Twist

The battle was over—or so they thought.

The massive beast lay still, its grotesque body finally motionless after a long, brutal fight. The cadets stood around it, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat and mana residue. For a moment, there was silence. Then—

"Ah hell yeah! Take that, you overgrown rat!" Bruce shouted, pumping his fist into the air before turning to Remi. "High five, partner!""Woohoo! I didn't flinch once!" Remi laughed and slapped his hand with a grin."Technically, you flinched twice," Lawlet muttered under his breath.

Yulli exhaled, eyes on the ground, body trembling from adrenaline and exhaustion."Come on, you're so stiff, Yulli!" Bruce laughed, slapping him hard on the back."Ow—damn it, Bruce…" Yulli winced, staggering forward.Bruce grinned, unapologetic. "Build some muscle, beanpole!"

Lawlet stood near the corpse, staring at it in disbelief. His fingers twitched near his holsters. "We actually did it…"Julius walked over, his usual grin curling into something more thoughtful. "Amazed you survived this long, huh?"Lawlet turned. "You could say that.""Great work, especially you, Lawlet," Julius said, giving him a nod. "You finally stopped blasting your mana like a drunk with fireworks."

The praise made Lawlet scratch the back of his neck, but then he noticed Julius's tone shift.

"You came to talk to me personally… what's this about?""Sharp as ever," Julius muttered, lowering his voice. "It's about your brother. I did some digging—"

But before he could finish, a flurry of footsteps interrupted the moment. Another squad emerged from the treeline—uniformed, armed, and clearly fresh off a mission hare and Mueaki was one of them.

"Julius? What the hell are you doing here?"Julius turned, surprised. "Johan? What are you doing here?"

The man named Johan shrugged. "Cathedral assigned us to sweep this zone. Said there was something of interest nearby. Didn't expect to find you here."

Julius narrowed his eyes. "Strange… they didn't mention a second squad being dispatched. Why would the Cathedral send two teams to the same area…?"

The cadets exchanged glances. The air, once celebratory, grew heavy again. Something was wrong.

And the beast's corpse… was still warm.

"YULLI!!" a sudden voice rang out across the field like a thunderclap.

Before he could turn, a blur of golden hair and radiant energy slammed into him with the force of a warhorse. Arms wrapped around him like a vice.

"Ack—!! H-Hare! You're… crushing my lungs!"

"Oops!" Hare laughed gleefully, squeezing him tighter anyway. "It's just been so long! You've gotten taller! And buffer! I bet you've missed me!"

"I missed breathing," Yulli wheezed, his arms flailing weakly.

Bruce's jaw dropped. He took one terrified step back. "Oh no… it's her…"

Remi blinked, then furrowed her brows. "Who is this—wait. Who the hell is this woman? Why is she touching Yulli like that?!"

"Shut up, Remi!" Bruce whisper-shouted, grabbing her shoulder. "That's Hare! From the royal family of Stark!"

Remi's eyes widened. "So?!"

"So?! You don't just go talking smack to royalty! She once threw a nobleman through a stained-glass window because he took her chair!"

Hare let go of Yulli (finally) and cracked her knuckles. "Who's this loudmouth shorty with the attitude?"

Remi glared. "Shorty?! At least I don't wear gaudy armor like I'm compensating for something!"

Hare smirked. "Oh? You talk big for someone with the chest of a breadboard."

"YOU WANNA GO, YOU ROYAL BRAT?!"

Electric sparks of pure womanly rage danced between them. Even the birds stopped chirping. Bruce shuffled over to Yulli and whispered, "This is worse than the beast. We might need backup."

Yulli sighed, still recovering from the rib-crushing hug. "I survived training… why is this what breaks me?"

"Julius? What the hell are you doing here?"Julius turned, surprised. "Johan? What are you doing here?"

The man named Johan shrugged. "Cathedral assigned us to sweep this zone. Said there was something of interest nearby. Didn't expect to find you here."

Julius narrowed his eyes. "Strange… they didn't mention a second squad being dispatched. Why would the Cathedral send two teams to the same area…?"

The cadets exchanged glances. The air, once celebratory, grew heavy again. Something was wrong.

Suddenly, the air turned thick—unbearably so. The skies, once clear, began to dim unnaturally, as if the world itself held its breath. Julius's eyes narrowed.

"Remi!" he barked, voice sharper than a drawn blade. "Analyze the area. Now."

Remi jolted at the sudden shift in tone but quickly nodded, dropping to one knee and pressing her bare palm to the soil. Her mana pulsed outward, mingling with the earth, searching, sensing—until her face paled.

"T-The plague rate... it's spiking," she whispered, her voice trembling. "It's corrupting the soil... everything around us. Th-this isn't natural." She hesitated, her pupils quivering. "And more beasts... they're coming. Full-forms."

A low, guttural growl echoed through the wind. Then another. Then many.

Bruce instinctively raised his blade, sweat rolling down his brow. "W-We're surrounded!" he shouted. "And they just keep comin', what the hell is this?!"

Two hulking full-form beasts emerged from the mists, their twisted limbs pulsing with black mana, eyes glowing like twin suns of malice.

Julius's expression darkened. "Johan," he said grimly, not turning his gaze away from the encroaching shadows, "run back to headquarters."

Johan blinked. "What?! You expect me to—"

"Layer Six."

The world stopped. Johan's eyes widened in horror, every ounce of defiance draining from his face. "R-Right. Got it." He turned and bolted, not daring to look back.

Julius stepped forward, removing his gloves with slow, deliberate motion. "The rest of you," he said, voice like thunder rolling across a battlefield, "stay together. Apply everything you've learned. Do not break formation. The royal cadets will anchor the defense." His eyes passed briefly over Hare, who gave a cocky grin in response.

Then he grew quiet.

For a heartbeat, the world stood still. No one moved. No one breathed.

And then, like a dam bursting, power erupted from Julius. His aura surged outward, dark and spiraling, distorting the very air. His cursed gear unraveled like a serpent awakening from slumber, etched with markings that burned with ancient runes.

He tightened his grip. "After this," he muttered to himself, eyes shadowed with rage, "the higher-ups better have answers."

The ground beneath him cracked from the pressure.

"Julius...!" Yulli gasped, the sheer force radiating from him staggering even at a distance.

He didn't respond.

He leapt.

The hunt had begun.