## Chapter 322 – The Monarch of Monsters (24)
“The 3rd Knight Order needs support…!!”
“The 5th Magic Corps is at critical mana depletion levels!!”
“The 7th Knight Order is suffering heavy casualties!!”
The sudden crisis resulted in significant damage, and it wasn’t just the Academy students who were affected.
The Royal Knight Orders and Royal Magic Corps, fighting in various parts of the capital, were engaging in combat with skills befitting their prestigious reputation, earned only by those deemed worthy.
“We have to hold on…!!
We can’t send support anywhere…!!
Damn it… there are too many……!!”
But even they were not superhuman.
Faced with a flood of support requests and urgent reports from all directions, the Knight Order Commander slammed his fist on the table in the hastily established command center, cursing under his breath.
“We’ll go and provide support…!!
Commander… good luck…!!”
Amidst this chaos, the adjutants, unable to ignore the pleas for help any longer, rose and drew their swords. The Knight Order Commander could only clench his eyes shut and nod in response.
“Move to the 7th Knight Order!!
I will personally support the 3rd Knight Order!!”
“Where is that?”
“Where else…!! What……!?
Who are you people!?”
“What do you think? We’re here to help.
I’m Carlson, Head of the Swordsmanship Department at Saint Flansina Academy.
I’ve brought my students to support the front lines.”
At the words of the young-looking man, dressed head-to-toe in black clothing, from his shoes to his pants and cloak, perhaps due to personal preference, the Knight Order Commander’s face, previously filled with frustration, paled drastically.
“The Head of the Swordsmanship Department from the Academy…!!
If you’re Carlson… are you from the Germain Ducal Family…!!”
“Let’s save the pleasantries for later.
Hand over command. Give the orders.”
“Ye… yes…!! Esteemed senior…!!
It’s an honor to fight alongside you…!!”
“How are the Magic Corps faring?”
Meanwhile, at the question from an elderly man with a cane, who walked out from behind, the Knight Order Commander, slightly intimidated by the appearance of the Academy’s Head of the Swordsmanship Department, cautiously offered an answer.
“Well… the problem is mana depletion…”
“Huhu… After drawing such a large-scale magic circle…
It’s only natural they’d suffer.
It’s a wonder they’ve lasted this long.
Then we’ll take care of that side.”
“Yes, I understand… What are you doing?
Quickly, escort this gentleman…!!”
As the Knight Order Commander, eager to send them away, poked the adjutant beside him, the adjutant remained frozen with a blank expression.
Staring at the adjutant’s dazed face, the Knight Order Commander urged him on.
“D… D-D-Dardaniel-nim…!!
I greet the Great Sage!!
Please, guide us as you see fit…!!”
Only then did the adjutant, filled with tension, stammer and shout, causing the Knight Order Commander’s face to darken.
“Why bring up stories from so long ago…!! Ahem…!!
Well, I was quite something in my younger days!! Hehe! Just kidding.
I’m still not worthy of the title of Sage.
I’ll be heading out to relieve them soon, so please show me the way?”
“How long are you going to stand around chatting?
Gather the wounded in the rear.
Quickly bring the most critical patients first.
We’ve prepared the supplies, so just hurry with the patients.”
“The Divine Healer of Chaoxing…!!
I… I’m sorry…!!
I’ll make preparations immediately…!!”
Truly a gathering of stars.
It was as if the One-Star, who had been rampaging without knowing the fear of the world, was finally understanding his place after seeing the Two-Stars, Three-Stars, and Four-Stars. The Knight Order Commander and his adjutants, upon meeting the department heads, scurried away with such speed that their legs were barely visible.
Fortunately, the Head of the Engineering Department, a ‘Meister’ renowned as one of Barmhausen’s finest artisans, remained at the Academy, modifying and activating various drones stored for research purposes into combat drones, alongside the students.
Had he been present as well, the Knight Order Commander might have suffered a myocardial infarction on the spot.
As the commander of the Royal Knight Order, who never had to worry about being inferior to anyone, and despite not being particularly young himself.
The students, watching the Knight Order Commander and his group tremble before their superiors, began to realize the greatness of those who had been teaching them.
In any case, the important thing was to support the Knight Order.
With that goal in mind, the Academy, including professors and over 1,000 students, surged forward after the command was handed over. The Knight Order Commander couldn’t help but let out a joyous shout as he began to direct them.
“Total strike? The situation must be more serious than I imagined?”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
“They’re even mobilizing the mages for combat!!
There are already not enough people to restore the magic circle!!
That means they don’t have enough manpower to deal with the monsters with swords alone.”
Of course, the arrival of the students provided some relief to the Knight Order.
But what good is giving a drowning person a straw?
In the end, you need to either pull them out of the water or give them an oxygen tank to save them.
If they couldn’t somehow stop the endless wave of monsters that resembled an all-out assault, they would eventually be crushed by the remaining monsters, even if they managed to seal the gate.
“So, we have to deal with what’s out here now…”
“It’s not like the knights are incapable of fighting.
There are famous people like Brynkel, Carlos, and Debbie Moore…
The problem is that there are just too many monsters…
In this state, even if we join in…
Will we really be of any help…?”
“Given the situation…
Do you think we’ll be okay, Vivian-nim…?
We’re still just people, after all…”
Hearing one student, standing in line with other students in their uniforms, calmly assessing the situation, mutter to another, Lanié, seemingly growing more anxious, quietly whispered into Vivian’s ear.
Vivian, as if suffering from a headache at Lanié’s words ‘still just people,’ rubbed her forehead and lowered her gaze, touching the hilt of the sword at her side.
“It’ll be alright. It might be a little tough…
But if we can’t do it anyway…”
“Move out!! According to the companies we were divided into earlier!!
The 1st and 2nd companies will pass through Carvin Street and join the 3rd and 7th Knight Orders!!
The 3rd company will assist the students supporting the Magic Corps!!
The 4th company will follow the professors, who will be in separate command!!”
Before she could finish her reply, Vivian and Lanié were swept up in the student crowd, moving out in response to the urgent orders.
They were assigned to the 3rd company.
Their task was relatively simple: to escort the students joining the Magic Corps.
“Aurora must be somewhere in there…
So, we’re essentially the last line of defense?”
“Yes. The mages need protection, even in the unlikely event.
If we’re lucky, there won’t be any more fighting…
But it’s hard to expect that…”
Of course, if the battle went favorably, there would be no need to worry about the threat of monsters.
The problem was the possibility of unexpected variables.
And in most cases, the monsters themselves could be considered variables.
“Potion!! Does anyone have more!!”
“Damn it…!! Why doesn’t the calculation add up…!!”
When they arrived at the Magic Corps, the students’ unease grew even more as they witnessed the more dire situation than they had imagined.
“Hey…!! Get a grip!!
The hemoptysis won’t stop!!
Where’s the medic!!”
People were coughing up blood, one of the side effects of mana depletion, and their faces were pale and bloodied. The illusion that they had mistakenly arrived at the Knight Order, who were directly fighting the monsters, was almost cute.
Seeing those who were barely able to walk, searching for potions that would help restore their condition and aid in mana absorption as if they were searching for the elixir of life, the morale of the magic students plummeted like a rollercoaster.
In reality, the only forces capable of properly moving among the Magic Corps and student soldiers were the students and a few professors.
‘This is already terrible.’
Vivian, beginning to scan her surroundings and glancing at the Magic Corps, felt her eyes fill with worry.
The Magic Corps was positioned on higher ground to maintain a wide field of vision.
“Ogre!! An ogre is charging in!!”
“Scorpia!! Watch out for its tail attack!!”
For that reason, the sight of humans and monsters clashing below was still fiercely intense.
“Ugh!! The higher species are starting to appear!!”
“Ah…!! Is this really the end……!!”
Until now, only the lower species had appeared in hordes, merely draining their stamina.
Now, even higher species of monsters were starting to mix in, showing that the gate was gradually breaking free from the sealing influence.
At this rate, the Magic Corps wouldn’t be able to provide any magical support, let alone a total strike.
Even if the knights gritted their teeth and held on, it would be meaningless.
The magic professors and students were sharing their mana to stabilize the Magic Corps, but that was just wasting the mana needed for casting spells.
To find a way to seal the dungeon while working with these people in this state.
‘If only… we could join the Knight Order now……
No… After all, without these people, the dungeon can’t be sealed……’
“Swamp Devil!! Focus your attack on this… Kuegh…!!”
Whether the heavens knew of Vivian’s anguish or not.
‘How… how should I……’
While the students, relatively fearful and in need of protection, formed ranks and raised their swords, the number of knights collapsing in front gradually increased.
‘Is this… really the end……?’
At the very moment when the last hope she had been clinging to seemed to crumble, ‘those’ things appeared before Vivian’s eyes, who was helplessly watching the tragedy below with a sense of despair.
– Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!
