Despair

|Lancelot|

Rachel and I sprinted towards the DC room, our hearts pounding with a mix of anticipation and dread. The swirling vortex of mana emanating from within the room sent shivers down my spine, a palpable aura of power that made my skin crawl. I could sense that whoever Alistair was facing was far beyond anything we had ever encountered before, even surpassing the likes of Gary in raw mana potency.

The question of whether he could defeat Gary was irrelevant. The being before us was clearly no pushover, and I could sense a dangerous level of power emanating from him.

With a deafening explosion, the DC room was reduced to a pile of rubble. Rachel and I rushed towards the scene, only to witness the invader lift Alistair by his collar with effortless ease. He looked almost bored as he surveyed the broken swordsman.

"That's it?" he remarked, his expression one of disappointment. "How are you so weak?"

Alistair's arms hung broken by his side, his weapons nowhere to be seen. I was ready to attack, but Sylph's voice in my mind urged caution.

'Lancelot, calm yourself,' she said urgently. 'This man... he's strong.'

As I stood there, trying to figure out what to do next, a sudden burst of flames erupted from the wreckage of the DC room. I turned to see a tall figure emerging from the flames, cradling the unconscious form of Alistair in his arms. It was Professor Fejalk, the Paladin professor.

"Professor!" Rachel and I called out in unison, relieved to see him alive.

The invader sneered as he surveyed the scene before him. His black horns, adorned with glittering jewels, jingled in triumph as he charged at the Professor with lightning-fast speed. But the Professor was quick on his feet, sidestepping the invader's attack at the last possible moment.

"Interesting," the invader remarked with a smirk, as he prepared to launch another attack.

Rachel and I acted quickly, our combined mana creating a powerful shield to block the enemy's punch. The force of his attack was immense, and the shield trembled under the impact.

As I focused on maintaining the shield, I couldn't help but marvel at the enemy's strength. 'What power!' I thought, amazed at his abilities. Despite the cracks appearing on the shield, the enemy looked impressed, a sly smile forming on his face.

"Late as usual, Uto," the invader's voice cut through the chaos of the battlefield as he turned towards another enemy, an older man with smaller horns.

"My apologies, Sir Jezebeth," Uto replied, tossing someone over his shoulder, "This boy proved to be quite a handful."

Arthur's broken and bloodied form crashed onto the ground with a sickening thud. I could see the slow, shallow rise and fall of his chest, indicating he was still alive. A wave of anger and helplessness washed over me, as I was unable to do anything to save him.

The power emanating from Jezebeth was overwhelming, and I knew that even with Rachel and I working together, we stood no chance against him. Uto, though not as strong as Jezebeth, was still a formidable opponent and far beyond our capabilities.

Rachel and I activated our Spirit Dive to its fullest potential, but even that would only buy us a little time against Jezebeth.

"How long can the three of you entertain me?" Jezebeth taunted with a wicked grin on his face before charging at us with blinding speed.

|Kathyln|

As I patrolled the battlefield, my focus honed on the task at hand, killing the mana beasts that threatened the safety of the students. I launched arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark and taking down the beasts with deadly precision. The students around me thanked me for my support, but I barely acknowledged them, my mind consumed by the task at hand.

But then, I sensed something different. A powerful surge of mana that was unlike anything I had felt before. It was Lucas, but he was different, stronger than ever before. It was as if his very life force was being converted into mana, making him nearly unbeatable.

Despite the odds, I felt no fear. Instead, a fierce determination welled up inside me, and I took bold steps towards him, emanating mana from my very being as I prepared to face him head-on. Even with the powerful mage behind him wearing a mask, I knew I had to try.

Lucas finished off the professors, leaving them struggling to get back up after the beating they received. Upon noticing me, he sneered, "Oh, so the princess dares to challenge me!"

I stood tall, radiating with an aura of confidence, "Lucas, you are nothing but a failed mage and a disgrace to the Wykes family. You aren't nearly strong enough to defeat me."

Infuriated by my words, Lucas gnashed his teeth before raising his staff towards me, "Shut up, you dumb princess! I will beat you and defile your b—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the temperature dropped drastically as I unleashed a wave of ice magic, extinguishing the flames around us. Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, Lucas stumbled back in surprise.

"You think someone like you has the capability? With your pathetic flames?" I taunted, my voice sharp and commanding.

As if possessed by another entity, I felt a foreign sensation overtake my body, causing me to channel ice magic throughout my being. The ambient mana from the Aurora Constellate seemed to enhance my absorption ability, allowing me to stir the SS-class of the Frostmaw.

With a fierce expression on his face, Lucas unleashed his spell, dozens of flaming orbs scattering and floating around him, growing larger by the second. His body visibly withered under the burden of the spell, but he continued to grin madly. It was clear he planned on taking not just me, but half the school down with him.

But I was not about to let that happen.

As he continued to cast his spell, I gathered even more mana, summoning forth an impenetrable curtain of frost with [Absolute Zero]. The very air around me seemed to freeze, stopping the flaming orbs of his spell in their tracks.

As I pulled back the string of my bow, I felt a surge of energy coursing through my body, activating my beast will in its first stage. The black arrow turned white from the ice magic as I aimed and shot it at Lucas.

An infernal hexagonal shield materialized in front of him, attempting to stop my attack. However, the power of my arrow was too much for it to handle, and it pierced through the shield, heading straight for Lucas' heart.

Though he managed to side-step and avoid a direct hit, the arrow still managed to slice through his chest, leaving a deep and bloody wound.

My fingers nimbly notched a flurry of arrows onto my bowstring, imbuing them with my ice mana. With a swift motion, I released the arrows, sending them flying towards Lucas.

"May your soul rest in hell," I whispered with conviction, knowing that this would be the end of him.

|Tessia|

Agony shot through me, causing me to crumple to the ground beside Al's broken form. His breaths were laboured, crimson pooling from his nose and mouth, while his arms were twisted and shattered. Even as his body struggled to heal, I knew it was a futile effort.

"Why?" I sobbed, gazing at the three Spirit wielders locked in battle with the one who had done this to Alistair. I longed to join the fray, to seek revenge for Al, but my body was too weak to move.

Al's eyes shot open, and suddenly a giant purple ribcage manifested in front of us, shielding us from a barrage of black spikes.

"Al!" I cried out in shock, staring at his shattered body in disbelief.

"I will protect you," he whispered with a resolute gaze, "I will not let you get hurt. Just leave everything to me."

Despite the pain and his broken limbs, Al pushed himself up, grabbing his weapons from the ground. His determination to protect me was stronger than the agony he was experiencing.

Watching him fight, I felt useless and powerless. Alistair was pushing himself far beyond his limits to defend me, while I stood there, unable to do anything.

Arthur defied Sylvie's protests and got up, his body trembling from the immense strain. His hair was still a vibrant shade of wheat blonde, a testament to the power he had just unleashed. It was as if the release of his beast will had drained him completely, leaving him on the brink of collapse.

"How amusing, little pups," the lanky invader taunted, "Are you now protecting the elven princess? This love... this is what I relish crushing!"

Suddenly, a piercing ring drew everyone's attention, including mine.

The red-tinted barrier surrounding the school shattered from above, showering the ground with broken fragments. They reflected the vibrancy of the Aurora Constellation, which was almost in full bloom in the night sky, transforming the bloodstained academy into a scene straight out of a fairytale.

As we all looked up, four figures descended gracefully amidst the shimmering rain of broken barrier shards. Even before I could make out their identities, the overwhelming pressure they radiated was unmistakable.

The Lances.