The ashes of Number Three still swirled through the air when silence fell heavy over the square.

  Lukas stood firm, his curved shield still steaming, the runes on its surface glowing like embers. The gladius dripped fresh blood.

  The surviving barbarians, their eyes stripped of numbers, didn’t dare take a step. One by one, they dropped their weapons until every last one of them was on their knees. Defeat was no longer written on their flesh — it was carved into their hearts.

  Lukas raised his eyes.

  — “Fall back.”

  And they did.

  That was when the air itself tore open.

  New portals bloomed above Sorriso’s walls, spewing grotesque beasts — gray-skinned ogres, rune-covered winged horrors, and hounds of shadow with iron fangs. The roar of war began anew.

  ?? The Arrival of the Professors

  Before the monsters could reach the streets, a flash split the sky.

  Sir Galahard de Montalvo leapt from the wall, his longsword shining like sunlight forged in steel. His strike cleaved the ground in two, cutting through three ogres in a single swing.

  — “Form up!” he roared, his voice like a war drum. “The city does not fall today!”

  Right behind him, Talia Ignare raised her fists. Blue fire danced across her skin, each punch exploding like a forge hammer against the beasts.

  — “Let them come! I’ll burn every last shadow to ash!”

  Then came Bjorn Martellson, the barbarian giant, crashing down with his twin-bladed axe, sweeping through entire ranks of creatures. Every impact was thunder.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  — “HAHAHA! Blood and bone! Now this— this is what I’ve missed!”

  From the darkness walked Cassius Veynar, silent as a prayer. He spoke one word in the old tongue — and the monsters froze, trapped in invisible ice as if held by ghosts.

  His green eyes flickered.

  — “Return to the nothing you came from.”

  And then he appeared.

  Tailer Aspenwolf. White coat flowing, long braid shifting with the wind, blue eyes gleaming with calm mischief.

  He snapped his fingers — a sphere of black gravity formed midair. Everything nearby — stones, monsters, even blood — was pulled into it. Then he closed his hand, and the world imploded in a dry, soundless burst.

  — “Hmmm. Better.” He smiled. “I was afraid this would be boring.”

  High above, standing almost forgotten on the wall, was Elisandra Xadrez, the Veil of Mind. Her glasses slid down her nose, but her gaze never wavered.

  The crystal staff in her hands shone as invisible mental chains wrapped around the beasts, locking them in place like pieces on a board.

  Her voice was steady, low but commanding:

  — “Tailer… opening on the left. I’ll hold the big ones.”

  He gave her a tilted, teasing grin.

  — “You call the move, I’ll play it, Xadrez.”

  The psychic chains tightened like unseen walls, freezing the creatures mid-charge. Tailer snapped his fingers again — the black sphere expanded exactly where she’d cleared the path, crushing dozens of monsters in a blink.

  He laughed softly, almost fondly.

  — “Good move. As always.”

  Elisandra adjusted her glasses, hiding the blush that burned across her cheeks.

  — “Just… doing my part.”

  ? The Echo

  Lukas watched from afar. His shield still heavy in hand, his blade still bleeding.

  For the first time since stepping onto the field… he breathed.

  He had defeated Number Three.

  But now — it was the Professors of Delos who showed what it truly meant to bear the title of Guardians of the Empire.

  And all of Sorriso trembled with the echo of their arrival.

  End of Chapter 44.