Ch. 254
Chapter 254: Walpurgis Night (12)
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"……Here! It's open!"
Voices rang out the moment the barrier opened, as if people had been waiting just outside.
Hands reached through as if to enter, but even through the open slit of the barrier, a powerful repelling force surged forth, preventing them from getting in.
"Tch."
Carl furrowed his brow.
So just opening the barrier wasn’t enough?
As he stepped forward, he saw a knight in armor.
"I’m Carlos Leipzig of the Bayern Academy. What’s the situation outside?"
“Bayern!”
The knight widened his eyes and tried to peer through the opening to look inside.
"The inside! What’s happening inside? My younger brother is on the Bayern team!"
"The entire Bayern representative team is safe. However, I can't speak for the other academies. So, what’s the situation outside?"
Hearing that his younger brother was safe, the knight let out a sigh of relief and replied.
"……Thank you. Truly, thank you. Ah, as for the outside—currently, the entire Walpurgis Night venue is blocked by an unknown barrier. The mages from the Magic Tower are analyzing it, but they say it’s a type of spell they’ve never seen before, so it’s difficult."
"Many academies have yet to arrive. We need to stop them from coming in."
"Don’t worry about that. We’ve secured most of the representative teams that hadn’t entered the venue yet."
It was fortunate news.
If any new cadets were to enter while the venue was in this state, they’d only become prey for the monsters.
"Hey! Over here!"
At that moment, the knight waved his hand vigorously.
Immediately, new faces began to appear, peering through the slit in the barrier.
"So entry is blocked, huh."
"You said you're Cadet Carlos? You can’t get out either?"
"No, we can’t. It seems there’s another method…"
Just as Carl nodded to answer, Darius placed his hand on top of the slit.
At the same time, his body slipped outside, and in reverse, the knight who had been outside was pulled inside.
"Whoa?!"
Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden swap of positions.
"This is…"
"A law of equivalent exchange. If one goes out, another must come in."
"Let’s call the cadets first. We should prioritize getting them out."
The knights showed eagerness to enter right away.
But Carl shook his head and spoke to the one who seemed to be their superior.
"Could you inform His Highness Crown Prince Yulian of the situation here?"
"Crown Prince Yulian?"
"He’s overseeing this entire place anyway, so he’ll hear about it soon enough."
"More importantly…"
So Crown Prince Yulian was managing the entire venue.
Nodding at that, Carl stepped back slightly.
"Then it would be best to start retrieving the cadets."
"Right. Ah, I’m Horen. I’m the older brother of second-year Eriksen."
"Ah! I know Senior Eriksen well."
"He’s a flashy one, that kid. I’ll bring them over. You select who should enter from your side!"
Horen gave orders to his comrades and moved with Carl to the place where the cadets were waiting.
‘There are a little over sixty cadets.’
While running back across the forest, Carl did the mental math.
Now that he knew the method, getting the cadets out wasn’t difficult.
The issue was who to bring in.
‘By the time I return, Crown Prince Yulian will likely have acted himself.’
Which meant word would also reach NOX.
The most efficient division would be to select twenty personnel each from the Imperial Palace elite, the Holy Church, and NOX.
"That way. ……They're fighting."
"Damn! An ambush?!"
It seemed the monsters had launched an attack during that time.
Horen dashed forward with tremendous speed, charging straight into the monsters.
He was clearly a skilled knight, but that alone wasn’t enough here.
If a high-ranking demon appeared, he’d be swept away in an instant.
Shhhhk!
Still, he was an effective force when it came to handling large numbers of monsters.
Charging into the temporary defensive line the representative team had established, Horen rampaged like a wild wolf, tearing through every enemy in sight.
"Everyone! Follow Cadet Carlos and fall back! You can escape through the slit in the barrier!"
"……!"
At Horen’s shout, all the cadets turned to Carl.
Carl, who had just cut down another monster, nodded, and they immediately dashed forward.
“Carl, is what that knight said true?”
While running, Lewis asked, and Carl nodded.
“There’s a slit in the barrier. For one person to exit, another has to come inside.”
“Then…”
“There’s likely a standby force waiting to enter. Don’t worry about that part.”
The real concern was that there were too many—choosing who to bring in was the hard part.
That decision would have to be left to Crown Prince Yohanell.
“Carl! Over here!!”
A powerful voice rang out, echoing loudly to indicate the slit’s location.
It was Darius, who had exited first, now shouting with his mana raised.
"……."
But it seemed their enemies had no intention of letting them go that easily, as figures began appearing all around.
Carl lightly drew his Divine Sword Cheonroe, becoming a bolt of lightning as he shot to the flank.
Rrrrummble─!
Thunderclaps shook the forest, echoing in all directions.
The impact was so strong that even the cadets headed toward the slit flinched momentarily.
Boom!
Several trees were crushed instantly by a monster with a massive, fused body.
Sensing the ominous nature of the fluid it released, Carl had acted decisively.
If the cadets had gotten caught up in it, they wouldn’t have even left bones behind as they melted away.
Afterward, Carl cut down the monsters that had emerged and called out to the representative team.
"Head for the slit!"
"……!"
Starting with the cadet at the front, they hurled themselves toward the barrier’s opening.
As they swapped places with those waiting outside, new faces began to appear.
Shhhhk─!
A group of about twenty figures in black surged toward Carl, their dark cloaks fluttering as they slaughtered the remaining monsters.
Tap.
Soon after, Queen descended gracefully and greeted Carl with a courteous, old-fashioned demeanor.
“Master, it’s been a while.”
“Queen.”
Carl gave a chilly smile as he scanned the surroundings.
Second, Gallon For, Five, Six, X, and now Queen as well.
NOX’s main force had entered the veil as if they had been waiting.
“Were you standing by?”
“Yes. We received word from Crown Prince Yulian and immediately selected our personnel. We left half outside to provide reinforcements if needed.”
“Well done.”
King had remained outside.
As NOX’s strongest, his presence out there meant they could handle almost anything that might happen.
“Carl.”
“…!”
Carl flinched slightly at the soft voice that called his name.
When he looked up, he saw Crown Prince Yulian appearing with the Imperial Knights.
“Why did you come in person?”
“As the next emperor, how could I not be involved in this? This is happening in my country. I must take responsibility and resolve it.”
Crown Prince Yulian himself was a master-level expert.
But inside here, nothing was off-limits.
If anything were to happen to the heir to the throne, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Clatter.
A strong presence followed behind Crown Prince Yulian.
Five Sword Masters, two Archmage-level mages, and the rest were also formidable talents not easily encountered.
‘They’ve come fully prepared.’
Another group, naturally, was from the Holy Church.
Paladin Ruthwell, the eleventh Cardinal of the Holy Nation Nadram, and heavily armed Holy Knights and priests had formed a battle formation.
“……”
Nadram met Carl’s gaze and gave a slight nod, offering no further words.
“Carl.”
However, not all cadets had withdrawn to the outside.
Yuria and Laysis, who had completed the unique magical system "Four Seasons," had remained behind.
While it was understandable for Yuria, Carl had never told Laysis to stay, so when he looked at her, she hesitated slightly and spoke.
“…Is that, not allowed? I think I could be of help too.”
Laysis’s level was mid-high Sword Expert.
An unbelievable level for a cadet, but still lacking when considering the caliber of this expedition force.
Still, Carl nodded without much hesitation and replied.
“If that’s your choice.”
“…Yes!”
With his permission granted, Laysis stood beside Carl with a bright face.
Yuria gave an exasperated expression, and Queen smiled faintly, casting an envious glance.
“So, have you figured out what’s going on inside?”
The three faction leaders were gathered in one place.
When Crown Prince Yulian asked, Carl shook his head.
“I’ve been too busy managing the cadets. However, it’s clear that not only the forces of the Demon Realm are here, but also the heretics. It seems they’re trying to recreate the Ragnarok ritual here.”
“Ragnarok.”
Cardinal Nadram bit his lip and spoke in a subdued voice.
“…The heretics who worship the Demigods have long been a thorn in the Church’s side. They don’t hesitate to commit inhumane acts for the resurrection of a Demigod. It’s no surprise they’ve allied with the forces of the Demon Realm.”
“We encountered some of them right before arriving here through the Teleport Gate.”
Carl recalled the moment.
Judging by the distinct presence of Prometheus that had manifested clearly in his child, it seemed the opposing side had completed much of their preparations.
‘The problem is me.’
Due to lack of time, he had failed to collect all the fragments of Kylos.
He clicked his tongue, regretting not moving more diligently, when the female mage-form of Kylos spoke from within.
–There’s no need to worry about that.
‘No need to worry? What do you mean?’
–Once the ritual of Ragnarok is complete, all the seals will be undone. Even without searching for them, you’ll be able to fully complete the divinity.
‘…Then wasn’t there no need to go searching all this time?’
To that, Kylos gave a derisive laugh and replied.
–Then what about the believers? If their god’s power was weakened, they would’ve all died or dispersed. And to trigger Ragnarok, a certain level of divinity is required. The bearer and the magnitude both matter. They didn’t search for those fragments for nothing.
Indeed, Kylos now shared more detailed information, likely because the promised time was drawing near.
‘So what should I do now?’
–You must find the altar. That will formally grant you qualification to participate in Ragnarok.
‘I see.’
Carl nodded.
The problem was, no one else knew he had inherited the power of the Demigod Kylos.
While Crown Prince Yulian might be fine, the Holy Church—his current ally—could react negatively.
“There’s something I must reveal first.”
So, Carl decided to settle that matter first. He drew the Heavenly Thunder Sword and released the divine aura of Kylos before them.
“I have inherited the divinity of Kylos, a Demigod distinct from Prometheus.”
He declared this in a quiet voice.