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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Let’s go.”
Sepia said, and Arthur nodded.
They were going to rescue Ethan. No one objected to saving a comrade, even if it meant facing the death knight.
They wouldn’t abandon a friend in danger.
That was one of the virtues of a hero.
And they intended to uphold that virtue.
“Tia, lead the way.”
Tia nodded at Arthur’s request.
‘Why aren’t you afraid of death?’
Tia knew that they didn’t stand a chance against the death knight with their current strength.
She planned to pretend to search for Ethan, then retreat with the others and report the situation to the professors.
“Um… we have to deal with these guys first if we want to rescue Ethan.”
Anya pointed towards the entrance of the clearing.
A horde of undead was approaching.
Zombies, ghouls, and skeletons.
There were too many to count.
A gust of wind carried the stench of decay towards them.
A chilling wave of demonic energy washed over them.
It was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Clank.
The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the forest.
The sound grew louder.
A knight in black armor emerged from the undead horde.
He was wielding a halberd, his red eyes glowing menacingly.
He was even more intimidating than Tia had described.
It was clear that he was the leader of the undead army.
“That guy… what is he?”
Anya stared at the black knight, mesmerized.
She could sense his overwhelming power and fighting spirit.
She wanted to fight him.
“That’s the knight Ethan was fighting!”
“Can I fight him?”
“Absolutely not!”
Tia’s mind raced, making quick, calculated decisions.
The black knight was still alive.
That meant Ethan had lost.
And they would be annihilated if they were surrounded by the undead horde.
Whoosh!
A metal rod shot towards the undead.
Sepia was using her telekinesis to control the debris from the destroyed forest.
The metal rod, imbued with her mana, sliced through the air, striking zombies, ghouls, and skeletons with brutal efficiency.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Blood and gore splattered everywhere.
The undead fell, impaled on the metal rod, which continued its trajectory, piercing through the next target.
It was a display of precise and powerful mana control.
The front lines of the undead horde crumbled.
Sepia alone was disrupting their formation.
Clank—
An ominous metallic sound echoed through the air.
The undead parted like the Red Sea.
The black knight stepped forward.
Sepia gritted her teeth.
She didn’t want to think about Ethan.
She focused all her attention on the enemy in front of her.
She launched another metal rod towards the knight.
The knight casually raised his halberd.
Clang—!
The metal rod snapped in two, falling harmlessly to the ground.
The knight hadn’t even released his demonic energy. He had simply flicked his halberd.
‘We can’t win.’
Tia felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
“…We have to run.”
“What?”
“Everyone, retreat to the inner walls! Retreat!”
Tia shouted, summoning her spirits.
Red, brown, green, and blue orbs appeared above her shoulders.
A whirlwind erupted in front of her.
An intermediate-level wind spirit materialized.
It took the form of a floating suit of armor, its upper body intact.
This was an emergency.
She couldn’t afford to hide her trump card.
―Tia Erze, it has been a long time since you summoned me.
“Silbert! I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to talk! Buy us some time!”
Flames erupted from the ground.
A wall of fire, created by low-level fire spirits, separated them from the undead horde.
But it wouldn’t last long.
“Silbert! Create a barricade in front of the gate as soon as we reach the inner wall! Arthur, Tesha, Anya, Sepia! Hurry!”
“O-okay!”
Arthur and the others started running towards the castle.
A few zombies tried to cross the wall of fire, their bodies melting as they fell to the ground.
“This way! Anya, Arthur, close the gate!”
They followed Tia’s instructions.
Anya and Arthur slammed the castle gate shut.
It was old and rusty, but it was still a metal gate.
It would buy them some time.
Thud!
The gate closed with a loud bang.
Silbert used his wind magic to create a barricade of rubble in front of the gate.
They could hear the sound of rocks and debris piling up against the gate.
“W-what do we do now?”
Tesha’s eyes trembled.
Tia gasped for breath.
She had used almost half of her mana.
But she couldn’t stop.
“I’ll summon my ravens.”
Tia began to sing, her voice soft and melodic.
Her voice, imbued with mana, carried through the air.
It was a mesmerizing sound.
Everyone watched her in silence.
“What are you doing?”
Tia ignored Sepia’s question and continued singing.
A flock of ravens descended from the sky.
“You could do that?”
Sepia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“We can’t win this fight alone. I’m going to call the professors. Ravens, please deliver a message to the professors. Tell them that the Hero Candidates are trapped in Arvis Castle.”
The ravens nodded and took flight, scattering in all directions.
“We’re going to defend the castle.”
“What do we do if they break through the gate?”
“We retreat into the castle.”
Tia looked at the castle.
They couldn’t fight the undead horde head-on.
They had to keep running, keep hiding.
Arvis Castle was a fortress built on a cliff.
They had no choice but to retreat into the castle unless they wanted to jump off the cliff.
“Tia… are there any other options?”
Arthur asked. Tia hesitated.
“There is one. But I don’t recommend it.”
“You’re talking about…”
“Yes, Arthur. You’re right. We have to defeat the necromancer. But it’s a risky plan.”
The necromancer was controlling a massive army of undead.
Undead were mindless creatures.
Except for special cases like the death knight.
And a necromancer had to be nearby to control them.
“If they break through the gate…”
Retreating into the castle wouldn’t guarantee their safety if the gate was breached.
“We’ll have to use our last resort. Two of us will infiltrate the necromancer’s lair and take him down.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll go. I’ll take care of him.”
Arthur volunteered.
“I’ll go with you, Arthur.”
Anya grinned, her hammer resting on her shoulder.
“No, Anya. I think you should stay here and help us defend against the horde.”
Anya possessed immense strength.
She could enlarge her hammer and crush her enemies.
She was a valuable asset in a direct confrontation. If they encountered the death knight again, Anya would be their best chance of survival.
“Then I’ll go. I know more about mages than anyone else here.”
Sepia said. Tesha stepped forward.
“I’ll go, Sepia. I can also use magic.”
Tesha was faster and more agile.
It was like raiding the enemy’s base.
They needed someone who was quick on their feet.
And those who specialized in swordsmanship were generally faster than mages.
Plus, Tesha was the second-ranked student in the academy.
She was a versatile character, skilled in combat, magic, and theory.
“Tesha, you should go. Sepia’s magic and telekinesis will be more effective against the horde.”
Everyone agreed.
They seemed to understand each other, at least for now.
But the situation was rapidly deteriorating.
“My spirits just contacted me. The enemy is approaching.”
Silbert and the other low-level spirits had gathered around Tia.
Thud!
The castle gate groaned.
“Arthur, Tesha! Please, go now!”
Arthur and Tesha nodded and ran towards the west gate.
They would leave as soon as the north gate was breached.
“We’re counting on you.”
Arthur and Tesha nodded again and disappeared down the corridor.
The others watched the gate nervously.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The gate was starting to buckle.
The ground trembled.
A pillar of red demonic energy erupted from the other side of the wall.
Bang!
The gate exploded inwards.
The undead poured through the opening, climbing over the barricade.
“Silbert! Take them down!”
Tia shouted. Silbert unleashed a barrage of wind blades.
Heads flew off, skulls bouncing on the ground.
Dozens of undead were swept away by the wind blades and whirlwinds.
“Huff… huff… Everyone, get ready to retreat into the castle!”
They knew they couldn’t hold out much longer.
Zombies, skeletons, and ghouls were weak individually.
But their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
“Tia, how much mana do you have left?”
Sepia asked. Tia hesitated.
“30%? 40%?”
“Step back. I don’t want you collapsing from mana exhaustion and becoming a burden.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You’ve done enough.”
Sepia placed a hand on Tia’s shoulder and handed her a mana potion.
She stepped forward.
“It’s time for the mage to take over.”
The Logness family’s magic was amplified by demonic energy.
“Anya and I will handle this.”
Flames flickered around Sepia’s body.
She unleashed a torrent of fire magic towards the gate.
The zombies melted, their screams echoing through the air.
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