Chapter 42: Chapter FOURTY TWO

Silence initially greeted the announcement of the human woman. The stunned audience quickly began to whisper, filling the arena with quiet background noise. In the immediate future, no one dared to make the slightest gesture, all uncertain of the way forward. Then, a booming sound of an explosion coming from the castle rang out. The side of the mountain made it impossible to see what had happened, but dense smoke rose from the place and told Ethan that they had probably destroyed the building, as Vassili had told him.

A movement of panic then began to rise, reinforced by the four soldiers entering the upper tier. New sounds of explosion rang out, this time caused by the weapons they brandished against the director and the few teachers present in the bleacher. They obviously didn't get the benefit of the doubt about their allegiances.

The execution provoked two different reactions: some, terrified, decided not to make any movement that could be interpreted as a threat, others, seeing half the professors fall, roared and began to throw themselves on the soldiers guarding the exits. It wasn't in vain, since there weren't many soldiers in front of the horde of magical creatures that constituted the public, but their ignorance of the human's new weapon quickly played against them. New shots echoed one after another in the arena, drowning out the noise of conversations.

A few students ultimately joined in the battle, directly targeting the human who made the announcement. A few werewolves and vampires rushed forward as some magicians prepared their best spells to support them. In the arena, human weapons remained lethal, but their opponents could dodge the projectile thanks to the immense space around them. He had to move. With the soldiers guarding the gates, the seven individuals would not be able to contain the twenty or so students rushing toward them. If Ethan wanted to protect Mia, he had no choice. He had to go into battle.

The Vila rushed towards the group at a run, pushing aside a few students who crashed to the ground, surprised that the threat came from behind them. His main objective was above all to position himself between Mia and the horde of enemies heading toward her kidnappers. That was a preferable scenario if he could avoid spilling blood and thus losing control. He knew he couldn't avoid the fight before the retreat was announced, but delaying the moment might allow him to keep his composure. His inner Vila roared at the initiative, continually prompting him to rip the heads off anyone who got in his way to get Mia back.

Some, understanding what was happening in the back, tried to throw themselves on him, but a few shoulder and elbow blows quickly freed him. He could see some students falling to the ground, hit by the weapons that four humans were pointing at their enemies to his left and his right. The first attackers were fighting against the spells of Andrei and the power of the vampire accompanying them, at the same time as the guns fired relentlessly.

When Ethan came within a few feet of Mia, Andrei waved him around. Neil and another Vila, Roy, were running towards the young man. They had surely wanted to try their luck by playing on their numerical superiority. Unfortunately for them, Ethan's resolve to protect his soulmate was stronger than their pseudo-hate based on dubious allegiances and ideals.

Ethan stood firmly on the ground, both feet taped to the ground, bracing himself for the impact of the two Vilas. They came claws out, their wings outstretched and their eyes black, in a semi-combat transformation. Ethan unsheathed his claws as well, but his back was left bare, lest his wings hadn't fully healed from the fireball he had taken in the previous tournament. Either way, he wouldn't need it.

Before he could fend off his two assailants, a tiger, Roy's magician soul mate, leaped into his back and slashed him, leaving a large gash. Fresh blood quickly covered his clothes. He groaned in pain and immediately turned to grab the animal's leg and propel her a few feet away. Roy roared fiercely as he saw his mate take the hit, whimpering and reverting to her human form, then lunged at Ethan, claws at his heart to pierce him. He parried the blow by dodging to the right and using his palm to kick the enemy Vila in the elbow, breaking his arm in the process. At the same time, Neil managed to take him by surprise behind his back by digging his claws into his collarbone, inches from his jugular. Ethan shoved him away, giving him two seconds of respite as his new injuries throbbed fiercely. His inner Vila was furious. If he wasn't holding it back with all his will, he would have already taken control and ransacked the battlefield until he was satisfied to get Mia back. However, containing it was equal to restraining his strength. Between his fatigue and his tortured mind, Ethan was not in his best shape. Fighting three opponents including two Vilas proved to be a real challenge.

"Not so arrogant anymore now, huh?" Neil said sarcastically.

"Says the one who needs to come in threes so as not to piss on himself for fear," Ethan replied in the same tone.

"Maybe you should hurry," Neil sneered, changing the subject, "the magician looks in trouble."

A glance at Mia confirmed that the Vila hadn't lied. Their numerical inferiority was starting to handicap them badly and he could see that the members of what he assumed to be the first division were weakening.

What are they waiting for to sound the retreat?!

When Roy and his soul mate took advantage of his inattention to pin him to the ground by tackling his legs, Ethan's determination to keep his Vila in control cracked. When a werewolf leaped three feet from Mia and Andrei, he snapped. He had no time to waste. Letting his Vila express itself through his appearance and his rage, Ethan transformed into a demonic creature with purple skin, sharp little spike teeth, and long sharp claws. His wings, formerly injured, were functional but dotted with fresh purple scars, and his new wounds had already begun to heal thanks to the Vilas' accelerated regeneration powers and his pure blood. His mind, void of any anguish, was focused on one thing only: to strike down the enemy and snatch Mia from the arms of the traitorous wizard.

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