Chapter 199

Click.

As the guardian fell, the sound of another mechanism activating could be heard.

But this mechanism wasn’t far away.

It was within the guardian’s body.

I reached into the guardian’s chest, which had opened automatically.

My hand grasped a small box.

I opened the box, and half of a key was revealed.

A mithril key, gleaming silver.

I tucked the half key into my pocket.

It was a precious key to prevent the bad ending.

I couldn’t lose it, nor could I hand it over to anyone.

Anyway, my business here was done.

All that was left was.

‘To go back.’

I ran towards the exit stairs without delay.

I had finished my task at the North Temple as quickly as possible.

But the dark mages’ attack had probably already begun.

I didn’t know the situation.

But I trusted my classmates.

That this time would be different.

As proven in the exchange match, they had become stronger.

Tap, tap, tap!

I ran back to the lodgings with all my might, braving the rain.

* * *

A small village in the north of the island, with only a dozen or so houses.

The village, which had been peaceful as usual until midnight, was enveloped in an unsettling atmosphere before dawn.

Black figures surrounded the village from all sides.

“Pitter-patter…”

Their footsteps were muffled by the heavy rain.

Therefore, the villagers seemed to be completely unaware of their approach until they were right outside their homes.

And then.

Thud!

Crash!

The dark mages attacked the surrounding houses simultaneously.

“What the?! Wh-Wh-Who’s there?!”

“Wh-Wh-Who are you?!”

The villagers woke up from their sleep in shock.

But what awaited them was ruthless dark magic.

Crack!

“Gah!”

A Dark Cutter ripped through a throat.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

A Dark Orb blasted a large hole in a chest.

Thud!

A Dark Spear pierced a heart.

The villagers were slaughtered mercilessly.

It was a truly demonic act, massacring innocent people who were peacefully asleep.

But the dark mages, who were committing such an atrocious act, showed no hesitation.

They seemed to believe it was a necessary sacrifice for the sake of achieving their ultimate goal.

“Done. There’s no one else.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The dark mages, having painted the house with blood, went back outside.

It seemed like they had finished clearing all the houses.

They quickly exchanged hand signals.

The one who seemed to be the leader spoke,

“Target eliminated. Moving to the next location.”

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

The dark mages quickly moved to another location.

* * *

Boom!

Crash!

With a loud explosion, the stone golem’s head shattered into dust.

Thud!

The stone golem, having lost its life force, collapsed backwards.

Click.

A mechanism activated immediately.

“Check the key.”

Glick said.

“Yes, Master.”

The dark mages took out a small box from the golem’s open chest and opened it.

They checked inside.

And then.

“I-It’s here! Half of the key, Master!”

The dark mages couldn’t contain their excitement.

They must have felt that the great revival they had longed for for so long was becoming a reality.

But only Glick remained calm.

“Don’t get carried away. We haven’t achieved anything yet.”

“S-Sorry, Master…”

The excitement disappeared from the dark mages’ faces, replaced by determination.

They presented the half key to Glick.

Glick took the key and turned around.

“We’re heading to the rendezvous point.”

Mount Cali, the highest peak on the island, located in the center of Diotes Island.

According to the information, a hidden temple that only appeared for one day every ten years existed there.

The foot of Mount Cali was their rendezvous point.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.”

They set off.

* * *

The northern part of the island.

Having already identified the locations of the villages through maps and information, they swept through them like a storm, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.

They were moving faster than planned.

The rough weather and heavy rain were working in their favor.

All that was left was.

Check.

“This is the last one.”

Berto, the leader of the northern dark mages, muttered, pointing at the map with his finger.

Lodgings for visitors to the island.

They had cleared all the villages, and only this one remained.

But it would be a more difficult target than any they had dealt with so far.

Because it was where the students of Lepheria Academy, who were visiting the island for the ruins expedition, were staying.

They were aware of the reputation of the top academy.

But.

“They’re just kids.”

Berto said bluntly.

He didn’t believe in reputation blindly.

Reputation was always exaggerated.

They were just students who played around in a peaceful environment.

On a real battlefield, where blood and flesh splattered, they would freeze in fear.

Moreover.

They had the advantage of a perfect surprise attack.

If they surrounded the lodgings secretly in the heavy rain and attacked from all sides, the students wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance and would be massacred.

“Surround the area first. Surround it and wait for my attack signal.”

“Understood.”

The order was given to the northern dark mages, and they began to gather at one location.

Towards the lodgings of the third-year students of the academy.

* * *

The lodgings, located deep within the forest.

Normally, a cozy and comfortable atmosphere would permeate the place.

But now, an unsettling atmosphere had taken hold.

Black figures surrounded the lodgings.

The eighty strong force stared at one place with cold eyes.

The lodgings, which they would storm like a whirlwind and turn into a bloodbath as soon as the order was given.

“Pitter-patter…”

They held their breath in the rain, their spells already cast.

Ready to unleash their offensive magic.

Swish.

The attack signal was given.

Tap, tap, tap.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

They charged towards the lodgings from all sides.

It didn’t matter who their opponents were.

They would simply eliminate them, just like they had done before.

But.

Before they could even take a few steps.

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

Beep, beep, beep!

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!

An earsplitting noise echoed from all directions.

A loud sound that drowned out even the rain.

“Wh-What’s that?!”

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

“D-Don’t tell me it’s alarm magic?!”

The dark mages seemed to be quite flustered by the sudden noise, stopping in their tracks.

At that moment.

“Enemy!”

A sharp female voice, amplified by magic, pierced through the dawn.

Enemy, enemy, enemy…!

The clear voice echoed like a ripple.

Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep, beep!

The loud noise continued.

It was clear to everyone.

That their surprise attack had been completely foiled.

“Damn it, don’t stop! Charge and wipe them out!”

Berto, regaining his composure, shouted at the top of his lungs.

An unexpected situation had occurred, but one fact remained unchanged.

They had the advantage.

They had surrounded the lodgings, so if they just pushed forward, the enemy would crumble.

“Charge!”

Berto shouted again, his voice strained.

But.

Screech!

Before they could even get close, a thick ice wall rose from the left.

“What?!”

“Stop!”

The dark mages on the left stopped abruptly.

One direction was completely blocked before they could even attack.

“Damn it, break through it!”

One of the dark mages shouted and threw a Dark Orb.

Boom!

A loud explosion.

But the result of the explosion was…

Crack.

Just a few small ice fragments.

“N-No?!”

“Damn it, just go around! We’ll never break through it!”

The dark mage at the front made a quick decision and shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark mages changed direction… towards the south.

But before they could move far.

Screech!

A new ice wall blocked their changed path.

“Huh?!”

“Another ice wall?!”

“Ugh, north! Go north!”

They desperately tried to change direction again towards the north, but an ice wall rose there as well.

“D-Damn it! Another ice wall?!”

“L-Let’s get out! Let’s get out before we’re trapped!”

Finally realizing that the situation was turning sour, the dark mages desperately tried to escape through the only remaining opening, the west.

But even that was too late.

Screech!

A thick ice wall completely enclosed them, like a wall.

The dark mages’ expressions hardened.

“D-Damn it!”

“W-We have no choice! Break through!”

“H-Hurry!”

The twenty dark mages had wasted their time.

* * *

The unexpected event wasn’t limited to the left side.

The north.

Large and thick Magic Arrows filled the air, along with the heavy raindrops.

The dark mages stopped in their tracks, stunned by the incredible sight.

“M-Magic Arrows?!”

“Wh-What are those numbers?! This is impossible…”

As mages, they knew.

How absurd the size and number of those Magic Arrows were.

“Damn it, it’s an illusion! They’re trying to stop us with illusion magic!”

“That’s right! There’s no way those Magic Arrows are real! It’s a trick!”

“Charge!”

The northern dark mages, convinced that it was illusion magic to buy time, tried to move again.

But then.

“It’s not an illusion.”

With an indifferent girl’s voice, a barrage of Magic Arrows flew towards the dark mage at the front.

The dark mage shouted confidently,

“Hmph, I already saw through it! This cheap trick! Who would even flinch… Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

The Magic Arrows mercilessly struck the confident dark mage’s entire body.

The dark mage screamed in pain and collapsed backwards.

Thud!

He lay sprawled in the mud, unconscious.

No, he seemed to be dead.

His body was twisted grotesquely, his bones seemingly shattered.

The other dark mages froze, their eyes wide with horror.

“Take this!”

Another barrage of Magic Arrows rained down on them.

“B-Block them! Block them somehow!”

“W-We’ll die if they break through!”

The dark mages desperately fired the offensive magic they had cast towards the incoming Magic Arrows.

Boom! Crash! Boom! Boom!

A series of fierce collisions in the air.

And so, the movements of the twenty… no, nineteen dark mages in the north were completely halted.

* * *

All that was left was.

The south and the east.

Fortunately for the dark mages, there were no unexpected events on those sides.

But.

Crash!

Thud!

The doors of the lodgings burst open, and armed students poured out.

The time the dark mages had wasted, flustered by the alarm magic, had given the students time to react.

“East and south!”

Allen, who had already been outside and grasped the situation thanks to Max’s prior warning, shouted quickly.

The west was blocked by Elaine’s ice walls, and the north was blocked by Riviera’s Magic Arrows.

They had been surrounded from all sides, but now they only had to defend two directions.

Compared to being attacked from all sides, it was a world of difference.

“Royals to the east! The rest to the south!”

Brett, the Royal class president, immediately shouted after grasping the situation from Allen’s words.

The Royals, the strongest force, would take one side, while the Nobles and Commons would join forces to defend the other side.

It wasn’t a bad decision in such a critical situation.

It was an appropriate distribution of forces.

“Alright! Move to the south now!”

Fabiola, the Noble class president, shouted.

“Right!”

“Hurry!”

The Noble and Common students rushed towards the southern path.

“Let’s move too!”

“Quickly, quickly!”

The Royal students also ran towards the east with all their might.

And so, a breathtaking battle began in the pouring rain.