The "Full-Domain Combat Test" horn had completely transformed the Shadow Academy into a vast hunting ground. Rin and Ye Xue, like two swiftly moving phantoms, darted through the darkness, evading the ubiquitous pursuers. Alarms, footsteps, and occasional metallic clashes wove an invisible net, engulfing the entire academy.
Rin held Ye Xue's hand tightly. He knew that once discovered, they would face hunters far beyond cadet level. He avoided the academy's main roads and academic areas, heading straight for his pre-planned route—the abandoned training grounds at the back of the academy.
This area, neglected for years, was covered in collapsed training facilities and dense overgrown grass, making it a blind spot for academy surveillance and the most suitable place for hiding and counter-attacking. Rin had conducted countless secret training sessions here and knew every inch of its terrain intimately.
"Stay close, don't let go," Rin whispered to Ye Xue, his voice carrying a subtle tension in the darkness.
Ye Xue gripped his hand tightly. She could feel the warmth in Rin's palm, and the familiar, powerful aura of the "Blade of Demise" emanating from his wrist. Although visibility was limited, her hearing and sense of smell were at their peak, like the sharpest beast, helping her discern direction and danger in the dark.
However, just as they were about to pass through the abandoned training grounds and reach the secret passage connected to the outside, Rin's senses suddenly blared an alarm! A strong, suffocating mental wave, like a tide, swept towards them from ahead!
"Watch out!" Rin instantly pulled Ye Xue behind him.
A slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows deep within the abandoned training ground. He wore a black jumpsuit similar to "Shadow Serpent's" and a crescent-shaped mask, but his body was enveloped in an eerie red mist. The mist pulsed as if alive, emitting an unsettling scorching sensation.
This was the last A-rank hunter—the [False Flame Master · Roz], skilled in mental manipulation.
"Heh heh, 'Blade of Demise,' 'Cold Moon,' you certainly didn't disappoint me," Roz's voice was low and magnetic, yet carried a chilling seductive power. "Did you think you could escape this cage?"
No sooner had he spoken than the red mist around Roz suddenly expanded, instantly engulfing Rin and Ye Xue. An invisible mental shockwave, carrying fiery illusions, violently surged into Rin and Ye Xue's minds!
Rin's vision was instantly filled with a sea of fire, raging flames consuming everything, accompanied by countless agonizing screams. He saw charred corpses, and his comrades struggling in despair. This was his deepest fear from his past life!
"Illusions!" Rin gritted his teeth, trying to break free from Roz's mental control. His "Blade of Demise" power roared within him, attempting to dispel these false visions.
However, Ye Xue beside him suddenly trembled. The clarity in her eyes was instantly replaced by a crimson hue, and her pupils began to dilate.
"No… no…!" Ye Xue let out a pained growl, her body arching uncontrollably, her hands clamped over her head. Roz's manipulation had a devastating impact on Ye Xue's "re-molding" flaw! The erased, forcibly suppressed memories and emotions, under the stimulation of the "False Flame Master's" illusions, surged forth like a flash flood, violently breaching her mental defenses!
In her mind, countless fragmented images flashed madly: scenes of her personally killing comrades, the moment she took a bullet for Rin, her sister's (Shadow's) sorrowful smile… All the painful memories erupted at this moment!
"Kill… kill him…!" Ye Xue let out an incoherent growl. Her body suddenly tensed, her eyes becoming cold and bloodthirsty. An imposing killing intent, carrying the Blade of Demise persona of her past life as the "Supreme Executor," was momentarily released at this moment!
She abruptly raised her head, her crimson gaze locked onto Rin beside her!
"It's you… it's you…!" Ye Xue's voice was filled with extreme pain and hatred. She violently pulled free from Rin's hand, her short dagger flashing with lethal intent, thrusting directly at Rin's heart!
Rin's pupils sharply constricted! He felt that familiar yet extremely unfamiliar killing intent from Ye Xue—that was the true "Cold Moon," the ruthless "Blade of Demise persona" when she was forcibly executing top missions for the organization!
He did not dodge, nor did he retaliate. He knew this was not Ye Xue's intention; it was Roz's mental interference at play! He had to endure, he had to awaken her!
A triumphant smile played on Roz's lips. He wanted to watch the "Blade of Demise" be killed by his most trusted partner; this was the greatest irony to him!
The dagger, whistling through the air, plunged directly towards Rin's chest! In a split second, Rin's body erupted with an invisible force—the power of "Absolute Kill Domain"—but this time, he wasn't freezing the enemy, he was… impacting Ye Xue's mind!
"Ye Xue!" Rin roared in pain, his voice filled with all his trust, all his feelings for Ye Xue, and his desire for her to awaken!
A powerful mental backlash instantly surged into Ye Xue's mind. Her body trembled violently, and the berserk "Blade of Demise persona" briefly froze.
However, the dagger had already slashed across Rin's chest, and blood instantly stained his clothes.
The sharp pain made Rin's body tremble slightly, but he stared fixedly into Ye Xue's struggling eyes. His gaze held no blame, only infinite sorrow and determination.
Ye Xue's blade tip stopped an inch from Rin's heart. In her crimson eyes, a blend of clarity and pain emerged. She saw Rin's wounded chest, and his eyes filled with trust.
"No…" Ye Xue whispered incoherently. She abruptly pulled back her dagger, her hands trembling as she covered her face, her body again arching in pain.
"Why… why would I…?"
The forcibly suppressed "Blade of Demise persona," after its brief release, plunged back into chaos, but this time, it left a deep imprint, widening the rupture in Ye Xue's heart.
Roz's smile froze on his face. He hadn't expected Rin to be able to resist his mental control, or even to use his own wound to awaken Ye Xue's momentary clarity!
Rin clutched his chest, blood continuously seeping out. He knew this was just the beginning. He had to get Ye Xue out of the academy as quickly as possible, because at this moment, the entire academy had become a true Absolute Kill Domain.
In the darkness, Rin and Ye Xue's fates, and that of the mysterious organization, entered their most brutal confrontation.