As the blast sent guards from the walls rushing toward the source of the explosion, Cassandra hurriedly joined them, sprinting across the vast, chaotic grounds. The closer she got, the more certain she became—Cassian was there. Her suspicions deepened as she caught sight of numerous children emerging from the swirling dust, some clearly mages, others warriors, all running in panic. Amid the chaos, some were even fighting the guards in a desperate attempt to escape the prison-like facility.
"What the hell is happening here?" Cassandra muttered to herself, her tone a mix of confusion and shock. The sight before her was overwhelming, but pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. These children, she realized, were likely participants in the Valtross Academy exams. And while their frantic flight suggested a clear reason to escape, the infighting among them added a layer of confusion.
Though baffled, Cassandra didn't pause to make sense of it all. Instead, she focused on the source of the oppressive killing intent emanating from deeper within the chaos. She dashed toward it, her grip tightening on her spear.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. A shimmering silver field of energy enveloped her just as a metallic, transparent barrier slammed into it with a powerful force. Cassandra's eyes widened in shock as she braced herself.
The barrier wasn't random—it belonged to a guard, his massive axe pressing hard against Cassandra's spear. His voice boomed with accusation as he demanded, "Did you do this?"
"So what if I did?" Cassandra snapped, her voice cold and defiant.
Without hesitation, she kicked the man square in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. Seizing the opportunity, she lunged forward, her spear arcing downward in a powerful thrust. The guard barely managed to block the strike, but the force of the blow knocked him off his feet, leaving him sprawled on the ground.
"Just get out of my way!" Cassandra growled.
With a swift motion, she slashed her spear upward in a vertical arc, releasing a massive wave of silver energy. The light tore through the ground, carving a path of destruction as it surged toward the guard. His eyes widened in shock, and all he could do was brace himself, raising his axe defensively in a desperate attempt to absorb the impact.
Meanwhile, the thick dust clouds from the earlier chaos were beginning to settle, the battlefield slowly coming into view. Amid the dispersing haze, a researcher mage hurried into the fray, his face pale with urgency.
"Sir, intruders have breached the grounds!" the mage called out, spotting Evans locked in combat. "Sir James is handling them!"
As he hurled fireballs across the chaotic battlefield, the situation spiraled further out of control. All the examinees who were still alive had managed to escape the training grounds. While the escape itself wasn't entirely unexpected, the sheer suddenness of it had caught everyone off guard.
These weren't just any examinees—they were powerful noble children. The guards, despite their magical equipment, were no match for their fury. The enraged nobles unleashed their strength without restraint, cutting down guards wherever they stood.
To the examinees' surprise, the clones of the examinees—once formidable adversaries within the training grounds—were significantly weaker out here. Their diminished strength added another layer of confusion to the already chaotic scene, but it didn't stop the nobles from tearing through anything and anyone in their path.
To Larick's surprise, it wasn't just the warriors who had broken free; the mages examinees were also out and fighting fiercely as they attempted to escape. Taking down another opponent blocking his path, Larick found himself near the outer wall of the prison. He shouted over the chaos, "Let's meet up once we're out of here!"
Amina and Selene seemed to have already made their escape, vanishing into the fray. Cassian, however, was in no position to respond. He was struggling against Evans, who relentlessly attacked with his staff. Evans had already managed to break several of Cassian's bones, yet Cassian fought on, his determination unwavering.
Though he wasn't able to feel the pain or the toll on his body—his fury burned too hot. Cassian's sole focus was on killing Evans, the man responsible for imprisoning him in the Den of Faires and endlessly tormenting him with those maddening clones.
While Evans also grew increasingly furious at Cassian as one bad piece of news after another reached him. All the observation facilities under his command were being destroyed, and the research he had worked so hard on was being wiped out before his eyes. The clones, once a source of pride, were being slaughtered like lambs at the hands of their original counterparts. And the ones responsible for it were standing right in front of him, fueling his rage even more.
"I'm going to break every bone in your body," Evans snarled, his voice seething with fury. "And as they heal, I'll break them again and again, you wretched bastard!"
With a roar, he dodged Cassian's horizontal slash and slammed his shaft into his stomach, sending a spray of blood from his mouth. But Cassian, not able to feel the pain, simply grinned—a bloodied smile that only made Evans' anger flare higher.
"That just makes me more certain I'm going to kill you," Cassian spat, his voice dripping with determination. He moved from his position like a sharp gale, flashing forward, attacking from the front, then to the side, moving in all directions.
But Evans, his face twisted with fury, managed to block each of Cassian's attacks, his staff a blur as it deflected every strike. In a sudden move, he caught Cassian's rhythm, sweeping his staff in a wide arc. The motion sent a wave of energy rippling outward, forcing Cassian to halt his rapid attacks and quickly block the incoming blast.
Cassian staggered back as the energy wave hit his block, the force reverberating through his arms. He gritted his teeth, shaking off the shock, and glared at Evans.
Cassian knew the gap in their strength was vast, but his desire to kill Evans burned too fiercely to care. He didn't know who was truly responsible for imprisoning him in the Den, but he was certain Evans had a hand in it. He needed to kill him—not only to satisfy the rage that had been building inside him for so long but also to uncover the twisted plans behind creating clones of the examinees. Whatever they were plotting, he had to stop it, starting with ending Evans.