The Corrupted lion slammed into the skeletal shield again.

BOOM.

The impact didn’t just echo. It rushed through the clearing. Air blew across the battlefield, picking up dirt and sending loose leaves spiraling into the air. Cracks spread across the bone barrier in jagged lines as the force drove Yudo backward across the dirt.

Yudo gritted his teeth. I’ve barely practiced this move with Shujiro…

The structure wasn’t stable and he could feel it. Not just from the outside, but from within. The energy running through the bone construct wavered.

If this thing pushes any harder, my barrier will break.

The Beast roared in frustration. A deep, violent sound that shook the air itself. Its massive claws tore into the shield, dragging against the bone with a grinding shriek. 

Bone fragments splintered off, scattering across the clearing. Dead Man’s Bulwark was holding on by a thread.

Yudo leaned forward, pushing against the force. Trying to hold it as long as he could. Each second felt heavier than the last. The ground beneath his feet continued to crack as the pressure mounted.

Behind him, the others were already moving.

“Elaina, give me ten seconds!” Virsen shouted.

“You’ll get five!” she replied instantly, shooting into the air.

Golden energy erupted around her arms, illuminating the battlefield.  She raised her hand. The air warped above the Corrupted lion. Gravity multiplied around the Beast. The ground beneath the lion cracked as an invisible force slammed downward.

A cloud of dust burst upward from the impact. The massive creature sank. Its legs buckled. Its body pushed down toward the ground. But the Beast fought back.

Its muscles tensed. Veins of Corrupted Energy flared brighter. Chunks of the ground lifted and broke apart under the strain.

Elaina’s eyes sharpened. She couldn’t increase the pressure any further. If she did, Yudo would be crushed too.

“Renki,” she said sharply. “Now.”

“Don’t miss,” Ryukai muttered under his breath.

Renki stepped forward with no hesitation. Storm energy shot from his hand. Lightning crackled violently around his body. The air itself began to distort. Loose strands of hair lifted from the charge building around him.

“Storm Trait: Thunder’s Wrath!”

He thrust his arm downward. A bolt of lightning crashed from the sky. It slammed directly into the lion’s back.

CRACK.

The sound split the air. Electricity spread across the monster’s body, crawling over its cracked skin and burning through Corrupted flesh. The smell of burning filled the clearing. Smoke rose from the Beast's body as arcs of electricity danced across its skin.

The lion roared wildly. Its body convulsed under the current. But it still pushed forward.

Yudo felt it. The pressure increased. The Beast slammed against the shield again.

CRASH.

The skeletal barrier trembled violently. Fragments broke off. The structure wavered.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Yudo muttered. This thing won’t go down.

The pressure spiked. In an instant, the shield gave out. The skeletal barrier shattered. 

Bone fragments exploded outward in every direction. Several pieces embedded themselves into nearby trees.

Yudo was thrown back a step as the force broke through. “I’m running out of energy here!” Yudo shouted, forcing himself upright.

He glanced over to Ryukai. “Ryukai! How long?!” he called.

Ryukai stepped forward, already straining. “Not long,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Water Convergence: Coral Reef!” 

Water surged from the ground, rising upward. Jagged coral erupted upward in an instant, forming a dense, layered barrier in front of them. Water continued flowing through the structure like veins beneath its surface.

The lion crashed into it again. The impact shook the clearing. But Ryukai staggered. His breathing faltered.

I’ve never had to use Coral Reef twice in a single day.

The water feeding the coral flickered. His body trembled.

Ryukai is at his limit. Yudo saw it immediately.  We don’t have time!

Virsen stepped forward. Energy gathered around his blade. The air around him vibrated as power compressed into his blade. Even the grass beneath his feet bent outward from the pressure.

That pressure… Yudo felt it. Even from a distance. That guy’s Trait isn’t just strong. It’s overwhelming.

The Trait of a Champion.

“Elaina!” Virsen called.

“Now!”

“Yudo, Ryukai, move!”

Neither hesitated. They jumped backwards, clearing the area in a single motion.

Elaina raised her hand again. Golden energy surged outward. The pressure had increased significantly now that the two weren’t in the line of fire. Gravity slammed down, pinning the lion to the ground. its stomach crashed into the dirt as its limbs buckled under the pressure.

The Corrupted jewel on its forehead shook violently, like it was trying to resist. Trying to survive.

“We’re clear, Virsen!” Elaina shouted. “Finish it!”

Virsen inhaled slowly. The chaos faded around him. The roar, pressure, and destruction had disappeared. There was only one thing he focused on.

His target.

“Champion: Conqueror’s Cleave.”

His legs bent. He lunged forward. The ground shattered beneath his feet. Chunks of stone and dirt exploded behind him.

The lion tried to rise by digging its claws into the ground. Its body strained against the gravity. But it was too late.

Virsen’s blade flashed. One clean slash. The strike passed through its body without resistance.

Silence filled the clearing. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a faint crack. Fractures spread across the jewel's surface. The Corrupted jewel shattered.

Several students instinctively shielded their eyes from the flash. The lion’s body froze. From head to tail. Its massive corpse collapsed into the dirt. The ground shook as it hit.

A wave of dust rolled outward from the impact. And just like that, the fight was over. The forest fell silent.

Yudo slowly lowered his hands. The tension drained from his arms. Ryukai exhaled deeply beside him, his energy finally stabilizing.

Yudo’s gaze lingered on the corpse. On the shattered jewel. On the sheer scale of what they had just fought. The remains of broken trees surrounded the battlefield. Coral fragments. Bone shards. Evidence of the battle was everywhere.

“…That boy is terrifying,” Yudo muttered.

Ryukai let out a breathless laugh. “Damn right he is.”

Around them, the other students began to move. Some collapsed where they stood. Others rushed toward the injured. The tension that had filled the clearing moments ago was gone.

But something about the entire situation felt wrong.

Yudo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Because that monster…

should never have been inside the exam forest.