(If this is what happened to this character right now… then why didn't the novel give our group a more important role? Why were we just background characters?)
We were barely holding on.
Bloodied.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
(If we hold on any longer, we'll all die here.)
My vision blurred. Pain tore through my body. But I reached out anyway.
With the last of my strength and fading mana, I lunged forward. My body screamed in pain, but I pushed through.
Grabbed the assassin's dagger from his back.
I shouted—and drove the blade into his chest.
CHHHH
His body jerked.
Then slowed.
His breath caught once… then stopped completely.
He died while we barely held on.
I… I killed him.
My hands trembled, still wrapped around the hilt of the blade. The weight of what I had done hit me all at once.
I had taken a life.
Zevir: "Kael… you saved us, We'd be dead if not for you."
I stood in silence and pain.
But I had no time to process it.
Because suddenly—my eyes widened.
Cecelia.
Her group.
They're in danger right now.
I turned to the others, breathless.
"Let's go!" I shouted. "Our classmates—they're under attack! If we don't move now, they'll be killed!"
But our team was barely standing—Zevir and Kaelric were unconscious, Veyla was collapsed from mana exhaustion, and Orion couldn't even lift his arms.
Emberfell walked forward. His clothes were ripped, and blood was on his face.
"I'll go with you," he said.
"The others can't move. Let Veyla heal them—when she wakes up."
We didn't waste another second.
Despite the pain screaming in our bones, Emberfell and I took off at full speed.
I knew the location from the novel—where the ambush happened.
Roughly two hundred meters northwest.
We sprinted with everything we had left, ignoring the burning in our legs and the ache in our lungs.
(Please don't be too late…)
BOOM!
A huge and very loud explosion happened on the ground.
After the explosion, thick smoke and broken pieces of dirt and rocks were blasted into the air and scattered all around.
Three members of Cecelia's group had already collapsed on the forest floor—Draven, Amara, and Elowen.
Their bodies were bruised, bloodied, and barely conscious.
They had taken down one assassin.
The other three—were still fighting desperately, locked in a fierce and chaotic duel against assassin in black dressed.
They moved quickly and skillfully, their swords slicing through the darkness as if they were death itself coming to kill.
The assassin clicked his tongue and muttered, "first let me kill that girl."
His eyes turned to Cecelia.
Cecelia was breathing heavily, her hands shaking with the last bit of healing magic still glowing.
Sweat was running down her forehead. She had almost no magic energy left.
The moment they lunged toward her— I arrived.
She created a small barrier to block the attack.
Without hesitation, I leapt in front of her, blocking the path between her and assassin.
Cecelia's eyes widened in disbelief. "yoiu… You came?"
"You should run," she said, voice trembling. "They'll kill you!"
I turned to her, blood dripping from a cut on my legs.
My body was beaten, torn from the last battle. But I gritted my teeth.
"I've got this," I said, my voice low and steady.
The assassin smiled in an arrogant way, like he was sure they were going to win.
"So, you're the hero now?" he said.
"Let's see if you can withstand this!"
He raised his hand, and dark energy surged around him.
Black lightning flashed around his sword as he ran to attack.
I drew my sword.
Everything I had—all my stamina, all my mana, all my will—I poured into one final strike.
My limbs felt like iron, my lungs burned, and my vision was starting to blur.
But still… I shouted:
"ASTRAL SEVERANCE!"
A strong flash of light came out from my sword as I swung it.
The attack didn't kill the assassin—but it hit him hard enough to send him crashing backward, skidding across the ground, his mask cracking slightly.
Everyone froze.
Cecelia, Emberfell—everyone stood wide-eyed, staring at me as if I had become someone else entirely.
"That sword art…"
"It can't be—"
But I couldn't hear them anymore.
My body gave out. Blood trickled from my lips. I collapsed right in front of Cecelia.
The injured assassin growled and stood, staggering toward me with his blade raised.
Assassin: "i have underestimated you, now let's see what you can do next".
He came forward charging me.
But before he could strike—a thunderclap split the air.
Professor Orwen suddenly appeared from the sky like a shooting star, moved lightning-fast, pulled out his glowing sword, and instantly killed the assassin in one move—so quickly the assassin died without a sound.
Elsewhere—in Group One's location—the situation was dangerous.
Elysia lay on the ground, her arm twisted, blood pouring from deep gashes along her side.
Her sword, cracked and bloodstained, lay just out of reach. Her hair was now tangled with sweat, dirt, and blood.
All around her, the forest was a battlefield.
Elysia : (This was not supposed to happen, I could barely remember. Although we encounter enemies but it was no suppose to happen right now)
(Why? Just why ?... )
Of the five assassins, four now lay dead—felled, hard-fought .
Each assassin had targeted a different member of Group One.
Elysia had clashed blade-to-blade with one in a brutal duel.
She held her own until her arm was broken, and she collapsed after slashing her opponent's throat.
Jin Halden fought with unmatched speed, barely surviving as he drove his sword through his attacker's heart at the last second.
Seraphina, Ronan, Evander, and Lucian had fought as a unit, pushing their limits to overcome two assassins who struck with terrifying coordination.
The battle left all four of them bruised, bloodied, and unconscious.
The leader of the assassins remained—the strongest among them.
He stood over Edwin Leonhart, whose body trembled from wounds. His uniform was torn apart, his sword chipped, his face pale with exhaustion.
The assassin leader smiled.
"You're still just a student, yet so strong".
"I have underestimated you".
Edwin coughed, blood leaking from his lips.
The assassin's expression turned cold.
"Die."
He raised his blade, ready to strike the final blow.
But then—
A blur of movement.
A flash of white.
Professor Sylvia landed.
She didn't shout.
She didn't hesitate.
Her leg lashed out in a single, flawless motion—a kick that struck the assassin leader square in the chest.
The impact echoed through the forest.
The assassin was thrown violently through the forest, flying like a cannonball, and hit a huge rock so hard that the rock broke and cracked behind him.
Then he fell down, lying still and not moving.
Dead.
Sylvia stood silently for a moment, the leaves rustling around her like whispers of relief.
Then, she turned to her students—most of whom collapsed and were unconscious.
Only Edwin remained conscious, barely.
"I'm sorry I was late," she said quietly, her voice thick with guilt. "As your teacher… I'm ashamed."
Meanwhile, in Group Three's clearing—
The ground was torn up by swords marks, spells, and blood.
I lay on the forest floor, my body broken and burning with pain.
Beside me knelt Cecelia, her hands trembling as golden healing light pulsed from her fingertips.
Her mana was nearly gone.
My eyes were about to close.
"…You saved me again," I whispered, my voice barely a breath.
Cecelia shook her head softly.
"No," she said. "You saved me."
Then I closed my eyes due to exhaustion.