“GRAAAAGHHHH!”

The monster screamed louder than ever.

Tentacles lashed out in every direction—

WHOOSH!

CRACK!

THWACK!

One of them smashed into the ground where Ethan had just been, barely missing his head as he rolled to the side, panting hard.

“It’s not going down!” Mia shouted, flames enveloping her arms again.

“It’s still too strong!”

“I don’t care!” Ulgar growled, spitting out blood as he clenched his fists.

Violet’s eyes narrowed in complete annoyance.

“Stop shouting and focus.”

She raised her hand again, and three giant crystal spears formed above her.

『 Crystal Series: Crystal Javelins! (✦ 5th-Level Spell ✦)』

The javelins spun once in the air and then fired down like divine lances.

ZWOOSH!!

All three struck the monster’s chest. One embedded deep, cracking through bone. Another slammed into its shoulder, and the last pierced its lower ribs.

“GRAAAARGHH!!”

Its howl ripped through the air, black blood splattering in thick streams across the battlefield.

From the side, Rose finally stepped forward, her face pale but steady.

She raised both hands and closed her eyes.

『 Fire Series: Rose Bloom! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

SHHHHHHHH—

A glowing rose of fire opened around the monster’s legs, then—

BOOOOM!!

It exploded upward in a vortex of searing flames.

The monster staggered, howling, its lower limbs scorched.

Telmo seized the moment.

“Now—!”

『 Wind Series: Razor Windstorm! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

The wind screamed.

A cyclone of slicing air formed in seconds, wrapping around the monster and cutting deep. Flesh split open. Skin flaked away like stone.

“Leon!” Telmo shouted.

Leon moved without hesitation.

He ran in, boots slamming hard against the cracked earth.

『 Royal Swordsmanship: King’s Guillotine! (✦ SS-Level Swordsmanship ✦) 』

FWOOM!

He leapt high, his sword glowing silver. As he came down, he twisted mid-air and brought the blade down like an executioner.

SPLAAAT!!

The blade tore down the creature’s shoulder and chest in one long, brutal slash.

The monster screamed again, this time staggering backward.

Its wings spread wide, trying to take flight—

“NO YOU DON’T!”

Ulgar roared and slammed both fists into the ground.

『 Earth Series: Seismic Slam! (✦ 5th-Level Spell ✦) 』

BOOOOOOM!!

The ground exploded under the monster’s feet. Cracks split outward in all directions. The creature lost its footing, one leg crumbling beneath it.

CRASH!

It fell to one knee, groaning like thunder.

Then Iris, still panting, forced herself up, eyes glowing with fierce gold.

She raised her staff again.

『 Holy Series: Judgment Lance! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

A massive golden spear formed in the air above her, crackling, divine, burning with holy fire.

She pointed her staff forward.

“NOW!!!”

The lance fired.

It screamed through the sky like a falling star—

ZRAAAAAAAAM!!

And crashed straight into the monster’s exposed chest.

SPLUUUURT!!

The explosion that followed shook the air.

Golden light flooded the field, fire and dust flying in all directions.

When it faded…

The monster was on its back.

Its chest was half gone, as black blood soaked the ground.

One wing twitched.

But it didn’t rise again.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

“…Is it dead?” Maya whispered, one hand on her ribs.

No one answered at first.

Until Lucas stepped forward.

He dragged his sword behind him, breathing hard.

Then, he stabbed it into the ground, looking down at the monster’s unmoving body.

“…It’s done.”

Silence again.

Then—

Thump.

“P-PRINCESS EIRA!!”

A voice cracked through the tension like a whip, filled with panic. Everyone’s heads snapped toward the sound.

There, at the far edge of the battlefield, stood Eira, surrounded by her squad. But something was horribly wrong.

A strange, sickly green substance was oozing from under her armor, crawling across her skin like living mold. It pulsed, thick and slow, spreading with every second.

Her expression was frozen, not in fear, but in confusion.

One of her knights reached for her in desperation.

“Your Highness—!”

The moment his fingers brushed her arm, the substance surged forward, slithering onto his hand.

“AHHHHHHH!!”

The knight shrieked.

His body twisted violently, veins bulging as the green mass climbed up his arm, across his chest, and into his throat.

He dropped to his knees, gagging, eyes wide and bloodshot, clawing at his neck as if trying to rip the infection out.

Another member tried to pull him back, but the second he made contact—

“NO—!!”

It spread to him, too.

“GAAAAAHHHH!! IT BURNS!!”

His scream tore through the air, choked and raw, until his voice broke entirely.

His legs buckled, and he collapsed beside the first, convulsing as the strange substance took hold of his body. In moments, both were writhing, their armor hissing where the green ooze touched metal.

Lucas’s eyes widened with horror.

Then he turned sharply, his gaze slicing across the field, scanning for one person.

Ethan.

His heart dropped.

He hadn’t seen Ethan attack the monster once during the entire battle.

“ETHAN!!” Lucas shouted, spinning around in a panic.

He looked left, then right, until finally—

There.

Slumped against a fallen black tree, half-hidden by rubble.

“L-Lucas…” Ethan’s voice came out hoarse.

Lucas rushed toward him, his sword forgotten, hands trembling as he dropped to his knees beside his friend.

“Stay with me! Don’t you close your eyes!”

“I-I don’t… feel good…”

Iris appeared a second later, eyes wide with alarm, crouching down before Ethan before chanting without hesitation.

『 Holy Series: Holy Heal! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

A warm, golden light wrapped around Ethan’s body like a soft cocoon.

The air shimmered with purity.

But instead of cleansing him—

The green veins under his skin deepened, turning darker, more violent. His face twisted in pain, breath rattling as cold sweat poured down his cheeks.

The holy light flickered.

“Why isn’t it working…?!” Lucas stared in disbelief.

Iris clenched her jaw at his words.

“I don’t know…! This… this isn’t normal corruption… It’s not responding to purification at all.”

Ethan’s eyes barely fluttered open.

“L-Lucas… it’s inside me…”

His voice cracked.

“I-I think… It’s alive.”

Then his body seized again, jerking hard as the green substance pulsed under his skin, glowing faintly, like it was feeding on his very life.

And suddenly, Lucas heard a voice whispering to him.

{…Heavenly Zombie Venom…}

{…I’m sorry, Lucas… but it’s incurable. To burn it out, you’d need someone who wields SS+ grade Flame Mana. Without it… There’s nothing you can do.}

It was Excalibur.

Its voice was soft, almost apologetic, like it already knew how this would end.

Lucas froze, the words sinking into his chest like a dagger. His hands clenched into fists, trembling, nails digging into his palms until they drew blood.

Then he snapped.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN—!” he roared, the sound tearing out of him like a wounded animal. “DON’T JUST WHISPER THAT TO ME! THERE SHOULD BE A FUCKING WAY TO CURE HIM!”

BAAM!

He grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist, slamming it against the dirt beside Ethan, fury spilling from every inch of him.

{…I’m sorry, but I cannot do anything about him.}

Angrily, Lucas turned toward Iris, his voice breaking.

“Can’t you do something?! Anything?!”

She shook her head slowly, eyes shining with helpless tears. “This venom… It’s not something I can deal with. My healing is just slowing it down. Barely.”

Lucas looked down at Ethan—his best friend, his brother in arms—and something inside him shattered.

He wasn’t ready to lose him, not like this.

“DAMN IT!!” he screamed, pounding his fist into the ground as if that would somehow shatter fate itself.

Around them, the others were frozen in their own panic.

Leon’s face was pale, jaw clenched so tight his teeth showed. He looked away, refusing to meet Ethan’s eyes because the fear was too real.

Telmo’s usual arrogance was gone. His fists shook, knuckles white. He swallowed hard, his voice caught in his throat.

Maya’s hands trembled, and her usual cheerfulness wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

She bit her lip so hard it bled slightly, staring helplessly at Ethan like she wanted to scream but couldn’t.

Ella’s arms were crossed tightly, her entire body trembling, while Violet stood rigid, fingers curling into fists.

She swallowed, blinking back tears she didn’t want anyone to see.

But they weren’t the only ones.

“Y-YOUR HIGNESS!!”

The desperate voices of the other students shattered the air as they surrounded Eira, panic rising like smoke.

In the center of it all, Ulgar—towering, strong, and arrogant was surprisingly kneeling beside Eira, tears flooding down his round cheeks.

His huge frame was trembling, lips wobbling as he cried like a child.

“Please… please, Your Highness, say something… please…”

But Eira couldn’t speak. She was barely conscious. Her hands twitched in agony, eyes rolling back as the venom pulsed harder.

Rayn stood behind them all, silent.

He wasn’t crying.

He wasn’t moving.

He just stood there, fists clenched at his sides, teeth sunk so deep into his bottom lip that blood had already trickled down his chin.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her at all.

“H-hey… L-Lucas?” Ethan barely managed to speak out.

Lucas froze slightly as he leaned in carefully, afraid to touch him but desperate to hear every word.

Ethan’s lips trembled as he forced out a small, sad smile.

“Please… tell Aestrea… that I… I wanted to follow him,” he said slowly, each word heavy with regret. “After everything… he was the first true friend I ever had… at the Royal Academy.”

His eyes flickered with a flicker of warmth amid the pain.

“He was the one who brought me to you all. So… please, tell him… I’m sorry I couldn’t become his follower… but I’m… so grateful. For everything.”

His voice was thinning, rough and fragile now, like a candle flickering in the dark.

“I… I really wanted to see him… just one last time…” Ethan mumbled, his eyelids fluttering as exhaustion weighed them down.

Lucas’s chest tightened painfully. His hands shook, struggling to hold onto hope that was slipping away like water through his fingers.

Around them, the others stood silent, swallowed by the weight of Ethan’s words, their hearts breaking in the cold air.

Then—

Suddenly, the world seemed to stop.

CHIIL!

FREEEEZEEEE!

A sharp, freezing wind blew across the battlefield.

The ground beneath them cracked, then shimmered—ice spreading like a pale, ghostly tide, swallowing rocks, dirt, and everything in its path.

The air turned sharp and cold, silence stretching like a frozen breath.

And then—

Fwip!

A figure materialized beside Lucas and Ethan, sharp and clear against the icy stillness, his glowing red eyes being his most prominent feature.

“AESTREA?!” Iris gasped, shock ripping through her voice.

And without saying anything…

Aestrea’s right hand suddenly shot towards Ethan’s chest.

SPLURT!

Piercing through it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep