The air was thick with stormlight, pressure weighing down on every breath.

Torvak Renn, the Tempest Rider, leveled his spear, the shaft humming with ⚡Shinrei lightning. His voice cracked across the room like thunder.

"You!! Monster!!"

Pride tilted his head lazily, as though insult was beneath him. His golden eyes flicked across the gathered defenders, his lips curling in disdain.

He raised a hand, finger by finger, and began counting aloud.

"One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten… and one… child."

His gaze locked on Khael Corzedar, lingering just long enough for the boy's stomach to knot.

(Tsk… only six teachers, and out of those, only three are still active. And that "kid" Pride mentioned? That's me. Shit.)

Khael's jaw tightened, but he forced his face still.

From the left, Drevan Hask, storm crackling faintly across his fingertips, spat on the ground. His grin was jagged, wolfish.

"Don't underestimate us. Retired or not, we're still Crimson Veinwalkers. We've bled in wars that would've shattered your pride long before you were even a whisper."

A ripple of energy surged as the active Crimson Veinwalkers shifted stance, spines straight, weapons drawn.

Faron Deymir, the scarred Twin-fang, rolled his shoulders, both Echo Blades gleaming as flames licked across them. His eyes narrowed like blades themselves.

"And you came here alone… how bold of you."

For the first time, Pride's grin widened, genuine amusement spilling into the storm. His laughter was low, smooth, and cruel.

"Alone?"

The room chilled.

The air distorted, and a shadow fell over the defenders. Something massive stepped from the void, the floor groaning beneath its bulk. The reek of rot and hunger hit first, then came the shape towering, swollen, monstrous. Flesh sagged like melted wax, eyes bulged like tumors, drool ran from its cavernous mouth.

A voice gurgled, thick with anticipation:

"Snaaacks…"

The monstrous Eclipse Lord lumbered forward, its stomach rumbling like thunder.

Gluttony.

Every teacher stiffened. Torvak's knuckles whitened on his spear. Drevan's grin faltered for the first time. Even Faron's flames sputtered before roaring back in defiance.

Khael swallowed hard, his dragon-blood pulsing in his veins.

(Two Eclipse Lords… here. Pride and Gluttony. This… this isn't a fight we can win. It's a fight to survive.)

Pride extended his arms as if presenting a feast. His smirk cut through the stormlight.

"So then… shall we begin?"

"Who's still active?!" a voice roared above the panic.

All eyes turned to Shaia Maien, the Wave Affinity tactician, her presence cutting through the noise like calm water parting fire. She raised her hand, her scholar's robes damp with conjured mist.

"Everyone, calm yourselves. We still stand." Her voice steadied like a tide. "We are eleven strong: six teachers, three active Crimson Veinwalkers, one strategist…" Her gaze locked onto Khael. "And one Veinwalker who made a choice none of us yet understand."

The crowd fell into uneasy silence.

Shaia's eyes sharpened. "Khael Corzedar. Explain why you sent the students away when this is over. Until then stand with us."

Khael exhaled slowly, dragon-blood burning in his veins, nodding once.

"I will tell you all soon. But for now…" His gaze lifted toward the shadowed doors where Pride's laughter still echoed, Gluttony's hungry growls shaking the floor.

"…for now, we survive."

Then the The cafeteria shook as the roars of Gluttony rattled the walls, dust spilling from the ceiling. Teachers and active Veinwalkers braced themselves, panic still bubbling at the edges.

Shaia Maien raised her hand, her Shinrei flowing like calm waves through the room. Her voice cut clear and steady:

"Let's divide ourselves. I will lead. Four teachers with me, we take Pride. The rest will focus on that… thing." She flicked her gaze toward Gluttony, whose hulking frame already pressed at the boundaries of the courtyard. "We cannot fight both at once. We must split and survive."

Khael's voice broke out before anyone else could answer.

"I'll fight Pride too!"

Heads turned. Shaia's calm eyes narrowed, assessing him. "You? You're still a rookie. Do not let desperation blind you."

Khael clenched his fists, his dragon-blood pulsing, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. (Rookie? Maybe. But if I back down now… I'll lose the reason I fight at all.)

"I can fight!!" His voice cracked with defiance.

Then his eyes shifted. From their normal dark hue to burning orange, slit like a dragon's gaze. The faint outline of scales shimmered across his cheekbones.

Gasps spread across the veterans. Even Torvak, who never faltered, tightened his grip on his spear.

Shaia's wave-born calm faltered, her scholar's tone breaking into disbelief.

"…What are you?"

Khael's voice was steady now, iron under fire. "Once this is all over… I will explain everything. But right now…" He turned toward the storm outside, where Pride's laughter cut through the air and Gluttony's growls shook the ground.

"…I fight."

Shaia studied him for a long, tense moment. The room was silent except for Gluttony's monstrous stomach rumbling in the distance. Her Shinrei rippled faintly, testing the truth of Khael's resolve.

Finally, she exhaled.

"Very well. You will fight Pride with us." Her eyes sharpened, voice rising to command. "The rest of you with me! We strike as one. Flame to the frontlines. Stone to anchor the defense. Wave users support and redirect. Crimson Veinwalkers coordinate with precision. Do not fight alone."

Khael felt the weight of every gaze on him. (I've revealed too much. But there's no turning back now. If my secret is the price to protect them… then so be it.)

Outside, the storm howled. Pride spread his arms wide, a smirk carved into his face like a scar. Behind him, Gluttony lumbered forward, drool spilling from its cavernous mouth.

"Snacks…" the monstrous lord gurgled, eyes rolling as though every soul before him was already half-digested.

Pride tilted his head, mockery dripping from his tone.

"You hungry that much?"

Gluttony's swollen jaw split in a grin, teeth jagged like broken stone. His voice was thick, sluggish, yet booming with hunger.

"Unlike you, I like eating… tearing… consuming. You?" His bulbous eyes bulged toward Pride. "You're just like Wrath. A battle maniac. Except…" A wet laugh, full of phlegm and malice. "…he was stronger than you."

The air stilled. Even the thunder outside seemed to pause.

Pride's grin tightened into something venomous. His golden eyes gleamed with contempt.

"Shut up. He died."

He took one deliberate step forward, his Shinrei crackling in the air like glass under pressure.

"That means I'm stronger."

Gluttony scoffed, a revolting sound like bubbling tar.

"Prideful little worm… clinging to scraps. You can't even admit the truth."

For the first time, Gluttony's grin widened into something almost sinister, the hunger in his voice twisting into mockery.

"You're terrified he'll come back."

Teacher Drevan Hask, storm crackling faintly across his fingertips, spat sparks with every breath. His weathered face twisted with fury as he shouted,

"WHAT ARE YOU BLUBBERING ABOUT, YOU MONSTER!!!"

His voice cut through the oppressive storm like a thunderclap.

Pride only turned his head lazily, as if an insect had dared to speak. His grin sharpened, golden eyes narrowing.

Shaia's eyes flicked to Drevan, sharp, calculating even in the chaos. She gave the smallest nod.

Drevan's jaw clenched. Lightning wrapped around his hands, the storm affinity answering the call of his rage. His voice dropped, lower now, carrying the weight of a promise:

"You talk of Wrath, of hunger, of power… but all I hear is rot. If you think we'll bow to you—you've already lost."

Gluttony rumbled with laughter, each syllable like a landslide.

"Bold words… from cattle."

Pride smirked wider, spreading his arms as if welcoming Drevan's defiance.

"Good. Shout louder. Struggle harder. It only makes your despair sweeter."

Shaia was the first to move. Her scholar's robes flared as she slid across the broken tiles, hand pressed against the ground. Ripples of water Shinrei radiated outward, shimmering like liquid glass across the battlefield. They solidified into translucent currents, marking the field with flowing lines only a strategist could read.

"Form divisions! Now! Group Alpha on Pride, Group Beta on Gluttony! Separate them before they crush us all at once!"

Her voice cracked like a whip, commanding without hesitation.

The teachers and Crimson Veinwalkers obeyed.

Drevan surged forward with a snarl, lightning bursting from his Vein Gates like chains snapping loose. The storm affinity bled out of him, turning the air sharp, each breath alive with static. His crackling fist slammed against the ground, splitting the stone floor into jagged lines of force.

The quake forced Pride to step back with a lazy chuckle, golden eyes dancing with amusement.

"So eager. I'll indulge you."

Pride shifted vanishing in a blur. In the next instant he reappeared before Drevan, his movement impossibly smooth, impossibly perfect. His hand swung like a blade toward Drevan's throat.

But Shaia's currents rippled. The flow bent around Drevan, pulling him an inch aside. The strike grazed air.

Shaia's eyes narrowed.

(Even a fraction late and he'd be dead. Pride's speed is… unnatural.)

Khael leapt forward then, dragon's blood roaring in his veins. His eyes, once human, now burned orange, slit pupils blazing like molten embers. A sharp growl escaped him as scales glimmered faintly across his forearm.

"You're not touching him!!"

He thrust his palm outward. A surge of compressed wind roared from his arm like a dragon's breath, colliding with Pride and forcing the Eclipse Lord back a pace.

Shaia's group, Khael, Drevan, Torvak, and two other veterans locked eyes and instinctively closed ranks. Pride's smile only widened at their defiance.

Meanwhile, Gluttony moved.

The hulking Eclipse Lord's bulk thundered forward, each step sinking deep into the shattered floor. His stomach rumbled like a living drum, jaws hanging open as strands of drool stretched and snapped.

The three active Crimson Veinwalkers and two teachers stood their ground. At their center, Faron Deymir raised his twin Echo Blades blades of crimson flame that snarled and roared like beasts chained too long. His scarred face split into a feral grin.

"Pig!" Faron shouted, both swords igniting until the air shimmered. "You're fighting us!!"

Gluttony's swollen lips peeled back in a grotesque smile.

"Good. Fresh meat."

The monster lunged, sweeping an arm wider than a tree trunk.

But Faron was already moving. His entire body blurred into flame, his speed fueled by both fury and precision. He ducked under the swing, twin blades slashing in unison—one upward, one downward cutting deep lines of fire into Gluttony's arm.

The other two active Crimson Veinwalkers, one with stone affinity and one with storm, flanked him. Their arts detonated in unison: walls of rock erupted at Gluttony's feet, while lightning lanced across his back.

The beast roared, the sound shaking the academy walls, but Faron's blades carved deeper, flames clinging to the monster's flesh like hungry leeches.

"Keep him away from the others!" Faron barked. "This thing dies HERE!"

The battlefield split.

On one side, Shaia's unit against Pride. Fluid movements, precision strikes, water currents flowing to guide their defenses, storm and wind surging in unpredictable bursts.

On the other, Faron's strike force against Gluttony. Fire, stone, and storm clashing with grotesque flesh and insatiable hunger.

The cafeteria itself began to collapse under the weight of such conflicting power. Shaia's water Shinrei split the room, bending currents to push the two battles apart. Columns crumbled, walls fractured, but the division held barely.

Pride chuckled as he dusted imaginary ash from his shoulder.

"So, you plan to cage me in a corner while your friends wrestle with the beast. Smart… but flawed."

His eyes flicked to Khael.

"And you… what are you…"

Khael's chest tightened. His fists shook, dragon-fire and fear colliding in his veins.

(He sees me. Sees what I am. If he exposes me now….no. Focus. I can't break here.)

Drevan stepped in front of him, storm thundering in his veins.

"You'll have to go through me first."

Lightning clashed with gold as Drevan lunged, spear crackling, while Shaia's currents shifted again, pulling the others into formation.

Across the divide, Gluttony howled. The monster's flesh sagged and then reformed, the wounds from Faron's blades closing too fast. Its stomach rumbled louder, echoing like a war drum.

The stone-user shouted, panic edging his voice.

"It's regenerating!!"

Faron didn't falter. His flames surged brighter, hotter, wrapping both Echo Blades until they blazed like miniature suns. His voice thundered, carrying the authority of a Crimson veteran who had bled in too many wars:

"Then we burn it until nothing is left!! Hold the line!!"

The storm-user answered with a roar of his own, lightning lashing across the ceiling like a whip, striking down onto Gluttony's bulging eyes.

The beast screeched, staggering back a step.

The battlefield was set.

On one side: Shaia, Drevan, Torvak, Khael, and two veterans facing Pride's unshakable arrogance.

On the other: Faron, the stone-user, the storm-user and two teachers standing against Gluttony's endless hunger.

The cafeteria groaned under the clash of gods and mortals.

Shaia's voice rang clear, her scholar's calm steel binding them all together:

"Two fronts, two Lords. Fight with everything you have. Not to win—"

Her eyes locked with Pride's, steady even as his golden gaze threatened to tear through her soul.

"—but to survive."

The storm and fire roared as the hopeless battle truly began.

To be continue