Leox didn't answer Laughter at first. Instead, he pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to the edge of the water where the Leviathan lay. Astra, Samson and Marybetha were already there, tired and out of breath as they examined the demon. Leox joined them. Now that the smoke had cleared, the giant beast looked even more frightening, yet fascinating.

  "A grade-four. What in the hells is the empire playing at by keeping this secret?" Samson spat with anger as the chains around his body dissolved.

  Marybetha sheathed her longsword and remained silent, whilst Astra allowed Alfred's Star to return to the skies, and spoke.

  "My guess is that even they don't know. If they did, my father would have told me."

  "As would mine." Laughter responded with a laugh, somewhere from behind.

  Leox found himself agreeing. Gutaru had sent them there to kill a Death Beast. A grade-three demon. That meant that even a man like him had been fooled, or worse, was a part of the greater scheme.

  "It's the Hawkings family," Leox responded with certainty. "Even outside of my conflict with Donn, I have reasons to suspect them."

  The others glanced at him, curiously waiting for him to continue. He wanted to keep Ivy's secret, but under the current circumstances, he found that there was no point. If his guesses were right, then whatever she had suspected about the Hawkings was well underway. So, he explained Ivy's note, warning him of what she heard beneath the Hawking's estate during her captivity. Immediately, the others became worried. After what they had seen today, they had no reason not to believe him.

  "Then we must head back to the City," Astra responded, his kind smile now replaced with a look of worry. "Who knows what is happening there?"

  "He's right." Marybetha finally chimed in. "We should return to the carriage immediately."

  No one had any complaints. Swiftly, the team made their way back through the fields, leaving the corpse of the Leviathan behind. If it had uses, they could send people there to retrieve it once they confirmed the city was safe. As for their fallen ally, Trinity, there was nothing they could do for her. The death left a bitter feeling in Leox's heart, but he knew that in a way, she had brought it on herself. He did not feel sad for the girl, like the others might have, though he wondered why it was he who had been given so many chances at life, and not others.

  As they ran through the forest, Leox tried to question Laughter about the strange power that he had used on him, as well as the heart tattoo that had now disappeared from his hand. The jester smiled, merely saying that it was a secret that must be kept.

  Leox was uncertain about how to feel about that. He would have to pry later and keep a close eye on him.

  ---

  Eventually, they emerged from the shrubbery, arriving at the place where they had left the knights with the carriage. To there surpsise, the carriage was still there, as well as the horses, yet the knights were nowhere to be seen. Samson cursed aggressively, not fond of the idea of running back home, but luckily, Astra and Marybetha were able to man the horses. The others entered the carriage, which took off and began to roll down the paved path.

  Leox used the time to focus on his Overview, which he was aware had changed drastically after taking down the Leviathan. The others seemed to be doing the same, as they were silent and focused.

  [Awakening Overview]

  [Leox Lether]

  [Awakening Stage: Second Stage]

  [Awakening Stage Progress To Next Stage: 55%]

  [Classes:]

  Grandmaster Immortal

  Adept Fire Mage

  Adept Swordsman

  Adept Monk

  Apprentice Wind Mage

  Novice Water Mage

  Novice Earth Mage

  [Class Skills:]

  Deathless Rebirth (Immortal Skill)

  Rapid Cleave (Swordsman Skill)

  Arc Strike (Swordsman Skill)

  Perfect Overheat (Fire Mage Skill)

  Whiteflame Coating (Fire Mage Skill)

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Flame (Fire Mage Skill)

  Perfect Counterstance (Monk Skill)

  Purity Of Body (Monk Skill)

  Realm Expansion (Monk Skill)

  Greater Tempest (Wind Mage Skill)

  Mud Wall (Earth Mage Skill)

  Weave Current (Water Mage Skill)

  [Fusion Skills:]

  Stormblade (Wind Mage/Fire Mage Skill)

  [Discard Skills?]

  [Rank up for increased Overview complexity...]

  What stood out most was the large amount of progress he had made towards the third stage, already passing halfway. His Swordsman and Fire Mage classes were both at the Adept rank now, and his Wind Mage class had advanced to Apprentice.

  Greater Overheat was now Perfect Overheat. Instead of the skill only focusing on strengthening his muscles and bones, it now created a faint over shield to his body, made from flames, practically coating him in armour. This flame would grant him some protection from all sorts of strikes, but would be weak to water. Leox was desperate to try this out.

  Flame Coating had now become Whiteflame Coating. White flames were flames that could penetrate through armour as hard as steel. Strikes inflicted with these flames would be much more powerful than before.

  Arc Strike was a new sword skill he had learned, similar to what he had seen Marybetha use against the demon. It allowed him to slash his sword, sending a long physical arc of energy travelling in its direction. Its size and range were dependent on the amount of stamina he used, but were still limited by his stage and class rank.

  Finally, Tempest had become Greater Tempest, which simply meant that he could use the winds at greater lengths, now strong enough to lift a small adult off their feet if pumped with enough mana.

  Leox found himself satisfied with all of this, but that satisfaction could not be enjoyed, as suddenly, sounds came from the distant. They were muffled and faint, yet everyone heard them. The further they travelled, the louder they became.

  "Are they..." Laughter started.

  "Yes. From the city." Leox replied. It seemed his suspicions were right.

  Whatever plans Ivy had discovered in the Hawkings estate were most likely true. All five students could do now was hope for the best and pray to the Allfather. Though few of them doubted that the god was still listening to them.

  The carriage came to a stop as it arrived at the village closest to the Undying City. The skies were dark, and at first, the village seemed still and quiet. From the window, Leox could see that no humans roamed the street and guessed that they might have been asleep. Then he noticed the state that the settlement had been left in.

  Doors had been left open. Items had been scattered along the ground... And upon further inspection, Leox noticed a corpse. A corpse that was being feasted on by a familiar creature. Its onyx body was malnourished and gangly, yet from the neck upwards it had the head of a shark. Its teeth tore off the flesh from the corpse, swallowing a large bite of human meat whole. In the distance, Leox noticed the same thing happening again, another demon standing over the corpse of an old man, treating him like a meal. Then another, further along. Somewhere else in the village, a cry for help could be heard, but it was quiet compared to the various screams coming from the Undying City in the distance.

  "It's happening," Samson said. "Should we step out there and bring swords to the demons in the village?"

  Before anyone could respond, the carriage rolled on.

  "No." They heard Marybetha say quietly from above. "If I'm correct, we all have people in the city who wouldn't want to see dead?"

  Everyone remained silent, thinking about what she had said. She was right. Leox knew that Ivy was likely in more danger than anyone else. If he didn't get back fast enough, he didn't want to think about what sort of fates she might meet at the hands of demons or Hawkings. As for the others, they seemed to agree. They wanted to help the village, but they couldn't ignore their larger priorities.

  "My sister." Laughter spoke beneath his breath, for the first time, he seemed extremely troubled. "I forgot about my sister."

  Leox reached out a hand and placed it on the Jester's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Don't worry, Laughter. We will get back in time. She will be safe."

  The boy remained silent in response.

  After more time had passed, they finally arrived near the gates of the Undying City. They had to hide their carriage in a nearby group of trees, or else they'd be spotted by the monsters filtering out of the city.

  By the gate, they spotted corpses of both Holy Knights and City Guards being trampled on, as humans fled for their lives, running from the demons that slowly chased after them. Behind the city walls, sounds of battle and cries of agony could be heard everywhere. Everyone's worst suspicions had been confirmed. The city was facing a demon raid, larger than any other.

  The now team of five students stood by their carriage with their weapons drawn and urgency on their faces.

  "I have to get inside!" Laughter cried, still stressed about the safety of his sister.

  "We all do," Leox responded. "But we need to be smart about this. We all have places that we want to go and people that we want to save, but we should travel in groups. Otherwise, we could be picked off by demons, or worse."

  The others hesitated at first, before nodding their heads in agreement.

  Marybetha spoke. "I have no family in the city, only a blacksmith who is dear to me. I believe Samson feels the same?"

  Leox raised a brow and looked at the boy. He was unaware that they shared a common friend. Samson nodded his head.

  "My family are far from here. Blacksmith Adola is a man I would like to protect. It would be an honour to travel with Marybetha." He replied with great respect. Marybetha only nodded her head slightly at his response.

  Next was Astra. "Everyone's life in this city has equal meaning to me. I will travel with whoever needs help the most."

  "Alright, then travel with Laughter. His sister means everything to him. He will need—"

  "No," Laughter interrupted. "Saving my sister is something I must do alone."

  The words brought Leox to a pause. Why would the Jester not want aid in a task that meant so much to him? From the stern look on his face, Leox decided not to go against his word. Whatever this was about, Laughter clearly had his reasons.

  Leox nodded his head. "Alright, then Astra will come with me. My friend Ivy has been captured by the Hawkings family and is probably still being held in their estate. I plan to break in there and set her free. If it seems manageable by myself, then perhaps you can head to the academy and see what the situation is like over there."

  Astra simply smiled and nodded his head. "That works with me."

  With everyone's destinations decided, they finally agreed that after this was finished, they would meet back up in the City Palace, where they assumed many people would be gathered. Until then, they had a lot to face ahead of them.

  The students each drew their weapons and prepared the skills they would bring into battle. Afterwards, they charged for the city, aiming for the five Grade-One demons blocking the entrance.