The observation room had gone silent. A massive projection screen stretched across the front wall, displaying the chaos unfolding inside the training zone. And chaos... was exactly what it was.
Aesa’s expression twisted.
"...What the actual hell am I watching?" Her fingers pressed against her temple.
Then...
"Are they stupid?!"
Her voice snapped across the room like a whip. "Did their brains fall out during teleportation?! What kind of suicidal, brain-dead, revenge-obsessed nonsense is this?!"
She dragged a hand down her face. "There is no strategy nor formation..what kind of kindergarten war zone is this?!"
Beside her,Revolt didn’t even try.
He simply facepald.
"Haa."
The sound echoed. "...This is why I don’t take first years seriously," he muttered, voice muffled behind his palm.
"The type of shit these guys do once you leave them alone..."
Austin stood a little behind them, arms crossed, watching silently, and clicked his tongue.
Then he spoke. "Is there sothing fundantally wrong with this year’s batch?"
His tone wasn’t angry. That was worse. It was... disappointing.
His gaze slowly shifted across the screen, watching cadets clashing, ganging up, exploding mana recklessly and then it stopped.
On one person.
The purple-haired boy who was surrounded, targeted, and hunted. "...Why are all of them so focused on revenge instead of making themselves better?"
No one answered.
Because there wasn’t an answer. Austin’s eyes narrowed slightly. "They’re safe because of the bracelets."
His voice dropped coldly.
"If this was real life..." A pause. "...most of them would’ve already turned into chaos beasts."
The room grew heavier. Even Aesa stopped ranting for a mont. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself back into control.
"...Should we stop this?" It wasn’t a weakness.
It was her responsibility. Because what they were watching was no longer training. It was spiraling out of control.
But the mont the words left her mouth Austin smiled.
"Nah..." His eyes glead. "Let them continue." Revolt lowered his hand slightly, glancing sideways.
"...You’re enjoying this a little too much." Austin didn’t deny it.
Before Aesa could sigh the entire screen flickered.
WARNING: ABNORMAL ENERGY DETECTED.
A sharp alarm pierced the room. The mana readings on the side panel spiked violently, erratically.
Revolt straightened instantly. "What the—" His eyes scanned the data rapidly. Then he cursed.
"Fuck... what’s up with this mana...?" His voice turned sharp. "...This isn’t a normal signature."
The screen zood in automatically through the forest and the cadets.
The battlefield and sothing beneath it. Sothing... waking up.
Austin’s smile slowly faded. For the first ti his eyes sharpened.
"...Now this..." Aesa’s expression darkened. "...is not part of the test.We need to evacuate."
"No!"
Austin’s sudden shout startled the two.He clicked his tongue and spoke.
"There isn’t any need to because..."
A crooked grin flashed on his lips.
"There is even a bigger monster out there."
....
They rushed all at once like a pack of rabid dogs that had finally found sothing to bite.
Jumping on with no coordination but just raw numbers and louder voices trying to cover up their fear.
"Get him!" soone shouted, and that was all it took. Mana flared everywhere.
A fire attack to my right, wind slicing from my left, footsteps closing in from every direction. I let out a short laugh. "Wow... did you all grow up in shit, or is this just your natural state?"
The fire grazed past my shoulder, heat burning but shallow. The wind blade clipped my sleeve. The mont I entered their range, everything fell apart for them.
"At least try not to embarrass yourselves," I muttered as I moved in.
I grabbed the first idiot by his wrist mid-cast and yanked him forward, my fist crashing straight into his face. His head snapped back violently. Before he could fall, I drove my elbow into his spine and slamd him into the ground hard enough to bounce.
"One down," I exhaled. "Who’s next? Or was that your strongest?"
Another ca screaming at with a weapon, swinging wildly like rage would make up for lack of skill. I stepped into his attack, let the blade pass shallow across my side, and caught him by the collar. My forehead smashed into his face.
A crackling sound echoed.
I twisted his arm and threw him straight into two others charging in, sending all three crashing down in a tangled ss. "Why are you all coming for anyway?" I scoffed, stepping forward again.
"Did I hurt your feelings, or are you just born useless?"
I didn’t stop.
I stepped in and drove my boot into one’s ribs.
Sothing cracked but I didn’t give a shit.
I grabbed another by the hair and slamd his face into the ground again and again until his bracelet activated. "Oh wait," I smirked faintly, "don’t tell ..its revenge? That’s it? Pathetic."
Soone tried casting from behind and I felt the mana spike up so I picked up the nearest body and hurled it.
It slamd into the caster mid-spell, dropping both instantly. "You know you can’t win, right?" I said flatly. "So what is your plan? Lose together?"
They were shouting now, panicking, voices breaking.
Good.
They tried to surround again, this ti with so sense of coordination from front, sides, rear. I glanced around once and tilted my head. "Ah... so now you’re thinking? Took you long enough."
It didn’t matter. I moved through them like they weren’t even there.
A kick shattered soone’s knee. A punch caved in another’s ribs. My elbow snapped a third guy’s jaw sideways before he could even react. "Why are you all so jealous?"
I mocked, my voice almost bored. "Is it because I didn’t deserve to even stand here?"
One of them hesitated in front of for just a second. That was enough. I grabbed his head and drove it straight into my knee.
The impact echoed as his body went limp. I shoved him aside like trash and turned again, already moving toward the next one. "Say it," I muttered coldly, scanning the rest.
"Go on... tell . ’You didn’t deserve this.’ Is that it? That’s what you are all thinking about right?"
Every strike I threw had weight behind it without wasted motion.
Just clean, brutal hits ant to end it fast. They weren’t fighting anymore, they were trying to survive.
"Ahh...Leave .."
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