163 – Incomplete Fissure -2-

“ROHAN!!! The civilian evacuation should be complete before the constable arrives!!!”

“It’s fortunate that most of our patrons today were students!”

Nicholas, who came up with the Gilbert couple, was startled to see the women present.

‘Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart…?!’

He didn’t recognize the other women, but those two were figures of immense importance.

Just a quick visit to the academy city to return with friends, and here we are. I never anticipated such an encounter.

Yet, the surprise faded quickly.

Nicholas felt a rising unease under the prickling stares directed his way.

Everyone except Rohan glared, each with their own distinct intensity. Some glances held a curiosity that bordered on soft, but even those were oppressive.

Before he could even offer a greeting, his mouth snapped shut on its own accord.

‘Could it be suspicion, simply because they don’t know me?’

He had thought having Gilbert and Emily, from the same academy, would smooth things over.

They must truly be Orion Academy cadets; the animosity in their gazes was remarkable.

Sion, who had been scrutinizing Nicholas, roughly pulled the trigger, firing an explosive round.

It tore through a swathe of Morbid Frames clinging to the chasm’s edge.

“Oppa… over here!”

“Thanks.”

Rohan accepted a spare magazine from Clara, then turned to address everyone.

He began a concise explanation. “They’ll be swarming like hornets soon. Prioritize civilian protection and take down anything within reach.”

“Got it!”

Gilbert nodded his understanding. Nicholas and Emily had little choice but to heed Rohan’s instructions.

All the girls present seemed to regard it as perfectly natural, their attention riveted on Rohan.

“These aren’t high-intelligence monsters, so there’s no need to push into the center. Stay on the outskirts, deal with the approaching individuals, and you’ll see the end of it.”

Rohan cautioned against reckless advances and stressed the importance of mana conservation before striding to the edge of the railing.

Sion fired another explosive round, emptying the chamber, then stood ready to follow Clara and Rohan.

“Morbid Frames die when the hand connected to the portrait melts away, remember? Don’t get careless and let yourselves be pulled in.”

“Of course!!! We learned all this at Orion Academy!!!”

As Rohan masterfully honed his blade into a radiant, *Incandescent Edge*,

Nicholas stepped forward, a smile playing on his lips. Finally, he spoke.

“Cadet Rohan. It seems we’ve met again. I’d like to properly greet you once this is over.”

“Agreed.”

The girls’ eyes widened at the sound of Nicholas’s low voice.

They then began a rapid, almost frantic, scan of his body, searching for visible proof of his gender.

The things hidden by the emotion constricting my heart began to come into view.

“Oppa! Move comfortably! I’ll adjust and assist you…!”

“Rohan. It’s time to work.”

The voices and movements of the girls, having confirmed Nicolas’s gender, were filled with vitality and vigor. The tear in the dimension had widened enough for monsters to pour out.

Without hesitation, Rohan leaped into the air, twisting his body. A crimson slash wreathed in Ignis cuts, and magic-infused bullets rip apart the monsters spilling from the rift with brutal efficiency.

—Kraak!

Kicking away a frame gripping his leg with a scream, he rotated. Clara lays down a perfectly timed web of threads.

“Hmph!”

Rohan used the impossibly strong threads as a foothold, landing in the air. Sion also settled beside him, shooting down monsters that strayed from their path.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Clara’s pistol also quietly severed the monsters’ lifelines. Rohan threw himself back into the swarm of Morbid Frames pouring downwards.

Each time he passed, monsters were cleaved, smashed, and rained down. It was a spectacle that even the civilians fleeing to the shelter stopped to watch.

“Hahaha!!! I told him not to go to the center, it was too dangerous, but he’s going anyway! That’s Rohan for you!”

“Wow…”

Emilie and Nicolas, knowing they needed to move, stood frozen for a moment, watching the cooperation between Rohan and the two girls.

Their movements were beautiful. Like interlocking gears.

Many people were fighting inside the shopping mall. But they were undoubtedly special.

“Emilie! Nicolas! We need to move too!”

Gilbert’s voice and the chill in the air snapped Emilie and Nicolas back to reality.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much Gilbert and Emilie have grown at the academy.”

“Let’s go.”

They grabbed their equipment and looked behind them.

A sight that once again left them speechless. The source of the sudden cold filled their vision.

Noah Frozenheart rested an ice axe, summoned from somewhere, on his shoulder.

Massive amounts of magic and freezing air swirled around him.

The beastkin girl, tail swaying gently, hurried after Ichinose Yui with swift steps.

“Noah. We should hurry too. There’s a high probability of a special individual appearing.”

“Yeah! We have a responsibility!”

Ichinose didn’t question what responsibility Noah meant, but only smiled.

She knew.

The talent inherited from excellent parents and the optimal environment to grow stronger. Everything had been provided.

Having lived a life more prosperous than most, the girls felt a moral obligation, a responsibility, to step forward in situations like these.

*

Juyeon, who had been browsing the bookstore to replenish her reading material.

Carrot, who, finally with some free time, was queued up to buy the carrot tart she’d been craving.

And Ed, who was enjoying a long-awaited date with his wife, using it as a chance to rest.

The moment they sensed the sudden, ghastly presence, they moved without hesitation.

The inner city of the Academy would be safeguarded by instructors and peacekeepers with the abilities to match the protection needed.

Those who stepped outside only needed to identify the threatening presence. If they were determined to be enemies, they could focus solely on combat.

Among them was Juyeon.

She quickly closed the distance between herself and Pandora, who was moving cautiously in her own way.

Confirming that her target hadn’t ceased fleeing, even after being aware of her presence, she hurled her greatsword.

Thanks to that, she managed to halt the suspicious figure.

However, the hulking individual showed no sign of surrender, instead beginning to manipulate their magical energy with confidence.

“The inner city of the Academy must be noisy too, no? I wonder if you have the time to waste chasing after just me?”

Pandora confirmed the forced opening of a rift by adding and overlaying artificial magical power onto specific conditions.

The rift that opened as a result wasn’t a single one. The one performing the actions, Pandora, felt that interconnected things opened simultaneously.

By opening just one door, small rifts would now certainly have appeared in various places, both inside and outside the Academy city.

Judging by their size, they weren’t at a level to be considered threatening, but they were definitely a disaster for ordinary people.

“Hmph! Looks like *Ajumma* doesn’t have a single trustworthy comrade? Does the Academy City seem so easy to you?”

Carrot threw out a word brimming with sarcastic emotion.

Because she wasn’t in a good mood.

The extreme ominousness she felt from the other party, coupled with the carrot tart she had missed just right in front of her eyes, lingered.

Having abandoned her place in line right before her turn and rushed over, her burning desire to apprehend the suspect flared up.

“*Ajumma*…? Ha!”

A vein pulsed, throbbing hard on Pandora’s forehead.

The sunglasses in her hand shattered! Fragments scattering across the ground.

Simultaneously, as a wicked magic surged, formless, pitch-black monstrosities poured from Pandora’s shadow.

─ Skreee! Skreek!

─ oooh…! Human, the scent of living human…!

The ebony-clad creatures rasped, sending shivers down the spine as if a gale had swept through.

“Looks like someone hit a nerve calling her ‘ma’am,’ eh?”

“Doesn’t Instructor Ed see it? She’s slathered on so much makeup, she’s practically a cake pretending to be young!”

Ed chuckled at Carrot’s words, tossing his handaxe up and catching it as he continued to observe.

‘All black, every one of them. Some kind of shadow fiends? Never seen power like this before.’

The pressure emanating from each unidentified creature was extraordinary.

With this much force, they’d be known whether in the light or the shadows. That he hadn’t heard of them was a significant issue.

‘Should have done some reconnaissance first.’

Ed scratched the back of his neck, a chill crawling up his spine.

Against opponents like these, he and Carrot might not make it back alive.

He was always prepared for the worst, it was the life he’d chosen and was paid handsomely for, but now he thought of his wife waiting for him at the restaurant.

“Forces unable to respond will only lead to more casualties. Withdraw the reinforcements and have them support us internally.”

“Understood.”

At Jooyeon’s request, the middle-aged law enforcement officer immediately sent out the order over the radio.

The four slowly moved to their positions, forming a square around Pandora.

“I’ll fix that sassy mouth of yours, just you wait.”

Pandora continued to point her finger, eyes locked solely on Carrot.

Her voice was filled with less dignity and more bloodlust, a pure intent to kill.

Carrot shook off the shivers the murderous aura sent through her body, then.

Straining her ears, she baited her with a taunt, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Honestly, jealous old women are the most exhausting…”

“Oh, I see. Before I fix your mouth, I should cut off your ears and legs. I’ve always wondered what a rabbit sounds like when it cries, this is perfect.”

“Try it, if you can!”

As if Carrot’s words were the trigger.

Every soul present moved at once.