Extra's Path: The Eternal Frost Monarch

Chapter 185: More Demons

BOOM!

Smoke and dust billowed in every direction.

Thud!

A body crashed heavily onto the ground. It was the demon. He was dead.

’Good... he didn’t use any defensive magic.’

Noah let out a tired breath. His mana had been drained considerably during the battle.

Without wasting any time, he reached into his storage ring, pulled out a mana recovery potion, and drank it in one gulp.

Meanwhile, Mary hurried over to Kaelan and immediately began treating his injuries with healing magic.

Fortunately, his wounds were only minor.

’That demon wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger... only one rank above us.’

Noah walked toward the demon’s corpse.

Its body was covered in horrific injuries. Some areas had been burned black by flames, others were frozen solid beneath thick layers of ice, while countless deep cuts covered its flesh. Blood continued to seep from the wounds, staining the forest floor crimson.

He crouched beside the corpse and searched it thoroughly.

Unfortunately, he found nothing of value.

The only thing he recovered was a black communication device.

However, it had already been destroyed during the battle.

Clicking his tongue, Noah stood up and walked back toward Kaelan.

Kaelan remained seated on the ground while Myra continued healing him.

Noah stopped before them.

"Why is a demon here...? Anyway, are you alright?"

Kaelan nodded lightly.

"Yes... I’m fine."

He paused before continuing.

"Also... that demon looked like he was searching specifically for me."

"He wanted to kill me."

Noah frowned.

"Searching for you?"

"Now that’s strange."

He folded his arms while thinking.

"Why would they do that? Does your family have some sort of conflict with a demon family?"

Kaelan rolled his eyes.

"Don’t talk nonsense."

"Our race has never been on good terms with demons."

"But the fact that they specifically targeted me..."

"...that’s what’s strange."

Noah nodded thoughtfully.

"True."

"It would make sense if they were trying to kill as many Academy students as possible to send a message."

"But targeting only you..."

"...that feels different."

A worried expression appeared on Myra’s face.

"But what should we do now?"

"There might be more demons in this forest."

"And we don’t have any way to contact the instructors."

Noah nodded before answering calmly.

"Well..."

"We’ll simply injure ourselves enough to get eliminated."

"Once we’re teleported back to the base, we can immediately report everything."

Kaelan looked between Noah and Myra.

"So... should I eliminate myself now?"

Noah answered without hesitation.

"Of course. You’re the one they’re after. You should be the first to leave."

Kaelan remained silent for a long moment. His gray eyes stayed fixed on the ground as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Before entering this examination. He had wanted to perform well. He had wanted to fight Damien.

He had wanted to challenge Noah. He had wanted to prove his strength and finish among the top-ranked students.

But now everything had changed.

He slowly let out a long sigh.

"I guess...I have no choice."

His voice carried obvious disappointment.

"I’ll eliminate myself."

He clenched his fists before slowly relaxing them again.

"This exam no longer matters."

Noah nodded. "That’s the smartest decision."

Then, after thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke again.

"...On second thought."

Both Kaelan and Mary turned to look at him.

"Let’s all eliminate ourselves."

His gaze shifted toward the dense forest surrounding them.

"Now that we know demons have infiltrated the examination grounds, the Academy will most likely stop the exam."

"So there’s no point in continuing."

Kaelan thought about it for several seconds before nodding.

"...You’re right."

Myra, who had remained silent until now, also nodded.

"Yes. The instructors need to know immediately."

The trio had just made their decision.

BOOM!!

A deafening explosion suddenly echoed through the forest.

The ground trembled violently beneath their feet.

All three instantly raised their weapons as their eyes snapped toward the source of the explosion.

Something was coming.

Crash!!

A figure burst through several massive trees before being hurled straight toward them.

"So fast!"

Noah instinctively leaped aside.

The flying body slammed directly into Kaelan.

BOOM!!

The two of them rolled across the forest floor before finally coming to a stop.

Noah immediately looked toward the person who had been thrown.

His eyes widened.

"Damien!"

Damien quickly pushed himself off Kaelan and got back to his feet.

His Academy-issued battle gear was torn in several places.

Cuts covered both of his arms, while blood slowly trickled down one side of his forehead.

His breathing was noticeably heavier than usual.

Without wasting a second, he looked at everyone and spoke in a grave voice.

"Demons..."

He tightened his grip around his sword.

"Demons are here."

At that moment, three cloaked figures slowly emerged from between the towering trees.

Their movements were calm and unhurried, as though they had already secured victory.

The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

Every student assumed a fighting stance.

Noah lowered his center of gravity and firmly gripped his spear.

Kaelan stepped forward despite his injuries, drawing both daggers.

Mary raised her wand as mana gathered around the crystal fixed at its tip.

The figure standing in the center slowly lowered his hood.

Two black horns curved upward from his forehead.

His crimson eyes swept across the students with cold indifference.

He was a demon.

The two figures beside him also removed their hoods, revealing themselves to be demons as well.

The leading demon took a slow step forward. He was holding a spear. His icy gaze settled directly on Kaelan.

"Good."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"We found Kaelan."

He glanced toward the two demons behind him.

"Xavier... Daniel...Prepare it."

The moment those words left his mouth, Xavier and Daniel immediately began forming rapid hand seals.

Their fingers moved with incredible speed. Dark crimson mana poured from their bodies. The surrounding air suddenly grew heavy.

A gigantic magic array slowly spread beneath their feet, its countless ancient runes illuminating the forest floor with an ominous crimson glow.

The formation expanded continuously, covering dozens of meters.

Its strange symbols pulsed rhythmically, radiating an unsettling aura that instinctively put everyone on guard.

Noah narrowed his eyes.

"...What are they trying to do?"

The crimson magic array continued spreading across the forest floor.

Ancient runes connected with one another, forming an intricate pattern that stretched throughout the battlefield.

Noah’s expression became increasingly serious.

"...What is that?"

The leading demon smiled coldly.

"You Academy students rely far too much on your precious battle suits."

He slowly raised one hand.

"Did you really think we would come here without preparing for them?"

The crimson array suddenly flared.

Hummmmmm!

A strange vibration spread throughout the surrounding forest.

The communication device attached to Noah’s battle suit suddenly emitted a sharp warning tone.

[WARNING!]

[Emergency System Interference Detected.]

[Spatial Anchor Locked.]

[Automatic Emergency Teleportation Offline.]

Noah’s pupils contracted.

"What?!"

The warning wasn’t limited to him.

The same crimson message appeared on every student’s wrist display.

Kaelan immediately checked his own interface.

"...The emergency teleport..."

"...It’s disabled."

Myra’s face turned pale.

"That’s impossible..."

The leading demon chuckled.

"It was impossible."

"But this little toy..."

He pulled out a dark crimson rectangular device covered in ancient runes.

"...was specially prepared for Novaris Academy."

"This array amplifies its power."

"As long as you remain inside this barrier, every spatial transmission linked to your battle suits will be jammed."

"The suits can still monitor your health."

"They can still record your points."

"But they can no longer establish a spatial lock."

"They cannot teleport you."

After explaining, the demon calmly returned the device to his cloak.

"The only way out now is to kill us or die."

Silence descended upon the battlefield.

For the first time since the examination had begun...

The students realized they were no longer protected by the Academy.