Chapter 109: Summoner’s war 8 Tactical Murder

Chapter 109: Summoner’s war 8 Tactical Murder [2/2] The room that had once served as a grand meeting place for the academy’s generals now lay in utter ruin. Nothing remained of its former grandeur. The once-towering pillars had crumbled into jagged fragments, and a thick cloud of dust hung in the air. Shattered rocks littered the floor, making it difficult to tell that this place had ever been whole. The battle between the Nyxaris and the generals had begun in full force, and everything in their path had been obliterated beyond recognition. The room was just one of many casualties. If not for how distant this place was from the stadium... The fight would’ve reached there by now. A sudden explosion of force cracked through the air. Shia blocked a brutal blow with both arms crossed in front of her. The impact was monstrous—too much for her current strength to handle. It sent her hurtling backward through the air, crashing through multiple walls in rapid succession. The impact echoed violently across the desolate building. She skidded across the floor, her boots screeching against the rubble until she finally came to a stop. Groaning, she stabilized herself on one knee, her breathing shaky. Then her eyes lifted. And standing before her, like an immovable wall of wrath and muscle, was the largest of the Nyxaris. His towering form cast a long shadow, his red-bleached irises glowing like blood-stained glass. His grotesque armor clanked with each step, an unnatural rhythm that filled Shia with both dread and defiance. She clenched her fists tighter. This... This one’s a Grade 3 Nyxaris... Of all the types to face—why did it have to be this? Grade 3 Nyxaris were notoriously difficult to kill. Nearly impossible under normal conditions. And for Shia, who had to keep her powers suppressed... She bit her lower lip hard, her face betraying the turmoil within. Releasing her full strength would bring the building down, and possibly worse—if the collapse reached the stadium, it would crush the students. Hundreds would die. It was a masterfully calculated attack. The enemy knew they couldn’t fight at full strength. Even the other generals and the Thorne family representative were holding back, forced to restrict themselves to the power of a mere Grade 3 Summoner. A sharp roar tore through the tension. The Nyxaris came at her again—massive fists swinging with terrifying speed. Ten strikes in the blink of an eye. This time, Shia dodged. She ducked, twisted, and flipped away, narrowly escaping the destructive blows that shattered the floor and cracked the walls behind her. But before she could reposition herself, the creature’s glowing red eyes locked onto hers. Its irises gleamed with a malevolent light—and then, in an instant, red searing energy burst forth from both of them, forming concentrated beams that blasted toward her like razors of pure death. Too fast. Too strong. At her current suppressed level, she couldn’t block them. She raised her arms instinctively. The beams struck. "Ahhh—!" The scream tore from her lungs as the energy beams burned through her defenses and seared her flesh, tearing through her arms to the bone. The sheer force of the hit sent her body smashing through the floor below. She crashed into the next level of the building, slamming back-first into solid ground. Pain erupted from every part of her body. She sat up quickly, wincing. Her breathing ragged. Her arms—still smoking—trembled as she brought them before her eyes. It burns... My bones... If I keep fighting like this... I’ll just be on the defense until I die. She swallowed hard. At some point... I’ll have to make the choice. Either the Nyxaris dies... Or the students will. --- Meanwhile— Albert fell to his knees, groaning as a monstrous blow struck his shoulder and toppled him forward. Blood dripped from his nose, staining the floor beneath him. His cheeks were swollen. His body trembling from repeated strikes. His arms had stopped resisting. But his eyes... were still burning. Not with fear. But something... wild. He looked up at Ravin—his gaze unwavering despite the agony. "And now..." he muttered, voice hoarse but unbroken, "would you tell me your plan?" Ravin blinked. Was this man insane? Albert had taken all those hits—stood face-to-face with an Abyssal-Ranked beast—and all for this? A slow smile crept across Ravin’s face, equal parts amused and disturbed. He loved it. "I can’t give you the full details," Ravin said with a smirk. "But at the end of this event, you’ll be placed as head general of the academy." He leaned in closer. "After they see how incapable Shia is... you’ll be chosen to replace her. This will trigger the next war. You’ll have access to unlimited resources—and full permission to eliminate anything you see as a threat." His voice dipped into something darker. "Even the boy... who can steal summons." Albert’s bloodied face twitched, his lips pulling into something that resembled a smile. The pain was meaningless now. This was the goal he’d been waiting for. And if it all clicked into place... he would finally seize the power he had always deserved. --- At the stadium— The crowd roared with excitement. Students shouted at the top of their lungs, fully immersed in the glory of the Summons Battle event. Even though the academy’s main guests hadn’t returned yet, it didn’t matter. The spectacle was everything they’d hoped for. This wasn’t an ordinary battle. It was a match between experienced adult military summoners—each clash of their power, a demonstration of strategy and strength. It was educational. It was thrilling. It was impossible to look away. Blinking, even once, meant missing a potentially legendary moment. But then... A scream erupted from the crowd. It was louder than the rest—but was dismissed as excitement. Until more screams followed. Again. And again. Screams of confusion. Of horror. Of pain. They came from different corners of the stadium. People turned their heads, unsure if it was part of the show. A boy in the middle row, eyes locked on the battlefield, heard the cries getting closer. And then he felt something. Warm. Thick. Liquid. It splashed across his face. He gasped, instinctively wiping his eyes—thinking someone had spilled a drink. "What the hell—" He never got to finish. Because when he turned, the boy beside him was no longer human. His head—no, his whole body—was transforming. The upper half of his skull had become grotesque, fish-like, with jagged fins protruding from where ears used to be. His skin was stretched, his shoulders soaked in dark red blood that drenched his clothing all the way to his waist. And where his eyes should have been... There was one massive, glaring eyeball, twitching grotesquely in all directions. It stared directly at him. "A b-beast!" the boy shouted, stumbling to his feet in a panic. But he was too late. The creature beside him lunged forward, teeth flashing, and clamped down onto the boy’s face. It dragged him to the ground and tore into him savagely, blood spraying across nearby students. Chaos. Pure chaos erupted. Elsewhere in the crowd, other students screamed as similar horrors unfolded. Beasts—monstrous and twisted—emerged out of nowhere. Some students summoned their own beasts to defend themselves—but in the panic, their control slipped. Their summons attacked anyone in sight—friend or foe. Blood. Terror. Confusion. What had started as a celebration was now a massacre.