The world quickly reformed around the group violently, the blinding brilliant light of teleportation vanishing, leaving only the dim, suffocating environment of the Black Demon Forest.
The air here was damp and heavy, laden with acid and the scent of rotting trees, combined with demonic auras lingering all around them.Towering trees with bark as dark as coal twisted into jagged spirals, their branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers.
A faint mist coiled low across the uneven ground, curling around their boots, carrying with it the distant cries of unseen beasts.
The moment they arrived, a stillness settled over the group. Even the loudest among them, Zeus and Lucian, quieted as their eyes darted around, instincts already on edge as they made sure they were safe.
Raphaeline's voice rang calm but commanding across the hush, "Stay alert. The Black Demon Forest is alive. Every stone, every tree root, every shadow may be waiting to kill you. Step with caution, and don't wander around needlessly,"
The students nodded, their formations unconsciously tightening. Even William Frost, who normally wore arrogance like a second skin, moved with unease, his hand resting near the hilt of his sword.
Albedo scanned the forest silently. His senses expanded outward, mana rippling faintly through his eyes before fading as he haw what he was looking for, the dense saturation of demonic aura all across the land itself.
It pressed on his skin, tried to seep into his veins, but his Flame Dragon Heart repelled it effortlessly. His body thrummed faintly, but he smothered it down. No sense in flaunting strength here.
"Elara, stay close," he said quietly, his tone even. She nodded, her green eyes darting across the map forming in her mind thanks to her Gift. He trusted her to detect pitfalls, traps, and odd movements ahead.
Then, the trek began, the group of students making their way through the Forest which wasn't very generous in welcoming them.
Roots jutted from the ground like jagged teeth, threatening to trip them over and devour them whole.
The path, if one could even call it that, was broken and uneven, shifting constantly between narrow ravines choked with black vines and sudden clearings flooded with mists that completely blocked their vision
The students had to problem solve themselves, as neither the Student Council, nor Professor Kayle or Raphaeline would be helping them unless it was a truly grave deadly scenario. Aside from that, the students were to solve all their own issues.
It was mostly going well, but there were some incidents along the way.
One time, a patch of earth in front of them quivered, and Elara's voice rang out sharply before something truly bad happened, "Stop! That's not ground, it's a sink pit!"
Sure enough, the "earth" sagged inward, collapsing into a yawning hole filled with writhing shadow-beetles the size of hounds with vicious mouths eager to rip their bodies to shreds.
Lucian carefully plucked a piece of bark off of a tree and tossed it into the pit, and the shadow-beetles devoured it before any of them could react, making them shudder as they carefully redirected around it.
The further they traveled, the more alive the forest became. Eyes glowed faintly in the dark beyond the mist, always watching, never approaching too closely. Low growls followed them like a pack of predators testing the edges of prey.
And then came the first big real attack.
As they were walking, a massive creak split the silence, like wood splintering under impossible strain. One of the twisted black trees shuddered, its trunk warping as runes of sickly green ignited across its surface. A hollow roar echoed as its "arms" broke free, massive claw-like branches lashing down.
"A Demon Treant!" Miranda called, her hand glowing with chains of binding spatial light, "Formation!"
The students scrambled, mana flaring as Zeus charged ahead with reckless excitement. His fists ignited with fiery aura as he slammed into the Treant's trunk. The thing barely flinched. Roots shot from the ground, ensnaring him, dragging him toward a gaping maw in its bark.
Zeus' War-Axe immediately began to slash at the tree, while the other students all rained in various spells in ferocious manner. Multiple other Demonic Treants also appeared for them to battle.
Albedo moved in the background, no flourish or wasted movements, he didn't want to expend himself too much as this wasn't the main battle after all.
Just a flicker of violet-crimson fire bursting across his arm as Havoc appeared, its barrel gleaming wickedly in the half-light. One shot—silent, efficient—blasted through one of the Treant's cores.
The sound wasn't thunderous; it was sharp, contained. The result was immediate. The Treant convulsed once before crumbling inward, its wooden body collapsing into charred fragments, the green runes fading into ash.
Albedo turned and continued firing off, Havoc blazing shot after shot of ruthless Infernal shots that burned various Treants to ash with Crimson Apocalypse Flames.
Soon, all of the Treants were dead, and the group stared, all of them showing different emotions as Albedo holstered Havoc without a word and resumed walking.
Zeus wrenched himself free from the limp roots, wide-eyed but grinning, "Tch—guess you wanted the kill, huh?"
Albedo didn't respond. He simply moved forward, steps steady, his aura tightly controlled, but many students had various ideas.
For instance, William was worried after what he saw, noticing the gap between his level of strength and Albedo's widening instead of shrinking. He thought of what he would do in Albedo's position, and he knew he'd wouldn't be able to do that.
Noticing this, many dark thoughts about what he could do to 'rectify' this situation appeared in William's mind, and Kaden also followed, suggesting his own ideas as the group walked further onwards.
However, the further they walked, the more restless the forest became.
Another group of Treants burst from the mist an hour later. Then two more groups, leading them to engage in various battes.
Lucian led the fight this time, springing into action as he unsheathed his sword, engaging two of the Demonic Treants, his power increases the longer the fight went as he danced around their attacks and landed deep slashes.
Miranda stayed behind, using her Magic to control the battlefield, with Lira summoned her beasts to engage the beasts in various ways.
The battle intensified, each side unleashing their full potential. The forest echoed with the clash of weapons, the hiss of magic, and the defiant roars of the Demonic Treants as they were systematically picked apart until barely any of them remained.
The class remained resolute, their collective strength shining through as they fought with unwavering determination.
And during all of this, Albedo's-crimson flashes tore through the cores, snuffing them out effortlessly and calculated, the kills almost surgical in their manner.
The Professors & Student Council members remained impressed as the group took down the final Treants of this batch of attackers, allowing them to continue on their way forward. Get full chapters from novel·fire.net
During all of this, Morgana in particular lingered behind, her dark eyes flicking to Albedo whenever his shots rang out. Her lips parted, as if to say something, but she kept her silence, folding back into the group's march, but keeping her attention on him.
Hours bled together. The forest was endless, its canopy blotting out even the faint sun. Sweat clung to brows, boots were muddied, and breaths grew heavier with every step.
Even the most stalwart students began to lose their chatter, conserving strength for the oppressive atmosphere.
Albedo walked as though none of it touched him. His breathing never faltered. His steps were soundless, steady, each motion like a predator weaving through familiar hunting grounds.
And then, after this extremely long walk, finally the group saw some light. A faint glow ahead pierced through the mist, brighter than anything they'd seen for hours. The oppressive blackness began to thin, and the gnarled trees spread wider apart.
This signified the the end of the forest, which meant they were close to arriving at the Demon Capital City of Nocturna, and meeting up with the Demon Academy.
But before the group could even sigh in relief at this accomplishment, the sound of voices drifted toward them.
The voices were smooth and clear, as if blessed by nature and carrying a resonance that represented utmost pride and elegance in every syllable that was pronounced.
The group slowed as they heard this and waited for whoever this was to arrive while on guard, and soon, they saw who was approaching.
From the thinning mist emerged figures clad in robes of silver and emerald. Their long ears caught the faint glow as they stepped into view, their weapons sheathed but their gazes sharp. The Elves.
They stood at the edge of the clearing, already arranged in disciplined formation, their leader a tall, commanding figure with hair like molten gold and eyes of piercing jade, proudly displaying his aura of Star Rank.
Many of the Elves behind him were noticeably students, due to their younger look, but Albedo could immediately recognize some of them from the Novel, and they in turn, seemed to notice his strength, as their gazes swept and lingered briefly on him, Lucian & Miranda.
The air between the two groups crackled. Pride met pride.
Raphaeline's eyes narrowed faintly, but she did not intervene.
The silence stretched, the forest itself seeming to hold its breath.