The eastern border of Kingdom Escalante was a sight of chaos and danger. Retric fell to his knees, his body trembling after defeating another (S+)-Rank monster.
His breathing was uneven, and George quickly rushed to his side, helping him stand. The principal chuckled and shook his head.
"I... am fine. Go help the others."
But George refused to leave. Suddenly, countless large bats with crystal-like eyes emerged from the forest. George clenched his weapon, gritting his teeth as he swiftly took down several bats trying to grab a young man.
"These bastards... what's happening? Why the hell did they suddenly start attacking with full force?"
He cursed under his breath, his words loud enough for those around him to hear. Retric shook his head.
"Watch your language, George. You're the Vice Principal of the Royal Academy, and many of our students are fighting behind you. What would they think if they heard your words?"
George jumped into the air and killed more bats, his brows furrowed in frustration. The situation was growing dire. Just an hour ago, he and the others had celebrated their victory over the initial wave of monsters attacking the second border of Kingdom Escalante.
However, little did they know, that an even larger swarm of monsters had descended upon the eastern border. That's why those who knew about Arrays had teleported everyone to the east border.
George wiped his forehead, exhaustion evident in his tired sigh.
"After all this is over, I want a big vacation."
Another elderly figure joined in, Elder Han's eyes lit up despite being covered in blood.
"I want one too! How about a twenty-year break? Someone wants to marry me. She thinks we're getting too old and might die alone... Haha..."
In the middle of his laughter, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His mana was depleted, and his legs were trembling. It took all his strength just to float mid-air.
Retric and George's eyebrows twitched when they heard his words. George scoffed. This old fogey really knew how to piss him off.
Retric stood up on his feet and killed another monster that jumped out from the forest.
"Survive first, then we can talk about vacations. Just a heads up, only one of you can get it, so figure it out amongst yourselves."
The principal smirked as he observed the duo's gloomy expressions. He glanced at Duke Evan and Valenza, who were on the verge of collapse but refused to retreat.
How could they? Countless lives would be lost if they gave up. Many powerful individuals were floating above or standing around the duo, but like them, their conditions didn't appear much better.
As Retric killed another monster, the land beneath his feet started trembling. He and many others raised their heads, and their eyes dilated as two towering inferno Cats walked out from the forest.
The cats' eyes glowed with a faint light, and their heads were crowned with two horns each. In an instant, one of the cats gazed at the principal, her eyes filled with mirth. Then, she opened her mouth, and a fire tornado swirled out from her jaw.
Retric and George screamed at the people nearest to the cat.
"Leave! Both of them are (SS+)-Rank! Go to safety!"
The principal jumped toward the cat, raising his fist to stop the fire tornado. But the other cat threw him back with her tail.
His body was flung backward, crashing into a few individuals with a loud bang. Blood oozed from his mouth, nose, and even his head. His consciousness started to fade as the people around him shouted, but his ears buzzed with a loud ringing sound.
But before the fire tornado could land on the countless people and burn everything, a golden-haired figure clad in silver armor appeared in front of the cat.
King Cedric raised his hand, and his eyes narrowed. In the next second, a towering earth wall appeared in front of the cat. The cat cried out, and the fire tornado crashed into the wall. The wall started crumbling with a loud rumble, but it was enough to give Cedric enough time.
He raised his spear and swung it forward. His figure traveled with lightning-fast speed, and he flung one of the cats back into the forest.
The other cat also attacked, but Cedric turned around and thrust his spear forward. Instantly, countless spears rained from the sky, and he kicked the other cat back into the forest as well.
The king calmed his breathing and gazed at George with a hard expression.
"I will fight them. You go take care of Retric."
George nodded at him and hurriedly moved back. The King figure stood imposing in front of the two inferno Cats, who walked out from the forest again with angry eyes.
A lot of people cheered but hidden from the crowd, Cedric's hands were trembling. He had just broken through to (SS+)-
Rank a while ago and rushed to the border after receiving the news. Yet, it took all his strength just to send the Cats back into the forest.
'I would never let anything happen to my people, so I'll fight until the end.'
He started floating and raised his spear again before facing off against the two inferno cats. However, his body was accumulating numerous injuries, and he knew he couldn't defeat the cats alone. Eventually, he summoned all his strength and kicked the cats back into the forest. Their massive bodies crashed above the tall trees, putting them at a safe distance from the crowd.
Cedric groaned as he entered into a fierce battle with the cats. He believed that if he could eliminate the pair, they would be safe for a while. But his eyes widened in shock when he noticed two pairs of red eyes peering at him from behind a few trees.
'No way... Is this some kind of joke?'
The King's body trembled. The air buzzed with countless voices, as two towering wild boars emerged from the forest. The trees quivered, and the land shook violently.
The boars let out piercing screams and unleashed shockwaves that crashed into the people fighting nearby. Instantly, the people were thrown backward, and within moments, many innocent lives were lost.
The border behind the soldiers began to crumble from the impact, causing panic among the mages standing above it.
In the midst of the chaos, two familiar figures fought valiantly alongside the soldiers against the monsters. The duo raised their weapons, displaying great bravery.
If Kyle were here, he would have immediately recognized them. Ray and Neon exchanged glances as they were pushed back by the shockwave.
Neon coughed up blood, his armor torn in various places. He looked at Ray, who grabbed him with a worried expression.
A sigh escaped Neon's lips as Ray fought the monsters and tried to protect him. However, Neon could see the severe injury on Ray's shoulder. He shook his head.
"I'm fine. I can... keep fighting."
He coughed again, and Ray glared at him with anger in his eyes.
"Shut up and drink a potion, or else I'm going to beat you up. Remember, we left home just to help the soldiers. We need to go back and apologize to the old man, or he'll cry his eyes out."
Neon chuckled and wiped his mouth, then grabbed his knees and staggered back to his feet.
"Kyle... that rascal entered the Academy and went to such a dangerous place without a care. I want to beat him up once, so don't worry. I won't fall so easily."
The duo's eyes widened when a few large bats attacked them with countless shards of earth. Neon groaned as one of the shards embedded itself in his shoulder.
He wanted to cry out in pain, but a pair of pale golden eyes appeared in front of him. Nine sighed as he stared at the duo, and kicked one of the bats back.
"If I had been a little bit later, forget about monsters, Kyle would have completely destroyed this whole place. It's a good thing I have enough money to travel so quickly."
Neon and Ray glanced at each other, then looked at the brown-
haired man who appeared before them. The first and last time Nine visited them, they were in a coma, so they didn't recognize him. However, when they heard Kyle's name, their eyes lit up.
But before they could ask the brown-haired man anything, a rumble shook the land beneath their feet. In the distance, the land blasted, and dust and debris scattered everywhere.
George shouted, as he stared at Elder Han, who was within range of one of the boar's attacks. In an instant, the atmosphere became chaotic.
Elder Han's eyes widened. He wanted to retreat, but it was too late. In the end, he raised his hand and many symbols materialized around him, forming a sturdy shield. Regardless, he knew the shield wouldn't last against such a huge monster.
The old man prepared himself for the impact, but it never landed on his shield or body. He let out a surprised gasp and raised his eyes to stare at the familiar silver-haired man floating mid-air in front of him.
Kyle wiped his forehead and cursed under his breath. While they were traveling toward the border, Jian accidentally roused a pack of monsters sleeping deep within the forest. That's why they were stopped, or they would have arrived half an hour ago. In the end, Kyle sensed a lot of blood and arrived first after using instant teleportation.
'I don't know why, but he attracts a lot of bad luck.'
Kyle clicked his tongue. The blue flames surging in front of him dispersed in all directions. The boar's eyes narrowed, and it raised its leg to crush the land beneath, but before it could, a kick landed on its jaw, and it was flung back into the forest with a cry.
Kyle glanced back at the old man and instantly grabbed a healing potion from his mind space.
"Master, are you alright?"
