Clearing the battlefield (1)

Across the square, battle cries, the roars of monsters, the thunder of exploding energy, and gunfire intertwined into an extraordinarily fierce battlefield symphony.

Smoke and dust billowed, rubble flew, and black demon blood stained the ground red. Monster corpses piled ever higher, yet the members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad neither retreated nor showed any fatigue, still furiously exterminating every surviving monster.

Qin Lie personally charged at the very front. Far stronger than the ordinary members, he was wreathed in dense metal ability power. He clenched his hands, and countless metal fragments instantly coalesced into a gigantic warhammer. One blow smashed a Third Tier demon soldier straight into pulp, making even the earth tremble.

Every move he made brought a monster's death. Like a divine needle anchoring the sea, he steadied the entire battlefield and gave the students behind him an immense sense of security.

As the students watched these powerful fighters in white clothes and Cloud-Soaring masks, the fear in their hearts gradually dispersed, replaced by deep reassurance and admiration.

They finally understood that these formidable helpers who had suddenly appeared were true heroes protecting them, the last line of defense standing between them and death.

Some students with abilities who had not yet exhausted their strength also stepped forward voluntarily, assisting with attacks from safe areas and using their meager power to help the Cloud-Soaring Squad clear out the small monsters that had slipped through the net.

Lin Chen unleashed the lightning surrounding him, sending purple arcs crashing down and electrocuting several demon spiders attempting a sneak attack into charcoal; Lin Yue controlled her vines, weaving green barriers across the ground to block the monsters' paths and create opportunities for the Cloud-Soaring members to attack.

For a time, the humans on the battlefield watched over and helped one another, coordinating seamlessly. Under the Cloud-Soaring Squad's extermination, the once-ferocious horde of monsters dwindled in number and weakened in momentum, gradually falling into a desperate plight.

Meanwhile, the spatial rift in the sky was still slowly closing.

The hideous opening, initially dozens of meters wide, shrank bit by bit to a dozen or so meters, several meters, one meter...

The black demonic energy grew fainter and fainter, and the spatial fluctuations became increasingly stable. The once-twisted, shattered void was repairing itself and healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Sunlight pierced the clouds little by little and spilled over the ravaged square, dispelling the lingering gloom and illuminating those fighting figures.

Time passed, second by second, and the monsters' roars grew fainter and less frequent.

The last demon bat was slashed down by a wind blade, the last demon wolf was impaled by a stone spike, and the last demon soldier had its head blasted apart by an energy bullet...

When the final piercing scream vanished into the air, every surviving monster across the entire square had finally been wiped out!

Not one had slipped through the net. Not one had survived!

The Cloud-Soaring Squad members stopped what they were doing and panted heavily. Their silver-white combat uniforms were covered in demon blood and dust, and their Cloud-Soaring masks were stained with black grime. Some had suffered minor injuries, with makeshift bandages wrapped around their arms and shoulders, yet not one complained, and not one fell.

They remained in their fighting stances, scanning their surroundings warily. Only after confirming that no trace of any monster remained did they slowly relax. They exchanged glances, each seeing in the others' eyes the exhaustion and relief of having survived a calamity.

Leaning on his gigantic warhammer, Qin Lie knelt on one knee and gulped down breaths. Sweat slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the rubble-covered ground.

He looked up at the sky. That terrifying spatial rift had completely closed and vanished without a trace, leaving only an azure sky and gently falling sunlight, as though that world-shattering monster attack and that heart-stopping battle against the Red Lotus Demon General had been nothing but a heart-stopping nightmare.

At last, they had awakened from the nightmare.

At last, the crisis was completely over.

After a deathly silence, earth-shaking cheers instantly erupted across the square!

The students embraced one another and wept, shouting in excitement. Tears mingled with dust and traced streaks down their faces, but no one cared.

They had survived!

They had survived the clutches of the Red Lotus Demon General!

They had survived this terrifying monster attack!

Cheers, sobs, and joyful cries rang across the sky, lingering for a long, long time.

Qin Lie slowly rose, put away his warhammer, and looked at the students and civilians behind him who were weeping with joy. His tightly drawn lips finally lifted slightly into a relieved smile.

He turned toward the equally exhausted squad members beside him, his voice gentle but firm:

"Brothers, thank you for your hard work."

"We held the line."

Clad in white, the Cloud-Soaring were invincible in battle.

Amid despair, they protected all living beings.

And that mysterious powerhouse in the King mask, like a meteor streaking across the heavens, had appeared briefly, stunned everyone, saved all living things, and then quietly vanished, becoming the most mysterious, most legendary, and most unforgettable legend on this battlefield.

A breeze blew gently past, scattering the smoke of battle, scattering the fear, and scattering the scent of death.

Sunlight bathed the earth, warm and bright.

Everything returned to peace.

The monster attack crisis had come to a complete end. A faint fish-belly white had already appeared on the horizon, and a hazy bright edge tore through the pitch-black night sky, as though draping a faint but gentle filter over the campus that had just endured a catastrophe.

After struggling through most of the night, everyone had long since become utterly exhausted. One by one, the students slumped onto the square, which was covered in rubble and dust, gulping down breaths. Their faces still bore the pallor of lingering shock, but now also held some of the relief of having survived a calamity. That life-and-death battle had been more torturous than ten physical training classes and ten combat simulations, draining both their minds and bodies to the limit. Many had eyelids so heavy they seemed weighted with lead, and only one thought remained in their minds-I've had enough fun, and it's getting late. I really want to hurry up and get some sleep.

The campus broadcast suddenly sounded amid the silence. The voice carried a trace of exhaustion but remained steady, reaching every corner through the old loudspeakers:

"Attention, all students! Attention, all students! Begin taking attendance for each class now. Assemble by class. Class monitors are responsible for reporting lists of missing and injured students. I repeat, assemble by class immediately and take attendance!"

The students who had been sitting slumped in scattered groups forced themselves to rally, helping one another to their feet and searching for their classes and classmates. Some had legs so weak they could barely stand, some still had faintly trembling arms, and others were splattered with the monsters' black blood, looking utterly bedraggled, yet not one complained. Simply being alive was already the greatest stroke of luck.

Lin Chen rubbed his sore, weak legs. A faint wisp of purple lightning flickered involuntarily at his fingertips before swiftly withdrawing. His voice was terribly hoarse. "It's finally over. Any longer and my ability would've been drained dry. Once attendance is done, I'm going straight back to the dorm to crash. I don't care who calls me-even if the sky falls, don't think you can wake me up."

Lin Yue nodded lightly, her face still somewhat pale. The strands of hair over her forehead were soaked with cold sweat and stuck to her smooth brow, making her look especially frail. "That was so dangerous. Thankfully, nothing serious happened to anyone. Let's take attendance first. We need to make sure everyone is safe."

Meanwhile, not far from the crowd, Xing Yao stood quietly by himself, his posture straight and his gaze calm. He seemed completely out of place among the students around him who were shouting and brimming with emotion.

Outwardly, he betrayed nothing, but deep down, he was still feverishly reliving that battle in which they had narrowly escaped death. Clone No. 1's heaven-defying, utterly unreasonable spatial combat power, along with the professionalism, coordination, and formidable strength displayed by the Cloud-Soaring Squad, had given him an unprecedentedly profound understanding of awakener ranks and the dangers lurking in this world.