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A few hours ago, before Ion exited through the Dimension Door.

The girls’ room in the City Hall of Schwarzheim was enveloped in heavy silence.

It had already been a day since Titania summoned a spirit in search of Ion, and she still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Marian looked worriedly at Titania, who lay in a corner of the room as though asleep, and asked, “Why is it taking so long? Is something really wrong?”

But no one answered her. Nobody knew the answer to her question.

Marian had only asked out of frustration, not truly expecting a proper response, so she let out a deep sigh.

“Shouldn’t we at least try waking her up forcibly?”

“That won’t do.”

Osnia spoke in an unusually firm tone.

“Titania isn’t sleeping. She just looks that way; she’s focusing on merging with the spirit inside. Waking her up carelessly could be even more dangerous.”

This had already been explained before. Yet, it had been a day since that explanation.

“What if she never wakes up? They say dark spirits are all capricious and dangerous. What if that spirit has done something bad to Titania?”

“I think the chances of that are… low, but….”

Unless the terms of the contract were absurd from the start, it was rare for a spirit to harm its summoner once a contract had been established. The fairness of the contract between Titania and the dark spirit had been confirmed on the day of summoning.

However, that “rare” still meant that such cases existed. Osnia had some knowledge about spirits, but information regarding dark spirits was scarce even in the academic world.

As such, Osnia felt a deep sense of responsibility for placing Titania in a dangerous situation.

“If it truly becomes dangerous, I’ll wake Titania myself. Even if I have to enter her mind.”

Students who did not understand how difficult and burdensome it was to enter another’s mind simply believed that Osnia must have some method to do so. Despite this, they could tell that her mood was serious.

Once more, heavy silence returned.

Ion’s whereabouts were unknown, the city was uncertain when it would be attacked, the timing of the rescue team’s arrival was uncertain, and no one knew when Titania would awaken.

Marian felt frustrated by the reality that they had to do nothing but wait in such circumstances. Elizabeth lightly grabbed her hand.

“Marian. You’re going to hurt your nails.”

“Huh?”

Marian noticed that she had been picking at her nails. It was a habit she had lost since her grandfather scolded her severely at the age of seven.

“Surely the instructor is just in a hard-to-find place, and it’s taking time. So don’t worry too much.”

“…Yeah, I guess that’s true?”

As the students reassured each other, suddenly, loud noises echoed from outside.

Shouts filled with tension and rigidity. Screams mixed with fear. The sounds were so jarring that they couldn’t be understood.

“What’s happening?”

Gwen opened the door to check outside. She soon faced Instructor Rilya.

“Hey, everyone!”

“Instructor Rilya?”

“Everyone is gathered here, right? No students missing?”

She had an unusually serious expression. Gwen, slightly tense, asked, “Yes, but… what’s going on? It sounds really noisy outside. It can’t be…?”

“That ‘can’t be’ is true. Right now, the Undead are pouring into the city walls.”

The concern they had been harboring had finally become a reality. As the students froze in shock, Rilya continued with a serious tone.

“The attack will begin soon. We need to move right away!”

Following Instructor Rilya’s instructions, the students packed up the bare essentials. Gwen carried the still-unconscious Titania on her back.

The corridor was chaotic with instructors running around, internal guards, and students who were still puzzled about the situation. Other male students like Schurz were already out and about.

“Do you all remember the location of the shelter? I’ll check if there are any students left before I go, so you guys head straight to the shelter and do not come out until you’re safe!”

Instructor Rilya said that and ran down the hallway. Perhaps she intended to warn the students of the dangers, just as she had with the Opal Black Class. Gwen briefly looked at Rilya’s retreating figure before awkwardly turning her head away.

“Until we’re safe… when will that be?”

“…Until Instructor Ion comes, I suppose.”

No one denied that statement. Everyone had seen how Instructor Ion fought.

However, at this moment, when the city was about to be attacked by the Undead, the most dependable person was absent.

The shelter was merely the basement of the City Hall. Once the city gate was breached and the Undead entered the city, it would be a question of whether they were too late or not.

Everyone knew it. There was no truly safe place in this city at the moment.

Someone had to buy them time.

*

Ultimately, the students of the Opal Black Class did not head to the shelter.

Instead, they hid above ground to observe the situation. They decided to move when the moment came that they could no longer endure with only the weaklings.

“Hah!”

Swoosh!

Gwen’s unique swordsmanship, which she had finally devised after a month of intense thought, was unleashed from her fingertips.

The quickly swung slash severed a ghoul’s neck, causing it to topple forward, still poised to claw at her.

The “Sword of the Rock” was originally a fighting style that parried all incoming attacks from a stationary position before transitioning into counterattacks. However, one must have technique to defend as well. No matter how sturdy the body, if one stubbornly attempted to withstand all attacks, the damage would accumulate. Thus, a successor of the Sword of the Rock inevitably needed the ability to perceive the opponent’s attack.

Was the enemy aiming to stab or slash? Was it an upward or downward cut? Was it aiming for a one-hit kill, or was the strike after the initial attack the real bait?

Only by perceiving the opponent’s sword could one execute a perfect defense at the exact timing. Through that, one could create an opening, which was the essence of the Sword of the Rock, and that was the lesson of swordmasters.

Yet, Gwen had shifted her thinking.

If perceiving the opponent’s attack comes first, then why wait quietly until the attack comes and instead stab first?

An opening does not solely arise when one blocks an attack; it can also occur when the enemy attacks. For instance, when the enemy pulls their arm back to swing their sword or takes a brief breath to gather strength.

Though the openings are but fleeting moments and difficult to target, openings are still openings. Gwen improved her swordsmanship by seizing such openings.

In other words, it was a sword of afterthought (後發先至).

To see the enemy move first and then aim for a counterattack was akin to a tightrope act where one error leads to death. However, Gwen’s talent with the sword and her agile body enabled her to achieve such a challenging feat.

‘Though it’s still unfinished…’

Even so, it was a swordsmanship perfectly tailored to her body. It was far more refined than when she had to forcefully wield the “Sword of the Rock,” which didn’t quite suit her. Even Louis, who was several levels above Gwen, couldn’t help but admire her swordsmanship.

Of course, the person who wanted to truly showcase this sword had disappeared mysteriously.

With every swing of her sword, another Undead lost its life. Her precise and swift movements clearly indicated that she had stepped even closer to the realm of the strong. Yet even such heroic feats were made pale by the spectacle unfolding above.

Boom!! Crash! Boom!

[Kiiaaaahhh-!!]

“Gahhh…!”

“Hyah….”

Watching the relentless thunder and lightning, Gwen quietly clicked her tongue.

It was hard to believe such a grand spectacle was wrought by a single individual’s power. She was confident in her own strength, but what lay before her operated on an entirely different level.

As the silver-haired girl gestured, purplish lightning struck from the sky. Each time it did, dozens or even hundreds of Undead were reduced to nothing but charred remains. With not just a single bolt but countless strikes raining down, the number of Undead being obliterated doubled.

It’s not for nothing that wizards are called the flowers of war. The power of properly prepared magic can sometimes overwhelm even an army.

From the beginning, the girl known as Osnia – who had been declared unable to teach anything by the “Sage of Crimson Flames,” Lewelin Elshid – had no experience of teaching anything.

For her, the only thing she needed to become strong was a single reason. And at this moment, when the city was in danger and she had decided to fight for her life with her friends, Osnia was spontaneously awakening and wielding magic she had never learned.

“Maybe I should have learned magic…”

Gwen said with a bitter smile. Of course, it was a mere passing comment. She felt a twinge of jealousy that the person they depended on the most wasn’t herself but her friend.

Nonetheless, Gwen swung her sword with all her might to not fall behind.

Thanks to the students’ efforts – mainly Osnia’s – the battle had reached a brief lull. The Undead surrounding the city had been mostly incinerated by Osnia’s magic, and those Undead that breached the city were repelled by adventurers who had gathered themselves together in response to the students’ actions.

“Quickly, hurry up! Reinforce the city gates!”

Louis did not waste the precious time the students had bought. Leading the surviving adventurers, he hurriedly organized their defensive positions and quickly stocked up on arrows, potions, and other essential supplies.

The combined forces of the adventurers and city guards that survived amounted to about half. However, Louis thought it would not have been strange if all had perished, had it not been for the students. That was how dangerous the previous situation had truly been.

‘Is it because they’re students from Philion Academy? No, it feels like they’re something more special…’

Suddenly, Louis recalled an instructor who had stood undaunted even before the three Master Class members, including himself.

Perhaps it was because their teacher was exceptional.

At that very moment, a cold, ominous voice that evoked discomfort and loathing echoed from above.

[Heh, I was wondering why such a small city has held out so well… Seems there’s a ridiculous mage around?]

Everyone in the city heard these words. Even from such a distance, the clarity of his voice echoed, making it clear what kind of magic he wielded.

[That monster wouldn’t be able to break through dimensions alone… But still, one never knows. I mustn’t dawdle any longer. It seems I must make an appearance myself.]

Louis gasped and looked beyond the city walls.

Leading a million Undead, the Undying Legion Commander was moving towards the city.

 

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