Darkness enveloped the academy, but the courtyard blazed with chaotic flames and the frenzied roars of battle. The Tiger-Headed, Goat-Horned Leader—a grotesque being that had devoured countless weaker creatures to grow stronger—stood tall like a mountain of flesh and bone, exuding the foul breath of chaos. The Vice Principal gripped his hammer tightly, his sharp eyes reflecting the monstrous figure growling before him.

  Before he could strike, a cold voice echoed from the shadows.

  "He has a weak spot on his left side. The armor there is thinner than the rest. Aim for it."

  The Vice Principal flinched and turned his head sharply. A dark figure had appeared, draped in a shadowy cloak, a demonic mask concealing his face. The piercing gaze of this mysterious individual seemed to see through everything.

  "Who are you?" the Vice Principal narrowed his eyes, remaining wary.

  "A mere passerby," Noctis replied curtly, his tone indifferent, as if this battle had nothing to do with him.

  There was no time for further questions—the monster lunged forward. The Vice Principal clenched his hammer and shouted, "If you're here to help, then stop standing around!"

  Without hesitation, he leaped into the air, bringing his hammer down upon the Tiger-Headed, Goat-Horned Leader. But the creature was faster than expected. It twisted its body, dodging the strike, and countered with razor-sharp claws. The Vice Principal barely evaded the attack, yet a claw still grazed his shoulder, leaving a bloody wound.

  From above, Noctis watched the battle, his mind quickly analyzing the situation. With [Demonic Eye]: {Weakness}, he could clearly see the gaps in the creature’s defenses. Though its armor was formidable, the left side of its torso was noticeably weaker. This was the only opportunity.

  "I'll create an opening. You deliver the final blow," Noctis said.

  Without waiting for a response, he activated [Living Nightmare], summoning dark chains from the shadows to bind the monster’s legs. It roared, struggling to break free, but Noctis was prepared—he swiftly moved to its exposed left side.

  "Now!" he shouted.

  The Vice Principal didn’t waste the chance. He gathered all his strength into his hammer, then leaped and struck with full force at the creature’s weak spot.

  Boom!

  A deafening crash echoed as the impact shattered a large section of the beast’s armor, sending black blood spraying in all directions. The monster howled in agony and rage.

  However, in that moment, Noctis sensed something was wrong. Despite the severe injury, the creature wasn’t weakening. Instead, it was growing stronger.

  "This is bad…" Noctis murmured, unease creeping into his chest.

  The Tiger-Headed, Goat-Horned Leader had consumed too many of its subordinates. Now, pushed to its limits, it had entered a berserk state. Its blood-red eyes scanned the battlefield—until they locked onto a figure standing in a corner of the courtyard.

  A girl with light brown hair and thick glasses.

  "Sephera?!" Noctis gasped.

  He hadn’t realized she was here.

  At that instant, the monster let out a deafening roar and charged straight at Sephera, ignoring everything else in its path.

  "Stop it!" the Vice Principal shouted.

  Noctis had two choices—maintain his disguise and attempt to intercept the monster, though he knew he wouldn’t be fast enough. Or use [Merge into Darkness] to reach Sephera first, but doing so would expose his abilities.

  There was no time to hesitate.

  Noctis activated [Merge into Darkness], his body blending into the shadows as he streaked across the battlefield like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Sephera.

  "Thousand Chains of Nightmare!"

  Massive black chains erupted, ensnaring the Tiger-Headed, Goat-Horned Leader just before it could pounce on Sephera. But the creature was too powerful—the chains began to crack.

  Noctis wasted no time. He raised his hand and struck Sephera at the back of her neck,knocking her unconscious—before she could see his face.

  Noctis held Sephera tightly, then activated the last bit of his Vitae, teleporting to the highest tower of the academy.

  Below, the Goat-Horned Tiger-Headed Leader had broken free from its chains, roaring madly. The hundreds of polluted creatures around it became even more ferocious.

  Noctis panted, looking down from the towering height. Sephera was still unconscious in his arms.

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  He gazed at the academy grounds. A terrifying pressure radiated from the courtyard—where the monster was evolving. Its body had doubled in size, fur sprouting wildly like overgrown weeds. Its fearsome face stretched further, with fangs protruding out of its mouth. The goat-like horns on its head had grown past 50 cm, and its claws had almost turned into steel. Its muscular, horse-like legs tensed, now faster than ever before. But the most terrifying change of all was the pair of bat wings emerging from its back, spanning at least one to two meters.

  Staring at this monstrous transformation and the overwhelming pressure exuding from it, Noctis could only sigh in resignation.

  "That bastard has reached level 7."

  "Ten minutes... If the Church doesn't arrive within ten minutes… this academy will be destroyed."

  Not far away, the Vice Principal sat against a wall, trembling. He was utterly terrified. Yes, the sight from earlier and the oppressive aura had shattered his composure. His opponent was now on equal footing with him.

  But he did not feel relieved—far from it. Even though they were at the same level, his Blessing abilities were completely useless against this monster. Frustration boiled inside him as he cursed this wretched academy. Despite being ranked as one of the top academies in Solarys, in reality, it was only fifth when compared to those in other kingdoms.

  His position as Vice Principal was merely for show. In truth, each academy had around ten Vice Principals, and he was the weakest among them. While the others were at levels 6 or 5, he was merely level 7.

  And now, he was the only one left at the academy. The other Vice Principals had departed with the Headmaster on an expedition with the Church into a Void Domain.

  Because he was too weak, he had been left behind to oversee the academy. But today turned out to be the unluckiest day of his life—an unexpected Void Rift had appeared out of nowhere. And worse, it was an extremely rare mutated type.

  "Damn it… Damn it… Damn it all..." He cursed in exhaustion, his spirit teetering on the edge of despair. In his last sliver of hope, he prayed to the Sun God, begging for salvation from this nightmare.

  'O Great Sun God, if you can hear the prayer of your devoted follower, please save these helpless souls from the grasp of Chaos. I beg you.'

  He wasn’t just praying for himself—he was pleading for everyone in this academy.

  Meanwhile, the teachers were doing their best to evacuate the students. The entire school reeked of fear. Even as one of the top-ranked academies, Solarys only had three major institutions, making it an impressive feat to hold such a title.

  But with such a reputation, countless students had flocked to study here, pushing the total number to over 8,000. Most of them were only in their first cycle of Blessings, with only a few having reached the second. The teachers were merely at levels 9 and 8.

  At this rate, if the evacuation wasn't completed in time, the academy would be completely wiped off the map of Solaris.

  With his current assessment of the situation, Noctis saw a near 100% probability of that happening.

  He could only sit in silence, his mind weighed down by the gravity of their predicament. At this moment, there was nothing he could do but wait.

  "Besides waiting for death or salvation, what else can I do?"

  The gap between him and the Goat-Horned Tiger-Headed Leader had widened to two full levels—it was practically impossible to win.

  Now that the monster had reached level 7, it had likely unlocked new abilities. Fighting it would be suicidal.

  Even back at level 8, the Leader already possessed exceptional physical strength and speed. Coupled with its ability to absorb its subordinates to enhance itself and heal injuries, it was simply too overpowering.

  But there was one uncertain factor—perhaps a stroke of luck or just another problem. The number of polluted creatures had decreased significantly, from around 500 or 600 down to just a few hundred—perhaps even only a few dozen. All because of the Leader’s insatiable hunger.

  Whether this was an advantage for Noctis or not remained unclear, but at least the overall threat had diminished slightly.

  'Haah… But it's still the same,' he sighed, looking over at Sephera.

  Noctis shook his head and muttered, "If it weren’t for you, we could’ve taken him down before he evolved."

  He wasn’t lying. If he and the Vice Principal had been able to coordinate properly, they might have been able to finish the monster off. If neither of them had been distracted by Sephera’s sudden appearance, the outcome could have been different.

  From his vantage point high above, Noctis could only feel helpless.

  Before his eyes, hundreds of polluted creatures had already infiltrated the classrooms, searching for any stragglers. Meanwhile, the Leader simply stood there, watching its minions rummage through the academy’s three main buildings—A, B, and C.

  "What the hell is he thinking?"

  From what Noctis knew, only mutated polluted creatures and those at level 6 and above could possess intelligence.

  And this Goat-Horned Tiger-Headed Leader was undoubtedly a highly dangerous mutation.

  Even back at level 8, it had already demonstrated the ability to predict and counter their attacks. Now, after evolving, it had gained the ability to strategize and command its subordinates in a structured manner. This made the situation even more dire.

  Noctis stared at the Leader for a long time before closing his eyes, steadying his breath, and trying to think.

  If he just sat here and waited, he would be leaving his fate in the hands of others.

  He needed a plan—any plan, no matter how slim the chances of success were.

  But just then, a voice echoed in his mind.

  "Do you want to live?"

  ---

  In a grand cathedral, a man with silver hair and sharp, weathered features sat in deep contemplation.

  He was Grand Bishop Edward.

  Before him stood a young man—Jin. He had jet-black hair, striking sapphire-blue eyes, and a gentle smile. His face was undeniably handsome, carrying an air of quiet confidence.

  "Jin, hurry. I have a bad feeling… That academy might already be on the brink of destruction."

  Jin nodded, understanding the urgency.

  He was Edward’s apprentice and a remarkably talented level 6 warrior at just 35 years old.

  For someone of his caliber, living to 1,000 years was not impossible, as long as he grew strong enough. Even ordinary people could now live up to 200 or 300 years.

  "How long will it take you to get there?" Edward asked, his voice tense. Time was slipping away.

  It had already been nearly half an hour since he had received the knights’ report. He had no idea what had already transpired at Solarys Academy—the place where his beloved niece, Sephera, was studying.

  That was the real reason he had decided to send Jin immediately.

  "Five to ten minutes," Jin replied, though his tone was uncertain. His expression showed a hint of hesitation.

  Edward didn't care about Jin’s uncertainty. He slowly opened his deep brown eyes, locking onto Jin’s gaze.

  "Go. Now."

  "Understood."

  As soon as Jin spoke, his body twisted into a swirling vortex. In an instant, he vanished from the room, heading straight for the academy

  .

  Left alone in the warm, blessed chamber, Edward murmured,

  "My dear niece… May the Sun God watch over you."