Thirty minutes earlier
Aaron brought his heavy blade down on one of the wolves, splitting it cleanly in half. Beside him, Avery wasted no time—he crushed another wolf's skull with a single punch.
The others, who had been hesitant, saw how easily the two dispatched the flame wolves. Their fighting spirits reignited. With determined shouts, they charged forward to assist.
Keel Kun couldn't help but feel a surge of awe. These two aren't trainees… not with power like that. To kill Grade D Flame Wolves with such ease—and Avery's leadership was something else entirely. He already had the others organized and ready to fight.
That's the mark of a true hero, Keel Kun thought.
Suddenly, a chill swept through the woods where Keel Kun sat, watching. Instinctively, he twisted just in time to avoid a sword meant to cleave his head.
"Tsk! Jasmine? Ro-El? What is this?" Keel Kun growled, his halberd materializing in his hand.
"Sorry, Keel Kun. We've got a job to do," Ro-El said with a slow, unsettling smile.
It was only then Keel Kun realized—they were no longer near the students.
"Where are we?" he demanded.
"Somewhere far," Jasmine replied calmly, summoning a long sword into her hand. "A place where there'll be no interruptions."
Keel Kun's mind raced. There's no way Ro-El or Jasmine would betray us… Or so he thought. Seeing them now, poised to kill him, doubt clawed at his certainty.
Ro-El, noticing his confusion, chuckled.
"Oh, don't beat yourself up. Before we were loyal to the Headmaster… we were already sold to another."
Keel Kun's frown deepened. "Who do you work for?"
"Don't worry. Even if we told you, it wouldn't matter," Jasmine said coldly.
"You won't live long enough to use that knowledge," Ro-El added, twin long scissors appearing in his hands.
They lunged.
Jasmine's sword thrust for his chest. Keel Kun flipped backward, dodging just in time. As he landed, he raised his halberd to block Ro-El's scissors that nearly clipped his ear. He gritted his teeth under the force—Ro-El had always been stronger. Twisting his halberd, he slid the scissors off and countered with a jab to Ro-El's face, sending him staggering back.
But Jasmine was already on him. Her sword hacked deep into his shoulder.
"Argh!" Keel Kun roared, retaliating with a slam of his halberd's blade into her head. She was sent flying, but even mid-air, she stabbed her sword into the ground to steady herself. Keel Kun charged, halberd ready, but Jasmine flung a handful of sand into his face.
"Damn!" Keel Kun cursed, momentarily blinded.
A sharp pain bloomed in his abdomen. Choking on blood, he looked down and saw the glint of a scissor blade protruding from his belly. He twisted his head back—Ro-El grinned at him.
"You were tough, but you can't outrun death," Ro-El said, voice smug.
Keel Kun's breath hissed through clenched teeth. He turned forward just in time to see Jasmine approaching again, blade raised to finish him.
"Daime…" he whispered. A strange light shimmered to life around him, forming a faint halo.
"Tsk! You're not going down that easily, huh?" Ro-El snarled. But before he could react, Keel Kun vanished, reappearing several miles away.
"Neither are we," Jasmine muttered. Her body ignited in flames, her entire form wreathed in fire. Ro-El's body shifted, his muscles compressing and his size decreasing to boost agility.
"It's two against one. Come die properly," Ro-El growled. He shot forward, covering nearly a thousand meters in the blink of an eye. In an instant, he was behind Keel Kun, scissors closing in for the kill—but Keel Kun vanished again and reappeared behind him. His halberd slammed into Ro-El's back, piercing through his defenses.
Jasmine was already in front of him, her sword aimed for his head. As she struck, Keel Kun's form shimmered and vanished.
"Afterimage!" Jasmine hissed. She spun around just as Keel Kun's halberd cleaved through her, splitting her cleanly down the middle.
As her body crumpled, Ro-El leapt back. But Keel Kun was already on him, halberd slicing faster than before. Ro-El ducked low and kicked upward, sending Keel Kun stumbling backward. Seizing the chance, Ro-El dashed forward, grabbed Keel Kun's leg, and slammed him into the ground.
The halo around Keel Kun flickered.
Ro-El didn't hesitate—he hacked at Keel Kun with his scissors, chunks of flesh tearing away. The halo sputtered and finally died.
"You're out of Spiritual Energy, aren't you?" Ro-El sneered, raising his blades for the killing blow. "You can't keep that technique up long."
"Got…" Keel Kun muttered.
"What?" Ro-El frowned.
"Got you," Keel Kun repeated, raising a trembling hand.
Ro-El turned—three other instructors were rushing toward them.
"Shit!" he spat. He shot into the trees, vanishing into the distance. The instructors stopped at Keel Kun's side.
"No… no, get him. We need him," Keel Kun gasped. Two of them immediately gave chase, leaving one to tend to him.
How?! Ro-El wondered frantically as he fled. He had no idea how Keel Kun had called backup. The plan had been perfect—kill Keel Kun, and let the trainee heroes get overwhelmed by the D-ranked hybrid Flame Wolves.
It had been easy. Keel Kun, distracted by the trainees, hadn't noticed when Ro-El tampered with the Red Zone boundary and lured the hybrid wolves toward them. Even when one trainee broke off to hunt solo, Jasmine had assured him that it didn't matter—as long as Keel Kun died.
They'd used the gift from the Apostles—a Slip Ring. A one-time-use artifact capable of teleporting up to twenty people. It had brought Jasmine, Ro-El, and Keel Kun deep into the Red Zone, a place no one should have been able to track.
How…? he wondered again.
Above him, a black crow soared through the sky, its beady eyes tracking his every move.
---
---
Itekan stood amidst a mountain of dead swamp slime trees, their rotting forms piled high. His spiritual sea had expanded again. He had broken through to the Fifth Ring.
It was staggering.
It had taken nearly three months to advance from Second to Third Ring. A month for the Fourth. But the Fifth? He had reached the Fourth only three days ago.
This speed… it's absurd, he thought.
Footsteps echoed nearby.
"Hello, son of the fallen," a voice called from between the trees.
Itekan's eyes narrowed. He knew that voice.
"You! What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same. Why are you in a graveyard of dead trees?"
"None of your business. Leave me—I don't have time to waste."
"Pity. I came here especially for you." The figure stepped into view—Aitken. "I wasn't supposed to act until the others arrived. But I couldn't wait. Let's see if you can survive against the Apostles of Death."
Blood pins gathered around him ominously.
Itekan's gaze hardened. "If you're spoiling for a fight, I'm happy to oblige."
His shadow spirit surged forth, condensing sharply.
"Shadow's Hand: Shadow Tentacles." Four inky tendrils spiraled into existence around him, poised to strike.
Spiritual Energy -- SE
Spritual Sea -- SS
Spiritual Signatures -- SST