Death zone

[Friendly warning: Some might find this chapter horrifying or gory beyond the likes they can handle. Do well to avoid it if so.]

Within a second, a few figures dashed forward with intense aggression and energy, some already casting spells while the others powered up their bodies to utilize close combat techniques and snatch a win.

Just as expected, the seventeen metres gap didn't seem to be much of a hurdle for the first approaching team of four, especially for the leader of the team who seemed to be faster than the others.

As a leader of a team, this meant that the young boy's ability and talent wasn't to be underestimated. Also, this meant that he was a member of the top 50 of the division, which implied that he was among the top 50 strongest in the division. As a top 50 ranker, he had skills that set him apart from the rest.

While others focused solely on their mana and magic, the young boy had trained his body as well. His training couldn't be said to be as difficult as the ones carried out by Noah and James, but it was close in intensity. This was because he believed that training the body had its advantages that could help turn a battle around.

This made it such that the young boy was physically stronger and faster than some of his teammates without mana amplification, and when that was added into the mix, few among his division would dare to face him in close combat. Due to this advantage, he had managed to cling the 12th rank spot in the entire division and had physical attributes rivalling a full-grown adult's at the age of fourteen. Even the 9th ranker in the division had once admitted that he wasn't his match in a close combat battle.

This made the young boy think, since even the 9th ranker wasn't his match at close range, how would Asher, who was ranked 10th, be so?

Confidence brimming from that conclusion, he charged forward seemingly without care, but in truth, he still held a bit of caution. All top 10 rankers had something special that set them apart from the rest and while Asher's was rumoured to be his theoretical knowledge, the young boy didn't for once believe that the academy would give him such a high rank based on brain knowledge alone.

"You're mine!"

The boy broke past the four metres mark from the entrance of the cave, meaning that he was only a few metres away from Asher's team.

Because the ambush had been launched so suddenly, Asher and his team seemed to have reacted slowly and were still walking on ahead. They had already gone an additional metre from their original spot[1]. Even James and Noah, who covered the rear, had inched closer towards Asher just before the assault, but not many noticed this small movement. This led to the group collectively being in a 7–8 metres distance from the cave's mouth.

This gap seemed like nothing special, but Asher had a smirk on his face right at that moment.

The young boy was now only a metre away from them when suddenly, a mana fluctuation lit up from the spot. It only flickered into being for just half a second and so, the boy was barely able to notice it but not react to it. Then…

Boom!

A blast of mana hit him right away, turning the boy into nothing more than a patch of mangled flesh and blood. His head was blown off, his left arm was blown a metre back and his chest seemed to have been destroyed by a weird power and turned into tiny bits of flesh and blood that splattered on the wall in the opposite direction.

A glow of what seemed to be a magical object reflected from the boy's clothing, implying that he had a defensive artefact on him, but that had still failed to prevent his demise.

No one had expected such an incident to happen and the other three who were following in his footsteps happened to be too slow to react to it.

Two of them got stained by what seemed to be minced meat and blood while the other had his eyes covered by blood, his vision stained red. He happened to be the one closest to the deceased young boy and before he could scream, the same happened to him.

Boom!

A second reverberating yet low explosion dulled the ears of the students within the cave's vicinity, sending shivers down their spines as they gazed at the horrifying scene in front of them.

Two out of the four-man team were already dead, yet that seemed to have been just the beginning.

Because the others were speeding without much regard, it didn't take them long before they got close to Asher's team and the same event occurred.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

It looked like a ground-level fireworks display was ongoing except the fireworks were the students and the sparks flying out were their flesh and blood.

It took about four seconds for everything to wrap up, but in those short few seconds, about five people had died by a mysterious explosion, which included the entire team of four that had rushed in first.

The remaining five survivors were those who had managed to react in time and stop. Unlike the first group, they had proceeded from a much farther distance and had reacted a bit slower so it was understandable for them to still be safe.

There now existed a four metres gap between them and Asher's team, and in that gap, a hair-raising view was open to them. Blood and gore, the likes of the previous incident but even more disturbing, decorated the entire space. Even some of the students from the surviving group were stained by it.

Five people had died while another five were behind the four metres space of death. As for the last remaining individual, he was stuck in that space, but surprisingly alive. Whereas some of those behind him were stained by the blood and flesh, this young student was covered by it.

Blood streamed down from his clothing, intestines and various organs hung on his shoulders, his robe covered with bits of flesh here and there. Over 3/4th the young boy's face was coated in blood, even his right eye was coated with so much blood that he temporarily couldn't see with it.

The sight was so appalling that it sent the survivors out of the cave fearful. When they reached outside, they all fell on their knees and began to puke and cry. Some even had snorts on their nose from the outburst of emotions and the two. Those on the outside were also affected by the gruesome sight as they once again went on a puking spree.

This time around though, some of them seemed to have 'adjusted' to the sight and could barely hold on. Wendel and Aurora were under this category, and in fact, the only two.

The young boy, shivering from both a combination of fear and anxiety, began to cry and plead.

"Please, don't kill me. Please. Please, help me."