"What? So it's true," someone muttered.

"No way! This means… we are in real danger."

"Oh no, goddess…"

Adelia saw everyone panicking.

"Oh my sweet lovely goddess, please save me."

Between the noise, she heard a weird kind of praying. The voice was oddly familiar. She looked in Amon's direction with a deadpan look.

Amon was sitting there with his hands clasped, expression worried.

She sighed.

"Listen everyone, don't panic. I and the other

professors will protect you all, so don't worry. For now, all of you stay here and don't come outside. Keep your weapons ready to fight anytime if needed. We will be outside the airship, protecting it while our staff tries to mend it."

Everyone remained silent and listened to her.

Adelia left the cabin. As she stepped outside the airship.

"What do you think? What's happening? Do you think these are the same people who attacked us during dungeon practice?" Amon asked.

Everyone looked at him grimly.

Seraphina replied first, with the same calm and stoic face. "It might be them. I don't think there is any enemy of our academy. But since we had been attacked before… then it must be them again."

"Yeah. It must be," Eliana also agreed.

"Well, it doesn't matter. This time I will kill them," Aisha was fuming with rage.

"We need to be careful, though," Marcus chimed in.

Amon nodded listening to all of them. Then he turned to Arnold, sitting just behind them silently. He was looking outside the window, observing the situation.

"What do you think, Arnold?"

At Amon's question, Arnold gazed at him.

"Don't have any idea. We will do what we can."

He gave a half-ass answer.

Well, Amon didn't push him further and sat on his seat silently.

A thick silence filled the cabin. Everyone sat tensely, weapons in hand. The airship creaked under its own weight, the smell of smoke drifting through the cabin.

Amon's grip tightened on his revolver.

Just then,

Eliana gulped. "D-Do you… hear something?"

Marcus frowned. "Yeah… like crackling?"

Aisha's ears twitched sharply. "Something's—"

CRAAAAAACK!

The metal wall on the left side dented inward, as if something massive slammed into it from outside.

Students jumped out of their seats.

"What the hell!?"

"Something's hitting the ship—again!?"

Before anyone could react—

BOOOOM!!!

The already weakened metal tore apart like paper.

Shards of twisted steel scattered across the cabin. A few students screamed and covered their heads as dust and debris exploded inward.

A large gash tore open along the wall—revealing the dark forest outside.

Amon's eyes widened.

"Shit—something's coming in!"

And then he saw them.

Figures. Multiple figures.

Clad in dark crimson hooded robes, their faces hidden behind black masks covering their mouths and noses. Only their faces above the nose were visible.

Their bodies radiated killing intent so cold it made the air freeze.

The first robed figure stepped into the cabin silently, almost gliding.

Then a second.

A third.

A fourth.

Until eight of them stood inside the ship.

Not a word spoken.

Not a sound except the soft crackling of mana around their hands. Dark, malicious, unstable.

A heavy pressure crushed the air, making some first-years collapse to their knees.

Seraphina, Aisha, Marcus, Eliana. They all took combat stances immediately, though fear flickered in their eyes.

All other students stood up from their seats, holding weapons.

Be it Amelia, Syria.

Even Lian, who was with his friends, now held his battle axe.

Amon felt his throat dry.

His instincts screamed Run.

But he raised his revolver anyway, pointing it at the closest masked intruder.

Amon muttered under his breath, "…Great. Just great. As if today wasn't already bad enough."

One masked figure tilted its head slowly at Amon, almost… amused.

A chilling, distorted voice echoed from behind the mask:

"…Found you."

Amon's heart dropped.

But he was not actually looking at Amon. Rather, the person who was just beside Amon.

Seraphina stepped forward, placing an arm slightly in front of the group.

"Everyone stay back," she said calmly, though her aura flared. "These aren't ordinary attackers."

Aisha growled. "Yeah—no shit!"

Eliana's voice trembled. "P-Professors said to stay inside… but…"

The air felt thick. Almost suffocating.

The masked intruders slowly raised their arms.

Red mana circles flared beneath their feet.

Marcus hissed, "They're starting a spell formation!"

Amon cursed. "Dammit—SERAPHINA! Why is everyone looking like an idiot? Attack those bastards!"

Amon raised his hand and clicked the hammer with his thumb.

His mana covered the bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amon didn't stop with one. He continued to fire bullets one after another.

But talk about his luck. One of the masked men raised his hand. A red translucent barrier formed in front of them. The bullets collided against it, not reaching them.

Amon clicked his tongue.

"What the heck are the teachers doing out there?"

---

The moment Adelia stepped outside.

The wind was flowing through the green forest.

Asher, Aria, and Crystina were with other staff members who were currently trying to mend the broken side of the airship.

She strode toward them.

"What's the situation?" she asked Aria and the others.

Aria was standing with a grim expression, her usual cheerful look nowhere to be found.

"It's more grave than we thought. With the supplies we have… the ship cannot be repaired. We need to contact Lunaris Haven City. But damn, our communication devices are not working."

"Yeah. We need to find a way to contact them," Crystina also agreed.

Asher was going to say something—just then he felt a presence.

His face snapped toward the forest. Two swords appeared in his hands.

Just like him, others felt it as well.

They got into their stances. Something strong and powerful was coming in their direction.

The three men who had come to mend the ship became tense.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

A hooded figure walked out of the forest.

Walking in their direction with a calm but deadly gaze.

His face was covered with a half mask.

"He's strong… stronger than any one of us," Asher said tensely, tightening his grip on his weapons.

"Yes. I can feel it… he's too powerful," Aria summoned her huge magic wand, the crystal blinking at the top.

Crystina pulled out a blue-colored scythe from her ring. "Doesn't change the fact that we need to fight him."

While Adelia was wearing gauntlets. "It's been a long time since I fought."

The hooded figure observed them.

His hazel eyes cold. Emotionless.

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