Using the tactic of deactivating the barrier anytime she wanted to launch a heavy Light-Attribute Spell; recovering her Mana if she ran out, and even ensuring there was enough time to cast big guns; Ana successfully beat the Demons.
It sapped a lot of her physical and mental energy, but the girl managed to pull through. Without the aid of the Automatons providing defense and support, she couldn't see herself remotely winning.
"Haa… haa…" The girl heaved in relief.
Everyone was happy—though secretly surprised—that Anabelle had nearly single-handedly saved them all. The seniors had no choice but to feel ashamed of themselves; the Elites realized they didn't deserve their title.
Still, no one could complain. It was the opposite, in fact.
The group thanked Anabelle. Miraculously no one had died, and it was all thanks to the petite lady's efforts.
"W-what now?" Her loyal cluster of girls asked an exasperated Ana.
While recovering her energy, she took a while before responding. In between fighting and listening to Jared's recordings, Ana had been entrusted with the responsibility of manning her female counterparts.
As if that wasn't worse, she now had a mission.
Her next goal, given to her by Jared, was to make her way to the Middle-Class Boys Dorm alongside the group of deadweight girls behind her.
And so, Ana swiftly proceeded to do so, albeit reluctantly.
The journey was arduous, but the group pulled through.
They had to engage a few times, but so far, they remained undetected by any major forces. Though, this was mainly due to the sacrifice of Jared's Automatons.
Out of the initial five Automatons, only two were left. The rest performed sacrificial duties of buying time for them or distracting the Shadows near their path.
Ana realized her forces were wearing thin, and the group of girls with her were either too frightened or too weak to do any good—maybe even both. Still…
Still, her eyes gleamed with determination. She wasn't going to give up!
Jared was fighting, trying his hardest—same with Edward! She also had to do her best.
'I can do this… no, I WILL!'
With that steely resolve etched into her heart, she continued her march.
—But… danger loomed once more…
UNAVOIDABLE DANGER!
************
I dashed quickly, estimating to cross paths with Anabelle within a few minutes. I used my time to calculate my next step.
All things considered, things were going fairly easy—at least, better than expected.
It felt cruel to think that way, but it was genuine. In fact, I even stifled a sigh of relief so it wouldn't be too insensitive to those who had died.
'That doesn't change how I feel, though…'
Those who had seen war would understand my logic—especially one against Demons.
In the first instance, the monsters we had been encountering were just about as strong as the average Shadow Demon. Warriors or Veterans were on a completely different level.
Then we had Captains, Commanders, Generals, and then… Demon Lords! I shuddered at the thought of the latter.
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'I can probably handle a Captain as I am now… a Commander would be pushing it. I'm not sure I could win… maybe I can buy some time…'
And that was a big MAYBE.
The problem was if the opponent was a Demon Lord. There was no doubt I'd lose.
'I highly doubt that, though…'
In the first instance, the Shadows that appeared were too weak. A Demon Lord could do way better. Also, there was the fact that the Lord of Shadows—Noir Seat of the Demon Council—was Kahn.
Kahn wasn't the kind to do such a thing. Well, he was, but… I was certain he wouldn't go this far.
'Did someone else become Demon Lord in his place?'
I also found that highly doubtful. Last I checked no one came even close to Kahn's power. Shadows—no, Demons generally—got more powerful as they aged and took in more Miasma and Soul Essence. At least, according to what I knew…
'… And I know plenty…'
During the war, we killed any even remotely close to his level. Only one of his commanders was left alive, and it was the weakest one. Kahn was still in his prime the last time I saw him. He could easily live for a thousand years more before choosing to retire.
He would have also grown stronger during that time.
There was no way he could create Shadows as weak as this... there was no way he would be leading this invasion.
'I suppose I have to settle for someone else. Maybe his commander? What was his name again?'
In any case, I needed to get to the root of things. No, it was best to get the teachers involved.
'Where are they, though?'
For now, I could only speculate, but I had something in the works.
'I'm close… I can sense my Automatons, and…!!!'
My eyes bulged as I sensed a lot of Shadows converge in a certain location. It was most like Ana's since my Automatons were meant to be guarding her.
'What's with this number? There are like a hundred… WHY?!'
They came from two directions and, judging from their speed, it was like they were running toward something in a hurry… or fleeing!
It couldn't be the latter, could it?
I didn't have the luxury to even contemplate the rationale of their actions. Only one thing mattered now.
'A hundred, uh? It'll be tough if I conserve resources. I guess I can't help it.'
There were lots of tricks I had up my sleeves, but revealing my hand so early in the game left a bad taste in my mouth. There was a chance the enemy was simply probing us by sending such a weak attack force.
pᴀɴᴅᴀ ɴ(O)ᴠᴇʟ If I wanted to gauge someone's strength, I would also employ the same tactic. But since these were Shadow Demons, I probably didn't have much to worry about. I was probably overthinking things.
'It doesn't hurt to be careful, so I'll do it moderately… Alright!'
I prepared the Mana around me ad charged at full speed, readying a Spell I had only tried in my head.