Chương 20: Chapter 19: The Prince They Feared

The battle lasted less than two minutes. Yet everyone present would remember it forever. A fire spear missed. A lightning blade missed. A wind strike missed. Everything missed. No matter what they did— Rayan always seemed one step ahead. One movement ahead. One thought ahead. Fear slowly spread among the attackers.

"This isn't normal." The first student fell. One strike. Defeated. The second followed. Then the third. And fourth. Until only Aeron remained. Silence filled the battlefield. The noble stared at him. Breathing heavily. Bloodied. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Exhausted. Rayan wasn't even injured.

"How?" Aeron whispered. The prince looked at him quietly. For a moment— He remembered the humiliation. The mockery. The laughter. Yet he felt nothing. No hatred. No satisfaction. Only understanding. The Guardian's voice echoed.

"Dharma is truth." Rayan lowered his sword.

"I'm not your enemy, Aeron." The noble froze. Then laughed bitterly.

"Maybe that's what makes this worse." Silence followed. Eventually— Aeron turned away. And left. The remaining students followed. The forest became quiet once more. But the peace lasted only seconds. Because deep beneath the ruins— Something awakened. A roar shook the entire forest. Students froze. Instructors turned pale. Even the Guardian's expression changed. A massive crack appeared in the earth. Ancient darkness poured out. And for the first time since the First Age— A true Hollow emerged.

The Hollow General The forest went silent. Birds stopped singing. Monsters stopped moving. Even the wind disappeared. Something had awakened. Something ancient. Something wrong. A massive crack split the earth apart. Dark mist poured from the depths. Students stumbled backward. Several collapsed from fear alone. Then— A hand emerged. Black. Twisted. Covered in crimson veins. Another followed. Then a giant figure slowly pulled itself from the abyss. It stood nearly fifteen meters tall. Its body resembled a warrior.

Its face resembled a corpse. Its eyes burned crimson. Pure hatred radiated from its existence. The instructors turned pale. One whispered.

"No..." Another staggered backward.

"It can't be." The creature roared. The entire forest shook. A system message appeared before Rayan. === WARNING Ancient Hollow Detected Threat Level: Catastrophic Recommended Action: RUN === The Guardian's voice echoed.

"Damn it." Rayan frowned. The Guardian never cursed. That alone terrified him.

"What is it?" The answer came immediately.

"A Hollow General." Silence. Then—"Everyone here is going to die." To Be Continue....