Kill The Extra-Chapter 53: Midterm Examination [6]

Sasha and Zeke moved quietly through the dense overgrowth forest in the Abyss. Each step they took was muffled by layers of moss and fallen leaves. The air was thick with mana, almost humming with unseen tension. They hadn’t spoken much since the temporary truce was made.

"Don’t think just because we are together, I trust you," Zeke finally muttered, her eyes scanning every shadow as her spectral bow glimmered faintly in her hand. Her laugh from earlier had long since faded into cold alertness. "Especially in a place like this, where students can die like flies."

Sasha walked beside her, her expression unreadable. "I am not asking for your trust. Just don’t slow me down."

Zeke gave her a quick side glance but said nothing more. For now, they had a common goal, it was finding their team and surviving.

******

Lucas groaned as his consciousness finally returned. His entire body ached, his back stung from where he had been hit and his head was throbbing. He blinked against the light filtering through the tree canopy above him. Slowly, he sat up. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings.

A few meters away, he spotted familiar faces, Dean and Lia, both of them were looking worn out but alive. They were accompanied by several other students. Lucas pushed himself up with effort.

"You are awake," Dean said with relief in his voice as he saw Lucas getting up, "We weren’t sure you would pull through."

"What... what happened?" Lucas asked, still dazed. "Where are we?"

"Safe zone," Lia answered grimly. Her usual calm demeanor was replaced by visible frustration. "For now, anyway. We found this spot after the cultists attacked."

Lucas’s eyes widened as he remembered, "Cultists?"

Lia nodded. "Yeah. We don’t know who they are. They weren’t in any of the academy’s briefings. They showed up out of nowhere and started killing students. We fought back and pushed them off, at least for now."

Lucas’s breath hitched hearing it. He looked around again, this time noticing the dried blood, broken weapons scattered on the ground and burnt trees. It had been a battlefield.

"They weren’t supposed to be here," he whispered. "This wasn’t in the novel."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Lucas shook his head, brushing it off. "Nothing. It’s just... everything’s going beyond control."

One of Lia’s teammates approached and spoke up. "We need to regroup with the others. The longer we wait, the more vulnerable we become."

Lucas nodded hearing it, though the thoughts racing in his head were louder than any conversation. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to. Not the simulation, not Ryker, and now this.

******

Back in the depths of the forested zone, Sasha and Zeke made steady progress, fighting off scattered monsters as they moved. They weren’t alone for long.

As they went further in, they encountered scattered groups of surviving students, some bloodied, shaken but alive. Huddled under charred tree trunks, they clung to their weapons as they waited for help.

Zeke approached the nearest student. "We are on your side, tell us what happened?" she said sharply.

The student wide‑eyed nodded as he said "Cultists... they came out of nowhere."

Zeke’s eyes flicked to Sasha as she heard it, "Cultists?. We are... helping them"

Sasha nodded, indicating she agreed. Soon whispers spread and soon she and Zeke led the ragtag group through snarling brush, fighting off snarling beasts and fallen trees, until the forest opened into a shallow valley.

A small group of students emerged from a side path survivors from another team. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

After a brief and tense exchange, they agreed to a temporary alliance. Word of cultists and missing students had already begun spreading.

The group advanced cautiously as they wary of both monsters and possible ambushes. They didn’t have to wait long.

Three figures cloaked in dark robes stepped into view.

"Cultists!" one student shouted.

Chaos erupted instantly.

Clang!!!

Boom!!!

Spells flew through the air as fire, ice and wind collided with dark barriers. Zeke fired spectral arrows with practiced precision, each one exploding on impact. The students fought with desperation but so did the cultists.

In the middle of the chaos, Sasha hung back. Her eyes darted across the battlefield. Then, quietly, she began moving.

Swoosh!!!

With swift and calculated strikes, she attacked the students from behind.

Thud!!!

Crack!!!

She attacked the pressure points, weak spots on bodies, it was nonlethal but effective. One after another, the students fell. Some were stunned and some unconscious.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zeke screamed as she spun around.

Sasha met her eyes, unblinking.

Before Zeke could react, one of the cultists struck her from behind. She fell with a cry, her bow clattering to the ground.

The cultist blinked in confusion. "You are not with them?"

Sasha said nothing. Instead, she recited a riddle-like phrase, "By moonlit pact and blood‑sealed vow, I stand among you, lost no more to the world"

The cultists looked at one another and grinned.

"She is one of ours. Looks like you are not that talkative, huh?"

"Doesn’t matter. You brought us plenty of goods. Good work."

Sasha gave a silent nod and she walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, her calm expression crumbled.

Crack!!!

She punched the nearest tree, her knuckles swollen from the punch.

"Damn it..."

******

A Few Days Ago

Sasha stood in a secluded courtyard under the dim glow of lantern light. Ryker waited for her with his arms crossed and an unreadable face.

"You came," he said simply as he saw Sasha,

"You wanted to talk."

He wasted no time. "When we enter the Abyss Gate for our midterm, you need to find me first."

Sasha frowned. "Why?"

"Because a group from the Demonic Cult will attack. They are planning to summon a demon."

She stared at him, stunned. "What!!!!"

"How do you know this? We should warn the instructors!!"

Ryker stepped closer to her, his gaze was ice cold. "And you think they will believe us? Two students with no evidence? No. This needs to be handled carefully. I need you to infiltrate a group."

"What group?"

"Any you come across. Gain their trust. Lead them until the cultists find you. Then, disable them."

"Are you insane? I won’t get innocent students killed!" Sasha screamed at Ryker.

"No one will die," Ryker said. "Not if you do your part."

She hesitated, torn.

Ryker added quietly, "Do this... and you will be one step closer to your revenge."

Her eyes widened as she clenched her fists. "This is wrong."

Ryker stepped close, voice hushed. "Trust me. You want revenge for what they did to your family. But you won’t get justice if you don’t do as is said."

Sasha nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But if any innocent person dies, I will..."

Ryker cut her off. "Then you are allowed to do anything you want to me."

"Do this, Sasha. I’m trusting you."