Countless footsteps followed one after another as all the students exited the building in an orderly manner. Over 1,100 students were divided into different groups, each led by Axel, Heinz, Enrick, Thorian, Jaden, and Sophia herself.
Thankfully, the rest of the building did not sustain much damage; only the top two floors were blown off into cinders. In just five minutes, with proper coordination between everyone. They all evacuated themselves from the frontmost building of the academy. The biggest and most luxurious building within the academy was now in shambles. The written symbol of ’Unified Human Academy’ was utterly destroyed in the aftermath of the attack.
And since this building was on the frontmost part of the island, anyone can see the endless ocean from there. Despite it being night, everything felt as clear as day, illuminated by the four moons above. Once everyone had been evacuated correctly from the building, they saw the other devastations around them, the academy campus, which usually remains neatly organized and filled with carefully maintained vegetation and flower fields. But now, everything was destroyed as if a war had been fought. Many other buildings in the area were in a worse state.
Axel knew that the principal had made sure to protect the building, disregarding the other structures, since the students were all in one place. Heinz threw another worried glance at Axel, but his friend shook his head slightly. Reassuring him again not to worry about Vyra. Heinz could only reluctantly accept his friend’s words and refocus on the current situation.
Axel suddenly narrowed his eyes in the direction of the vast ocean, walking towards the area right in front. Almost a kilometer away, countless small black dots were there. Noticing his gaze, his friends also directed their gazes in the same direction as the dreadful army of the dead marched towards the island at an impossible speed. The first thing that became visible to the six of them who were in charge of the situation.
The monstrous Death Knight, riding its nightmarish stallion, left a wide arc of deathly energy. Right behind it followed thousands upon thousands of undead skeletons. The whole army was running through the endless waters of the ocean, as if it were flat ground.
As they all took in the sight of that, a profound silence descended upon them. The challenge that stood before them was not merely an insurmountable difficulty, but something borderline impossible to overcome. There was no one else who would help them. Only the students themselves would have to fight.
They stood in silence, as their faces showed a mix of horror and despair. Even Sophia Evercrest had an ugly look on her face. The only one who remained moderately calm was Axel himself. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t afraid. It would be a lie if he said that everything would go well. The murderous, glowing, blue, flaming eyes of the Death Knight made him feel so small. But even so, nothing would change by giving in to fear.
The mission he set for himself, the only path that was open for him, the day he killed Ivor and ate his heart. The very day he had integrated the demon bloodline into himself. The very day he left Ivor’s mother to die alone, his path was set in stone. There was no turning back. The only thing he could do was to fight and continue to move forward, because the hell he chose to bathe in, had only begun.
A boundless resolution took over his face as he turned towards his friends, who all seemed to have their spirits crushed in front of the impossible threat ahead. The students standing behind them also saw the army of the dead marching through the sea. They dropped to their knees, shouting and cursing, asking for help from the professors or anyone.
Insanity took over their minds, tears fell, and most seemed to be ready to accept their deaths. Many of the couples embraced each other. Saying their final loving words.
While others stared ahead with a hollow look on their faces, unsure of what to do, it was truly a testament to their current predicament that, despite being innately hopeful beings, humans sometimes even created a false illusion of hope when there was none.
Sophia grabbed his hand softly. She promised him, "I’ll protect you no matter what."
He only chuckled at that statement, looking at her beautiful face. Axel let go of her hand, but the determined expression on his face remained. Check latest chapters at novel·fiɾe·net
Thorian questioned, seeing that look, "Axel, is there a way?"
The desperation in his tone was undeniable. Axel shook his head; even Jaden seemed to be despairing. What plan? There could be no plan against that. Absolute power thwarts any plan or scheme. The blue prince of the academy stepped closer to the despairing students. Addressing everyone equally,
His voice was not loud; it was almost a whisper. But they all heard him clearly.
Axel continued in a neutral tone, "As you all can see, more than 11,000 undead skeletons are rushing to kill us. Led by a peak 4th-phase Death Knight. Each of the undead is a peak 1st phase creature; there are likely many stronger ones among them as well. And there are only a bit more than 1100 of us. Every one of us is also a peak 1st phase Seeker."
A small smile donned on his lips as he added, "There is no one coming to save us. All the professors turned out to be traitors, as you saw. Only the clones of the principal and Forger Gareth are holding them back. There is no plan, no grand strategy, nothing that would work."
"A ten times difference in number cannot be overcome by anything. No amount of willpower or determination would work. In fact, just the Death Knight alone could probably kill us all without any problem. So, it’s a 100% guarantee we are definitely going to die."
He paused for a moment and held one finger in front of everyone, his tone shifting slightly, "But there’s one thing I am curious about?"
"Are we not the best of the best talents humanity has? The best Seekers among the new generation. Didn’t the academy exist for the sole purpose of creating powerhouses who could one day stand against the impossible odds when any of the other races attack humanity? And here we are, in that very situation."
"Are we not the Human Seekers, who are suppressed the most by the Will of the world? Are we not the ones who fight the hardest against the heavens that refuse to give us power? If this is all it takes to break our spirits, then I can already imagine the likely outcome the future holds."
"Maybe a different time, a different location, a different set of people, but the same overwhelmingly strong enemies would come. The same impossible odds."
His voice boomed loudly this time, shaking everyone to their bones, "Look at the principal high in the sky, his clones and forger Gareth, what are they fighting for? What is that mighty powerhouse fighting for? Risking his life for?"
"And you all are not even willing to fight for your own goddamn lives? For your dignity? For the honor of your families, organizations, or your ideals? The last thought you would leave to his world is the acceptance of your doom, instead of a great act of defiance? Is that all your noble arrogance amounts to?" he spat in disgust.
Axel turned around, showing his back, facing towards the shoreline. The ghost army had already reached the island. He added one last piece to his fellow despairing students, "I don’t know about any of you. But the ghost army and the principal will know that there was at least one human who had fought back."
Axel dashed forward, not even looking at his friends. Sophia sighed. For a moment, she thought about whether she should use her bloodlust to force them to fight. It was merely a fleeting thought that she discarded right then and there. She followed right behind Axel, intending to protect him at all costs.
Then Heinz did the same, followed by Thorian, Enrick, and Jaden. Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well fight. Meanwhile, the Death Knight’s stallion had stopped marching forward. With a ghostly war cry, it commanded the undead to kill all the students.
Every single one of them let out a bone-grinding, sinister cry, and that combined cry of the eleven thousand undead echoed throughout the whole island, as they charged forward mercilessly. Only six figures were rushing towards them. No fear in their eyes, only determination.