The explosion gradually died down, leaving dust and smoke hanging over the battlefield.
For a few moments, nobody could see what had happened.
The entire area was covered by a thick cloud of dust, forcing everyone to stare toward the center of the explosion while waiting for it to clear.
Then, a silhouette slowly emerged from within the smoke.
At first, only its outline could be seen.
As the dust continued to settle, more details gradually became visible.
Someone was standing in front of Bred with both hands raised.
A barrier stood before them, covered in cracks from top to bottom.
The last traces of violet mana pressed against its surface before finally fading away.
A few seconds later, the smoke thinned enough for everyone to recognize the figure.
It was Hong Feng.
She stood firmly in front of Bred, still maintaining the damaged barrier.
As more of the battlefield came into view, everyone quickly realized that Hong Feng and Bred were standing on one of the few pieces of ground that remained intact.
Everything around them had been destroyed.
A massive crater stretched across the area, with shattered earth and broken stone scattered everywhere. Long cracks spread outward from the center, reaching far beyond where the attack had landed.
Hong Feng and Bred stood right in the middle of it.
Faint traces of mana still lingered in the air above the crater, slowly fading away.
Hong Feng lowered her hands slightly.
The barrier finally broke apart, turning into fragments of jet-black before disappearing completely.
Parts of her sleeves had been scorched black, and both of her hands showed clear burn marks from blocking the attack.
Around her body, pieces of her black suit could still be seen fading away.
Most of it had already disappeared.
It was obvious she had been forced to use it.
Then everyone finally saw her face. There was no sign of her usual relaxed expression.
Hong Feng looked across the battlefield before her gaze stopped on Knox.
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
"Student Knox. Bred. Everyone here."
Her voice was calm, but nobody missed the pressure behind it.
"Would you mind explaining what exactly is happening right now?"
Her gaze remained fixed on Knox. "Especially you, Student Knox."
She briefly glanced at the crater around her before looking back at him.
"That attack was not something meant for an assistant professor."
For the first time, several students noticed just how damaged her hands were.
"That level of power is enough to kill an experienced necromancer."
A brief silence followed.
Then Hong Feng spoke again.
"So tell me."
"What exactly is going on here?"
The atmosphere immediately tightened.
Hearing her voice, Group 7 showed visible relief, as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted, while Group 8 also looked relieved, although their expressions were mixed with nervousness under her gaze.
Meanwhile, Knox stood there.
The moment his attack ended, his posture had already returned to normal, as if the tension from before had never existed.
The gauntlets on his arms slowly faded, breaking apart into faint traces of violet before disappearing completely.
Then, he casually brought both of his hands together and brushed them off, lightly patting his palms and fingers as if cleaning away dust, his movement relaxed and unbothered.
The gesture looked oddly familiar.
Like a passing-through Kamen Rider, casually dusting off his hands after finishing his move.
As if everything that had just happened meant nothing to him.
"Ohh, Professor Hong Feng, hello there~" Knox greeted with a bright, sunny smile, as if the cold expression he had shown earlier while attacking Bred had never existed.
Beside him, Mem also floated forward slightly and greeted her.
"Miuu~♪"
Knox then shrugged casually before explaining, his tone relaxed and easy to follow.
"As for what just happened, the short version is that I just wanted to teach what happens when someone breaks their promise. The longer version is that your assistant professor tried to beat Simon and me because of his own personal reasons, and not only did he break his promise, he also tried to kill Simon."
He spoke calmly, still smiling as if he was simply telling a normal story.
But then, without warning, that smile disappeared.
His expression shifted into the same cold face as before.
Then it changed again.
Sunny. Cold. Sunny. Cold.
As if his face itself was a mask.
If the Masked Fools saw this, they'd definitely give Knox a thumbs up.
As for Aha? He'd probably give Knox a mask and ask why he wasn't a member already.
"So, I just did what he wanted to do to us," Knox said, his voice now completely cold.
Then he continued, his gaze turning slightly as he pointed toward Bred.
"If I borrow this baldie's words, 'I feel like I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't crush you right here and now!' That was what he said."
Hearing that, Hong Feng froze in place for a moment.
Slowly, she turned her head and looked behind her.
Bred stood there, his black suit already gone, his face pale as his body trembled, his legs losing strength as if they had turned into jelly.
Then he collapsed.
His knees gave in, and he dropped to the ground, unable to support himself.
"BRED!!!"
Hong Feng's voice exploded across the area.
The shout was so powerful that it shook the surroundings, sending a pressure through the air that made it feel like even the ground had trembled.
Startled out of his senses, Bred immediately forced himself back up, his legs stiffening again as if he had been shocked back into control.
"P-Professor Hong Feng...?" Bred said, his voice shaking.
Hong Feng, who stood in front of him, looked at him with a murderous expression, and at that moment, Bred felt his blood run cold.
She stepped forward and stopped right in front of him, her gaze locking onto him with a pressure that was completely different from her usual gentle and kind demeanor.
"Explain what's going on here."
Bred, already drenched in sweat, immediately straightened his posture.
"I-I was giving Simon a sparring lesson..."
Smack!
Hong Feng's hand moved without hesitation, and the sound echoed sharply as her slap landed across Bred's cheek, sending him flying dozens of meters before his body rolled across the dirt.
"Ah..."
Lying on the ground, Bred clutched his cheek, his mind blank for a moment.
In the five years he had served under Hong Feng, she had never once struck him.
But from that single blow, he understood.
This was her strength.
"Get up."
Her voice came calmly, but it carried absolute authority.
Bred immediately forced himself up and approached her again, his cheek now red and swollen.
"Turn around."
He turned his back without hesitation.
"From this moment, maintain the most painful position an assistant instructor can be in."
"Y-yes? The most painful position...?"
"Do it."
At her command, Bred immediately obeyed.
He pressed his head to the ground, lifted his body, and began pushing himself up using only his fingertips, his entire weight supported in an unnatural posture that strained every part of his body.
Then, while maintaining that position, he used his jet-black energy to raise his body upward, stabilizing himself in place like a rigid banner planted into the ground.
The position required constant stamina and precise control of his jet-black, and even from a glance, it was clear just how painful it was to maintain.
Then, Hong Feng looked at Knox and spoke, her tone still firm.
"Before we continue, Student Knox, you do realize that your previous attack was extremely dangerous, right? I do not even want to imagine what would have happened if Bred had taken that attack directly."
Knox crossed his arms and lifted his chin slightly, showing a proud expression.
"Don't worry, Professor Hong Feng, I know my limits. That attack just now wasn't serious at all. I was holding back. At the very least, I can confidently say he wouldn't die."
Beside him, Mem followed his posture, crossing her hand, or paws? then spoke in agreement.
"Mimi! Mem mem mimi!"
Seeing the two of them standing like that, everyone present, except for Bred, could not decide whether they should laugh or continue maintaining the serious atmosphere.
Hong Feng let out a quiet breath.
"Sigh… never mind."
At that moment, Knox suddenly paused as something crossed his mind.
Hmm? Wait a minute. In the original story, the one who was supposed to appear and stop Simon and Bred's fight was Simon's second Ancient Undead, the captain of the Legion's spider troops, Elizabeth, who disguised herself as Hong Feng. But no matter how I look at it, the one in front of me is clearly the real Hong Feng…
Knox's gaze shifted for a brief moment.
He looked toward a distant direction, his eyes narrowing slightly as if sensing something, before eventually looking away and returning his attention to Hong Feng.
"Hehe, thank you for your lenience, Professor Hong Feng," Knox said with a light smile.
"Mimi!" Mem added.
Group 8 also expressed their thanks to Hong Feng.
After that, the atmosphere gradually became lighter, and Hong Feng offered Group 8 to join her and Group 7 for their gathering, explaining that they were planning a survival island class and guidance session.
However, after a brief discussion, Group 8 decided to decline her offer.
Their stated reason was that they wanted to continue their own training and discuss strategies as a group, although inwardly, one of the reasons was because Cindy, Claudia, and Merida still felt uncomfortable after what Bred had done earlier, something they could not openly say.
After exchanging farewells, Group 8 left the area, leaving Hong Feng, Bred, and Group 7 behind.
Hong Feng let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh… they really dislike Bred, don't they…?"
Hearing that, the members of Group 7 could only remain silent, their expressions awkward as they also felt uncomfortable about Bred's actions.
Hong Feng then muttered quietly, "I hope this does not make them dislike my class…"
After that, she looked back at Group 7. One of her hands twitched slightly before she lowered it to her side.
"Alright guys, let's go."
With that, Hong Feng and Group 7 left the area, leaving Bred alone, still maintaining his painful punishment.
Meanwhile, far from their location.
"…That was really close."
From the direction Knox had briefly looked at earlier, a girl with pink hair was hiding, her body trembling slightly as she stayed concealed among a group of spider-like undead surrounding her.
These were not ordinary corpses.
They were part of her undead army, poisonous spider-type undead capable of using their webs to move through the battlefield and attack their prey.
The girl herself was Elizabeth, Simon's second Ancient Undead.
She clutched herself slightly, still shaken.
"Just who is he… he is really a monster… I must warn my master," Elizabeth muttered before disappearing deeper into the shadows.