Dust still drifted off the spot where the slabs fell.

William stood there, breathing roughly as he stared at the debris before him.

He knew attacking the monster directly would have been useless and since there was nothing too much around them to be used, he decided to use the ceiling instead.

"Gah!" He cried, his ribs were groaning, a few of them had surely snapped. He could feel his body protesting. He had taken too much damage during the short confrontation.

However, the slight hope he had to be finally liberated from this excruciating battle…

**DOOOOOM**

The ape suddenly broke through the rubble, its body like a cannonball as it struck William right in the chest.

"Agh!" William groaned as his back hit the wall, his vision turning blurry.

The monster was bruised. But more than its body, its pride was wounded to be outsmarted by a human.

The Prism Ape closed the distance in a blink.

DHAK

A fist smashed into William's abdomen before he could raise his guard. The impact folded him inward, air tearing from his lungs as the wall behind him spiderwebbed with cracks.

CRRRK

Before his feet even touched the ground, a knee slammed into his ribs.

Something snapped.

William choked, blood spraying from his mouth as the blow lifted him off his feet and pinned him back against the wall. Stone crumbled around his shoulders, dust exploding outward as shockwaves rippled through the dungeon.

He tried to move.

The ape didn't allow it.

Its forearm crashed across William's collarbone, holding him in place as another fist hammered into his chest.

DHAK

Again.

DHAK

Each strike landed with mechanical precision, not wild rage—controlled, efficient, vicious. William's vision shook violently, the world flashing white at the edges.

He raised his hand, fingers trembling, trying to form even the simplest construct—

The ape's palm slammed down on his wrist.

CRACK

Pain screamed through his arm as the spell shattered before it could take shape. The backlash numbed his fingers instantly.

William gasped, forcing his head forward, trying to headbutt—

The ape twisted its grip and drove William sideways into the wall.

BOOOM

The stone behind him caved inward. The dungeon groaned as fractures spread outward like veins, dust raining from the ceiling.

William slid down the wall, barely standing.

The pain…the blood…the powerlessness…it reminded him of something.

A memory.

Which didn't belong to him.

Which didn't belong to William Delimore.

….

[In the common hall]

Dead silence descended upon the students.

Even the professors wore deep frowns as they watched the brutality unfold.

No one had expected the same boy who had dominated every monster so far to be driven into such a helpless state.

And this was not proof of William's carelessness, nor his weakness.

The monster he was facing was capable of cornering an entire team, even a battalion if given the chance.

A Prism Ape was generally regarded as a high-tier threat despite the category assigned to it by the Towers.

With heightened battle awareness, monstrous physical strength, and the ability to deflect any attack formed with magic, it stood as the perfect nemesis to a sorcerer.

"Is this really alright?" Edward asked, his brows drawn tight. "That is an adult Ape. Something that could give even the Knights of the Royal Order a hard fight."

Vitori remained standing, silent.

His eyes never left the screen where William was being brutally overwhelmed.

He knew it then.

He had misjudged things. Gone too far.

And now… he was regretting it. Deeply.

Every challenge William had faced until now had been unfair. He was challenging the dungeon alone, yet was forced to face monsters far beyond what he should have encountered at his stage.

"Shouldn't this be stopped?!" someone cried from the audience.

William's futile attempts at retaliation were being erased again and again, not even slowing the monster down.

"This is madness! Is this how responsible adults should behave? Disappointing!" another shouted, this time from the front, not bothering to hide behind the crowd.

"You're worse than the monsters inside the dungeon!" Natalie yelled. "At least they don't plot against someone out of insecurity!"

Her face burned with anger and frustration.

Emma clenched her teeth and finally stepped forward.

All eyes turned toward the silver-haired girl as she walked straight up to Vitori. She grabbed his arm and turned him around sharply.

Vitori froze.

Not only because she had approached him so boldly, but because of the hatred burning in her eyes.

"Stop this."

Two words, forced through clenched teeth, trembling with emotion.

Her demeanor alone left those around Vitori stunned.

Just as he was about to issue the order to rescue William, a voice rang out.

"Look! The ape is running away!"

Every head snapped back toward the screen.

What they saw was terrifying.

William hovered in midair.

His bloodied, bruised face showed no emotion. No pain. No strain.

His left hand was raised, a dark, swirling orb floating just inches above his palm.

Dust, debris, stones, slabs—everything around him was being pulled toward it, vanishing as if swallowed by a devourer.

The dungeon itself was collapsing under the pull. Nothing escaped.

"W-What… is that?" Dorothy whispered, her voice shaking.

Lizel could only stare in stunned silence while Laila frowned deeply beside her.

Emma's eyes narrowed as she studied the orb closely.

That wasn't Drop of Oblivion.

"Look! That monkey is actually running away!" someone shouted as the wider screen showed the monster fleeing.

The same creature that had brutalized William moments ago now scrambled in panic, abandoning all pride and dominance.

*CRACK*

The ceiling and the floor fractured as the concentrated construct above William's palm continued to pull everything in.

Suspended amid ruin, he looked like a death angel descending to consume all sin.

They watched as the dungeon began to cave in on itself.

And then—

*ZZZZZ*

The screen went blank.

Silence befell the hall once again.

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. It pains to write a chapter so short but the chapter felt complete. Anyway, drop a comment.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.