"CRASH!"

The tail strike sent Kai flying through three trees before he slammed into a boulder, coughing blood.

"Brother!" the ice twin—probably named something similar—abandoned his position and rushed to help.

That left only the leader and the girl to face the beast directly.

The creature, sensing weakness, lunged toward the fallen fire twin with jaws open wide, clearly intending to eat him whole.

"No!" the girl screamed, throwing one of her swords in desperation.

The blade struck the beast's snout, making it flinch but not stopping its charge.

The leader tried to intercept, his spear blazing with golden energy as he thrust forward with all his strength.

But he was too far away. He wouldn't reach in time.

The beast's jaws descended toward the injured fire twin, who was too dazed to even try dodging.

And that's when Levi made his decision.

He'd been planning to stay out of it, to let these students handle their own mess. But seeing someone about to die right in front of him triggered something—maybe a remnant of his past life's morality, or maybe just basic human decency.

Either way, he moved.

"Thunder Step."

"CRACKLE!"

Crimson lightning exploded beneath Levi's feet as he activated his movement technique at maximum power!

His body transformed into pure electricity, crossing fifty meters in less than half a second!

He appeared directly above the beast's head, his saber already in motion!

"Inferno Strike!"

"WHOOSH!"

The blade blazed with compressed fire energy as Levi brought it down in a perfect vertical slash!

"SLICE!"

The attack struck the beast's skull with devastating force!

The creature's charge stopped immediately as pain overwhelmed its hunting instinct. It released an ear-splitting shriek and thrashed violently, trying to shake off the attacker on its head.

But Levi was already moving again.

He used the beast's own momentum against it, leaping off its head just as it began to thrash. His second attack targeted the beast's ruined eye, driving his blade deep into the vulnerable socket.

"Pierce!"

"SHRIEK!"

The beast went absolutely berserk!

It bucked and thrashed like a mechanical bull on maximum setting, its tail sweeping in wild arcs that demolished everything nearby!

Levi activated his Void Step Boots, creating platforms of solidified air that let him dance around the beast's counterattacks while continuing to strike at vulnerable points.

The four students, who had been frozen in shock at the sudden appearance of this unknown helper, finally recovered.

"Everyone, attack together!" the leader shouted. "Coordinate with our ally!"

The girl moved first, her remaining sword flashing as she targeted the beast's legs, trying to hamstring it.

The ice twin had dragged his injured brother to safety and was now launching ice spears that struck the beast's flanks, creating weak points.

The leader's spear blazed with even more intense golden energy as he activated what was clearly his strongest technique. "Heavenly Spear Art: Golden Judgment!"

The spear extended with pure energy, growing to over ten meters long, and the leader thrust it forward with all his might!

"Pierce!"

The attack struck the beast's chest, penetrating deep into its torso!

But it still wasn't enough to kill it.

Fiend Grade beasts possessed absurd vitality. Even with all these coordinated attacks, the creature was still fighting, still dangerous.

Levi decided to end it.

He detonated a golden Astra drop.

"BOOM!"

Power flooded his body, his aura spiking to pseudo-Level 9 strength!

Then he activated Star Annihilation Slash!

"Weng!"

Dark energy swirled around his blade, growing denser and darker with each passing microsecond!

The beast, sensing mortal danger, tried to flee!

But the leader's golden spear was still embedded in its chest, pinning it in place!

Levi's blade descended!

"STAR ANNIHILATION SLASH!"

"KA-BOOOOOM!"

A crescent of pure annihilation erupted from his saber!

The attack was over fifteen meters wide, and it carved through the beast's neck like a hot knife through butter!

"SLICE!"

The massive reptilian head separated from the body cleanly, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground thirty meters away!

The headless body remained standing for three full seconds, blood fountaining from the stump of its neck.

Then it collapsed forward with an earth-shaking impact.

Dead.

Silence fell across the forest.

The four students stared at Levi with expressions ranging from shock to awe to disbelief.

They'd been fighting that beast for nearly an hour, slowly wearing it down, and this stranger had just appeared out of nowhere and killed it in less than two minutes.

Levi landed lightly on the ground, his saber still smoking from the fire and darkness energies. He took a deep breath, forcing his elevated heart rate to slow.

Using a golden drop always came with consequences, and he could already feel his meridians protesting the abuse.

But he'd saved someone's life, and that was worth it.

"Who…" the leader finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. "Who are you?"

Levi turned to face them, and for the first time, they got a good look at his uniform.

"Crimson Sun Academy?" the girl exclaimed. "You're from Crimson Sun?"

Levi nodded slowly. "Levi Borne. First-year Elite Class."

The four students exchanged glances, clearly impressed. Crimson Sun Academy was one of the top institutions in the Eastern Federation, and its Elite Class students were known to be exceptionally strong.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The leader of the group stepped forward, cupping his fist in a formal gesture of respect. Despite his obvious exhaustion and injuries, his bearing remained dignified.

"Thank you for your assistance, Student Levi. I am Marcus Ironheart, third-year student of Silverpeak Academy. This is my team."

He gestured to each of his companions in turn.

"My younger sister, Lyra Ironheart, first-year." The girl with the twin swords bowed her head respectfully, her ponytail swaying with the motion. Up close, Levi could see she shared similar sharp features with her brother—high cheekbones, determined eyes, a warrior's bearing despite her young age.

"And these are the Feng twins—Kai and Ren." The leader indicated the two identical young men, who were helping each other stand. The fire twin, Kai, still looked dazed from being launched through the trees, while his ice-wielding brother Ren supported him with obvious concern.

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