CHAPTER 116: RESCUE

Jae sidestepped the lunging monster, his boots skidding against the cracked tiles as his mana surged in a violent flare. The dragonfire blade in his hand roared to life, flames licking hungrily along the edge.

He slashed upward in one smooth, brutal motion. The beast split clean down the middle, its body unraveling into black smoke that scattered into the night air.

Another scream tore across the corridor. Tirel’s eyes blazed with fury as she swept her arm in a wide arc, summoning a torrent of fire. The flames burst outward like a living tide, consuming two monsters mid-charge. Their shrieks were cut short as they collapsed into charred heaps before dissolving into nothingness.

The ground trembled.

From the far shadows, something heavier stirred. A low growl reverberated through the broken hall, vibrating against the walls. Then it stepped forward, a towering monster, twice the size of the others, its red eyes glowing like molten embers.

A thick aura of shadow pulsed around its body, expanding and contracting like a heartbeat, each wave making the air heavier, suffocating.

It didn’t move like the others. It charged with unnatural speed, its claws gleaming as they slashed toward Jae.

Jae met it head-on. His flaming blade clashed against its massive strike, the collision ringing out like steel against steel. Sparks exploded, embers scattering across the floor. The impact jarred his arms, forcing his teeth to clench. The beast’s strength was monstrous, far beyond the lesser ones.

"Now!" Jae barked.

Tirel was already moving. She sprinted wide, her hand glowing with condensed mana. A fireball coalesced in her palm, so dense with heat it shimmered white at the edges. She hurled it without hesitation.

The spell streaked across the corridor and slammed into the beast’s ribs, detonating with a thunderous crack. Fire washed across its side, searing flesh and breaking its stance for the briefest moment.

That moment was enough.

Jae roared, shoving forward with every ounce of strength. The dragonfire blade flared blindingly as he drove it deep into the monster’s chest.

Flames burst outward from the wound, consuming the creature from the inside. With one final screech, the beast convulsed before collapsing into mist that vanished into the shadows.

The corridor fell silent but for the rasp of their breaths.

Jae ripped the blade free, chest heaving. Sweat trickled down his temple, stinging his eyes. He spat to the side and growled, "We need to find Elise and Yuna now."

He didn’t wait for Tirel’s answer. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him, sprinting through the fractured corridor.

Their footsteps echoed against the stone, the halls lit only by scattered embers still clinging to Jae’s blade. All around them, the academy groaned, distant screams, collapsing walls, the unending screeches of monsters prowling the night. They ran with urgency, following the echoes of panicked voices deeper into the chaos.

A sharp turn. A widening corridor. And then they saw it.

Four younger mages stood with their backs pressed against the wall, panic plain on their pale faces. Their hands shook as they cast half-formed spells, sparks of weak light sputtering from their fingertips. A pack of shadow-cloaked monsters closed in, stalking low and deliberate. The children’s magic fizzled uselessly against the advancing horde.

The moment the students spotted Jae, something shifted. Relief broke through their terror, whispers escaping between gasps, his name carried like a prayer even in the madness. His strength was known, even to those who had never seen him fight directly

"Stay behind us!" Jae shouted. His voice cracked like a whip, cutting through the noise.

And then he charged.

His dragonfire blade roared again, flames igniting with renewed fury. The nearest monster lunged, claws raised. Jae ducked low, pivoted, and split it across the torso.

Fire consumed its body before it could even shriek. Another pounced from his flank, but Jae twisted, flames flaring outward in a sweeping arc that scorched it to ash.

Beside him, Tirel unleashed her magic in sweeping bursts. She raised both arms, fire spilling from her palms in a broad wave that drove the creatures back.

The heat seared the stone walls, the corridor glowing orange in the blaze. Her flames pushed three monsters into retreat, but one broke through the storm, skittering low across the floor. It lunged straight for a student.

"Look out!" Tirel shouted.

The child froze, spell stuttering on trembling lips.

Jae was already there. He threw himself forward, intercepting the strike with his blade. Sparks erupted as claw met fire, the impact rattling his bones.

He snarled and shoved back, twisting his wrist to drag the edge across the beast’s chest. The monster split open, dissolving before it could touch the boy.

The fight dragged on, longer than either expected. These monsters weren’t like the first wave. They were faster, sharper, their movements tracking Jae and Tirel with frightening awareness. Their glowing red eyes seemed to follow every feint, every dodge, forcing the two to fight with absolute precision.

Tirel pushed herself harder, her flames burning hotter, wilder. Sweat soaked her brow, but her arms never stopped moving, hurling fireball after fireball. The air grew suffocating with heat, the corridor a furnace as the flames illuminated every shadow.

Jae’s blade cut relentlessly, each swing burning with mana. But for every monster he struck down, another circled in. His lungs burned, his shoulders ached, yet he pressed on with unyielding ferocity.

One beast nearly slipped through Tirel’s firestorm. Jae pivoted sharply, his foot planting against cracked stone as he slammed his blade downward. Fire roared in a geyser, swallowing the creature whole.

Another tried to blindside Tirel, but she spun, a smaller flame bursting from her palm to scorch its face before Jae finished it with a clean strike.

The younger mages watched in stunned silence, their terror giving way to awe. They had heard of strength like this, but seeing it was something else entirely.

Finally, the last monster screeched, its shadowy form collapsing under the combined assault of blade and flame. Its body dissipated into black smoke that curled and vanished into the cracks of the stone

Silence

Jae lowered his blade, chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. The heat of Tirel’s flames still lingered in the corridor, smoke curling upward in lazy trails. The children stared at them with wide eyes, faces flushed with both fear and relief.

"Inside. Now." Jae’s voice was firm, commanding. He gestured sharply toward a nearby classroom. The door hung ajar, its lock still intact. "Lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone."

The students nodded quickly, scrambling to obey. They vanished inside, slamming the door shut and sliding the bolt with shaky hands.

For a moment, the corridor was quiet again.

Jae turned, his expression grim, and met Tirel’s eyes. Neither spoke, their silence carrying the weight of unspoken urgency. There was no time to rest.

He adjusted his grip on the dragonfire blade, its flames flickering low but steady. "Come on," he muttered

And without another word, he and Tirel sprinted off again into the chaos, searching for Elise and Yuna.