The moment Evans lunged toward the gate, Rose's eyes widened.
"Evans, stop!"
She rushed forward, intending to stop him.
A firm hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
She froze.
Turning around, she saw the academy's principal, Mr. Copper, calmly shaking his head.
"S-sir..." Rose stammered, panic evident in her voice."You know perfectly well that if he goes in there, he's as good as dead! The battlefield is filled with C and B-Rank beasts. He won't survive even a few seconds!"
She looked at Mr. Copper desperately, silently pleading for him to intervene.
The old man remained unmoved.
After a brief silence, he spoke in a calm, almost emotionless tone.
"Let him go".
Rose's eyes widened.
"But, sir-"
Mr. Copper raised a hand, cutting her off.
"This battlefield is exactly what he needs".
His gaze remained fixed on Evans' retreating figure.
"Only by facing true despair can he understand just how cruel reality really is."
After a brief pause, a faint smile crossed his weathered face.
"And if things get out of hand..."
An overwhelming aura briefly escaped his body before vanishing just as quickly.
"... I'm here".
Without sparing them another glance, Evans charged through the massive black gate immediately behind the academy's three strongest graduates.
The world around him blurred.
The next instant, his feet landed on the cracked asphalt.
His eyes widened.
Before him stretched the ruins of an enormous city.
Towering buildings lay collapsed into heaps of rubble. Broken roads crisscrossed the landscape like scars upon the earth, while thick clouds of dust drafted through the silent streets.
The entire place felt like the aftermath of an ancient war.
Evans slowly turned his head, taking in the destruction.
"Damn..."he muttered.
"This place is ruined".
Before he could take another step, a familiar voice growled from behind him.
"You idiot."
Evans turned around.
Raff stood only a few meters away, glaring at him with an expression twisted by annoyance.
"What the hell were you thinking dumbass?".Raff barked.
Raff let out a scoff before rolling his shoulders.
"At least they finally gave me my sacred weapons". A Savage grin spread across his face.
"So non of you should get in my way...or my beautiful Bone cutters".
With a smooth motion, he reached behind his back and drew two massive double-headed battle axes which were what he named Bone cutters. Their dark steel blades gleamed menacingly beneath the dim light, while their reinforced metal shafts looked capable of crushing stone.
Raff rested one axe on his shoulder, his grin growing even wider.
He looked every bit like a Warrior eager for battle.
A few steps away, Elisabeth turned her calm gaze towards Evans.
There wasn't a trace of mockery in her eyes...
Only indifference.
"You're the one who was declared unfit to become a sacred warrior... aren't you?"
For a brief moment, Evans clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
He slowly relaxed them before answering.
"Yes".
His eyes hardened with resolve.
"But I'm going to change that".
Elisabeth studied him for a moment before giving a slight nod.
"We'll see".
Her voice lingered with a hint of doubt.
Meanwhile, Arthur paid no attention to their conversation.
Standing atop a mountain of broken concrete, he silently surveyed the ruined city before him.
His expression unchanged.
Then...
His silver-gray eyes narrowed.
He sensed it.
Without turning around, he spoke in a calm but commanding voice.
"Quiet."
Arthur's gaze remained fixed on the distant ruins.
"... They're here".
A deep rumble shook the earth.
The shattered Streets trembled violently.
Without another word, everyone prepared for battle.
Raff tightened his grip on his twin battle axes, his excitement practically overflowing.
Elisabeth unfolded two elegant purple war fans crafted entirely from enchanted metal. Intricate runic patterns shimmered faintly across their blades.
Arthur casually drew a pair of sapphir-blue daggers. Though simple in appearance, they radiated a sharp, deadly aura.
Evans had no sacred weapon of his own because they were reserved for officially recognized sacred Warriors.
Even so...
He stepped forward.
Lowering his stance,he raised his fist and fixed his determined gaze on the crumbling streets ahead.
The ground trembled once more.
Something was coming.
And it was getting closer.
Without warning, six enormous wolf-like beasts burst from the ruined streets, charging straight towards the group. Thick strands of saliva dripped from their razor-sharp fangs as their blood-red eyes locked onto their prey.
The ground trembled beneath their thunderous footsteps.
Unfortunately for the beasts. Raff's lips curled into a Savage grin.
"All of you weaklings,stay out of my way".
He rolled his neck before gripping one of his battle axes.
"It's time for the Beast Hunter to feast".
With a explosive burst of strength, Raff launched himself forward.
BOOM!
The cracked road shattered beneath his feet.
Before the beast in the center could even react-
BANG!
Raff's fist slammed into it's skull with overwhelming force.
The creature's head exploded from its body, soaring through the air in a shower of blood before crashing onto the broken pavement.
Without slowing down, Raff spun around and hurled one of his double-headed battle axes.
WHOOSH!
The axe sliced cleanly through another beast's neck.
Its massive head separated from its body before both crashed lifelessly onto the ground.
Blood sprayed across the ruined street.
Raff caught the returning axe with one hand and laughed manically.
His grey eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
"Come on!"
He spread his arms wide.
"You pathetic C-Rank beasts! Bring me everything you've got!"
"Let's make this the bloodiest banquet of them all!"
With a enraged roar, another beast lunged towards him.
The remaining three split apart.
One charged towards Elisabeth.
The other two barreled directly towards Arthur... and Evans.
Evans instinctively took a step back.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Damn it..."
"Why are they coming this way? wasn't that lunatic enough to satisfy them or maybe they got scared ?"
His breathing quickened.
"No...I can't always rely on Arthur or Elisabeth".
His eyes sharpened.
"If I want to get stronger..."
"I'll have to fight ..
though the reality is I'll just be killed"
The monstrous beast suddenly leaped into the air.
It's gigantic shadow swallowed the three of them.
Evans slowly looked up
His pupils contracted.
An enormous claw descended from the sky, powerful enough to crush them into the ground.
Just before it struck-
A flash of violet light cut through the air.
SHING!
Elisabeth moved with graceful precision, her twin metal war fans tracing elegant arcs through the air.
The beast's massive foreleg was severed in a single, flawless strike.
The creature staggered.
Then...
It froze.
Its entire body became rigid.
Dark blood pourred from its mouth as it's organs rapidly failed.
With one final, pitiful whimper, the beast collapsed lifelessly onto the shattered Street.
Silence.
Elisabeth gently closed one of her fans.
A small, elegant giggle escaped her lips.
"Poison works every time."
Then a faint violet aura shimmered around her body.
The air surrounding her became strangely oppressive.
Every wisp of Sacred Energy radiating from her carried a deadly toxin.
This was Belladonna.
The sacred Ability that had earned Elisabeth August the title...
The Poison Queen
When Belladonna was activated, even the Sacred Energy leaking from her body became a lethal poison. Simply standing too close to her for an extended period was enough to weaken ordinary opponents.
And when she infused that same poisonous energy into her twin war fans...
Every slash became a death sentence.
There was no need to strike a vital point.
A single cut...
Was enough.
Elisabeth looked down at the beast lying in a pool of it's own blood.
A beautiful smile spread across her face as a soft giggle escaped her lips.
"So.."
She tilted her head slightly.
"How did it feel, little beast?"
On the other side Arthur stood perfectly still amid the chaos, his eyes gently closing as though the battle around him didn't exist.
"Where are the stronger beasts?"he wondered.
"Fighting C-Rank beasts is a waste of time. They're merely Cannon fodder...sent to exhausted us before the real battle begins".
His expression remained unchanged
"The most efficient course of action might be to ignore them and locate the commander behind it".
Suddenly-
"ARTHUR"
Evans' desperate shout echoed across the ruined city.
"SNAP OUT OF IT! THERE ARE TWO BEAST ABOUT TO KILL YOU!"
Arthur's eyes slowly opened.
Without the slightest hint of panic, he looked upwards.
One monstrous beast had already lunged at him, it's jaw wide open, rows of razor-sharp teeth only inches from his face.
At the same time, another beast descended from behind, it's enormous claw aim at his back.
The two attacks struck simultaneously.
Arthur merely sighed.
"... How troublesome".
With a smooth motion, he drew one of his sapphir-blue daggers.
The blade cracked with brilliant azure lighting.
He spoke in calm voice.
"Thunderwisp... "
The air trembled.
"... shocking Descendance."
CRACK!
A deafening explosion of lightning erupted from Arthur's body.
Within a single heartbeat-
Both beasts were cut into dozens of pieces.
Their severed bodies fell from the sky before crashing onto the ruined streets with sickening this.
The smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
It was as though he had merely brushed away an annoying insect.
This was...
Thunderwisp
Arthur Emirate's sacred Ability.
With this Arthur's power and energy can manifests as pure lightning itself.
Every movement he made was accompanied by devastating electrical force.
And when he channels his energy into his twin daggers...
Each slash carried enough speed and destructive power to reduce his enemies to nothing before they can even realize they had been struck.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Even the remaining beasts hesitated.