Chapter 87: Two At Once?
Wolfgar nodded. "Class Group-B. Third years. The only year with two per branch."
Wolfgar’s eye narrowed with genuine interest. "Nereus Grimlake. Shadowmancer. 2 Star Platinum. Another incredible member of the party. We all know his powers. He’s one of the few who could survive a one-on-one with a Demon Head long enough for backup to arrive. And his shadow summons... Well, they will be a game changer against the Demons.
"Lyris Sterling. Beast Weaver. 9 Star Gold. The only Summoner with this Class in the entire world. She stitches body part from different beasts to create new ones, giving her the power to summon adaptive monsters. She’s unpredictable, but her monsters are just what we need to tackle other monsters.
"Darian Vale. Ice Mage. 7 Star Gold. Crowd control. Flash-freezes miasma and halts hordes. Not flashy, but essential.
"Eden Dangrave. Vulcan Mage. 6 Star Gold. Uses earth to create molten traps and walls. Destructive but needs solid ground.
"Jaxen Ironhold. Vanguard Knight. 8 Star Gold. He’s a pure tank. Immovable barrier for evac teams.
"Seradine Locke. Phantom Assassin. 1 Star Platinum. We know she’s a wild one and has been in trouble before but she’s taking steps to become better. Seradine can move through gaps in space and control phantom portals where she claims she sees ghosts. Whatever the case, her powers will help in taking out Demon commanders.
"Next is Gideon Blackwood. Nullifier. 6 Star Gold. Debuff specialist. Strips away enemy armor, speed, resistances.
"Maevia Sol. Arcanist. 8 Star Gold. High-density magical barriers. Can withstand prolonged bombardment."
"Class Group-B heads the evacuation, correct?" Ordenance asked.
Wolfgar nodded. "And they would be the ones to back up the offensive team if needed."
Ordenance nodded, satisfied. "Very well. Carry on."
"Class Group-C. Second years. Four of them."
Wolfgar waved a hand. "Competent. Nothing extraordinary.
"Cassian Roa. Wind Mage. 4 Star Gold. He will be necessary in fast tracking the evacuation
"Torin Halberd. Moon Knight. 7 Star Gold. His silver abilities are a deterrent to the skin of Demons.
"Rilla Daunt. Beast Tamer. 6 Star Gold. Summons wolf beasts. She’ll be a scout.
"Finally, Finnea Starling. Mind Mage. 7 Star Gold. Psychological support. Prevents civilians from being paralyzed by Demon auras.
They’ll do their jobs. None of them will turn the battle alone."
Ordenance nodded. "Now, the First Years. Please, carry on, Wolfgar."
"Of course."
Wolfgar paused. His scarred face softened almost imperceptibly.
"Renan Falconhart. Heavenly Knight. 1 Star Platinum. As we all know, Renan has the highest Grace Retention in ASI history. He’s also a natural talent. Born fighter from the fallen Falconhart family. His footwork is excellent, his instincts are sharp."
"He has that quality... the thing that makes people want to follow him. He’s leading the D-Class sweep in the tunnels and will protect the evacuees. He’ll kill anything that tries to flank the civilians. With his endless pool of Grace, we can depend on him to never run out of battery."
Ordenance placed a thinking finger on his bearded jaw, but he said nothing, only pondering in silence.
Wolfgar carried on.
"Frieda Castleloft. Fire Mage. 5 Star Gold. Despite the aggressiveness of her element, Frieda is surprisingly a nervous girl. However, in training, I have seen just how highly lethal she is, and she has excellent control of her powers. If she doesn’t freeze up, she’ll be extremely useful. If she freezes, she’s a liability.
"Amira Vineheart. Arcanist. 9 Star Gold. Her control of magic is greatly astonishing. She can actually manipulate the soul cores of other Awakeners and if trained enough, she can fracture the Demon core of Demons — essentially killing them from the inside.
Ordenance shook his head. "What a pool of students we gathered this year. And thank the Elders we did. After last year’s students, we thought the A.S.I was failing."
Wolfgar gave the Dean an assuring smile. "We can never fail. Not when the excellence and dignity of humanity is on the line."
Ordenance looked up at him, then he nodded once, acknowledging the professor’s attempt to soothe him. "Carry on, Wolfgar."
Wolfgar’s eyes returned to the crystal square in his hands.
"Finally, Lancet Leogardt. The only Architect Class in our world’s history," his voice dropped. "From what we know, Lancet creates ladders into the past where he can summon legends to fight for him. Presently, he anchors two Platinum-Rank Awakeners: Astensia and Thor — legends from the Era of Ash whose achievements helped save our world."
Ordenance’s voice was quiet. "Has he grown to sustain them for longer?"
"Yes. Now ranked Brilliant, his limit should be a whooping 25,000 MP. Presently he has a total pool of 1250, but with EXP gained during the expeditions, he has upgraded his Retention massively.
"We plan to use Astensia and Thor to lead the charge on both sections. Thor leads the attack on the Demon Head and Astensia protects the evacuation team."
Dean Ordenance’s eyebrows raised. "Lancet is in the evacuation team. Wouldn’t he feel left out? Did he agree to this?"
"Yes, he did finally agree to stay in the back." Wolfgar paused. "The problem is, I don’t think he’s going to stay in the back."
"What do you mean?"
"Well that kid has been training his ass out. Even without talent he’s relentless to become stronger like he’s preparing for a big fight."
The tactics room fell silent.
Ordenance turned back to the map table, tracing the black stain of Hebthej with his finger.
"I trust the boy," he said. "Whatever he is doing, it is likely the right thing."
Wolfgar stared at the Dean. "I understand, sir. He does show a lot of potential. And with the Phantom Ring, perhaps he would do more than just help with evacuation."
"Perhaps," Ordenance said as he absorbed the assessment. Then he allowed himself a small, tired smile.
"Renan Falconhart and Lancet Leogardt," he murmured. "Two Class Group-D students. Both with such promising powers. Do you realize how rare that is? Two system-breaking students entering the Academy in the same year?"
Wolfgar grunted. "I’ve been here twenty-three years. I’ve seen one, maybe two in half a decade. Two at once? Never."
Ordenance clasped his hands behind his back. "I feel better about this raid with both of them in." He looked at Wolfgar. "Are they all set?"
Wolfgar straightened up. "Yes sir. In fact, at this very moment, they are heading to the Academy Vault to select their equipment for the raid."