Kill The Extra-Chapter 55: Midterm Examination [8]

The sky above was veiled in a heavy fog and the thick scent of blood and ash. The forest had long fallen silent behind as a mass of students went through it and the air turned colder as Arthur, Lia, Dean, Ryker, Lucas and a mass of nervous students emerged into the clearing.

There it stood.

The pyramid.

A dark, jagged monument. It was far larger up close than it had seemed from Ryker’s description. It looked ancient, carved from stone blacker than night with red veins pulsating faintly across its surface. Flickers of flame danced from torches set along the perimeter, casting long shadows over the hooded cultists patrolling outside. Some dragged unconscious students, others simply stood as they were chanting low and guttural hymns that clawed at the sanity of those listening too long.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, his hand resting against the hilt of his sword. His face was already stained with dried blood and sweat but he held firm resolve.

"We are here," he muttered. "Time to go over the plan one last time."

The group huddled close, tension pulling their shoulders tight. Despite the chaos that lay ahead, Arthur’s voice remained steady.

"Lia," he said turning to her, "you will take a dozen students and secure the flank. No one gets in behind us."

Hearing his command Lia gave a small nod. "Understood. I will keep you safe."

"Lucas," Arthur continued, glancing at the blonde haired boy, "you will lead the second group with Dean. Both of you will take a dozen students rest around to the rear of the pyramid. Your job is to breach and destroy everything you find inside. We will meet in the center. We will finish this together."

Lucas gripped his spear tighter. "Got it."

Arthur looked at Ryker last. "You are with me. We hit the front with the remaining students. You and the other Sanctorums will stay behind the vanguard. Heal and support. The rest of us will draw attention."

Ryker exhaled through his nose and nodded. "Just try not to die, hero."

Arthur smirked faintly before turning back to the battlefield.

"Let’s end this."

With that, the group split.

Lia and her squad disappeared into the shadows, flanking from the left. Lucas and Dean led their group swiftly through the underbrush while keeping low. Lucas held his spear tightly in his hand. Meanwhile, Arthur marched confidently toward the front lines with a determined group of students, Ryker and the other Sanctorums trailing just behind.

They reached the edge of the clearing. The cultists hadn’t noticed them yet.

Arthur drew his sword.

He took a deep breath then,

"HEY!!!!"

His voice echoed like thunder across the clearing. Every cultist turned towards him after hearing his voice.

Arthur didn’t wait a single moment.

With a burst of Voidfire, his blade ignited in swirling violet flames. He launched himself forward with a roaring storm of destruction and he plunged his sword straight through the chest of the first cultist in his path.

Boom!!!!

The battlefield exploded into chaos.

"Attack!!!!!"

"Let’s do this everyone!!"

Dozens of students charged behind Arthur, their shouts mixing with the snarls of monsters and the warped chants of the cultists. Fire, ice, wind and lightning erupted across the field in a dazzling array of elemental magic. Spells collided mid air. Screams echoed. The ground became slick with blood.

Clang!!!!

Whoosh!!!

Arthur was a tempest in the battlefield. His voidfire danced across his blade, cutting through cultist after cultist. Their attacks barely grazed him. He moved with precision and practiced savagery, every swing of his sword creating shockwaves that sent his enemies flying. The flame around his sword pulsed with each of his heartbeat reacting to his will.

A monstrous hound, twice his size, lunged at him. Arthur ducked low and slashed upward.

Slash!!!

The creature’s torso split in two and its upper half collapsed into the mud.

Two cultists tried to flank him but he twisted his sword, cutting one down before blasting the other with a pulse of Voidfire that burned straight through the man’s torso. The impact scorched the ground beneath.

All around him, the bodies piled higher.

Flesh. Blood. Steel.

He climbed over them like a war god. He was unstoppable and with each kill it was pushing him further up a mountain of death that he himself was building. The aura of Voidfire surged, wild and unrestrained. It was bending to his fury.

Behind the front line, Ryker stood with a group of Sanctorum students.

"Shield the left! Regen ward on those students.....NOW!!!" He barked orders left and right.

Golden light surged from their hands. Luminous domes shimmered around the frontline squads. Healing pulses rippled out, mending flesh and knitting wounds with holy radiance.

A girl missing part of her arm watched in stunned silence as tissue reformed, her skin glowing under Ryker’s skill, "T-Thank you," she whispered.

But the cultists were relentless.

A group broke through the outer line.

Five of them sprinted toward Ryker and the Sanctorum group with their blades and sickles gleaming.

Ryker’s eyes narrowed.

"I will handle this."

He stepped forward, raising no spell, no weapon.

Just his fists. freewёbnoνel.com

The first cultist lunged.

Bam!!!

Ryker ducked under the blade and drove his fist into the cultist’s throat. Bone crunched.

Another slashed at him from behind. Ryker spun and slammed his elbow into the cultist’s jaw, knocking the man cold.

A third one stabbed Ryker in the side.

He grunted with blood dripping down his uniform but his eyes gleamed with a manic glint.

"Tch!! That’s it?"

Crack!!!

He caught the fourth attacker’s wrist mid swing and twisted it until it snapped, then punched the cultist’s temple with a sickening crack.

The fifth cultist tried to run.

Ryker grabbed him by the collar and smashed him to the ground with enough force to leave a dent in the earth.

Crash!!!

He staggered slightly, panting, blood leaking from the wound in his side. One of the Sanctorum students rushed to heal him but Ryker raised a hand.

"Not yet. Save your energy for the others."

More cultists charged.

A dozen. Maybe more.

The Sanctorum students panicked for a moment until Ryker lifted both hands.

"Sanctuary Veil!" he roared.

A dome of light burst into existence around them, absorbing the incoming fireballs and magical darts with ease. Arrows clinked uselessly against the barrier.

"Counter cast!!! Everyone, now!"

A wave of retaliatory spells surged forward. Light Spears. Healing Shockwaves. Flash Bursts.

Cultists fell back screaming as their flesh seared.

Ryker stepped through the veil again with his fists clenched.

He took two more down with a brutal combo, catching one by the throat and throwing him into another. Blood sprayed. Bones shattered.

Crack!!!

Thud!!!

As he fought more Ryker’s thoughts flashed to the endless sparring with Arthur. The bruises. The exhaustion. The pain.

Compared to Arthur, these cultists were children with sticks.

"These guys... are nothing," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip. "Absolutely nothing."

His aura flared briefly light and warmth coalescing around his fists like faint halos. He didn’t need to cast. He was the spell.

Another wave of cultists approached.

He grinned.

"Let’s dance."

The battle continued to rage around them in a storm of steel, fire and blood. Dozens of students clashed with monsters and cultists in a growing tide of violence. Magic illuminated the night, barriers collapsed, beasts howled, students screamed in both victory and pain.

Above it all, the pyramid loomed silently, waiting.