The messenger's voice cracked with urgency. "Monsters—dozens, maybe hundreds! They've breached the outer walls! Civilians are panicking—whole districts are burning!"
The hall shifted, tension replacing arrogance. Nobles who only moments ago mocked now pressed toward the windows, straining to glimpse the smoke rising above the city.
Fuegoleon's voice cut through the murmurs—calm, commanding. "Vice-Captain. Assemble our squad. Prepare to engage."
"Yes, Captain." His vice-captain bowed once and left at a measured pace, already giving orders to rally their forces.
Dave was the first to move, his steps steady as he crossed the threshold. His gaze swept the horizon with sharp clarity, measuring the enemy's spread. "You guys plan, I am going first" Without waiting for a reply, he leapt from the hall, his cloak flowing as the wind carried him to the outer battlements.
Asta rose immediately, sword in hand. "If people are in danger, we'll fight."
Yuno followed, his grimoire floating silently at his side, mana gathering like a rising current. "We'll cover the gaps in their defense." Both advanced with purposeful stride, one sprinting forward, the other ascending on a calm wave of wind.
"Leopold," Fuegoleon said evenly, already striding toward the exit. "With me. We'll contain the largest breach."
"Understood," Leopold answered. Flames lit his fists, but his expression remained focused, his steps steady as he matched his brother's pace.
Nozel stood a moment longer, weighing pride against duty. He did not hesitate further; Mercury enveloped him as he vanished from the hall, his intent set on intercepting the strongest of the invading force.
The nobles were left behind in silence, the weight of what they had seen lingering in the air.
Outside, the capital burned. Black smoke curled skyward, screams echoing through the streets. Mutated beasts surged through alleys, stone walls splintered under claw and fang, and the knights already deployed were struggling to contain the spread.
On the battlements, Dave landed without a sound. His eyes swept across the city, calculating. An earth mage beside him unfurled his grimoire, raising a glowing map of the capital in the air, districts marked with flares of light where mana disturbances signaled attacks.
"The south wall is breached in three places. Fires are spreading near the market. Another cluster approaches from the river."
The knights formed into groups at once, moving with trained precision. Each squad directed toward a point of incursion, their movements efficient, coordinated.
Dave glanced over the map only once before stepping forward. His tone was calm, absolute.
"I'll intercept the heaviest force. Cover the civilians and secure the market district."
Then he moved—swift, direct—his presence a silent promise that the chaos would not go unanswered.
The order spread through the battlements like wildfire. Squads broke into disciplined formations, launching themselves into the city with the practiced coordination of Magic Knights.
At the south wall, steel rang against bone. Knights moved in pairs—one drawing the creatures' attention, the other cutting them down. Their voices were calm, precise, calling spells and signals as if in training drills, but their blades and magic carried deadly weight.
Near the market, fire and water mages worked in tandem—one snuffing the flames consuming wooden stalls, the other holding back the beasts that pressed in through narrow streets. Merchants and children were ushered into safety, shielded by conjured barriers as the squads held their line.
At the river, wind and lightning tore across the surface. Yuno's currents drove back the monsters attempting to climb the embankments, while others pinned them down with volleys of coordinated spells. The water churned with broken bodies, yet the formation never faltered.
And yet—despite the knights' efficiency, the scale of the attack was immense. For every creature cut down, two more seemed to lurch from the shadows. Their twisted bodies dragged across cobblestones, jaws snapping, eyes burning with unnatural malice.
Above it all, Dave stood high in the air, his cloak steady against the rising smoke. His eyes swept once more across the city. He did not rush, did not strain. He simply raised a hand, and the mana around him began to stir.
"This is too much" Dave mumbled as he added in cold tone " I will kill you all in one swift motion"
Silver-grey light rippled outward, subtle at first, then growing brighter until it stretched like a veil across the capital. It was not blinding, but soft, steady—like moonlight washing over every rooftop and street.
Knights paused for only a heartbeat, then pressed on, trusting the presence above them. The beasts, however, froze mid-charge. Their twisted bodies shook, their snarls faltering into silence as pinpoints of silver light appeared across their hides—marks forming with surgical precision.
From the sky, Dave lowered his hand.
The marks ignited.
In a single, seamless motion, blades of silver light erupted from every mark, cutting clean through flesh and bone. The monsters fell as one—dozens, then hundreds—collapsing in perfect silence as the glow faded from the city.
When the light dispersed, the capital was still. The smoke still rose, the wounded still cried—but the tide of monsters had ended.
And above, the knights saw him—Dave, hovering in the pale glow, silent and unwavering. His power had washed through the city like judgment, leaving only quiet in its wake.
For a long moment, the city seemed to breathe again. The last echoes of battle faded, leaving only the sound of crackling fires and the distant cries of the wounded.
On the ground, squads regrouped, blades still raised though their enemies had all fallen. Many knights looked upward, toward the lone figure in the sky. The silver glow lingered faintly on the edges of their vision, impossible to forget.
Asta stood with his sword lowered, staring in disbelief. "He… he wiped them all out. Just like that." His usual fire dimmed, replaced by something quieter—a gnawing doubt that rippled through the younger knights as well.
Yuno said nothing, but his gaze was fixed, sharp as ever. His expression betrayed no fear, only calculation. Yet even he wondered, deep inside, if his own strength meant anything compared to that silver light.
Noelle pressed a hand against her chest, her breath steady but her thoughts restless. They had all rushed to fight, ready to stake their lives—and in the end, their presence hadn't changed the outcome.
Across the city, the question spread silently among the younger generation: Was our presence even necessary?
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