Shizuku and the others naturally requested to be present, but in the end, the Pope still refused to allow them to meet directly. The cable car connecting the summit of Mt. Kamiya to the Holy Church headquarters was ordered to stop operating, so they could not go directly there either.

The students even reported this directly to Liliana's father, King Elisid, but the king said his son and Liliana would be back in three days and urged them to wait patiently. Thus, they could say nothing more and reluctantly withdrew.

A strange feeling of unease and anxiety grew for no apparent reason. Captain Meld was the most reliable person at a time like this, but he was nowhere to be seen, which made Shizuku and the others even more uneasy.

But, just three days, just three days of waiting, and then...

With this expectation, they arrived at the third day, which was this morning.

In the end, Aiko and Liliana still didn't come back.

Not only that, Ishtar and other church-related personnel were nowhere to be seen in the palace. Even David and others who were ordered to wait on the ground disappeared without a trace, and the cable car was still stopped.

Neither King Elisid, nor the Prime Minister or other important officials were willing to meet with them.

Tomorrow will be the fourth day since Aiko and Liliana disappeared.

Aside from Shizuku, Yuuka and the others were probably the only ones who felt a clear sense of crisis about this matter.

Even though Guanghui felt something was wrong, he did not think that any crisis would occur in the palace. He just thought that it was the aftermath of the incident where Hajime was identified as a heretic.

From this, we can see that Kouki still has a complex knot with Hajime, and coupled with his feelings for Kaori who has left and his awareness of the war, these issues have yet to be resolved, causing him to focus solely on his own concerns.

Guanghui's thoughts were also passed on to other classmates who still rely on him. They thought that since Guanghui thought there was no problem, there must be no problem.

Therefore, Shizuku discussed with Yuuka and the others who also had a sense of crisis and decided—

If Aiko and Liliana didn't return tonight, even if they were alone, they would head for the summit of the Sacred Mountain tomorrow morning. That's right, they would climb on foot.

Even though she had deliberately given her body a rest in preparation for climbing an 8,000-meter-high mountain, Shizuku still felt a sense of crisis and went to bed with the cautious fear of a spy.

Shizuku got out of bed silently, spent a few seconds getting her equipment ready, and walked out of the room.

At this moment, there was a "click" sound and the sound of the doorknob turning was heard, and Shizuku unconsciously became alert.

I saw the door of a room not far ahead slightly opened. Yuka, Taeko, and Nana poked their heads out from the crack of the door, lined up in a straight line like a totem pole, and peeked nervously at what was happening outside the room.

"Ah, Shizuku-chan!"

Nana couldn't help but yell when she spotted Shizuku. Seeing Shizuku's hand on the hilt of the black knife, alert and alert, Yuka and Taeko thought there was a suspicious person in the corridor and cursed "Idiot!" and "How reckless!" while angrily patting Nana on the head.

"I'm sorry~" Nana apologized tearfully. Shizuku's nervousness relaxed, and she waved her hands to signal "Safe" to the three of them.

Seeing Yuka and the others coming out of their rooms one after another, Shizuku knocked on the door of Kouki and the others' room across the street.

The door opened quickly, and Guanghui appeared from behind it. Inside, Ryuutarou seemed to have gotten up. Apparently, the loud noise had also woken them.

Shizuku was slightly surprised when the door suddenly opened, then, as if with a headache, she said to the stunned Kouki:

“… Kouki, you should be a little more cautious too. Don’t open the door so quickly…wouldn’t it be worth asking who the person is? What if they’re suspicious?”

"? This is the royal palace, right? How could there be someone suspicious here?"

Shizuku warned him, but Kouki remained dazed. Even after hearing the crashing sound, he still didn't seem to doubt the safety of the palace.

Judging from his sleepy eyes, his mind was probably not fully awake yet.

Regardless, it was clear from this situation that despite Shizuku's early warning that "something's happening, we must be on guard," both Kouki and Ryuutarou, who had the same expression behind him, concluded, "Let's be on guard for now, but Shizuku must be overthinking it," and took no action.

"Let's forget about that for now, Shizuku. What was that sound just now? It sounded like something breaking..."

"...I don't know either. Anyway, let's wake everyone up first, and then go get information. I have a bad feeling..."

After she finished speaking, Shizuku winked at Yuka and the others, and the three of them immediately understood and went to wake up the other classmates separately.

It can be said that they are worthy of being members of the front-line team. Nagayama Shigeo, Nomura Kentaro, Endo Kousuke, Tsuji Ayako and Yoshino Mao, including Nagayama team; Hiyama Daisuke, Kondo Reiichi, Nakano Shinji, Saito Yoshiki and other Hiyama team are all fully equipped and had gathered in the corridor when Shizuku and the others called.

Before going to call them, members of the Koai Guard, including Atsushi Tamai, Noboru Aikawa, and Akito Nimura, appeared in the corridor.

However, it should be said that as expected, some people in the remaining group were still sleeping and needed to be dug out; some people were frightened by the sound of breaking and did not dare to leave the room, so it took some effort just to gather them together.

"Everyone! Sorry to disturb you! But just now, there was a loud noise of something breaking. I think the palace is safe, but we still need to confirm what happened. Just to be on the safe side, let's act together!"

The remaining group came out into the hallway, their expressions either filled with anxiety or discontent at being woken in the middle of a sleep. Guanghui, in order to motivate them, shouted something.

What if I stayed in the room and something happened while Guanghui and the others were away...

Thinking of this, the students in the left-behind group turned pale with fright after hearing Guanghui's words, and talked a lot, but still nodded in agreement with Guanghui's proposal.

Just at this moment, brisk footsteps were heard in the corridor ahead.

Shizuku and the others, puzzled, looked in that direction and saw Nia, Shizuku's personal maid who was friendly with her, running towards them. She had once advised Yuuka, Atsushi, and the others not to rely too much on Shizuku when they were discouraged.

"Nia!"

"Shizuku-sama..."

Hearing Shizuku's call, Nia walked over to Shizuku with a lifeless expression on her face.

Since Nia comes from a knight family and has learned swordsmanship, she always gives people a dignified impression. However... now she no longer has the dignified look of the past, but instead has a strange feeling of lack of vitality.

Shizuku frowned at her friend's strange behavior, but before she could ask, Nia revealed shocking information, causing Shizuku to forget the strange feeling.

"One of the great barriers has been destroyed."

"What did you say?"

Shizuku couldn't help but ask, and Nia calmly told her the truth:

"The demons have invaded. Their army has formed a formation near the capital, and the great barrier has been destroyed by their attack."

"H-How could this happen? How on earth did they…"

The information she uttered was so bizarre that even Shizuku lost her composure and became bewildered and at a loss as to what to do.

The other students, including Guanghui, shared the same sentiment, and the noise of their whispers gradually grew louder.

There was no way the demon army could have attacked the capital without being discovered. This was because they had to pass through countless territories, cities, and checkpoints before reaching the capital in the northernmost part of the northern continent from the southern continent.

Furthermore, it was unbelievable that the Great Barrier could be breached. It was the key to the capital's impenetrable defenses for centuries.

No wonder Guanghui and the others couldn't remain calm after hearing the news.

"...Nia, was the third barrier the only barrier that was destroyed?"

Guanghui asked with a serious expression.

The great barrier protecting the royal capital is composed of three barriers, which are called the first, second, and third barriers from the inside to the outside. Although the first barrier on the inside is small, it is the most solid barrier.

"Yes, Lord Glory. With the third barrier already breached with a single blow, it should only be a matter of time before the entire barrier is breached..."

After hearing Nia's answer, Guanghui thought for a moment and suggested that they should take the initiative.

"We must buy time as long as possible, allowing the people of the capital to take refuge. As long as the soldiers and knights can gather their forces to meet the enemy..."

Upon hearing Guanghui's proposal, only a few people, including the front-line team and Xiaoai's guards, showed resolute expressions.

The other students just looked away with gloomy expressions. They had lost the will to fight on the front lines, and their frustrated hearts had not yet recovered.

Although it was just a delay, they really couldn't fight against the large army.

Guanghui sensed their feelings and lowered his head in resignation. Then, thinking to himself, "It's okay even if it's just us," he was about to issue an order when an unexpected person, Nakamura Eri, suddenly called a halt.

"Wait a moment, Kouki-san. Rather than heading out on our own, I think we should meet up with Captain Meld and the others first."

“Eri…but…”

While Guanghui was hesitating, Huili turned to Nia and asked:

"Ms. Nia, do you know...how many people are there in the army?"

"...A rough estimate is around 100,000."

This number made everyone gasp. As Nia had said, it wasn't an "attack" but a true "offensive."

"Mitsuki-kun, we can't hold it together on our own. We must fight with numbers. Since we are stronger than ordinary people, I believe we must be present at the most necessary time and place. To do this, we must cooperate with Captain Meld and the others..."

Although Huili's statement was very tactful, which was consistent with her image of a quiet girl wearing glasses, she was also a member of the brave team. The firm will in her eyes was no less than that of Guanghui and others, and her opinion was also very reasonable.

"Yes, Suzu agrees with Megumi-chan. As expected of Suzu-chan! Her glasses are real!"

"This has nothing to do with glasses, Suzu."

"Haha, I agree with Eri. You seem a little uncalm, don't you, Kouki?"

Kouki hesitated at the opinions of the three girls on the team. However, Eri always looked at things objectively, and Kouki trusted her judgment.

"That's right. At times like this, we should act calmly and cooperate with the Knights. Let's go and meet up with Captain Meld and the others."

As a result, things turned out to be in accordance with Eri's opinion, and they would first meet up with Meld and other knights and soldiers. The captains of each team, including Nagayama, Hiyama, and Yuka, seemed to have no objection.

Guanghui and the others rushed to the gathering place for the soldiers and knights when they were dispatched.

But he was completely unaware that someone beside him had his mouth split into a crescent moon, revealing an evil smile...

When the students arrived at the designated emergency gathering place - the outdoor training ground, they found many soldiers and knights lined up in neat rows.

On the platform at the front of the column, Jose Lancade, Vice-Captain of the Heilig Kingdom Knights, was loudly explaining the situation. Under the moonlight, the soldiers and knights, each with a pale face, stood there blankly, staring at Jose with a dead look.

Seeing their morale so low, Guanghui and the others stopped in their tracks. Jose noticed their arrival and interrupted his explanation, saying to them:

"...You've arrived just in time. Do you understand the situation?"

"Yes, we heard about it from Nia. Um, where's Captain Meld?"

In response to Jose's welcome and inquiries, Guanghui nodded in affirmation, then looked around to inquire about the whereabouts of Meld, who was not present.

"Captain, I have something to do. Let's not talk about that for now. Come, please go to our center. After all, the hero is our leader..."

After Jose finished speaking, he led Guanghui and the others to the center of the soldiers' team.

The remaining group wondered, "Huh? Do we want it too?" but since they were surrounded by silent soldiers, they didn't dare to say anything and could only follow Guanghui and the others obediently.

Seeing the soldiers and knights around her remain silent, their expressions barely changing, Shizuku's feeling of unease intensified. Adding to the bad premonitions she'd been having since waking, she couldn't calm down, and her grip on the black sword tightened unconsciously.

"Um, Shizuku, I just feel like..."

"...I understand. Don't let your guard down. Something's not right."

Yuuka, her expression akin to desperately suppressing her anxiety, whispered a warning to Shizuku. Shizuku nodded in agreement, but under the circumstances, like the others who stayed behind, she couldn't refuse and could only reply.

Something is not right.

Other frontline team members felt the same way, but no one could say it out loud.

Guanghui and the others were led to the center of the soldiers and knights.

As José continued his speech, the strange feeling grew stronger.

"Everyone, the situation is urgent, but there is no need to fear. We are invincible and cannot be defeated, because death cannot reach us. Come, everyone, welcome our brave warriors. We exist for this day. Come, draw your swords."

Soldiers and knights drew their swords and raised them high.

At that moment, someone called out in confusion, "Huh? Ah, wait!" Shizuku and several others looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Kousuke being pushed away from Jūgo and the others by the knight's sword-drawing. "Uh, um?" Yuka's voice was heard shortly afterward, as she, too, was being pushed away from the group.

No, it wasn't just these two people. Soldiers and knights were interspersed among the students without them noticing. Several students—especially those serving as the vanguard of the frontline group and the Xiao Ai Guard—were separated from each other and surrounded!

Shizuku's hair stood on end, and her instinct sounded the alarm!

"Everyone, run—"

"This is the signal signal for war—look here!"

Before Shizuku could issue a warning, Jose had already taken something out of his arms and held it high above his head.

Suddenly, a roar-like voice was heard, demanding that everyone look over. As the soldiers and knights all looked in that direction, everyone was unconsciously drawn to look over there.

In an instant——

boom! !

Great brilliance.

The object Jose was holding glowed brightly, like Hajime's flashbang.

Guanghui and the others, who were watching the thing without warning, suddenly let out a short cry of pain. Although they immediately looked away or covered their eyes, the strong light still made their vision blank.

The next moment, the sound of countless bodies being pierced was heard.

“Ahh!?”

“Ugh!”

“Guuuu!?

Muffled groans were heard everywhere.

It wasn't the scream of agony caused by the bright light, but rather a groan of pain that escaped his lips. Then, the sound of several people falling to the ground was heard.

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