Was it just a coincidence?
Camilla’s fingers unconsciously touched a certain compartment in her satchel, where she had hidden a few of the “Flashbang Capsules” she’d prepared in advance, just in case the evil organization tried to cause trouble during the live combat test.
If possible, she really hoped she wouldn’t have to use a single one.
But things rarely go as hoped…
“Puchi!”
Limlu, who had been quietly perched on Camilla’s shoulder, suddenly let out a sharp cry.
Almost at the same time, everyone felt it—a colossal, terrifying surge of magic emanating from the direction of the Academy!
The wave was so intense that even separated by dozens of kilometers, everyone in the swamp felt their hearts stop for an instant, followed by a dull explosion, and faintly… the roar of a beast?
“Wh-what just happened?”
Tom’s face changed drastically, and his teammates around him were thrown into panic as well.
Lillian’s expression grew more solemn than ever before; without hesitation, she used her summoning spell to call out Little Silver to protect herself.
“This level of magic… at least Tier Eight—no, maybe even Tier Nine intensity!”
Tier Nine?
Camilla’s face instantly turned ashen.
A Tier Nine magic surge, and with that thunderous roar, Camilla immediately guessed the identity of the opponent—“Tyrant,” the strongest synthesized magical beast of the Dark Beast Legion, and the signature summoned beast of the “Stitcher” Eleanor.
In the original game, this thing only appeared in the later stages, one of the climax bosses of the Dark Beast Legion main quest. But now, it showed up on the very first day of the live combat test?
Camilla ranted furiously in her heart.
No way, this can’t be the script! In the original story, the one who came to snatch the Dark Chimera was only one of the three Beast Generals—the Forbidden Alchemist, bringing a group of modified beasts and a few elite members. How did it turn into the boss herself leading the charge with the ultimate weapon?
This difficulty spike is absolutely insane!
“Everyone, calm down!”
Lillian’s voice pulled Camilla out of her inner rant. Although the little princess’s face was a bit pale, her tone remained steady.
“The surge and sounds just now… something must’ve happened at the Academy.”
As soon as she finished, the locator Beacons on everyone simultaneously vibrated, emitting a soft blue glow.
Ms. Victoria’s voice came through the Beacon’s communication function, hurried and serious.
“All students, attention! The Academy’s main gate area has been attacked by an unknown force, and the barrier has been breached! Emergency protocol activated! All squads are to immediately stop the test and seek cover nearby, or proceed at full speed to the nearest Shelter coordinates!”
The Beacon projected a simple map, marking twelve Shelters scattered throughout the test area, each one guarded by a Seven-Tier Professor.
“Repeat: seek cover nearby or proceed to a Shelter! Do not head towards the Academy! Do not engage unknown hostiles! Await further instructions!”
With that, the transmission ended.
The air fell deathly silent.
Tom and his two teammates were frozen in place, their faces filled with disbelief.
“A-attack the Academy? Who would dare…”
“The Dark Beast Legion.”
Camilla replied in a low voice, her expression grim, clearly unable to believe they’d go this far just for the Dark Chimera.
You had to know, the Mystra Academy of Magic was never a pushover—even without the Dean present, the Academy’s standing force wasn’t something one or two Tier Nines could just challenge. If they were truly determined to take the Dark Chimera, they’d have to be prepared for total annihilation themselves.
“Th-the Dark Beast Legion? That evil organization? Why would they…”
“Now’s not the time for explanations.”
Lillian cut off Tom’s mumbling and quickly checked the map projected by the Beacon.
“The nearest Shelter to us is ‘Number Three’, about four kilometers northeast. If we cut through this swamp, we’ll get there.”
“Four kilometers…”
Emma bit her lip, her face a little pale.
“We might run into danger on the way.”
“It’s more dangerous to stay here.”
Elena gripped her staff tightly, violet eyes blazing with fighting spirit and… a trace of barely concealed fear.
“You felt that surge too. That level of battle—even the aftershocks could crush us.”
Camilla glanced at the wounded host in Tom’s squad.
If it were just a regular injury, bringing them along wouldn’t be a problem. But with a Blood Worm host…
Should she deal with it quickly after all?
“Let’s go.”
She decided to wait until they reached the Shelter before making a move.
“Tom, you and your team stick with us. Elena, you’re in charge of scouting and leading the way; I’ll take the rear guard.”
No one objected. After a quick division of roles, the team set off to the northeast.
The swamp terrain was complicated enough, and under tension, every step felt especially difficult.
Limlu clung to Camilla’s shoulder, the little blue body taut, continuously sending out warnings of [danger… so many…]
“I know.”
Camilla replied quietly, fingers gently stroking the compartment of her satchel.
After about a kilometer, the reeds ahead suddenly shook violently, and Limlu gave a sharp “puchi” again.
“Careful!”
Elena immediately raised her staff.
Almost at the same time, low roars sounded from all directions.
Behind reeds, puddles, and dead trees… one twisted figure after another slowly appeared.
Wolf-shaped, bear-shaped, snake-shaped, and even bizarre half-man, half-beast hybrids.
They all shared one feature: visible suture marks on their bodies, unnatural skin tones, blood-red eyes, and saliva dripping from their mouths.
Their numbers—at least twenty.
“A pack of Modified Beasts…”
Lillian gasped sharply. She knew something of the Dark Beast Legion’s methods, but this was her first time seeing such twisted creatures with her own eyes.
At the same moment, the Modified Beasts charged.
Elena struck first, lightning forming into whip-like shadows lashing at the lead wolf-shaped Modified Beasts.
But this time, it was far less effective than when facing the Scaled Rot Lizards—their magic resistance was clearly much higher, and Thunder Lash only left scorched marks, failing to kill in one hit.
“Their weak point is the seams! Attack the sutures!”
Camilla shouted while pulling out several Smoke and Flash Jars from her satchel and blindly hurling them ahead.
The jars burst on the ground, releasing pungent smoke and blinding flashes.
A few of the leading Modified Beasts were engulfed by the smoke, their movements obviously slowed as they let out confused snarls.
“Now!”
Lillian’s Little Silver gave a low roar and pounced. Though its Dragon Blood lineage didn’t make it huge, it was immensely strong—one claw flipped over a bear-shaped Modified Beast, and its dragon breath ignited half of a snake-shaped one.
Emma chanted a spell, several pale blue Water Shields spreading around the team, barely holding off a few attacking beasts.
Tom and his two teammates shielded the wounded member and fought desperately, Fireballs, Ice Spikes, and Wind Blades flying out nonstop—but their effectiveness was limited. These monsters were far tougher than ordinary magical beasts.
The fight quickly reached a stalemate.
Camilla kept disrupting approaching Modified Beasts with Wind Blades while rapidly surveying the battlefield.
Over twenty Modified Beasts, most at Tier Three or Four. Not all that strong, but numerous, unafraid of pain, and attacking like maniacs.
If this dragged on, their side would be at a disadvantage.
Should she use it?
She hesitated for just a split second.
“Elena! Cover me for three seconds!”
“Huh? What are you going to—”
“No time! Cover me!”
Elena gritted her teeth, staff raised high. Lightning burst around her, forming a ring-shaped wall that temporarily forced back the charging beasts.
Just three seconds.
Camilla pulled out a metal cylinder, yanked the pin, and hurled it hard into the densest cluster of Modified Beasts.
The cylinder arced through the air.
It landed.
No explosion, no flash—just an almost inaudible high-frequency vibration.
The next moment, something nightmarish happened.
All the Modified Beasts—whether charging, biting, or spitting venom—froze at once.
Their blood-red eyes instantly lost their light, and under their sutured skin, something seemed to writhe wildly. Then—
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
One after another, the Modified Beasts exploded without warning, black viscous fluid and shattered innards splattering everywhere. In less than five seconds, all twenty-plus beasts were reduced to limp heaps of flesh.
A terrifying silence descended on the battlefield.
Everyone stared at Camilla, their eyes a mix of shock, fear, and… a touch of awe.
“W-what was that…?”
Tom’s voice quivered.
“A homemade little gadget.”
Camilla calmly put away a spare cylinder without further explanation.
It was a replica she’d crafted based on a Summoner Blackline civil war tool from the later stages, designed to output a special frequency of magic, causing every part of a Modified Beast’s body to lose control and die on the spot.
She hadn’t really expected to use it, but…
“Watch out!”
Lillian’s alarmed cry suddenly rang out.
Camilla whipped around.
She saw the wounded member of Tom’s squad—the brown-haired girl who’d been unconscious on the stretcher—suddenly convulse violently.
From the wound in her chest, the flesh began to writhe grotesquely, as if something were about to burst out.
“Back! Everyone, get back!”
Camilla shouted sharply.
But it was already too late.