The last day arrived.
No one slept.
No one rested.
The Demon King Academy stood on the edge of destruction.
The sky above remained unnaturally dark, as if the world itself knew what was coming.
A heavy silence filled the air.
Not fear.
Not panic.
But something deeper.
Resolve.
Across the academy—
Students stood in formation.
No more scattered training.
No more chaos.
Now—
They stood as fighters.
Instructors walked among them, giving final guidance.
"Stay in groups!"
"Don't act alone!"
"Support each other!"
Every word mattered now.
At the front—
Kael Draven stood with a small group of elite students.
His presence had changed.
His flames were no longer wild.
They were controlled.
Sharp.
Deadly.
"…I won't fall," he muttered quietly.
Beside him—
Lyra stood calmly.
Her ice magic surrounded her like a silent storm.
Compressed.
Stable.
Powerful.
She clenched her fist slightly.
"…I'm ready."
From above—
Zareth Voidragon observed everything.
Standing alone on the highest tower of the academy.
His gaze scanned the battlefield below.
"…They've improved."
A pause.
"…Enough to survive the first wave."
Behind him—
Valthor appeared.
"…The barrier won't last long."
Zareth didn't turn.
"…I know."
Valthor looked at him carefully.
"…You're not worried."
Zareth's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Worry changes nothing."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Valthor spoke again.
"…All five of them are coming."
Zareth smiled faintly.
"…Good."
Suddenly—
A loud pulse echoed across the academy.
BOOOOOM.
The barrier flickered violently.
Cracks spread across it like glass.
Students looked up in shock.
"…It's starting…"
Another удар.
BOOOOOM.
The barrier shattered.
Silence.
For a single moment—
Everything stopped.
Then—
Darkness descended.
Five figures appeared in the sky.
Cloaked.
Overwhelming.
Terrifying.
The pressure alone forced many students to their knees.
"…This… power…"
"…We can't win…"
One of the traitors stepped forward.
"…So this is the academy."
Another laughed softly.
"…Pathetic."
The leader raised his hand.
"…Begin."
Instantly—
Chaos erupted.
Dark magic rained down from the sky.
Explosions tore through the outer defenses.
Students screamed.
Instructors shouted.
"DEFEND!"
Kael stepped forward immediately.
"…Let's go!"
His flames ignited as he charged toward the incoming attacks.
Lyra followed.
Ice surged across the ground, forming barriers to block incoming destruction.
BOOM.
CRASH.
Magic clashed everywhere.
Zareth still stood above—
Watching.
"…You're not moving?" Valthor asked.
Zareth's eyes locked onto the five figures.
"…Not yet."
Below—
Kael fought fiercely.
His controlled flames cut through enemy attacks.
For the first time—
He wasn't being overwhelmed.
"…I can do this!"
An enemy strike came from above—
Too fast.
Too strong.
Kael braced himself—
But—
A wall of ice blocked it.
Lyra stood beside him.
"…Focus."
Kael smirked slightly.
"…Yeah."
Together—
They pushed forward.
Elsewhere—
Multiple students fought desperately to survive.
Some succeeded.
Some fell.
The battlefield showed no mercy.
In the sky—
The five traitors watched.
"…They're struggling."
"…As expected."
But one of them narrowed his eyes.
"…No…"
A pause.
"…They've improved."
The leader remained silent.
His gaze shifted—
Toward the tower.
"…Zareth Voidragon."
At that moment—
Zareth finally moved.
The air around him changed instantly.
Dark energy surged.
The entire battlefield froze.
Students stopped.
Enemies paused.
Even the five traitors—
Felt it.
Zareth stepped forward—
And vanished.
In the next instant—
He appeared in the sky.
Directly in front of them.
Silence.
"…So you finally came," one of them said.
Zareth looked at all five of them.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"…You took longer than expected."
A smirk appeared on one of their faces.
"…Confident as ever."
Zareth's eyes glowed faintly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Just stronger."
The sky trembled.
Energy clashed between them.
Below—
Everyone looked up.
Fear.
Hope.
Shock.
Because they all understood—
This was it.
The real battle—
Had begun.