The hooded man moved silently.
While everyone's attention remained focused on the catastrophic battle raging in the sky, he slipped through the battlefield like a shadow.
Corrupted energy condensed around his scarred hands slowly.
His target—
Lily.
Above them, Zael and the transformed commander continued exchanging devastating attacks at blinding speed.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Entire sections of the sky distorted each time they collided.
The commander's abyssal assimilation had pushed his combat power to an entirely different level.
Even Zael was finally being forced to take the fight seriously.
Yet despite that—
A small part of his awareness still remained focused on the battlefield below.
Which was why—
The moment the hooded man disappeared from his original location—
Zael noticed.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
Meanwhile, Lily was freezing an incoming wave of demonized creatures when her instincts suddenly screamed danger.
She turned immediately—
Too late.
The hooded man appeared directly behind her with corrupted flames condensed into a spear-like attack.
"For my children…" he whispered hatefully.
"…die."
BOOOOOOM!!!
The attack descended instantly.
But before it could touch Lily—
Space warped violently.
Void Step.
Zael appeared between them.
The corrupted spear slammed directly into Zael's shoulder.
CRACK!!!
The impact shattered the surrounding ground and sent violent shockwaves across the battlefield.
Lily's eyes widened.
"Zael—!"
The hooded man himself froze briefly.
Because despite taking the attack head-on—
Zael hadn't moved.
Not even an inch.
Black lightning flickered around his body slowly afterward.
Then Zael looked up.
And the hooded man's entire body stiffened instantly.
Those eyes—
Cold.
Completely emotionless.
For the first time since the invasion began, genuine fear surged through the man's mind.
"You…" Zael said quietly,
"…really like making stupid decisions."
BOOM!!!
Zael grabbed the man's throat instantly.
The hooded figure tried to struggle—
But the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Corrupted energy exploded wildly from his body as he attempted escape techniques desperately.
Worthless.
Zael's grip tightened slightly.
CRACK.
The man coughed blood immediately.
Above them, the transformed commander roared furiously before diving downward at terrifying speed.
"LET HIM GO!"
A gigantic claw strike descended toward Zael from above.
Zael didn't even look up.
"Abyss Rend."
SHIIIIIIING!!!
The black slash erupted upward instantly.
The transformed commander's attack was blown apart midair while the slash itself continued upward and carved across his chest violently.
Blood exploded across the sky.
The commander staggered backward roaring in pain.
The surrounding battlefield fell silent briefly afterward.
Everyone stared at Zael.
Because he had just simultaneously overpowered both major enemies without even appearing strained.
The hooded man's breathing became ragged now.
"…Monster…"
Zael's expression remained indifferent.
Then suddenly—
His eyes flickered slightly.
Because the hooded man's energy was becoming unstable.
Very unstable.
The commander noticed too.
"No—WAIT—!"
But it was already too late.
The hooded figure began laughing madly.
"If I can't kill you…"
Black cracks spread across his body rapidly.
"…then I'll take everyone here with me!"
Zael's expression sharpened instantly.
Self-detonation.
And not a normal one either.
The man was burning his life force, mana core, and corrupted energy simultaneously.
A suicidal explosion from a high-level awakener inside the academy grounds—
Would massacre thousands.
The hooded man laughed hysterically as his body swelled with unstable energy.
"DIE WITH M—"
CRACK.
Silence.
Zael had calmly crushed his throat.
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Then—
Void energy condensed around Zael's hand.
"Void Collapse."
Space folded inward violently around the hooded man's body.
The unstable energy imploded instantly before it could erupt outward.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A miniature spatial singularity swallowed everything.
Then vanished.
Along with the hooded man entirely.
Complete erasure.
Not even ashes remained.
[Ding!]
[Unit eliminated.]
[+1 Origin Point obtained.]
Zael ignored the notification completely.
Because above him—
The transformed commander had gone utterly berserk.
A horrifying roar shook the academy.
"You killed him…"
Abyssal energy erupted uncontrollably from the commander's body.
"YOU KILLED HIM!"
The sky itself began cracking under the pressure.
And for the first time since the invasion began—
Zael slowly drew his sword completely.
SHIIIIIIIING.
The sound of Zael fully unsheathing his sword echoed unnaturally across the battlefield.
The moment the blade emerged completely—
The surrounding space distorted.
Black cracks spread faintly through the air itself as if reality struggled to endure the weapon's presence.
Below, countless students instinctively stopped fighting and looked upward.
Even the Abyss Knights paused briefly.
Because the pressure radiating from Zael now had changed completely.
Before, he felt powerful.
Now—
He felt dangerous.
The transformed commander stared at the blade while abyssal flames exploded around his body violently.
Then he laughed.
Not mockingly.
Excitedly.
"YES…"
"THAT'S IT!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The commander exploded forward with overwhelming speed.
The sky shattered behind him from sheer force alone.
Zael moved simultaneously.
CRAAAAASH!!!
Sword and claw collided midair.
The resulting shockwave flattened everything beneath them for hundreds of meters.
Students screamed as shattered debris and pressure storms erupted across the academy grounds.
The commander attacked again immediately afterward.
Claws tore through the sky like crimson meteors while abyssal flames devoured everything in their path.
Zael met every strike calmly.
SHING!
SHING!
SHIIIIING!!!
Sword arcs flashed continuously through the darkened sky.
Precise.
Cold.
Deadly.
Unlike the commander's savage brutality, Zael's movements carried terrifying efficiency.
Every slash aimed to kill.
The commander suddenly roared and slammed both hands together.
A gigantic abyssal sphere condensed instantly between his palms.
The surrounding air screamed under its density.
"ABYSS STARFALL!"
He hurled it downward.
The sphere expanded rapidly mid-descent until it resembled a miniature black sun crashing toward the academy.
Students below despaired instantly.
That attack would erase half the campus.
Zael's eyes narrowed faintly.
Then—
"Void Step."
He vanished.
Appearing directly above the descending sphere.
Black lightning erupted around his sword afterward.
Storm Dragon Core activated.
Crackling draconic thunder fused with void energy and abyssal darkness simultaneously.
The sword itself began vibrating violently from the overwhelming power gathering within it.
Then Zael swung downward.
"Night Sever."
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!
A colossal black slash descended through the heavens.
The abyssal sphere split cleanly in half.
Then exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The night sky lit up from the collision.
Violent storms of corrupted energy and black lightning swept across the battlefield.
Several weaker demonized creatures were vaporized instantly from the aftershock alone.
The transformed commander emerged through the explosion immediately afterward, claw aimed directly at Zael's chest.
Fast.
Too fast.
CRACK!!!
The claw tore across Zael's side before he could fully evade.
Blood scattered through the air.
Below, Lily's expression changed instantly.
"ZAEL!"
The commander grinned savagely.
"I GOT YOU!"
But Zael merely glanced at the wound briefly.
Then—
[Ding!]
[Adaptive Evolution activated.]
[Resistance to abyssal corruption increased.]
[Resistance to claw-type kinetic force increased.]
The wound visibly stopped bleeding almost immediately.
The commander's grin slowly faltered.
"…What?"
Zael raised his eyes calmly afterward.
Then suddenly grabbed the commander's arm.
The transformed demon's instincts screamed danger.
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Zael slammed him downward through the sky like a falling meteor.
Buildings exploded apart beneath the impact as the commander crashed through multiple academy sectors consecutively before finally smashing into the ground hard enough to create a gigantic crater.
The entire university shook violently.
Dust and flames filled the air.
Zael descended slowly afterward, sword in hand, black-and-silver energy swirling around him like a storm.
The commander rose from the crater moments later.
Damaged.
Bleeding.
Yet laughing.
Even now.
His body had begun regenerating already through abyssal assimilation.
"You…" he growled while wiping blood from his mouth.
"…you're not human."
Zael tilted his sword slightly downward.
"Neither are you anymore."
For a brief moment—
Silence filled the ruined battlefield.
Then suddenly—
A horrifying pressure descended from one of the remaining spatial tears above the academy.
Not Tier Four.
Far beyond that.
Every single person on the battlefield froze instantly.
Even the transformed commander's expression changed to shock.
Then fear.
Something enormous moved within the crack in space.
And slowly—
An eye opened.