Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain

Chapter 291: Ghost Attackers

Before Ben or Arlo could react to Noah’s warning, the air shimmered.

The air pressure in the room spiked, and four cloaked figures materialized out of thin air. They stood in a half-circle, their robes rippling though there was no wind.

Their faces were hidden, their bodies moving in an eerie, synchronized rhythm.

For a single moment, no one moved. Then the figures attacked.

Bolts of dark energy ripped through the air, shattering the chair Ben had been tied to. The floor cracked from the impact, shards of wood and plaster flying.

Noah’s reflexes kicked in immediately, and he raised his hand, palm pointed towards them.

"Rot."

A dark wave burst outward from his palm, devouring the energy bolts in the air. They dissolved into dust before they could touch him.

Arlo was already moving, pulling Ben away from the debris.

"Stay behind me!" he barked.

His eyes flashed as frost spread across his arms. He slammed a palm to the floor, and a jagged wall of ice erupted upward, intercepting another volley of spells.

The magic hit the barrier with a thunderous crack, scattering into glittering shards.

Ben stumbled but managed to steady himself. His breathing was ragged, his skin pale from exhaustion and the remnants of the potion, but his gaze was alert.

He clenched his fists, and blood began to flow from shallow cuts along his palms, swirling in the air.

"Blood Armament," he muttered.

The blood thickened, hardening into twin short blades that shimmered faintly with red light.

He rushed forward, slashing at the nearest figure. His strike connected, cutting through its shoulder.

The creature staggered, but no cry escaped it, only a hiss of escaping air.

Arlo’s voice filled the air. "It’s the undeads!"

Noah’s eyes narrowed. "Then I don’t need to hold back."

He spread his fingers, dark energy swirling around him.

He cast Rot, with dark energy rolling through the room, and the nearest cloaked attacker began to wither. Its limbs blackened and shriveled, fabric rotting away until only ash fell to the ground.

The other three turned their focus to him. Spells of flame and shadow launched in rapid succession.

Noah sidestepped the first, let the second glance off his shoulder ward, and caught the third with a flick of his hand. The projectile stopped in the air, disintegrating like smoke.

Arlo lunged past him, the air freezing in his wake. With a gesture, he formed a blade of ice and drove it through the chest of another cloaked figure.

Frost spread through its body in seconds before it shattered, scattering across the floor like glass.

Behind them, Ben was fighting desperately. His movements were slower now, the blood blades flickering with every swing.

He managed to land a clean hit on his opponent, severing its arm, but the effort cost him. His knees wobbled, the weapons dissolving into droplets that splattered uselessly against the ground.

He gasped, clutching his side. "I’m— out of strength—"

Arlo moved in immediately, catching the cloaked attacker that had turned on Ben. He slammed his palm forward, releasing a burst of frost that froze the figure.

Then, with a kick, he sent it crashing into the wall, where it shattered into frozen fragments.

Only one remained.

It stood still amid the ruin, its body twitching slightly. The others had fallen like broken puppets, but this one... this one trembled as if something inside it was fighting to escape.

Noah’s eyes narrowed. "What is it doing?"

The figure lifted its head slowly. The hood slipped back, revealing nothing but darkness where a face should have been.

Then its entire body began to glow, a faint red light moving beneath its cloak.

Arlo’s eyes widened. "It’s building mana— it’s going to explode!"

"Move!" Noah shouted.

Arlo grabbed Ben by the collar, yanking him towards the door. Noah followed right behind, the air already trembling with the rising pressure of the building power.

The glow intensified, spreading across the figure’s body until it looked like a burning silhouette.

They sprinted through the doorway. Noah pushed with his mana, blasting a wave of darkness in the form of Feast behind them to act as a barrier.

The explosion hit a heartbeat later.

A deafening roar ripped through the dormitory. The walls of Ben’s room imploded, shattering outwards in a storm of heat, smoke, and splinters.

The shockwave hurled them down the corridor. Arlo twisted as he flew through the air, shielding Ben with an ice ward as they crashed into the far wall. Noah landed beside them in a crouch.

The floor trembled beneath them, and for several seconds, the air was filled with nothing but ringing silence.

Dust and heat filled the corridor, smoke pouring from what had once been Ben’s room.

Arlo coughed, his ice shield melting away. "Everyone alive?"

Ben groaned faintly. "I think so."

Doors along the corridor burst open one after another as students rushed out, drawn by the noise.

Voices, both confused and anxious, filled the hall. The air still shimmered faintly with heat from the explosion, and dust hung thick enough to sting their eyes.

"What happened?" someone shouted. "Was that a spell?"

Before anyone could answer, a gust of cool wind swept through the corridor, clearing some of the smoke.

Professor Faye appeared at the far end, her long coat billowing slightly as she strode towards them, her expression serious. At her presence, the panicked murmurs reduced.

"What is going on here?" she demanded. Her eyes fell on Noah, Arlo, and Ben, who stood disheveled, bruised, and standing amidst the wreckage. "Explain. Now."

Ben stepped forward quickly, still pale but determined. "Professor, I was attacked!" he said breathlessly.

"They tied me up, forced me to drink something. When Noah and Arlo came to check on me, they ambushed us again. We fought them. There were four of them!"

Faye’s brows knit tightly. "Four?"

Ben nodded, pointing towards the room. "They should still be there. Their bodies—"

The smoke was beginning to thin. He gestured to the shattered doorway, coughing slightly as the last of the dust drifted away.

But as the view cleared, Ben’s words trailed off. His eyes widened.

There was nothing.

The room lay in ruins, with the walls scorched, furniture splintered, and frost still melting on the floor, but the cloaked figures were gone. Not even their ashes remained.

"But they were right here," Ben whispered, disbelief in his voice.