Gasp…
My breathing became labored.
My body began to tremble violently.
In this situation where not a glimmer of hope was visible, I felt darkness closing in before my eyes.
Turning my head to the left, I saw a knight clad in pitch-black armor fiercely clashing swords with Lily.
When I turned to the right this time, Ariel and Iris were struggling to fend off the Lich’s brutal attacks while hiding their fatigue.
And all around me, I could hear the desperate screams of students fighting monsters.
The scene was so horrific it could be accepted as a living hell.
‘I… I have to do something…‘
I scrambled to think amid the chaos.
What would be the best choice I could make now?
What should I do to ensure no one gets hurt and we can overcome this situation?
Should I help Lily…?
No, she seems to be holding her own, so perhaps I should assist Iris and Ariel…?
Or maybe I should help the most frantic students fight off the monsters…?
It’s hopeless.
Regardless of whom I chose to help, it would take time. And in the meantime, anything could happen on either side.
The scale of the enemies was unimaginable.
I never imagined such a tragedy could happen.
I was still desperately hoping that this situation was merely a nightmare.
But what lay before me was the cold reality.
Nothing would be resolved by turning a blind eye.
Think, Hera.
I need to think.
There must be a way to protect everyone…
I bit my lips until they bled, squeezing my head with my hands to extract a path of hope.
Before long, I wondered if my efforts weren’t in vain.
A single path emerged in my mind.
One singular existence capable of blocking all these attacks.
An entity that could easily halt the fierce commanders radiating bizarre power and the vicious monsters.
I had no choice but to seek that existence.
“Iris! Ariel! Lily! Hold on just a bit longer!”
Once I made my decision, there was no room for hesitation.
I broke free from Sephir’s magic binding my mana.
With that, an alien energy dissipated from my body, revealing my original black hair and red eyes once more.
As I immediately returned to my true form, I could hear their voices.
“H-Hera?!”
“S-Sera?”
Iris’ eyes widened in shock at the sight of me, while Ariel stared blankly as if trying to comprehend what was happening.
With my body restored, I kicked the ground and dashed towards them.
And not stopping there, I pushed off the ground once more, charging at the giant Lich who was looking at me ominously.
[How curious… How do you intend to use the betrayer’s ability?]
“Who knows.”
As I spoke briefly, I concentrated Mari’s mana and delivered a powerful kick to the Lich.
[You think that would work?]
With a massive explosion, the Lich’s body shattered into pieces and scattered across the air.
If it were a normal living being, it wouldn’t have had the time to even feel pain before dying.
Yet, despite the ferocity of the attack, his fragments swiftly began to gather again.
Huff…!
Without hesitation, I inhaled all of Mari’s mana into my lungs.
A searing pain pierced my chest as if my organs were freezing from the inside out.
Afterward, I exhaled the cold air filled with mana towards the scattered fragments of Melrum.
As my breath spread out, the ground between Melrum and me froze entirely, devoid of warmth in an instant.
“Haah…”
As I gasped, a mist formed from my breath, swirling around me.
Mari is the Blue Dragon.
As a dragon, she can wield all manners of powerful magic, but her mana inherently carries an ice attribute.
Thanks to that, I was able to use such magic as well.
Of course, each time I use it, the pain is immense…
[You’re being quite arrogant.]
“It’ll take a while to regenerate.”
Hahaha!! Yes, try struggling all you want. You won’t be able to escape your doom.*
Ignoring Melrum’s voice echoing in the emptiness, I looked at Iris and shouted,
“Iris!! Where’s Helis?”
“W-what?! N-No, more importantly, why is Hera here? And Sera…? Huh..?”
Rapidly approaching the confused Iris, I grabbed her shoulders and said,
“Iris! I’ll explain later. Right now, we need Helis..!!”
“Ugh…!! Just… just a second..!!”
After a moment of chaos, Iris hurriedly rummaged through her bag and gently produced a small birdcage, rushing toward me.
“I wanted to keep her close, so I’ve been carrying her like this…”
No wonder she had been carefully holding her bag all this time.
I hastily took Helis out of the cage and urged Iris urgently,
“It won’t take long for Melrum to regenerate. Please use as much holy power as you can to delay the regeneration.”
“…Yes! If it’s Hera’s request, I’ll do it.”
Iris remained remarkably calm, even amid the turmoil.
I turned to Ariel, who was watching me with a peculiar expression, and made a request.
“Ariel…! Can you provide support from behind so Lily doesn’t get hurt?”
“Sera… is that you?”
“I promise to explain later..! Please just help me this once.”
“….Got it.”
With a puzzled look, Ariel swiftly turned and dashed towards Lily.
At least I was grateful they complied with my requests.
I have to hurry.
Even if Iris uses holy power, Melrum’s regeneration will complete within ten minutes.
And when he comes back, he’ll threaten us with even greater strength.
I had to somehow hold him off.
I gazed earnestly at Helis riding on my hand and commanded,
“Find the Demon King.”
Following my command, Helis quickly soared into the sky, beginning her search.
I desperately calmed my racing heart and made a firm resolution in my mind.
The answer lies in only one thing.
The Demon King.
Only she herself could stop this assault.
*
-Kieeeek!!
“So persistent!”
Robin swung his sword wide, decimating a monster.
Suddenly, from the split corpse of the monster, another one sprang out, charging at him.
However, Robin nimbly dodged and swung his sword again, dispatching the second monster.
“What on earth is happening…”
After confirming the monsters had quieted, he lowered his sword for a moment to catch his breath.
Despite his indomitable will, even Robin couldn’t comprehend the situation before him.
Monsters were swarming from all directions.
The demon race possessing unimaginable strength had seized the academy.
Strong professors, rumored to have exceptional security, were now scattered aimlessly.
Some were fighting off monsters, while others faced off against a high-ranking demon resembling a gigantic tiger.
The majority remained engaged with the chairman and a red-haired woman.
-Skreeeek!!
“Oh no…!”
Just as he let his guard down for a moment, three monsters rushed toward him.
Yet sadly, he couldn’t brace himself in time to evade.
In that instant, Robin raised his hand, prepared to take them on with just his body—
Bang-
A sharp sound cut through the air, and in an instant, piercing arrows lodged into the heads of the monsters, rendering them utterly defenseless as they fell.
Descending gracefully from above, a blonde woman landed softly on the ground.
She had doll-like, delicate features.
But unlike an ordinary person, her ears were much sharper and extended outward.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
As she spoke briefly, she pulled back her bowstring again.
The wind coalesced around the arrow, and it flew toward distant monsters, eliminating them instantly.
“…Thanks.”
Trying to match her prowess, Robin lifted his sword, ready for battle once more.
Internally, he felt a mix of excitement for encountering another strong ally and embarrassment for endangering himself due to carelessness.
I can’t lose.
With renewed determination, Robin charged at the horde of monsters before him.
Yet unfortunately, it seemed his charge would not be realized.
Bang-
“…Hmm?”
In that fleeting moment, something streaked past, and the bodies of the monsters before him exploded like balloons.
For an ordinary person, it would have been impossible to grasp what was happening in such a brief instant.
But with highly developed senses, Robin caught sight of the scene even in that moment.
In the midst of the exploding monsters, a beautiful woman with pitch-black hair stood at the center.
Momentarily captivated by her beauty, Robin rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
…Why was she crying?
The vision of her expression etched itself vividly in his mind.
Her face, seemingly in a desperate panic.
From that face, a single tear had dripped down.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.