Chapter 82: Gajia Academy 12 - Death

Akuma instinctively slammed his hand into the ground. He immediately formed a link with the earth beneath him, causing several large rocks to burst upward and form a dome around his body.

The werewolf crashed into the rocky barrier with tremendous force, instantly cracking it from the impact. Moments later, the entire dome crumbled apart, but the few seconds it bought were enough for Akuma to escape from its path.

Raquan was not finished with the werewolf yet. He appeared within its striking distance and began throwing one powerful punch after another, each blow landing against its massive body with enough force to make the surrounding air tremble.

Yet the werewolf barely reacted. It suddenly swung its enormous arm toward Raquan, forcing him to block with both arms as the impact sent him flying backward.

"What strength..." Raquan muttered as his feet dragged across the ground.

The werewolf immediately charged after him, its enormous claws tearing through the air. Raquan barely managed to dodge the first strike before another claw came toward his chest, forcing him to twist his body away.

Kida finally moved. He enhanced his body with two layers of magic before launching himself forward, striking the werewolf from the side with everything he had.

The impact made the werewolf stagger for only a moment. Kida landed several meters away, staring at his fist with disbelief after realizing his attack had barely affected the monster.

"This thing is insane."

The werewolf suddenly turned toward Kida and charged. Kida’s expression changed as the monster crossed the distance between them in an instant, its claws already raised to tear him apart.

Rize entered the battle as well. He raised one finger, causing the temperature around them to rapidly fall as water gathered around his fingertip before freezing into a sharp mass of ice.

With a flick of his finger, the ice shot forward and pierced through one of the werewolf’s legs. Blood spilled from the wound, but the monster simply pulled its leg free and continued moving without slowing down.

Akuma joined the assault. He placed both hands against the ground and produced dozens of sharp rocks around the battlefield, heating their tips until they glowed.

When the werewolf was distracted by Raquan and Kida, Akuma activated his link and launched the rocks upward. Tens of heated spikes pierced through the first layer of the werewolf’s skin, leaving several small wounds across its body.

But even then, the damage was shallow. The werewolf roared and violently swung its arms, forcing Raquan, Kida, and Akuma to retreat from its range.

Its sheer strength had turned the battlefield into a place where one mistake could mean death. Even the strongest students could only avoid its attacks while desperately searching for an opening.

"This is only the first phase!" Raquan shouted. "None of you attack alone!"

The students quickly regrouped as the werewolf stood in the center of the battlefield. Its dark fur was covered with scratches and shallow wounds, yet it showed almost no signs of slowing down.

Then footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. Several figures soon emerged through the trees, and Akuma immediately recognized them.

Ragnir, Akira, and Willow had finally arrived.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves," Willow commanded. The others immediately spread themselves around the werewolf while Raquan and Kida prepared to attack again.

Willow looked at each of them before continuing, "We will attack together. Do not waste your strength until I give the signal."

She suddenly leaped into the air and raised both hands toward the sky. Dark clouds rapidly gathered above the battlefield, and moments later, heavy rain began pouring down over the entire area.

The werewolf looked upward and roared before lowering its body. It was preparing to charge toward the nearest student.

The rain suddenly froze.

Ice rapidly spread across its fur and limbs, temporarily locking its enormous body in place. The monster struggled violently, cracking the ice around its arms as it attempted to break free.

"Now!"

Akira vanished from her position with Enhancement Magic and appeared directly in front of the werewolf. She drove her fist into its chest with all her strength, cracking the frozen layer covering its body and forcing it backward.

Kida attacked immediately after her. Two layers of magic surged through his body as he struck the werewolf’s ribs, causing its enormous body to twist sideways.

Raquan appeared behind it in the same instant. He delivered a powerful punch directly into its back, sending the werewolf crashing into the ground and creating a deep crater beneath its body.

"Lightning Arrow!"

Ragnir released a brilliant bolt of lightning that shot across the battlefield. It struck the werewolf directly in the chest, causing electricity to spread across its body and burn through its thick fur.

The werewolf struggled to stand, but Akuma had already placed both hands against the ground. He formed a powerful link with the earth beneath the monster and activated his magic.

"Earth Catapult!"

The ground violently launched upward, smashing into the werewolf and sending its enormous body into the air. It crashed back down several meters away, leaving cracks across its body.

Rize immediately raised his hand. Dozens of ice bullets formed around him before shooting forward one after another.

The ice bullets pierced through the werewolf’s arms, legs, shoulders, and torso. For the first time, the attacks had gone deep enough to cause serious damage, leaving blood pouring from several wounds.

The werewolf roared and attempted to stand. Its body was covered in burns, deep wounds, and broken ice, yet it still forced itself upward.

It took one step forward.

Despite the damage, its yellow eyes remained filled with murderous intent. The monster suddenly charged again, refusing to accept defeat.

"It’s still moving?" Akuma exclaimed.

The werewolf swung its massive arm toward the students. Raquan and Kida immediately moved to intercept it, but Willow suddenly raised one hand.

"Stay back."

Everyone stopped. Willow floated above the battlefield as the clouds behind her began turning red. A massive amount of fire gathered within the sky, growing brighter and larger until the entire mountain was illuminated by its glow.

The temperature suddenly became unbearable. The remaining rain evaporated before reaching the ground, while the rocks beneath the students began heating from the overwhelming flames above.

The werewolf looked toward the sky.

Willow extended one hand toward it.

"This ends now."

The clouds split apart. A massive pillar of blazing fire descended from the sky with terrifying speed. It struck directly through the werewolf’s head and continued into the ground beneath it.

BOOM!

The mountain shook violently as flames erupted across the battlefield. Smoke and fire covered the crater where the werewolf had been standing only moments earlier.

The students shielded their faces from the intense heat. As the flames slowly disappeared, the enormous body of the werewolf finally became visible.

It had collapsed inside the crater.

There was no movement.

Raquan lowered his arms and stared at the corpse. "It’s dead."

Akuma remained silent as he looked at the destroyed battlefield. Just moments ago, the werewolf had been overwhelming all of them, yet after they finally coordinated their attacks, they had managed to bring it down.

However, Akuma understood something even more important. Even after all of their combined attacks, it was Willow’s final strike that had truly ended the battle.

"We barely did nothing... So this is the difference between us and a tier two mage"