- Boom! Boom!!

    “Roar!!”

    The dragons’ roars echoed from all directions of the warzone.

    - Crackle, crackle...

    “How dare you break the pact–”

    “The will of the Lord takes precedence over everything!”

    Countless dragons filled the sky above the academy.

    But unlike before, they were attacking Aishi with terrifying momentum.

    “...Haah, haah.”

    “Fortunately, my plan worked, Frey.”

    As I watched the scene, Ruby spoke to me as he caught her breath beside me.

    “Did you know this would happen?”

    “For dragons, the presence of a ‘Lord’ is absolute. Especially one who has been hidden for a thousand years.”

    Saying this, she sidled up to my side.

    “Anyway, with the dragons involved, it’s as good as our victory.”

    “Right. We just need to hold out for 24 hours.”

    Dragons, each of whom surpasses the strength of a knight commander, were all attacking Aishi.

    This situation seemed to guarantee our victory in the Academy Siege.

    In truth, we were aiming for a ‘draw’ rather than a victory.

    Since the mastermind had made Aishi the Demon King and led a direct invasion, today’s battle was originally a ‘certain defeat’ event.

    According to the scene I saw in the book prophecy if the Demon King directly invaded, there would only be a cutscene of the academy collapsing and the game overscreen.

    But we had Ruby, Glare, the fully awakened heroines, and the dragons. Additionally, the academy students and some citizens were courageously risking their lives to help us.

    Therefore, if things continued like this, we had a chance to make it a draw.

    If there was no time limit or if the time limits were two to three days, it would have been impossible.

    Aishi, in her current state, was like Ruby—undying and infinitely powerful, essentially an ‘event boss.’

    “The end is approaching, Frey...”

    “...Yeah.”

    It had been exactly 12 hours since the siege started—half a day had passed.

    If we could make it to the end of the 24 hours and get a draw, the Academy Siege scenario would be forcibly stopped.

    Then the final scenario integrated with Glare’s DLC system, the ‘Final Showdown’ quest, would begin.

    Normally, losing the siege would result in massive penalties, but Glare’s DLC system didn’t include such things.

    Instead, it added an extremely reasonable system where I could awaken the Hero’s Armament using the helper points from Glare and the affection points I’ve accumulated.

    The ‘Final Showdown’ scenario revamped by this reasonable system was slightly different from the prophecy.

    In the final showdown, I would probably aim my sword not at the Demon King but at the mastermind behind everything.

    Just as Ruby said, the end was approaching.

    The moment when we could finally end all of this and reclaim the happiness we had lost.

    - Flap, flap...

    “Hmm?”

    As I was thinking and smiling, someone flew to my side.

    “F-Frey...”

    “What’s wrong, Irina?”

    Irina, with horns on her head, wings on her back, and a thick tail swaying from her hips, approached me with a desperate expression.

    “I-I have a bad feeling.”

    “Hmm?”

    “Something very bad is going to happen.”

    Saying this, she wrapped her tail around me.

    The smooth scales wrapped around and squeezed me, giving me an inexplicably strange feeling.

    “We need to get away, quickly.”

    “...Why, Irina?”

    But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Judging by her expression, it seemed serious.

    “We need to warn everyone, warn them about the danger...”

    “Calm down and tell me slowly...”

    As I tried to calm her down and reached out my hand, Ruby’s tense voice came from the side.

    “...The Dragon Lord has the ability to foresee dangers to their kind.”

    “What?”No?v(el)B\\jnn

    “Since Irina has awakened as the Dragon Lord... it seems her foresight ability has activated.”

    Saying this, Ruby quietly turned her gaze to the sky.

    “But if such powerful beings are in danger, something must be very wrong.”

    Just as she said, the dragons were happily pounding Aishi, spewing fire breath and dragon fear relentlessly.

    Of course, in time, they would get tired and start to lose to Aishi, but they had only been involved for a few hours.

    There was no sign of defeat yet, so what...

    “Wait, come to think of it... Why haven’t they used the power of the ancient artifact?”

    “...Huh?”

    As I scratched my head, Ruby suddenly frowned and muttered.

    “There should be enough power in the underground of that place to control the ancient magic of the academy?”

    “Ruby?”

    “What was it... Damn, I can’t remember perfectly since it’s from the zeroth cycle...”

    Just as I watched her mutter seriously,

    - Crackle, crackle...

    “...?”

    A tearing sound from all directions made me widen my eyes and look up, only to find my mouth agape.

    “What the...”

    An enormous number of portals had opened in the sky.

    What were they planning with all those portals?

    Seeing that the size was just enough for a person to pass through, were they planning to bring in the coalition of the Church and the Secret Lord who were tied up by our reinforcements?

    But even if they came now, it wouldn’t change anything...

    “What... is that?”

    Muttering inwardly, I saw figures jumping out of the completed portals, and my mind went blank.

    “”...””

    People who looked very similar to me landed on the ground and stared at Aishi with empty eyes.

    “W-wait a minute...”

    At first glance, they looked like me, but their hair was all black.

    And looking closely, they seemed familiar from somewhere...

    “...No way.”

    As more and more people came down from the portals, and as they slowly spread out in all directions, their identity became clear.

    “Damn it.”

    A man who looked like me, slicing through the sky in a dream a year ago.

    The man who was invited to another world by the Sun God to create variables.

    The prophet who left the prophecy for me.

    The more first heroes thrust their swords into the barrier, the larger the cracks grew.

    - Shhhh...

    When the cracks covered the entire barrier, the first heroes who had driven their swords in began burning their bodies with stellar mana.

    “Hurry, repair the barrier...”

    “We must protect the academy...”

    “Damn it, move! Get out of the way!!”

    The people inside the barrier tried desperately to reinforce it with magic, and the dragons and heroines tried to head towards the academy, but it was all in vain.

    - Crash...!!!

    Unable to withstand the overwhelming stellar mana of the first heroes, the academy’s barrier shattered completely before they could do anything.

    “It’s over.”

    Aishi, watching with a chilling smile, rose from her throne.

    “Your last desperate struggle was quite cute.”

    Descending step by step on an ice staircase she conjured, Aishi gathered the first heroes towards the academy and began speaking.

    “And it was also annoying.”

    “...”

    “If you had known your place and performed tricks, I might have kept you as ornaments.”

    Coming down to the ground, she sat on the stairs and looked at the silent academy students.

    “Is there anyone who wants to perform tricks now? You’re welcome to amuse me.”

    With a sneering expression, she began to taunt the students.

    “The heroes and allies you believed in so much are now running away over there...”

    - Crash...!

    “...Tsk.”

    But at that moment, a gleaming sword aura flew towards her, making her click her tongue and summon an ice chunk to block it.

    “You...! Run!! We’ll handle this...!!!”

    Frey, who had been rushing towards her at full speed, blocked by the first heroes, shouted to the students, desperately trying to hide his severed left arm.

    “...”

    But none of the remaining students ran.

    “Even if I die, I’ll try to put up a barrier around the academy, so buy me some time...”

    “How many consecutive times can we use the joint technique?”

    “Wait. I’ll contact the spirits.”

    Instead, they were all burning with determination.

    - Clench...

    Watching them with cold eyes, Aishi gritted her teeth and clenched her left hand tightly in disgust.

    - Swoosh...

    Raising her hand with a furious expression, she commanded all the first heroes who had breached the defense line to aim their swords at the academy.

    “...Finish them.”

    With those words, Aishi summoned ice spears and ordered them, causing sweat to run down the foreheads of the students despite the cold temperature.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    “...”

    “...Huh?”

    The anomaly occurred at that moment.

    “...I said finish them?”

    “...?”

    The students, who were gritting their teeth in preparation for a desperate fight, suddenly looked at Aishi, who was standing up with a confused expression.

    “Finish them already!”

    Aishi began descending the stairs, shouting frostily at the first heroes.

    “Really... what is it now...”

    Muttering as she approached the first heroes, she stopped and trailed off.

    “...Huh?”

    “W-what’s going on?”

    The students, who had been preparing for the worst, were just as confused.

    The first heroes, who had been aiming their swords at them moments ago, were now slowly lowering their weapons.

    “It feels like the atmosphere has changed...”

    Among the bewildered students, a sharp-eyed one muttered.

    “Wait a minute...”

    “Their eyes...”

    Just as he said, the eyes of the first heroes, which had been black, were now turning white.

    - Swoosh...

    And in the next moment.

    “...!?!?”

    Something unexpected happened.

    - Swoosh, swoosh...

    “Huh?”

    “W-why are they doing that!?”

    The first heroes, who had been looking around blankly, began to strip off their clothes, leaving only their underwear.

    “...What’s going on?”

    Seeing all the first heroes around her in their underwear, Aishi, flabbergasted, forgot to speak properly and mumbled in her native tongue.

    “...anjdpdytlqkf?.”

    If translated into something humans could understand, it would be:

    “What the hell is this, damn it.”

    The countless Kim Han-byeols stood in their underwear, staring at her.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Meanwhile, in the debug room.

    “Thank goodness... Thank goodness...”

    Roswyn, lying over her desk littered with instant ramen cups and energy drinks, mumbled tearfully.

    “This time, I wasn’t too late...”

    On the computer screen in front of her, the following message was displayed.

    Dark Tale Fantasy Online - Open Event

    Not a single-player game anymore, it’s multiplayer!

    Enjoy the newly added boss raid with everyone!