Chapter 24: Echoes of the Past (Part 3):
A low growl rumbled through the air, and from the thick shadows emerged the creature—a monstrous Bugbear.
But something was off.
"Loose!" Mina commanded, and the archers released their fire-enchanted arrows. The flames streaked through the air and struck true, illuminating the monster—
Its fur wasn't the usual dirty brown, but ashen white, matted with blood and deep scars. Its hulking form was twice the size of an average bugbear, muscles coiled tight with fury and pain. It didn't snarl—it simply stared with glowing, feral red eyes.
"That… doesn't look like any Bugbear I've read about," one student whispered in fear.
Yuta narrowed his eyes. "Bugbears are hairy goblinoids born for battle and mayhem. They raid, ambush, and flee if outmatched. This one should've run the moment it saw our numbers."
He turned to Synoh. "Something's wrong. This one… isn't right."
With a snap of his fingers and a surge of blue light, summoned goblins rose from the ground—souls bound by his unique summoning magic.
"These goblins," Yuta explained, "they're the ones I defeated during training with my father. My magic lets me bind fallen creatures. But if they're destroyed, I can't summon them again."
The goblins charged forward, flanking the beast, weapons ready.
"Let's go!" Synoh shouted. "Frontline, with me—NOW!"
The monster stood motionless at first—then roared. A terrifying, guttural sound that shook the trees and echoed through their bones.
The final mission… had begun.