Chapter 53: Rising Hope

"Reflecting in your eyes, 'Standing in the future, always strong', that kind of you is me."


Matilda was the first to begin casting her magic, causing her mud golem to rise up from the ground. Karin whizzed around, making sure to grab and move as many of the children as she possibly could to safety while the Ancient Dragon lumbered closer.

"Unshaking Earth, it'd be an honor if I could form your shield."

"Are you sure that's not a euphemism for something else?" Matilda snarked as Osmand used Float to fly up on top of the golem next to her.

"Hmhm, perhaps later. But for now, we shall hold off against this beast while Karin rescues the children."

Moving through the broken area of the wall, Matilda willed for her golem to put itself between the dragon and the Academy.

She had a lot of painful memories of this place. Harassment, being looked down upon, the like. As a disgraced noble who was treated like less than trash, she hated seeing these children prance about like they were everything the world needed.

But as long as she was making money for Tiffania, it was okay. She'd bear the pain, no matter how great.

Passing by Derflinger, she remembered the match she first had against Kurt. Calling him a dog that would only serve its master without a second thought.

Heh, and look where you are now… practically have everyone else as a dog after you, huh? She thought, getting into a combat ready position. "Headmaster."

"Osmand will do."

"It's been fairly ingrained into me, even after all this time."

"Then by all means. Though if you could drop the 'head'…"

"Don't push it. Here we go."

She knew about the theorem Kurt had proposed. A convergence theorem about principles on the world and magic. As she prepared to take on a biting attack, she imagined a mountain crumbling away, so that it might be used in her arm.

Her golem's left arm took the bite.

"Hm?"

The Ancient Dragon, despite having its mouth propped open with the huge arm, seemed to smile.

Matilda wasted no time laying down a powerful punch with her right arm. Fueled by her wish to protect Tiffania, by the inspiration that Kurt had become, and a want to pay him back for giving her the freedom she so wished for her actions, her attack struck true and hard. While her golem's hardened mud fist cracked, the Ancient Dragon was practically torn off, some of its teeth stuck in her golem's arm.

"Interesting."

"Headmaster!" Matilda shouted as she could feel the sheer magical power in front of her.

There wasn't a need to call out though, as he already had his spell ready. Water erupted from his wand at a breakneck pace, spilling out into the form of a bubble around them. At the same time, Matilda had her golem dig its heels into the ground and cross its arms in a defensive pose.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!"

Kurt dueled this one on one?! Were Osmand and Matilda's thoughts as they felt the raw power of the fire stream slam into them. The water shield continually kept flowing to block the attack, eventually running out and then hitting Matilda's golem next, melting through its arms before just running out of power.

"Ha… to think you survived."

Matilda imagined another mountain crumbling, and surely somewhere in the world, perhaps one did in fact fall, as she reformed her golem.

They were going to defeat this thing…?

"My apologies for being late, but I was tending to the injured." Eshmael muttered as he leapt up to them. "Allow me."

He knelt down and touched the golem, muttering a few words. "Please, spirits of the earth, hold together against the destruction of everything. Give it your all and stand firm. And as your controller continually summons you, tell them to give everything they have."

Matilda blinked when she realized an immense strength had flooded into her golem. "…Thank you."

"For Kurt Bright." Eshamel said with much solemnness in his voice. "And for the world he believed in. Such a threat doesn't deserve to destroy all he's worked on."

"Of course."

"If you'll excuse me."

With that, Eshmael leapt down below, meeting up with Colbert who was flying out with a Float spell of his own design, his flame scythe burning into the night. Eshmael drew his own blade, whispering to it, most likely casting another spell.

"HELIOS!" Colbert roared with great rage. For he was acting as raging mentor whose student was taken down, the vengeful student whose mentor was killed, the protecting teacher who stood as the shield for his students, and as a friend who was going to kill the being that took out his friend.

The flame serpent screeched into the night, burrowing into the Ancient Dragon's forward right knee, causing its next attack to miss, the beam reaching off into the sky far away. Shards of its broken shell fell to the ground as Bidashal drew his sword, charging in after Colbert.

"HAAAH!" they roared, striking together.

"Hgaaaaah…"

The Ancient Dragon glared as Colbert. "You have the same aura about you. Of the one who stood against me a few moments ago."

Colbert chose not to answer the beast as he intensified the flames that made up his scythe,

"HAH!"

The Ancient Dragon flinched from the next slash aimed at his throat. Humans had grown rather powerful, it seemed, compared to its first battle where only one human was worthy of even challenging him.

But that wasn't the only attack.

A blinding swirl of fire rushed around the Ancient Dragon. Colbert danced about, slashing with his scythe while his flame serpent tore as well as it could into the destroyer. From a distance, he looked like a conductor, orchestrating his symphony of destruction against this most dangerous foe. Behind him, Eshmael waved his sword, conducting the flames Colbert blazed with, helping him by guiding the spirits of fire to assist him.

All of his anger, all of his sorrow, all of the emotions he had been keeping back. Colbert allowed them to fuel his flame.

All of his regret, all of his resignations, all of the burdens of mistakes past his people made. Bidashal allows them to guide his movements.

"If you think your flame will hold me off forever, you should reconsider."

Colbert was rather small compared to the beast, so the Ancient Dragon didn't see him yank something off his suit. Hurling it towards the Ancient Dragon, Colbert backed away with Eshmael to gain enough distance.

"Retreating? How pi—"

The Ancient Dragon was interrupted by the flashbang going off, its ears ringing and sight momentarily impaired. It created just enough of a window for Matilda to launch another punch, causing more cracks to appear along its shell.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAARD!"

A scream came from the sky, one of gears and machine gun fire, as Lucy opened fire from above. She gripped the controls tightly, trying not to let the tears obstruct her vision. The muffler clung to her like guilt, weighing down the plane as it went straight for the Ancient Dragon.

It had taken her some time to fuel up since most of the working personnel had been utterly demoralized by Kurt's apparent death. But Lucy had more faith in him than that. Until she saw a goddamned body, she wasn't going to have a word of it.

She had refueled and resupplied the plane with Eleanore's help, then took off and flew into the air so she could rain hell upon this godforsaken beast with her fellow scientist.

"Lucy, it's too dangerous!" Eshamel shouted over his comm unit. "Pull back, that's an order!"

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

The machine gun fire didn't stop. The Ancient Dragon merely looked up and narrowed its eyes, recovering its vision.

"Worm, your attacks are meaningless!"

"LUCY, GET AWAY!"

"Ugh, Lucy look out!" Eleanore shouted.

A flood of explosive rocks flew at Lucy and the jet. Gritting her teeth, Lucy remembered every lesson she was taught. How to fly this thing. The compliments. The smiles. The little pats on the head. How to make anyone drop their jaws when doing the impossible.

Kurt said that at the rate she was practicing with the jet, she'd surpass his piloting abilities.

And she was going to do just that.

The first ones came lumbering at high speeds from the left. She barreled right, then back left to avoid the next barrage. She pulled up, avoiding a low strike.

"From behind!"

I'll do this.

Lucy pulled hard up before executing a Cobra, the smaller rocks from the exploding ones passing right below her. Recovering her speed, she continued shooting for the Ancient Dragon.

Without fail, she navigated the seemingly random array of rocks and their explosions and their shrapnel that continued raining down upon her, never letting up on the trigger when she could help it.

Hate flowed through her veins, a feeling she was unused to. She knew what anger was. Kurt had taught her what that emotion was when she found herself wanting to throw something at the lack of progress she was making or when she really, really wanted to hit someone for insulting science. Kurt told her that it could be incredibly destructive and that someone like her shouldn't feel that emotion. She was better off as a happy girl.

But this… this emotion just felt so right. All this anger directed at the being that supposedly killed Kurt. Dedicating her entire existence at this moment to destroying it. It just felt like this was what should happen.

"I hope you've got ear muffs…" Lucy said with a killer smile, coming in closer and closer. Near the ground, she paralleled out. "By the way, you all might want some ear protection."

Understanding what she meant, all the other adults backed away. Colbert readied his spell that was originally used for nonlethally taking down targets by manipulating air pressure and cast it, making sure the current fighters and school wouldn't be affected.

With all of her might, at the perfect timing she had calculated all in her head, Lucy slammed the big red button again. A sonic boom tore through the night, deafening the Ancient Dragon and disorienting it.

Lucy continued to fly past it, pulling up and looping around for another gun run.

"One last shot!"

Underneath the plane, two missiles were launched, going straight for the Ancient Dragon. They were originally to be used in a shit-hit-the-fan scramble when she was luring it here, but there was no time like the present. Still disoriented by the boom, the Ancient Dragon tried to dodge but was unsuccessful, taking two missiles straight to its already cracked shell.

Before the adults could move in, a loud CRACK rang out. Back on the towers, Agnes had recovered from going one-on-one with the Ancient Dragon and now had it in her sights.

"This one's for the person who taught me I wasn't alone." She muttered before taking in a breath. Exhaling about eighty percent of her breath, she used the last twenty to steady the shot and fire.

The bullet ripped through the night, finding its way into the crack in its shell.

The Ancient Dragon struggled to look for its target, but couldn't find where Agnes was hiding.

"Cowards, co—"

It was interrupted by a molten knife to the face, courtesy of Ronaldo.

"Hm, so it was a pretty effective attack after all. I always thought he was doing it to be flashy." Ronaldo muttered as he threw another knife, aiming right for the crack in its armor.

"Hmph, I dislike being late." Another voice said from above. Just by the sheer presence of the one who spoke, the Ancient Dragon knew that this last opponent was not one to be toyed with.

Before it could mutter a word, a drill of wind had come down from the skies, followed by a tornado headed straight for it. Karin wasted no time using everything at her disposal. This was an opponent that had to be destroyed as fast as possible, with no holds barred. There was no choice but to use the strongest attacks at the start—which of course, should have been the case regardless.

The Ancient Dragon relearned its meaning of pain when Karin launched a barrage of Wind Needles, followed by Colbert's flame scythe and serpent, though it would definitely admit the flying knight of wind was dealing more damage.

It was obvious why, or at least to Karin. Her daughters were there, or at least Louise and Eleanore. And any mother worth their salt would certainly fight the world itself for their children if need be, or so she believed. An apocalypse-bringing dragon certainly was nothing more than an obstacle to her daughters' wellbeing, and thusly, she would crush it with her own hands.

"Unshaking Earth!" Karin yelled, pulling back. "Crimson Reaper! Rising Tide! Attack together as a combined unit!"

Matilda wondered what that meant until she saw a tornado wrapped around her golem' left fist. That tornado then became a blazing inferno of a cyclone. On her right hand was a shield of water.

"PERISH!"

The all-consuming fire came for them once again. Matilda raised her arm to block it. The water shield extended out, blocking the massive beam from hitting them. When it dissipated, Osmand collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Ha… it seems that I'm getting too old for this." He muttered with a chuckle, shakily standing. "Well Matilda, what are you waiting for?! STRIKE!"

"HAAAAAAAAAH!" Matilda roared, shoving her left arm forward. The combined attack of a large mass of earth, tornados of fire, and cutting wind smashed into the main body of the dragon, a pained scream filling the air.

"Headmaster!" Colbert yelled, flying up to where he was. "Are you okay?!"

"You all… I see…"

"I don't like the sound of that." Matilda whispered, getting into a defensive stance.

"Unfortunately, you're all still fighting defensively. I want to see what it's like when you want to destroy me!"

"Headmaster…!" Colbert urged, helping his old friend and employer up to his feet.

"Colbert."

"…yes…?"

"I… hereby…"

Osmand flew out in front of the golem, his staff glowing a bright blue. He knew they probably couldn't damage it enough to stop it before it was able to recharge. There were plenty of others that could cast similar spells if they utilized the Magical Chain Theorem, but that required the school to be back on its feet.

"…appoint you… the new headmaster… of this Academy! Take care of its students well!"

"OSMAND, NO!"

"Headmaster Osmand." Karin said, all emotion drained from her voice. "Surely you do not—"

"It seems our weakness has been being on the defensive. While it was Kurt's strategy, perhaps it was the wrong way to go about things. But, let us think for ourselves, no? The students are watching, waiting in shock, unable to find their guiding light now that the Master of the Storms has been indisposed. As my final duty to this school, allow me to become the guide and inspiration to tomorrow."

"…Not a negative thing shall ever be said about you, Headmaster. Despite your quirks, you have always been a good man."

"Ohoho. A farewell kiss, Heavy Wind?"

"I'm married."

"Ah. Well, it was worth a shot."

Seeing what was going on, Agnes grit her teeth and began firing shot after shot, no longer caring about her cover as she emptied bullets into the cracks she could find. "Dammit, not you too…!"

"Hm… so you are no different than the rest."

"I do not know why you seek such a fight, but I do know that you trespass on the grounds of learning." Osmand said to the open night air as he stepped forward, landing on the ground and casting Project Voice. "And here, mindless fighting will not be tolerated.

"I was the acting headmaster of this institution. But always, always, will I defend its children."

A blue bubble began to appear around him, but his voice was loud and clear.

"And so, you, the destroyer of knowledge and harbinger of mindless, hedonistic violence, I shall protect their minds and bodies from YOU!"

Water met fire. Blue met red. Cold met hot.

Osmand was losing, that was clear. But it was better that he slow down the assault rather than the Academy be fully obliterated.

His water shield distorted the attack, launching the small bits that made it through his shield harmlessly into the night sky. Except for one that went right for the Academy—!

Dammit…! Headmaster Osmand thought as he was powerless to stop it.

Shit! Matilda mentally screamed, leaping off her golem and having it rush as fast as it could forward to try to take some of the beam, but she was too late.

At the Academy wall, Guiche, still in shock from having seen Kurt vanish in that unholy red light, saw the very same beam head for him.

Next to him, someone snapped back to reality.

Kurt… are you waiting for me? I'll—

"COMMANDEEEEEER!"

Guiche blinked as he realized he was being pushed aside. Jerking his head right, he saw Malicorne had pushed him out of the way. Everything seemed to slow down.

"Ma—"

Malicorne's face slowly began to glow red, from Guiche's left. "Give them hell, Commander."

With a glowing smile, Malicorne threw something at Guiche. Guiche stretched his hand out, trying to grab his friend with him.

But it was in vain.

Both Malicorne and Guiche's right hand vanished in that red beam that continued going on, annihilating the central tower of the Academy. Within that tower was Tabitha's chosen three as her guards, though they weren't caught in the spell. However, the tower began to collapse around them and they were at the top floor.

Seeing no way out as everything began to fall on them and being disoriented from the sudden collapsed, Jacques wrapped Bleu and Jeanne in his huge arms before huddling in a large dresser. "…Tell Her Majesty it was an honor, if I don't make it."

With that, Jacques grit his teeth and closed his eyes, making sure that the other two would be safe even as the tower collapsed around them.

Back outside, Guiche checked what he had automatically caught out of reflex, finding a silver spoon in his left hand.

"Malicorne…"

Something in Guiche cracked. The grip of fear around his heart which had been tightening every second lost its control over him. Guiche understood… he understood now, what Kurt must've felt when he saw that firebomb go off all that time ago.

You wrestled with that pain for so long… I will make you proud, Kurt. The boy you showed how to be a man, I'll definitely make you proud. When I get to hell… no, when I see you in heaven, where you belong, even if I'm not deserving, I'll fight my way if only to hear your evaluation of me.

He saw the stump that had been his right hand and grit his teeth. Behind him, seeing the tears streaming down Guiche's face, Montmorency had recovered as well. "Guiche…"

Guiche took his rose wand out, the adrenaline keeping him going, and imagined his Valkyries. He breathed the life of the earth into him.

"Guiche…!"

Guiche tested his new bronze hand. It was a crude spell, come up in only a few seconds, though with the creation of his Valkyries, something like this wasn't complicated.

"Guiche, at least me heal your hand! Seal it off…"

Guiche blinked as the spell dissipated and Montmorency did her best to heal it, sealing off the wound.

"Y-your hand…"

The metal hand, similar to the Valkyries he always created, reappeared. Without another word, Guiche pulled his lover in for a kiss before nodding.

He was going to go out there and fight. Even if he would die, there was no other way about it.

"Go to Louise. Make sure she gets back on her fe—"

Guiche was interrupted by a comm unit screaming.

"Commander Gramont! Commander Gramont, do you hear me?!" Guiche heard as he saw the red beam finally consume Osmand. The Ancient Dragon certainly was tired after it, as everyone else moved in to counterattack.

"What… who is this?! Who the hell are you?! Wh—"

He turned to the noise in the skies. From the clouds, descended the Ostland. Aboard its deck was the student body of the Academy. At their head was… Beatrice, her blonde twintails flowing off in the wind.

"This is Beatrice, first year student of the Tristain Academy of Magic. We're bringing the power of the Ostland in order to serve all those who live in this world."

By her side was the boy that had stepped up to face Kurt that day she had come to boil Tiffania. Holding her hand, he gave a nod as the Ostland opened fire on the Ancient Dragon with its advanced weaponry.

"You're supposed to be with the evacuation fleet! You weren't supposed to carry any weapons!"

"We made a good argument."

Another person began conducting the choir, all using their Project Voice spell. The song that Kurt Bright had taught, one that had manifested and spread through the Academy, one that everyone could remember him by.

"Ima watashi no… negai gotoga…"

Down below, Tabitha, Kirche, and Henrietta regained their senses. Hearing that song, they saw Kurt extending a hand to them, or in Kirche's case, extending a hand to Tabitha. Perhaps it was nothing more than a hallucination when death was practically next to them, but it was something other than the wailing of the void. The one who they had witnessed becoming a savior was still here, still beside them in some way.

Kirche blinked, coming to an understanding.

Heh, you really a crafty one, aren't you Kurt? Maybe you don't wish to die… but you knew that the world would need to get by without you. She thought as she saw Tabitha's hold on her staff tighten while she stood up. Sylphid cooed as she nuzzled with Tabitha, the small blue haired mage boarding her faithful dragon.

"Ride out." Tabitha said as she put a hand out to Kirche, who gladly accepted. The two flew into the sky, readying to take on the fight.

Beatrice… Guiche thought, puzzled as he heard the song continue. …That girl, from the time Kurt defended Tiffania. Ha, to think she would come back as the leader of the students.

Guiche felt the breeze run through his hair and push some of his tattered clothing around. "Beatrice, do you believe in equality now?"

"…Maybe. But… those words that he said. How oppressed people feel. We're the ones fleeing, scared for our lives against this thing. So much so that even Sir Bright said to move everyone away to avoid catastrophe and destruction. So… we're going to fight. He said in one of his speeches that the students here would be the key to change. So we're going to lead by example. Fight oppression, with this ultimate case."

"His name is Kurt, by the way. He dislikes being called Sir Bright."

"…Of course."

"All Knights of Undine, I need to give you a command." Guiche announced, his hand curling around his rose wand while he made his way down to the ground. "Magical Chain Theorem. We're going to use it. I need as much Earth chains as you can get on my command." Guiche swapped channels on the finished mass production device from the test against the Musketeers to the retreating adult team, who was slowly losing ground without Osmand's defensive ability. "Please, retreat to the school. We have a plan."

"Guiche?"

"I've recovered. Unknown status of Louise and Tiffania." Guiche reported to Colbert as he clenched his metal fist, the bronze creaking with every twitch. "But the students of the Academy are here. We won't let our school, so precious and important to us, be destroyed."

With a final breath, Guiche imagined an entire mountain chain falling and become a deep abyss as he switched comms again. "KNIGHTS OF UNDINE, CHAIN CAST!"

A few hundred students began casting, all chaining together Earth. Guiche prepared his spell and cast it.

"THIS IS OUR BOND! THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE TRAINING OF KURT BRIGHT, OUR DETERMINATION, OUR BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS, BROUGHT TO PREPARE FOR THE DEFENSE OF OUR WORLD!"

Valkyria rose up with much more power than before, strength radiating from its being that stood roughly at the same height as the towers of the Academy. It was incredibly refined, looking like a beautiful human woman made of bronze. A sword rose from the ground to combat the threat of the Ancient Dragon, Guiche taking a grip around it.

"VALKYRIA! SHOW THIS WORLD WHY WE EXIST! SHOW THIS WORLD WHY WE LIVE! SHOW THIS WORLD WHY WE WILL NOT DIE! TONIGHT IS NOT HOW THIS WORLD IS SNUFFED OUT, BUT HOW UNITED WE LIVE!"

As he charged forward, Guiche began relaying orders to his knights, letting them know to use mass Water chains to form a shield when needed, mimicking the spell that Osmand used. There were several mages who knew a similar spell among his knights, which Guiche told to them to focus the chains on.

The cannons rained death upon the Ancient Dragon, who snarled with every impact as it made its way closer to the school.

"I'll tear you from the sk—"

It never got to finish as Tabitha and Kirche launched their attack, icicles and fire falling down upon it, every icicle seeking a crack in its shell. To redirect its aim, Tabitha had a larger icicle smash down on it, shoving its head to the ground.

"Heavy Wind." Guiche said with his head bowed as Karin flew over to him. "It would be an honor to fight by your side and have your assistance."

"Let us test your mettle, Commander."

"Heh," Guiche chuckled as he took a ready stance. "Let's test it, indeed."

"Insolent boy, you think that just because you bring a few hundred children you can do anything? You are still but a child, no matter how large your doll. Even Brimir was unable to seal me away! What makes you think that you will be any different? Compared to you, I am a god."

That's when Guiche saw it.

Around the bottom of its neck, purple was slowly coming out. The second layer of its shell was glowing, the light of its shine flowing out almost like blood. Guiche knew it wasn't blood, but it might as well have been.

His chuckles filled the air.

"What do you find so amusing, boy?" The Ancient Dragon asked as the battle came to a standstill. "Has the fact you see your death so close broken you?"

"No, no. It's not that. It's just that… a wise man once told me, very long ago, that GODS DON'T BLEED!"

With that, Guiche took the initiative, striking true with a stab at the cracked shell.

The Ancient Dragon's shell crumbled further, but it wasn't enough just yet. They had to reach the center and blast it away. But it was a start. And if anything, this was rallying the troops.

Henrietta finally regained her senses and took hold of her wand, becoming the healer of the troops that were injured and then working on the current fighters.

"Professor Colbert…" she said as she healed his burns that were a result of him using his fire magic over its presupposed limits. "Thank you."

"Thank him as well." Colbert said, gesturing at Bidashal and Eshmael, the latter of the two trying to contact Lucy, who was taking off after a rearming. "Kurt might not be here, but there would be a day that would eventually be true. This is our world which we must take care of."

"Of course."

With that, Henrietta began moving to the front lines, her armor shining like an angel as she walked forward, rallying the broken behind her. Seeing their queen walk into the fires of hell itself, they were inspired to walk behind and beside her.

This nation that we built, this world that is ours, I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE IT! Henrietta roared in her mind as Karin and Tabitha flew in parallel above her. She nodded to Tabitha, who understood what they would do.

Tabitha and Henrietta chained their links, creating a tornado like the one Henrietta once used against Kurt in her blinding passion, not knowing what love was. But now she knew. She knew what love was now and it fueled her as she followed up the tornado with a high pressure stream of water that went straight into the cracks of the Ancient Dragon. As soon as it was over, Karin combed a tornado-drill, once again aiming for the exposed point.

"FIRING GUNS, DANGER CLOSE!"

"There's no need to yell over the comms!" Eleanore's voice screamed back over as Lucy let the guns spin. The jet was faster than before this time, due to Eleanore fueling the synthesized wind stones they were using along with the engines of the jet so they could push the jet more to its limits.

Lucy had swapped to the "insurance" rounds as Kurt put them when she landed to resupply, the high ordinance rounds creating more cracks in the shell of the Ancient Dragon. Ronaldo's eyes attempted to trace every bullet, changing the bullets' velocity rapidly at the last second, causing higher impact energy.

"Lucy, focus on firing. I'll try to scatter the rocks." Ronaldo said over the comms as he looked at the rock spears heading for them. They began flying off, not even getting close to hitting the jet.

"Understood!"

White, red, and yellow lines traced their way through the sky as she rained the explosive rounds. Every hit shook the Ancient Dragon and even the ones that missed caused its steps to falter as the earth changed below it. When it was even slightly off balance, Guiche was able to come in and slam a fist into its face or a sword into its cracked shell. As soon as she was done with her gun run, Lucy flew off, preparing to loop around for another strike.

Slowly, ever so slowly, they drew it into the school, chipped fragments of its shell slowly falling away. Students from the airship that weren't actively manning it had cast Float to make it down and were on the ramparts. Those who weren't good at casting were helping the injured Musketeers turn the cannons around or making makeshift covers even if it wouldn't help too much. Those who were skilled at magic were either chaining to other spells or casting their own, contributing to the rainbow of colors slamming into the Ancient Dragon.

Down below, Bidashal and Eshmael were fighting their way into the rubble of the tower, finding Jacques and the others. While Jacques was most certainly dead, Bleu and Jeanne were otherwise unharmed if not shaken.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"NOW!" Guiche screamed.

On the ground, Montmorency rose into the air. She could see it. The flow of the world. The way the water of life flowed. As she took command of the chains, her eyes shined a brilliant blue as she tapped into that flow.

The Water mages unleashed their combined chains.

Instead of a globe of water, several beams of glowing blue-white water came together to meet the red beam unleashed by the Ancient Dragon. The two fought for controls, brought to a standstill. Their minds were clear, all linked to the leader of the cast.

My mind is clear. I will not waver. Thank you Kurt… without you, I would not have achieved this clarity. Montmorency thought to herself as the beams could not move each other.

But this didn't mean Guiche and the other wouldn't stand still.

"GO! UNLEASH ALL YOU'VE GOT!" he cried out. Every able Musketeer lined up the sights of their weapons, whether that was a cannon or rifle. Agnes looked down the scope of her sniper rifle, trying to see where the core was with Ronaldo readying to assist her and her fellow troops. Karin, Colbert, Tabitha, and Kirche began saying their chants as fast as possible. Every student on the ramparts began to contribute to the magical chains, imagining the future they would bring. When the combined forced slammed into the Ancient Dragon, it stumbled, causing the water beam that negated its red beam to overcome and fully smash into the Ancient Dragon.

Meanwhile…

"I can help." Tiffania said, finally having recovered, approaching Eshmael and Bidashal. With her training, she finished her memory spell in record time and cast it on Bleu and Jeanne. She knelt down and patted them on the head. "The battle is not over. For now, forget your fear and sadness, and know the enemy needs to be fought."

With that, Bleu and Jeanne rose to their feet and made their way to Tabitha's side.

"I can't do much more than that." Tiffania said as she clenched her fist around her wand. "My Reflection spell takes too long to cast to be really helpful. But if you find anyone else… I can help."

"Understood, Tiffania. While we rejoin the fight, we'll communicate for others to find you if they're scared." Eshmael said as Tiffania nodded while she ran to a fallen student who was currently curled up on the ground and crying.

"…She's a brave one." Bidashal muttered, preparing his sword.

"Well, she did train under him. It's to be expected. Now, let us erase this blunder from our past. To arms!"

The Ancient Dragon screamed in horrendous pain as magic, bullets, and explosions rattled it from every side. Not a single thing was spared against it, for there was no need to. It wondered how long these children could hold on, seeing that at the rate and power of the spells he was assaulted with, they should be running out of willpower soon.

Except the thing was that the Ancient Dragon hadn't considered a small snippet in Kurt's research, where he discovered that Willpower was a very fickle thing. Being extremely emotionally charged had a tendency to fuel Willpower. And when your back was against the wall, inspired by the sacrifice of your headmaster with his belief in the next generation, by the commander of students who fought head to head with the threat itself, with those who were proclaimed as heroes and legends, emotions and feelings ran at heavenly heights. No, until this battle was over, there would be no end to the Willpower these mages could tap into.

"PERISH!"

The Ancient Dragon was getting desperate. Instead of calculated exploding rocks, it simply attempted to flood the entire area with them from the skies.

"Winds of Change: Vector Reversal Field." Tabitha said calmly, the green wall shattering every single rock spear that came for everyone. As soon as they had crumbled and the shrapnel came raining down, she twirled her staff once again. "Shell Layer: Countless Memories."

With that, the green wall once again became a myriad of thin icicles that sought out the pebbles and negated them.

"Grah…!"

Tabitha moved her staff once again, as if conducting an orchestra. "Final Movement: Eternal Distance."

Pushing herself to the maximum, she cast it. The Square level spell, Lightning Cloud. She suspected that someone was boosting her with a chained spell as the whirlwind of electrified icicles rammed right into the beast of destruction.

With that, she retreated away. Before the Ancient Dragon could do anything else…

A tornado appeared in front of the Ancient Dragon as it attempted to create some distance between it and Matilda's golem and Guiche's Valkyria, destroying yet another wall of the Academy and claiming another anti-air cannon and several lives.

Karin looked down and made eye contact with Henrietta, who nodded.

For the person I have entrusted my daughter to…

For the person I have learned what love truly is…

we will not fall!

Just like that fateful day in the rain where Henrietta had nearly killed her friends, the ones who truly knew better for her, with a combination of wind and water to create a tornado, Karin and Henrietta chained their spells together to create an even larger tornado to swallow the other one, with their spell continuing towards the Ancient Dragon.

"Gah… gaaaah!" It screamed as a thousand slices slowly chipped away at its shell and at its inner layers.

"Darling Teacher~" Kirche said as she caught up to Colbert.

"Kirche, this is hardly the time."

"Hmhm, or is it? Shall we combine our flames?"

"If you can handle my fire, then try!"

"Spoken like a true teacher~"

"HELIOS!"

"FLAAAAAME!"

Just like when they had gone to free Tabitha from her prison, flame and only flame erupted from Kirche's wand, taking the form of her familiar. Next to it was Colbert's flame serpent named Helios.

The two giants of fire rushed towards their target, smashing into the cracks of its armored legs. Flames licked their way into its exposed regions, causing the Ancient Dragon to sink to the ground. It struggled to stand but, but the unrelenting inferno refused to allow it, until it grit its teeth and stood despite the pain.

Finally it had found a worthy fight.

"SURVIVE THIS! YOU'LL ALL BE SWALLOWED BY THE NIGHT!"

Out of its broken wings, a purple light began to form. Just by seeing it, one's existence would feel like it was being threatened.

But Guiche knew no fear.

For the one that taught him what it was to be a commander, he knew he must first himself be willing to brave death's gaze in order so his troops may follow him.

The Ancient Dragon seemed not to care how much Guiche or Matilda hit it, as if knowing that they were already dead.

Even after five more minutes of sword strikes, punches, and insane magics, it didn't stop glowing. In fact, its glow only seemed to intensify…!

"If you survive… we shall see if you are indeed worthy of my time…!"

Purple shot up into the sky, parting the dark clouds. The twin moons above seemed to meld into one as the purple light consumed it. A beam of death shot down, readying to strike the Academy dead on—

"Dispel."

Only for it to completely vanish.

All the fighting forces and the Ancient Dragon looked to see who the caster was. Upon one of the yet-to-be-broken ramparts, stood Louise on the motorcycle that roared with life, Derflinger at her side as she had recovered it in the chaos. Her pink hair blew in the winds that followed, the breeze tickling the skin she had exposed.

You bastard… making Kurt break his promise at coming back… she mentally hissed as she locked eyes with the Ancient Dragon that came lumbering forward to once again meet Guiche in close quarters combat. I'll destroy you. And what a cheap trick, just starting the spell high enough in the sky to make it look like it's coming down from the moon.

"Guiche. Leave him be. This one's mine." Louise said over her comm unit.

"But Louise, you know we can't do that."

"…Fine. Support me however you like. Just don't get in my way, and nobody better steal my kill. Whatever happens, I'll get the final blow. Even if I die before that, I'll come back to life if it means killing him, then death can take me." She said, never breaking her glare's direction even as she revved the motorcycle. "But I will kill this thing."

Kurt…

this one's for everything you've done.