Bastion raised an eyebrow when Elyra told him his wine was poisoned. His intuition hadn't triggered, which meant it posed no real threat to him.
He took a sip anyway, noting the faint bitterness beneath the usual flavor.
"A waste of good wine," he muttered.
Still, he didn't set it down. It would have been a shame to waste it. Besides, it wouldn't affect him negatively anyway, thanks to his Diamond Body ability.
"What about mine?" Seraphina asked, handing her glass to Elyra.
"It is poisoned as well," Elyra replied calmly.
Seraphina cast Extract and drew out a dark green liquid from the wine before adding it to Bastion's glass. Then, she took a sip of her own and savored the taste.
"Good wine," she commented.
Bastion stared at her in disbelief before handing over his glass.
She accepted it with a chuckle, used Extract again to remove the poison, and stored it in a small glass vial she summoned.
Bastion took the glass back and drank. The flavor was noticeably better.
"Now the question is," he said, looking around, "is it just us, or is everyone's wine poisoned?"
Soon, gasps echoed through the hall as people began collapsing from the poison. Many reached for their antidote potions to relieve the symptoms. Some potions worked immediately, easing the effects. Others were delayed, while most had no effect at all.
Panic began to spread as poisoned attendees scrambled in search of something that worked.
Aurelia stepped forward and activated her domain, a gentle radiance enveloping the entire room and passively healing those within its reach.
"Calm down!" she shouted, drawing the crowd's attention. "Those who are poisoned, come to me. I will heal you."
The crowd didn't question the Saintess. They hurriedly gathered around her as she began casting Brilliant Cure, a powerful skill that removes status effects.
"Was this part of the cutscene?" Bastion asked.
"No. It was only supposed to be a dance to determine her main route," Seraphina replied thoughtfully. "This is the work of the cult's remnants."
"Seems futile, doesn't it? What's the point of poisoning a bunch of students who have antidotes and healing potions ready? The poison isn't even that strong."
"I don't know. Maybe they're just amateurs."
Suddenly, poisonous gas began to flood the banquet hall. It poured out from beneath tables, through the vents, and from behind wall fixtures.
In an instant, it swept across the room, causing a range of effects on those it touched, from mild poisoning to paralysis, sleep, and even external bleeding. The guests were exposed to a potent concoction that left most of them severely weakened or completely incapacitated.
"Now this is an impressive poison," Bastion commented, completely unconcerned.
"The initial attack might have been meant to drain our mana," Seraphina replied, just as calm.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Lilia asked, her voice edged with panic.
"Let's wait for the villains to show themselves," Seraphina said. "They likely aren't finished with just this."
Bastion and Seraphina remained unconcerned, protected by the many trinkets they carried. Each one was enchanted with resistances to various status effects. Poison, paralysis, bleeding, sleep, blindness, and more were all covered by the accessories Bastion had crafted using the excess materials he had obtained from the head priests.
Most of them came in the form of rings, though some were anklets, bracelets, brooches, buttons, or other small items that could easily be attached to clothing. While their effects were minimal, they were more than sufficient for resisting surprise attacks like this one.
Tobin, realizing the strain Aurelia was under, slashed open the windows and summoned a gust of wind to disperse the poison and lessen its effects. It was late at night in the academy, so there likely weren't many people outside who could be affected.
Suddenly, ominous mana radiated from the ceiling, catching everyone's attention.
"Demon summoning ritual," Seraphina said, recognizing it instantly.
"Poison to drain mana, then more poison to incapacitate, and finally a horde of demons? Well done," Bastion commented. "The only thing that would top this is if they had similar summoning rituals set up all over the academy."
As the summoning completed, the ceiling burst open with a violent crash, revealing demons pouring through the rupture. There were easily a dozen already, with more continuing to emerge.
Before anyone could panic, Damian led his friends into a charge with weapons raised. They cut down the demons with ease, but more continued to pour from the ceiling in an endless tide.
Moments later, other sections of the ceiling burst open, revealing even more demons pouring out from multiple holes across the hall. They were starting to get overwhelmed.
"Eli, take a section, would you?" Bastion commanded.
"Yes, Master," she replied, drawing her twin swords before dashing into the closest horde, cutting through the demons in a flurry of precise slashes.
Meanwhile, Bastion retrieved his sword and shield just in case. He felt exposed without his armor, but this would have to do.
"I'm definitely taking the Armory Knight class after this," Bastion murmured with determination.
Behind him, Lilia and Seraphina stood close together in a defensive stance, careful not to be overwhelmed by the chaos around them. They occasionally cast Ice Arrows and Fire Bolts to contribute to the fight.
The remaining students who resisted the effects of the poison began fighting back, even managing to rescue some of those left incapacitated. Unfortunately, many had already lost their lives, unable to defend themselves in time.
Suddenly, a lion's roar erupted from Julian, sending a surge of strength through everyone in the ballroom. The buff temporarily boosted Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality, giving the students much-needed support in the heat of battle.
Meanwhile, Aurelia's domain continued to weaken the demons as they appeared, ensuring that all the students had a fighting chance. Together, she and Julian significantly shifted the tide of battle in their favor.
The ballroom suddenly trembled as the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps echoed from outside. A moment later, with a deafening crash, the entrance exploded inward. A towering, muscular demon burst through the doorway, its presence radiating red, corruptive mana that rippled through the air like heatwaves.
The force of its entrance sent the doors hurtling across the room, slamming into several students and knocking them to the ground.
The demon was likely Rank 2 and stood imposingly tall, its skin an unnatural black veined with glowing crimson lines that pulsed with malevolent energy. Jagged horns curved back from its skull, and a long, whip-like tail lashed behind it. Rows of razor-sharp teeth gleamed as it grinned, exuding savage intent.
"I AM MAZA—" the demon began to shout, only to be cut off as something blasted through his chest, tearing it apart.
The demon slumped to the floor, dead in an instant. Its body began dissipating almost immediately.
Those who had the chance looked toward the source and saw Bastion calmly reloading his cannon without a care.
"You could have let him finish," Seraphina said.
"I didn't even know demons could talk. I thought it was going to roar, so I took the shot," he replied with a shrug.
The flood of demons slowed after a few minutes, giving the students some much-needed relief.
As the bodies of the demons slowly disintegrated into corruptive mana, Aurelia and Julius took the lead in ensuring everyone's safety. Unfortunately, some students had already lost their lives to the poison or the demons.
"This was clearly a targeted attack," Bastion said as he looked out the shattered window. "The rest of the academy seems quiet."
"Whoever planned this was counting on that demon to take out the Saintess," Seraphina added. "He was staring directly at Aurelia when he tried to introduce himself."
"Since only demons attacked, the mastermind is likely still in the academy, hiding their identity," Bastion said. "Any suspects?"
"No. I've already taken care of everyone I could identify. There are definitely still spies among the staff, but there's nothing more I can do. Even informing the headmaster would be pointless. For all we know, the spy could have been here for centuries," Seraphina explained.
She stared at the fallen students, her expression dark with fury. The memory of the townspeople of Southspire still weighed heavily on her mind.
"I don't like this, Bastion. I hate not knowing something that should be obvious," she said quietly. "I hate being on the receiving end. There has to be something we can do."
"There's nothing we can do until the Demon Lord is defeated," Bastion replied.
"Can't we just unseal the bastard and be done with it?" Seraphina asked.
"Why are you asking me? Can you unseal him?"
"No… I don't know how it happens. I only know it should happen at the end of the third year."
"Then all we can do is wait," Bastion said. "For now, we don't have a choice."
Seraphina let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders finally relaxing. She hated being passive. That was why she had started tearing down the demon worshipers' operations as soon as she could. She wanted it all to end, but it would not. Not until the Demon Lord was defeated.
She now understood Bastion's anxiety and his attack that night. The same creeping dread that had pushed him to the edge was beginning to sink into her as well. She could only imagine how much worse the pressure had been for him when she had accidentally hinted at the possibility of more Demon Lords appearing, each one seemingly meant for them to handle.
"Stop thinking about it," Bastion said as he took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"What am I supposed to think about then?"
"Classes. You're at the Royal Academy, the best place to learn in the entire kingdom. Take advantage of it while you can. Don't let their schemes get to you. At this point, all they can really do is try to wear us down with stress."
"I guess. I do need to focus on improving my skills and getting them to level 3 as soon as possible."
"There you go. And if anything happens, you're not alone."
They shared a quiet moment as the teachers finally arrived, ready to fight, though they were far too late.
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