Damian channeled his aura into the blade, without the help of any spell. The long, double-handed sword was instantly cloaked in a pitch-black coating. It wasn't just flames anymore—he had learned to solidify it enough to properly encase his weapon, though still not perfect, the flames still flickered once in a while. The lessons with Lucian had helped a lot.
The first thing to catch his attention was the high-pitched buzzing of fast-flying bees crossing the tall trees to face the open area near the bridge, though only a few at first. Damian let them approach, allowing them to gather more of their kind before dealing with them. When dozens swarmed toward him, he effortlessly lifted his double-handed sword and swung it in a wide arc at the buzzing nuisances.
A black air blade ripped through the air with an electrifying hum, slicing the giant bees in half. His strike was perfectly angled to cover most of them. The survivors scattered, some fleeing across the bridge toward others waiting to fight. Damian let them go—bees were the least of his concerns. The others could handle it.
The horde of giant rats had finally reached the bridge, pouring in like a flood.
Once again, Damian waited, allowing them to gather in a cluster within his line of sight. Three runic circle spells hovered around him, ready to use. As soon as the rats entered a 20-meter range, he activated the light-element laser spell - modified version, the beam was bigger and a bit more intense. A radiant beam swept from side to side, slicing through the ugly creatures in a single sweep. Their health bars turned red and then black one by one, their screeches dwindling to near silence.
The next wave hesitated. Their leader, a ridiculously muscular rat, raised its claw, red eyes glowing with ominous fury. Its twisted face contorted in anger. Meanwhile, trolls lagging behind the rats arrived. Unlike the rats, the trolls approached more slowly. Almost mockingly, the controller of the illusions seemed to toy with Damian, letting the enemies gather before sending them all charging toward the bridge entrance behind him in a single, unified wave.
Fireballs, air blades, water blades, enchanted arrows, and other spells rained down on the creatures from the far side of the bridge.
"Useful indeed," Damian muttered, though he didn't particularly need the help. Still, he was glad for the assist—He could obliterate them all with spells, but that would be a massive waste of mana. Besides, when else would he get a chance to showcase the fancy techniques he had learned from Lucian?
"Alright, let's see how this goes," he muttered, raising his blade in a loose grip. His shoulders moved casually as though he was stepping into a sparring match, not an oncoming storm of teeth and claws.
The rat horde and trolls finally broke the 20-meter range. Feeling crowded, Damian released the full force of his aura mixed with mana, replicating the Spellsword's basic technique, Thousand Release. The cold shockwave pushed many of the monsters back, buying him some free seconds and clearing enough space to swing his sword.
The first to reach him was a troll, its massive arm swinging down with all the finesse of a collapsing boulder. Damian sidestepped, his blade a whispering blur as it carved a neat line from shoulder to ribs. There was no blood, it was afterall, an illusion and only the health bar of it got red and then black. The troll roared in surprise, stumbling back as it lost the balance, but Damian had already pivoted.
With a reverse grip, he bisected two lunging rats in one clean, sweeping arc. He spun low then, the edge of his aura blade whistling as it severed clawed legs and sent another troll to its knees. Standing again, he thrust his blade straight forward, releasing another flash of raw, pitch black aura and mana mixture that tore through a cluster of smaller monsters, leaving just red turning black health bars in its wake.
"Not bad," Damian murmured, casually brushing dirt off his sleeve as more surged in. He shifted his grip on the hilt and angled the blade downward. When the next rat leapt at his chest, he met it with an upward slash, sending it spiraling away in pieces. He adjusted his posture mid-fight, moving to intercept a second troll with a flawless spin and three quick strikes—a shallow cut to its weapon arm, a knee slice that toppled it, and a final, effortless decapitation. It all felt weird without blood.
Away from him, the ground rumbled ominously as the leader of giant rats raised its clawed hand again, driving more of its forces forward. Damian didn't seem to notice—or didn't care. His blade gleamed like a beacon as he transitioned into wide, sweeping cuts, testing the range of his weapon's aura blade. With each strike, waves of dark, humming energy followed the arc of his blade, slicing through rows of incoming creatures as though testing how sharp his will could be. Half the foes were gone before they realized the fight had begun, yet Damian barely broke a sweat, grinning as he carved a dazzling, efficient chaos through their ranks.
"Man," he chuckled, "Never knew swordsmanship could feel this satisfying."
In just a few minutes, Damian reduced the rat leader and its forces to flickering health bars before they, too, faded away. The first wave of monsters was cleared. The battle felt more like a tutorial in a game than a true fight. Perhaps it was designed to ease the students into the challenge, to let them find their footing before the real threats began.
He had expected the rat leader to unleash some hidden ability or spell, but it turned out to be nothing more than brute strength and raw rage. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have taken them all on by himself—he could have left a few for the others.
Oh well. They'd get their chance soon enough.
This was only the first wave. Many more had yet to come.