Hearing the instructor shout, both Lu's and Brant's expressions hardened at once, the casual tension around them snapping into something sharp and alert.

"Which direction?" Lu demanded, urgency threading through his voice.

The instructor took a quick breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down. He straightened his back and faced the two overwhelming presences towering over him.

"It's coming from the opposite direction of the first," he reported quickly. "Currently fifteen kilometers away—but its speed is abnormal. Nearly triple the speed of the first. At this rate, it'll reach the city within ten minutes!"

"So fast!" Lu exclaimed, his brows knitting together.

Brant's gaze sharpened. "What about its size? Same as this one?"

"No," the instructor replied, lifting his arm and pointing toward the distant Colossus, where the other three professors were desperately trying to slow it down. "From what our watcher saw, it's about half the size of this one."

Brant turned toward Lu, his jaw tightening.

"This…" He paused, exhaling slowly. "I'll have to interfere earlier than planned. I'll try to tire this Colossus down as quickly as possible. If the other one reaches us before that—" His eyes locked onto Lu's. "—you'll handle it."

Lu's expression darkened instantly.

"That would give the Demons an advantage…" he muttered. Then his eyes flickered, something clicking into place. "Wait. What about the beasts running away from the Colossus?" He turned sharply toward the instructor. "How many?"

"T-there weren't," the instructor answered, swallowing. "We had it checked multiple times by the watcher. There were no beasts fleeing in front of it."

Lu frowned. "That makes things easier… but how?" he muttered, turning back to Brant.

"I don't know," Brant replied grimly. "But we do what we can." He took a step back, power already gathering around him. "I'm going now."

With that, he bolted forward, his figure blurring as he shot toward the Colossus, now barely three kilometers away from the city gates.

"I'm counting on you. My purification fire shouldn't be exposed this early…" He exhaled, then turned sharply to the instructor. "Go. Tell the spatial mage to summon all candidates the moment the Demons make a move. We can't afford to lose the promising ones to them."

The instructor nodded rapidly and sprinted back toward the city once more.

—600 m Colossus Fight—

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

The thunderous impacts echoed through the air as the giant yellow ape and two professors repeatedly smashed into two distinct points on the Colossus's skull. Shockwaves rippled outward with every strike, loose debris raining down like gravel. Nearby, the professor wielding acid continued hurling corrosive blasts toward the Colossus's eyes, while another simply sat beside him, arms crossed, offering nothing but biting commentary.

As expected, the Colossus remained utterly unfazed.

Each shattered section of its skull was swiftly replaced by freshly compacted layers of earth, sealing itself again and again, making it impossible to reach the inner skin. The acid never even came close to its eyes—blocked every time by thick earthen walls that extended from beneath its massive eyelids. On the rare occasions a splash slipped through, the Colossus merely shut its eyes completely, continuing forward without hesitation, relying on its trait—[Geo Resonance Sense]—to navigate flawlessly.

"Tch. Useless," sneered the middle-aged professor, deep wrinkles creasing his face as he glanced sideways. "How are you even a four-star with acid that weak? I doubt it'd even scratch my mud shields."

The acid professor snapped back instantly. "Jackass. Want to get a feel of it on your dick? Or should I just toss you off my eagle?"

"Oh?" the man scoffed. "Taking your anger out on me because I'm telling the truth? Go on, throw me off. Let's see if I don't shove half a desert up your ass on the way down."

"What?" the acid professor barked. "Did you do the same thing to your wife's pussy before she divorced you?"

The instructor's face flushed red with rage.

"Don't bring that bitch in fron—"

He was cut off abruptly as a violent gust of wind slammed into the eagle mid-sentence. The sudden force sent them tumbling, their footing lost as they were thrown off balance atop the massive beast's back.

"Who?!"

They turned sharply, only to see Brant hurtling toward them at high speed, his white robe snapping violently in the wind like a torn banner. He came to a sudden halt right in front of the eagle, the air around him rippling from the abrupt stop.

"Go back," Brant ordered coldly. "Clear the beasts on the ground. After that, recover and stay alert for any demon activity."

"Huh? But why?" the acid professor protested, his brows shooting up. "The Colossus hasn't even entered the one-kilometer proximity yet."

Brant wasted no time, quickly explaining about the second Colossus—and the necessity of keeping Lu's flames hidden until the very last moment.

The other professor's expression hardened as realization struck him. The same message had already been relayed to the professor positioned above the Colossus's head. Without hesitation, he dismissed his giant ape and leapt straight toward the eagle.

"F-fool! You'll kill my eagle with that momentum!" the acid professor shouted.

But Brant flicked his wrist, the air responding instantly. A cushion of controlled wind slowed the falling man, guiding him gently until he landed softly on the eagle's back.

"But Professor Brant," the landing professor asked the moment he steadied himself, "won't the candidates complain?"

Brant merely waved a dismissive hand.

"They've already been given enough time," he said flatly. "If they complain, send them back outside the gates to fight. Now go."

The eagle let out a sharp screech, flapped its massive wings, and turned sharply toward the city, its form shrinking into the distance.

Brant cracked his knuckles, the sound crisp in the tense air.

"Let's see how you handle a storm, hyap!"

He extended both arms upward. Instantly, a crushing weight pressed down on him, as if he were forcing a massive boulder into the sky. From his position, thick, dark clouds began to churn and gather unnaturally fast. Within moments, the entire region around Thalor City was swallowed by darkness as the clouds blotted out the sun.

SWWOOOOSSSS!

The winds surged to life.

In distant areas, the air remained eerily tranquil—but around the Colossus, the winds became savage and brazen. The sheer pressure slammed into its massive body, forcing it to a sudden halt. Not by its own, but because the air itself refused to let it move forward. Vegetation growing along its back was ripped away violently, sent spiraling into the sky, forcing the Colossus to raise thick earth walls to protect what little remained.

Then its eyes locked onto Brant.

Suspended midair, clad in white, he looked almost ghostly—his pale figure standing in stark contrast against the blackened sky, like a lone specter presiding over the storm he had unleashed.

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