CLANG

The boar pressed forward, but it did nothing to weaken her barrier as Emma kept it occupied. At the same time, she charged straight at the advancing demonic crane.

Using her barriers as a platform, she pivoted high into the air, her batons spinning in her grip before she slammed them into the devil's long neck.

As she descended, she channeled aether and brought several stacked barriers crashing down on the boar, leaving a bloody smear on the pavement.

When she landed, a huff escaped her throat, born more of annoyance than exhaustion.

These minor monsters were appearing in numbers, and that alone was enough to raise the risk of them raiding civilian homes.

Emma's aether presence clearly wasn't affecting these power-drunk devils, but there was no telling what might change.

Just as she was about to brace herself for another onslaught, a familiar voice echoed in her head.

[I'm heading to the frontlines to check on things.]

Emma frowned and turned toward the church spire. "Do you sense something?"

[Just a hunch. But if I'm right, delaying this would only lead to the people of this town being brutally murdered. I might as well see if I can do anything.]

She hurriedly replied before he could leave, "Just make sure you don't fight needlessly. William, you're still recovering. I must remind you."

There was a brief pause before, all of a sudden, William flew straight toward her.

He waved his hand, and an advancing devil was split cleanly down the middle.

He landed before her, one arm effortlessly sliding around her waist and pulling her closer.

A thin smile curved his lips as he said, "When you call me by my full name… do you know what I feel?"

Emma hummed, her brows lifting slightly.

"I feel scared of you. I never got as nervous around my father as I do because of you."

Emma scoffed. "Some fear is necessary to keep this lover of mine in control." She pressed a finger lightly against his nose as she said it.

William chuckled, stole a brief taste of her lips, and then flew off into the night sky.

Emma sighed, touching her lips as the lingering warmth filled her with vitality, and readied herself for another round.

....

William floated over the town, his eyes swiftly scanning the incoming monsters.

The town's walls were tall enough to leave the devils with no choice but to take the direct routes, all of which were guarded by the three students.

As for those that could fly, they were brought down by the archers stationed along the perimeter, arrows streaking through the air with sharp whistles before pinning shrieking bodies to the ground.

Thanks to that, Emma and the other two could remain unworried about any sudden or random approach.

Soon, he reached the frontlines, and the moment his gaze settled there, a grim thought crossed his mind.

If what he had seen before was a fragmented stampede, then this was possibly a massacre.

Hundreds upon hundreds of devils were pouring out of jagged cracks in the ground, clawing their way free as the earth split and bled dark mist. Each one of them surged forward, racing straight toward the defensive line formed by the soldiers at the front.

Shields were raised shoulder to shoulder, their metal edges overlapping. Spears and halberds were braced, points trembling ever so slightly as breaths came out heavy and fast. Courage roared louder than fear, carried in clenched jaws and burning eyes.

Together, they released such a dense wave of aether that the air itself seemed to thicken. Several small and weak devils disintegrated the instant they crawled out of the Death Sinks, their bodies torn apart before they could even scream.

Still, none of it discouraged the rest from even considering another path.

They kept climbing out over the corpses of their own kind, trampling the remains as they charged without pause or hesitation.

And that, more than their numbers, was what made them inhuman.

William soon spotted the man who had escorted them to the campsite earlier.

Seeing him command an entire battalion gave William the assurance that he was indeed a high ranking soldier.

Without much thought, William first landed in the lanes of the campsite, careful not to appear directly on the frontlines and draw immediate attention, before advancing toward the man.

"Sir Talec!" he called out, his voice carrying clearly over the din.

The man flinched and turned, eyes widening as they fell on the boy. "You… here? Did something happen to the other cadets?" he asked urgently, already stepping away from his post.

William reassured him, "They are safe. I came to inform you about the increasing number of devils." He chose a lie. Of course, he had to.

Talec frowned. "Just as I thought…" His tone was grim, but surprised.

William pressed on, "Are we short on retaliation?"

Talec gritted his teeth and turned away.

Pointing toward the western edge, he said, "We lost one of our units during the fight with the third ranked devil."

William's brows lifted. "Third ranked devil? That means there are only four more to go?"

Talec nodded. "We have the arsenal and the people to take down the remaining four and end this mayhem." His jaw tightened, frustration plain as he added, "But those nasty bastards are just lying back and watching the show. Fucking shit eaters."

William thought for a moment. Talec's words were reassuring, to be honest. He still had the personnel capable of taking down the bosses, even if all of them appeared at once.

He couldn't tell Talec that he alone could draw them out with his presence. That would raise questions he had no intention of answering.

So he thought of another way. A little foolish, perhaps, but worth trying.

"Sir Talec," he said, drawing the man's attention.

He took out a small vial from his pocket. "I received this from the church as a reward. It contains condensed aether, the blood of a chosen one."

Talec's eyes widened. "How did you get this?"

William shrugged. "You could say I did some things in the past that saved a few people from losing their jobs."

Talec didn't question it. Instead, he urged William to continue with a silent nod.

"I believe using this over the Death Sinks could draw them out."

Talec frowned and turned toward the crimson slits in the ground.

William added, "Blood this potent would surely give them false temptation. I can't guarantee it will work, but it's better than doing nothing."

Talec thought for a moment.

Seeing his soldiers fighting against monsters which were doing nothing but elevate their exhaustion, he really needed a change.

Turning towards William, Talec nodded, "Alright, go for it."

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