As the earth heaved, shooting dust skyward, the ground began splitting with a deafening crack, jagged fissures racing across the raid field. The students were knocked off their feet.
Won adjusted his eye-patch and muttered, "Something murderous is here. I can sense it."
Then, erupting through stone and dirt under the open sky, the Armored Tyrant emerged. It stood around seven meters tall, its brute muscle plated in thick, glowing armor like dark obsidian rock. It had six eyes, which looked as if they burned with rage. As it turned its massive, horned head and roared, dozens of Tyrant Drones—smaller, canine-sized horrors—began pouring out of the ground.
Shouts rang out. Commands overlapped.
"EVERYONE, FORM UP! DELTA FORMATION!" Commander Ashen roared from the frontline.
"Pull the first-years back! This isn't something they can hold back!" another Ashen shouted.
"No!" Blossom stepped forward, getting everyone's attention. "Anyone who can take the risk to fight will fight. You cannot stop us! If we all fight together, we can finish it fast."
"What's she saying?" another first-year yelled. "Didn't you see we lost some Ashens just a while ago? What can we even do? Why are you putting all of us in danger?"
Leo stepped in, tilting his head at the boy who had just spoken. "Didn't she save you earlier by killing that Diaon Drull? What are you mumbling about? If you don't want to fight, then step back. Those who want to will fight."
"Kids, listen!" the commander said. "That's risky for you!"
"Commander, my sister and I are the highest-ranked Ashens here. So let us fight. We'll be useful!" Orson spoke with confidence.
The Ashens commander opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it, then nodded with a sigh. Some first-years approached and stood in their positions, holding out their weapons.
Won was already stepping backward, crouching low among the first-years. He was too tired now; the pain from the earlier battle was draining his energy.
[Armored Tyrant: Sith-Rank, High Tier. Kinetic Absorption, Tactical Swarm Command.]
Wonderful. That bastard is smart. Won thought grimly.
The tyrants were already on the move. The students were taking care of the drones.
"TEAM A! GO RIGHT!" the commander yelled.
Orson slammed into the left flank with his broadsword, slashing a drone's leg. Blossom darted in behind him, her katana slicing in lethal arcs. Leo dropped to one knee, rifle braced, squeezing off sharp, echoing shots one after another.
A pack of drones lunged toward the panicked first-years where Won was. There was no Ashen nearby. Closing his eyes, Won activated his venom core, making a sparrow clone. It shot forward toward the drones. As the drones attacked it, venom sprayed into the air, slowing them all at once, leaving them barely alive. A senior threw a fireball, incinerating the slowed drones.
'Ah… I hate it,' cursing inwardly, Won decided to join in.
He staggered as he ran, swinging his sword loosely. He couldn't balance the grip at all, even though he aimed for the drones' soft spots. He drew out his star-iron wire and started yanking the drones' legs one by one.
'This works better,' he muttered groggily.
"Won, duck!" Leo's voice barked from afar.
Won reacted immediately as a shot cracked past his shoulder, shattering a drone's carapace behind him.
"Thanks," he gasped, giving Leo a shaky nod.
"Take some rest! You don't look well at all!" Leo snapped, leaping over a jagged stone.
The barriers began collapsing as the Armored Tyrant let out another roar, a shockwave shaking the earth. The commander was hurled to the ground, rolling back and striking his head against a rock.
An Ashen shouted, "The Tyrant—it's adapting! I think physical attacks are charging it up! Switch to magic!"
Blossom, Orson, and Leo surged forward. Blossom raced along the Tyrant's flank, slicing at the narrow joint between its plates with her katana, while Orson dove beneath it, driving his blade into the leg joint.
"Leo, NOW!" Orson bellowed.
Leo's rifle rang out, the bullet sparking harmlessly off the armor.
"Damn it! Give me one more opening!" Leo growled in frustration.
The commander barked, "Magic casters! Aim for the joints—keep it staggered! Kids—" he turned to the twins, "Get on its back! I'm counting on you."
Grinning fiercely, Orson muttered to Blossom, "You heard the man, sister."
In sync, Blossom vaulted onto the Tyrant's back, her katana plunging deep between its armored plates. The beast thrashed violently, nearly throwing her off. Orson, giving his last ounce of strength, hammered at the weakest joint. At that moment, Leo's next shot shattered the damaged plate.
The drones were the real menace, swarming the Ashens and keeping them from finishing the Tyrant. They attacked in clusters, targeting students relentlessly. Won activated Cognidominance to tilt the battle.
"Scatter. Break. Kill your kin."
Instantly, the drone formations splintered, turning on one another in chaotic confusion. Won released another sparrow across the battlefield.
Nearby, he saw a first-year girl stumble, shrieking as a drone loomed over her. Her aura was faint. Is she really an Ashen? Higher-ranked than a Flintshade? Won wondered grimly. Without hesitation, he sprinted forward, snapped his wire taut around the drone's neck, and yanked it back. His sword pierced its skull with a sickening crunch. The girl's eyes locked with his.
"Go…" he murmured softly.
Blossom still clung to the Tyrant's back, her brother hacking at its exposed plates. Leo shouted, "Core heart! It's exposed!"
With a roar, the commander hurled a thunder spear into the Tyrant's chest, the blast landing true—fracturing the glowing violet heart. Dark ichor poured like black rain.
"Something's wrong. I can't feel it dying. We struck the heart! So why…?" Won murmured.
Then he looked into its eyes, trying to sense its emotions.
"It's summoning its drones!" he realized. The beast wasn't done—it was clinging to life, calling its scattered minions back. The drones he had scattered were now regrouping.
What the hell?
My command only worked on the drones. I assumed it would affect the Tyrant too. But it didn't!
If I repel the drones again to send it back to its place… it might buy us time to finish it!
Closing his eyes, he sent one last surge of Cognidominance through the swarm: "Your leader is dying. You've lost. Flee while you still can."
The effect was immediate. The drones broke formation and scattered, retreating into the crevices they had emerged from. The Tyrant thrashed wildly, driven by desperate rage.
Won dropped to his knees, chest heaving under immense pressure, as if the air had turned to stone.
"Finish it!" Blossom screamed.
Leo's rifle cracked.
Orson's broadsword slammed home.
The commander's lightning spear struck the final blow.
Everyone collapsed where they stood, gasping for breath.
After a few seconds after catching his breathing the commander asked, "Leo, did you get the Heart Core notification?"
Leo checked his Codex Map and shook his head. "No. It just says 'Defeated' with upgraded stats. Why? You landed the final hit!"
The commander frowned. "Only because of you three. I still can't believe you're first-years. I couldn't have done it alone."
"Wait—we didn't get the Heart Core either," Orson said, confused. Blossom simply nodded.
"Is that thing really dead? Do 'defeat' and 'death' mean something different on the Codex Map?" Blossom asked.
"It's dead. I'm sure of it," Orson said. "When Won killed the Diaon Drull, he split the rewards with us. But this time... nothing. So where did the Heart Core go?" Orson muttered, scratching his head.
Leo shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We killed it. That's what counts. Get some rest—I doubt anything else is coming for a while."
Far away, the Codex Map pulsed softly in Won's mind:
[You have killed an Armored Tyrant]
[You have received —]
Everything blurred. Won closed his eyes—and collapsed.
***
When Won regained his senses, he found himself leaning against a shattered boulder. Night had finally fallen in the Veyne. His eyes were still half-closed as he tried to feel his body.
Why is there no pain? he wondered, touching himself all over.
Orson limped over, sword slung across his shoulder. "Damn, Won. Didn't think you'd make it through that mess. Did you enjoy your nap?"
Won gave him a faint smile. "Got lucky."
"Lucky?" Blossom chimed in, wiping blood from her blade. "You were jumping like a grasshopper on fire."
Won let out a weak laugh. "How long was I out?"
"Eight hours. We just had another battle. Wasn't as rough as the last two."
"Eight hours?"
Leo flopped down from the stone and sat beside them, ruffling Won's hair. "You did well."
Did he just pat my hair? Won thought, smiling inwardly. Is that what people call adoration?
Another first for him.
"I was pretty banged up," Won said, shaking off his thoughts, "so why don't I feel any pain now?"
"Oh! During the raid break, the Ashen healers patched us all up! They're resting now—totally drained," Orson replied.
Won looked toward a group of people resting inside a cave, sleeping quietly. He recognized a girl among them—the one he had saved from the drone.
"Is that girl an Ashen healer too?" he asked.
"Yeah. She's from our class. She's the one who healed you. You know her?" Leo asked.
"Not really. She seemed really weak. The energy I felt from her was—"
"Don't judge based on energy alone. That girl's a menace!" Blossom cut in.
"What do you mean?" Won asked, bewildered.
"World's first healer Ashen to reach General rank!"