[ Walter Park – Shopping District | Moments Before the Attack]
Balam's group wandered through a charming row of magical shops, the air scented with spell-candied fruits and sizzling treats on skewers. Even among the crowd, Agares hovered silently on his cloud, arms crossed as usual — until…
Thud.
He tumbled off, hitting the polished park floor face-first.
"Ugh… Warm."
Startled, Balam, Ronove, and a few others gathered around as Agares sat up, pressing his palm flat against the stone.
"It's hot," he muttered, his eyes narrowing.
He pulled out a miniature Walter Park map, enchanted with mana-detection. Tapping it, faint red glows blinked into existence — three in total.
"Mana's accumulating in three spots. And the heat… It's like they're incubating something."
He popped off the buttons on his shirt cuffs and pressed one onto each glowing location on the map.
"Eggs."
He looked up grimly.
"They're going to hatch."
--
[ Walter Park – Central Plaza | Seconds Later]
With an explosive crack, the ground shattered where the first marker was placed.
From it erupted the Carmine Dragon — its magma-like wings unfurling as it roared, belching fire into the sky. Tourists screamed and scattered.
"Watch out!" Balam shouted, shielding a family of imps with his wings.
Agares, calm but focused, raised his hand.
With a rumble, the ground beneath them shifted — stone walls surged upward, shielding the group from collapsing rubble. His expression barely changed, but his focus never wavered.
Iruma, nearby, turned at the sound of the dragon's cry. He froze.
Three warm spots… Three monsters.
"…This is coordinated."
--
[ Walter Park – Fashion Street | Opera's Group]
A second explosion rocked the area as the Panther Rat — long and sinewy with jet-black fur and glowing claws — burst out of a cracked display fountain.
Ameri, dress fluttering in the wind, stood protectively in front of Clara and Crocell.
"Stay behind me!"
Opera, eyes sharp as ever, caught sight of the beast.
"A mana hatchling," they muttered. "Hatched through ambient siphoning. Hm. Neatly timed."
Opera's coat flared as they advanced.
---
[ Walter Park – Kalego's Group]
Screams echoed through the Market Square as the Mountain Blue — a crystalline behemoth with ice-like scales — crawled out of a broken greenhouse near Kalego's group.
Shax, Caim, and the others screamed.
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!"
Kalego adjusted his tie calmly.
"No. You're going to fight."
The students blinked. "HUH!?"
Kalego narrowed his eyes.
"Article 7, Section 13 of the Babyls Handbook: 'In times of danger, a true student protects those weaker than them.' This is the perfect time to apply your group attack training."
"WE NEVER HAD THAT LESSON!!"
Kalego summoned chains of dark magic, binding them to the spot.
"Too bad. Live training starts now."
The moment his control loosened, the students scrambled in every direction.
"TRAITOR!!"
Still, just then—
Shax tripped as a boulder hurtled his way. At the last second, Caim tackled him aside.
"Idiot, pay attention!"
Gaap, on a rooftop, raised his katana-shaped wand.
"Wind Blade—"
A shockwave cleaved the next boulder into dust, his technique far more honed than before.
---
[ Walter Park – Sky View Monitor Room | Meanwhile…]
Shiida, watching from a surveillance crystal, smirked.
"All three have hatched. The Six Fingers are already inside."
Beside her, Wett adjusted his gloves.
"Walter Park's illusion of safety…"
He snapped his fingers.
"…is officially broken."
--
[ Walter Park – Collapsed Plaza | Kalego's Group]
Jazz, Caim, Shax, and Gaap duck behind the remnants of a toppled popcorn cart, panting heavily. The Mountain Blue monster roared just meters away, steam hissing from its crystal hide as it turned its massive head, searching for the students who dared provoke it.
Jazz, wiping a smear of blood from his cheek, growled.
"This is pointless. We're just annoying it."
Gaap shook his head.
"I've hit it with Wind Blade three times, and I barely chipped it!"
Shax popped out from behind a cracked vending machine.
"We're all gonna die! I knew we should've stayed near the cotton candy stand!"
Caim, unusually serious, hissed:
"We have to regroup. Strategize. Jazz, what's the plan?"
Jazz hesitated.
"Me? Why me!?"
Caim pointed to the badge pinned to Jazz's uniform.
"You're Gimmel Rank. That makes Us highest-ranked among."
The others turned, reluctantly nodding. Despite his usual cowardice, Jazz stood straighter, eyes wide.
"Gimmel... That's higher than I ever got at home. It's because i got this rank because i did study"
--
[ Flashback – Jazz's Home, Rock's Shadow]
Rock, Jazz's older brother, towers over him. Even as a young demon, Jazz trembles in his presence.
"Don't speak unless you're told, Jazz. You're weak. You'll always be weak."
Each harsh word, each petty demand, became a link in the invisible chain around Jazz's neck. He had to obey. He had to endure.
But now—
--
[ Walter Park – Present]
—he was the leader.
Jazz inhaled deeply. His trembling fingers brushed against the small metal whistle hanging around his neck — an unassuming gift, often overlooked.
"Tch. All this time, I thought it was just some annoying noise-maker…"
Kalego's voice echoed from behind a pile of debris:
"It's not. It's a tactical tool, imbued with mana. Use it properly and it'll synchronize your team's movements for a brief moment."
Startled, the group turned to see Kalego, arms crossed, still somehow impeccably composed despite the mayhem.
"You've all been trained. Use everything you've learned. That includes relying on each other."
The students blinked in surprise.
"Wait," Caim muttered, "he's… actually helping?"
Shax scoffed, "Adults really do suck."
Gaap grinned. "But if he's telling us we've got what it takes… maybe we do."
--
[ Uraboras Prison – Mana Core Hall]
Down below, shadows danced along the jagged stone walls of Uraboras Prison. Sirens blared.
"Lockdown! All units to containment zones!"
But it was too late.
Hyudarin, eyes glowing with stored rage and revenge, slammed Vice-Warden Triton through a column with a single blow. The feared vice-warden let out a strangled gasp before collapsing, unconscious.
In the chaos, prisoners surged forward. The cells of high-risk inmates clanked open one by one — the beginnings of a full-scale prison break.
In a quiet corner of the chaos, Wett and Atori strolled like tourists.
"The monsters are loose above," Atori smirked, glancing skyward. "Now we just have to free the rest."
Wett adjusted his cuffs, his tone unreadable.
"Let the chaos run its course. If a hero doesn't emerge... the world gets swallowed whole."
--
[ Walter Park – Alleyway | Jazz's Strategy]
Jazz gripped the whistle.
"Alright. Gaap's our damage-dealer. Caim, you use distractions — that bird voice of yours is a weapon. Shax, you detect any mana changes from the monster. I'll control our movement timing."
The group stood still, stunned.
"…You're actually kind of cool when you're serious," Gaap admitted.
"Don't get used to it," Jazz snapped, though his voice carried a quiet confidence.
He blew the whistle — a sharp, resonant ping cut through the din.
In an instant, the four moved in sync.
Caim's screech echoed unnaturally, confusing the Mountain Blue.
Gaap's Wind Blades followed, striking the exposed gaps in the creature's armor. Shax, watching carefully, yelled out:
"NOW! Its core's flaring up—LEFT SIDE!"
Jazz hurled a chain spell, anchoring the beast's foot.
With a cry, the group executed a coordinated strike.
The Mountain Blue screeched, staggered, then collapsed with a mighty crash.
Panting, covered in dust and sweat, the boys looked at the cratered ground… and smiled.