The forest was still shaking.
Dust floated through the cold air while broken trees covered the ground everywhere. The mist had become thinner now, but the atmosphere still felt suffocating. Ghost energy spread around the battlefield like poison.
Daniel stood in front of Mary, breathing heavily.
The evolved ghost was still alive.
Its body was damaged badly after the combined attacks, but dark energy continued repairing its wounds slowly. The creature looked even more horrifying now. Cracks covered its body, black smoke escaped from its shoulders, and its glowing eyes burned with rage.
Mary tightened her grip on her weapon.
"This thing just doesn't die…"
Daniel looked at the ghost carefully.
"No… it's getting weaker. Slowly."
But the problem was—
they were getting weaker too.
Felix arrived beside them, exhausted.
Lucy and Zoya were behind him while Lily was supporting Noah, whose arm had been injured during the fight.
David looked around nervously.
"There are still shadow ghosts around us."
And he was right.
Even though many had disappeared, dozens still remained inside the mist, watching them silently.
The fight was not over yet.
⚔️ The Final Push
The evolved ghost suddenly let out another horrifying scream.
Immediately, the remaining shadows rushed toward the group again.
"Again?!" Felix shouted.
Everyone instantly prepared themselves.
Daniel moved forward first and blocked a claw attack aimed toward Mary. At the same time, Lucy destroyed another shadow ghost with a fast strike while Zoya and Lily fought together from the side.
Their teamwork had improved greatly during the exam.
But now—
everyone was reaching their limit.
Noah breathed heavily while fighting beside David.
"How many of these things are left?!"
David tried reading one ghost's movements through his ability, but even concentrating had become difficult now.
The pressure around them was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Daniel's condition was becoming unstable again.
Inside his mind—
Thrones whispered quietly.
"Your body is exhausted."
Daniel ignored him and continued fighting.
"If this continues, you will lose control."
"I said I can handle it," Daniel replied mentally.
But even he was starting to doubt himself.
During the battle, Mary suddenly noticed something strange.
The evolved ghost wasn't attacking randomly anymore.
It kept staring at Daniel.
Only Daniel.
As if…
its mission was never to kill everyone.
Only him.
Mary's expression slowly changed.
"Daniel…"
Daniel destroyed another shadow ghost.
"What?"
"That thing… it's focused on you."
Daniel stayed silent for a second.
Deep down—
he already knew.
Far away from the battlefield, outside the forest barrier—
multiple teachers and senior ghost killers stood together while monitoring the exam area.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The forest's energy had become unstable.
One teacher frowned.
"The ghost activity is increasing too rapidly."
Another teacher looked serious.
"We should stop the exam immediately."
Some teachers nodded in agreement.
"This is no longer a normal test."
"Students are in danger."
"And Dawn Kingdom is still missing."
The atmosphere became tense instantly.
But Mr. Stone interrupted firmly.
"No."
Everyone looked toward him.
Mr. Stone's expression was serious.
"If we shut everything down now… Kaden will disappear again."
Silence filled the area.
Mr. Stone continued:
"He's watching us. I know he is."
Another teacher stepped forward angrily.
"And you're willing to risk students' lives because of that?!"
Mr. Stone clenched his fists.
"That's exactly why we must protect them now."
His voice became heavier.
"This is no longer an exam."
"…It's a battlefield."
The fight continued.
The remaining shadow ghosts attacked from all directions while the evolved ghost waited for an opening.
Daniel could feel his energy draining quickly.
Mary noticed immediately.
"You need rest."
Daniel shook his head.
"Not until this thing dies."
Suddenly—
the evolved ghost disappeared.
And reappeared directly behind Daniel.
"Daniel!" Mary shouted.
Daniel barely reacted in time.
The ghost's attack still hit his shoulder and threw him backward across the ground.
"Daniel!"
Mary immediately attacked the ghost to stop it from following him.
The impact shook the ground.
The ghost laughed darkly.
"You cannot protect him forever."
Mary glared at it coldly.
"Watch me."
Felix suddenly jumped into the battle beside Mary.
"Lucy! Left side!"
Lucy instantly understood and attacked from the opposite direction.
Their teamwork forced the evolved ghost backward for the first time.
Meanwhile, Zoya and Lily worked together against the remaining shadow ghosts while Noah defended David so he could focus.
David closed his eyes for a moment.
He tried reading the evolved ghost's movements.
At first—
nothing.
Then suddenly—
a strange image flashed inside his mind.
Chains.
Darkness.
And one terrifying name.
"Kaden…"
David's eyes widened instantly.
"What…?"
Before he could understand further—
the connection broke.
Daniel slowly stood up despite the pain.
His breathing had become unstable.
And then—
Thrones spoke again.
"You are afraid."
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not afraid."
"Then why do you hesitate?"
Daniel stayed silent.
Because deep down—
he was scared.
Scared of losing control.
Scared of hurting everyone around him.
Scared of becoming something worse.
The evolved ghost suddenly smiled.
As if it could sense Daniel's fear.
"Yes…"
it whispered.
"That darkness inside you…"
"…Master was right."
Everyone froze slightly after hearing that.
Master?
Kaden?
The ghost laughed again.
"He told me about you, Daniel Williams."
Mary's expression changed immediately.
Daniel stepped forward slowly.
"What does Kaden want from me?"
The ghost smiled wider.
"You."
Silence.
Then—
the ghost pointed directly toward Daniel.
"You are the key."
Suddenly—
the entire forest trembled violently.
Everyone lost balance for a second.
The mist around them became darker.
Even the shadow ghosts stopped moving.
Daniel looked around carefully.
"What now…?"
Then—
a voice echoed throughout the entire forest.
Deep.
Cold.
Terrifying.
"Welcome…"
Everyone froze instantly.
"…to the real battlefield."
Daniel's eyes widened.
Mary slowly stepped closer to him.
The voice continued:
"You children thought this was an exam?"
The air became heavier.
Even teachers outside the barrier suddenly looked terrified after hearing the voice.
Mr. Stone immediately recognized it.
"Kaden…"
Inside the forest, every student stood frozen.
The voice echoed once again:
"This world is beginning to wake up."
Then silence returned.
Complete silence.
Even the evolved ghost stopped moving for a moment.
As if listening to its master.
Outside the barrier, panic immediately spread.
One teacher shouted:
"We need to evacuate the students!"
Another said:
"The barrier is collapsing!"
Mr. Stone immediately gave orders.
"All senior ghost killers with me!"
Without wasting another second—
the teachers entered the forest.
Back inside the battlefield—
Daniel stared into the dark mist silently.
His heartbeat became faster.
Because he realized something terrifying.
Kaden wasn't hiding anymore.
And this fight—
was only the beginning.
Far away inside the shadows of the forest—
someone smiled while watching everything.
And behind him—
eighteen figures stood silently.
The missing students of Dawn Kingdom.
Their eyes looked empty.
Broken.
Lost.
And the mysterious figure whispered softly:
"Soon… the game truly begins."