Celestina watched quietly from the sidelines, observing Lumine in conversation with Yelena and Vergil.
Jasmine, on the other hand, seemed to be scolding Nol for reasons unknown.
She didn’t join them.
She couldn’t.
Her mind was stuck on Kanae’s death.
Celestina hadn’t known the cadet well, but they had spoken once, briefly, because of Azriel.
And now, Kanae had died under her leadership.
The weight of it crushed her, yet the circumstances made no sense.
‘White eyes, blood leaking from her mouth, that smile… mind control?’
But how?
She hadn’t noticed anything.
None of the instructors had.
Not even Jasmine.
Her gaze shifted to Benson and Alicia, the two instructors interrogating the cadets one by one.
Her brow furrowed as she glanced at Kanae’s corpse, now concealed beneath a white cloth.
Quietly, Celestina stepped closer but stopped a few feet away.
‘White eyes, blood from the eyes and mouth, smiling… she was being controlled, or attacked… but why did she die?’
Her eyes drifted to the edge of the cliff.
Walking towards it, she crouched down, staring below.
‘Was she trying to kill herself?’
Celestina shook her head.
‘No, she still died even after she was stopped. Unless… was it necessary to jump from the cliff? Or was she trying something else?’
She licked her dry lips, tucking a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear, the blinking stars above glinting off it.
Then, she froze.
Her eyes narrowed.
‘Was she going somewhere?’
The thought struck hard.
Had her killer made her attempt something, only to kill her when it failed?
A chill crept down Celestina’s spine.
Suddenly, she felt it—the gaze.
The gaze that Yelena kept sensing.
It pierced through her, a presence watching, tracking her every move.
She couldn’t place it, but it was everywhere at once.
Her face darkened.
‘Is it someone among us? Or… something else?’
Then, it vanished.
She exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath, but the unease didn’t fade.
Rising slowly, Celestina glanced around.
Nothing had changed—everyone and everything remained the same.
But whoever—or whatever—had been watching her was skilled.
Skilled enough to evade her senses.
Time seemed to slow as she scanned each face.
No one appeared suspicious.
No one acted abnormally.
There were no sudden symptoms like those that had plagued Kanae.
Then, another gaze.
Her eyes darted to Instructor Benson.
He was watching her with his usual stoic expression as he stood beside Alicia.
He nodded slightly before turning and walking away.
Further from the cadets.
The interrogations had stopped, and Celestina, confused, made her way to Alicia.
As she approached, Alicia forced a smile, though the atmosphere was too heavy for any real warmth.
With a death so unexplainable and the strange phenomena in the void dungeon, happiness felt impossible.
“Cadet Celestina, can I help you?”
Celestina nodded, her gaze drifting to the retreating form of Benson.
“Where is Instructor Benson going?”
Alicia sighed softly.
“We’re pulling back from the expedition. He’s heading to the tunnels to reach the base of the cliff… to find Cadet Azriel and Instructor Kevin.”
“I see…”
Celestina nodded in understanding, her eyes still on Benson’s distant figure.
‘I hope he’s alright.’
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed—it had to be over a day, longer than Azriel had promised.
Normally, she wouldn’t worry with Instructor Kevin by his side, but there had been too many abnormal occurrences.
‘I’m surprised Jasmine hasn’t lost it yet…’
She glanced at Jasmine, who was now listening to Nol, the latter attempting to explain himself with an awkward laugh.
‘How strong is he really?’
Something about Nol didn’t sit right.
Her instincts told her he was hiding something—he couldn’t just be ranked in the top 200.
Sighing, she cast one more glance at Benson before turning away.
But then, she stopped.
Sweat dripped down her chin, hitting the ground.
The gaze was back.
She couldn’t place it.
And just as swiftly as it came, it vanished again.
Celestina’s heart pounded.
‘What the hell is going on?’
Turning, she saw Alicia walking towards a group of cadets, oblivious to the strange tension.
Celestina’s eyes instinctively followed Benson’s path once more.
‘Wait…’
Her breath trembled as she glanced around.
No one was watching her.
No one seemed to notice her growing distress.
And then, she followed Benson.
*****
Azriel found a slight amusement in the expression Instructor Benson made.
Though Benson’s face barely shifted—his eyes narrowing, brows furrowing—Azriel still caught his bewilderment, which made the moment a tiny bit amusing to him.
“…What did you just say?”
Azriel’s amusement vanished at the sound of Benson’s shocked voice.
He let out a long sigh.
“It’s as I said, Instructor. I killed Instructor Kevin—stabbed him in the back. Pierced his heart and throat. He trusted me, and I betrayed him.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the air thickened.
It became harder to breathe, as if the atmosphere itself responded to the weight of his confession.
Benson’s face remained still, but Azriel knew.
He was angry.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? Betrayal never comes from the enemy… only from those you trust.”
Leo, lurking behind Benson and the others, grinned.
No one could see or hear him, anyway.
Azriel ignored Leo’s taunts.
But he still heard them, and it worsened his mood.
A sudden smile crept back onto Azriel’s face as he locked eyes with Benson.
“You should’ve seen the look on his face when I stabbed him. Gods, the shock… he never expected it. In his final moments, all he felt was despair, hurt, and betrayal—because he trusted one of his students.”
Benson’s brow furrowed further, his fists trembling with barely contained fury.
“You… you’re lying…”
Azriel tilted his head slightly, his smile widening.
“Lying?”
His voice dripped with mockery.
“And what proof do you have that I’m lying?”
“…”
Benson’s lips pressed into a thin line, his stoic expression cracking with each passing second.
The others around him began to look at Azriel with suspicion.
Azriel’s smile faded, his eyes narrowing.
“Is it so hard to show me proof? It’s funny how you accuse me of lying when, let’s face it, aren’t we all liars here?”
“…What…?”
Azriel sighed again, sounding almost bored.
“Fine. You want to make this difficult? Let’s make it easier, shall we?”
Without warning, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device.
On its screen were six red dots.
“!!”
Benson and the others froze, eyes widening in shock.
Azriel tossed the device onto the cold ground.
The sound echoed in the silence.
“Are you still going to lie to me?”
Benson’s gaze trembled as he stared at the device.
Azriel’s eyes swept over the group, meeting each man’s gaze.
“And seriously, you lot should never consider theater—or auditioning for any movies. You’re not even qualified to be background extras. Pathetic, really.”
The four men looked bewildered, trying to process his words.
Leo whistled from behind them.
“Damn, you really hit them where it hurts.”
Azriel twirled Void Eater in his hand, a playful smile curling his lips.
“What? I’m right, aren’t I? You all followed me blindly to this place on the second floor. Did you really think I didn’t know about this bridge? That I came here by accident? Seriously, did you even stop to think for a second that I knew about all of this all along?”
His gaze locked onto Benson, whose eyes were now red.
Whether from sadness—sadness over his friend’s death—or rage, Azriel couldn’t tell.
Maybe both.
“All of you belong to Neo Genesis.”
“….”
A deafening silence followed Azriel’s words.
No one spoke.
Everyone’s expressions grew serious.
Instructor Benson closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly.
When he opened them again, the red in his gaze had dulled—he looked calmer as he fixed his stare on Azriel.
“…So, now what?”
Azriel raised an eyebrow, confused by the question.
“We’re five against one. Not to mention, I’m a Grade 3 Advanced, and the others are Intermediate-ranked.”
Azriel met his gaze, showing no sign of concern.
Instead, he responded with his own question.
“Instructor, answer me this. What you’re doing here—it’s treason. Not just against the academy, but against all four great clans, and the entirety of Asia… why?”
Benson looked at him as the other four men tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to strike.
“…Prince Azriel Crimson, please accept your death gracefully. For the future of humanity.”
‘Of course…’
A crooked smile spread across Azriel’s face as he gripped Void Eater with both hands, holding it in front of him.
“I should warn you—I’m really terrible at dying.”
Tension thickened in the air as they faced off, hostility brewing in their eyes.
Benson remained the only one standing straight, hands calmly behind his back.
Just as they were all about to move…
Everyone froze.
“…!”
“What the fuck!?”
“…How is this possible?”
“Shit.”
The men’s voices trembled, disbelief etched into their faces—even Benson and Azriel stared, stunned.
Leo burst into laughter, clutching his belly as he wiped tears from his eyes.
“Hahaha! Now this is what you call a plot twist!”
The body on the floor…
The Cradler.
It rose.
Slowly, it stood, headless, as thick, black blood oozed from its neck.
Everyone stood paralyzed, eyes wide with shock.
The creature towered over them, its body moving with an eerie grace as it bent down, picking up its decapitated head—still wearing that grotesque smile.
And then…
it placed the head back onto its neck, where it reattached itself, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Ah… fuck.”