The day was bright and sunny at the Vermont Academy of Dark Arts.
The students were busy attending their classes. Some of them were doing their assessments, while others were already learning new knowledge from their Professors.
Everything seemed normal and peaceful until a loud siren followed by an explosion shook the ground and shattered the windows of the first and second buildings of the Academy.
The students and professors who were situated near the Academy Entrance looked outside and saw a group of people wearing black hooded cloaks, armed with swords and wands, storming the Academy gates. There were more than 40 of them, and they were shouting slogans and curses, declaring that they were here to purge the Academy.
It was so sudden that they were unable to properly react.
"Everyone... The Academy is under attack. We are facing the members of the Secret Organization searching for the Ancient Relics of the Three Paragons."
A female voice suddenly resounded throughout the whole Academy. It was from the Vice Headmaster of the Academy.
After this, she continued telling the students to stay calm and follow their professors' instructions. She also announced that the Academy's defenses were already activated, and reinforcements from the Order of the Evanescent Vessel were coming.
'This…' Vale was stunned after realizing what was going on. He didn't even have the time to check his Spirit Converging Crystal as he pocketed the item and readied himself to get away. The other students also stopped caring about his result as they carried their bags, ready to run away immediately.
However, some students were extremely silent after the announcement that the Academy was under siege. No, perhaps they were also too scared and didn't know what to do as they were frozen on their spot.
Vale was right. He heard some of his classmates whispering their concerns.
"A-are we going to the shelter? Shouldn't we vacate the Academy as fast as we could?"
"Do we even have a shelter? I'm sure that this will be settled quickly."
"I hope so… I think the 7th-year students up to the 10th-year would help in this battle, right? With their numbers, I'm pretty sure that this will be over quickly." Dalton said with confidence.
He seemed to know many higher-year students that could possibly help in this situation. It wasn't that surprising since Vale heard that the Music Club that he joined had more than 60 Senior Students, and it seemed to have the most members in all the clubs within the Academy.
Dalton probably had plenty of connections now after being part of the club for one year.
At this time, Professor Shirley, who had been silent for quite some time, finally spoke with a calm and gentle voice.
"Class… I just heard some instructions from the Headmaster. All of us must stay in our classroom. This includes all the First Year, Second Year, and Third Year Students. Since our rooms are close to the center of the Academy, this instruction is understandable. After all, the target of the attackers must be a specific area in the Academy. They're probably planning to steal or destroy something instead of planning to annihilate everyone."
Seeing that everyone was nodding in agreement, she continued. "There were only 45 people who had entered the Academy. This number is too small if they want to cause major problems for the Academy. The Headmaster suggested that the ones attacking in front were simply a diversion and the real target was elsewhere. In short, there's nothing to worry about and everything is under control as per the Headmaster."
At these words, the students finally heaved a sigh of relief. They can also feel a strong fluctuation of Dark Energy around the Academy, so they know that the Professors are fighting right now.
'Hmm… Is it really that simple?' Vale mused as he entered his Phantasm State… With the coverage of his Magic Zone, he was confident that he'd sense all of the enemies who had entered the Academy.
'Oh? Is it because of the Academy's Formation Circle being activated? My Magic Zone is actually being suppressed.' Vale was surprised as he realized that his Magic Zone could only cover 180 meters which was his limit before the summer break.
Nevertheless, this was more than enough to see the situation outside.
'Ahhh… There's total chaos outside…' Vale silently thought as he realized that the Academy had really become a battlefield.
The professors of different dark arts branches acted to fight off the attackers and protect them. The professors of the Necromancy Branch summoned undead creatures such as zombies, skeletons, and ghouls. They commanded them to attack the cloaked invaders, biting, clawing, and tearing them apart.
It was such a morbid sight, so Vale quickly shifted his attention.
The Professors of the Rituals Branch started chanting prayers using their formation circles, drawn on the ground with blood. There were also Oardic characters written on the ground and Vale could hardly understand them.
These Professors called for various spirits from the Spirit World, such as ghosts, banshees, and wraiths. They unleashed them on the enemies who were trying to enter the Academy as they started possessing, haunting, screaming, and draining them of their life force.
'Whoa~ So they can be this terrifying… I wonder if Yvaine can handle this many spirits from the Spirit World.' Vale mused as he couldn't help but feel impressed by the immense power brought by those spirits.
Cressida's Banshees couldn't compare at all.
In the meantime, the Professors of the Essential Corruption branch started to gather students of higher years. They used their dark energy to create barriers and shields around them, blocking the spells and attacks from the invaders. They also used their dark energy to corrupt and weaken the enemies, making them sick, dizzy, and confused.
The Professors of the Dark Magic Branch, on the other hand, confronted the enemies with their dark spells. They used their wands, staves, and various mystical items to cast powerful curses, hexes, jinxes, and blasts at them.
The battle was fierce and chaotic. It was obvious from Vale's perspective that the members of the Secret Organization were outnumbered and outmatched by the Academy's forces. However, they were determined and fanatical, believing that they would succeed.
This confused Vale.
Although they were fighting with courage and zeal, hoping to destroy the Academy, he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right with how they acted.
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