It was already a few minutes past eight at night, and the academy was still restless as thousands of hunters patrolled the surroundings.

Since it was nighttime, most of the hunters returning from their daily raids had quickly run to the venue.

At the moment, Crimson, Maddox, and Gigaman stood inside Marlon's room with troubled expressions on their faces.

"How long has it been since the last flash?" Crimson asked as she turned to Maddox.

Maddox checked his watch and replied calmly, "About ten minutes. It's slightly longer than the previous ones."

Crimson nodded with a low hum.

Gigaman stood behind the two, quietly imagining what kind of suffering the young hunter was going through.

"Even if he survives, how is he supposed to deal with the trauma?" he asked, finally voicing the thought that had been haunting him.

Crimson and Maddox fell silent as they thought about it. There was no natural cure.

"There's no way he can heal on his own. Not something of this magnitude," Maddox said, shaking his head. He added, "There's only one person in the entire world who can help."

Crimson and Gigaman's eyes lit up immediately as a single name surfaced.

"Victoria Silver," Gigaman said.

Maddox nodded. "She's the only soul healer on Arden."

Each of them agreed, but remorse quickly washed over their expressions.

The only people who could contact her were Axel Storm, who was currently unreachable, and Norian Sterling, who was still in a coma.

Nonetheless, as the three tried to come up with another solution, the room was suddenly swallowed by a bright purple glow.

The glow was so intense that it poured out of the window, instantly notifying all the hunters hovering around the hostel premises.

"It is happening!" one of them barked.

Instantly, every hunter drew their weapons while others readied their powers.

High ranking hunters who could fly lifted off the ground, drifting through the windows, while the others rushed in through any possible path to reach the scene.

They all shared the same conclusion. Marlon had failed and returned as a monster.

Yet the three inside the room at that moment could see clearly that it was not a monster.

It was Marlon.

He stood in the middle of the swirling purple light that refused to fade, his emotionless eyes locked on the beautiful red haired huntress and the two familiar hunters beside her.

All three immediately noticed the strange look in his gaze. It was chilling and soulless, the complete opposite of Marlon's usual cheerful personality.

Before they could even speak…

BOOM.

SHATTER.

Dozens of hunters crashed into the room, crowding it in a matter of seconds.

Each one was armed and ready to strike.

But they all froze when they saw the humanoid figure standing in the midst of the blinding purple glow.

Their eyes widened.

He survived.

Marlon actually survived the formidable breakthrough trials.

They were speechless. Even though they all wished he would make it, only a few truly believed it would happen.

"Why isn't he moving though?"

One of them muttered after noticing Marlon remained perfectly still, standing in the same position for several seconds without a single twitch. His gaze had not shifted from the three in front of him.

"Marlon?" Crimson called out, taking a small step forward.

"Lady Crimson, don't go near him. We're not sure what's happening," Maddox warned, pulling her back.

He could not tell if the person standing before them was truly his brother or something hollow wearing his form.

The other hunters were confused as well.

Even though Marlon still had a human appearance and no negative aura surrounded him, none of them dared to let their guard down.

Tension spread across the room as everyone observed him curiously.

And then, the purple light vanished, allowing the illumination of the bulbs in the room to take over.

It was at that moment that a strong pressure spread across the room, released from Marlon who remained standing immobile.

"Wh—"

"The heck!"

The lower rank hunters surrounding the room collapsed to their knees.

Those below C-rank coughed out blood and bled from their facial orifices, their expressions crumbling as dread gripped their hearts.

Standing directly in front of the seemingly possessed Marlon, Maddox and Gigaman also fell to one knee. Their eyes began to bleed as they stared at him.

On the lowest floor of the hostel, the few students who had resumed collapsed and lost consciousness. Ashton, Logan and Lyra included.

They were too weak to contain the pressure that had enveloped the entire academy.

Only the stronger hunters present, Crimson included, were able to maintain their footing, but even she could feel the pressure pressing down on her bones.

It was unusual.

Unusual for someone like Marlon, who should only be rising to the E-rank after completing his breakthrough trial, to emit such a force. Or…

Her eyes widened.

Did he fail?

It was unlikely.

If he failed, he would have turned into a monster by now. Transformation after failure was immediate.

Or was it different for the five star breakthrough trial?

She looked at Marlon again. For a moment, she believed she was right.

Maybe the transformation for a five star trial took longer, and that was why he was releasing such an oppressive aura that did not match his original strength.

At this moment, she wondered if he was suffering and if she should end it for him.

"Make it stop!"

The cries of the hunters rang through the room.

They were in pain.

She gritted her teeth.

She had to do something about whatever was happening.

She began to conjure a spell.

And then—

BOOM.

Another oppressive aura erupted out of nowhere, contending with and gradually overpowering the one being released by Marlon.

Yet this new aura did not harm the hunters, and each of them began to recover one after the other.

As they stood up one by one and questioned the source of the new pressure, a bright mass of approaching blood red light was suddenly spotted.

Everyone who still had their consciousness intact tilted their heads toward the approaching figure, their hairs standing on end as their eyes brightened.

Crimson could feel it.

That aura. She knew it too well.

Her breath caught as the blood red light drew closer, cutting through the night air with a sharp hum that made every hunter freeze.

"B-brother…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "But how…"

While her question hung in the air, the mass of red light descended in front of the hostel with a deafening boom.

The shockwave rattled the windows and scattered debris across the floor, causing everyone inside the room to raise their arms.

The aura that collided with Marlon's oppressive pressure grew stronger, suppressing it completely.

Hunters who were still recovering staggered backward, faces pale as they stared at the place where the red light had landed.

The red glow slowly dispersed.

A figure stepped out of it.

Tall and broad shouldered, with long red hair that fluttered behind him and red eyes that pierced the darkness. His entire body was covered in a faint but powerful layer of red energy.

Everyone who saw him recognized him immediately.

"Vice President!"

"Lord Norian!"

"Norian Sterling is here!"

The voices tore through the night in awe.

But Norian ignored them as he walked past and entered the hostel with his usual calm expression.

Within a few seconds, he arrived at the room where several familiar figures stood, though two stood out the most. His beloved sister, and the precious one responsible for his recovery.

"Brother…"

Crimson's eyes moistened as she watched him step inside.

She stood frozen as tears slid down her cheeks.

Norian tilted his gaze toward her.

"Crimson," he muttered.

His voice was cold, yet the affection within it could not be missed.

But now was not the time.

He had more important matters.

He ignored the other hunters cheering his name and fixed his attention on Marlon, who remained immobile, still releasing the strange pressure that had been suppressed.

He saw all the changes the others, even Crimson, had missed.

The changes that set Marlon apart.

The changes that drew the attention of powers hidden across the world.

He imagined the changes that would soon follow. Drastic ones.

But he thought to himself, as long as Marlon remained on their side, they could still prevail.

With a single stride, he closed the distance between them.

Under the watch of everyone in the room, he weaved a small red energy ball at the tip of his finger and placed it on Marlon's forehead.

Within seconds, the young hunter's eyes grew dizzy, shut, and he fell forward.

But Norian caught him before he touched the ground.

Carrying him in his arms, he turned to the hunters in the room.

He delivered the message he was sent to give.

"Prepare for doomsday."

He then looked at his sister, gave her a small nod, then blasted out of the room through the window, leaving a trail of red.

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