Lancelot couldn’t believe his eyes. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Are we seeing things, or is that *Mad Scholar* inside a dome—and you don’t know how it happened?" he asked, his tone sharp, disbelief leaking through every word.

Russel didn’t answer. Her expression was tight, fingers trembling slightly as she turned to Bowman. "Don’t lose sight of them. Tell the other students to evacuate, now."

Bowman swallowed hard and nodded. "What about Kevin’s group, ma’am?"

"I’ll handle them myself." She was already striding toward the door.

...

Kevin’s gut twisted. Every breath felt heavier as he stared at the thing standing before them—humanoid, skin dull and cracked, eyes lifelessly white. It wasn’t emitting any killing intent, yet his instincts screamed louder than ever.

"What do we do, Kevin?" Natalie asked, shield raised, her voice trembling.

He clenched his teeth. "We wait for the teachers."

Joseph shifted uneasily, hammers ready but hands slick with sweat. "And if he doesn’t let us?"

Kevin forced himself to sound confident. "This is Emma’s spell. It can stop a meteor. We’ll be fine."

He believed that—he had to. Emma never failed.

Emma said nothing, her eyes locked on the creature as she poured more aether into the shimmering barrier before them. She was worried about William, yes—but she trusted him. He’d survive.

Talobo’s mocking voice cut through the tension. "You disappoint me, Valkyrie. You were born a warrior, not a protector. I expected more when you saw my creation."

Emma’s voice was cold as ice. "Stop talking like you know me."

He chuckled. "You wound me." Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "Go. Kill them, Wen."

The golem’s eyes flickered with pale light as it began to move.

Step. Step. Step.

The ground seemed to shrink beneath it. Their fear twisted reality, making the creature appear even larger.

Kevin stepped in front of Emma, sword trembling in his grip. The others took their positions behind the barrier, ready to leap away if the barrier shattered under its strength.

But what came next shattered all logic.

"Huh?" Emma’s voice broke. The golem’s arm reached forward—*through* her barrier. No sound, no resistance. Just silent intrusion.

"Kevin!" Natalie shouted, reaching for him.

Too late.

"Guh!" Kevin’s head was snatched in one massive hand and lifted like a rag doll.

He tried to draw sunlight, but around the golem there was no warmth, no light—only an endless, crushing dark.

"Ghaaa!" His scream was raw as the creature’s grip tightened around his head.

"Liberation!" Natalie’s desperate cry echoed, a burst of green light flaring from her shield as she lunged forward—

*TING!*

Her magic shattered on contact. Her eyes went wide—then the kick came.

"GHAAA!"

**DOOOOM!**

She slammed into a tree. It cracked clean in half before she hit the ground, coughing blood, her body trembling violently.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Do you see that, fools? That’s the power of my creation—"

"RAAAAHH!"

Joseph didn’t wait. He charged, no aether, just raw strength and fury, bringing both hammers down on the golem’s wrist.

*TUANG!*

The impact rang like metal struck against stone—but it worked. Kevin dropped to the ground, gasping.

Joseph caught him and stumbled back, heart pounding.

No one spoke. The forest was silent except for Kevin’s ragged breathing—and the heavy, echoing steps of the monster that hadn’t even begun to tire.

Emma dropped beside Kevin, hands trembling but steady enough to summon a warm surge of aether. Pale light wrapped his skull, sealing cracks, soothing the blood beneath his hairline. His breathing steadied—barely.

Talobo, meanwhile, was almost dancing in delight. "How do you like it, Valkyrie?! My new creation! Beautiful, isn’t it?" His grin was wild, eyes glittering with mania. "And it’s all thanks to *you*!"

Emma froze. Her pupils narrowed before she looked up sharply. "Is this your way of trying to isolate me from the others?"

The old scholar chuckled, feigning innocence. "No, no. You misunderstand. It was truly *you* who inspired me." He tapped his chin with a thoughtful hum, pretending to recall a fond memory. "Remember our last encounter? That incident showed me just how... far apart we were. So, I began to wonder—how could I possibly bridge that gap?"

His smile twisted into something darker. "And then, I found something... very, very useful."

Emma’s expression hardened, but before she could speak, he raised his hand theatrically.

"Your blood."

The words struck her like a blow. Her eyes widened, and a chill ran through her chest.

"One of the purest forms of aether essence," he continued proudly, "when blended with the blood of a true devil—and guided by *my* brilliance—becomes this masterpiece!"

He gestured to the towering golem as if unveiling divine art.

"Now tell me, Valkyrie," he said, pressing his fingertips together with gleeful mockery, "how do you plan to fight something that can endure any spell, any energy, and crush a human barehanded?"

Emma didn’t answer. Her body dipped low—then she launched herself forward like a silver streak.

The golem reacted instantly, its massive hand swinging out to intercept—but she blurred past, her staff cracking against its chest.

*TING!*

The impact rippled through the air, the giant staggering back a step. But even as it stumbled, its arms rose, palms closing in, aiming to crush her head between them.

Emma snarled, pressing her staff horizontally to hold the closing force at bay. The air warped with strain before she twisted, used the pole like a pivot, and drove both her heels into the golem’s chest.

**THUD!**

It reeled backward, slamming into the dirt.

Emma didn’t hesitate. Her instincts screamed that strong defenses always came with a single flaw—and she intended to find it.

*STAB!*

Her staff pierced its white, lifeless eye, the wood humming as it drilled deep until the tip burst through the back of its skull.

Joseph’s heart lifted. For a moment, there was silence—Emma stood tall atop the fallen monster, breathing hard, the staff buried deep.

But then—

**ZZZAAAAM!**

A beam of blinding light shot from the golem’s chest, tearing through the air and engulfing Emma before anyone could blink.

"EMMA!" Kevin screamed.

The explosion threw her like a rag doll. She hit the ground hard—*THUD!*—her body rolling through dirt and broken roots before stopping.

Her left leg was gone. Blood pooled beneath her as she groaned, the world spinning.

The golem stirred again, rising to its feet. Its single white eye was gone, but it showed no pain, no hesitation. Slowly, almost mockingly, it reached up and yanked out Emma’s embedded staff—then stood tall once more, the forest trembling under its weight.

Emma clicked her tongue, ’This is far beyond what I expected. It is a monster.’

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.