The world held its breath. Caelum's words lingered in the air long after he spoke them, carrying an unexpected weight across the courtyard.
*He's the last chance.*
Not an heir. Not a successor. Not a replacement. The last chance. The specific distinction mattered to everyone present, and the silver-haired woman floating above the academy felt it too. Her smile faded only slightly, but Orion noticed the subtle shift instantly.
The Hunters remained suspended across the sky. Twenty figures, twenty terrifying cultivators, stood in perfect formation. Not one of them made a wasted movement, and not one of them spoke. Their absolute discipline was unsettling. Most elite forces radiated confidence, but these people radiated certainty. The difference was important: confidence could fail, but certainty didn't think failure was a possibility.
