THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 355: The Gathering

– 10 Days Since the Elite Class Was Scattered –

After countless hours wandering alone, following the glowing mark of the witch Selina on their hands—the only clue they had left…

The elite students fumbled their way through obstacle after obstacle, desperately searching for one another.

Phoenix Sunlight was by far the most active, running like a madman in every direction, determined to find the others.

His desperate struggle led him to a few of them—but not all.

Now, gathered inside a primitive Ultras tent they had stormed earlier, Phoenix sat in the center, staring at the faces around him.

Closest to him, of course, were his two cousins—Scarite and Ivan Sunlight—the twins he was lucky enough to find first, thanks to their proximity after teleportation.

The next ones he’d found were another pair: the Church’s golden boy, who looked grim and silent, and the granddaughter of the former headmaster—Lara Croft.

Lara hadn’t stopped looking at Snow since he appeared. Just when she was struggling to survive, he had shown up—while casually annihilating an Ultras camp she had taken refuge in.

From how wildly Snow had been running around, it was obvious he was searching for something.

But the cold reaction he gave her made it clear—he wasn’t looking for his friends. His goal was something else entirely… something he refused to explain.

Not far from them were three more figures: Daemon, Ghost, and Dawn Polaris, whom they had found while exploring the surrounding area.

The strange thing about Dawn wasn’t just that he had survived on his own… but that he had found food in the middle of that chain of deserts—without a scratch or any real hardship.

When asked how he did it, his answer was vague.

“I was born with a useless talent… that finally proved useful.”

With a sorrowful smile, Dawn Polaris mentioned the odd gift he’d carried since birth.

It was more of a power than a talent—something the others never even believed could be real.

*The Last Survivor: No matter where he goes, no matter who his enemies are… the last survivor will be the one who lives to tell the tale of the dead.*

Alongside his weapon talent, Dawn had been born with this strange ability… one that somehow always let him survive, no matter the situation .. like a plot armor..

Even he couldn’t believe it.

But recent events… had started to prove otherwise.

And that’s what made Dawn wonder:

“Am I really supposed to be happy with a power like this?”

To survive while everyone else around you dies…

Perhaps that was a fate worse than death.

With such grim thoughts, Dawn isolated himself from the rest.

Nearby, Danzo and Ragna had also survived, having successfully escaped the ambush they’d been caught in.

Phoenix continued counting the survivors, eventually arriving at the last group of girls he had found:

Seris Moonlight, Sansa Valerion, and Adriana Heigeforn—found together, with Seris and Sansa being the first to meet, and Adriana joining them later.

And finally—Selina, the witch—appeared out of nowhere the moment they were all gathered.

She had been the one who placed the magical marks on them in the first place, so she had hidden herself carefully until they were all in one spot. Once enough of her aura had gathered in a single location, she teleported to them effortlessly.

Not long after Selina, Prince Aegon Valerion arrived as well—alone and unharmed—completing the list.

Phoenix, his expression darkened, finally spoke.

“Only fourteen people…?”

A sharp pain pulsed in his head at the thought that more than five students had likely already perished.

And then came Selina’s words… the ones that crushed all remaining hope.

“I marked every single one of you. The magical mark doesn’t disappear unless under very rare conditions—most notably, the death of the person it’s attached to.”

After a pause, with all eyes turning to her, Selina declared:

“I can feel every living bearer of the mark. Right now… only sixteen of them remain on this continent.”

Fourteen were present. Phoenix was the fifteenth.

Which meant ..

Everyone slowly began to understand.

“Of those not here…”

“Only one is still alive.”

With that final line, Selina shattered any remaining hope that the rest of the students had survived teleportation.

Somewhere across the continent of the Ultras…

They had all died alone.

All of them… except one.

News like this only made the mood among the elite students grow darker and darker. The death of their comrades had become a bitter pattern ..

and this time, they wouldn’t even have the chance to bury them properly.

That’s if there were bodies left at all.

“Selina… can you teleport to the last student’s location?”

Phoenix asked, his face weary.

Selina shook her head.

“I’m afraid not. The condition for my teleportation spell is that a significant amount of my aura must already be present at the location I want to travel to. That condition was barely met when all of you gathered here…”

“I see… but you can at least pinpoint where he is, right?”

This time, Selina hesitated even more before responding.

“That’s not possible. The mark only reacts to the location with the largest and nearest cluster of signatures, so…”

“Only he can find us… is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes… I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s alright. You’ve done your part.”

Phoenix placed a hand on Selina’s head, forcing a faint smile.

“The responsibility for everything that’s happened falls on me.”

Even if he had no choice, given the situation they were thrown into,

it didn’t change the fact that he was the strongest among them—and their teacher.

“I’ll find the last survivor myself. Everyone else stays here.”

“There’s no point, Professor Phoenix. This is an entire continent, remember? How are you going to find him?”

Aegon was the one to speak this time—the only person who could challenge Phoenix openly.

“The last student will be trying to reach us, since he can feel our presence. All I have to do is sweep the surrounding area until I find him. Who knows—maybe I’ll get there in time to save him.”

Now that so many students had already died, Phoenix was desperate to save whoever was left—by any means necessary.

“There’s no need to go, Professor Phoenix. The last survivor is already known.”

It was Daemon Valerion who stepped forward.

“It’s Frey Starlight. Without a doubt.”

Phoenix said nothing.

Because deep down… he believed the same.

“Daemon’s right,” Snow added, breaking his silence at last.

“I know what Frey is capable of. If he unleashes everything he has, there aren’t many Ultras who can actually kill him.”

Snow’s voice was steady, confident.

“He’ll reach this place sooner or later. So instead of wasting energy searching for him, I suggest we stay here—while the strongest among us heads out to investigate the portals.”

Naturally, Snow had nominated himself. He had no intention of staying idle in one place.

Phoenix, however, saw right through him.

“Sorry, but I can’t risk losing another student. Everyone stays here. If anyone’s leaving—it’s me.”

Snow’s hand moved to his sword. He could no longer hide his frustration.

He was seriously considering forcing his way through.

He took his first step,

but Lara Croft—who had clung to his arm—stopped him.

“Don’t… Snow.”

Having lived with him for so long—ever since her grandfather adopted him—Lara could easily anticipate his actions.

But this time, Snow wasn’t in the mood for her.

With a swift motion, he flung her aside effortlessly.

“I don’t have time to waste here.”

Somewhere on this cursed land…

was someone he had searched for, longed to find, and desperately wanted to kill.

Now, at long last, he had a lead.

He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

He knew he was strong enough.

And here, deep in enemy territory, Snow didn’t mind unleashing the full wrath of the War King Form without restraint.

Even if it consumed him in an endless thirst for blood…

as long as it meant killing his enemies, he would be satisfied.

With defiant resolve, Snow took his first real step—intending to break away and go off on his own.

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