Utter silence befell the group as each one of them kept their heads turned toward the building, eyes fixed, bodies tense, waiting for the moment William would emerge with the civilians after dealing with the Devils inside.

Those from Ardentia were relaxed. To them, this mission barely qualified as an inconvenience. The level of Devils the Great Hall had deployed was not even enough to make William warm up. Most assumed he would clear the place in minutes, maybe seconds, and return without a scratch. Some were already thinking about what they would say afterward, about how predictable this evaluation had turned out to be.

Only Guinevere knew better than the others..

Her gaze never left the structure. She did not share the others' certainty, and the reason was simple. The Great Hall never made mistakes. And when they did something excessive, it was never without intent.

Her worry proved justified the very next moment.

An explosion tore through the building.

BOOOOM

The sound hit like a shockwave. Windows shattered outward, debris blasted into the sky, and a massive silhouette was hurled straight through the ceiling, punching a jagged hole before being flung high above the structure.

Shock rippled through the gathered students.

Floating helplessly in the air was a grotesque monster, almost the size of a Taurus, its form twisted and wrong. Its flesh bulged unevenly, veins pulsing like black ropes beneath mottled skin, limbs jerking as if refusing to obey a single will.

"That… why is something like that inside the building?" Natalie frowned, instinctively her brows furrowing.

Gizel swallowed, his jaw tightening. "I don't believe Kevin and the others have faced anything on the same level as that thing."

Mia felt her stomach churn just from looking at it. The creature's presence alone radiated hostility, an instinctive pressure that made her skin prickle. She hugged herself without realizing it.

Emma's expression darkened. Her brows knit together slightly, lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing, but her eyes sharpened, tracking every movement in the air.

The monster thrashed violently, claws scraping against invisible restraints. It roared, a hoarse, inhuman sound that echoed across the open space as it struggled to break free.

It was futile.

A long figure rose calmly from the gaping hole below, levitating upward with effortless control until he hovered at the same height as the monster. Dust and debris drifted around him like slow-falling snow.

"Give him the stage and he won't miss a chance to show off," Natalie muttered, though a grin tugged at her lips.

William stood in the air like he belonged there, posture relaxed, gaze cold. The sky behind him only made his presence more imposing, as if he were the unquestioned master of this battlefield.

He looked at the monster, eyes scanning it with clear dissatisfaction, then clenched his fist.

"You were not that strong."

The Devil's body reacted instantly. Its muscles locked, swelling grotesquely as invisible pressure crushed inward from every direction. The creature let out a deathly howl, its form compressing further and further until the sound cut off abruptly.

With a sickening burst, it exploded mid-air.

Blood, flesh, and shattered bone rained down toward the ground below, splattering against stone and metal alike.

William exhaled softly and descended back into the building as if nothing noteworthy had occurred.

Moments later, he emerged again.

More than twelve survivors floated behind him, suspended gently by telekinetic force. Their bodies were limp, exhausted, but alive.

Using telekinesis, William guided them forward, leading them out of the building and toward the bridge.

Naturally, if there had been another Devil inside, he would have known. Living beings possessed minds. Even the most twisted, inhumane monsters carried fragments of thought. And if there was a mind, no matter how dull or chaotic, William could hear it.

As he stepped fully into the open, his eyes flicked briefly toward Emma. A small, fleeting smile curved his lips, so subtle most would have missed it, before he turned and continued forward.

His pace was unhurried as he approached the bridge.

Then he stopped.

"Hm?" William tilted his head slightly, feet coming to a gradual halt. The floating survivors followed his motion and stopped as well, hanging in the air like lifeless training dummies(well duh).

The bridge was empty.

From one end to the other, there was nothing. No movement. No guards. No Devils.

And yet, William hesitated.

Something felt wrong.

"There is someone coming from that island…" Kevin muttered, squinting as he stared into the distance. A small dot was visible far away, moving steadily closer.

William saw it far more clearly than anyone else.

Eight tall, asymmetrical antlers crowned the approaching figure, branching unnaturally. A massive, bulking body moved beneath them, muscles tight and coiled with violent intent. Its eyes were like black buttons, devoid of warmth, set above a thick, distorted snout.

"A wild stag," William murmured. "And it's corrupted."

As that realization settled, another presence pressed down from above.

William tilted his head upward.

Several flying monsters circled overhead.

Sharp beaks. Black feathers. Predatory, intelligent eyes.

Ravens.

Sky predators that thrived on carrion and chaos, creatures known for cornering prey once weakness revealed itself.

Understanding clicked into place.

William could no longer keep the survivors afloat indefinitely. He also could not levitate freely without abandoning them. The stag was approaching from the front, the ravens from above.

A trap.

The corrupted stag lowered its head. Its antlers angled forward like spears as it stomped its forelimbs against the bridge. Stone cracked under its hooves.

Then it exploded into motion.

The bridge groaned under its weight as it charged, each step sending tremors through the structure.

Brutus frowned deeply. The intent was obvious now. This was no ordinary challenge.

"They're testing him," he muttered. "And not subtly."

Challenging William with something far stronger than what the others faced was a statement. The management had judged the telekinesis user as a greater asset than the rest.

"Is he just going to stand there and let it hit him?" someone from the academy whispered anxiously.

Indeed, William had not moved.

He stood still, eyes locked onto the charging beast, body relaxed, as if frozen in thought.

The ravens did not attack yet. They waited.

The thunderous stomping closed in, each step louder than the last.

William remained alert.

At the last possible moment, when the stag entered a dangerously close range, William slashed his hand downward.

CRACK

A vertical section of the bridge split apart violently. Stone ruptured, dust and debris bursting upward as the structure cleaved open.

William assumed the sudden rupture would disrupt the charge.

Instead—

"Huh?"

The stag leapt.

Its massive body sailed cleanly over the cracked section as if it had anticipated the counter. Its hooves came down hard, shockwaves rippling outward.

William retreated a step and thrust his telekinetic arms forward, invisible force colliding with the beast mid-motion.

The stag's forelimbs landed first. The sheer weight and momentum pressed down against William's power, forcing his knees to bend as he absorbed the impact.

The stag huffed angrily, muscles bulging as it pushed forward, trying to crush him.

William gritted his teeth.

He rarely used his telekinetic arms for raw brute force anymore. Precision was his preference. Control. This kind of contest was taxing.

For a brief instant, the thought crossed his mind.

Drop of Oblivion.

He could end it instantly.

But another memory surfaced instead. Brutus, standing calm and ruthless, annihilating a beast through sheer mental dominance.

William stopped himself.

Gritting his teeth harder, he muttered, "Easy is boring."

As he continued to resist the stag's advance, he lifted his left arm.

The beast pushed harder, forcing William back another step.

At the same time, William's focus shifted upward.

Invisible force lashed out, gripping several ravens mid-air and yanking them downward toward him.

Confusion rippled through the onlookers.

"What in the world is he doing?"

"He can't even overpower the stag, and he's pulling in more threats?"

"That's suicidal during a deadlock."

Emma's eyes narrowed sharply. She ignored the murmurs around her, watching William alone.

And then she understood.

As the ravens were dragged closer, William's presence changed.

It was subtle at first. A shift in pressure. A tightening of the air.

The stag hesitated.

Its charge faltered for half a second, instinct screaming danger.

William's grin widened.

He stepped forward.

The stag did not merely step back.

It slid.

The invisible grip around the ravens intensified. Their bodies twisted unnaturally, bones cracking as they were compressed. One by one, they burst apart with wet pops, blood spraying outward before evaporating under the force.

The stag roared and stomped, trying to regain dominance, but William denied it every inch.

His telekinetic arms reinforced, pressure compounding.

The beast was forced backward, hooves scraping against stone.

Then its hind legs slipped.

They sank into the cracked section of the bridge William had created earlier.

"KRIUKK!"

The stag screamed as its legs lodged firmly into the gap. Panic flared in its black eyes as William continued pushing, compressing its massive body forward.

The bridge creaked ominously.

Students covered their ears at the piercing cries. Some looked away, unable to watch. A few even felt a pang of pity.

William felt none.

Staring into the stag's terror-filled gaze, he spoke softly.

"Thank you."

Then he unleashed everything.

All the force his kinetic arms could muster slammed forward in a single, overwhelming push.

DHAK

The ledge holding the stag's hooves tore free. The stone shattered. The beast was flung across the bridge like a broken doll, crashing into the massive metal door at the far end with bone-rattling force.

It did not rise again.

William exhaled slowly and straightened his posture.

Above him, the remaining ravens scattered, fleeing into the sky.

Shaking his head, William resumed his march, survivors still floating steadily behind him as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

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