Chapter 77: "What happened here?"
"It was a man... no, not a man. A monster. He smashed through the academy’s outer gate like it was paper and came straight toward the training field. He was laughing the whole time—like he enjoyed it... like he came just to kill everyone here!"
Another student, his uniform torn and dirt-streaked, quickly added, "It was an assassin. He was fast—too fast. Like lightning. We tried to stop him, but none of us stood a chance. He was too strong..."
He paused, swallowing hard, then looked at the center of the ruined field.
"But then Edwin, Elysia, and Jin stepped in. They fought him. All three of them. They held him off."
The crowd of professors, still standing in silence, slowly turned their eyes toward the trio in question.
Edwin stood with his sword still in hand, blood seeping from the wound on his side. His clothes were ripped, his face bruised, but his eyes burned with quiet resolve.
Elysia remained on one knee, using her swords for support. Her silver hair was tangled and damp with sweat, and her body shook slightly from exhaustion. Yet she didn’t look away.
Jin stood just behind them, his fists clenched, his stance steady. Dust covered him from head to toe, but he didn’t seem to care. He stood firm, like a shield behind his friends.
The three of them looked like they had just stepped out of a warzone—bloodied, beaten, but unbroken.
Principal Aldric stepped forward slightly, his gaze sharp and focused. His piercing eyes narrowed as he studied them, taking in every injury, every sign of the battle they had fought.
But the look in his eyes spoke volumes.
"Is it true?" he asked, his voice calm yet firm. "An assassin attacked Arcadia? Here?"