Chapter 96: The First Art- End.

Raymond moved first.

After breaking through to Seeker rank, his speed had become something else entirely. In just a blink, he appeared before the serpent, his spear raised high, golden light wrapping around his body like armor.

The serpent hissed and quickly turned its head, firing a thin, focused beam of dark energy.

But Raymond didn’t flinch.

"Heh," he smirked. "That won’t work on me now—unless you’re going all out."

Multiple glowing golden shields formed around him, overlapping like scales. The beam hit the first layer—and vanished. Nullified.

Raymond didn’t waste the moment.

Light burst beneath his feet, propelling him faster. He vanished again, reappearing right in front of the serpent’s jaw just as it lunged to bite him.

"Solar Flare."

A wide, searing arc of golden light slashed across the serpent’s open mouth. Its twin fangs snapped and broke apart, while flames licked across its flesh, burning it black.

But Raymond’s attack wasn’t the end.

From behind, dozens of spears made of shadow shot forward—Samuel’s magic.

They pierced the serpent’s thick hide, burying deep into its body. The beast thrashed, hissing in rage and pain.

Then, from above—

Crack!

Bolts of purple lightning came crashing down—Azhriel’s lightning strikes struck the exact points where the dark spears were embedded, sending powerful jolts through the serpent’s body.

The beast screamed in pain, its entire form convulsing under the combined elemental assault.

The trio, did not stop.

Their attacks continued.

"Hey, do any of you guys still have energy to finish it?" Samuel called out, panting as he barely dodged a swipe from the serpent’s tail. "Because I’ve got nothing left."

"Sorry," Raymond replied, his voice tired but still steady. "That last flare took everything I had."

"I can do it," Azhriel said.

"You sure?" Raymond glanced at him, sweat running down his brow.

Azhriel nodded, calm as ever. "Just try me. And don’t blink... there’s a chance you both might miss it."

Samuel let out a breath. "Hoh? Where’s that confidence coming from all of a sudden?"

Raymond gave a tired smile. "Fine. Then let’s create you an opening."

He raised his spear—what little mana he had left began to gather, swirling like flames in a storm. Light and fire danced along the weapon, crackling with intensity.

"There we go." Samuel touched the ground. A thick puddle of darkness spread out from beneath him like living ink.

"Nail Drive!" Raymond shouted.

He hurled the spear with all his strength. The weapon whistled through the air, glowing so bright it left trails in the sky—then slammed into the serpent’s second eye.

Boom!

A blinding burst of light and heat exploded across the area. The serpent roared in agony, thrashing wildly as smoke rose from its face.

"Dark Dive." Samuel muttered next.

The shadow puddle beneath the serpent pulsed—then began pulling down at its massive body. Its lower half sank like it had fallen into a pool of tar, locking it in place.

"Now!" both of them shouted in unison.

At that moment—the entire world seemed to stop.

The noise vanished. The wind paused. The raging battle fell silent for just one heartbeat.

Everyone still conscious turned their heads—eyes drawn by something they didn’t understand. A feeling deep in their gut made them look.

All eyes turned to him.

Azhriel.

He stood alone now. Calm.

Still.

His sword gripped in one hand, lowered by his side. The wind tugged at his clothes and hair as he ducked into a low stance.

His fingers curled around the hilt tightly.

A memory crossed his mind, sharp and vivid.

—

"Do you know why me and the Sword Saint became rivals?" Solas asked Azhriel as they walked.

Azhriel turning towards Solas.asked. "I don’t. Why?" He questioned.

Solas smirked as he said. "Because our swords were very similar."

"What do you mean?" Azhriel asked, leaning forward.

"Just like i said, they both cut... but with one difference." Solas raised his finger slowly. "My sword was meant purely to kill."

Azhriel listened to his master, wide-eyed.

"That’s why, what I am going to teach you now. This sword art... never use it unless you’re aiming to kill."

"I understand, sir."

Solas nodded, "Good, that’smore like it."

—

Now, standing there in that frozen moment, Azhriel took a deep breath.

His voice was low, but it carried. Like a bell ringing through the battlefield.

"The Lord’s Requiem... First Art."

He pulled his sword.

"The Fool’s Redemption."

Then it vanished.

No one saw his feet move. No one saw him draw the blade.

One moment he was standing still—and the next—

Slash.

A clean silver arc split the smoke.

Then came silence again.

The serpent didn’t even make a sound at first. Its body was still locked in place—until it started trembling. Shaking.

From head to tail, a single thin line ran diagonally down its body. A small, faint trail of light that glowed brighter and brighter—

Crack.

The line widened. Then—burst.

Blood and light spilled out in opposite directions as the serpent let out one final screech before collapsing.

Its body hit the ground with a deep, heavy thud, kicking up dirt and blood as the earth trembled beneath it.

It didn’t move again.

The students watched, mouths open, frozen in place. None of them even understood what had just happened.

Not until Raymond finally spoke.

"...He really did it."

Azhriel stood still for a moment more, the blade humming quietly in his hand. Then, he slowly sheathed it.

Click.

The sound echoed like a finishing bell.

"Son of-" Samuel muttered, coughing.

Azhriel didn’t say anything. He just exhaled—and finally let his knees give out as he sat down heavily on the ground.

Raymond limped over, one hand on his side, the other reaching out toward Azhriel.

"I’ll admit it," he said, offering a small grin despite the pain. "What you just did... that was insane."

"No doubt about it," Samuel added as he joined them, his steps a little shaky but still holding steady. "Never seen a sword move like that."

Azhriel took Raymond’s hand, letting himself be pulled up. His grip was firm, his eyes calm—even if his body trembled from the effort he had just put in.

But before they could say anything else—

Far away, in the shadows of a hidden place, a scream of frustration echoed.

"No, no, no! This can’t be happening!" the Drunkard shouted, his voice twisted in rage.

His hands shook wildly as he clawed at his head, pulling out strands of hair. With the other hand, he scratched his own arm, so hard and fast that lines of blood ran down it.

"How can some snot-nosed kids defeat my precious babies!? Even Snaky’s child didn’t kill a single one of them!" he shouted, voice cracking with madness.

Then, his eyes turned cold, his voice dropping to a low growl.

"No. No more playing games."

"I’ll kill you. I’ll kill all of you."

Snap.

He raised his trembling hand and snapped his fingers.

Out on the battlefield, the serpent’s body suddenly froze. Then—

Dark energy began to rise from it, swirling like smoke.

The corpse pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Its body began to swell, the wounds glowing with unnatural light.

Its scales darkened, its broken eyes turned pitch black, and its size started to increase with every breath. Like something unnatural was being forced inside of it.

Boom.

The ground shook violently as the serpent’s body exploded with energy. Rocks shattered and trees were blown back as if a storm had just hit.

For a moment, it looked like everything had been swallowed by the explosion. The blinding light, the deafening roar, the trembling ground—everything screamed destruction.

Azhriel, Raymond, and Samuel instinctively shut their eyes, bracing for the end.

One second passed.

Then two.

Then five.

But nothing came.

No pain.

No shockwave.

No burning heat.

They slowly opened their eyes.

Surrounding them was a shimmering purple barrier, stretching across the entire area—shielding not only them, but all the surviving students as well.

A calm, familiar voice echoed through the fading hum of energy.

"Good work, you three. That was... amazing."

They turned.

Professor Illiana stood at the edge of the field, her long coat fluttering as soft wind blew through the clearing. Her hand was still raised, glowing with faint purple light from the massive barrier she had cast just in time.

"Professor!" Raymond’s tired eyes lit up with relief. His whole body sagged as the weight of the battle started to lift.

"Woo... Thought I was a goner for a second," Samuel chuckled, breathing out hard as he looked around.

Azhriel didn’t say anything.

He simply let out a long sigh, his hand falling to his side. He had been a millisecond away from using his Blink.

But he didn’t have to use it.

They were safe... for now.