Chapter 14: The Arrival of the Lion Syndicate!!

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Arrival of the Lion Syndicate!!

The entire gymnasium had fallen into darkness.

A moment ago, the students had been celebrating Nathaniel Beaumont’s extraordinary achievement. Cheers and applause had filled the hall, and countless eyes had been fixed on the young man who had achieved an SSS-Rank clearance in just one minute and seventeen seconds.

Now, those same students stood frozen in fear.

Above the gymnasium, the sky had turned pitch-black. A massive curtain of darkness stretched across the heavens, sealing off the entire building from the outside world.

The protective barrier surrounding the gymnasium trembled violently.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed through the hall as the barrier flickered. Several teachers immediately moved toward the students, trying to keep them away from the windows and the open areas of the gymnasium.

Then three figures descended from the darkness.

They moved slowly, their bodies surrounded by powerful red auras. Each step they took through the air sent waves of pressure crashing down on the people below.

Behind them came more than a hundred black-uniformed fighters.

Every fighter wore the same emblem on their chest.

A roaring lion with blood-red eyes.

The emblem belonged to an organization feared throughout the region.

The Lion Syndicate.

The moment the name entered the minds of the older instructors, their expressions changed.

"Impossible..."

One teacher took an involuntary step backward.

"Why would the Lion Syndicate appear here?"

The Lion Syndicate was an S-Rank illegal organization wanted by the Alliance. Its members were known for their ruthlessness, and the organization had been responsible for countless massacres and criminal operations.

Ordinary people rarely encountered them.

And when they did, survival was never guaranteed.

The three leaders stopped above the center of the gymnasium.

The man standing in the middle was bald, with a broad face and a cold, arrogant expression. His eyes swept across the terrified crowd before finally settling on two people.

Nathaniel Beaumont.

Caleb Rowan.

A cruel smile appeared on his face.

"So, these are the two little heirs we’ve been looking for."

Nathaniel’s expression remained calm, but his attention was fixed on the three men hovering above them.

Their auras were powerful.

Much more powerful than those of the instructors around him.

Beside him, Caleb’s face had turned pale. Even with his family background, he understood that the situation was far beyond anything a student could handle.

The bald man raised his voice.

"Nathaniel Beaumont, son of Nathan Beaumont and Eleanor Beaumont."

His gaze shifted.

"And Caleb Rowan, son of Richard Rowan."

The gymnasium fell silent.

The man continued, his voice filled with hatred.

"Several years ago, your families joined forces to destroy one of our branches in the Southern Province. Many of our brothers died that day."

His smile widened, revealing a row of yellowish teeth.

"For years, we’ve waited for the opportunity to settle that debt."

He spread his arms.

"And today, you’ve both gathered in one convenient place. How thoughtful of you."

Caleb clenched his fists.

"You dare target the Rowan family?"

The bald man laughed.

"Your family name won’t save you here, boy."

His eyes turned cold.

"Your father destroyed one of our branches. Today, you will pay for it."

Caleb’s face twisted with anger, but he didn’t dare charge forward.

He could feel the terrifying difference between their strength.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel remained silent.

His shadow stretched beneath his feet, moving faintly despite the absence of any wind. Hidden within it, his Shadow Soldiers waited for his command.

He didn’t know the exact strength of the three leaders yet.

But one thing was clear.

They hadn’t come here to negotiate.

They had come to kill.

"Principal!" someone shouted. "Call the Alliance! We need reinforcements!"

The principal, a Level 120 Holy Light Priest, had already taken action. He raised his staff, and brilliant golden light spread from its tip, illuminating the gymnasium.

"Everyone, stay behind me!"

The vice principal, a Level 110 Berserk Battleaxe warrior, stepped forward with his massive weapon in hand.

Neither man was willing to surrender the students without a fight.

The principal pointed his staff toward the dark curtain covering the sky.

"Holy Light, break through the darkness!"

A tremendous pillar of golden light shot upward.

At the same time, the vice principal roared and swung his battleaxe at the barrier surrounding the gymnasium.

BOOM!

The two attacks struck almost simultaneously.

The entire building shook.

For a brief moment, the darkness rippled.

Hope flashed across the faces of the students.

Then the black curtain returned to its original state.

The golden light shattered, scattering into countless sparks. The vice principal’s attack was repelled by an invisible force, sending him stumbling backward.

He barely managed to keep his footing.

"What kind of barrier is this?"

The principal stared at the darkness above, his expression grave.

The bald man looked down at them with amusement.

"Save your strength. You’re wasting it."

He casually lifted one hand.

"The Dark Night Canopy has already sealed this place. Sound and energy fluctuations cannot escape beyond its boundary. No signal for help will reach the outside, and no one outside will know what’s happening in here."

His gaze moved across the gymnasium.

"Unless someone above Level 200 intervenes from within, breaking through this barrier will be nearly impossible."

The principal’s face darkened.

Level 200.

That was a realm far beyond his own.

Even if he and the vice principal joined forces, they had little chance of defeating the three men, let alone breaking the barrier.

Their strongest hope had been the Three Pillars, Westmere’s most powerful guardians.

But the Three Pillars had already been deployed to the Abyss Rift under emergency orders.

They weren’t coming back anytime soon.

The principal finally understood the trap.

The Lion Syndicate had chosen its timing carefully.

They had waited until the Three Pillars were gone, then sealed the gymnasium before anyone could send a distress signal.

The students were trapped.

The teachers were trapped.

And the two targets the Syndicate wanted were standing right in front of them.

The bald man slowly descended until he was only a short distance above the floor.

"Now then..."

He looked at Nathaniel and Caleb.

"Which one of you would like to die first?"

Nobody answered.

The students could barely breathe under the pressure of the three leaders’ auras.

Some had begun crying. Others stood motionless, unable to accept that an ordinary school ceremony had turned into a massacre waiting to happen.

The principal tightened his grip on his staff.

"You won’t lay a hand on these students while I’m still standing!"

The bald man glanced at him.

"Then fall with them."

He turned toward the fighters behind him and raised his right hand.

The Lion Syndicate members immediately drew their weapons.

Blades scraped against their sheaths. Heavy weapons struck the floor. Magical energy began gathering around the hands of several combatants.

The bald man’s expression lost its amusement.

"The farce is over."

He slowly drew a finger across his throat.

A simple gesture.

A death sentence.

Then he looked down at his subordinates.

"Begin."

His voice carried across the gymnasium.

"Except for the two targets whose heads must be brought back..."

His eyes narrowed.

"Kill everyone else."