“roarrr!!!”

    “screechh...”

    the eerie sounds of demonic monsters echo all around the massive field.

    “really, there’s no end to them.”

    “grrrr...”

    “tsk.”

    the erosion phenomenon occurring in the air made it difficult to get close.

    the deep, dark space, like a jaw of a beast, was spewing monsters that were rushing towards the academy in waves.

    “how much longer can you hold out?”

    “i’m fine...!”

    “don’t overdo it. i’ll exert a bit more strength.”

    blocking the army of demonic monsters were none other than clana, lulu, and isolet.

    the aura of domination, which could make all living creatures kneel, and the magic eyes were holding the monsters in place, while isolet’s powerful sword strikes were sweeping them away.

    thanks to this, the monsters were being torn apart mercilessly without any resistance.

    their abilities, optimized for dealing with large groups of enemies, were shining brightly in the battlefield.

    “ugh...”

    “are you okay?”

    but it wasn’t possible to fight such an overwhelming battle forever.

    “y-yes... i’m fine... ahh!”

    “you’re bleeding from your eyes... ugh.”

    lulu, who had been using her magic eye non-stop for hours, was bleeding from her eyes, and clana, who had also been continuously emitting her aura, was sweating profusely from her forehead.

    “no matter how efficient the technique, using it non-stop will eventually lead to exhaustion.”

    isolet, watching them, muttered in a low voice.

    “it would be nice if we had reinforcements...”

    but contrary to her wishes, they couldn’t expect any support.

    frey and ruby were still engaged in a fierce battle with the demon king.

    ferloche, serena, and glare went to protect the citizens, and irina was negotiating with the dragons.

    also, kania was busy maintaining the solar eclipse and controlling the erosion phenomenon at the border, leaving no strength for other tasks, and the remaining imperial forces were fighting the demon king’s army.

    “it would have been nice if irina were here... abraham is also absent due to the operation...”

    isolet, muttering regretfully while watching the monsters tied up in front of her, soon turned to look behind her again.

    “what are you doing, hurry up and strike.”

    “don’t worry about us...”

    clana and lulu’s condition was deteriorating even further.

    “...hmm.”

    it was time to make a decision.

    “you two, stop what you’re doing for a moment.”

    “what?”

    “...?”

    as isolet closed her eyes and said this, clana and lulu tilted their heads in disbelief.

    “i said take a break for a moment.”

    “but if we do that, the monsters will–”

    “i’ll handle the monsters alone.”

    as isolet slowly moved towards the army of monsters, clana and lulu, with startled expressions, grabbed her.

    “are you crazy? even you can’t handle that many monsters alone...”

    “we have no choice.”

    but isolet’s expression was resolute.

    “if we continue like this, the academy will eventually fall. so, while i buy us some time, recover your strength...”

    “no. what if something happens to you?”

    “a knight getting injured in battle is inevitable.”

    “that’s not the issue...!”

    clana raised her voice, gripping isolet’s arm tighter.

    - crackle... crackle...!

    “...ugh.”

    but as the erosion phenomenon in the air sparked and widened, clana and lulu lost their words and stared blankly at the sky.

    “i finally understand why frey did everything he did in the past.”

    “ah.”

    “w-wait a minute...!!!”

    as clana and lulu’s grip loosened, isolet took the chance to break free and dashed forward.

    “don’t worry. i’ll somehow survive....”

    - boom!!!

    “...huh?”

    but at that moment, a massive flash of light roared past isolet’s side.

    “what the.....”

    isolet, bewildered by the attack she barely noticed, watched as the monsters in front were swept away.

    “...!?”

    then, she slowly turned around to see the owner of the terrifying strike, her expression confused as she muttered.

    “how did you guys get here...?”

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    sometime earlier, inside the academy.

    “ugh... look at this.”

    “what the... what is this?”

    the students, who were nervously preparing for a desperate fight within the barrier, touched the ice lumps next to them with cold sweat.

    “i don’t know. they were fine just a moment ago...”

    “their screams were quite horrifying.”

    surprisingly, the ice lumps contained students frozen with expressions of surprise or whimpering.

    “they seem to be alive... but their life force is being periodically drained.”

    “this is creepy. i’m glad i didn’t turn into ice.”

    the students, each with a complicated expression, commented.

    “wait, i think... there’s a common factor among those frozen.”

    “purr...”

    the spirits and cats, having added their thanks, approached and began rubbing their cheeks against her legs.

    “...but.”

    as she petted them for a moment and then quickly moved, eurelia spoke again, tilting her head.

    “what are you?”

    “...meow?”

    the black cat doll tilted its head innocently at her question.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    “how did you get here?”

    back to the present time.

    “we actually succeeded...”

    “who knew that getting help from other students was the answer... we’ve been practicing alone for months...”

    “we might have subconsciously discriminated against them because we had colored mana. and that prevented us from perfecting the technique. it’s something to reflect on.”

    “that’s why that person emphasized the importance of cooperation...”

    isolet was staring blankly at the academy students behind her.

    “when the vote ended in favor and the academy began a desperate battle, i reached out just in case... and it worked?”

    “because they had already steeled their resolve, there was no need to protect or restrain them.”

    “t-that’s not the point!!”

    as the students responded calmly, isolet shouted in anger.

    “this place is dangerous! don’t you see the army of monsters over there?”

    behind her, monsters were crowding again from the erosion phenomenon, glaring menacingly at the academy.

    “get back inside the academy. it’s too dangerous here. i’ll handle it somehow...”

    “no.”

    someone from among the academy students stepped forward in front of her.

    “we will fight too.”

    “...what?”

    eurelia, with a cat doll dozing on her head, spoke with one eye slightly glowing white.

    “we won’t let anyone fight alone anymore.”

    “where did you get such power?”

    as the mana emitted by the students began to resonate with the colored mana, isolet asked in a low voice.

    “we just realized the importance of cooperation.”

    “whoooaaa!!!”

    “and it seems...”

    eurelia, smiling brightly, pointed to the distant road.

    “...they’ve just realized it too.”

    “defend the empire and drive out the evil!”

    “save the frozen ones!”

    “for frey, the demon ki– i mean the hero!”

    emergency-convened imperial soldiers.

    the demons and combat executives under dmir khan.

    and countless citizens who joined to save their frozen families and comrades were rushing towards the academy.

    “...i smell the blood of demons.”

    “pardon?”

    “never mind.”

    and at the forefront of that procession, a man fully armed with heirlooms was glaring menacingly at aishi’s demon king’s army.

    “charge!!!”

    “we’ll take care of this! professors, please take a break!!”

    abraham and eurelia’s booming voices mingled and echoed across the blood-soaked battlefield.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    meanwhile.

    “...”

    “yes, you’re somewhat normal.”

    irina, who had reached the top of the hill where the dragons were stationed, looked at the dragon in front of her with an annoyed expression.

    “you’re the leader here, right?”

    she had to endure countless creepy displays of affection and antics from the dragons on her way up.

    “indeed, the leader is different. at least five hundred years old, unlike the rabble below...”

    glaring at the dragon leader who was exuding a different level of aura than the others she had encountered, she spoke in a fierce voice.

    “anyway, i’ll get to the point.”

    “...”

    “if you keep siding with the demon king, i’ll make sure you’ll only be seen in a zoo... hey?”

    she paused, noticing the dragon’s expression, and tilted her head.

    “are you listening to me?”

    “grrr...”

    “did they all eat something bad?”

    seeing the dragon sweating profusely with wide eyes, irina sighed deeply and sat down on the ground.

    “...but, i also feel like i ate something bad.”

    then she muttered with a frown.

    “why is it so hot?”

    she fanned herself with a bewildered expression.

    “older sister?”

    “what?”

    with a dazed look, she turned to the dragon leader’s trembling voice, who had quietly tucked its tail towards its belly.

    “where have you been all this time?”

    “...???”

    hearing those words, question marks began to form on irina’s face.