"Stop them!"
Gunfire rang out with the cry of a knight. The officers behind the makeshift barricades spat out every bullet they had.
The leader of the group of approaching chimeras, filling the streets, was shot.
A few chimeras went down in a spray of blood, but they were few and far between. With their toned muscles and hard hides, the chimeras were able to withstand more than a few bullets.
Even the dead chimeras were unlucky enough to be shot through the eye, or to take too many bullets. The rest were too strong.
"Shoot, shoot, keep shooting!"
The officers continued to fire, even as they pondered.
Behind the barricades they had set up, terrified citizens who hadn't yet evacuated huddled together.
If the chimeras break the barricades all the citizens will die so the officers tried to hold the line with all their might but they were running out of ammunition, and the chimeras just kept coming.
Guns could only do so much.
"Everyone out of the way!"
That's when the out-of-breath wizard stepped forward.
Loina Pavlini used her magic to create a massive magic barrier.
Waves of chimeras crashed against the barrier, creating a massive vibration around them. Gritting her teeth, Loina enchanted the barrier, turning it into a blazing fire.
The chimeras near the barrier quickly burned to a crisp but they were not intimidated by the flames. Some of them tried to jump over the flaming barrier, stepping on the corpses of previously killed chimeras.
Each time they did, the officers standing by shot and killed them. It was then that Loina broke out in a cold sweat and dropped to one knee.
"Wizard, are you all right?!"
A Cold Steel knight commanding nearby walked over to check on her.
"I, I'm fine."
Loina said she was fine, but her complexion was pale.
The officer's face naturally hardened.
"You're exhausted."
It was strange for a sixth-rank Lexer to be exhausted, but it was that bad since Loina had used up so much magic power at least ten times.
The survivors took up positions outside the Crystal Palace and held off the Chimera assault.
There was no point in trying to stop them from the inside, as they would emerge from the underground passageways.
The Crystal Palace is a major tourist attraction and there was plenty of traffic so there were more than a few streets to block.
Loina had blocked all of them single-handedly. In fact, it was only now that her exhaustion was beginning to look admirable.
Miraculously, there hadn't been any casualties yet, thanks to her all-consuming dedication but even that had its limits.
She pushed herself to her feet, straining at her wobbly legs, but eventually fell back down.
"I should get up."
The chimeras were still pouring in but at least the knights were fighting back somehow, giving her time to rest in between otherwise, they would have been wiped out already.
"Miss Loina!"
The students of Theon were enraged by the sight and rushed to help. Leading the way was the Third Princess Erendir.
"We'll help!"
"Oh, no, please go inside."
"I know we're not good enough, but if we join forces, we can at least stall for time. Please allow us."
The students, along with Erendir, spoke with such determination that Loina could do nothing to discourage them. She knew best that they were desperate for help.
"They're coming again!"
The barrier of flame collapsed as Loina's magic wore off, and the chimeras that had been drooling from beyond moved once more.
[Dddddd.]
The ground shook as if there had been an earthquake as the chimeras rushed forward at once. The bloodshot eyes of the chimeras as they rushed toward them were like demons crawling up from the depths of hell.
Considering that the chimeras actually burst out of the ground, you could have sworn that the gates of hell had opened.
"Hold on!"
The field commander, a female Cold Steel Knights Order, shouted at the top of her lungs.
At the barricades in each direction, Cold Steel Knights drew their swords, used their artifacts, and slashed at the Chimeras as the police and the guards of the Crystal Palace fought along with them.
They clenched their teeth and poured out all the bullets they had at the approaching chimeras that tried to get their heads around the barricades.
The students of Theon did not stand still and started using their magic.
Since they couldn't do it alone they divided their tasks. One would create a wall out of the ground to block a path or block an attack, while the other would intercept any chimera that tried to climb over or bypass it.
Proving they weren't students of Theon for nothing, they did their jobs well. It was an extreme situation but everyone did the best they could in their respective positions.
Thanks to them, the storming Chimera forces have been slowed, if only slightly. This was due in no small part to the efforts of Loina, who was doing her best to keep them at bay, but also to the combined efforts of the Knights and Theon students.
"All right! Let's keep going!"
"Those who are tired, stand down! We're switching!"
It was a moment of hope for the people.
[Krrrr!]
Suddenly, the chimeras stopped moving. They shook the thorns that grew from their backs to their tails wildly as if communicating with something.
The strange behavior made one of the frontline Cold Steel Knights suspicious.
[Kyaaaaah!]
The chimera in the lead threw up its head and roared, then swung its tail in the air. At the tips of its two tails were countless spikes, and when the chimera swung them, the sharp spikes shot out like bullets.
The action was mirrored by all the chimeras that filled the streets.
"Everyone, take cover……!"
A knight who realized what was happening shouted, but it was too late. The sharp spikes pierced through the barricades and into the bodies of the officers behind them.
The chimera's spikes were far stronger than any rifle bullet in terms of sheer power.
"Ack!"
"Crunch!"
Officers collapsed in a spray of blood. Some of the unlucky ones were even caught in the crossfire.
The barricade's stopping power had saved them, but there was no denying that their wounds would hinder them in the immediate fight.
Worse still, the chimeras didn't stop there.
"A ranged attack? This isn't good!"
"Here they come again! Stop them!"
Unable to completely avoid the thorns that filled the streets, the only option was defense. But unlike the knights, who were prepared and wore armor, the police were not.
That's when Loina stepped in.
"Everyone down!"
She scraped together what little magic she had left, creating a dome-shaped barrier of energy. The spikes from the chimeras hit the barrier and bounced off like a rain shower hitting an umbrella.
The chimeras did not cease their assault and Loina's barrier slowly began to crack.
Just as it was about to crumble, Flora stepped forward.
"Cheryl!"
"Okay!"
Cheryl knew what to do when Flora called her name. She manifested the spell she'd been preparing, and it rose like a tidal wave of water.
Flora's magic added to the barrier of water.
[Whoooooo!]
A pure white chill sliced through the barrier of water, creating a wall of icebergs.
"Flora, this won't hold for long!"
Before Cheryl could say anything else, Flora's next spell manifested.
A dozen lightning bolts formed around her and then the balls of lightning stretched out and turned into spears. With a flick of her wand, the thunderbolts fell in a parabolic arc toward the chimeras.
Blue lightning spread like a spider's web, scattering electricity in all directions and a gaping hole was blown in the chimera army.
[Aaaah!]
The citizens who watched the spectacle roared, and the students of Theon couldn't keep their mouths shut. They knew Flora Lumos was a genius in Theon, but they didn't expect her to be able to use her magic so freely in a fight.
'Amazing.'
Rene was equally impressed with Flora's performance.
Flora had no hesitation in manifesting her magic, showing that she was not called a genius for nothing.
The lines of her formulas did not tremble in the face of fear and terror, nor did her compositions go awry. She used the right amount of mana at the right time, with minimal expenditure of energy.
Even their mentor, Loina, could only stare in awe.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Rene's vision caught the movement of the chimeras.
Flora didn't see it, but Rene did. Several of the chimeras scaled the building's exterior walls and moved silently onto the roof.
'Why the roof?'
Then one of the chimeras, moving silently on the roof, looked at Flora and twitched its two tails. The sight of it made Rene jump to her feet.
"Danger!"
It was almost simultaneous with Rene's warning that the chimera on the roof shot out its thorns.
Flora spotted the chimera late, but it was too late. The moment she squeezed her eyes shut, Rene had used her magic.
It was a simplified magic barrier since non-attribute magic didn't contain any attributes. Normally, she would have struggled to use it, but now that Rudger had increased her mana output, it worked just fine.
A silver-gray circular shield formed in front of Flora, blocking the thorns. Some bounced off the shield while others pierced halfway through and lodged in but it succeeded in blocking them completely.
Flora stared at the magic shield with dazed eyes, then shifted her gaze to Rene.
"You……."
"Are you okay?"
"……."
Flora nodded with a complicated look on her face as Rene looked at her worriedly.
Renee patted her chest, relieved, but then realized that the chimera wasn't dealt with.
"It's coming again!"
"I know."
Flora replied and tried to respond.
On the rooftop, the chimera was about to fire another barrage of spikes when it suddenly lifted its head.
Immediately afterward, as if sensing a crisis, it began to run away from the scene. For a moment, the people on the scene didn't understand why the chimera suddenly changed its behavior but they soon realized why.
Suddenly, a beam of light began to descend from the dark cloud-filled sky. It fell in a straight line, then took a terrifying turn and pierced the fleeing chimera's torso.
The chimera screamed and fell to the ground.
"Look!"
Just then, someone raised their hand and pointed into the air and the people's eyes naturally turned to a point.
"Mr. Rudger?"
Renee, as well as Flora, could recognize the person there.
Floating in thin air with floating magic Rudger waved his hand lightly as if he were a conductor. Then, countless beams of light like those that pierced the rooftop chimera burst forth from his fingertips, raining down on the ground.
"My God."
Erendir unknowingly uttered an exclamation at the beautiful and majestic sight.
Countless beams of light bent and shifted in the air, piercing the chimeras. It was an imitation light made through mana, but light was light. Its speed was beyond the reach of a mere chimera infused with beastly elements.
The chimeras fought back and fired a barrage of spikes at Rudger as he floated in midair.
In an instant, countless spikes filled the air with blackness.
Seeing this, Rudger's response was simple. He simply bowed and held out his other hand.
At that moment, a vortex of magic formed, spinning furiously around him. The flying spikes were swept up in it and bounced helplessly, unable to pierce their target.
It was the same defensive magic Rudger had used against Grander, but without the use of Aether Nocturnus, and with pure magic.
The magic didn't stop there as the wind blew. The thorns that had been falling like rainwater from the sky began to form a giant stream on the wind.
The thorns that the chimeras shot out were caught by the wind that Rudger blew in the opposite direction.
Rudger quickly returned the wind-collected thorns to the chimeras.
A shower of spikes like the one that pierced the barricades rained down on the chimeras.
The chimeras screamed in a spray of blood, and the citizens cheered. Just then, new reinforcements arrived from the distance.
The chimeras realized they couldn't win and fell back while baring their teeth.
Seeing this, Rudger released his floating spell and landed just inside the barricade where the citizens were gathered.
Looking at the citizens, students, knights, and police who stared at him speechlessly, Rudger spoke up.
"Is everyone safe?"
* * *
In the capital's main square, many people were gathered. Evacuation centers had been set up because of this major terrorist incident.
In the central barracks, people gathered to talk about the situation.
"What is the situation now?"
"The evacuation of the citizens is over, and we are now on the defensive by building barricades on the main streets where they roam."
"As we started responding in earnest, the chimeras didn't rush in recklessly. It looks like there's a commander."
"There's no end to their numbers, and at this rate, it's just going to be a pointless war of attrition."
With the Liberation Army followed by the Chimera onslaught, the capital quickly became a place of mayhem. Luckily, the wizards, knights, police, and guards were able to stabilize the situation, but the damage was done.
"I can't believe the Liberation Army made chimeras."
Lloyd, the second-in-command of the Nightcrawler Knights, muttered as he adjusted his glasses while Trina, who occupied one side of the table, crossed her arms and said nothing.
On the other side of the table, Veronica was receiving a series of reports from her men.
At that moment, the outside of the barracks became noisy with shouting.
Wondering what was going on, she looked toward the barracks' entrance and saw someone rush in and shout,
"His Majesty the Emperor is here!"