Chaos

The battlefield exploded into utter chaos.

The moment the Guardian landed, it became a massacre.

It unleashed pure terror with every breath, a silent, unseen force.

Wherever its maw opened, people vanished—not torn, not burned, just erased from existence as though they'd never been there at all.

Kael could only stare in disbelief.

The oppressive pressure the creature emitted suffocated even the thought of resistance.

It wasn't just fear—it was absolute domination.

His legs didn't want to move. His lungs didn't want to breathe.

Beside him, Liri trembled, wide-eyed and pale.

"It's…. it's actually an Elderbeast," she whispered, her voice thin, barely audible over the screams.

"How are we supposed to beat something like that at our rank?"

Kael had no idea what an Elderbeast was.

But judging by how quickly the student population was evaporating around them… it wasn't something meant for people at their level.

The battlefield dissolved into pure panic.

Students ran in every direction, shouting, scrambling to escape—but nowhere was safe.

The beast didn't chase. It didn't need to. Its terrifying presence was enough to kill.

"What do we do?" Liri asked again, her voice trembling, on the verge of breaking.

Kael didn't answer. What could he say? They couldn't fight it. Not like this. And running wouldn't save them.

Not for long.

Just when he was starting to feel the cold tendrils of despair—

ROOOAAAARRRR!

The Guardian let out a thunderous scream—but this one was different.

It wasn't rage. It was pain.

Kael snapped his head up just in time to see a streak of green light flash through the air, slamming into the creature's skull and knocking it slightly off balance.

Another flash followed straight after. Another impact.

The Guardian reeled in rage, its monstrous head snapping to the side.

Kael followed the trajectory, his eyes landing on a figure perched atop a jagged stone outcrop. A boy with brown hair, his posture calm, a longbow in hand glowing with verdant energy.

He was already drawing again. Another shot launched.

This time, the Guardian caught the arrow mid-air in its gaping maw—and crushed it with chilling ease.

Then its empty, glowing eyes locked onto the archer.

It spread its wings with terrifying speed, dark magic surging off its body like unholy fire, and shot toward him with intent to annihilate.

Kael tensed. 'He is definitely going to die.'

But the archer didn't flinch.

He calmly drew another arrow, not breaking focus for even a second.

But every time he shoot another one, the guardian would simply destroy it.

Just as the Guardian reached the halfway mark—

Something changed.

The beast froze in mid-air.

Its wings flapped furiously, trying to resist some unseen force.

Its maw hung open, crackling with destructive energy, but the roar never came. Instead, inch by inch, the Elderbeast began to descend—not falling, but being pulled down, struggling against an invisible weight.

Kael's eyes widened. "What the hell…"

The creature continued to descended until it landed with a thunderous boom, lava spilling in waves from the fractured terrain.

The shockwave alone flattened a nearby group of students, sending them sprawling.

And still, the pressure forced it down as it struggled to get back on its feet.

Then—

CRACK!

Stone rumbled.

The ground beneath the beast churned and rose, forming massive black chains from the earth itself.

They coiled around the Guardian like venomous snakes—binding it at the limbs, the neck, the wings. It screamed and thrashed, a guttural sound of pure frustration, but the spell wouldn't let it rise.

Before it could recover, another green arrow slammed into its eye, forcing its head back to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Kael stared in disbelief as the beast that had been raining terror just seconds ago began to thrash around in desperate struggle.

But whoever was holding it down wasn't giving it any breathing space.

Then he saw them.

A group of about twenty students, all walking calmly, purposefully, toward the pinned creature.

Some had glowing weapons drawn.

Others were casting in sync, their movements fluid and practiced.

Some of them were even floating in the sky as their lips moved in what seemed like a group chant, a symphony of power.

Within them—Kael's eyes found Niko and Theo.

Their expressions were focused, serious.

Both of them stood with their hands raised, palms glowing with deep magical energy as they channeled power into the massive chains restraining the Elderbeast.

Even though it looked like it was taking a lot of them combined to hold it down, it was undeniably working.

For the first time since the trial began…

The battlefield was no longer running.

The chaos had stopped.

The panic paused.

And all eyes turned to the group of elites, forcing a godlike monster to its knees.