CHAPTER 61: FRESHER BALL(9)

Chapter 60: Fresher Ball (9)

The march to the second pillar was brutal. Frost cracked beneath their boots, and the crimson glow of the spire ahead pulsed like a heartbeat. Every few seconds, a low rumble rolled across the ground, as if the world itself was straining under its corruption.

Michael’s instincts screamed. The battlefield was too quiet. No waves of demons like before, no swarm to slow them down.

They’re waiting. Setting up the kill.

"Eyes sharp," he warned. "This silence isn’t mercy. It’s a trap."

---

They crossed into a narrow stretch between jagged ice formations when the shadows themselves came alive.

Dozens of figures erupted from the darkness—slender, twisted assassins with elongated arms, each tipped with claws dripping corrosive venom. Their bodies moved like liquid shadow, nearly invisible until the moment of strike.

"AMBUSH!" Michael shouted.

The assassins descended on all sides.

" Holy~ Crap it Assassin Class Demon of E rank "

---

Emily Lionheart was the first to react. Her twin daggers blazed with holy flame as she dashed forward, intercepting two assassins mid-leap. "Not today!" she roared, cutting them down in fiery arcs.

Her movements were sharp, efficient a contrast to Leon’s textbook grace. Emily fought like someone who hated her enemy.

"Brother, stay sharp!" she snapped at Leon. "They’ll aim for the leader first!"

Leon gritted his teeth, catching an Demon assassin’s claw with his blade. "I don’t need you shielding me, Emily—"

"You’ll thank me when you’re not gutted," she spat back, carving down another foe.

---

On the far right, a ripple of shadow deepened unnaturally. Alice Nightveil stepped forward, her aura cold and suffocating. Her staff shimmered black, void-like mana swirling at its tip.

The assassins hissed, instinctively recoiling.

Alice’s lips curled into a dark smile. "Pathetic. Crawl back into the darkness you came from."

She slammed her staff into the ice. A pulse of shadow energy rippled outward, swallowing three assassins whole. When the wave passed, nothing remained of them but ash.

Some students glanced at her uneasily—even allies felt the chill of her magic.

Michael’s thoughts cut sharp. Alice’s power is dangerous, but right now, it’s exactly what we need.

---

On the flank, Aurelia Miller darted between enemies, her rapier flashing like silver lightning. Her strikes were elegant, each thrust piercing an assassin’s heart before they could blink. She moved with almost arrogant grace, but unlike Draven, her arrogance was earned.

"Blessing Spark!" she chanted, a golden glow bursting from her free hand. Nearby students felt their limbs lighten, strength returning to tired muscles.

"You’re welcome," Aurelia called sweetly, spinning to impale another foe.

---

At the rear, Elara Moonshade’s bow thrummed, every arrow infused with earth essence. "Piercing Root Arrow!"

Her shot split through three assassins at once, roots bursting from their bodies, pinning them to the frozen ground. She didn’t stop—her rhythm was relentless, every arrow a death sentence.

Beside her, Lyra cast water serpents to bind enemies that slipped through, while Maria bombarded the air with Frost Shard volleys.

---

Then chaos struck.

Justin, a burly swordsman with earth affinity, charged too far forward in his eagerness to prove himself. His blade cleaved an Demon assassin in half but four more surrounded him instantly.

"Justin!" Elara cried.

He swung wildly, panic seizing his movements. One assassin’s claw raked across his arm, tearing through flesh. He screamed, collapsing to one knee.

The others closed in for the kill.

Michael’s Quantum Mind pulsed red. A dozen outcomes showed Justin’s death. Only one offered survival.

Move now!

He Shadow Swapped with Justin, reappearing in his place. His blade swept upward in a frozen arc, bisecting two assassins before they landed.

The other two slashed toward his exposed side.

"Not so fast!" Emily roared, intercepting with flaming daggers, sparks scattering as she cut them down.

Michael exhaled, chest heaving. He yanked Justin back by the collar. "Stay in formation, or you’ll get everyone killed."

Justin, pale and bleeding, stammered, "I-I thought—"

"Stop thinking. Start surviving." Michael’s voice was cold steel.

---

Meanwhile, Leon fought in tandem with Selena. His blade burned with holy flame, her scythe dripping shadows.

They were opposites in every way, but their strikes complemented each other perfectly flame searing what shadow ensnared.

An assassin lunged for Leon’s throat. At the last second, the air shimmered again space warping subtly. The claw missed, slicing empty air instead.

Leon blinked, stunned, then countered with a fiery thrust that split the assassin in two.

Selena’s sharp eyes caught it. "That wasn’t fire," she muttered, her gaze flicking to him. "What are you hiding, Lionheart?"

Leon clenched his jaw. I don’t even know myself...

---

But not everyone was pulling their weight.

Draven roared from the left flank, halberd swinging in wide arcs. He cut through enemies with brute force, his aura flaring violently. But his strikes were wild, reckless—leaving gaps in the formation.

An assassin slipped through his blind spot, darting toward Aurelia.

"Damn it, Draven—!" Aurelia cried, pivoting too late.

Michael’s Quantum Mind screamed again. He Shadow Swapped, intercepting the blow. The assassin’s claw raked his shoulder, drawing blood.

He gritted his teeth, countering with an ice-coated thrust that froze the creature solid before shattering it.

Pain seared through his arm. His vision flickered. Too many swaps... stamina’s draining faster than I can recover.

He rounded on Draven, fury breaking through his calm. "You call yourself a noble, but you can’t even cover your allies? Fight smarter—or I’ll leave you behind."

Draven’s face twisted in rage, but for once, he had no retort.

---

The last Demon assassin fell under Elara’s arrow, its body bursting into roots and ice. Silence descended again, broken only by labored breathing.

Dozens of corpses littered the ground, their shadowy forms dissolving into black mist.

Michael’s blade dripped with dark ichor, his body trembling from overuse. But the pillar ahead still pulsed, faster now, as though mocking them.

We survived the ambush. But the real fight hasn’t started yet the brutal Attack that killed every weak student in orginal plot.

Suddenly, Arround the Magic Circle something happens.

The black mist of the assassins faded into the frozen air. The silence after the ambush was heavier than before, as if the battlefield itself was holding its breath.

Michael wiped ichor from his blade, his breathing ragged. His shoulder throbbed from the earlier slash, every heartbeat making the wound burn hotter. Still, he forced his stance upright. Weakness couldn’t show here.

Ahead, the second pillar loomed.

Unlike the first, which had radiated raw corruption, this one pulsed rhythmically, like a monstrous heart embedded in the ground. Crimson veins stretched outward through the ice, twisting it into jagged spikes.

Selena exhaled beside him, shadowed scythe humming with restrained power. "It’s waiting for us."

Michael’s gaze sharpened. "No. He’s waiting for us."

The ground cracked.

From beneath the frozen earth, a massive clawed hand tore upward, shattering ice like glass. A figure rose, towering three meters tall, its body a grotesque blend of armored muscle and writhing shadow. Its helm was bone-white, horns curving back, eyes glowing hellfire red.

A demon commander.

Its voice was like gravel grinding in a furnace.

"Children of the Academy... you walk willingly to your deaths."

The air warped under its aura—oppressive, suffocating. Students staggered, some dropping to one knee.

Michael’s jaw tightened. This pressure... stronger than the first guardian. And with my stamina already drained...

But retreat wasn’t an option.

"Formation!" he barked.

---

Emily Lionheart spun her daggers, stepping to Leon’s flank. "Brother, don’t hold back. This isn’t a duel."

Leon grit his teeth, golden flames flaring along his sword. "I don’t need the lecture."

Aurelia raised her rapier, light essence shimmering around her. "Stay close. My blessing field will boost your strikes."

Alice Nightveil’s staff pulsed with darkness. She stood slightly apart from the others, her expression cool, almost amused at the tension around her. "Try not to collapse too quickly. I’d hate to be bored."

Elara nocked an arrow, earth mana swirling along the shaft. Justin grunted as he forced himself up, his wound bound hastily by Maria’s frost magic. He looked pale, but determination burned in his eyes.

Michael glanced at each of them. A fragile formation. Too much pride. Too many cracks. If we don’t sync, this demon will slaughter us.

---

The commander moved first.

Despite its size, it was blindingly fast. One step shattered the ice, and it swung its massive blade downward in a crescent of shadow flame.

Michael’s Quantum Mind flared. He Shadow Swapped Justin out of the strike zone, reappearing in his place. His blade intercepted the demon’s strike—

Clang!

The impact sent tremors up his arm, pain exploding in his shoulder wound. He slid back meters, boots carving lines into the frost.

Too strong. Even my Aura Holder won’t last if I go head-to-head.

"NOW!" he shouted.

Emily dashed in, her daggers flaming arcs of holy fire. She carved across the demon’s leg, forcing it to stumble a fraction.

Aurelia thrust her rapier forward, a golden flash piercing its side. Elara’s arrow followed, roots bursting from the wound, anchoring it briefly.

"Hold it!" Elara cried, teeth clenched.

The commander roared, dark flames erupting, burning away the roots.

---

Leon’s Strain

Leon leapt high, his sword blazing like a miniature sun. "Lionheart’s Judgement!"

He descended with a holy strike aimed at the demon’s skull.

But midway, the air warped strangely. His blade missed by inches—like the space itself had twisted. He crashed down awkwardly, stumbling.

"What—?!" Leon gasped.

Alice’s eyes flickered, sharp. "Spatial distortion. Interesting..."

Michael’s heart skipped. So it’s happening... Leon’s latent space affinity is surfacing. But it’s unstable. Dangerous.

The demon’s claw swept at Leon while he was off-balance.

Michael’s body moved before thought. Siekie Ryoku’s Form One – Swift Step.

Snap—he blurred forward, intercepting the strike. His blade hissed as he diverted the claw, but the backlash tore at his muscles.

Leon froze, stunned. "...You—"

"Focus!" Michael snapped. "Your slip almost got you killed."

Leon’s jaw tightened, shame and fury warring in his eyes.

---

On the left, Draven bellowed, swinging his halberd recklessly. He carved into the demon’s arm, black ichor spraying. "Hah! That’s right, bow before me!"

But his wide arcs left Aurelia exposed. The demon’s tail whipped forward, a barbed lance aimed at her heart.

Michael’s Quantum Mind screamed. Too many outcomes most ended in her death.

He Shadow Swapped—again. His body appeared in front of Aurelia, the tail piercing his side instead.

"Michael!" Aurelia’s voice cracked.

Blood sprayed. He grit his teeth, stabbing upward, freezing the tail solid before breaking free.

Pain lanced his ribs. His vision blurred. Damn it. Too many swaps. My body can’t take it...

He rounded on Draven, rage breaking through.

"Your arrogance is killing us! Fight like a soldier, not a drunk barbarian!"

Draven snarled. "You dare lecture me, commoner?!"

"Both of you—enough!" Aurelia snapped, her voice ringing with rare authority. "If you two can’t stop bickering, we’re all corpses!"

---

Michael Pushes Siekie Ryoku

The commander roared, its aura flaring like a storm. Shadows lashed outward, tearing ice spires apart.

Michael staggered but planted his sword, breathing harsh. I can’t hold back. One mistake and we’re finished.

He slid into Siekie Ryoku’s Form Two – Twin Veil Cut.

His body curved, blade sweeping in rapid arcs, aura leaving trails of shimmering frost. One slash across the demon’s arm, another across its chest. The air itself split under the strikes.

The others gasped

Emily most of all.

"That technique... Brother, did you see—?!"

Leon’s eyes narrowed, recognition sparking. "...That’s not Academy style. Where did he learn that...?"

But Michael couldn’t waste breath. His muscles screamed, tendons straining from the unnatural speed. Each strike cut deeper into his stamina than the last.

--

The commander howled, its body igniting in shadow flame. Its aura blasted outward, sending most of the formation flying.

Michael barely kept his footing, his ribs screaming in agony.

The demon’s eyes locked onto him now. "You... the one bending space and shadow... You will be the first to die."

It surged forward, blade descending.

Michael’s mind flickered with outcomes—most showed his death.

But then, space warped again.

Leon, his eyes wide with panic, slashed blindly. His blade vanished into the air—and reappeared from another angle, cutting across the demon’s wrist.

The commander recoiled, snarling.

Leon collapsed, trembling, his sword flickering with unstable light. "Wh-what... did I just—"

Michael’s gaze hardened. Spatial affinity... it’s awakening. But if he can’t control it, it’ll tear him apart before the demon does.

---

The demon steadied, black aura boiling around it, stronger than before. Students scrambled to regroup, their formation broken.

Michael’s body trembled, blood dripping from his side and shoulder, vision hazy. But his grip tightened on his blade.

If I fall here, the pillar stands. And if the pillar stands, this world dies.

He exhaled, stepping forward again.

"Round two," he muttered, voice hoarse but unyielding.

The commander’s eyes burned brighter.

"Yes. Struggle more... entertain me, little mortals."

The frozen battlefield quaked as their clash reignited.