Leopold's voice grew softer with his last few words, and those around him couldn't help but have their eyes redden involuntarily.
They didn't know why John had lured Alastair away, but one thing they did know was that their burden here had lightened significantly.
Many had already begun to weep quietly.
"Stop crying, he's not dead yet!"
Archibald rallied, casting a cold gaze over the crowd.
"Don't forget, we still have these lesser monsters to deal with. If you want to die, jump now. Don't waste time here, and don't whimper!"
"I warn you! Let me not find out who's weakening the morale here, or I'll be the first to not let you off!"
"Get to work on these monsters! The biggest one has been drawn away; can't you handle these? Are you useless?!"
"Tell me loudly, are you useless?"
"If you admit you're useless, then just go hide in the back and cry. No one will bother with you!"
Archibald's words, firm and harsh, felt like a slap across everyone's faces.
"We are not."
A few people, fueled by anger, spoke up in defiance.
"What did you say? I can't hear you!"
Archibald's voice was cold, almost mocking, and this completely ignited the crowd's emotions.
Everyone clenched their teeth tightly, gripping their weapons, and shouted loudly:
"We are not!"
"We are not!"
"We are not!"
In that moment, everyone's fighting spirit coalesced into a single force.
They didn't care about semigod-tier warriors or boundless monsters.
All they knew was that they had been well-protected by the bravest among them.
If they couldn't muster the courage to defeat these lesser monsters, how could they ever honor John's sacrifices?
700 warriors had already gone ahead to strive on their behalf.
What right did they have not to give their all?
"Fight! Fight to the death!"
"Damn it, I don't believe this!"
"Come on, I'll fight you all!"
The students were fiercely motivated, staring intently at the monsters in the sky or on the ground.
Even now, facing a diamond-tier boss, they never regarded them as a real threat.
The final activation of the magic array was meant only for his arrival.
Any premature exposure would doom them all—this was their only chance to eliminate Alastair.
Principal Sophia watched John operate with such methodical precision and felt a slight relief wash over her.
She had been incredibly worried when John had almost died earlier, fearing it was all over this time.
Losing a piece of a secret realm would be one thing, but the stakes were much higher with so many noble families' children involved.
Moreover, these were all the students who had come to participate in the trial from the Star Cluster Academy!
Losing so many children would be a catastrophic blow to the human alliance for the next two to three decades.
The Dusk Sect's madness was infuriating, a group of lunatics who never considered the consequences of their actions.
But thankfully, there was still John.
Thankfully, John was there to resolve these crises.
Principal Sophia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her gaze had returned to its usual calm composure.
She believed in John.
How could someone endowed with the power of god fall so easily? John must have his own trump cards.
John hastened towards the Northernmost Realm.
The surrounding temperature dropped increasingly, and John felt gusts of cold wind slashing against him.
Out of necessity, he conjured a shield; otherwise, the icy winds mixed with snow would have made it impossible for him to see.
Alastair, unaware of anything amiss, simply assumed John was frantically running down any path in panic.
Feeling the temperature drop even further, Alastair couldn't help but laugh.
As a semigod-tier powerhouse, such conditions didn't bother him, but for John, it was a different story.
The Northernmost Realm could freeze everything in its reach! Even John could very likely perish here.
Without the advantage of his rank, and even with the power of control, John would surely find no favor in this place.
It seemed John had indeed picked a good place for his own burial.
The corners of Alastair's mouth lifted slightly as he surged forward towards John's direction.
As he drew closer to his target, the air around him grew thinner and colder.
John's speed began to involuntarily slow down due to the cold—a buff from the harsh climate.
He quickly pulled a bottle of monkey wine from his backpack and took a swig.
The cold's debuff partially dissipated, and his speed picked up once again.
Faster, just a bit faster!
If he could just increase his speed a little more, he would reach the magic array sooner.