As Kelvin killed the first wolf, the Azure Tower apprentice saw it.
His eyes shifted toward Kelvin for only a fraction of a second. He watched the light blade stab the wolf's before looking away again. There was no time to admire it.
His attention returned to the two serpents slithering in front of him.The one at the front never slowed down. Its cold eyes remained locked onto him as its massive body glided across the cracked road. The serpent behind it suddenly wrapped its tail around an abandoned vehicle.The moment he saw that, the third-level apprentice understood what it was trying to do.
Without waiting for it to make the first move, mana surged beneath his feet.
His figure disappeared.
Space rippled.He appeared directly behind the serpent.The beast sensed danger almost instantly and tried to turn, but it was already too late.His enchanted blade traced a perfect arc through the air.
The edge passed through its scales as though they weren't even there.The serpent froze.A thin line appeared around its body before it slowly separated into two clean halves.
The minute Kenny saw it his eyes widened
"Teleportation, did you give him the spell formula for it"
Daniel shook his head
"No, just like me he had a revelation it's his exclusive spell"
After slicing the serpent in half, He didn't even look back.Instead, he stretched out his free hand toward the serpent charging from the front.Mana spread from his palm.The serpent's body slowed ever so slightly.It wasn't enough to stop it.It wasn't even enough to hold it.But that tiny hesitation...was all he needed.
His figure vanished once again.By the time the serpent regained its speed, he was already standing beside it.The enchanted blade flashed once.Its head slid from its neck before the body continued forward for several more meters, crashing heavily against the asphalt.
Silence surrounded him for only a brief moment.He lowered his blade and stared at it.His grip tightened.
"I... killed them?"
Even he found it difficult to believe.
Those two serpents hadn't been weak.
Yet they had died so easily.The uncertainty that had followed him ever since they arrived slowly disappeared.
Just like Kelvin...He was beginning to gain confidence.
In front of Kelvin, one wolf already lay lifeless on the ground.The second was heavily injured. Blood dripped from the deep wound running across its side, its breathing ragged as it struggled to remain on its feet.The third wolf...It had stopped.For the first time since the battle began, instinct overpowered its hunger. Its crimson eyes shifted from the corpse of its companion to Kelvin, then to the Azure Tower apprentice who had just killed two serpents in an instant.It took a slow step backward.
Even a magic beast understood danger.
Kelvin didn't intend to give it another chance.He rushed toward the injured wolf first.His light blade flashed.The wolf's head separated from its body before it could even let out a cry.The corpse collapsed with a dull thud.The moment the second wolf fell, the last one abandoned all hesitation.
It lunged.
Its powerful hind legs pushed off the ground, launching its massive body toward Kelvin. Its jaws opened wide, rows of razor-sharp fangs aimed directly at his throat.Kelvin shifted his body, narrowly avoiding the bite.Just as the wolf sailed past him, another figure stepped in.
Aiden.
Without saying a word, he thrust his spear forward.The enchanted spear pierced straight through the wolf's chest.
The force behind the attack never stopped.The spear carried the beast several meters before pinning it to the side of an abandoned vehicle.The wolf struggled violently.
Then...
It went still.It was dead.Before anyone could catch their breath a deafening chorus of growls echoed across the street.The rooftops trembled.Windows shattered.Storefronts exploded outward.
The real horde had arrived.
Within seconds...Dozens of glowing eyes locked onto the ten of them.Then, as though receiving the same command...The entire horde charged.The Azure Tower apprentice looked at the countless magic beasts charging toward them.
His figure suddenly disappeared.
Space rippled.The next instant, he was standing high above the battlefield.He looked down at the sea of wolves and serpents below before tightening his grip around his enchanted blade.Mana surged into it.The blade began to emit a faint hum.
"More..."
He continued pouring mana into it.The glow surrounding the blade grew brighter and brighter.
"Just a little bit more..."
Several seconds passed.The mana gathering around the blade reached an astonishing level, causing everyone below to instinctively look up.
Then...
He thrust the enchanted blade downward.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave exploded from the sky.The force crashed into the charging horde like an invisible mountain.Wolves were blasted off rooftops.Serpents were hurled through the air before crashing heavily onto the streets.Cars overturned.
Windows shattered.Dust exploded into the air.Even the apprentices of the Crimson Tower were caught in the blast, each of them being pushed backward by the overwhelming force.Only then did the shockwave finally fade.
Dust filled the battlefield.
The echoes of the explosion lingered as pieces of concrete, shattered glass and twisted metal rained back onto the street.
Wolves that had been charging only moments ago now lay scattered across the road. Some struggled to stand, their bodies trembling from the impact, while others remained motionless.
The serpents fared no better.
Several had been blown into nearby buildings, leaving deep cracks in the walls. Others writhed on the ground, dazed and unable to immediately recover.Kelvin slowly lifted his head.His eyes searched through the settling dust until they landed on the Azure Tower apprentice.The third-level apprentice had already returned to the ground.He looked at Kelvin...
Then smiled.
There wasn't a trace of mockery in it.It was the smile of someone issuing a challenge.
Kelvin smiled back.
He understood immediately.Neither of them spoke.They didn't need to.The battle had become a competition.
The tension that had weighed on Kelvin since arriving at the city disappeared without him realizing it.
His blood began to boil.He tightened his grip on Light Breaker.Without another thought, he shot forward.But in that single moment...He made a mistake.His confidence had made him forget .These magic beasts...were everywhere.A wolf burst out from the entrance of a nearby store.Its jaws were already open as it lunged straight toward him.Kelvin's eyes widened.It was too close.
If he turned to defend now...He wouldn't make it in time.Instinctively, he shut his eyes, preparing himself for the pain.
Bang!
A powerful fist slammed into the wolf's side.beast was sent flying like cannon ball before crashing into a nearby vehicle with enough force to dent the metal.Kelvin opened his eyes.Aiden stood beside him.
"Watch yourself."
Kelvin looked at the wolf struggling to climb back to its feet before it finally collapsed.He let out a quiet breath.
"Thanks."
Aiden didn't even look at him.
"Don't let the idea of a competition make you forget these magic beasts are in every corner."
Those words struck Kelvin harder than the wolf ever could.He had been so focused on competing that he had forgotten the battlefield around him.
He slowly nodded.Aiden had acted like a leader.He...Had acted like a child.
Kelvin took a deep breath.He forced himself to calm down.His eyes no longer searched for the Azure Tower apprentice.
Instead, they swept across the battlefield, taking in every movement around him.
A wolf charging from the left.Two serpents weaving between abandoned vehicles.Another wolf crouching atop the roof of a nearby building, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
Focus.
He tightened his grip on Light Breaker.At that moment, another image flashed through his mind.It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
A whip.
A whip made entirely of light.Kelvin froze for the briefest moment.The image was so vivid that it felt as though someone had placed it directly into his mind.He looked down at Light Breaker in his hand.
"Can it... change again?"
Without giving himself time to think, he willed it to.The straight blade rippled.
Light flowed across its surface before the rigid weapon softened, lengthened and transformed.In the blink of an eye...A whip of pure light rested in his hand.
Kelvin let out a quiet sigh.The more he used Light Breaker...The more he found himself loving the spell.Its edge remained impossibly sharp.Anything it touched was cleanly severed.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Without wasting another second, he rushed back into the battlefield.
This time...He watched everything around him.The instant two serpents burst out from between a line of abandoned cars, his arm swung.The whip of light cracked through the air.Before the serpents could even open their mouths, their heads separated from their bodies.The headless corpses crashed onto the ground as Kelvin continued charging forward without slowing down.
Inside the restaurant, no one was eating anymore.Every customer had their eyes fixed on the television mounted on the wall.Several broadcast drones hovered above the battlefield, transmitting the fight live from different angles.
"The apprentices continue to hold the line!"
The reporter's voice echoed through the restaurant.The screen switched to Kelvin.
Light Breaker, now in its whip form, swept through the air.Two charging serpents lost their heads before their bodies could even reach him.
"Yes!"
"That's it!"
"Keep going!"
"Come on!"
At a table near the window, Sarah's hands were clasped tightly together.Her eyes never left the screen.Every time Kelvin rushed toward another magic beast, her heart tightened.When the broadcast showed the wolf bursting out of the store and lunging at him, her face had turned pale.
"Kelvin..."
Before the wolf could reach him, Aiden's fist slammed into its side, sending it crashing into a nearby vehicle.Sarah let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness..."
Around her, the cheers grew even louder.
"Don't give up!"
"You can do it!"
"Hold them back!"
The battle raged on, while the entire restaurant watched in silence between every cheer.None of them knew that the battle they were cheering for... was only the beginning.