The days passed quickly.
The elite students would gather from time to time with Phoenix, who had taken it upon himself to explore outside the city.
They spent their time devising plans, trying to figure out a way to escape as soon as possible.
Among them, Selena found herself constantly glancing at Aegon, a single thought plaguing her mind:
That question tormented her.
On the night of Xevier's death, she had clearly seen the curse cast on Aegon by the dying sorcerer.
It was a powerful curse—even she, a skilled witch, would have struggled to lift it.
And yet Aegon, who knew nothing of magic, shattered it effortlessly.
Selena found herself spiraling into thought over the rogue prince.
She couldn't figure out how to deal with someone like him—especially when her parents' lives were in his hands.
Aegon Valerion made her feel more helpless than the entire Ultras continent that had them cornered.
The days continued to slip by:
The first… the second… the third.
The students, fearful of death, sank into a tense silence.
A silence that felt all too unnatural…
Phoenix had left the city several times searching for a route out, but couldn't venture far without endangering the others.
So he returned empty-handed every time.
At this rate, the elite class had no choice but to start moving soon.
And then came the fourth night.
As the dark sky stretched over them, the group gathered one last time to finalize their plan to leave the city.
Some were reluctant—they had finally found a place to rest in peace.
But they all knew they had to move if they wanted to survive.
Still… a single question lingered in their minds:
"What's with this damn silence? Why haven't we been attacked yet?!"
Danzo voiced the thoughts on everyone's minds.
They had spent the past few days on edge, expecting death at any moment…
Yet none of those fears had come to pass.
"Maybe… we're not a priority?"
Seris Moonlight offered the thought, and as soon as she did, the prince burst out laughing.
"Glad to see someone using their brain for once."
Everyone turned to Aegon, who looked just as fed up with the situation as they were.
"As Seris said, we're not a priority. We're bait."
"Yeah. Just a side distraction. Something they can deal with whenever they feel like it."
From the start, their survival had been pure luck—thanks only to Frey, who happened to be nearby.
Otherwise, they'd all be dead.
"The Ultras are using us to lure the Empire in."
Some were stunned by Aegon's words. Others remained calm—proof that they'd considered this possibility too, especially Phoenix.
"The last War of Light happened on imperial soil. Back then, it was the Ultras who struck first. This time, they want the opposite:
A war that drags the Empire into their lands."
And what better way to make that happen?
"Don't get me wrong. We are dangerous to them—because of our class's potential. But right now? We're just a secondary target.
The fact that they haven't hit us with a real force yet proves it."
So far, their only real encounter had been upon arrival—and even then, the enemy was weak.
"Who knows," Aegon added with a sly grin, "maybe the war has already begun while we're sitting here wasting time."
"Aegon might be right…"
Phoenix spoke, confirming the idea.
The elite class was made up of heirs to the great families, the crowned champion of the church, children of the top guilds…
To save them, it wouldn't be far-fetched for the Empire to launch an all-out assault on the Ultras.
"That might be why we haven't been attacked yet. This is our only chance."
Somewhere above the vast continent of the Ultras…
A war might already be raging to rescue them.
"We need to take advantage of their strongest forces being elsewhere—and escape while we can."
If they didn't, they might end up leading the Empire into a trap that could destroy them all.
"We move immediately and prepa—"
Phoenix was about to issue the command—
But his voice caught in his throat.
Everyone's expressions shifted in an instant.
The ground shook violently beneath them, as if a catastrophic earthquake had struck.
Phoenix felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He could barely stay on his feet under the crushing pressure that descended upon them.
The rest of the students weren't as fortunate ... most collapsed to the ground under the overwhelming aura.
"Enemy… one, two… no, too many!!"
Ghost screamed, trying to count or locate the threat.
The suppressive aura came from multiple directions—and terrifyingly, it had encircled them completely.
At that moment, Phoenix exploded with power, his eyes burning red as he shot into the air like a flaming arrow—forcing the pressure off his body with sheer strength.
The Lord of the Sunlight had entered battle mode, ready to strike at any moment.
But even he froze midair…
As his eyes fell upon the scene below.
"What the hell is this?!"
Phoenix muttered in disbelief as he stared at the sheer size of the army surrounding the city.
It was a vast force ... unlike anything he had seen before.
They had encircled the entire city, trapping it from every direction.
But the problem wasn't just the numbers...
It was the names leading them.
The Four Lords of the Ultras stood at the front—with none other than Godfrey , Gavid Lindman at their head.
The infamous Hollows he had only heard of in stories were here too: Ludwig, Smough, the Blood Queen Evelyn...
All of them unleashed their devastating auras, crushing the earth and tearing the walls apart with their mere presence.
At the very front, an elegant woman in a wide dress floated in the air, smiling brightly.
Faced with such overwhelming force—and the witch Beatrice herself—Phoenix felt something he had never known before:
He was staring at the full power of the Ultras…
and they had appeared from nowhere.
Had it been a single lord, he might've dealt with it. Even two ... he could've found a way.
No human in the Empire could handle a force alone.
At that moment, his eyes met Beatrice's, as she hovered high above the city.
With grace, the witch raised a black wand and took a stance that resembled that of an orchestra conductor.
"Welcome... to the Witch's Game."
She waved her wand lightly, and the aura behind her took on a physical form.
"Forge me a weapon to slaughter my enemies."
As her voice rang out, an entire arsenal of cannons and machine guns materialized behind her out of thin air.
"In this game, everyone will finally get the chance to fulfill their ambitions!"
The barrage began without warning.
The weapons roared to life, bombarding the city in a relentless hailstorm of bullets and explosions.
Phoenix acted instantly. He manipulated his flames, forming a massive dome of fire that shielded himself and the elite students below from the assault.
But the city didn't stand a chance.
Buildings crumbled, walls shattered—everything was reduced to rubble as bullets rained like a storm.
"Those fated to survive… will survive!"
"And those fated to die… shall perish!"
Beatrice spun her wand again.
"Crush my enemies—smash them to dust!"
With her chant, the sky split open.
A massive gate formed in the heavens, and from it descended hundreds of enormous legs and feet, slamming down vertically at terrifying speed.
They struck with such devastating force that the city was erased.
Nothing remained of its once-great walls and towers—nothing but Phoenix's protective fire dome.
Beneath the dome, Frey and the others remained unharmed… but barely.
At the same time, the army began to march forward, and the pressure from their auras only grew heavier.
"Didn't you say we were just bait?!!!"
Danzo screamed, furious enough to want to punch Aegon—but too paralyzed by the oppressive power crushing down on them to act.
Though he'd already armed himself with his shield, he couldn't move a muscle. The witch's assault had left them overwhelmed.
Still floating in the sky, Beatrice smirked as she twirled her wand once more.
"So you like using fire, do you?"
She grinned as she stared down at Phoenix, who had blocked her first attack.
"Then drown, all of you. Drown for me!"
Once again, a supernatural phenomenon unfolded—
The sky turned into an ocean.
A massive wave, wild and furious, surged from above Beatrice, crashing downward to consume everything.