Chapter 251 — Creatures

Zavier moved without being asked, his spear coming up into defensive position, his body placing itself between Lysa and any approaching threats.

He wouldn’t let anything reach her while she was vulnerable like this, her defense completely abandoned to focus on providing intelligence.

Students began panicking again, the brief moment of calm shattered by the understanding that they were surrounded by enemies they couldn’t see.

People spun in circles, weapons raised, Auras flaring defensively, preparing to strike at shadows and fog and nothing.

Edrin’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade – tactical and commanding, showing no fear despite being only a first-year.

"Shield bearers, form defensive lines! Three-sixty coverage! Heavy weapon holders, support from the sides! We don’t have enough people for perfect coverage, so prioritize the directions Lysa calls out!"

Students hesitated, looking at each other, uncertain whether to follow orders from a commoner first-year.

"MOVE!"

The roar came from multiple sources simultaneously – Cassius agreeing with the tactical assessment, William Greene recognizing good leadership, several other team captains understanding that hesitation meant death.

People scrambled into position, the formation rough but functional, shields interlocking at the front, weapons raised, ranged attackers moving toward the center where they’d have clear firing lines in multiple directions.

"Long-range attackers, center formation! Conserve Aura, don’t fire until you have clear targets!"

Edrin continued directing, his analytical mind running calculations about fields of fire, optimal spacing and resource conservation.

Damian remained in the center as well, his Omega Point weapon art ready, dark crimson Aura swirling around his gun.

The entire dark area was suddenly enveloped in different colored Auras as two hundred fifty students prepared for combat – gold and crimson and blue and green and purple, light cutting through fog in rainbow patterns that would have been beautiful if they weren’t preparing for slaughter.

"..."

Gulp

Everyone waited with tense breathing, not knowing what awaited them.

Then... the creatures came.

Silent despite their size, moving through fog like ghosts.

The first one lunged from the fog directly at the shield wall–

–and Damian’s mind went blank for a fraction of a second.

’What are these Monsters?! That old man never mentioned these!’

The thing was wrong.

Humanoid in the most basic sense – two arms, two legs, head, torso – but distorted in ways that rejected normal biology.

Tall, maybe two and a half meters, with bulky frames that suggested tremendous physical strength.

Their skin was completely dark – not black like human skin tones, but dark, like they absorbed light itself.

Natural armor protruded from their bodies in asymmetric patterns – leathery growths that looked like they’d been born with protective plating randomly distributed across vital areas.

Their hands ended in nails that had grown into knife-like claws, gleaming wetly in the Aura-light.

But their eyes...

Their eyes were completely white, pupils nonexistent, just blank white orbs that showed no intelligence, no awareness and no recognition of anything beyond basic prey-drive instinct.

They were blind.

Or saw in ways that human eyes couldn’t comprehend.

Or simply didn’t need vision to hunt.

The first creature hit the shield wall with devastating force–

BOOM!

–sending the student holding that section skidding backward through mud.

Then more came.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dozens at first, then hundreds, emerging from fog in complete silence except for the sounds their bodies made striking shields and ground and each other when they collided in their mindless rush.

They attacked with pure physicality – no Aura techniques, no supernatural abilities, just overwhelming strength and those knife-claws tearing through anything that got close.

Completely mindless, like beasts that had never known thought, operating on instinct and hunger and nothing else.

SLASH! CLASH! CRASH!

The sounds of combat erupted across the formation – metal striking armor, Aura blasts vaporizing flesh, screams from students who’d never experienced real violence suddenly thrown into combat where mistakes meant death.

Rain continued falling, turning mud into slippery nightmare terrain, making footing uncertain, every step a potential disaster.

A student at the front – Noble family, expensive boots – planted his shield to receive a charge and his foot slipped.

Just slightly but enough.

The creature’s momentum carried it forward, claws finding the gap in defense, tearing through the student’s hastily-raised arm, ripping flesh and muscle and tendon like wet paper.

"NO! HELP! SOME–"

Three more creatures piled onto him, dragging him down into the mud, their claws finding soft tissue, tearing, rending, pulling him apart.

He screamed and screamed and screamed.

RIP! TEAR! CRUNCH!

They were eating

Not waiting until he was dead, not showing any mercy or hesitation, just consuming living flesh while their victim thrashed weakly and begged for death.

"MOTHER! MOTHER PLEASE! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STO–AHHHHHHH!"

His voice cut off wetly as claws found his throat, but his body kept twitching, kept trying to crawl away even as they consumed him piece by piece.

Students nearby went pale, several vomiting, their minds unable to process the visceral horror of watching someone be eaten alive.

Panic spread like infection, people making mistakes, formation beginning to crack under psychological pressure as much as physical assault.

****

"THEY’RE ONLY D RANK!"

Ben Royce’s voice roared across the battlefield, cutting through fear with raw authority.

"STOP STRUGGLING! STOP BEING SCARED! I’LL LIGHT UP THE AREA!"

His orange hair blazed brighter as his Aura erupted – fire-principle power responding to Imperial bloodline command.

A massive greatsword appeared in his hand, wreathed in flames that turned rain to steam around it. His SS rank weapon art – Inferno Blade – already activated.

He swung.

WHOOOOSH

A wave of fire erupted, not wild but controlled, carving through the battlefield like a scythe through wheat.

Dozens of creatures were vaporized instantly, their dark flesh unable to withstand concentrated fire-principle Aura backed by B+ rank power.

Then he activated his Imperial skill.

"Imperial Blessing of House Royce – INFERNO DOMINION!"

His entire body got covered in fire.

Fire exploded outward in waves, responding to his will like an extension of his body.

The flames rolled across the ground, turning mud into steam, burning through fog to create visibility, and most importantly – incinerating hundreds of creatures on one entire side of their formation.

SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK!

But the creatures didn’t run from fire, didn’t show fear or self-preservation, just burned while continuing to attack until their bodies failed completely.