punches growing by the minute. Oliver simply smiled as he kept his pace steady.

As their screams mixed, the two took stance as they both threw a reckoning blow, their fists smashing against each other's jaws as they were sent back. Upon landing, another violent explosion covered their avatars.

As the dust settled, it revealed the two resting in the rubble they made. Grunting, the assassin painstakingly rose up his feet, blood trickling down his orifices, his eyes bloodshot.

Oliver coughed as he rose up using his cane, his avatar gone along with the assailant.

"Pesky," the assassin said, his voice coarse as though he struggled to speak.

"I can say the same," Oliver said in return.

The assassin slowly raised his hand in the air as he stared at the sun, burning its glory in his retinas.

"Oh Taranius, give me strength. Bless me with your glory so that... I may take down the obstacles before... me," he said.

"Heed my call... Oh my glorious god..."

"Burn through me."

Oliver's eyes narrowed as he felt an aura like never before. It was as though something was descending. But before he could even understand what's happening, the assassin's body glew bright like the sun had enveloped him, coating his body in its brilliance.

"You..." Oliver muttered. The assassin was burning through his life force in exchange for power. His strength was currently spiking, going through the roof.

"You have gone mad," Oliver said as he raised his blade. Yet his eyes widened when the man appeared inches before him, his blade hovering centimetres from his eyes.

Reacting as fast as he could, Oliver slipped his head to the side, the blade cutting his cheeks and taking out his ear.

Rotating his blade in his hand, the assassin sent the blade to the side, attempting to cut the headmaster's head, but Oliver was light on his feet as he dove down and hopped back.

To maintain the distance, he threw forward a myriad of wind slashes, forcing the assassin to back away. However, like earlier, he appeared inches before the headmaster as he sent a flurry of strikes.

Oliver felt the cold sweat trickle down his forehead as he hastily weaved back and forth, nimbly avoiding the slashes.

But slowly, he can see how the man's body began to deteriorate; his flesh had gone smaller, and his skin had begun to hug his bones. Not to mention, although he gained power, it seems his rationality has begun to degrade.

"ARGHHH!!!" The assassin roared as he slammed his hand down, stirring the dust before he beamed forward.

Oliver's eyes widened as he raised his blade, blocking the attack, but he was sent back due to the force.

The assassin, not giving him space, rushed again as he stabbed his blade into the man's shoulder, tearing his flesh.

Oliver gritted his teeth as he felt the blade twist violently inside his arm, but he gathered his strength and returned the sentiment by cutting the assassin's arm.

The assassin roared in pain as he held his bleeding arm, his blood painting the earth crimson. Now blinded by rage, he snarled at the headmaster as he lunged forward.

Oliver clenched his jaw as he struggled to block the blind attacks of the man, his arm trembling, and every blow felt closer than the last.

With one strong punch, Oliver slid back, his blade cracked and his face pale, along with the bullets of sweat on his forehead. His vision had begun to swirl, and he could feel the wound pulsing and enlarging.

Taking a look at the stab, Oliver's eyes narrowed as he saw black nerves stemming from the stab along with a foul scent of rot.

"Demon slaying rod," he muttered as he realised what was happening. "So it seems..."

Shifting his gaze back at the feral assassin, he noticed the lashes and the scars on his body. Yet his eyes almost looked as though they were scared.

"This isn't the eyes of a man who's willing to die for his cause," Oliver said as he gathered his remaining strength.

His time was nearing. He could feel it. But even so, even for the last time, he wishes to spare another soul. Just one last time. Using all his remaining essence, Oliver Herax, the headmaster of the academy, dashed at speed even the assassin couldn't see.

"Gentle wind."

Like the warm breeze brought upon him by the morning sun, the assassin felt as though he were caressed by a gentle wind. How so? When has he already lost his sensation for such things? It doesn't matter.

Oliver landed behind the man as his body fell down with a soft thud, his head rolling to the side as life left his eyes. He was dead.

Taking one last look at the dead man, Oliver sighed as he shared a final glance at Tera. It was time to meet his family, this place was in good hands now.

"Finally," Oliver said as the darkness took him.