Throughout the selection area, a deathly silence swept over the cadets like a thick fog.
The moment the demon had appeared—floating above the ruined forest with its monstrous horns and glowing eyes—every sound vanished. No one dared to speak, breathe too loudly, or even move more than necessary. It was as if the entire arena collectively understood: any wrong move could bring death.
Fear gripped them all.
This wasn't a demonic beast.
This wasn't a challenge.
This was an abomination, and its presence alone crushed the spirits of many.
Among the hundreds of cadets scattered throughout the selection zone, Elizabeth felt it the strongest. A cold chill ran down her spine—not from the demon's presence alone, but from what her talent whispered to her.
Her talent had given her an affinity with death and right now, it reacted violently. But it wasn't her death that called to her.
It was someone else's.
Her eyes widened, and she muttered under her breath, almost in disbelief:
