Chapter 85 (2) - A Depressed Kendo Player Possesses a Bastard Aristocrat

***Meanwhile…

A group of figures hurried along the light blue-coated path that connected the main gate to the back gate.

Leading the small group was a silver-haired girl.

Margaret Phyler.

“We've wasted too much time! We need to hurry…!”

She urged the others, her voice laced with anxiety.

They had left the battlefield to seek reinforcements at the masked man’s behest, but the chaos had delayed them.

An hour had passed since the monsters first attacked.

-Get out of here, all of you! If you want to live!!

-Move your asses, you bastards! Want to die?!

Margaret bit her lip as those desperate cries echoed in her ears.

It was her fault.

If she had been calmer, and more composed, they could have brought reinforcements back in time.

She had panicked.

And now, they were desperate.

By now, the defensive line might have already crumbled, the back gate turned into a slaughterhouse.

“Don’t be so anxious, Miss Margaret. I am here.”

“Y-Yes… Headmistress.”

Korn offered words of reassurance to the distressed Margaret.

However, despite her calm demeanor, fatigue was evident on his face.

It was to be expected.

Just like the back gate, the main gate had been assaulted by monsters.

Korn had fought fiercely to protect the students, even resorting to unleashing a portion of her sealed power.

“…”

Margaret clenched her fists, her gaze lingering on the beads of sweat trickling down Korn’s cheeks.

Shame and frustration welled up inside her.

While everyone else had fought valiantly, she had only fled like a coward, returning with reinforcements that were far too late.

Why wasn’t she strong enough to fight alongside them?

Swallowing her bitterness, Margaret quickened her pace.

“Headmisterss! Lady Phyler! We’re almost there!”

Allen, who had been running behind Korn, called out.

Margaret followed his gaze and saw the state of the back gate.

It was a scene of utter devastation.

The ground was scarred with craters from explosions and stained with the green blood of countless monsters. Their corpses littered the battlefield, a grotesque tapestry of death.

The stench of blood and the acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

The back gate looked exactly as they had left it.

Except for one thing…

“…What happened here?”

The thousands of monsters that had swarmed the back gate were gone, vanished without a trace.

The masked swordsman who had slaughtered their classmates and the lone figure in the mask were nowhere to be seen.

“Where… Where did they all go…?”

Margaret’s bewildered crimson eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the missing combatants.

But there was nothing.

The thousands of monsters had been reduced to dust by Golden Boy’s overwhelming power. And Raiden, unconscious and slung over Golden Boy’s shoulder, was already on his way back to the dormitory.

The stage was empty, the main actors gone, leaving behind only the lingering scent of blood.

The latecomers could only stare at the vacant battlefield, their expressions a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

***

Hazy consciousness.

Gentle waves lapping against my skin.

Opening my eyes, I found myself submerged in a deep, endless ocean.

‘This place again…’

It was the third time I’d seen this place.

Or was it the fourth?

Maybe the fifth, or even more…

The space felt strangely familiar, yet different somehow.

Was my vision distorted…?

As I frowned, trying to pinpoint the strange sensation, I heard the familiar voices.

-Be careful, Raiden.

-Get a grip.

Raiden and Naru’s voices echoed in my ears. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

I turned towards the source of the voices, drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

But there was nothing there. Only shimmering water.

What…?

They usually appeared as well, so why were there only voices this time…?

-Sorry… Your mind is too unstable right now. We can’t show ourselves.

-The wall’s crumbling because of it… You’re in a dangerous state!

Their words made no sense.

My mind, is unstable? What did that even mean?

And what wall was crumbling…?

‘You told me to break down the wall before. Why is it a problem now…?’

I desperately tried to speak, but no sound came out. Only a stream of bubbles escaped my lips.

-No, Raiden, that’s not what we meant. You were supposed to break it down, but not like this.

-You might see the truth hidden behind that wall, but the process will be excruciating.

-You might… hurt those precious to you again.

Their voices, heavy with foreboding, pressed down on me.

I frowned.

Hurt them? Those precious to me?

What were they talking about?

‘What am I supposed to do…? Tell me what to do.’

-Focus, Raiden. Clench your teeth.

-Don't let that wall crumble.

What wall?

How could I stop it if I didn’t even know what it was?

As I stared blankly ahead, my sinking consciousness began to rise.

‘Wait, wait…! You’re sending me back already? I still don’t understand anything…!’

-This is our limit. Or rather, your limit.

-Just remember this. If you don't want to hurt the people you care about again…

-Don’t let it crumble.

Their words remained cryptic.

And this time, I didn’t even have the chance to ask for clarification.

Click.

My vision went dark.

.

.

.

“Cough…!”

My eyes fluttered open, a dry cough escaping my lips.

I was lying in my bed, back in my dorm room.