Emma knew this assessment was not about finishing in the least amount of time. That was why she did not rush into the building or show any unnecessary urgency while forming a plan.

As she entered, she could already feel Nyx lingering in different corners. It was not very profound, but there were multiple presences without a doubt.

What would be the best way to deal with them? She could approach them separately and defeat them one by one. They were not particularly strong, she could tell.

But instead, she chose efficiency.

Closing her eyes, Emma channeled aether around her, releasing only as much as she required to chant a spell of the fourth circle or higher.

There was a reason Death Sinks never appeared in crowded locations. The congregation of aether prevented it.

The two energies reacted negatively to each other. That was why, during the incident with Nana, in the presence of a General-ranked Devil, Emma had been frozen solid.

The Nyx of that creature had been far too vast and profound for her aether to respond or retaliate.

But right now, she was a nightmare for the Devils hiding in the shadows.

Her aether surged, slowly expanding in all directions.

She heard a squeak, then a groan, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

CRACK

They were escaping.

Emma did not bother lowering her aura and continued marching inside.

She found survivors in the main hall. No Devil was in sight.

Summoning a barrier, she began picking up the dummies and placing them onto it one after another.

She could manipulate her barrier to the extent of sending it outside the building without needing to visually command it.

One after another, six platforms were chanted, and all thirty civilians were recovered. Not a single Devil tried to show itself.

Emma calmly walked out, followed by the six platforms on which the training dummies stood. They were not piled together, but evenly placed.

Guinevere's brows lifted slightly, Emma noticed, while her lover smiled from ear to ear.

Emma could not stop her lips from curving either. Despite how much she wanted to go to him and claim her share of praise and kisses, she knew she still had to keep going.

When she reached the bridge, she felt mildly annoyed to see more than fifty crab-like monsters crawling toward her.

They were no bigger than a man's palm, but their pincers were lethally sharp, and the Nyx they radiated clearly stated their origin.

'Couldn't they have at least picked something stronger for me to fight?' Even the snake Brutus faced would have been a worthy battle. But well.

Her lips moved in a chant. She had more than enough time to summon a sixth-circle spell.

Instantly, several aether circles began swirling around the bridge.

Everyone watched in awe. Despite holding so many passengers on her barrier, she was still able to chant a sixth-circle.

"Is that…" one boy from Daverfall asked.

"Yes," Brutus nodded, unexpectedly answering. "It's Titan Grip."

As those words faded, all the crabs were crushed into paste at once, as if an invisible pressure had descended upon them, leaving no room to resist.

Emma continued her march through the fading graveyard of Devils and reached the other island without a single casualty or difficulty.

When she returned, she took her place beside William.

Guinevere nodded at her. "I can't find a reason to criticize you. You chose not to fight the Devils inside the building and instead drove them away. On the bridge, you also showed situational awareness by not engaging in a prolonged fight when you had a way to end it instantly."

Emma said nothing and simply stood there.

"That was impressive," Brutus suddenly said, glancing at her.

That alone took everyone by surprise. He had remained mostly silent until now.

For even Brutus to praise her, the students from Daverfall were visibly confused. Meanwhile, Kevin narrowed his gaze at the violet-haired young man, earning an eye roll from Natalie.

William, however, was completely unaffected by his surroundings. He was chatting with his beloved through telepathy.

[That was cool.]

Emma blinked, taken aback. [What was?]

[You casually walked in and your presence alone made the Devils run away. That kind of dominance suits you.]

Emma glanced at him, barely suppressing a smile.

[Thanks.]

William chuckled inwardly at her shyness.

Meanwhile, Guinevere sent two more people for the assessment.

First was Angelica from Daverfall, who finished her trial in roughly the same time as Kevin.

William could not quite figure out her skill. She followed Kevin's method of rescuing the dummies and fought the Devil on the bridge using her daggers.

That either meant she did not want to reveal her unique ability to others, which confused him, or her skill simply was not suited for this kind of mission.

Regardless, once she finished, Mia from Ardentia was sent next.

The girl had been brainwashed by Gizel into believing that holding back would result in severe punishment.

Strangely, that worked in her favor.

She teleported from the queue to the building in the blink of an eye and hurled the Devils out one after another within seconds.

Unable to teleport more than one person at a time, Mia also chose Kevin's rope-and-drag method to bring the civilians back. Unfortunately, her body was not used to such physical exertion, which explained why she was breathless by the time she reached the bridge.

Thankfully, she faced only a single Devil. The redhead was not sure how she would have completed the trial otherwise.

By simply teleporting it into the sea, she crossed the bridge and finally finished the test.

When she returned, Guinevere stared at the meek girl for a few seconds before speaking.

"You need a lot of improvement, cadet."

Mia's shoulders drooped, her head lowering. "I apologize, Commander."

Guinevere huffed. "I am not labeling you a failure. You handled the Devils well enough. However, I was disappointed to see you getting fatigued while carrying civilians. That is why, after training hours, you will spend an hour or two with me. We are going to get your body in shape."

Mia groaned inwardly but maintained a sincere expression. "I understand, Commander."

Guinevere nodded before turning her attention to the remaining students.

They expected someone from Daverfall to be sent next, considering the pattern so far. This time, however, things changed.

"William, you are next."

Every head turned, except Brutus.

The blond boy tucked his hands into his pockets and stepped forward.

'Let's get this over with.'

-End of chapter-

°°°°°°°°°

"Treating him any differently would raise a rebillion." Guinevere frowned.

Domella shrugged, "If you want him to remain invested in this training programme then you must think of him a little differently."

Guinevere rolled her eyes, "I just can't understand whether it's the Great Hall or you are favoring that brat."

Domella briefly grinned, "Oh, he is of my son's age. Of course, it's pure business."

….

Guinevere narrowed her eyes as she watched William advancing towards the building with an uncaring look on his face.

She could already tell that the adebile inside the building were far stronger than what the previous students have faced. That means, the decision was made in accordance with Domella's judgement.

Shaking her head, the woman crossed her arms and thought, 'Not like I would be blamed if something happens to him.'

Meanwhile, William had already sensed what was waiting for him inside the building. Having such refrained aether, he could sense malice from a great distance. And given how thick the negative energy inside the building he perceived, he knew he was in for a good token

With a grin, he pushed open the doors and walked inside just after the entrance he found several survivors waiting for him—lying on the ground.

He used telekinesis to huddle them in the corner, humanly of course, not just throwing them.

After that: he followed the source of negativity oozing from within the building.

He could sense multiple presence and they were strong as those golem he faced back before the Goblet of Honor.

As he walked, he reached the staircase.

Taking a few moments, he assessed the situation. He was carrying his blade to the side but in this close proximity it was impossible to use it.

That's why, he first kept it aside.

And just as the blade rested against the wall—he heard it,

"Kriegh!" A rumble from above.

William sped aside rather than wasting his time to look up.

*SPIT*

Something landed where he stood a moment ago; burning the ground.

Adrian grinned and looked up at the monster hanging by the ceiling.

It had a wife mouth, long hanging tongue and a dark-green body.

Just by sending its presence, William could tell—it was a strong Devil.

'Now this is going to be fun.'

....

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you are confused then I was supposed to write a second chapter from some point but I had to leave urgently so I compiled them.

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.