Elsewhere in the academy, the air shimmered with mana as Igron faced his own trial. His opponents were not low-level monsters but Grade 3 and 4 elemental constructs, sent by his seniors to test his command over illusions.
The forest clearing they trained in pulsed with the illusionary magic Igron wielded. Shadows twisted, multiplied, and attacked from impossible angles. Yet Igron moved effortlessly, his body reading every movement, every incoming strike, as if the illusions themselves betrayed their secrets.
"Again?" a senior sneered, sending a barrage of fire constructs toward him.
Igron smirked, eyes glowing faintly. "If you insist." With a flick of his wrist, he warped the space around him, creating phantom duplicates of himself that split the attacks and redirected them toward the constructs themselves.
Blades of shadow struck from unexpected angles, illusions converging perfectly with his physical movements. By the time the barrage ended, Igron stood unscathed, the constructs shattered into fragments of glowing mana.
A senior's jaw tightened. "He's not even using his full power… he's toying with us."
Igron's smirk widened, crimson eyes flicking toward the next wave of constructs. "You'll need to try harder than that."
Meanwhile, far above in the observation towers, supervisors and students whispered. "That's Igron… even his seniors are struggling to keep up."
"And the way he's controlling illusions… it's flawless. Nobody moves like that at this level."
Back at the Eclipse Faction's forest, the sounds of distant battles reminded Kairo and Riven of the bigger picture. Lily's fire flickered faintly, still stabilizing her heat spatial awareness.
Sukai, however, was becoming increasingly anxious. He scanned the forest around him, expecting to see his sister at any moment. "Lily?" he called again, voice rising slightly. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the heat signature she had been giving off moments ago—now gone.
"She was right here… where did she go?" Sukai muttered under his breath, panic creeping in. He clenched his fists, scanning the treeline, the forest floor, and every shadow. "I'll find her… no matter what."
Even as Igron dominated his trial and Eclipse Faction pushed their kill count higher, Sukai's focus was singular: locating the sister who had vanished into the chaos of the hunt.