“What in the world…?”
*Boom! Boom!*
The explosive sound roared repeatedly, threatening to burst eardrums.
Ludwig felt a chronic headache throbbing and his head pounding.
He staggered up the stairs and finally reached the rooftop, where several professors were already present.
“Head Professor. It’s a bit awkward to mention it now that you’re out, but it seems you need to go back down.”
“What’s going on?”
“The anti-aircraft cannon has started firing.”
“……”
Ludwig frowned.
Only then did he understand the source of the thunderous noise blasting above, striking his head like a drum.
The Annihilation Cannon.
The cannon, born to kill Majin, was now shooting beams into the sky.
“Can that really catch a Majin?”
“It’s tough. The time it takes for the shells to reach that altitude is about four seconds. That’s enough time for a Majin to see and dodge. But if it comes down lower, then it’s a different story. No matter how powerful a Majin is, it won’t survive the onslaught raining down from such heights. They won’t be thinking about coming down at all.”
Believing the explanation from Sergey, a former general, Ludwig was convinced.
The enemy would never come down from high altitude.
But the more he thought about it, the more questions began to grow inside Ludwig.
“If they can’t come down, what are they doing up there?”
“Well…”
“Maybe they’re trying to distract us.”
“Distraction, you say?”
“Yes. If they’re trying to draw our attention for a surprise attack…”
Ludwig’s words trailed off, and his head turned.
A strange sight caught his observational spell.
Feeling the same instinct, Sergey also turned his head.
In the direction the two professors were looking, five eagles were soaring in formation.
The professors’ eyes were trembling as they watched.
“Our school’s barrier… There was definitely a physical weakness above, right?”
“Yes… That should be correct…”
The heads of the two professors slowly tilted.
The eagle squadron flew slowly, hovering directly above the Imperial University.
“Head professor! Evacuate orders!”
“Got it!”
*Boom!*
At that moment, a shockwave resonated throughout the entire Imperial University, accompanied by a severe vibration of mana.
The flock of eagles had vanished, and five figures were descending.
*
“Damn it…”
He took a hit.
He had believed without a doubt that the attack would come from the Imperial Palace, yet suddenly they struck the Imperial University.
That was a cunning move.
The heavily fortified Imperial Palace was unlikely to yield any significant results if attacked.
But if the surprise attack on the Imperial University succeeded, Ludwig and Sergey, formidable human assets, could be eliminated.
– Request for support. Five unidentified individuals have infiltrated the barrier of the Imperial University. They seem to be Inquisitors. Over.
Ludwig’s voice flowed through the communication.
Five Inquisitors.
If they could be intercepted outside the Imperial University, it would be one thing, but if they had infiltrated, they would be quite a tricky opponent.
He could reach them in under a minute.
Just as he burst out of the room and out into the open…
-Hyuk?! Schlus! Schlus Hainkel!!! Come quickly and save me!
An outrageous voice came through the communication spell.
He had forgotten someone left behind at the Imperial University.
Erwin…
He hadn’t expected things to turn out like this when he left.
“Take a deep breath and calm down. I’ll be there soon.”
-It’s not about soon! Ahh!!! What are these giants standing in front of me?! Help! Help!
“Hah…”
A problem had arisen.
It seemed the Inquisitors thought he would be at the Chairwoman’s residence and had attacked there.
Erwin was likely right in front of them…
Considering the nature of the Inquisitors, it would be tough for him to survive.
He hoped he could stall for even a minute, maybe by performing a talent show or something.
If he couldn’t, it would mean death.
‘Huh?’
At that moment, a possibility suddenly popped into his head.
There was a way for Erwin to survive.
He deployed a spell while pouring vast amounts of mana into it.
It felt like the mana that once required every ounce of his strength, including special abilities, now felt like an afterthought.
“Erwin, answer me. Do you believe in me?”
-What do you mean ‘believe’? Right now… *Eeek! A spear is coming for me!!! Please save me!*
“Answer me. Do you trust me?”
-I don’t trust you! How can I trust you?! Are you joking?!
“Try to force yourself to trust me.”
-That’s just not logical!
In that instant, the perspectives abruptly shifted.
What entered his view was none other than the massive tip of a spear rushing toward him.
However, its speed felt painfully slow.
‘You said you don’t believe…’
This was the second time he had succeeded in teleporting to a human target after Julia.
A chuckle escaped him involuntarily.
.
.
.
What could only be described as a bizarre scene.
Ludwig could only describe what he saw with wide-open mouth.
“What the hell…”
The Inquisitors were making a run for it.
The Church’s ultimate weapons.
All emotions unnecessary to battle had been stripped away, and “tools” were now fleeing.
It wasn’t a strategic retreat.
All four Inquisitors were running in different directions, not looking back, discarding their weapons.
But the escape wouldn’t last long.
*Thud…!*
The four Inquisitors were caught and halted by intangible forces.
It wasn’t an impressive spell.
It was compelling gravity magic that even beginners learned when first studying magic.
However, the sheer mana contained within that spell was so incomprehensibly strong that it created an illusion of unfathomable power.
Psychic power.
It looked as though Schlus Hainkel was using powers akin to psychic abilities rather than magic.
*Whoosh…!*
“Argh?!”
The Inquisitor, desperately resisting, lifted into the air and flew toward Schlus Hainkel.
Then, from his right hand, a blue light appeared, slicing the Inquisitor cleanly in half in an instant.
There was no feeling of resistance whatsoever; it was a clean cut.
Not a single drop of blood stained Schlus Hainkel’s body.
“Is that… the gap between humans and Majin?”
Schlus Hainkel was slaughtering the Inquisitors with ease as though he were playing with children.
Calm and nonchalant.
Even Ludwig could not help but feel a sense of fear watching the scene.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind—what if that blue light turned against allies… but Ludwig quickly dismissed such nonsensical thoughts.
There was no point in worrying about it.
In mere moments, the other three Inquisitors were taken out as well.
Their desperate, half-hearted attacks appeared bizarrely inept.
Every strike failed to even brush against Schlus Hainkel’s clothes, and with just one or two not even speedily complex attacks, the Inquisitors were cut down effortlessly.
Shortly after, nothing remained moving near Schlus Hainkel.
“Schlus! Are you okay?”
“Yes. What’s the damage report?”
“Aside from your house being destroyed, nothing major.”
“Ah…”
Sergey rushed towards Schlus with a relieved expression.
Looking back at the partially destroyed Chairwoman’s residence, Schlus’s mouth dropped open.
“My house filled with memories…”
“Technically, it’s not really your house, but, well, what a shame.”
A moment of silence fell.
Sergey patted Schlus on the shoulder.
By now, Schlus was gazing at the Chairwoman’s residence with a slightly bittersweet smile.
It was a place he had borrowed in dormitory style, but he had spent over a year there and must have grown quite attached.
Sergey felt he could understand Schlus’s sentiment.
Meanwhile, Schlus thought inwardly.
“Yay! I finally get to move!”
Until now, he had no reason to move, which made it impossible for him to relocate.
Setting up a security system as strong as the Imperial University would take time.
However, having been stuck in a mansion far too large for Emilia to manage alone, he couldn’t stay cramped forever.
He had slightly resented living in a school, but finally having a reason to move, Schlus had to try hard to hide his twitching lips.
“Where’s the Head Professor?”
“He’s likely repairing the barrier.”
Oh no.
Ludwig, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation through the observation spell, realized it was time to start fixing the breach in the barrier.
He could not allow any further infiltration.
“Once the barrier is repaired, please take refuge in the shelter immediately.”
“Wait, the enemy is attacking the institution right now!”
“The enemy has run out of cards. If they plan to clean out the last remaining card, the professors won’t be able to handle it.”
“……”
Sergey fell silent.
The enemy had run out of cards.
Only two jokers remained.
At this point, the enemy had two choices: either acknowledge defeat and retreat, or throw in their last joker.
Either choice meant the human forces wouldn’t offer much help.
“I understand…”
Understanding this, Sergey nodded immediately.
If he could, he wanted to engage in the fight against the Majin.
But having witnessed the one-sided slaughter just now, such thoughts washed away.
Human assistance would likely be nothing more than a hindrance to Schlus Hainkel.
What if Sergey were to die in the process?
The future of humanity contained within the Imperial University would hang by a thread.
Sometimes, it was best to sit still and be of greatest utility by simply holding a position.
*Boom! Bang!*
At that moment, a series of explosive sounds shook the heavens.
In an instant, Sergey was startled, thinking it was coming from the Imperial University, but soon realized the source was quite a distance away.
The Imperial Palace. The booming sounds came from the direction of the Imperial Palace.
“It seems they are planning to play their last cards.”
With that, Schlus’s new model vanished before his eyes.
A boy, still just a student, was fearlessly diving into a crisis that involved the fate of the world.
Yet, knowing staying put was the best option, Sergey gritted his teeth.
As an educator, it was a reality he could hardly endure.
Is there something he could do? Something?
“Uh?”
At that moment, Sergey’s eyes widened as he looked up at the sky.
