CHAPTER 117: SUN, BYUN AND FIN

Elise and Yuna faced the pack of shadowy monsters in the courtyard, the air thick with tension. Their glowing red eyes pierced the darkness like coals in a furnace, bodies shifting with unnatural fluidity.

Each creature’s form writhed as though not fully solid, outlines flickering as if born from living shadow. The two mages stood shoulder to shoulder, every muscle coiled, every breath shallow, not knowing what woyld happen if they made any mistake.

The first monster lunged, jaws snapping with a hollow hiss. Elise pivoted on her heel, her sword blazing with mana. The blade cut in a clean arc, slicing through the creature’s torso. Its form disintegrated into a smoky wisp, vanishing with an ear-piercing shriek.

Before Elise could recover her stance, another monster darted from behind, claws raised.

Wind roared to life as Yuna thrust her palm outward. A gale surged, sending the creature tumbling back like a rag doll, crashing into the others with a low, guttural snarl. Her hair whipped wildly around her face, eyes narrowed with focus.

Elise moved quickly, sword flashing in the distorted moonlight, cleaving through another monster as Yuna redirected her winds to stagger the rest.

The fight was fast and brutal, each strike and spell requiring perfect timing. Elise’s sword slashed, parried, and thrummed with burning energy, every swing resonating in her bones.

Yuna’s gusts came like rolling waves, tossing monsters off balance so Elise could finish them. Despite their efforts, the creatures pressed harder, surrounding them in shifting rings of red eyes.

Elise’s arms burned with exertion, lungs screaming for air, but she didn’t stop.

At last, the final monster shrieked as Yuna sent a compressed blast of wind into its chest. The pressure shattered its shadowed form, dispersing it into nothingness. Silence fell, broken only by ragged breathing.

Yuna stumbled, clutching her arm. Blood seeped through a shallow gash, dripping warm against her trembling fingers.

Elise darted to her side immediately, hand already glowing with soft golden light.

She pressed her palm over the wound, mana threading gently into torn flesh. The gash knit itself shut, leaving only a faint scar. Yuna exhaled shakily, her shoulders relaxing.

"Better?" Elise asked, voice low.

Yuna nodded, though her chest still rose and fell quickly. "I’ll manage."

Elise tightened her grip on her sword and glanced toward the academy, where faint screams echoed through the night. Her eyes hardened. "We need to find Jae."

Without wasting another second, the two sprinted together, boots pounding against the cobblestone. Their eyes swept the landscape as chaos unfolded.

Fires flared across the academy grounds, smoke rising in thin columns. Students ran in clusters, some screaming, some clutching wounded friends.

Monsters prowled through the shadows, picking targets, dragging them away before bursts of magic lit the night.

The girls rounded a corner and froze. A group of younger mages had been driven into a corner, their backs pressed against a stone wall.

Fear twisted their faces as they hurled weak bursts of fire and ice, spells fizzling against the monsters’ relentless advance. The shadowy creatures closed in slowly, savoring their victims’ terror.

"No time," Yuna muttered, already pulling mana into her hands.

Elise didn’t hesitate. She sprinted forward, blade glowing as she cleaved through the nearest monster.

Yuna followed, wind whipping violently into the cluster, scattering the shadows just long enough for Elise to carve another path. The younger mages’ eyes widened as their seniors fought with ferocity, a dance of sword and storm.

This fight was harder than the first. The creatures were faster, more aggressive, their red eyes blazing with hunger.

Elise’s blade locked with claws more than once, sparks spraying as mana ground against dark aura.

Yuna staggered under the strain of maintaining large gusts, her breaths coming in shallow bursts.

But together, they carved a way through. Elise’s sword spun in arcs of glowing silver, each strike decisive.

Yuna’s winds circled her like a shield, hurling attackers away from blind spots, creating openings Elise seized instantly.

Sweat trickled down their faces, mixing with grime and blood, but they did not falter.

Finally, the last monster shrieked as Elise’s blade pierced its chest. Its form flickered, collapsed into a wisp of smoke, then vanished.

The courtyard quieted again, save for the shallow, uneven breathing of the younger mages.

"Inside," Elise ordered firmly. She ushered them toward a nearby classroom. The students stumbled in, some crying, some silent in shock.

Elise closed the door and pressed her glowing hand to the frame, strengthening it with a thin barrier of mana.

"Lock it and don’t open it for anyone but us," she instructed. Their frightened nods followed her as she turned back to Yuna, determination still etched across her face.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the academy grounds, chaos raged in full. The swarm of shadowy monsters poured in like a black tide, their red eyes gleaming in the night.

Yet amidst the panic, three figures stood as immovable pillars, Sun, Byun, and Fin.

The boys fought like seasoned veterans, their spells and strikes sharp, precise, and merciless. Younger students clustered behind them, trembling, as the trio formed a living wall between them and the oncoming horde.

Sun, dark-haired and scowling, fought with dual swords that blazed with sharp silver mana. His movements were fast, aggressive, each strike delivered with the arrogance of someone who believed himself invincible.

He slashed through monsters with brutal efficiency, blades whistling in arcs that left trails of light. "Try to keep up!" he barked, barely sparing a glance at his companions.

Byun, blonde and calm, moved with quieter precision. Shadows rippled from his hands, weaving into spear-like constructs that skewered monsters cleanly through the chest.

Each kill was elegant, efficient, almost artistic. His expression remained collected, in sharp contrast to Sun’s fiery intensity. "You’re too loud," he muttered when Sun shouted again.

Fin, lean and sharp-eyed, stood slightly back, arms raised as lightning surged across his body. With every flick of his wrist, bolts crackled outward, exploding against monsters with deafening cracks.

The air smelled of ozone and smoke, the ground littered with charred remains. He grinned despite the chaos, the thrill of battle lighting his features. "Careful, Sun," he teased. "Don’t get sloppy."

"Sloppy? Me?" Sun scoffed, twisting mid-swing to cleave a monster cleanly. "I’ve killed more than both of you combined."

Byun skewered another shadow creature with a flick of his wrist, his voice dry. "Counting kills doesn’t make you competent. Not dying does."

"Save the philosophy lesson," Sun snapped, spinning to block claws aimed for Fin’s blind side. His blade flashed, severing the monster before it reached its target. "You’d be dead without me.

Fin smirked, unleashing a wide arc of lightning that vaporized three monsters at once. "Correction. You’d be bored without me.

The trio moved as if bound by unspoken rhythm. Sun’s arrogance fueled his relentless advance, Byun’s calm precision covered weak points, and Fin’s ranged lightning created space when the swarm pressed too close.

When one faltered, another filled the gap instantly. Byun pulled Sun back once with a whip of shadow when claws nearly grazed his side.

Fin hurled a lightning strike to clear Byun’s flank when two monsters lunged in unison. And Sun, scowling all the while, deflected another strike aimed straight for Fin’s throat

The younger students behind them watched in awe as fire, shadow, and lightning tore through the night. The monsters fell easily under their combined might, shrieking as they dissolved into smoke.

Where Elise and Yuna fought for survival, these three carved the battlefield with frightening ease.

Even surrounded, the boys fought like predators among prey.