CHAPTER 292: CHAPTER 292: URGENCY

The door burst open. Noel stormed inside, chest heaving, Selene at his shoulder. His emerald eyes locked onto Nicolas, urgency carved into every line of his face.

"Nicolas," he said sharply, almost a growl. "You’re in danger."

Nicolas lowered the parchment with deliberate calm, his eyes flicking up to meet Noel’s. His expression didn’t shift; he simply set the paper down on the table, folding it neatly. "Danger?" His voice was smooth, unhurried. "From what?"

Noel took a step closer, Revenant Fang still strapped at his side, sweat streaking down his temple from the sprint. The blue screen burned in his vision—[Time limit: 9 minutes, 27 seconds.]—a countdown that no one else could see.

"I don’t have time to explain," Noel pressed, his tone cutting. "But you need to trust me. Something is coming for you right now."

Selene stood just behind him, silent but steady, her cyan eyes shifting between the two men.

Nicolas studied Noel’s face for a long moment, weighing the tremor of urgency in his voice, the rigid set of his shoulders. Then, with the same composure he carried into every council hall and battlefield, he inclined his head ever so slightly.

"I see," he said simply.

The calm in his tone made the ticking in Noel’s vision feel louder, heavier, merciless.

[Time limit: 9 minutes, 11 seconds.]

"If you’re telling me this, then I believe you," he said, his voice calm, almost conversational. "But I need to know—what are we dealing with?"

Noel clenched his fists at his sides. The system’s glow burned in his eyes—[Time limit: 8 minutes, 52 seconds.]—each second dragging his nerves tighter. He shook his head.

"I don’t know." The words came out sharper than he intended. He forced himself to steady, then repeated, slower. "I don’t know what it is. All I know is that something—or someone—is going to try to kill you. Right here. Right now."

Selene shifted slightly behind him, her expression unreadable, though her eyes narrowed at the bluntness of his answer.

Nicolas didn’t react with anger or disbelief. He simply studied Noel as if weighing a new puzzle piece. Then, almost casually, he reached for his cup, lifting the porcelain cup and sipping as if Noel had told him the weather might turn.

"Interesting," Nicolas murmured, setting the cup back down with a soft clink. "To think I’d hear such a claim in the middle of my evening."

Noel stepped closer, the urgency in his stance radiating like heat. "This isn’t a claim. It’s the truth. Minutes from now, someone will strike. You need to be ready."

The system’s timer pulsed again, digging into Noel’s vision like a blade.

[Time limit: 8 minutes, 39 seconds.]

Nicolas leaned back, his eyes unwavering. "Very well," he said. "Then let’s see what fate intends."

Noel’s voice rang sharper now, cutting through the quiet office. "We need to move. Staying here makes you a target."

Selene nodded once, her tone flat but certain. "He’s not exaggerating. He hasn’t looked this way since the Peaks of Iskandar. Something’s coming."

For the first time, Nicolas rose from his chair. His movements were deliberate, unhurried, but there was no trace of dismissal in them. He extended one hand, his eyes narrowing as mana flared around him.

"Ward of Aegis."

A translucent barrier shimmered into being, domed lightly over his frame. The faint hum of condensed mana filled the room, warding the air itself with protective strength.

Noel’s shoulders eased slightly. The barrier wasn’t just for show—it meant Nicolas had taken his warning seriously. Still, it wasn’t enough to quiet the pounding of the countdown in his head.

[Time limit: 8 minutes, 14 seconds.]

Nicolas regarded the glowing shield for a moment before speaking, his tone composed but edged with intent. "If I believe you, then I must prepare. But before we act blindly, I want to see who dares to come for me. Knowing the enemy matters more than running from them."

Selene’s eyes flicked to Noel, her hand tightening on her wand. She was ready for whatever would break through the walls at any moment.

Noel clenched his jaw, gaze locked on the barrier surrounding Nicolas. The weight of inevitability pressed harder on his chest. The system’s timer pulsed again, merciless.

His voice dropped to a murmur, the words heavy and certain.

"The First Pillar..."

The hum of the barrier filled the office, the tension so thick it seemed to press against the walls themselves. Noel’s murmur still lingered in the air—The First Pillar...

Nicolas’s gaze sharpened, crimson eyes glinting as if a puzzle piece had finally clicked into place. "The First Pillar," he repeated softly. A pause, his lips curling into the faintest, almost ironic smile. "We’ve only just rid ourselves of the Fifth, haven’t we? And now—"

The rest never came.

The wall behind Nicolas exploded inward with a deafening crack, stone and dust blasting across the room. A single figure tore through the rubble like a living projectile, pale skin gleaming under the mana light, its body propelled with impossible speed.

The translucent dome of the Ward of Aegis flared as the impact struck, runes screaming against the force. But the barrier shattered in a burst of light, fragments of energy scattering like shards of glass.

The pale figure slammed into Nicolas, wrenching him from where he stood. The director’s body was ripped from sight, hurled backwards through the collapsing wall.

"No!" Noel roared, lunging forward, Revenant Fang flashing free from his belt. Selene was at his side, wand raised, frost already bleeding into the air.

But it was too late. Nicolas and the pale-skinned intruder vanished in a storm of stone and dust, their silhouettes crashing down into the open arena below.

The office shook violently, chunks of debris raining down. Through the broken wall, the vast coliseum yawned open again, gasps echoing from the crowd still lingering in the stands.

The system’s glow seared into Noel’s eyes.

[Time limit: 7 minutes, 03 seconds.]

The battle had already begun.