After Sylvania smashed Claus's skull and turned her into a pile of bloody mess, she suddenly stopped. Her shoulders trembled. Her breathing was heavy. Blood dripped from her hands, face, and clothes.
Ethan didn't wait.
He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Sylvania from behind, locking her arms to stop her from attacking anyone else.
"Sylvania! That's enough!" he shouted.
She screamed and struggled, her body full of wild strength.
"Ravenna, grab her legs!" Ethan shouted.
Without hesitation, Ravenna nodded and ran to help. She grabbed Sylvania's legs tightly, trying her best to stop her from kicking.
Even though the evil energy was getting stronger, Ravenna was holding on. Her nature element affinity gave her a clearer mind and helped her resist the madness. She was breathing fast but still thinking straight.
"Let go of me, you idiots! I'll kill you! I'll kill everyone!" Sylvania shouted like a wild beast, thrashing, kicking, twisting like a snake trying to break free.
Suddenly—
BAM!
The wall behind them exploded with a loud crash. Bricks and dust flew everywhere.
Two figures flew through the wall, fighting each other with intense force.
It was Sasha and Alice.
Their fight was like a storm.
Sasha laughed like a maniac, "Hahaha! It's been so long since I fought someone this strong!"
In a flash, she grabbed Alice's face with her large hand—her palm easily covering it completely—and slammed her head into the wall, dragging it along like a brush on canvas. The stone wall cracked and crumbled from the force.
But Alice didn't stay down.
She slipped out of Sasha's grip, spun in the air, and unleashed a flurry of fast kicks—so fast they were hard to see.
She dashed forward again, leaving behind a streak of dark purple light like a flash of lightning, moving around like a ghost trying to surprise Sasha with sneak attacks.
Ethan stood frozen, holding down Sylvania while staring at the chaos. His brain felt heavy, like fog had entered his head.
"What… what's happening?" he whispered, confused and scared.
And then—
Another figure came stumbling in.
It was a male student with brown hair and a handsome face—but he was covered in blood.
His eyes were wide open. His mouth twisted into a grin. Blood ran down his arms. His hands were shaking.
"I killed them… I killed them all! Hahahaha!" he laughed like a broken doll.
He ran straight toward Ethan.
"Watch out!" Ravenna shouted.
Ethan barely dodged, but the boy didn't stop. He changed direction and ran straight to Sylvania.
He pulled out a knife from his pocket and without warning—stabbed it into Sylvania's face.
"Ahahahaha! I'll kill you too! Everyone must die! Die! Die!" he screamed, stabbing again and again.
Blood splattered everywhere as the knife pierced Sylvania's cheeks and eyes.
Ethan gritted his teeth, trying to react, trying to stop him—but his body wasn't moving fast enough.
"Why… why can't I react?! My body feels heavy. My thoughts seems sluggish…" Ethan panicked inside, sweat rolling down his face.
Everything was falling apart.
Screams echoed through the tunnel.
Walls were breaking.
People were fighting, stabbing, killing.
The students who had entered the tunnel together… had turned into monsters.
In the middle of the bloody chaos, Ethan's eyes suddenly caught something small and shiny on the ground. Among the broken stones and dust, a round object lay quietly. It must have fallen out when Sasha and Alice crashed through the wall during their wild fight.
Curious, Ethan bent down and picked it up.
It was a circular locket—smooth and warm to the touch. As he looked closer, he noticed it wasn't just a locket… it had a painting carved into it.
A beautiful woman was drawn on the front. She wore a glowing, goddess-like outfit and was lying peacefully above a blooming pink lotus. Her face looked gentle, and her hands rested on her belly like she had no worries in the world. She floated in the air, full of grace and calmness.
The moment Ethan touched it, a warm wave of mana flowed into his body.
His eyes slightly widened.
The fog in his head slowly faded away. His panic and confusion started to clear. His thoughts were coming back to normal again.
"Laxmi… The goddess of fortune?" Ethan whispered to himself.
It was a well-known symbol. Laxmi—the goddess of wealth, luck, and good fortune. She was worshipped by many merchants and business families. They believed she brought money, blessings, and success.
Ethan looked around at the madness happening, then back at the locket.
"What's something like this doing here… in the middle of this cursed place?" he wondered quietly.
But there was no time to think. Without another word, he slipped the locket into his pocket and stood up.
------------
Meanwhile…
Esdeath and Maruti were nearing the end of the tunnel. The darkness slowly started to fade, and ahead of them, a bright circular opening in the ceiling let in warm golden sunlight.
The light shone directly down on something resting on a stone pedestal.
A blue-colored saber.
It looked sharp, elegant, and powerful. Small shining gems were fixed into its hilt, and carvings of dragons and waves ran across its blade.
This was the reward for completing the tunnel.
Maruti stared at it for a moment… then sighed.
"Is this it? Just a weapon? I'm not interested," she said in a flat, bored voice and turned to Esdeath.
"Do you want it?"
But Esdeath yawned and waved her hand lazily.
"I already have a weapon. Just take it. I'm too tired to argue. My head is buzzing with evil thoughts…"
Her tone was flat but honest. Her face looked calm, but there was a slight twitch in her brow. Even she could feel the tunnel's effect getting worse.
"You always have evil thoughts!", That's what maruti wanted to say but she held the argue.
She just gave a small nod and slowly walked toward the saber. She didn't care much, but since it was free, she might as well take it.
Esdeath leaned back against the wall, resting her body.
But the moment her back touched the wall—
Poke!
Something sharp jabbed her back.
She frowned, turned around, and pressed her hand against the wall.
With just a little force from her superhuman grip—
Crack!
The wall broke open slightly, revealing a metallic object hidden inside.
She grabbed it and pulled it out.
It was a small hexagon-shaped plate, white in color. As she wiped the dust off and held it up toward the sunlight, she saw a picture drawn on it.
It was another goddess.
This one wore a green dress, her face hidden behind a veil, and she floated gently above a wilted green slumber flower. The flower looked like lotus but tired, almost dead, like it hadn't been watered in days.
The woman looked relaxed too, but there was no warmth in her image. Just stillness and silence.
"Alaxmi", Esdeath whispered. _The goddess of misfortune."
She stared at it for a second longer—her lips tightening slightly—then without another word, she tucked it into her pocket.
At the same time, Maruti picked up the blue saber.
A glowing light burst out from the blade—and in a blink—
Whoosh!
Everyone who was still inside the tunnel was suddenly thrown out of the trial.
-----------
Outside the trial grounds, the sky had turned orange. It was already evening, and the sun was slowly going down behind the clouds. Even though a lot of time had passed, no one was allowed to leave until all the participants returned from the trial.
Luckily, Maruti had won. And with the trial ending, everyone else was thrown out at the same time.
Now, everyone stood in lines, silent and tired. Their clothes were dusty, some even stained with blood. Many had dark expressions on their faces like they had just returned from a battlefield. Some were whispering to each other, while others stared at the ground or at people they once called friends. It was easy to see… some friendships were broken during the trial.
At the front, the strict teacher stood again. His face, as always, looked serious. But this time, there was a little surprise in his eyes.
"I'm actually quite surprised," he said, his hands behind his back. "I never thought that anyone could win this trial. But I guess I was wrong. Seems like the academy isn't lacking talent after all."
Then, as usual, he started a long and boring speech. He talked about how teamwork is important, how one should protect their teammate's back, and how real danger can change a person. His words went on and on, while most students just stared at him quietly, waiting for it to end.
When the speech finally finished, Ethan raised his hand and asked politely, "Sir, can I ask something? Whose inheritance was that illusion trial based on? I mean… who created it?"
The teacher looked at Ethan with a small smile and replied, "No, you may not."
Then he turned to the rest of the students.
"You're all free to go. And yes—feel free to curse me as much as you want," he said as he walked away with a small chuckle.
---
After the students left and went to their rooms or wandered around, Maruti returned to her room. But she didn't stay long.
She picked up something she had prepared and left her room again and went to academy.
She was holding a large paper bag in one hand and her newly won saber, sheathed and strapped to her back, in the other. Her steps were fast and determined as she walked through the academy corridors, heading toward Kailith's room.
Maruti had been thinking about this for a while. Back when she had gone on that strange "date" with Kailith and Alice, she hadn't brought anything for them. At the time, she acted like she didn't care. But deep down, she felt a little irritated like she owe someone a favour.
"I hate it when I owe people favours," she muttered with a sigh.
Reaching the door, she knocked three times and called out, "Hey! It's me, Maruti!"
For a moment, there was silence. Then a voice came from behind the door.
"Cough... Cough... Maruti? I actually have a cold, so I can't come out right now!" Kailith's voice sounded overly dramatic, like she was faking the cough on purpose.
Maruti raised her eyebrow. "Can dragons even catch a cold?" she mumbled to herself.
She shook her head and called out again, her voice annoyed but still honest, "Anyway, I brought you a gift—No– a return gift for that… unwanted one you gave me back then."
She placed the paper bag gently in front of the door.
"I'm leaving it here. You can take it if you want. Goodbye," she said with a light snort and walked away.
Her next stop was Alice's room.
She knew if she gave a return gift only to Kailith, Alice would definitely find out and cause chaos. And Maruti didn't want to deal with that tonight.
"I better make it equal. I want to sleep in peace tonight, not get woken up by an angry psycho girl," she muttered as she walked.
---
Back in Kailith's room, everything was quiet.
A few seconds passed after Maruti left.
Then, slowly and silently… the door creaked open just a little.
From inside, a black tail slipped out.
It was thin and flexible, ending in a soft heart shape, like a succubus's tail.
The tail carefully grabbed the paper bag Maruti had left outside and gently pulled it inside the room.
Then the door quietly closed again—without a sound.