The library had become the academy's final sanctuary.
Outside its reinforced walls, the academy was drowning in blood and destruction, but inside—
Silence.
An unnatural silence.
Hundreds of students and teachers remained gathered within the enormous circular library hall. Ancient bookshelves stretched toward the ceiling while glowing barrier formations covered the walls with faint blue light.
No one spoke loudly.
No one moved unnecessarily.
Fear had consumed the room completely.
Some students sat trembling on the floor while others desperately treated injuries using basic healing techniques. A few quietly cried into their sleeves after realizing friends and teachers hadn't returned.
The atmosphere felt suffocating.
Every second that passed without hearing anything from outside only made the tension worse.
Then—
A student finally broke the silence.
"Is it over…?"
His voice trembled slightly.
Many eyes immediately turned toward him.
The speaker was Vael Azure.
One of the academy's strongest students and a direct descendant of the Azure Palace.
His sharp red hair and composed expression made him appear calm, but even he couldn't fully hide the unease in his eyes.
The entire academy had suddenly gone silent.
No explosions.
No screams.
No sounds of fighting.
Nothing.
A male student nearby swallowed nervously.
"Either the teachers managed to drive the monsters away…" Vael said slowly.
Then his expression darkened.
"…or they're dead."
Those words instantly made several students pale.
A timid girl sitting near the wall hugged her knees tightly.
"Should… should we go check?" she asked softly.
Her name was Lyra Echonic.
The Fourth Daughter of the Echonic Palace.
Unlike most noble children from the Great Palaces, Lyra lacked confidence despite possessing exceptional talent. Her silver hair partially covered her frightened eyes while her hands trembled slightly.
The moment she spoke—
A girl leaning against one of the bookshelves scoffed coldly.
"Don't be stupid."
Everyone turned toward her.
Selene Abyssal.
A direct descendant of the Abyssal Palace.
Her black eyes remained emotionless as she crossed her arms.
"There's also the possibility that the teachers lost," she continued calmly.
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
"And if that happened…"
Her gaze shifted toward the library doors.
"The monsters are probably waiting outside for us to lower the barrier and walk out ourselves."
Several students immediately froze in fear.
The thought alone was horrifying.
Vael narrowed his eyes.
"…That actually makes sense."
The timid Lyra shrank slightly after hearing it.
Then suddenly—
Clap.
Clap.
The sound echoed through the library.
The students turned toward the center of the room where the academy headmaster stood calmly beside the barrier formation.
"Excellent critical thinking," the old man said with a proud smile.
The Headmaster of the Academy.
Magnus Aurelius.
Even in old age, his mere presence carried authority powerful enough to calm the room slightly.
"No one leaves this library," Magnus declared firmly.
His voice echoed across the hall.
"As long as this barrier remains active, this is the safest place in the academy."
Some students visibly relaxed after hearing his words.
But Lyra still looked terrified.
"What if they come here…?" she whispered weakly.
The headmaster laughed loudly.
"HA!"
The sudden confidence in his voice startled everyone.
"Don't worry so much."
He rested a hand on his cane.
"No one is entering this place while I'm alive."
His aura flared slightly.
Though old and wrinkled, the pressure radiating from him still felt overwhelming.
"I may not look like much now," Magnus said proudly, "but in my prime…"
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"My abilities rivaled the Heads of the Great Palaces."
Several students widened their eyes.
Even Vael looked surprised.
And it wasn't an exaggeration.
Four hundred years ago—
Magnus Aurelius had once fought against the then-head of the Obsidian Palace itself.
Although Magnus ultimately lost that battle, his skill had earned the respect of every Great Palace across the continent.
It was precisely because of that recognition—
That the academy had been founded.
The old man standing before them was not merely a teacher.
He was a living legend.
The students slowly began calming down.
If someone like him was protecting them—
Perhaps they truly could survive.
Then—
STAB.
The sound was quiet.
Almost soft.
For a single second—
No one understood what happened.
The headmaster's eyes widened slightly.
A blade protruded from his chest.
Blood slowly dripped down the metal.
The entire library froze.
"…Huh?"
Lyra's voice trembled.
Magnus slowly looked downward at the sword piercing through his body.
Then—
Blood spilled from his mouth.
The students stared in complete disbelief.
No one had sensed the attack.
No one had reacted.
Even Vael's mind went blank.
Behind the headmaster stood a teacher.
One of the academy instructors.
His face twisted with madness as he gripped the bloody blade tightly.
"YOU FOOL!!!"
One of the other teachers screamed instantly.
The students snapped out of their shock.
"What are you doing?!"
"Teacher?!"
"You stabbed the headmaster?!"
The man laughed.
A horrible, wicked laugh.
"Shut up!"
He violently ripped the blade out of Magnus' body.
Blood splattered across the floor.
The headmaster dropped heavily to one knee.
Students screamed in horror.
The teacher's expression became increasingly crazed.
"This old bastard always acted so high and mighty…"
Hatred filled his eyes.
"He looked down on me for YEARS."
His voice became unstable.
"Always acting superior…"
He pointed at the kneeling headmaster.
"But now?"
A twisted grin stretched across his face.
"Now I can become the new headmaster."
The room erupted into chaos.
"You're insane!"
"How could you betray us now?!"
"Kill him!"
But before anyone else could move—
A student already had.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A figure shot across the library at terrifying speed.
The traitorous teacher barely had time to widen his eyes before—
CRASH!!!
A fist slammed directly into his stomach.
The impact bent his body unnaturally.
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Saliva exploded uncontrollably from his mouth as the force launched him backward through multiple bookshelves.
Wood shattered everywhere.
The students stared in shock.
Standing where the teacher had been moments ago—
Was Vael Azure.
His fist still trembled from the impact while killing intent filled his eyes.
"You piece of trash…" Vael said coldly.
Vael's fist remained clenched as the traitorous teacher struggled to stand.
Blood dripped from the corner of the man's mouth while he held his stomach in agony.
"Y-you bastard…" he wheezed furiously. "How dare you strike me?!"
His face twisted with madness.
"I am the new headmaster now!"
The students stared at him in disbelief.
Even after stabbing Headmaster Magnus—
Even after betraying everyone—
He still genuinely believed he had won.
But before anyone could respond—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The giant library doors exploded inward.
A monstrous pressure flooded the room instantly.
Students screamed.
Teachers immediately stepped forward protectively.
Then—
A horrifying screech echoed throughout the library.
SKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
The sound came from metal dragging against stone.
Slowly—
The evolved Minotaur entered the library.
Its gigantic axe scraped across the floor behind it, carving deep trenches into the stone. Sparks flew endlessly as the creature stepped into the room, its massive body radiating killing intent so heavy that many students instinctively froze.
The barrier protecting the library flickered weakly—
Then shattered completely.
CRACK!!!
The students' faces turned pale.
The Minotaur's red eyes scanned the room slowly before a twisted grin spread across its face.
"Finally…"
Its deep voice echoed through the library like thunder.
"I can get in."
Panic spread instantly among the students.
"T-that monster—!"
"How did it break the barrier?!"
"We're dead…"
Some students collapsed onto the floor in fear.
Others instinctively backed away.
One of the teachers stepped forward, his fists trembling violently.
"What happened to Lucien?" he demanded.
The Minotaur looked at him lazily.
"Oh…"
A cruel smile appeared across its face.
"If you mean the man I fought…"
It rested the axe on its shoulder casually.
"He's dead."
The room froze.
"And if you mean the woman with him…"
Its grin widened further.
"She's dead too."
The Minotaur intentionally emphasized every word.
It wanted them angry.
Wanted them emotional.
Wanted them reckless.
And it worked perfectly.
The teacher's expression twisted instantly with rage.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
Without thinking—
He charged forward blindly.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The floor cracked beneath his feet as he rushed toward the Minotaur at full speed.
But the creature didn't even move.
The moment the teacher entered range—
SHING.
The Minotaur swung its axe once.
That was all.
The teacher froze mid-charge.
Then—
Blood sprayed across the library floor.
His body split cleanly into two halves.
The students screamed.
The two pieces of the teacher's corpse collapsed onto the ground with sickening wet sounds.
The Minotaur sighed in disappointment.
"So weak."
The atmosphere became suffocating.
No one dared move anymore.
Then suddenly—
The traitorous teacher hurried forward and knelt before the Minotaur.
"Sir!" he said excitedly.
Many students stared at him in horror.
The Minotaur slowly looked down.
"Oh. It's you."
Its tone carried visible irritation.
After all—
The teacher had interrupted it while it was killing someone.
A terrible offense in the Minotaur's eyes.
But the crazed teacher didn't notice.
Instead, he smiled greedily.
"Sir, I completed the mission as promised."
He lowered his head respectfully.
"So now… the reward you promised me…"
The students froze.
Mission?
Reward?
Realization slowly dawned on them.
This entire attack—
Had an accomplice inside the academy.
The Minotaur stared at him silently for a moment.
Then it grinned.
"Oh yes…"
Its red eyes gleamed mockingly.
"That reward."
The teacher immediately stood up proudly before facing the terrified students and teachers.
"You see this?!"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"Me!"
His face twisted with excitement.
"I'm going to control this academy now!"
Some students looked sick hearing his words.
"There's nothing any of you can do about it anymore."
His breathing became heavier.
"All those noble students… all that power… it'll all belong to me now."
His grin widened grotesquely.
The madness in his eyes became increasingly disturbing.
"I'll make every single one of you obey me—"
SHING!!!
The room fell silent.
The teacher blinked slowly.
A thin line of blood appeared across his body.
Then—
SPLAAAAASH!!!
His body split vertically in half.
Blood exploded everywhere.
The two halves collapsed onto the floor separately.
The students stared in shock.
The Minotaur slowly lowered its axe.
"You talk too much."
Silence.
Then—
Chaos erupted instantly.
Students screamed in terror.
Some began crying uncontrollably.
Others rushed desperately toward the back of the library.
"RUN!"
One of the surviving teachers shouted.
"Use the back exit!"
The students immediately panicked.
"MOVE!"
"DON'T PUSH!"
"HELP HER!"
The orderly sanctuary from before completely collapsed into madness as fear consumed everyone.
"THERE IS NO NEED."
The Minotaur's voice thundered across the library, instantly interrupting the teacher.
The teacher froze mid-sentence.
The monster slowly rested its gigantic axe against its shoulder while staring at the terrified students attempting to escape.
"I'm going to kill all of you anyway."
Its grin widened.
"So making me chase everyone around…"
The Minotaur sighed dramatically.
"…is honestly exhausting."
Several students froze upon hearing those words.
Then the creature suddenly paused.
"…Or wait."
Its smile became even more twisted.
"Were you helping me?"
The Minotaur looked toward the teacher mockingly.
"Did you notice I've gained weight from eating so many humans?"
Some students immediately threw up after hearing that.
The Minotaur chuckled darkly.
"How thoughtful."
It slowly raised its axe.
"As a reward…"
Its crimson eyes glowed murderously.
"I'll make your death painless."
The moment those words landed—
The library descended into absolute panic.
"RUNNNN!!!"
Students immediately bolted toward the exits in terror.
The sound of screaming filled the library instantly.
The crowd became chaotic.
People shoved each other desperately trying to survive.
Some students fell onto the floor after being pushed too hard.
Others were trampled accidentally in the panic.
And some—
Were pushed intentionally.
"MOVE!"
"GET OFF ME!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
A male student violently shoved a wounded girl backward to save himself.
Another kicked someone who grabbed his leg for help.
Fear had completely stripped away their humanity.
Lyra Echonic fell hard onto the floor after someone slammed into her shoulder.
Pain shot through her ankle instantly.
"A-ah…"
She tried standing—
But couldn't.
Her leg had twisted badly.
Nearby, several other injured students cried helplessly after being knocked down and abandoned by the fleeing crowd.
No one stopped to help them.
No one looked back.
Survival had become the only thing that mattered.
Meanwhile—
A small group remained standing before the Minotaur.
Teachers.
And several students.
One of the teachers slowly stepped forward while gripping his weapon tightly.
"Teacher…"
Vael clenched his fists.
"Get ready."
The surviving teachers nodded grimly.
Then—
Selene Abyssal stepped forward calmly.
Her black eyes remained steady despite the overwhelming fear in the room.
"Sir," she said firmly.
"We'll assist you."
Several students behind her nodded as well.
Despite trembling—
They still stood their ground.
The teacher's expression changed instantly.
"We cannot ask students to fight."
Selene frowned.
"This isn't the time to worry about that."
Her voice sharpened.
"You need all the help you can get."
The teacher remained silent.
Then—
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"…After this," he said quietly, "I'll educate all of you on why recklessness is a terrible habit."
Several students laughed nervously despite the situation.
Then the teacher sighed.
"…Thanks."
Selene blinked slightly.
Then smiled faintly.
"No problem."
Everyone standing there understood something silently.
They were probably going to die.
But even so—
Someone had to buy time for the others to escape.
The Minotaur watched them quietly.
Then—
It disappeared.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The ground exploded apart instantly.
Before anyone could even react—
CRASH!!!
One teacher was smashed through multiple bookshelves by a single punch.
Another student coughed blood after being struck in the stomach by the Minotaur's elbow.
BOOM!
CRACK!
SCREAM!!!
Everything happened too fast.
The students couldn't even follow the creature's movements properly.
Nullen attempted to throw a punch—
The Minotaur casually backhanded him across the library.
Selene tried attacking from behind—
The Minotaur grabbed her instantly by the throat.
Within seconds—
Everyone was defeated.
Some lay unconscious.
Others couldn't move anymore.
The remaining teachers struggled desperately to stand while blood covered the shattered library floor.
And amidst all the destruction—
Only the Minotaur remained standing tall.
Its gigantic hand tightly gripped Selene Abyssal by the neck.
Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground.
"Ghk—!"
She desperately clawed at the creature's arm while gasping for air.
The Minotaur stared at everyone coldly.
"All weaklings."
Selene's vision slowly blurred.
The Minotaur tightened its grip further.
CRACK.
The sound of her neck beginning to strain echoed softly.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A violent impact slammed directly into the Minotaur's side.
For the first time—
The creature's eyes widened.
Its massive body was sent flying violently across the library.
CRAAAAASH!!!
Bookshelves exploded apart as the Minotaur crashed through them before digging its feet into the ground to stop itself from being pushed further back.
The floor cracked beneath its feet.
Dust slowly settled.
"…Huh?"
The Minotaur looked forward in confusion.
Standing before Selene—
Were two students.
One had messy black hair and a lazy expression despite the chaos around him.
The other stood calmly with sharp blue eyes filled with determination.
Kael.
And Nullen.
"...Well this is lame."
Kael shrugged, turning his back on the battlefield as if the scene unfolding in front of him was nothing more than an inconvenience.
The Minotaur's red eyes flicked toward him instantly.
"…Huh?"
Kael waved lazily.
"Handle it, Nullen. It's not even strong."
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Even the students trembling on the ground forgot to breathe.
Nullen didn't respond.
He simply closed his eyes.
And the moment they opened again—
Everything changed.
His expression didn't become angry.
It didn't become emotional.
It became empty.
Focused.
Cold.
It was as if the entire world had narrowed down into a single point—
The enemy.
His grip on his sword tightened slightly.
Then—
He moved.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath his feet as Nullen shot forward like a drawn arrow.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Just pure precision.
CLANG!!!
His sword met the Minotaur's axe mid-swing.
The impact sent a shockwave through the library—
But Nullen didn't move back.
Not even a step.
The Minotaur's eyes widened slightly.
"…Tch."
It swung again.
Faster.
Heavier.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike came down like a collapsing mountain.
But Nullen's body moved through them all.
Side step.
Pivot.
Duck.
Minimal motion.
Maximum efficiency.
Every attack missed by fractions of a second.
The Minotaur growled in frustration and suddenly twisted its body—
A hidden strike aimed directly at Nullen's blind spot.
But—
"Form Breathing…"
A voice cut through the chaos.
"Flame Technique: Two-Directional Slash."
SHHHHING!!!
Kael appeared mid-air.
A streak of burning motion carved across space as he descended like a falling blade.
SLASH!!!
The monster that had lunged at Nullen from behind was cut cleanly in half before it could even complete its attack.
Blood splattered across the shattered floor.
Kael landed casually, stretching his neck.
"Don't get careless, you'll ruin the view."
Nullen didn't even glance back.
He was already moving again.
The Minotaur clicked its tongue.
Around them—
More monsters began pouring in.
From broken walls.
From collapsed stairways.
From the shattered ceiling above.
Dozens.
Then dozens more.
The library had become a nest.
Kael smiled slightly.
"Oh good."
He rolled his shoulders.
"I was getting bored."
Then—
He disappeared into the swarm.
BOOM!
CRASH!
SLASH!
Monsters were thrown across bookshelves like broken dolls.
Kael moved like he was playing rather than fighting—stepping between attacks, redirecting blows, cutting limbs with effortless precision, never staying still long enough to be targeted.
A monster swung at him—
He grabbed its arm mid-motion.
Twisted.
SNAP.
And used its body to smash another approaching creature.
"Too slow."
Another lunged—
He ducked under it lazily and flicked its neck.
CRACK.
Meanwhile—
Nullen stood directly in front of the Minotaur.
Completely unmoving.
The Minotaur narrowed its eyes.
"You humans… always overestimate yourselves."
It raised its axe.
Black veins pulsed across its arms as it charged forward at full speed.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground exploded beneath it.
A single swing came down with enough force to split the library in half.
But—
Nullen simply tilted his head.
The axe missed by a hair's breadth.
The air pressure alone shattered nearby shelves.
But Nullen didn't flinch.
He stepped forward—
Inside the Minotaur's range.
CLANG!
He parried the follow-up strike effortlessly.
The Minotaur roared and unleashed a barrage of swings.
Left.
Right.
Down.
Diagonal.
Each attack faster than the last.
But Nullen's eyes tracked everything.
Every motion.
Every shift in weight.
Every breath.
He wasn't reacting anymore.
He was predicting.
Then—
The Minotaur roared and charged one final overhead strike.
"DIE!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The axe came crashing down—
And for a moment—
It looked like everything would be crushed.
But Nullen exhaled softly.
"…Found it."
He stepped forward.
Just one step.
The axe passed behind him without touching a single strand of hair.
And in that same instant—
Nullen moved his sword.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just perfect.
A single clean motion.
The blade slipped through the Minotaur's defense and stabbed directly into its eye.
Silence.
Then—
"ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!"
The Minotaur staggered backward, clutching its face as blood poured down its arm.
It screamed in rage and pain, stumbling for the first time since the fight began.
Kael, still casually wiping blood off his sleeve nearby, glanced over.
"…Oh."
A small grin appeared.
"Looks like you're actually trying now."
Nullen stood there calmly, sword still embedded in the creature's eye socket.
His voice was quiet.
"Next."
"This bastard… I can't see his sword."
The Minotaur's breathing grew heavier, its crimson eyes narrowing as it tried to track Nullen's movements.
"There's no fixed range… no predictable rhythm…"
Its grip tightened around the chained axe.
"So every attack from close distance…"
The chains around the axe suddenly began to rattle violently.
"…becomes a gamble."
The Minotaur exploded forward.
BOOM!
Muscles tore with force as it swung the chained axe in wide, chaotic arcs. The chains whipped through the air like living serpents, tearing through shelves, cracking stone, and carving deep scars into the library floor.
WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!
Each swing came from a different angle.
Each strike faster than the last.
But Nullen—
Wasn't there.
Step.
Tilt.
Shift.
He moved through the storm like he already knew where every strike would land.
The axe slammed down—
Nullen was no longer beneath it.
A chain whipped from the left—
Nullen leaned away by a fraction of a breath.
The Minotaur's eyes widened in frustration.
"Stay still!!!"
It roared and hurled the axe forward on its chain.
BOOOOM!
The weapon shot like a cannonball straight toward Nullen's chest.
The ground split apart as it passed—
But Nullen jumped.
Cleanly.
Effortlessly.
The axe tore through empty space beneath him.
"NOW DIE!!!"
The Minotaur roared, yanking the chain upward at full force.
The axe reversed direction instantly, shooting upward to meet Nullen mid-air.
A perfect kill angle.
A trap in the sky.
But—
Nullen twisted his body mid-air.
The axe passed inches from his ribs.
Then—
He pushed off the air itself with controlled movement, redirecting his fall.
For a split second—
It looked like he was walking through space.
And then—
He descended.
Directly toward the Minotaur.
"…!"
The Minotaur barely had time to react.
CLANG!!!
Nullen's blade struck first.
The impact reverberated through the creature's arm like a hammer hitting bone.
The Minotaur's left arm went completely numb.
"What—?!"
It staggered back in shock.
That single exchange shattered its confidence.
It tried to pull the axe back immediately—
WHIP!
But Nullen was already inside its guard again.
CLANG!
Another strike.
This time to the shoulder.
The Minotaur blocked—
But the force still drove it backward.
Its feet dragged across the shattered floor.
CLANG!
A third strike landed before it could stabilize.
The Minotaur's body buckled.
For the first time—
It was being pushed back.
Not matched.
Not countered.
Dominated.
Sweat formed on its brow as panic slowly crept into its expression.
"…Impossible…"
CLANG!
Another blow.
Its knees nearly gave out.
It dropped to one knee.
Dust rose around them.
The Minotaur's breathing became uneven.
"Am I… going to die?"
The thought slipped out before it could stop itself.
And then—
A voice answered.
Calm.
Cold.
Certain.
"Yes."
The Minotaur's eyes widened.
Nullen stood above it, expression unchanged.
"You will die."
"…by my hands."
The Minotaur's face twisted instantly.
"NO… NO—!!"
It suddenly threw its head back and unleashed a desperate roar.
"HELP ME!!!"
The sound tore through the library like a command.
A primal call.
A signal embedded deep within the monster force.
Instantly—
Every surviving monster in the library froze.
Then—
Their eyes turned red.
Something inside them snapped.
They all turned at once.
And rushed toward Nullen.
A tidal wave of monsters surged through the broken library, trampling debris, crawling over walls, converging into a single mass.
The Minotaur laughed through desperation.
"Haha… HAHAHA!! YES!! COME!!"
But Nullen didn't even look back.
Kael as he simply raised his sword slightly.
"…Form Breathing."
The air around him started becoming hot.
he sighed.
"Flame Technique: Blazing Flames."
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Kael moved.
The battlefield turned into fire and motion.
A sweeping arc of heat erupted across the charging monsters as Kael cut through them in a single flowing motion.
One step.
One slash.
A wave of burning force exploded outward.
Monsters disintegrated mid-charge.
The remaining ones didn't even reach Nullen.
They collapsed before touching him.
Silence returned for a brief moment.
Only burning corpses remained scattered across the library floor.
From the side—
The female of the Abyssal Palace, still lying injured and barely conscious, stared at them with trembling disbelief.
"…Strong…"
She coughed weakly.
"They were supposed to be the weakest students in the academy…"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"So how…"
"…are they this strong?"
Her eyes slowly shifted, still trembling from the aftermath of the massacre.
They locked onto Nullen.
He had stopped chasing weapons.
Stopped reading movement.
Stopped reacting entirely.
Now—
He was walking forward.
Directly toward the Minotaur.
The creature was already barely standing.
Its massive body trembled uncontrollably, one knee scraping against the shattered floor as blood dripped endlessly from its mouth. Its once-overwhelming presence had been reduced to something unrecognizable—broken, unstable, fading.
Nullen exhaled once.
Then—
He closed the distance.
CLACK.
His palm shot forward.
It wasn't a sword strike.
Not a technique.
Just raw contact.
He clamped his hand onto the Minotaur's chest and locked it in place with terrifying precision.
The Minotaur's eyes widened.
"…What—"
BOOM!!!
Nullen drove a straight punch into its abdomen.
The sound was not an impact.
It was a rupture.
The Minotaur's body folded slightly as blood exploded out of its mouth, spraying across the broken library floor.
But it couldn't fall back.
Nullen's other arm had already anchored it in place.
A vice grip.
No escape.
No movement.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage began.
Each punch landed with mechanical precision.
Each strike deeper than the last.
The Minotaur's body began to cave in.
Bones cracked.
Muscles tore.
Breathing broke into choking gasps.
It couldn't even roar anymore.
Only broken sounds escaped it.
Its legs trembled violently, but there was nowhere to fall.
Nullen didn't let go.
Didn't pause.
Didn't hesitate.
Just continued—
Until the Minotaur's body stopped resisting entirely.
It was no longer a fight.
It was execution.
The Abyssal Palace girl's eyes widened in disbelief.
"…Isn't this supposed to be the kid that was born without a form?"
Her voice was barely audible.
She recalled it now.
The rumors.
The disappointment.
The failure label.
The student who supposedly could never manifest a Form.
And yet—
He was standing there.
Turning a monster that had overwhelmed the entire academy into something unrecognizable with nothing but his hands.
Her gaze shifted.
To Kael.
He stood casually among the ruins, wiping dust off his sleeve like he had just finished cleaning up a minor inconvenience.
Even earlier—
She had seen it.
The moment Kael moved, the battlefield changed.
He didn't fight like a student.
He didn't fight like a trained warrior.
He fought like someone toying with existence itself.
Flame techniques that erased entire waves of monsters in a single motion.
Sword strikes that arrived before intention formed.
And worst of all—
He was smiling.
"…The commoner," she whispered internally.
A boy who should have had no access to palace techniques.
No right to manifest a sword.
No authority to stand among nobles.
And yet—
He was stronger than most of them.
Together—
Nullen and Kael stood at the center of destruction like contradictions of everything the academy believed in.
"The weakest students…"
"…are the strongest?"
Her thoughts couldn't keep up.
Meanwhile—
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"Nullen."
"Yeah."
Nullen's voice was calm.
Detached.
Like he had already left the battlefield mentally.
"Done?"
"Yeah."
Kael stretched his arm lazily.
"So… what do we do with him?"
He nodded toward the barely conscious Minotaur.
Nullen looked down at it briefly.
A long silence.
Then—
"I think it might have useful information."
Kael shrugged.
"Hmm…"
Then casually said—
"I say we kill it."
His tone was light.
Almost bored.
"It'll be annoying if it escapes and gets stronger later."
Nullen didn't react immediately.
Then—
"Okay."
Kael glanced at him.
"That your choice?"
"Yes."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Then it's fine."
No hesitation.
No moral conflict.
Just agreement.
As if ending a life was no different from closing a book.
The Minotaur twitched weakly on the ground.
Barely alive.
Barely conscious.
Then—
A voice echoed through the shattered library.
"…We can't have that now."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Nullen's gaze shifted.
From the ruins—
A figure stood.
Hard to define.
A child?
An adult?
The figure wore a heavy robe that completely obscured its body. Even its face was hidden beneath deep shadows. The only thing clear—
Was that it wasn't taller than Nullen.
Yet its presence—
Was wrong.
Another distortion appeared behind Nullen.
Without warning—
A second figure emerged mid-step, blade already descending toward his back.
But—
BOOM!
Kael moved first.
A flash of heat and motion.
Steel met steel.
The attacker was forced backward instantly, skidding across broken stone.
At the same time—
The robed figure vanished.
Reappeared directly in front of Nullen.
Its hand shot forward—
A clean, precise punch aimed at his chest.
Nullen caught it.
Wrist locked.
Grip tight.
For a fraction of a second—
Everything froze.
Then—
SHHHH—
Both figures blurred.
The sound of displacement cracked through the air as they vanished from their positions almost simultaneously, leaving only fractured stone and disturbed air where they once stood.
The air in the shattered library had only just begun to settle.
Dust still floated in slow spirals between broken bookshelves. The smell of blood and scorched stone lingered heavily across the floor. The Minotaur's body lay motionless at the far end of the hall, half-buried beneath collapsed debris from Kael's earlier strike.
Then—
The intruders stopped moving.
The robed figure and the second attacker stood near the entrance of the library, their presence calm, almost indifferent to the devastation around them.
Nullen remained still in the center of the room.
Kael's hand rested loosely near his blade.
The silence stretched.
Then the robed figure tilted its head slightly.
"…Let's call this round your victory."
Its voice was calm.
Neither male nor female.
Just… detached.
The second intruder glanced toward Kael and Nullen, then toward the unconscious Minotaur at the back of the hall.
"We'll see each other again soon."
The words weren't a threat.
They were a promise.
A certainty.
Before anyone could respond—
The space around them distorted.
Like reality folding inward.
And then—
They vanished.
No sound.
No movement.
Only absence.
The library was suddenly empty again, except for the survivors and the wreckage of battle.
For a moment—
Nobody spoke.
Then Kael exhaled lightly, rolling his shoulder as if nothing significant had just happened.
"…Did you feel that?"
Nullen slowly sheathed his sword.
"Yes."
A pause.
"They were strong."
Kael tilted his head back slightly, staring at the cracked ceiling.
"Like… really strong."
Nullen nodded once.
"I couldn't even slam him properly into the ground."
Kael gave a small, lazy shrug.
"Good thing they didn't decide to finish the fight."
A beat of silence passed.
Then Kael turned around.
"I'm going to bed."
Nullen blinked slightly.
"…Now?"
"Yeah."
Kael waved casually as he started walking away through the ruins.
"I'm tired."
Nullen stared at him for a second.
"…Hey, wait up."
But Kael didn't stop.
Only his voice echoed back faintly.
"Handle the rest."
And then—
He was gone into the broken corridors.
Far away—
In an underground palace hidden from majority of the world.
The intruders reappeared.
The space around them stabilized like a wound sealing itself shut.
Stone pillars rose around them, carved with ancient symbols. Dim blue light pulsed through veins in the walls, revealing a massive subterranean chamber far larger than anything above.
A place not meant to be found.
A hidden command palace.
One of the intruders casually dropped the Minotaur's unconscious body onto the floor.
Thud.
"We have retrieved it."
A figure seated deeper within the chamber nodded slightly, hidden in shadow.
"Good."
The second intruder rolled his shoulder, flexing his hand.
"Those brats were strong."
The one who had fought Kael lifted his arm slowly, examining it under the dim light.
Burn marks covered his skin.
Even the enchantments layered beneath his sleeve were cracked and destabilized.
"…Tch."
A faint smirk formed.
"So Kael was able to burn me… even with protection layers active."
From the shadows, someone let out a soft chuckle.
"Don't get cocky."
The injured intruder clicked his tongue.
"Shut up. I should've handled Nullen instead."
Another voice sighed.
"Oh no…"
The injured man suddenly stopped.
His expression changed.
Slowly—
He raised his wrist.
A fracture line ran across it, faint but unmistakable.
"…He partially broke it."
Silence.
Then—
A low whistle.
"That guy is a monster."
The injured intruder flexed his fingers once, wincing slightly.
"Mission's done anyway."
He turned away.
"I'm going to eat."
From deeper in the palace—
"Hey, wait up."
Footsteps echoed as the group slowly dispersed into the darkness of the underground structure, leaving behind only the unconscious Minotaur… and the faint promise that whatever had just begun—
was far from over.