The trio moved in a blur—portals snapping open and shut as they zigzagged toward the main courtyard, their footsteps barely touching the ground before Zephyr's portals whisked them forward again.
Aman had swapped his ninja mask for a new one, this one covering the lower half of his face completely, leaving only his sharp, slate-gray eyes and black hair visible.
Then—
"Stop."
Aman's hand shot out, halting Zephyr mid-step. Without explanation, he pointed to a building on their right. "Portal two buildings to the right of this."
Zephyr didn't question it. A slash of his saber tore open a green rift, and they stepped through—
—into a dead-end corridor where a cluster of first and second years huddled against the wall, their faces pale with terror. Between them and safety prowled a group of ice wolves, their maws dripping frost, their glowing eyes locked onto the trapped students.
Aman didn't hesitate. "Aeron—get them out. We'll clear the path."
Aeron opened his mouth to argue—then shut it. He wasn't fast enough to keep up with these two, wasn't strong enough to face the monsters head-on. But this? This he could do.
"Everyone! Follow me!" he barked, his voice steady and commanding—the voice of a senior who'd led drills, who'd broken up fights in the dorms, who'd earned their trust. The students immediately latched onto his presence, their panic easing just slightly.
Meanwhile, Aman and Zephyr moved.
Aman's daggers flashed—one wolf collapsed with a slit throat before it could even turn. The second barely had time to snarl before Zephyr's saber cleaved its skull in two. The third lunged, only to meet Aman's boot mid-air, its ribs caving in with a sickening crunch before Zephyr finished it with a downward stab.
Six seconds. Three corpses.
Aman didn't even glance back as Aeron ushered the students away, already rattling off the safest route to the Assembly Hall.
"Next," Aman said, and Zephyr opened another portal.
They repeated the process more than 7 times—Aman's uncanny sense for danger leading them to stranded students or staff, Zephyr's portals delivering them instantly, and Aeron's reputation ensuring order amidst the chaos. Each time, they left a trail of monster corpses and relieved survivors in their wake.
Three minutes later, they burst into the main courtyard—
—and froze.
The once-pristine training grounds were a graveyard of monsters. The air reeked of blood and ozone. A handful of elite teachers and Resonator guardians were still fighting, their auras flaring as they clashed with the remaining alpha-level beasts. In a corner, a dozen injured students and faculty were being treated, their bandages already stained red.
And above it all, pulsating like a wound in the world itself, hung the fissure.
It was larger now—a jagged tear in reality, its edges crackling with unstable energy. From its depths seeped a dark, viridian glow, and the occasional screech of something not yet emerged.
Aman's eyes narrowed. "That's our target."
Zephyr's grip tightened on his saber. "It's expanding."
Aeron paled. "What… what is that?"
Aman didn't answer. He didn't exactly know what it was called in this world, but he simply called it the space crack.
The trio stood frozen for only a moment before Zephyr answered Aeron's question in a clipped tone. "It's a spatial tear. It must be connected to a portal where these monsters are coming. So... it's deliberately caused by someone...or something."
Aeron swallowed hard. "How do we close it?"
Aman remained silent, though his sharp gaze betrayed his own curiosity about this phenomenon.
Zephyr's frown deepened. "Let's clear the remaining monsters first. Then we can worry about the tear." His silver eyes scanned the battlefield, quickly assessing threats.
"Right," Aman and Aeron agreed in unison.
With practiced efficiency, Zephyr pulled a simple silver ring from and tossed it to Aeron. "Help the injured. Healing and painkiller potions are inside." His gaze then snapped to Aman. "How much time do you have left?"
"Two minutes," Aman replied without hesitation, checking an invisible timer only he could see.
Zephyr gave a curt nod. "We need to move fast then."
As Aeron sprinted toward the cluster of wounded, Zephyr and Aman turned toward their prey - a massive, wounded alpha beast called a Frost Ravager. The monstrous wolf-like creature stood nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, its once-gleaming silver fur now matted with blood from multiple wounds across its flank. One of its four glowing blue eyes had been torn out, and its movements were noticeably sluggish - the perfect target for a quick elimination.
"Remember," Zephyr warned as they approached, "I won't be using portals for this fight." Aman nodded in understanding - Zephyr would need to focus all his aura into his combat techniques to contend with such powerful monsters.
Aman drew his sword, Echo of Remorse, its dark blade shimmering with an eerie light. With a flick of his wrist, he coated the edge with a viscous purple poison from a concealed vial. The lethal substance hissed as it made contact with the metal.
Without another word, Aman used [Blink], vanishing from his position and reappearing mid-air above the Frost Ravager. His poisoned blade arced downward, aiming for the beast's remaining good eye - but the monster reacted with surprising speed, twisting its massive head to intercept the attack with its jagged antlers instead.
The clash sent sparks flying as metal met bone. Aman flipped backward, landing lightly on his feet just as Zephyr came in from the side. The silver-haired warrior's saber glowed with concentrated aura as he executed [Void Severance], a horizontal slash that left afterimages in its wake.
The Frostfang howled as the attack connected, its thick hide parting beneath the razor-sharp edge. Icy blue blood sprayed across the courtyard stones, freezing instantly into jagged crystals where it landed.
Aman didn't give the beast a moment to recover. He darted forward again, this time feinting high before dropping low and driving his poisoned blade deep into the monster's wounded flank. The Frostfang's answering roar shook the very ground beneath them.
The two resonators who were originally fighting were surprised by their sudden intervention, but they sighed in relief. They were exhausted and injured already. So, their appearance gave them some reassurance, although they looked a bit young, no, they were too young to fight these monsters.
And...
Are they students?!
____ ___ _
[ Author's Note:
📢 Bonus Chapters Alert! 📢
This week, we're unlocking 4 EXTRA CHAPTERS thanks to your insane support last week!
🔥 100+ Golden Tickets → 2 Bonus Chapters
⚡ Nearly 1000 Power Stones → 2 More Bonus Chapters
And don't worry—the regular 2 daily chapters will still keep coming! ]