“Stop! Entry to the Imperial University is currently restricted so—”
*Thud thud.*
As soon as I reached the temporary entrance, I tapped my chest.
“Ah! Y-you may enter!”
The guard’s face turned pale upon seeing the radiant Black Eagle and quickly cleared the way for me.
I hurried inside, struggling to assess the situation.
I’ve been casting Communication Magic, asking what was going on, but the Imperial University remained silent all this time.
Since the main gate seemed fine, the faculty couldn’t have been wiped out yet.
I could only think that something was interfering with communications.
It was clear from the earlier messages urging Sergey to return that something was up.
‘Was there another attack?’
Considering the main gate was intact, did they breach through the back entrance or walls?
No, Ludwig’s hastily constructed Barrier was still holding strong.
So, were the fanatics lurking inside causing trouble?
‘Damn it. I have no idea.’
It was too quiet for that.
No one responded to the Communication Magic I sent out.
I had no way to get information from the faculty right now.
I had no choice but to ask a lower-ranking guard.
“What happened?”
“Um… I’m not sure yet.”
The guard was saying something strange.
How could this be an emergency that called for Sergey, yet nobody knew what was going on?
“What do you mean? What about the communication sent out by the Investigation Department?”
“We’re not clear on the matters in the Investigation Department. However, they reported feeling strange vibrations from the back mountain and immediately summoned all the professors who then headed straight there. They said it was to identify the cause, but the details are… unclear…”
Damn.
Strange vibrations from the back mountain.
If what I’m thinking is correct, this is a serious situation.
So, Ludwig led the faculty to the back mountain to ascertain what was going on?
*Gah?!*
“What’s wrong?!”
I suddenly felt a headache and collapsed.
It felt like my head was splitting, but I fought to endure.
A powerful Mana wave was pinning me down.
The guard seemed fine, so this was probably due to Schlus’ high Mana sensitivity.
I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
So, this was the strongest wave I’ve ever felt radiating from somewhere.
“Evacuation order…?”
Once I calmed down a bit, I could discern the nature of the wave.
It was none other than Communication Magic.
A powerful type of Communication Magic capable of broadcasting signals across the entire continent using the facilities of the Imperial University.
The spell was saying this:
– Confirmation of the release of Untier from the Imperial University. All students and staff should evacuate immediately.
‘Untier…!’
The ancient monster, Untier.
It was one of the worst monsters that even Majins couldn’t defeat, only sealing it away.
I thought it would be over a month before it was freed.
The original timeline is way off.
“The faculty all headed to the back mountain, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct…”
Without Sergey, it seemed all the professors would be dead soon.
Damn it. I wanted to confirm Emilia was safe.
But I knew there was no time for that.
“Please guide the students to evacuate!”
“Uh, where are you—”
I focused on Agility and ran towards the back mountain.
There was no time to hesitate.
*
“Please, train me too!”
“Wha…?”
In front of the Chairwoman’s residence, Trie showed a troubled expression as Aintz suddenly bowed, asking her for a favor.
“No.”
“I’ll pay you generously for private lessons!”
“Do I look like I need money that badly?”
“Then I’ll make sure you gain plenty of honor!”
“That’s nonsense.”
As Trie tried to pass by, Aintz quickly moved to block her path in frustration, making her feel the sudden urge to stab his solar plexus with the hilt of her sword.
“Please! I’m about to become a magic user with nothing but raw firepower!”
“You’re strong enough just with that…”
“No, I’ve been feeling my limits lately. Schlus uses magic flexibly and is great with a sword too! I need to reach that level to stand next to Schlus!”
“Impossible.”
“Come on, please—”
“I’m not saying this out of laziness; it’s genuinely impossible.”
“Huh?!”
Trie quickly approached and poked Aintz’s forehead with her finger.
It wasn’t even that much force, yet Aintz stumbled back, landing on his butt.
“Schlus already had some muscles and good hand-eye coordination, which is why he grew that strong in a short time. You lack muscle and talent for close combat.”
“D-do you mean I should give up?”
“Yeah. Just give up. Instead of trying to develop a nonexistent talent, why not hone your magic skills further?”
Oh? This sounded familiar.
Scratching her head, Trie remembered that she previously heard something similar from Schlus.
Back then, Schlus had told her to give up on magic since she had no talent for it.
But eventually, he retracted that and started teaching her how to use magic.
Could it be that she was making the same mistake Schlus made back then?
Am I cutting down the sprout of a future knight?
“Get up, using your hands is a no-go.”
“Without using my hands? Ugh… Uuhhhh… Ughhhh…!”
Nope. Nope. That’s definitely a lost cause.
She couldn’t even lift her upper body, lacking the basic muscle strength.
Even if she tried to learn enough to match Schlus’ skill at the time of admission, it would take years.
Teaching someone how to wield a sword is doable, but getting them to build muscle? That was beyond her.
“I can’t teach you. Go build some basic muscle first or just give up.”
*Gah…!*
Having hit the wall of reality, Aintz despaired and put his hands on the ground.
Trie, who had trained him to fight 2000-to-1 as a dual-wielding warrior, had come here hoping for something, but it was a waste of her time.
“Hey…?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you two come to find Hainkel?”
Just then, the door beyond the garden creaked open, and Emilia appeared.
Just as Trie was about to ask what they were doing in front of the door.
*GROOOOAAAAAR…!*
The ground trembled with a distinct vibration.
The three of them turned their gazes in unison.
The back mountain of the Imperial University.
As the sun was setting, that low mountain emanated an ominous energy, and the vibrations began.
“Evacuation order?!”
“Untier…? What the hell is that?”
An intense Communication Magic signal was received.
It was encrypted so anyone could understand it without difficulty.
The expressions of the three people turned pale as they met eyes.
.
.
.
“This is the worst-case scenario…”
The ground continued to rumble, and the wind blew, causing Ludwig’s coat to flutter.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Of all times for Professor Sergey to be absent…
No, it was probably because Professor Sergey was absent that things had gone awry.
Hearing the distant sound of trees snapping, Ludwig squeezed his eyes shut.
“I doubt any of the professors would be retreating!”
“….”
In response to Ludwig’s shout, the professors standing behind took a cautious step forward.
Of course, those words weren’t directed at the reassuring faculty behind him.
He had uttered those words after noticing Relic, who was hesitantly stepping back before stopping.
Maybe his last shred of conscience was still intact, as Relic quickly ran over to stand next to the other professors.
“The fact that it’s a monster even the Majins couldn’t defeat might have scared them off already.”
“….!”
Relic’s shoulders twitched and trembled.
After a moment of looking his way, Ludwig clicked his tongue, continuing his words.
“But you must know the difference between the Majins of then and those now. At that time, the Majins numbered over 10,000, each with a level of power similar to today’s humans. They can’t even be compared to the superhuman Majins of now. On the other hand, magic theory has progressed rapidly over the thousands of years. You are professors from the continent’s leading educational institution. There’s no need to be scared at all.”
That was nonsense.
Just because you are professors from the leading educational institution doesn’t mean you’re the strongest.
However, the professors were regaining their confidence from that absurd logic.
They had come thinking they were merely buying time for the students to evacuate, but they were starting to think they might actually be able to face the ancient monster.
*GROOOOOAAR!!!*
However, the roar echoing from the mountains made them freeze.
The volume was beyond imagination.
Even moving caused the ground to tremble, and that was just the start…
“Is the sealing spell prepared?”
“Over 50% complete!”
They were hopelessly short on time.
After all, they had never prepared an incantation for the sudden emergence of an ancient monster.
Where did the Majins, who said we’d be safe for at least tens of thousands of years, disappear to?
Ludwig thought of Alexia; it was clear he couldn’t trust anything the Majins said.
“If Untier shows itself, I’ll temporarily restrain its movements with a Barrier. In that time, we can—”
*WHOOM!*
A deafening noise shattered the air.
The professors had to use Gravity Magic to stay put and not get swept away.
Dust swirled around, obscuring their vision.
When Ludwig waved his arm, a gust of wind swept through, clearing the dust.
“Ah….”
In that moment, the professors’ heads lifted, their faces turning pale.
A massive black hand gripped the mountaintop.
As they slowly raised their trembling heads, they saw a gigantic jaw connected to that hand.
It was an unreal sight.
No one had ever imagined a magical beast of that size existed.
The monster had already started to crush the mountaintop under its huge claws and was moving forward.
Wherever it stepped, the peaks were completely torn off, leaving the mountain broken at the end.
Soon, the creature came over the mountain revealing its entire form.
Two long legs with massive claws.
And a slender tail trailed behind the massive body that extended from its head.
It resembled a lizard but was missing its two hind legs.
Of course, the hideous face with dozens of eyes was far from any lizard’s.
“Is the sealing magic prepared?!”
“65% complete!”
*Gah.*
I can’t wait any longer.
Ludwig immediately extended his arm and conjured a massive Barrier spell.
He poured all his remaining Mana into it.
*THUD…!*
The monster’s head collided with the air, and it froze in place.
It worked. Despite the odds, this Barrier was on par with Alexia’s; it should hold for at least a minute…
*WHAM…!*
But that belief shattered along with the Barrier.
The monster’s claw gripped the air, and the Barrier shattered in less than three seconds.
There wasn’t even magical interference or counteraction.
The Barrier, which had been poured into for physical immunity, was demolished solely by brute strength.
“Ha…”
Ludwig fell to his knees, completely drained of Mana.
Or maybe it was from despair.
Even then, Untier continued to advance towards us, towards the Imperial University.
It was now less than a kilometer away.
Due to its enormous size, it felt as if it were directly in front of us.
With just ten more steps, its massive claws would crush the professors into pieces.
“The sealing spell! 71%!”
“Forget the seal! Begin the attack!”
The head professor’s command came down.
The seal was no longer an option, so the order was to unleash all their Mana into destructive spells.
At that moment, bright flashes erupted from all directions, flashing and dizzying Ludwig’s vision.
Somewhere, countless Fire Magic spells were unleashed, while elsewhere, Lightning Magic was shooting through the air.
Each spell was maximally destructive, resonating with loud bangs that threatened to shatter their eardrums.
*Hack! Cough…* *Cough…*
Ludwig coughed, waving his hands in an effort to clear the smoke.
However, the incomplete Wind spell couldn’t disperse the fumes.
“Did we take it down?”
The ground stopped shaking.
Had they actually defeated it?
After all, with that kind of firepower unleashed all at once, they should have inflicted damage severe enough to incapacitate it.
If it was still standing after that, it would mean they needed to bring the Empire’s Annihilation Cannon.
The ominous sounds drifted from afar, and the wind blew, clearing the smoke.
“Damn it…”
Five hundred meters ahead, there stood a massive, black shape still upright.
The monster’s eyes suddenly flew open wide, locking onto the professors.
It was unscathed.
Not a single scratch.
Moreover, at this distance, the Mana energy it exuded was already poisoning the professors.
A number of them were already collapsing from fatigue.
The amount of firepower unleashed by those gathered here was among the greatest in history.
Except for one case, no spell could be shot that topped this.
How on earth were they supposed to subdue a monster that remained fine after all that?
As the professors stood frozen, waiting for the death approaching them, a fierce wind suddenly began to blow from behind.
Feeling a massive hand on his shoulder, Ludwig turned.
“Good job buying time.”
“….!”
Schlus Hainkel.
He stood there, dripping with sweat.
Wondering why a student wasn’t evacuating and was instead here, Ludwig felt flustered.
“Get back, Schlus Hainkel! This isn’t something you can handle…”
Ludwig’s sentence trailed off.
Now that he thought about it, there was one instance where a firepower far beyond what they had unleashed just moments ago had been used.
And that had been from one person.
The Lightning Magic from the Whist Forest.
Ludwig’s jaw dropped as he recalled the spell’s caster.
*WHIIIIIIIIIIIR…!*
The sound of internal circuits whirred loudly, unmistakably audible from the outside.
As Schlus’ body began to glow and emit white smoke, it was evident that internal circuits had overloaded.
But Ludwig had no intention of stopping him.
“What the hell…?”
From Schlus’s extended right hand, a seemingly endless pillar of light shot up toward the sky.
