The worms' roar was not sound — it was pressure.
A physical wave that struck ears, chests, bones. The ground trembled as if the earth had been stabbed, and two columns of sand, teeth, and fury rose before the group, blocking the horizon.
Arthur's stomach turned. It wasn't fear — it was recognition. The warning in his mind hadn't been a hallucination. It was real. And now, the prophecy began to unfold.
— SPREAD OUT! — Alexius shouted, his voice cutting through the panic like a blade. — NO DIRECT MAGIC ATTACKS — THEY DON'T AFFECT THE WORMS! BUT YOU MAY USE MAGIC TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BODIES AND WEAPONS! PHYSICAL WEAPONS ONLY — BUT ENHANCED!
The horses whinnied, rearing, some throwing their riders. Ichika fell backward, her sword slipping from her trembling hands. Shirō tried to turn his horse, but the animal refused, backing away in desperate circles.
Mia was the first to act.
— ICHIKA, GRAB YOUR SWORD! — she yelled, leaping from her saddle and sprinting toward her, drawing her short dagger. — SHIRŌ, COVER THE REAR!
She didn't wait for a reply. She threw herself between Ichika and the first worm, its circular maw already descending like a living saw. Mia rolled aside, the hot sand burning her arm, and plunged her dagger into the creature's flank — where the scales seemed thinner.
The worm howled, a sound that shook the sky.
Arthur didn't think. He ran.
Not with magic. Not with power. With pure protective instinct.
He grabbed Ichika by the collar and dragged her back, seconds before the second worm's tail swept across the spot where she'd been lying. Dust rose in thick clouds, blinding, suffocating.
— Get up! — Arthur shouted, shoving her sword back into her hands. — You trained for this! Don't pass out now!
Ichika swallowed hard, eyes wide, but gripped the sword's hilt. She trembled, but stood.
— W-what do I do?
— Look for its eyes! — Arthur pointed to the worm, slowly turning, assessing the group. — Alexius said: the eyes are behind the jaws! Strike when it opens its mouth!
{Those mandatory physical combat classes at the Academy… I never thought they'd save our lives.}
Ichika nodded, swallowing her fear.
Alexius did not intervene.
He watched. Standing atop a rock, sword still sheathed, eyes calculating every movement, every mistake, every act of courage. His face was impassive, but his fingers gripped the hilt of his sword — ready to act, but only if necessary.
{They must learn to survive on their own. Or they'll die in Mount Arf.}
The first worm attacked again — not with its mouth, but with its tail. A whip of sand and muscle swept across the ground like a tsunami. Three students were knocked down. One horse was struck full-force — its whinny cut short, its body flung like a broken toy.
— NO! — Mia screamed, watching the animal fall.
She leapt onto the worm's back, lifted by a gust of wind that carried her like a falling leaf, scaling it as if it were a living mountain. Her daggers, imbued with a thread of mana to sharpen their edge, gleamed under the sun, driving deep between the scales, seeking weak points. Black blood gushed, and the creature writhed, trying to throw her off.
{Thanks to those swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat lessons… at least I know where to strike.}
— MIA, WATCH OUT! — Shirō shouted, wrapping shadows around his spear to increase its weight and precision, before hurling it with force against the beast's flank.
The distraction worked. Mia jumped, rolling onto the ground, breathless.
— GOOD! — she yelled, panting. — KEEP IT UP!
Arthur felt heat rise in his chest.
Dimensional Magic pulsed. Not as in his training with Alexius — this was more violent, more thirsty. He saw the air around his hand distort slightly, as if the world were about to tear. His heart raced. His veins burned.
{Use… just a little… just to save them…}
— ARTHUR — NO! — Alexius roared, without even looking at him. As if he could feel the power stirring.
Arthur bit his lip until it bled. He clenched his fists so hard his nails pierced his palms.
No. I promised. And pure magic won't work against them — only strengthening. Not here. Not now.
He took a deep breath — and ran toward the second worm, sword raised.
No magic. No power. Just muscle, fury, and promise.
The monster was colossal. Each scale the size of a shield. Its mouth rotated slowly, as if savoring the group's fear. When it spotted Arthur running toward it, it tilted its head — almost mocking.
Arthur didn't hesitate.
He dove beneath the worm's body, rolling between folds of stony flesh. The smell was of rotten earth and hot iron. He could hear the creature's heartbeat — a slow, powerful thump-thump-thump, like war drums.
— ICHIKA! SHIRŌ! — he shouted, still crawling. — When I yell, strike the eyes! It'll open its mouth to grab me!
— Are you insane?! — Ichika yelled back.
— JUST DO IT!
Arthur leapt out, right in front of the worm, waving his arms.
— HEY! OVER HERE, YOU FILTHY SAND MONSTER!
The worm reacted. Its rotating jaw accelerated, opening like a portal of death. Arthur retreated, calculating every step, every inch. The creature's breath smelled of sulfur and charred bones.
— NOW!
Ichika and Shirō leapt from opposite sides, swords gleaming in the sun — and plunged them deep, exactly where Alexius had indicated: behind the jaws, where two red eyes pulsed like embers.
The worm let out a scream that shook the desert.
Its head thrashed violently, trying to dislodge the blades. Arthur seized the moment — scaled its neck like a living rope, and with a hoarse cry, drove his own sword between its eyes.
The monster collapsed.
Not with glory. Not with magic.
With courage. With teamwork. With blood.
The first worm, wounded by Mia and Shirō, retreated — not to flee, but to charge. Its tail rose like a tower, ready to crush the entire group.
— RUN! — Mia screamed.
There was no time.
Arthur looked at Alexius. Their eyes met — and in that instant, Arthur understood: sensei won't save them all. He wants to see who survives by merit alone.
So he did the only thing he could.
— MIA! — he shouted. — DISTRACT IT FROM THE LEFT! ICHIKA, THROW YOUR SPEARS AT THE EYES! I'M GOING IN FROM BEHIND!
And he ran.
Not with magic.
With fury. With fear. With promise.
Alexius finally drew his sword.
Not to fight. To guide.
— Arthur — behind the third row of scales! There's a weak joint! — he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Arthur heard. He leapt. He drove his sword home.
The worm howled — and collapsed, trembling, its gigantic body sinking into the sand like a shipwreck.
Silence.
The wind returned. The dust settled. The sun, merciless, continued to burn.
The students fell to their knees, gasping. Some wept. Others laughed — hysterically, relieved. Ichika clung to Shirō, trembling. Mia wiped blood from her face with her sleeve, her eyes still gleaming with adrenaline.
A wounded horse whinnied in the distance.
Alexius walked to the worm's corpse, plunged his sword into the earth, and crossed his arms.
— First lesson outside the kingdom — he said, emotionless. — You survived. But don't celebrate.
Arthur approached, legs unsteady, his sword still dripping black blood.
— Were… they all there was?
Alexius gazed at the horizon — where the sand began to shift again, in slow, hungry waves.
— No. They were only testing.
Arthur felt a chill down his spine.
{The true danger is still to come.}
Mia stepped closer, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
— You were incredible — she said, sincere. — You saved Ichika. You led us. You… you're a leader, Arthur.
Arthur lowered his eyes.
{They don't know…} — Alexius thought, watching the students helping each other, tending wounds, comforting one another. {Those worms were only the beginning. What awaits them in Mount Arf… not even I am prepared to face.}
He looked at Arthur.
{And you, boy… what will happen when your magic finally awakens in full?}
The wind blew stronger, carrying with it the scent of blood, sand… and fate.