The great beast loomed over the fallen students like a nightmare made flesh. Its dark, grotesque form towered, muscles bulging beneath cracked and scarred skin, eyes burning with a cold, merciless fire. The air was thick with dust and the metallic scent of blood.
The students, one after another, had collapsed in exhaustion and pain, groaning softly, their breaths shallow. Their bodies were broken, drained of mana and strength, trembling with every heartbeat.
Cedric's legs buckled, sending him to one knee. His black hair clung to his sweat-drenched forehead, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. He grasped the hilt of his sword, knuckles white, unable to stand. His arms were also hurting.
Thane lay sprawled nearby, singed and battered, but a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he looked toward Celina.
Celina herself remained standing, unmoved, untouched by fatigue, the ghost among the living corpses of her team.
