Every single person in the camp was a Ravenstein, and Ravensteins were never cowards.
Immediately, from every corner of the camp, be it instructors, clerks, or even librarians, they all came out and started attacking the incoming individuals.
A tsunami of attacks was exchanged, immediately lighting up the area.
Atticus watched as the attacks illuminated the entire area, his mind operating at a fast speed.
How did this happen? Why is this happening? How did they get past our defenses? Who is attacking?
Ever since he had gotten to this world and gained this godly intelligence, this was the first time he had ever thought this fast and much at the same time, and what was worse, he couldn't figure out any of the answers to the questions.
Intelligence could only flourish if there was enough information.
Then, as if turning off a switch, every thought in his head stopped, replaced by only one thought: Ember.
Immediately, he turned in the direction of the camp and dashed towards it at a fast speed. Aurora, who saw this, immediately erupted in a blaze and followed him, leaving flames in her wake.
Lucas's mind swirled as he looked at the disappearing figures of Atticus and Aurora. He was shocked by the strength Atticus had just shown.
None of them were able to react to any of the situations. The beam had hit the middle of the mountain, far away from where they were.
If not for Atticus, they would have been blown away by the force of the beam. If not for Atticus, he doubted that any of the trainees would have survived.
His face turned resolute as he decided. He had a higher chance of surviving if he was with him.
He immediately grabbed Nate's hand, who was still standing frozen in shock, and started chasing the distant figures of Atticus and Aurora, leaving the rest of the trainees who were still lost in their minds.
Atticus zipped through the terrain like a comet. Fortunately, the beam had only blown up the middle of the mountain, with the shockwave destroying part of the bottom where they were.
As Atticus approached the pool, he didn't slow down; he simply kept running and jumped. While he was in the air, he immediately focused on the water element.
As his legs touched the water, it swirled around him, enveloping his legs. He willed the water and started gliding on the surface of the pool at fast speeds, dodging the rocks on the water's surface.
In just a minute, he reached the other side and entered the forest area. Debris from the mountain had already destroyed the forest, with lots of trees uprooted. He moved through the forest without stopping for even a second.
Some of the traps were still active, but with his perception operating at full capacity, he easily dodged them.
Atticus noticed that a piercing headache was starting to affect him. This was the first time he was using his perception at full power for this long.
The information he was processing every second was immense. If not for his high intelligence, his brain would have popped. Atticus pushed the pain deep down within him, there were more pressing matters at hand.
After one minute, he reached the starting line, a stark contrast to the usual 30 minutes it took. He noticed that Elias was not there. He quickly cleared his head of any distractions and kept moving.
'Where is she?' He thought as he ran into the camp.
Atticus recalled Ember telling him about the third-year morning training sessions. The third-years were only a year away from leaving the camp, and what they needed the most was fighting experience.
At the east side of the camp, there was an arena where the third-years always trained every morning. Atticus was currently at the north side of the camp, he immediately changed his direction and moved towards the east side of the camp.
However not a second passed, he heard the sounds of people fighting ahead of him.
'I don't have time for this!' he thought frantically. Every second he wasted gnawed at him, the fact that he didn't know Ember's situation clenched his heart. "Please be okay," he muttered as he took cover behind one of the buildings.
'I'll get spotted if I move like this. I have to use it,' he decided. Focusing inwardly, he muttered, "Ethereal cloak," and immediately, a blue glow enveloped him as his presence became faint, and his form seemed to blend into the surroundings.
During the month of practice, his mastery over the ethereal cloak art had increased by one sub-level. He was now able to maintain the cloak for a minute when he was moving, and even more if he remained stationary.
He immediately emerged from behind the building and started running, passing by the two expert-ranked combatants without being noticed.
Normally, with Atticus's subpar mastery of this skill, he would have been spotted easily, especially when he was using it on people with a higer rank than him. However, due to the ongoing fight, the unstable mana in the area shrouded Atticus, making him go unnoticed.
As Atticus continued running through the camp, he saw the lifeless bodies of trainees on the ground – some with missing limbs, some with missing heads.
The scene pierced his heart. Ever since he had helped Aurora, he had changed his mindset. Although he wasn't as indifferent as before, it didn't mean he would go about helping everyone.
Seeing the dead bodies of children was enough to evoke remorse from even the coldest of hearts. They were all kids with aspirations, working hard to make their families proud.
Some had just started understanding how the world worked, while others were already preparing to leave and make their names known.
But now, they all lay on the ground, lifeless.
Atticus shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions, but his grip on his hand was so tight that his fist started bleeding.
He kept moving toward the east.
After running and avoiding many battles, Atticus came across a scene that left his mind reeling.
Bodies of trainees littered the floor, and Ember was on her knees, completely battered. Cuts covered her body and face, blood streamed from her broken arm, and her expression was filled with rage, as if she were gazing at a long-time enemy.
A gleaming sword was inches away from severing her head.
Atticus's expression changed, his gaze frightening.
***
Thanks for reading!
