There was silence in the whole forest, where Amon and others were present. The breeze blew softly. Leaves rustled. The smoke and dust subsided slowly, revealing the figure of Lynira.

Adelia's eyes widened in shock at the absurd thing that had just happened. She looked to her right side. Some distance away, Amon was standing. His uniform was battered, some bruises on his skin here and there, but nothing serious.

She sighed.

Amon shook his left hand. "Finally got her. Hehehe~ didn't think I would be the one to kiss her." He giggled lightly.

Arnold and Aisha came behind him.

Their eyes fell on the dead body.

"You killed her… where is that man?" Aisha asked. She saw the masked man lying just a few steps away from Lynira's dead body.

"It seems he's dead." She muttered. Her red eyes moved to the other side, where Seraphina and others were standing. She dashed toward them. "Guys, are you okay?"

Amon rubbed his cheek. "That was… easy. Well, Professor Adelia was the one who beat her so much that it was easy for me to kill her."

Arnold stood beside him. "Yeah. Anyways, nice aim. Clean and brutal."

Amon smirked. "Of course. I know that."

Just then, a voice broke.

Adelia spoke in a loud voice. "Come here. I will heal you all." Her voice rang. She was striding toward Seraphina, Eliana, and Marcus.

Arnold already moved forward.

"Hey, wait for me." Amon shouted and bent to take his sword.

After the whole fight, his brain was throbbing. Veins bulged, mostly because of using his shadow. But it was bearable. Now he could go back to the ship.

'I pray that professors have taken care of that lightning man.' He thought while lifting his sword.

---

Meanwhile,

The masked man groaned.

He was sprawled on the ground. Burned, bleeding, breathing heavily – but somehow still alive. His fingers twitched. The pain across his body was unbearable, but he clenched his teeth hard enough to draw blood.

Slowly… painfully… he pushed his palm into the dirt.

And crawled.

Each movement was stiff. His wounds dripped.

But he crawled toward Lynira's corpse.

Her head was still half-buried in leaves, Amon's hatchet embedded deep in her skull. Blood seeped down her cheek, staining the forest floor black.

The man's trembling hand reached her chest… then closed around a small metallic object that had fallen on the ground, just close to her open palm.

The teleport artifact.

He pulled it out.

"Haa… haa…" he panted, swaying. "I'm… not dying here…"

His legs shook as he staggered upright. But he stood.

He began running. No – stumbling into the forest.

Branches slapped against his body. Each step felt like spikes were driving into his flesh. He breathed heavily through his mask, vision swaying.

But he kept moving.

He had to get away.

He had to escape.

He–

"Hey! He's still alive!" Arnold's voice suddenly boomed.

The masked man froze.

Arnold stood several meters away, pointing at him sharply. "AMON! GO — CHASE HIM!"

Amon, who had just picked up his sword from the ground, snapped his head around.

His dark eyes widened.

"…Tch!" He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He thought that man was dead.

He kicked off the ground instantly.

His bruised muscles screamed, his veins throbbed from overusing shadow, but Amon sprinted like a wild beast.

Arnold charged right behind him.

Adelia, who was near Seraphina and others, looked to her side as the two boys ran and vanished deep into the forest.

"That man is still alive." Seraphina muttered, loud enough to be heard by others.

"Well, he's a lot injured. I think Amon and Arnold could handle him easily." Aisha said from the side.

"Since Arnold is there… I can say they can handle him." Marcus chimed in. He was standing while supporting his body with his spear.

Eliana just sat there, getting healed by the professor as golden light mended her wounds.

"Let me heal everyone. Then I will go behind them."

---

While on Amon's side.

Two students, one assassin.

All of them running full speed through the forest.

Leaves burst into the air as they dashed. Tree branches snapped. Dirt scattered.

Ahead of them, the masked man forced his failing body to move faster. But his legs were unstable, dragging.

Amon's breath was heavy, but his pace never slowed.

Just then.

Amon stretched out his left hand.

He tried to summon back his hatchet.

Far behind them, Lynira's corpse twitched as the buried hatchet suddenly jolted free from her skull.

SHRRRK!

It ripped out with a spray of blood.

Then.

WHOOSH!

A long dark streak tore across the forest as the hatchet flew toward Amon, wrapped in a thin stream of shadow.

Arnold saw it flash past overhead. "Good—!"

The masked man finally skidded to a stop.

He stumbled forward, falling to one knee.

The cube in his hand glowed violently.

Bright blue runes light pulsed from the artifact, staining the forest floor.

"Hurry…" he hissed in panic. "Open… open… OPEN ANYWHERE!"

The cube vibrated.

Mana swirled.

A circular portal began forming in front of him. Unstable, flickering, crackling with mana overload.

But the man's masked face suddenly drained of color.

"No–no no NO–NOT THERE! DAMMIT—CHANGE COORDINATES!"

He smacked the cube desperately, trying to redirect it.

The portal flickered erratically like a broken mirror.

Amon's eyes sharpened.

Perfect chance.

He hurled his incoming hatchet straight at the man.

WHIIIISH!

The masked man barely managed to sidestep.

The spinning hatchet passed right beside his head.

And entered the portal instead.

It vanished.

Arnold clicked his tongue. "Damn it."

Then he thrust his hand sideways toward Amon.

"Amon! Grab my hand!"

Amon understood instantly.

Without hesitation, he reached out. Their hands clasped tightly.

Arnold planted his foot on the ground and twisted.

He spun.

And with a burst of mana-strengthened force, he launched Amon forward like a living spear.

Amon shot through the air.

Wind roared in his ears. His body blurred between the trees. His sword was gripped with both hands, blade pointed straight ahead.

The masked man turned, still trying to force the portal to open somewhere else.

He couldn't react in time.

Amon's silhouette came straight behind him.

His dark eyes glowed.

"Got you."

SHHHK!!!

Amon's sword plunged straight into the assassin's back. Deep, brutal driving through skin, muscle, and bone.

The masked man let out a choked scream.

But Amon didn't stop.

Momentum carried him forward.

Both of them were shoved straight into the unstable portal.

"NO—No—NOT AGAIN—!"

The light swallowed them whole.

FWOOOM.

The portal snapped shut.

The forest fell silent.

Arnold skidded to a stop a few meters away, chest heaving.

"…Amon?"

But there was no portal.

No sound.

No trace.

Just the dark, empty forest.

Amon Vale had vanished.

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