Chapter 10: Field Trip(3)

Luciel sat on the edge of his bed in the dimly lit room, his mind still processing the events of the day. The Aeternum Forge had been awe-inspiring, but he couldn't help but worry about the future. He glanced out the window, the glowing structures of the forge visible in the distance, their hum a constant reminder of humanity's fragile hope against the demons.

As he was about to lie down, a faint sound caught his attention. At first, it was barely audible—a distant clang of metal, a muffled shout. But soon, the noises grew louder: the unmistakable sounds of fighting, cries for help, and the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground. Luciel's instincts screamed at him to move.

He was on his feet in an instant, his mana flaring to life as he prepared to head out. But before he could take a single step, the window behind him shattered. Two masked figures burst into the room, their movements swift and deliberate. The mana they emitted marked them as D-rank—strong enough to be a threat but not enough to intimidate Luciel.

Awekeners' ranks had three stages in each rank; for example, the D rank had D-, D, and D+.

Without a word, the attackers lunged at him, their weapons gleaming with deadly intent. Luciel's eyes narrowed, his expression cold and focused. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving only a streak of light where he had stood. The next moment, he reappeared behind the two intruders, their heads gripped firmly in his hands, and their headless bodies spurted out blood like fountains.

The room fell silent for a brief moment before the lifeless bodies dropped to the floor with a thud. He didn't have time to dwell on the kill. An explosion rocked the building, its force shaking the walls. Luciel turned his gaze to the shared wall between his room and Arthuria's. Without hesitation, he summoned a sword of light and slashed through the wall, reducing it to dust.

In Arthuria's room, chaos reigned. She was locked in a fierce battle against a D-rank attacker, her ice magic clashing against their dark, shadowy abilities. The fight was intense, but Arthuria was barely holding her own, her movements precise and calculated, but it was evident that she lacked experience. However, the moment Luciel stepped through the shattered wall, the atmosphere shifted, and the whole fight came to an abrupt halt.

The attacker froze, his eyes widening as he felt the overwhelming killing intent radiating from Luciel. Arthuria, too, stumbled back, her breath catching in her throat. The pressure was suffocating as if the air itself had turned heavy with malice.

Luciel didn't speak. He simply dropped the two heads he was holding, letting them roll to the attacker's feet. Before the man could react, Luciel was already upon him, his hand closing around the attacker's throat. With a single motion, he slammed the man through the wall and into the hallway, his grip unyielding. The attacker's windpipe crumpled under the force, and he fell lifeless to the ground.

Aria burst out of her room, clutching her left side, which was bleeding profusely. Her face was pale, and her breathing was unnaturally heavy. Arthuria rushed to her side, helping her to walk.

Luciel's voice cut through the chaos, deep and commanding, a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor. "Freeze the wound. Now."

Arthuria obeyed without question, her hands glowing with icy energy as she applied it to Aria's injury. Luciel turned his attention to the hallway, his eyes scanning the scene before him. The corridor was a battlefield, the air thick with the sounds of clashing weapons and desperate cries. Bodies of students littered the floor, some motionless, others writhing in pain. The attackers, all at least D-rank or below, moved with ruthless efficiency, cutting down anyone in their path.

Only a handful of students—geniuses like Luciel, Aria, and Arthuria—were holding their own. The rest were being slaughtered.

...

At the same time, on the first floor, the professors were locked in their own fights. Professor Jadestar was in the most precarious situation, her crimson eyes blazing as she faced off against a towering figure clad in dark armor. His name was Vlad Crimsonveil, an S-rank villain whose powers were rooted in blood manipulation. The air around him was thick with the metallic scent of blood, and his every move sent waves of crimson energy crashing toward Jadestar.

Professor Jadestar flashed through the room, appearing all across the battlefield, Vlad following behind her. Sometimes, other professors got mixed in their fight, and they died without resistance. The difference between the S and A ranks was too steep. The higher the rank, the bigger the difference between single rank grew.

Around them, the bodies of fallen professors and attackers alike littered the ground. The professors were putting up a fierce fight, but the enemy's numbers and strength were overwhelming. Despite the odds, Jadestar and her colleagues were slowly pushing the attackers back.

...

Luciel's expression darkened. Without uttering a word, he exploded into motion, his body becoming a blur of light as he tore through the hallway. Each movement was precise and ruthless, each strike drawing blood. He moved like a hurricane of light, cutting down attackers with terrifying speed. Sometimes simply ripping them apart, other times blades of light appeared around him cutting the attackers in half. One by one, the masked figures fell, their bodies hitting the ground before they even realized what had happened.

His awakening process was constantly progressing, already reaching 80%. But Luciel couldn't be bothered to notice this.

[Awakening Completion Rate: 80%]

As he fought, Luciel gathered the surviving students, herding them toward Aria and Arthuria. He had probably killed almost 30 attackers already. Most of them were in the E rank, but some of them were in the D rank. It was clear to Luciel that the attack was planned with careful consideration of all the details, which was evident as all the D rank enemies were fighting against the more talented students. Their goal was now clear to him: To assassinate the promising students of the Celestia Academy. And from the mana fluctuations coming from downstairs, it was clear that there were stronger enemies on the first floor holding back the professors.

By the time he returned to Aria and Arthuria, he had managed to save fifteen students—far too few, but it was all he could do for now.

Just as he was about to instruct all the students to evacuate and call for reinforcements from the union, the hallway shook violently as an explosion tore through the far end. The wall crumbled, and a new figure stepped through the debris. This one was different. The mana he emitted was far stronger, marking him as a C rank enemy—a significant step above the others. His presence alone was enough to make the surviving students tremble.

Luciel stepped forward, his breathing slightly ragged from the relentless fighting. His voice, low and filled with unrestrained malice and weariness, cut through the tension. "Leave."

The students hesitated, their eyes darting between Luciel and the new threat. Luciel's killing intent surged, the air around him trembling with the intensity of his aura. "Go! Call for reinforcements from the union, and Arthuria contact Gabriel, only an SS rank awekener can arrive quickly enough!"

This time, they obeyed, fleeing down the hallway toward the stairs. Arthuria and Aria lingered for a moment, their eyes filled with worry. Mana around Luciel crackled and popped, his aura surging, his strength clearly in the D+ rank. This surprised Aria and Arthuria, as they thought that he had only reached the early stages of D rank, but to their surprise, he had already reached the early stages of D+ rank. Luciel gave Aria and Arthuria a deep glare, which made them finally turn around.

The C-rank enemy smirked, cracking his knuckles. He took out an enormous broadsword from his back. "You think you can stop me, kid?"

Luciel didn't respond. Instead, he exploded with mana, the light around him so intense it was blinding. Aria and Arthuria ran with all their strength; at times, they would hear explosions that made the second floor shake, and at other times, they would hear something smashing through walls from behind them where Luciel was fighting. They could only grit their teeth and move forward.

As the surviving students burst onto the first floor, the sight of an intense battle between the professors and the enemy shocked them to their core. Bodies from both sides littered the ground, and each person who was standing seemed to be injured. Professor Jadestar, who was still in the fight with Vlad, was trying to hold him back while at the same time help her fellow professor, but her attention snapped towards the newly arrived students. She unleashed a powerful blast of black energy, forcing Vlad to retreat momentarily, and rushed to the student's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice urgent. Scanning through the crowd of students, she didn't see Luciel, which made her frown deeply. 

Aria and Arthuria stepped forward, their faces pale and their breathing coming short. "Professor, you have to help Luciel! He's holding off the enemy on the second floor alone!" Aria pleaded.

Jadestar's eyes narrowed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, circular disc. Without hesitation, she injected her mana into it, activating an emergency signal that would alert the Union. "An SS-rank awakener will be here in ten minutes if they move at full speed," she said. "Stay here and protect the wounded. I'll handle the rest."

Jadestar returned to the battle, but this time she wasn't simply trying to hold Vlad back, she was fighting fiercly like a starved beast. The other professors also seemed to receive a boost in their morale as they saw their own students. They fought without restraint, pushing beyond their limits as they used their all to protect their students. The students could only watch from the sidelines, anxiously waiting for the arrival of the reinforcements.