Black energy tore across the horizon.
Fast.
Dense.
Violent.
For an instant, no one atop the tower could move.
Charles watched.
The Headmistress did too.
That overwhelming mass of energy seemed to grow as it advanced.
Not because it was truly increasing.
But because they were finally beginning to understand its actual scale.
— Barrier! — Charles shouted.
Too late.
The energy struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire world seemed to tremble.
Dirfázia's barrier warped violently.
The translucent surface bent inward as though struck by a colossal projectile.
Waves of mana spread throughout the entire structure.
One.
Two.
Three.
The towers shook.
The kingdom's windows rattled.
Mages lost their footing atop the walls.
Some artifacts stopped firing.
The Headmistress remained motionless.
Her eyes were completely fixed on the point of impact.
The barrier endured.
For one second.
Then another.
Then—
CRAAAAAAAAAAACK!
A black fracture tore across the luminous surface.
Charles's eyes widened.
— No...
The crack expanded.
Branched.
Spread across dozens of meters.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!
That section of the barrier shattered.
A flash blending bluish mana and black energy exploded across the battlefield.
The shockwave tore through the space between the barrier and the walls.
Trees were ripped from the ground.
Stones flew through the air.
Parts of the outer defensive structures were destroyed.
The soldiers near the walls shielded themselves.
The Headmistress felt the connection fluctuate.
The barrier reacted immediately.
The edges of the opening began to glow.
Mana moved toward the center.
Trying to seal the breach.
— It's repairing itself — Charles said.
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
— No.
Charles looked at her.
— What?
— Look.
The larger Shadows had changed direction.
Gigantic creatures charged directly toward the opening.
Some possessed four enormous limbs.
Others crawled with dozens of legs.
One of the largest seemed to have no head at all.
Only a massive torso surrounded by deformed arms.
They reached the breach.
And stopped.
Not completely inside.
Not completely outside.
In between.
Their bodies pressed against the edges of the barrier.
FSSSSSSSSHHHH!
The light began consuming them.
Parts of their bodies dissolved.
But they didn't retreat.
The barrier tried to close.
And those creatures remained there.
Serving as living wedges.
The Headmistress understood immediately.
— They're preventing the barrier from regenerating.
Charles clenched his teeth.
— Too intelligent.
More Shadows arrived.
They passed through the opening.
First the smaller ones.
Then the crawling ones.
Then flying creatures poured through the breach like a black cloud.
— Western sector! — Charles shouted. — Prepare for internal combat!
The soldiers were already moving.
---
— FORMATION!
The commander's voice cut through the chaos.
Hundreds of soldiers positioned themselves behind the walls.
Swords were drawn.
Spears pointed forward.
Shields rose.
Mana began flowing through weapons and armor.
The commander walked toward the front line.
His face remained firm.
His eyes followed the first Shadows passing through the breach.
— Listen to me!
The soldiers looked at him.
— Dirfázia stands behind us!
A flying creature crossed through the barrier.
A magical shot from the wall struck its body.
BOOM!
It fell.
More came.
— Behind these walls are your families!
Mana began surrounding the commander's sword.
— Your friends!
The soldiers reinforced their own bodies.
Legs.
Arms.
Reflexes.
Breathing.
— So it doesn't matter what comes through that opening!
He pointed his sword forward.
— DON'T LET THEM PASS!
A roar answered.
— YES!
The first Shadows arrived.
The commander charged.
His sword tore through a quadrupedal creature.
Mana exploded through the cut.
The dark body dissolved.
— NOW!
The soldiers advanced.
The battle began.
Blades coated in magic tore through Shadows.
Spears pierced crawling creatures.
Shields absorbed violent impacts.
Soldiers were thrown aside.
Others took their places.
Behind them...
Ground mages raised their hands.
— Fire!
Magic circles appeared.
A wall of flames swept through the enemy line.
— Wind!
Violent gusts hurled creatures backward.
— Reinforcement!
Mana enveloped entire groups of soldiers.
Their muscles responded.
Their speed increased.
The wounded were dragged behind the lines.
Support mages knelt beside them.
Light flowed over cuts.
The bleeding slowed.
The battle continued.
On the walls...
The artifacts kept firing.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
Dirfázia's defense had become a gigantic machine.
Soldiers held the front.
Mages attacked from behind.
Healers kept the wounded alive.
Artifacts destroyed entire groups.
Even so...
The Shadows continued pouring through.
---
On the tower...
Charles watched the breach.
Then...
He looked at the Headmistress.
She was still standing.
Perfectly.
The wind moved her hair.
Her eyes remained fixed on the screens.
No visible difficulty.
No weakness.
Charles subtly frowned.
{Strange.}
That impact had shattered an entire section of the barrier.
A barrier she continuously strengthened herself.
He knew how much effort that required.
She herself had admitted it.
{An impact like that should have struck her connection directly.}
Charles kept watching.
{Even if it didn't knock her down...}
{Something should have happened.}
The Headmistress remained focused on the projections.
Or appeared to be.
Because she noticed.
She felt his gaze.
For several seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
She shifted her eyes slightly.
And met Charles's.
Silence.
The Headmistress understood.
{He noticed.}
Her body remained still for one more moment.
Then her breathing faltered.
Subtly.
She placed one hand against the edge of the tower.
Her fingers tightened against the stone.
— Hm...
Charles narrowed his eyes.
One of her knees weakened slightly.
The Headmistress lowered herself.
She didn't fall.
She merely braced herself.
Breathing more deeply.
— Headmistress?
She closed her eyes.
— I'm fine.
Charles kept watching.
— Are you sure?
— The impact...
She placed one hand against her chest.
— It affected the connection more than I expected.
Charles remained silent.
The Headmistress breathed again.
Inside...
Nothing had changed.
Her mana remained stable.
So did her connection to the barrier.
But Charles didn't need to know that.
Not yet.
She slowly raised her face.
— And the Hero?
Charles blinked.
— What?
— The Hero.
She breathed as though speaking required effort.
— You said you sent for him.
— I did.
— Then where is he?
Charles looked toward the battlefield.
— I don't know.
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
— You don't know?
— The messenger should have arrived some time ago.
— And he should be here.
— I agree.
The Headmistress slowly stood.
She made sure to keep one hand braced against the stone.
— I need to step away for a moment.
Charles turned toward her.
— Now?
— My mana circulation is unstable.
She closed her eyes.
— If I keep forcing the connection in this state, I could make things worse.
Charles hesitated.
— Do you want someone to accompany you?
— No.
The answer came too quickly.
She noticed.
Then softened her voice.
— That won't be necessary.
Charles watched her for a few more seconds.
At last...
He nodded.
— Go.
— I'll maintain coordination from here.
The Headmistress turned away.
Took several steps.
Slow.
Controlled.
Until she disappeared from Charles's line of sight.
Then...
She stopped.
Straightened completely.
Her breathing returned to normal.
The exhaustion vanished from her expression.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Charles couldn't see her.
— You watch too closely...
She raised one hand.
Mana appeared before her.
— But now...
Her eyes turned serious.
— I need to know where he is.
A dimensional screen opened.
The image crossed the kingdom.
Streets.
Buildings.
Gardens.
Until it reached a massive estate.
Raiden.
The Headmistress brought the view closer.
At the gates...
There was a soldier.
Two guards blocked his entry.
The soldier held a letter.
— I'm telling you, it's urgent!
One of the guards remained unmoved.
— And we're telling you that document has no validity.
— Counselor Charles sent me!
— Then where is the seal?
The soldier looked down at the letter.
— This is how I received it.
The second guard let out a short laugh.
— Convenient.
— I'm not lying!
He raised the document.
— This is a letter from the king's counselor! He ordered me to summon the Hero immediately!
— And why should I believe that?
The soldier's eyes widened.
— The kingdom is under attack!
In the distance...
The sirens could still be heard.
The guard remained firm.
— If the Hero had truly been officially summoned, someone of proper rank would have come personally.
— I'm a soldier of the guard!
— Exactly.
The Headmistress enlarged the screen.
Closer.
Until she could clearly see the document.
Her expression hardened.
There was no seal.
No official mark.
No authentication.
Nothing.
{Charles...}
She frowned.
{Why would you send a summons without a seal?}
The soldier kept insisting.
— Please! We don't have time!
The first guard crossed his arms.
— The Hero is training.
— Then call him!
— He ordered that he not be disturbed.
— You don't understand! The Shadows have already breached part of the barrier!
The guards exchanged glances.
For a moment...
There was hesitation.
But the second guard spoke:
— And we have direct orders.
— That letter could be fake.
— Fake?!
— And presenting a false order attributed to the king's counselor is enough reason for arrest.
The soldier was left speechless.
The Headmistress slowly closed her hand.
The screen remained active.
{No.}
{Something is wrong.}
It could be negligence.
It could be confusion.
It could be something Charles didn't even know about.
But there was no time to investigate.
The barrier had already been breached.
Dirfázia was fighting.
And the Hero...
Was training.
— Enough.
The screen vanished.
Mana surrounded her body.
FWOOOSH!
---
She appeared several streets away from the Raiden estate.
Far enough that no one would notice the teleportation.
The Headmistress adjusted her clothes.
And walked.
When the guards finally saw her...
Both froze.
— H-Headmistress?!
The soldier immediately turned.
Relief crossed his face.
— Ma'am!
She didn't stop.
— I need to speak with the Hero.
The two guards exchanged looks.
— He's training.
— I know.
— And he ordered that no one—
The Headmistress stopped before them.
Looked directly at the guard.
He swallowed.
— ...disturb him.
— The kingdom is being invaded.
Silence.
— I'm going to interrupt him.
Both remained tense.
At last...
One of them opened the gate.
— You may enter.
The soldier breathed in relief.
The Headmistress passed through.
One of the guards followed her.
The Raiden estate was enormous.
But she barely paid attention.
— Where is he?
— In the underground chamber.
— Take me there.
The guard nodded.
They crossed the estate.
Descended one staircase.
Then another.
Deeper and deeper.
— He's been down there since before the alarm — the guard explained.
— How long?
— A few hours.
— And no one managed to warn him?
The guard shook his head.
— When he enters that chamber...
He hesitated.
— It's practically impossible.
The Headmistress looked at him.
— Why?
— The gravity.
They continued downward.
— The chamber uses an extreme gravitational field for training.
— How strong?
— Depends on how high he sets it.
The guard swallowed.
— But usually far beyond what any normal person could endure.
The Headmistress remained silent.
— It's because of the Katlônios — the guard continued.
She slightly turned her head.
— Go on.
— He says that one day he'll enter their kingdom.
The man's tone changed.
As though repeating something he had heard many times.
— And kill them all.
The Headmistress didn't respond.
They reached the bottom of the staircase.
Before them...
A massive opening.
In place of an ordinary door...
There was a transparent surface.
Almost invisible.
The air behind it seemed distorted.
As though space itself were being crushed.
— The barrier — said the guard.
The Headmistress approached.
She felt it immediately.
Pressure.
Mana.
Gravity.
— It keeps the field from leaking outside.
— And prevents anyone from entering while he's training.
The Headmistress looked at him.
— Anyone?
— Until today...
The guard took a deep breath.
— He's the only one who's ever managed to cross it by himself.
The Headmistress turned her gaze back toward the barrier.
— Until today.
The guard frowned.
She raised one hand.
A thin layer of mana covered her body.
It didn't glow brightly.
It was almost invisible.
Only faint lines moved across her skin.
— Ma'am?
The Headmistress took a step.
Her hand passed through the barrier.
The guard's eyes widened.
— Wait!
Another step.
Half her body passed through.
The gravitational pressure struck.
Heavy.
Violent.
The Headmistress's clothes were pressed tightly against her body.
Her hair dropped abruptly.
The floor beneath her foot cracked.
CRACK.
She narrowed her eyes.
{Interesting.}
The pressure increased.
{This is far beyond the Academy's chambers.}
Her magic reacted.
A layer of mana spread across her muscles.
The weight lessened.
It didn't disappear.
But it became bearable.
She took another step.
And entered completely.
The guard remained on the other side.
Speechless.
The Headmistress glanced back.
— Wait here.
— Y-Yes...
She turned around.
And saw the chamber's true scale.
It was enormous.
Far larger than the property above.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness.
Platforms spread across different heights.
Columns divided the space into sectors.
Entire areas seemed to possess different configurations.
And everywhere...
Dolls.
No.
Automata.
Skeleton-like structures made from metal, crystal, and magical materials.
Runes glowed along their joints.
Luminous cores occupied the center of their chests.
Some carried swords.
Others spears.
Others carried no weapons at all.
One of them noticed the Headmistress.
Turned its head.
Its eyes lit up.
And it charged.
Fast.
Very fast.
Even under that gravity.
The Headmistress merely raised her hand.
— Move.
A small wave of mana struck the automaton.
There was no explosion.
No impact.
Its body simply...
Came apart.
Pieces separated in midair.
The core went dark.
The Headmistress kept walking.
Behind her...
The pieces began to vibrate.
Gravitational mana flowed through the floor.
The fragments rose.
Reassembled.
The core lit again.
The Headmistress glanced sideways.
— Automatic reconstruction...
Two more automata charged.
She increased her speed.
Mana surrounded her legs.
Her body left the ground.
She shot through the chamber.
The automata leapt.
One came from the right.
She pointed.
BOOM!
It vanished.
Another tried to grab her leg.
She moved two fingers.
A line of mana cut through its torso.
The body came apart.
More arrived.
She continued.
Faster and faster.
Until...
A light appeared in the distance.
BOOOOOOM!
Then another.
CLANG!
A wave of mana crossed the chamber.
The Headmistress narrowed her eyes.
Found him.
At the center of an enormous platform...
The Hero was fighting.
Five automata surrounded him.
No.
Eight.
One charged.
He dodged.
His sword sliced through the doll's neck.
Another appeared behind him.
The Hero spun his elbow.
CRACK!
The metallic head flew away.
Two attacked simultaneously.
He disappeared.
Reappeared between them.
The sword flashed.
Both were split apart.
The Headmistress kept approaching.
Watching.
He was fast.
Extremely fast.
But...
She noticed.
{That's not his maximum speed.}
Another automaton leapt.
The Hero dodged by inches.
{He's holding back.}
He could have destroyed them all much faster.
But he didn't want to.
He wanted to feel the weight.
He wanted the gravity to hinder every movement.
He wanted training to remain training.
— Obsessive...
The Headmistress increased her speed.
More automata noticed her presence.
Four changed direction.
Leapt.
She flew between them.
A sphere appeared in her hand.
Expanded.
And—
BOOOOM!
All four disappeared.
Not shattered.
Simply swept away.
In the distance...
The Hero noticed.
His gaze shifted.
Something was approaching him.
Fast.
Flying.
Through the gravity.
The automata didn't fly.
At least...
Not before.
He frowned.
{One of them learned how to fly?}
Another automaton tried to strike him.
He dodged without looking.
His sword pierced through its chest.
His eyes remained fixed on the approaching figure.
{They're getting smarter.}
A small smile appeared on his face.
— Finally.
He planted his feet firmly.
His hand tightened around the sword.
Mana began to rise.
Light.
Faint at first.
Then intense.
The entire blade became engulfed in radiant energy.
Even under that crushing gravitational pressure...
The darkness of the chamber retreated.
The Headmistress continued advancing.
Then noticed.
That energy.
That stance.
The sword being prepared.
Her eyes widened slightly.
— Don't tell me...
The Hero spun.
His entire body moved with the strike.
The blade of light tore through the air.
Straight toward the Headmistress.