The shattered remains of the academy trembled beneath the pressure radiating from the evolved Minotaur.
Black aura poured endlessly from its enormous body like smoke from the depths of hell itself. The creature now stood nearly twice its previous size, its muscles bulging monstrously beneath cracked black armor. Its crimson eyes glowed with savage intelligence while the gigantic axe resting on its shoulder dripped with blood.
Lucien stood across from it silently.
His breathing had become uneven.
Blood flowed down his arms.
His uniform was torn apart, exposing countless injuries carved into his body during the battle.
Yet despite his exhausted state—
He still held his sword firmly.
The Minotaur slowly grinned.
"You can't defeat me."
Its deep voice echoed throughout the destroyed halls of the academy.
The creature's confidence wasn't arrogance anymore.
It was fact.
It had evolved.
Its strength had reached an entirely different level.
But Lucien said nothing.
His cold eyes drifted past the monster toward the students still fighting desperately in the distance. Some were wounded. Some were crying. Others struggled merely to survive against the remaining monsters flooding the academy grounds.
The sight made his chest tighten painfully.
As one of the academy's teachers—
Protecting them was his duty.
Even now.
Especially now.
Lucien slowly tightened his grip around his sword.
Then his voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Kids."
The students froze upon hearing him.
"As one of your teachers…"
His expression hardened.
"I am giving you an order."
The water around his feet began trembling violently.
"Run to the library."
For a moment, silence spread across the battlefield.
Some students wanted to object.
Others wanted to stay and fight beside him.
But the moment they saw the expression in Lucien's eyes—
They understood.
This wasn't a request.
It was his final command as their teacher.
The Minotaur chuckled darkly.
"Smart choice."
It rested the gigantic axe against its shoulder.
"They were holding you back anyway."
Its grin widened into something sickening.
"And if you weren't here…"
The creature licked blood from its lips.
"I definitely would've used them as meat shields."
Lucien's stomach twisted with disgust.
His eyes grew colder.
Far colder than before.
"I don't know why you attacked this academy," he said quietly.
Water slowly spiraled around his blade.
"And honestly…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"I don't care."
For a brief moment—
The image of Elena appeared in his mind again.
Her smile.
Her voice.
Her blood-covered body in his arms.
The warmth leaving her eyes.
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
Lucien slowly raised his sword.
"But you…"
The atmosphere around him darkened.
"You should never have killed her."
The Minotaur stared at him silently for a moment.
Then—
It laughed.
A deep, monstrous laugh filled with mockery.
"Or perhaps…"
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"Was she your true target?"
The Minotaur tilted its head slightly.
For the first time—
Its smile faded a little.
But only for a second.
Then it grinned again.
"I killed her because it was fun."
Its red eyes gleamed cruelly.
"Nothing more."
Lucien's fingers tightened around his sword so hard they began bleeding.
The Minotaur spread its arms slowly.
"Human lives have no value in my eyes."
Black aura erupted violently around its body.
"I will kill you…"
The pressure cracked the ground beneath its feet.
"And then I will kill every student in this academy."
Its grin widened.
"Simply because I want to."
The moment those words left its mouth—
Lucien vanished.
"4-Star Water Breathing…"
BOOOOOOOOM—
An enormous tsunami erupted across the battlefield instantly.
"Full Power Star: Water Tsunami."
Unlike "2-Star Water Breathing: Three Tsunamis," which divided its destructive force among three separate waves—
This technique focused everything into one.
One tsunami.
One unstoppable force.
The three tsunamis had been fused together into a single catastrophic wave of destruction.
And unlike the previous technique—
Its speed and power continuously multiplied depending on the distance it traveled.
Each step increased the force.
Each meter accelerated the speed further.
At that moment—
There were exactly twelve steps between Lucien and the Minotaur.
Twelve amplifications.
Twelve explosions of power.
The tsunami roared across the battlefield like an enraged ocean dragon. The academy walls shattered apart merely from the pressure generated by its movement.
The ground split open.
The air screamed.
The Minotaur's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The tsunami collided with the Minotaur directly.
The impact was catastrophic.
The monster was instantly launched backward as walls exploded apart behind it. Entire sections of the academy collapsed as the Minotaur was dragged violently through multiple rooms by the sheer force of the attack.
CRAAAAASH!!!
Debris flew everywhere.
But Lucien didn't stop.
The moment the tsunami ended—
The Minotaur burst out from the rubble with monstrous speed.
CLASH!!!
It leaped high into the air and swung its gigantic axe downward with enough force to split the building apart.
Lucien instantly cancelled his tsunami technique.
Water condensed around his blade as he swung upward at the exact same moment.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Sword and axe collided.
A massive shockwave exploded outward from the impact.
The surrounding walls disintegrated instantly.
Windows across nearby buildings shattered simultaneously.
The floor beneath them collapsed from the overwhelming pressure.
For a single moment
Neither moved.
Both monsters in human and beast form stared directly into each other's eyes.
Then
The battle truly began.
The instant their weapons collided, the entire academy shook violently.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave from the clash spread through the structure like an earthquake. Cracks rapidly crawled across the walls and floors while pillars snapped apart under the overwhelming pressure generated by the battle.
Then
CRAAAAAAASH!!!
The floor beneath them completely collapsed.
Lucien and the evolved Minotaur plunged downward through layers of debris as broken stone and shattered pillars rained around them. Dust exploded through the air while sections of the academy continued collapsing above.
For a brief moment
Both disappeared into darkness.
Then
BOOM!
They landed simultaneously on the academy's base floor, the impact blasting rubble outward in every direction.
The underground hall was massive, supported by enormous stone pillars stretching toward the ceiling. Ancient carvings lined the walls, but most had already cracked apart from the battle raging above.
The moment they landed
They attacked again.
CLASH!
CLANG!
BOOOOM!
Sword and axe collided repeatedly at blinding speed.
Lucien's movements flowed like water itself, smooth yet deadly, while the Minotaur fought with savage overwhelming force capable of crushing everything in its path.
Each exchange sent violent shockwaves through the underground chamber.
CLASH!
The Minotaur suddenly swung its axe horizontally toward Lucien's head.
The force behind the attack distorted the air itself.
Lucien barely tilted his body aside in time.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The axe missed him by centimeters and smashed directly into the ground behind him.
A massive crater exploded across the floor.
Stone fragments flew through the air like bullets.
Lucien's eyes narrowed instantly.
An opening.
"4-Star Water Breathing…"
Water spiraled violently around his body.
"Full Power Star: Water Pierce."
BOOOOM!
Lucien leaped forward with explosive speed.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as his body transformed into a concentrated stream of water. In less than a second, he appeared directly in front of the Minotaur.
His sword pointed straight toward its heart.
The attack was precise.
Fast.
Lethal.
But the evolved Minotaur reacted instantly.
The creature jumped upward at the last second, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.
SMASH!!!
Lucien's piercing attack continued forward and struck one of the gigantic stone pillars behind the monster.
The result was catastrophic.
The entire pillar exploded apart from the force of the technique, deep cracks spreading throughout the surrounding structure.
Chunks of stone rained downward.
Meanwhile
The Minotaur landed silently behind Lucien.
Its red eyes gleamed viciously.
Then it hurled its gigantic axe forward.
WHOOOOSH!!!
Lucien sensed the attack instantly and dodged sideways.
The axe shot past him like a cannonbal
And slammed directly into the exact location where Lucien's earlier Water Pierce attack had struck.
The already weakened pillar trembled violently.
Lucien immediately charged toward the Minotaur again, attempting to maintain pressure before the creature could recover its weapon.
But suddenly
The Minotaur grinned.
"Fool."
Its deep voice echoed through the chamber.
Then
It pulled the chains attached to the axe.
Lucien's eyes widened.
"Huh?"
The chains didn't move.
The axe remained stuck deep within the shattered pillar.
The Minotaur's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
Lucien's cold gaze met the monster's.
"You noticed…"
Water slowly began wrapping around his blade.
"…but it's too late."
The pillar wasn't merely damaged.
Lucien had pierced through it intentionally, trapping the axe deep within the collapsing structure.
The Minotaur couldn't retrieve it immediately.
And that brief delay
Was all Lucien needed.
"4-Star Water Breathing…"
The water surrounding his sword intensified violently.
"Full Power Star: Water Slash."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
Lucien vanished.
His speed exploded far beyond before as water propelled his movements like a raging current. The blade in his hand became enveloped in compressed high-pressure water sharp enough to sever steel itself.
In an instant
He appeared beside the Minotaur.
Then swung.
The water-coated blade sliced toward the creature's neck with terrifying force.
But the moment the sword touched the Minotaur's skin—
CRACK.
Lucien's eyes widened.
His blade shattered.
"…!"
The evolved Minotaur's body had become far stronger than before.
Its durability had increased to a monstrous level.
That single moment of shock
That tiny fraction of hesitation
Was enough.
The Minotaur's eyes flashed murderously.
It poured every ounce of strength into its right arm.
VEINS bulged across its muscles as it violently yanked the chains backward.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The axe ripped free from the pillar.
And with it
The already shattered structure completely collapsed.
The gigantic stone pillar began falling directly toward Lucien's head.
At the exact same time
The Minotaur swung its axe backward with monstrous force.
SMASH!!!
SLASH!!!
The axe tore through the air toward Lucien's exposed back while the collapsing pillar descended above him simultaneously.
A perfect kill.
No escape.
No room to dodge.
And for the first time since the battle began
Death stood directly before Lucien Drake.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The gigantic pillar finally collapsed completely.
Thousands of tons of stone crashed downward like a mountain falling from the heavens themselves. The impact triggered a devastating explosion that shook the entire academy from top to bottom.
The underground base floor trembled violently.
Cracks spread throughout the walls.
Dust and debris blasted through the air in enormous waves while broken stone crushed everything beneath it.
Far above, students running through the academy froze as the ground beneath their feet shook uncontrollably.
"What was that?!"
"The lower floors—!"
"Something exploded underground!"
The academy groaned like it was on the verge of collapse.
Fortunately
The underground structure had originally been designed with four colossal support pillars.
Even after one collapsed, the remaining three barely managed to keep the academy standing.
Barely.
Deep underground
Within the cloud of dust and destruction
A figure slowly staggered forward.
Lucien Drake.
His breathing was ragged.
Blood poured endlessly from his body.
The collapsing pillar had nearly crushed him entirely, and although he survived, he hadn't escaped unscathed.
Far from it.
A massive slash stretched across his back where the Minotaur's axe had grazed him. Flesh had been torn open so deeply that blood continuously dripped onto the shattered floor beneath him.
And worse
His left arm hung completely broken.
The bones had shattered from the impact of the collapsing debris.
His arm no longer moved properly.
Yet despite all of that
Lucien still stood.
The broken remains of his sword rested in his right hand.
Only half the blade remained.
The Minotaur slowly emerged from the settling dust.
Its massive body was partially covered in rubble, yet its monstrous aura remained overwhelming. Although the Water Spear and countless previous attacks had damaged it severely, the creature still looked terrifyingly powerful.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto Lucien.
Then it grinned.
A disgusting grin.
Lucien stared back silently.
His exhausted body screamed for him to stop.
Every breath hurt.
His vision blurred repeatedly from blood loss.
But then—
He remembered Elena's lifeless body in his arms.
And suddenly—
The pain no longer mattered.
Water began spiraling violently around him again.
"4-Star Water Breathing…"
The water surrounding his broken blade exploded outward.
"Full Power Star: Countless Blades."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
Thousands of water blades materialized around Lucien once more.
But unlike before—
These blades were unstable.
Wild.
Violent.
They reflected Lucien's broken mental state perfectly.
Then—
He rushed forward.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he launched himself toward the Minotaur again without hesitation.
The countless blades surged alongside him like a raging storm.
CLANG!!!
The Minotaur swung its gigantic axe horizontally.
Lucien ducked beneath it by mere centimeters.
At the same time—
SLASH!
Three water blades sliced across the Minotaur's chest.
Blood exploded outward.
The Minotaur roared and counterattacked instantly.
BOOM!!!
Its fist smashed through the air toward Lucien's head.
Lucien twisted sideways barely in time while driving his broken sword toward the creature's neck.
CLASH!!!
The remaining half of his blade collided against the Minotaur's hardened skin.
But it still wouldn't pierce through completely.
The evolved monster's durability was monstrous.
Lucien gritted his teeth.
Then—
The countless blades attacked simultaneously.
STAB!
SLASH!
PIERCE!
CUT!
The water blades continuously tore into the Minotaur from every direction. Wounds rapidly accumulated across its body as blood splattered throughout the battlefield.
Yet the Minotaur refused to fall.
Instead—
It laughed.
Even while being shredded apart.
"THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The creature swung its axe downward with overwhelming force.
Lucien barely blocked the attack using the broken remains of his sword.
The impact alone shattered the ground beneath his feet.
CRACK!!!
His already broken left arm twisted unnaturally from the force.
Lucien coughed blood.
Then suddenly—
SLASH!!!
The Minotaur's axe cut across his chest.
A massive wound exploded open from shoulder to waist.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
Yet—
Lucien didn't stop.
He kept moving forward.
Even while bleeding out.
Even while his body was breaking apart.
He continued attacking relentlessly.
The Minotaur's grin slowly disappeared.
For the first time—
It began feeling uneasy.
Because Lucien was no longer fighting like a human.
He was fighting like someone who had already accepted death.
CLANG!
Lucien stepped onto the side of the Minotaur's axe the moment it swung horizontally.
The creature's eyes widened.
Using the axe itself as footing—
Lucien propelled himself upward.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Water exploded beneath his feet as he launched himself toward the upper levels of the underground chamber.
Nearly three entire floors high.
The remaining pillars trembled violently beneath the pressure.
Lucien floated high above the battlefield while blood dripped from his broken body.
Then he raised his shattered blade downward.
Water began gathering above him at terrifying speed.
The surrounding moisture condensed violently into a gigantic spear.
A spear so massive it dwarfed the Minotaur itself.
"4-Star Water Breathing…"
The entire underground chamber shook.
"Full Power Star: Water Spear."
The colossal spear descended from above like divine judgment.
The Minotaur attempted to dodge—
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The spear crashed downward and impaled the creature directly into the ground.
The impact obliterated the surrounding floor entirely.
A gigantic crater formed instantly as shockwaves tore through the underground chamber.
Dust exploded everywhere.
The remaining pillars cracked further.
Lucien landed heavily outside the crater, breathing painfully.
Blood continuously dripped from his chest wounds.
His vision blurred again.
But slowly—
The dust began settling.
Lucien stared into the crater silently.
No movement.
No aura.
Nothing.
"…Did I kill it?" he whispered weakly.
Then—
A voice echoed behind him.
"You are unfortunately too weak."
Lucien's eyes widened.
The Minotaur stood directly behind him.
Its body was horribly injured, yet still alive.
And before Lucien could react—
The Minotaur swung its axe vertically downward.
Time slowed.
.....................
"Hey, Lucien…"
Elena smiled brightly beneath the academy courtyard tree.
"Let's become teachers together someday."
The younger Lucien rolled his eyes slightly.
"As if you could teach students."
Elena puffed her cheeks angrily.
"Excuse me?! I'd be an amazing teacher!"
Lucien laughed softly.
"You'd spoil the students too much."
"Only the cute ones."
"See? That's exactly why."
Elena crossed her arms dramatically before suddenly smiling again.
The warm sunlight illuminated her crimson hair as wind gently danced around them.
And without realizing it—
Lucien smiled too.
.....................
There was once a strange philosophy.
That in the final moments before death—
Humans begin recalling their happiest memories.
As if the mind itself tries to shield the soul from pain.
Perhaps—
That philosophy was true.
The axe descended.
SLASH.
Lucien's body split apart cleanly from the waist.
Blood scattered silently into the air.
His upper body slowly fell backward.
And in those final moments—
He saw Elena.
Not covered in blood.
Not dying in his arms.
But smiling.
Running toward him with tears in her eyes.
Warm.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Lucien's lips trembled weakly.
For the first time—
He finally answered the words she never got to hear.
"I love you too."
Then—
Lucien Drake died.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive piece of debris came crashing through the roof of the small house Kael and I were staying in.
Wood exploded everywhere.
The walls cracked apart instantly as dust and shattered stone blasted through the room. The impact shook the entire building violently, causing furniture to flip over while pieces of the ceiling collapsed around us.
For a split second—
Everything became chaos.
But before the debris could crush us—
Kael moved.
"Move."
His calm voice echoed beside me.
The next moment, he grabbed my arm and pulled me backward with terrifying speed.
CRAAAAASH!!!
The gigantic debris smashed into the center of the house completely, destroying nearly half the building in one strike.
Dust filled the air.
Broken wood crackled beneath the flames beginning to spread through the ruined home.
I coughed lightly while staring at the destruction in shock.
If we had reacted even a second slower—
We would have died.
Kael released my arm casually and stretched lazily as if nothing had happened.
"Well…"
He glanced at the destroyed house.
"There goes tonight's sleep."
I stared at the enormous chunk of rubble embedded into the ground.
It wasn't ordinary debris.
The stone was covered in deep slash marks and impact craters, almost like it had been ripped apart during an intense battle.
Then—
A distant rumble echoed through the air.
BOOOOM!!!
The sound came from far away.
From the direction of the academy.
Kael frowned slightly.
"Where do you think that came from?"
I slowly looked toward the academy in the distance.
Smoke rose endlessly into the sky.
Parts of the upper structure were burning.
And even from here—
I could faintly feel violent waves of aura spreading across the area.
My eyes widened.
"The academy…"
Kael's playful expression disappeared briefly.
Then—
Without another word—
Both of us started running.
The wind roared past us as we sprinted through the streets toward the academy. Along the way, terrified civilians could be seen fleeing in panic while distant screams echoed throughout the city.
Something horrible had happened.
And the closer we got—
The worse it became.
The academy gates eventually came into view.
Or rather—
What remained of them.
The massive entrance had been completely destroyed.
The stone walls surrounding the academy were cracked apart while monster corpses and shattered weapons littered the ground. Blood stained the pathways everywhere.
The entire first floor of the academy had partially collapsed inward as if a natural disaster had struck the building directly.
Smoke drifted endlessly through the ruined halls.
I froze for a moment.
"What… happened here…?"
Even Kael seemed unusually quiet.
The two of us slowly stepped inside the destroyed academy.
The deeper we walked—
The heavier the atmosphere became.
Broken classrooms.
Destroyed hallways.
Blood-covered floors.
The signs of battle were everywhere.
Then suddenly—
Kael stopped walking.
"…?"
I turned toward him.
He stood completely still, staring ahead silently.
His usual lazy smile was gone.
Following his gaze—
I saw it.
A body.
Teacher Lucien.
Or rather—
What remained of him.
The upper and lower halves of his body lay separated across the ruined floor. Blood had dried around him while cracks and destruction surrounding the area made it obvious an unimaginable battle had occurred there.
For a moment—
Kael's expression changed.
It was subtle.
But I noticed it instantly.
His eyes darkened slightly.
The usual carefree aura around him disappeared completely.
An emotion I had never seen from him before surfaced briefly on his face.
"…Teacher Lucien," Kael said quietly.
His voice sounded strangely distant.
I blinked in surprise.
"Do you know him?"
For a second—
Kael remained silent.
Then suddenly—
The expression vanished.
"Oh no," he said casually, returning to his usual lazy smile almost instantly.
He placed his hands behind his head and shrugged lightly.
"Just heard stories about him."
I stared at him suspiciously.
Hmn…
What was that expression just now?
And the way he changed so quickly…
It felt unnatural.
But before I could think too deeply about it, Kael began walking again.
"Come on," he said lightly. "Standing around won't help anyone."
I glanced at Lucien's body one final time before following behind him.
The deeper we moved into the academy—
The more destruction we found.
The stairs leading upward had partially collapsed, forcing us to climb through broken debris and shattered walls just to reach the next floor.
Smoke filled the corridors.
The smell of blood lingered heavily in the air.
Then—
The moment we reached the second floor—
We froze.
Monsters.
Everywhere.
Dozens of them filled the hallways.
Some feasted on corpses.
Others dragged wounded students across the ground.
The moment the creatures noticed us—
Their glowing eyes turned simultaneously.
And the entire floor erupted into monstrous roars.