Neo’s grip on the sword of mana tightened, his eyes focusing. Zeta cackled to himself, holding his hand out at his side, palm facing the ground.

  Neo pivoted, rewinding a swing with both hands. The blade lengthened to what could’ve been several meters long. He stepped forward, swinging his arms and unleashing an arching slash.

  Zeta’s eyes gaped open while lurching back. The extended blade nearly grazed the front of his abdomen.

  The silver blade was shortened to its initial size, and Neo charged in.

  Zeta’s heart thumped in his chest, eyes going wide as the distance vanished. He grit his teeth and scrunched his nose, throwing a punch at Neo.

  Blood escaped to the ground. His wrist had been severed from his right arm.

  “Figures. You never struck me as the type to understand battle.” Neo said.

  He rammed the mana sword into Zeta’s chest. It pierced through the gadget, blue energy crackling inside.

  “Y-you!” Zeta tried to push Neo with his other hand.

  Neo grabbed his hand and drove the blade in deeper, blood escaping from his chest and dribbling out of his mouth.

  Neo yanked the blade out from his chest, along with the gadget.

  Zeta staggered backwards, crumbling to his hands and knees, blood streaming out of his chest and wrist.

  “I’ll have your head, you accursed bastard…!” Zeta said in the middle of a wheeze.

  He coughed profusely—more blood flicking onto the ground.

  The air was filled with the metallic odor of Zeta’s waterfalling crimson. The grip of the sword in Neo’s hand loosened. He walked over to the gadget, picked it up, took a long look at it, and then pocketed it.

  Neo’s uniform had been splattered with Zeta’s blood, a spray of droplets finding purchase on his face.

  The rustling of armor had clanged from behind them, and the sound of blades unsheathing filled the air.

  Zeta attempted to stand on his feet, clutching the deep stab wound in his chest. Blood escaped the cracks of his fingers and trailed down to his stomach. His eyes grew heavy, but he snapped them open time and time again until he was on his feet.

  Neo tilted his head as the entire squad of knights caught up to them on the trail.

  Zeta limped forward, and every step he took barely covered any ground.

  “That’s him!” The knights rushed over to Zeta.

  Lonan jogged over, out of breath, and his chest heaving.

  “Damn!... Do you know how hard it is… To run through the institute?”

  Lonan panted with his hands on his knees.

  “I can imagine,” Neo replied, but his gaze was still focused on Zeta.

  “What happened to him?...” One of the knights looked back at Neo.

  “What do you think?” Neo flaunted his mana sword.

  “Restraints! We’ll make it work somehow.” Another knight said.

  Zeta’s body was growing limp, leaning off balance, while the knights held him. They were getting blood on their armor, trying to keep him upright. Zeta continued to fight, shouting while a knight pulled out their restraints.

  “Someone, go get Xena! She’s in the Northern District!” A knight shouted.

  One of the knights ran off, armor rustling as they made haste out of the gardens.

  The dashing fragrance of flowers had been overpowered by iron drifting through the air.

  “Unhand me…!” Zeta’s voice was weak, and the light in his eyes began to dim.

  “Has it really… Come to this?” Zeta muttered to himself.

  Neo’s stomach curled, seeing a small grin on Zeta’s lips that went unnoticed.

  “O great entity… I call to you with this offering, in exchange for mortal life in the blessing of your power!” Zeta muttered.

  Neo tightened his hand on the sword again, shouting.

  “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!”

  The knights lost consciousness the moment Zeta’s chant was over. Their bodies transfigured, bursting out of their armor. Torsos contorted, and limbs stretched out with bone-crunching reverberance. All knights that were there had transformed into pale, tall, mindless, white creatures. The bodies of the knights intertwined and clashed with each other, creating four.

  Zeta’s injuries began to heal.

  The wound in his chest pulled back together with the sound of wet squishing.

  Zeta held out his right arm, and his hand reformed tissue, bones, and anatomy as if it were only a scratch.

  “Your strength could never replicate this.” Zeta grins.

  “You’re a maniac,” Neo said.

  “What the hell is going on here, Neo! And what are those things? They don’t look too friendly!” Lonan stammered out.

  A straggling group of girls exited the institute, seeing blood on the ground, four strange creatures, and Zeta behind them. They screamed and ran off-trail, disappearing into the gardens.

  “I wanted to come to the institute to… Show my appreciation. But I’ll just have to do it this way.” Zeta pointed his finger forward.

  The newly born creatures rushed forth, charging on all fours like a horde of hungry animals. Once nearing Neo, one of them raised its giant fist, throwing it down at him.

  Neo dashed backwards, evading the attack, then grabbed Lonan and tossed him out of the way of the second creature’s attack.

  “Hey!” Lonan shouted as he went tumbling back.

  Not giving Neo any time to think, the other two pounced on him, their giant bodies merging as one into an even greater-sized creature. Its fingernails were razor sharp, like a beast's.

  Neo’s eyes widened, focusing on the creature’s swiping claws.

  He deflected one of their arms, staggering back from the weight of the attack.

  The other two flanked him from both sides.

  Neo quickly turned, lengthening the sword and slicing both heads clean off. A downpour of blood splashed onto his clothes and soaked into his hair. The two creatures’ bodies collapsed, rivers of blood flowing out from their necks.

  “Neo, behind you!” Lonan shouted.

  “Why the fuck are you still here!” Neo turned and sidestepped the merged creature’s swiping claws again.

  “Because that white-haired guy left!” Lonan said.

  “He left? Hang on, let me focus, you’re distracting me!” He jumped away from the creature, shortening the mana sword.

  The creature’s dark gaze tracked Neo’s every movement.

  A ball of fire blasted the creature’s shoulder. It screeched in response, looking up. Aephyra was floating in the air on a broomstick and holding a book in one hand.

  “Looks like you need a hand, Neo Raithe,” Aephyra said with a smug grin.

  “She just shot a fireball…” Lonan looked up to see Aephyra sitting on the floating broomstick.

  The creature crouched lower to the ground, its claws digging in, and its eyes locking onto Aephyra.

  Random streaks in Neo’s hair turned silver. He blitzed forward, slashing across its abdomen. The creature roared in pain, looking down and swatting its claws at him.

  He jumped over its arching swipe, planting his feet on its face and plunging the sword into its eye.

  A violent roar tore from its throat.

  Neo latched onto it, yanking his blade out and jumping off its face.

  Aephyra pointed her finger below Neo’s falling arc, creating an airy platform beneath him.

  He landed on it, looking over at Aephyra.

  “Go on, finish it. Let’s see if Synvale has any competence left.” Aephyra smirks.

  “... You’re too nosy.” Neo rolled his eyes, flipping off the platform and facing the sword at the ground.

  He rammed the blade deep into the top of its head. Silver-colored mana flourished around it while he forced it in deeper.

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  The creature’s limbs gave out, the pressure of the energy causing blood to blast from its head. Neo was drenched, the creature bellowing until it fully collapsed on the ground.

  In the death of the creature, he ripped the blade out, taking a few steps back.

  He took a long exhale, mana swirling around the sword before it vanished in a haze of energy.

  Lonan jogged towards him.

  “Neo, you should not be here. You belong in the battle academy or the adventurer’s guild.” Lonan said.

  Aephyra floated down with the broomstick, getting off it and shutting her book.

  “Well, that is where he was from, actually. You’re from Vislinia’s Academy of War, I know it.” Aephyra smirks.

  “Mind your business, would you?” Neo sighed.

  “Oh, for now, I will. Anyway, explain what these things are? Not even in all my knowledge of beasts and animals have I seen something like these before.” She walked past Neo.

  “Mmh, and you could use a shower. Do take one as soon as possible, yes?” Aephyra added.

  “That was the plan,” Neo replied.

  Hurried steps raced onto the footpath—it was Xena and Veyric with a large group of knights.

  “Would you look at this… Help has finally come. Imagine if I and Neo here were weaklings. You’d be looking at corpses, Ms. Xena.” Aephyra said.

  “Oh, quiet! What happened?” Xena asked.

  Lonan was looking at the corpses of the white creatures, staying clear of the thick puddles of blood.

  “Zeta came here. I think he was looking for more victims… But, luckily, I ran into him. Initially, he was on the back foot, but… He offered the knights as sacrifices to an entity, and turned them into those… Things.” Neo explained.

  “Unbelievable… And you just… Killed them?” Xena’s eyes widened a bit.

  “Yes, I killed them. The moment they transformed, they were no longer human.” Neo said.

  “How pragmatic of you, Neo,” Aephyra said.

  Xena took another long sigh, looking at Veyric.

  “Huh, the rumors are true,” Neo said, looking at him as well.

  Lonan gawked as if he were staring at a ghost.

  “Also, I took this out of his chest. Looks like it's some kind of gadget.” Neo took it out of his pocket and handed it to Xena. There was some blood on it.

  “Thank you. I’ll be sure to let Professor Kai’La have a look at this.” Xena replied.

  Neo started walking away. The blood all over him made his uniform heavy and soggy.

  “Hey, Neo, where are you going?” Lonan followed behind him.

  “Oh, stop following me, shithead…” Neo let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Hm…” Aephyra got on her broomstick and flew away.

  “Things just… Got way worse.” Veyric said.

  “I know that, Veyric!” Xena snapped at him.

  He flinched, pulling away his gaze.

  Xena’s brows were furrowed, and she shut her eyes for a moment.

  “Go back to the manor, Veyric,” Xena ordered.

  “Right…” He nodded, turning on his heel to leave.

  “Um, Captain… Are you going to check if that elf has a license for that?” A knight said.

  Xena blinked twice and crossed her arms.

  “Go fly and get her if you’re that bothered by it! But, I’m sure you can tell there are more severe things to worry about!” Xena gestured to the giant corpses.

  Veyric could hear Xena’s shout in the distance. Now, all he could think about was what was inside the bag.

  Veyric returned to King Alan’s manor. Without Xena nearby, the knights who patrolled watched him with clear concern.

  “Where’s Xena?” One asked.

  “At the institute. There was another attack, so her hands are tied, right now.” He replied.

  “So, she just… Let you leave?” The same knight asked.

  “She told me to go back, so that’s what I did. What else was I supposed to do? Say no?” Veyric tightened his hold on the bag.

  The knight’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “What’s in the bag, dragon boy?” Another knight came up to him.

  Veyric’s eyes glinted.

  “None of your fucking business.” He growled out.

  “Easy, easy… It’s just that… Security’s been tight recently, you know? Can’t just let you bring a random bag inside the King’s home.” The second knight said.

  “If it makes you feel any better, Echthron gave it to me. He told me it’s mine. If you try to take it from me… It… It won’t end well.” Veyric clutched the satchel of the bag tighter.

  “Is that a threat, scales?” The second knight snickered.

  “Yeah, is that a threat?” The first knight added.

  Veyric’s jaw clenched.

  “What is happening out here?” Princess Alice exited the manor.

  “Princess Alice, we were just teaching Veyric here a lesson.” The second knight said.

  “For what? He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Princess Alice said.

  “Well, it’s just that… He’s trying to bring a bag inside the manor without letting us check it. What if it’s dangerous?” The knight continued.

  Princess Alice sighs.

  “All of you, stop giving him such a hard time here in Leviara. None of us has any idea of what it’s like to be in his shoes. So, please, try to show some compassion and treat him like one of our own. Especially you, Merle. When my father has time, he’ll have a chat with you.” Princess Alice walked through.

  “Bitch.” Merle muttered under his breath as she passed.

  Veyric drove his fist into Merle’s mouth.

  “Ah!” Merle staggered to the ground.

  Princess Alice turned around sharply.

  “Oh, dear! Veyric, no!” She shouted.

  Veyric’s eyes blazed with golden fury, grabbing Merle’s arm and yanking him up to his feet.

  “If you want to be a big, bad knight, state your words with confidence. Why don’t you say it loud enough for her to hear?” Veyric’s hands were steaming, his gaze boring into Merle’s.

  “Put me down, you lizard!” Merle’s lip was busted.

  “Say it to the face of the hand that feeds you!” Veyric shouted.

  “Put me down, you filthy dragon!” Merle said.

  “Tell her what you said!” Veyric’s grip tightened around his arm.

  Merle yelped in pain, trying to push Veyric off.

  “I called her a bitch! Yes, I said it! A bitch! And that’s what she is!” Merle said.

  Veyric shoved Merle away. He fell on his rear, panting heavily.

  King Alan was watching the entire time. He glared at Merle, at Veyric, and then finally at Alice.

  “Go on inside, Veyric.” King Alan said.

  Veyric pulled the bag higher up on his shoulder, walking into the manor.

  “Merle, your actions here today will have consequences.” King Alan said, walking past.

  “Consequences! Like what? It’s already a death sentence letting not one, but two fucking dragons inside of Leviara!” Merle shouted.

  Xena was on the footpath up the hill. She was walking fast and stomping hard enough that it felt like the ground was shaking.

  “Your majesty, did you get my note?” Xena asked.

  “Yes, I received it, and I understand your complaints. You’re right, now’s the time to make a public statement.” Alan said.

  “Has Veyric come back?” Xena asked.

  “Yes, he just went inside. Let us be on our way. I need to have a look at these creatures for myself as well.” Alan replied.

  All three began to descend the hill.

  Merle rose to his feet, slicking back his hair and storming off.