Chapter 417: Sudden Threat - 2

Lily hovered high in the skies, watching the scene below with a scrutinising gaze. She noticed the anomaly.

"These people are way too sturdy..." she muttered. There was no way Kaelion wouldn’t be able to kill them with a casual slap, yet they persisted. Her eyes narrowed when she saw them stand back up after taking that powered punch and kicks. She had already begun her descent.

Down below, even Uraan paused his chat with Lyra.

"No way..." he muttered as his gaze snapped back to Kaelion.

Having fought Kaelion himself, and then witnessing him one-shot Aaron today, it was simply impossible for people like Fruder and Vexi to stand up after those kicks. Matter of fact, they should have been sent back to the temple. Yet not only did they stand up, they even started to fight back.

Uraan had very few students in his territory, so he was naturally familiar with his people’s strength—and this was far beyond what he knew. Even if they had kept it hidden, this was no occasion to reveal it during a simple territory bounty.

Only Lyra remained oblivious, because even Leo sensed something amiss.

"Such sturdy bodies... they remind me of that dem—" Leo’s eyes widened as goosebumps spread across his skin. At that very moment, the person was flung straight toward him.

---

In the telepathic channel, both Brant and Katherine were completely serious.

"Katherine... how did they bypass our security?" Brant asked, staring at the 10 figures engaging Kaelion. His palms were already charged with the wind element, ready to act at any moment.

Katherine was the same—her form crackled with static electricity, poised to strike.

"Must be a King-tier demon’s disguise. They wanted our strongest candidates dead during the trial, but since they failed to a great extent, they found their way inside the academy to fill the quota... and judging by their measly strength, they were careful to send only low-ranked ones so no suspicion would arise," Katherine said, observing Kaelion’s situation intently—ready to intervene at even the slightest hint of danger.

"But why now? In the presence of professors? They could’ve initiated it later, when no one was watching."

Katherine frowned.

"Maybe they wanted to wrap things up in one go—after one kill, the rest wouldn’t get the chance due to immediate inspection. Or maybe their target is the strongest... since Leo didn’t take much outsiders, they saw the bounty as the perfect opportunity. Or..."

"Or they want to spit in our faces—to show that even in our presence, they can harm the kids," Brant said. Behind him, countless wind blades—big and small—formed silently, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

But Katherine stopped him.

"Wait. K seems to have caught on... same for Lily and Leo. Hmm, Uraan too. Don’t interfere. Let them handle it themselves—and let’s give a slap to that mastermind demon who must already be watching."

She paused briefly, her eyes flickering with cold intent.

"But be ready to use your spatial powers at any moment. We don’t want even a single graze on the students."

---

"Leo! Be careful!" Lily called urgently through their thought link as she descended rapidly, having seen the figure being flung toward him.

But Leo didn’t respond. His eyes had already shrunk to pinpoints as memories of that red, goat-horned demon surfaced—the one who had nearly killed him.

Yet it wasn’t PTSD. It was his body defending itself.

Leo’s senses sharpened instantly. The surroundings slowed to a crawl in his perception, his thoughts accelerated, and adrenaline surged through his veins. His blood ran hot, vessels bulging across his arms—and almost instinctively, the Rock-Ox dagger appeared in his right hand.

Ding!

Passive Skill Acquired: [Blood Instinct]

The man being flung toward Leo, his back initially facing him, suddenly twisted mid-air. A creepy, needle-like dagger appeared in his hand, its very presence exuding a foul aura. At the same time, his mouth stretched grotesquely into an inhuman grin, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

His speed abruptly increased, as if invisible boosters had been attached to his back, propelling him straight toward Leo.

Leo was already locked in. His right hand moved to intercept—no, to kill—because the trajectory aimed directly for his neck.

Thankfully, Niri had already wandered off to play with the elves after getting bored.

Behind the demon targeting Leo, the same situation unfolded elsewhere.

The two individuals who had retreated toward their respective ’leaders’ now revealed identical daggers, launching simultaneous attacks. In the center, Kaelion’s eyes sharpened the moment he saw the weapon. He recognised them instantly—mass-produced, soul-attacking daggers manufactured by demons.

But instead of fear, the sight ignited something else.

It was rage. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

His golden eyes blazed as he exerted himself, entering the same heightened state as Leo.

"DIIEEE—" the man before Leo screamed—

But his voice was drowned out by something fiercer.

"DIE!!!!"

Gone was the sweet, melodic voice of a girl. It was a voice of the War-Goddess declaring death that startled the demon

Lily appeared behind Leo in an instant, her sword already thrusting through the gap between his shoulder and neck, aimed straight at the incoming dagger.

Clang!

The needle-like blade was deflected, but Lily didn’t stop. Her momentum carried forward as her sword drove straight into the demon’s right chest, forcing him backward as the sword pierced straightthrough.

The demon’s crazed expression twisted into confusion, as if unable to comprehend how his body had been pierced.

"How—!" His eyes widened further as he realised—too late—that his neck was already halfway severed.

Leo’s dagger had already moved. The demon’s unnatural sturdiness meant nothing to him.

To Leo, it was like slicing butter with a heated blade.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

At the centre, Kaelion was having his own moment.

The three men were fighting him, and somehow, even after revealing their true nature, they couldn’t land a single shot on him.

As for Uraan and Lyra, the demons didn’t get the chance. Because currently, Uraan was carrying Lyra in a princess carry over a tree branch and hopped to another when the 4 demons reached for them.