Nox wasn't the only one who received a level-up notification; every other person who had participated received experience points as well from the fight.
The battlefield fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the group as they processed what had just happened.
"We really did it, didn't we?" Blake muttered with a dazed look on his face.
"Yes, we really did it!" Commander Luthier responded with a hearty smile on his face.
Nox stood atop the tyrant's lifeless body, his dagger still embedded in its skull. He yanked the blade free, wiping it clean on his sleeve before placing it back in his inventory.
As he watched Luthier and the others jubilate, a satisfied smile appeared on his face because he could now get the hell out of here and deal with more pressing issues.
"The journey wasn't a waste entirely… Level 50, not bad," he said, hopping down from the tyrant's corpse. The others stared at him, a mix of awe and disbelief on their faces.
But before anyone could respond, a sharp, unnatural sound cut through the air. Nox's eyes widened as he felt a sudden, searing pain in his chest. He looked down to see a deep gash forming across his torso, blood spilling from the wound. Before he could react, another slash appeared, then another, and another. Invisible blades sliced through him with terrifying precision, cutting him into several pieces before he even had time to scream.
The group froze in horror as Nox's body fell to the ground in bloody chunks. His head rolled to a stop at Kali's feet, his expression frozen in shock. The battlefield, once filled with the tension of victory, was now suffused with an eerie, oppressive silence.
"What... what just happened?" Commander Luthier shouted, his voice trembling and his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
He couldn't believe his eyes!
However, among everyone, the one who was most stunned was Nyx. She was wide-eyed; it felt as if time stood still for a moment.
"W-what… how?" she stuttered incomprehensible gibberish, but no one answered.
Their eyes darted around, searching for the source of the attack, but there was nothing—no enemy, no movement, no sign of what had just slaughtered their temporary leader in an instant.
Nyx's legs gave out, and she crashed to the ground, her hands scraping against the dirt, but she didn't care. Her eyes stayed locked on the mangled, blood-soaked pieces of her brother. Her chest felt tight, and her breath came in short, shaky gasps.
Nyx's scream echoed across the battlefield, but no answer came. She stumbled forward, her hands reaching out as if she could somehow piece him back together, but her body refused to move fast enough.
Wendy, standing nearby, felt her stomach churn. Her face turned pale, and her legs felt weak. Two lines of tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. "This can't be real!"
But the answer stared right at her.
There was no pulse coming from Nox.
Zara was confused; she was speechless. She still couldn't believe that the confident, cocky boy was dead. It felt so unreal; she just couldn't believe her eyes.
Everyone else was too stunned to act. The only ones who were able to think properly were Theo and Luthier.
"WHERE?!" Theo bellowed, his blade flashing as he spun, eyes blazing and scanning every inch of the battlefield.
"Who did this?! SHOW YOURSELF!" His hands trembled from the adrenaline, from the helplessness that twisted his gut.
No hint of an attack.
"Kali! Blake! Do you sense anything?!"
Kali, usually a mountain of fury, stood frozen. His eyes—wide and wild—stared at Nox's remains. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, his body shaking with something he rarely felt.
But then his voice, hoarse and low, escaped his lips: "There's… there's nothing." His usually confident tone was laced with something foreign—dread.
No aura. No killing intent. Not even the faintest ripple of mana.
It was as if the attacker had never existed.
"Impossible…" Luthier's voice cracked, sweat streaming down his face. "A strike like that without even a flicker of presence—" His heart pounded violently. "—what kind of monster…"
Meanwhile, back at the outer perimeter of the battlefield where the soldiers and the rest of the special class students were gathered, a strange spectacle was unfolding before them.
The ravenous monsters that were hellbent on destroying everything in their path were beginning to turn into mist. It was clear proof that the boss monster had been defeated.
One of the soldiers shouted.
Another joined in, then another, and another until the air trembled with the thunderous roar of victory.
"VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY!"
The soldiers, bloodied and battered, raised their weapons high, their voices merging into a chant that shook the heavens.
While they were chanting, Ainsworth had left the perimeter and gone inside. There was an anxious expression on his face.
Soon, he arrived at his destination, and the first thing he saw was Nox's mangled body lying in a pool of blood. Then his gaze fell on Nyx, who was crying close to the puddle, Wendy, who had passed out, Zara, who still seemed to be in shock, Blake, Glen, Theo, Luthier, and Lutton, who were frantically looking around as if searching for someone.
"Uncle!" Ainsworth gasped, his eyes widening in amazement. "You actually pulled it off!"
Ainsworth couldn't believe his eyes. For a moment, he had thought his uncle wouldn't be able to assassinate Nox because of his overwhelming display of strength.
"But I was worried for nothing, hahahahahaha! This is what you get for messing with the royal family!" He roared, laughing like a madman, tears streaming from his eyes.
Suddenly, while he was laughing.
Ainsworth heard an agonizing scream filled with pain, and he abruptly stopped laughing, his pupils shrinking.
"T-that voice," he mumbled with trembling arms. "That voice belongs to Uncle."