"Now it's your turn!" Esdeath said, her sharp eyes locking onto the Lightning Charm Wolf.
Without hesitation, she raised her ZK-20 and activated its transformation.
It shifted, its form expanding and reshaping into sothing massive—a giant cannon-like weapon with three large barrels and glowing futuristic carvings.
It was more than twice as big and three tis as thick as Esdeath's own body.
One word could describe it—Gigantic.
She lifted the heavy weapon onto her shoulder, her body bending slightly under its weight. Even with her enhanced strength, it was no easy task.
She had used several Essence Stones to form this weapon, including several high-quality Rank C stones.
This was her ultimate attack.
"Killer Move—Oblivion Nova!" she declared.
Then—
A blinding white light exploded from the barrels.
It was everywhere.
The entire battlefield lit up like a second sun.
A massive beam of pure destruction surged forward, its power so overwhelming that Esdeath had to step back, struggling to keep her footing. The ground shook, and a deafening roar echoed through the air.
The wolf didn’t even have ti to react.
In a single instant, its entire body was erased—completely obliterated by the attack.
Silence followed.
Esdeath took a deep breath, then casually manipulated the ZK-20 back into its liquid state, storing it away.
She glanced up at the sky.
"Hmm… it's already midnight," she muttered. "I should deal with Caral first, or she'll cause even more problems."
Without wasting any more ti, she turned and headed toward the academy backyard to et Ethan.
As she arrived, a powerful surge of green energy filled the air, spreading throughout the entire academy.
She narrowed her eyes.
"I told Ethan to stay in the backyard, but now it's past midnight… her powers are getting stronger, and if we don’t stop her, she’ll attract even more anomaly-class monsters."
Her thoughts raced as she finally reached Ethan.
"Hey! You can feel that energy, right? We're going to deal with her first!" Esdeath said firmly.
"But—" Ethan hesitated.
"What now?" Esdeath smirked, crossing her arms. "Aren't you supposed to be a justice-bringer? Are you really going to let other students die just because you want to save your friend early?"
Ethan clenched his fists.
Esdeath turned away.
"Let's go, then!" she said, already walking forward.
-----------------
Esdeath and Ethan entered the academy, searching for Caral.
But the inside was no different from a horror movie or ga.
Almost everyone inside had turned into monsters, or worse, monsters had already invaded the place.
Both Ethan and Esdeath wasted no ti cutting them down.
The normal monsters were strong but easy to kill, while the anomaly-class ones were weaker but far more annoying to deal with.
As they fought, Esdeath kept slamming into walls every ti she tried to run too fast, trying to show her flexibility.
Bam!
She crashed into the wall again while dodging an attack from a humanoid monster.
It had a long giraffe-like neck and a mouth filled with worm-like teeth.
The wall cracked from the impact, but Esdeath didn't have a single scratch on her body.
"Tch... Rank B power is way stronger than Rank C. I can’t fully control my speed yet," she muttered in frustration.
It felt like her own strength was causing her more trouble than help.
But then—
Clank!
Ethan moved swiftly, slicing off the monster’s long, slimy tongue with his sword.
In one smooth motion, he spun and slashed again, beheading the creature completely.
"Let’s go inside!" Ethan said, offering his hand to Esdeath.
Esdeath scoffed and stood up on her own. "Let’s go!" she said, ignoring his hand.
They ran through the dark corridors.
The walls were covered in strange, green, jelly-like bubbles.
It was disgusting.
The deeper they went, the stronger the green aura beca.
Soon, they spotted a classroom at the end of the hall.
The energy was overwhelming there.
Esdeath and Ethan exchanged looks.
It was obvious Caral was inside.
They slowed down, walking carefully toward the room.
As they got closer, they noticed sothing disturbing.
Words were written all over the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor.
One word.
Ethan.
It was written everywhere.
And it looked like soone had scratched it into the surface with their own nails.
Ethan felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
It was beyond creepy.
But he still moved forward and reached for the door handle.
Krrkkkrr…
Krrrkkkrrrr…
The door creaked as it slowly opened.
Inside the room, Caral was there.
Her back was facing them.
She sat on a bench, her nails scratching into the wood as she kept writing his na.
Green blood dripped from her fingers.
Her nails were broken, torn apart, but she didn’t stop.
"Ethan! Ethan... Ethan, Ethan... You're finally here! Hahaha!"
She laughed as she turned around.
And when she did, her face was horrifying.
Before, she had only a single spiral-shaped scar.
But now, her nose, her eyes, her mouth—everything was gone.
All that remained was a large, endless spiral where her entire face used to be.
It spun and twisted inward, like a bottomless void.
Her skin had turned green, and strange, unnatural mutations covered parts of her body.
Ethan felt his whole body freeze for a mont.
This was no longer the Caral he once knew.
But The mont Caral saw Esdeath, her rage exploded like a storm. Her face twisted with fury as she scread,
"You are cheating on with another woman again!"
Her voice sent a powerful shockwave through the room, shattering every mirror in sight. Glass shards scattered everywhere, reflecting the chaos unfolding.
Ethan, standing beside Esdeath, tightened his grip on his sword.
"We should make the first move!" he shouted, wasting no ti as he lunged forward.
Esdeath, watching him charge in, bit her lip in frustration.
"I can't use my ZK-20 at full power while he's here," she muttered to herself. There was no way she could reveal her trump card—not in front of Ethan. But there was no ti to hesitate.
She rushed in right behind him.
Before Ethan could strike, Caral's body lted into the ground like liquid, vanishing in an instant.
"You need to be punished!" Caral’s voice echoed ominously.
Then, like a nightmare, she reappeared right behind Ethan. Her fist lashed out in a blur.
BAM!
The impact sent Ethan flying across the room, slamming him hard against the wall. Cracks spread like spiderwebs before the entire section of the wall nearly collapsed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without wasting ti, Esdeath fired her ZK-20, sending a barrage of bullets toward Caral.
But Caral only smirked. Her face twisted unnaturally as it spiraled outward. With a sickening motion, her mouth opened wide and devoured the bullets whole.
Esdeath clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Guns won’t work…" she muttered.
Her gaze flickered to Ethan, who was coughing as he struggled to get back on his feet. Even though he had taken a serious hit, he wasn’t out of the fight just yet.
"Nice," Esdeath smirked. She swiftly shifted her weapon, transforming the ZK-20 into a sleek sword.
"I found a weapon too! Let's fight!" She raised her voice so Ethan could hear.
At that mont, Ethan’s aura flared up. His hair turned pure white, and an imnse wave of energy surged from his body.
"Sword General!" he shouted.
His speed exploded beyond human limits as he dashed toward Caral, his sword slicing through the air at lightning speed.
Clang!
Shockingly, Caral blocked the strike with her mutated hand, stopping Ethan’s blade with ease.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
"She’s fast enough to keep up with ?!"
Before he could react, Caral twisted her body and sent a brutal kick straight into his chest.
BAM!
Ethan crashed into the wall again—but this ti, it shattered completely. The impact sent him flying straight out of the third floor, the highest floor in the academy.
Esdeath barely spared him a glance as she dashed forward, eting Caral head-on.
Both threw their fists at the sa ti.
BOOM!
Their punches collided with a deafening shockwave, shaking the entire building. Even Esdeath was caught off guard.
"She actually blocked my Rank B-level punch?" Esdeath thought, her eyes narrowing.
She had been certain that she could break Caral’s arm with a single punch, but instead, they were evenly matched.
Still, despite the surprise, a grin spread across Esdeath’s face.
"It doesn’t matter," she thought. "She’s running out of ti. Just a few more minutes… and she’ll die on her own."
---------
Esdeath quickly pulled back, retreating through the air as she transford her ZK-20 into a floating skateboard.
She soared effortlessly, gliding across the sky with her body nearly brushing against the ceiling.
"Don't you dare run!" Caral shouted furiously.
Her speed was unnatural—almost like she was teleporting. She dashed forward and leaped high, reaching out, nearly grabbing Esdeath’s foot.
But then—
Esdeath smirked. Raising her hand, she ford her fingers into the shape of a gun.
Bang!
A massive wave of black death energy exploded from her fingertips.
The powerful blast hit Caral directly, sending her crashing through several walls before she plumted from the third floor.
But Esdeath didn’t stop there.
She knew Caral wouldn’t die from just that.
Without hesitation, she tilted her skateboard downward, chasing after Caral as she fell.
As soon as she was close enough, Esdeath leaped off the skateboard. She clenched both hands together, forming a single massive fist.
"You’re dead, you green shit!" she yelled.
With all her strength, she slamd her fist straight into Caral’s stomach.
Boom!
Caral’s body shot downward like a cannonball, crashing into the ground with an earth-shattering impact. anwhile, Esdeath landed gracefully, as if she had barely exerted any effort at all.
She dusted herself off and turned to see Ethan.
Surprisingly, he looked only lightly injured.
Of course. He must have used so magic. Most likely sli magic to soften his landing.
"I was just about to co up there," he said with a small grin.
But that grin didn’t last long.
As the dust settled, an ear-splitting roar filled the air.
"Ahhh... Ethannnn!"
Caral’s furious scream echoed through the academy.
And then—
A terrifying presence filled the area.
Dozens of monstrous creatures surged toward them from all directions attracted from caral's roar. Many were students—once normal, now under Caral’s control.
Even worse, several Rank C teachers and professors stepped forward, their eyes cold and their weapons drawn. They weren’t just under Caral’s influence—they were ready to kill.
In re monts, Caral had ford her own personal army.
Esdeath exhaled, trying to keep calm.
"Just two more minutes… That’s all I need," she reassured herself.
But then—
Splash... splash... splash...
A massive wave of green energy exploded through the air.
The sheer force of it sent Esdeath to her knees.
Ethan, who was standing, was slamd into the ground instantly.
Even Caral—who had just been roaring with rage—fell onto her hands and knees, unable to move.
Her minions weren’t any better. In fact, so of them died on the spot, their bodies unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure.
The energy stretched far beyond the academy walls. Even people outside could feel it.
Esdeath’s eyes widened in shock.
"Did she… attracted an even stronger anomaly-class monster?"
Before she could fully process the thought—
Swishhh...
A massive sword pierced straight through Caral’s back.
The blade didn’t just stab her—it lifted her into the air, impaling her like a skewer.
Caral groaned in pain, struggling to break free, but she was powerless.
Dark green, venomous energy oozed from the sword, seeping into her body like a deadly poison.
With a small flick of his wrist, the attacker flung Caral’s body off his blade.
Ethan, struggling against the pressure, clenched his fists. His golden aura flared around him as he used every ounce of strength just to push himself up onto his knees.
Esdeath, unlike Ethan, could stand up freely.
She had her own death aura that could resist the pressure.
But she didn’t move.
Instead, she slowly lifted her head to see who had arrived.
A tall, armored figure stood before them.
A humanoid man, over seven feet tall, clad in shining knight armor. He held a long, imposing sword.
But the most terrifying part—
He was beheaded.
His head wasn’t on his shoulders.
Instead, he held it in his own hand.
Even without seeing his face, Esdeath recognized him imdiately.
A cold chill ran down her spine.
"A… Beheaded Emperor?" she whispered, her mouth slightly open in shock.
Ethan let out a bitter laugh, gripping his sword tightly.
"Are you kidding …? Now we have to fight a Rank A anomaly-class monster?"
But even as he spoke, he didn’t hesitate.
Despite the odds, he forced himself to stand, unsheathing his sword again.
Then—sothing unexpected happened.
The Beheaded Emperor didn’t attack.
Instead—
He calmly lifted his own severed head and placed it back onto his neck.
With his face hidden beneath his knight’s helt, he looked as regal as ever.
Then, he did sothing that should have been impossible.
He spoke.
His voice was deep, chanical, and eerily calm.
"E-s-dea-th... Crimson..."
Esdeath’s breath caught in her throat.
"Did he just… say my na?"
The Beheaded Emperor continued, his words slow and deliberate.
"Pe-net-trator... ... Penetrator..."
Then, with one final sentence, he turned his back to them.
"Half... debt... has been repaid..."
Without another word, he walked away.
Esdeath and Ethan stood frozen, too stunned to speak.
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