The battlefield was silent. Not because the fight had stopped, but because something far more terrifying had just entered the fray.
The shadow, an ominous, shifting figure with glowing crimson eyes, stood between Bolt and the Demon Minotaur. It moved like a wraith, its form flickering in and out of the light, its presence exuding a pressure unlike anything Bolt had ever felt before.
The Minotaur—an A+ rank beast, a creature of destruction and wrath—paused. It wasn't fear, no; it was recognition.
It knew the thing before it.
And it did not like what it saw.
The beast let out a monstrous roar, lowering its horns, its entire body pulsating with an eerie red glow as it prepared to charge. The earth beneath it cracked under its weight, and its demonic aura surged forward like a tidal wave.
But the shadow simply stood there, unmoving.
Then, it spoke.
"You are unworthy."
The words were not loud, but they carried across the battlefield with a chilling weight.
And in an instant, the shadow moved.
It was faster than anything Bolt had ever seen. One second it was standing still, the next—it was right in front of the Demon Minotaur.
SLASH!
A deep, gaping wound appeared across the Minotaur's chest before it even realized it had been attacked. A second later, a shockwave of force erupted from the cut, sending blood spraying across the ground.
The Demon Minotaur howled in agony, stumbling backward.
"What the hell…" Kairos muttered, eyes wide. "Did it just—"
The shadow wasn't done.
It pressed forward with relentless speed, its movements impossible to follow. Bolt barely caught glimpses of it—a blur of black against the air, red eyes flickering like distant stars.
Then came the second strike.
With an open palm, the shadow thrust its hand forward, and dark chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Minotaur's legs and arms. The beast thrashed violently, but the chains held. The moment they latched on, they pulsed with a deep crimson light—draining the beast of its strength.
The Minotaur bellowed, its demonic aura struggling against the unnatural hold. But the more it fought, the weaker it seemed to become.
This isn't just any shadow, Bolt realized. It's something else entirely.
Aether, gripping his sword tightly, turned to Bolt. "Is that thing… with you?"
Bolt swallowed hard. "I don't know."
He should have been terrified. He was terrified. But somewhere, deep in his chest, there was an odd familiarity about the shadow.
Like he knew it.
Like it had been watching him for a long time.
"You have tainted these lands with your impurity." The shadow's voice was emotionless as it raised a single hand toward the Minotaur. "Your time is over."
The Minotaur roared one last time, its muscles bulging as it gathered every ounce of its strength to break free.
It was too late.
The shadow clenched its fist.
BOOM!
A burst of energy exploded from the chains, sending cracks all over the Minotaur's body. The beast let out one final, earth-shaking bellow before—
CRACK.
It shattered.
Not into pieces of flesh and bone, but into pure energy, breaking apart into glowing red particles before dispersing into the air.
Silence followed.
The monstrous A+ ranked Demon Minotaur—the thing that was supposed to be their hardest challenge yet—was gone.
Just like that.
The 15 members of the Black Squad stared in disbelief.
Kairos's expression darkened. "That thing… just erased it."
Akane tightened her grip on her daggers. "That wasn't normal."
Bolt, however, couldn't take his eyes off the shadow.
As if sensing his gaze, the figure slowly turned, its glowing eyes locking onto him.
And for the first time, Bolt truly felt it—the overwhelming presence, the suffocating authority that this being radiated. It wasn't just powerful. It wasn't just deadly.
It was something far beyond that.
Then, the voice came again, this time softer.
"You are progressing."
Bolt's breath hitched.
"But you are not ready."
A sudden wind rushed through the battlefield, and the shadow's form began to dissolve—like mist being carried away by the breeze.
"Wait—" Bolt took a step forward. "Who are you?"
The shadow did not answer. But as it vanished completely, only two things remained:
A deep, unsettling silence—
And the feeling that Bolt had just seen something he was never meant to see.
---
No one spoke for a long time. The tension still hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
Kairos was the first to break the silence. "I think we can all agree… that wasn't supposed to happen."
Aether exhaled sharply, his usual calm expression shaken. "That wasn't part of the plan."
Akane narrowed her eyes. "Forget the plan. We need to talk about what just happened. That thing—whoever, whatever it was—just erased a Demon Minotaur like it was nothing."
Bolt clenched his fists, still staring at the spot where the shadow had stood.
"'You are progressing, but you are not ready.'"
The words repeated in his mind over and over again.
What did it mean?
Why did that thing care about his progress?
Was it guiding him? Watching him?
Or was it something much, much worse?
"Guys…" Aether's voice was tense. "We need to get back. Now."
That was when Bolt noticed it.
The sky was darkening. Not from clouds, not from a coming storm—but from something unnatural. The entire area felt off, like the balance of the world had shifted ever so slightly.
The disappearance of the Demon Minotaur hadn't gone unnoticed.
Something else was stirring.
Something bigger.
Then—
BOOM!
The ground shook violently, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
The air itself rippled with demonic energy.
And then, from the shadows of the ruined forest ahead…
Seven glowing red eyes ignited in the darkness.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Then, they stepped forward.
Seven more A+ rank Demon Minotaurs.
Stronger. Larger.
More monstrous than the last.
The students of Celestial Tempest—and the 15 remaining members of the Black Squad—stood frozen as the seven beasts let out synchronized roars, shaking the heavens themselves.
Bolt's heart pounded.
The battle…
Had only just begun.