Chapter 832 - 832: Check: 4 VS 2

In the Zephyra Empire,

When Alaric turned the guard into a monster, the once-human figure twisted and contorted, bones snapping as its body morphed into something grotesque and unnatural.

“Arrrhh!!” The monster groaned, its voice raw with agony. Its face twisted in torment before its pupilless eyes locked onto Alaric, and without hesitation, it lunged straight at him with terrifying speed.

Alaric clicked his tongue in irritation, “Tch. Worthless. Go get the fucking others, you ugly fucker,” he sneered, lifting his leg and delivering a brutal kick straight to the monster’s chest.

The monster let out a guttural growl as it was sent flying backwards, its massive body twisting mid-air before it crashed onto the cobblestone street. It landed on all fours like a beast, its elongated claws scraping against the ground. Lifting its head, it turned its gaze toward the people strolling down the bustling street, its eyes gleaming with hunger.

A low growl rumbled in its throat before it suddenly lunged forward.

The people barely had time to process what was happening before—

“Arrrrhh!” The monster let out a bloodcurdling roar and launched itself at the nearest person.

“NOOOOOOO!!!”

Screams erupted from the streets as panic spread like wildfire. People shoved and stumbled over one another in a desperate attempt to flee. Mothers clutched their children, men grabbed their loved ones, and the once-lively street was thrown into utter chaos.

Alaric stood there, watching with a twisted grin. He tilted his head slightly, amused by the sheer terror unfolding before him, “They say a single drop of water makes a mighty ocean. Well, let’s see how this tiny ripple turns into a storm,” he mused, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

The monster loomed over its victim, drool dripping from its gaping maw as it prepared to bite the poor soul beneath it. But just as its teeth were about to tear into flesh—

Ssssshhhhhhhh!!

A single arrow sliced through the air with deadly precision, whistling through the chaotic scene before—

BOOOMM!

The arrow embedded itself into the monster’s skull. A sickening explosion followed as blood and brain matter splattered across the cobblestone. The force of the impact sent the creature’s massive body jerking backwards before it collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

The man who had been pinned under the beast blinked in shock, his face pale. A heartbeat later, realization kicked in, and he let out a horrified scream before scrambling to his feet and running away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Alaric’s smirk faltered as he snapped his head toward the source of the attack. His sharp gaze landed on the rooftop of a nearby building, where a lone figure stood, bow in hand, sliver hair flowing with the wind.

“Well,” Aria muttered under her breath, exhaling sharply as she lowered her bow slightly. “Looks like I made it just in time.”

She brought two fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle.

“Pssssssssssooooo!”

At the signal—

“Grrrlll!” A deep, guttural snarl resonated through the air as Kaelen, in his massive wolf form, leapt down from the rooftop, his fangs bared and his eyes burning with fury.

And he wasn’t alone.

“Hey, missed me?” Aqualina’s teasing voice rang out as she emerged, her thin blue sword gleaming under the dim light.

The bulky figure let out a strangled groan before turning toward her, rage burning in its hollow eyes.

Alaric, watching all of this unfold, felt a flicker of disbelief before it quickly turned into irritation. He hadn’t expected this. Not now.

“What the fuck…?” He muttered, his eyes narrowing. His frown deepened as suspicion crept into his mind. “How the hell did they know about this? Someone inside must have—”

His thoughts halted. No. This wasn’t a betrayal. It wasn’t some calculated sabotage from within.

Master had told them. That was the only explanation, not the plan itself!

So it wasn’t even a fucking plan?

They knew without any secrecy, and now they were already here?

He clenched his jaw in frustration.

Heck, even he didn’t know what Master and others were doing… all he did was what Master ordered nothing more.

“What’s going on here?” he muttered under his breath. But then he exhaled slowly, forcing a smirk back onto his lips. “Well, no point in thinking too much. My orders are simple—destroy this empire.” His eyes gleamed as his smirk widened. “Master never said how, after all~”

He raised his hand into the air.

“Come at me, then. Let’s see what the so-called chosen ones are capable of!”

With a sharp stomp on the ground, he propelled himself high into the sky, his coat billowing as he ascended. Then, with a mere flick of his wrist—

The sky darkened.

Millions of razor-sharp, air-pressured arrows materialized around him in an instant, glinting like death itself. And with one commanding motion—

They rained down toward the city below.

Kaelen’s sharp eyes widened in alarm. He instinctively moved to stop the incoming attack when—

“No need. Focus on him,” Aria commanded, her voice firm.

Kaelen hesitated for only a second before nodding. His powerful legs tensed before he lunged straight at Alaric, his claws ready to tear through flesh. Meanwhile, Aria raised her bow, her gaze locking onto Alaric as she drew back the string, her next shot already marked.

Alaric chuckled, watching them with amusement. “Oh? So you’re just going to let your precious empire destroy? What kind of future rulers would do that?” His smirk was mocking, but it quickly faded when his eyes caught something.

Something was moving.

Something too fast for him to track.

“What the fuck is that…?” His brows furrowed as he squinted. All he could make out was a small, flickering purple spark darting across the sky, weaving through the arrows like a phantom.

One by one, the arrows were destroyed before they could even touch the city and disappeared all of a sudden!

His frowned, but he had no time to analyze it further.

Kaelen was already upon him.

The massive wolf’s powerful jaw snapped forward, aiming straight for his throat. Alaric barely managed to react, raising a hand to push him away, but before he could—

An arrow suddenly appeared right in front of his face.

His reflexes kicked in instantly. He caught it midair, his fingers wrapping tightly around the shaft. His lips curled into a smirk.

“Seriously? I am faster,” Alaric spat with a smug face, but Aria grinned, “And I am a Hunter,” she said, and suddenly, the arrow that Alaric had caught blasted off like it was a time bomb or something.

BOOOM!!

The arrow detonated like a time bomb, engulfing Alaric in a massive explosion.

And in that exact moment, Kaelen wasted no time.

With a swift, feral motion, he lunged forward, his fangs sinking deep into Alaric’s body.

A brutal, earth-shaking impact followed as Kaelen viciously slammed him into the ground.

BOOOMM!

Meanwhile,

“Because of you… Master hurt me.”

The massive hooded figure’s voice rumbled like distant thunder, its deep growl carrying an undercurrent of barely contained rage. Its enormous fists clenched at its sides.

Aqualina, unfazed, tilted her head slightly, “Oh? Now, come on, you can’t just blame me for that. I mean, all I did was try to save myself… nothing wrong with that, right?”

For a brief moment, the hulking figure hesitated, as if trying to process her words, its mind struggling to grasp the concept. Then, as if reaching some twisted understanding, it gave a slow, deliberate nod, as though it actually agreed with her logic.

But just as quickly, its expression twisted back into one of pure, unfiltered rage.

“Still…” It exhaled sharply, its breath hot and heavy like a furnace. “I will kill you for what you did to me!”

Without another second of hesitation, it lunged forward, both of its massive hands shooting out with terrifying speed. Its enormous fingers stretched wide, hungry to snatch her up and crush her like a mere insect beneath its palm.

Yet—

Aqualina didn’t move.

She stood there, perfectly still, her arms hanging lazily by her sides. Not a single muscle twitched.

The beast hesitated again, if only for a fraction of a second. The fact that she wasn’t reacting… wasn’t even attempting to dodge… made it uneasy. It had expected her to flee, to fight back, to at least flinch.

But she did nothing.

The monster’s lips curled into a vicious grin.

“Die!” It roared, its voice shaking the very ground beneath them as it slammed its enormous fists down with full, unrestrained force.

BOOOOMMMM!!

The impact was catastrophic. The entire street shook violently as the ground beneath them cracked and split apart like shattered glass. Rubble exploded in every direction, sending sharp fragments of stone and dust soaring into the air.

For a brief moment, everything was silent.

The beast exhaled heavily, shoulders rising and falling, convinced it had crushed her completely.

Or so it thought—

“Tch. Damn, this guy is really strong, isn’t he?”

A voice echoed beneath its hands.

The creature’s grin faltered. A flicker of confusion crossed its monstrous face. Slowly, it lowered its head.

And there, standing unscathed beneath its massive fists—

Was Thalia.

Her arms were holding its huge hands.

It had barely had time to process its mistake before—

Thalia moved.

With a swift, effortless motion, she spun on her heel, twisting her body with the precision of a trained fighter. And then—

CRACK!

Her leg connected with the creature’s head in a devastating roundhouse kick. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the sheer force behind the strike making the massive figure stumble back violently. Its enormous feet dragged against the ground as it fought to stay upright.

It staggered, shaking its head rapidly, trying to rid itself of the dizziness creeping in.

Thalia smirked, flexing her fingers as she cracked her knuckles. “See? That’s how you do it,” she chirped, almost playfully. She dusted off her hands before shooting a triumphant glance at Aqualina. “Bam! Just like that.”

Aqualina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms tighter against her chest. “Tch. Don’t get cocky,” she muttered, her voice laced with irritation. Then, as if something far more pressing was on her mind, her expression darkened, her tone growing sharper. “And don’t forget—I’m only sticking around for now. Once this is over, that motherfucker still has a lot of explaining to do.”

Her fingers twitched slightly at her sides. It was clear her anger wasn’t directed at the battle itself but rather at someone else entirely.

Somewhere, at that exact moment—

“Achoo!”

Aether suddenly sneezed while sprinting.

Anyway—

The battle was now four against two.

On paper, the outcome seemed obvious. Four against two meant an overwhelming advantage, right? But everyone present knew better than to rely on numbers alone.

One of their opponents was Alaric—a man who had once been a Chosen, someone who had played a lot and was undeniably powerful. The other was the massive hooded figure, a being whose sheer brute strength alone was enough to turn the tide of battle. It had the terrifying ability to reinforce itself, amplifying its power far beyond what should have been possible.

Even against four, they were far from easy opponents.

But then again—

The opposing team wasn’t weak either. Each of them had their own strengths, their own unique abilities that could tip the scales in unexpected ways.

The real question was…

Would it be enough?

“…”

Unbeknownst to the fighters, a lone figure stood in the shadows, perched at the edge of a nearby building. Their presence was quiet, their form still, as they silently observed the battle unfolding below.

But then, slowly, their gaze shifted.

Away from the chaos.

Away from the fighters.

Their attention turned toward the Academy in the distance—where professors and children were gathered, where Liora stood, her presence unwavering.

Inside, she shielded them, protecting them like an unshakable guardian.