It was difficult not to. Astensia was his first and his most loyal Heroine, and watching her fight and fight for hours on end just to keep them protected was pretty difficult.

Even though he knew she was strong enough to handle it, he couldn’t help but worry each time a red-dripping Demon advanced at her.

Thankfully, the chapel finally came into view. Lancet recognized it from the description in the novel; a gray stone building with a single spire, the church glass windows were miraculously intact despite the surrounding destruction.

The gates had been torn from their hinges, lying twisted in the mud. The thick wooden doors at the entrance were closed, but Lancet could see claw marks gouged deep into the wood, even ones that seemed more recent.

"The civilians are in the catacombs beneath," Astensia said with determination. "Once we get inside, begin to seal the ground."

She pushed forward, clearing the last stretch of street. The Demons here were scattered—remnants of the waves they’d already slaughtered—and she cut through them mechanically.

But they kept coming. Neverending, these treacherous monsters.

"Get into the chapel now!" Astensia cried.

The Demons chased after as they hastened their steps towards the chapel. Nereus shadow-spawned by the door and opened it, allowing everyone to spill inside after him.

Astensia was the last to get in. Right behind her, a massive Bug Demon lunged to catch her with its clocking jaws.

When Astensia turned, she threw her left arm forward, sending her shield flying and spinning like a disc. It struck the Bug Demon square in the face.

KRAWWWW! The creature shrieked in pain as the shield hit its head with enough force to crack its chitinous skull, sending fragments of exoskeleton flying.

Then, the Demon went limp.

The shield rebounded from its shattered face, spinning back through the air. Astensia caught it without looking and slid it back onto her arm.

[Heroine, Astensia, has killed 1 Demon (Rank: 6-Star Descending)]

Renan and Cassian quickly closed the wooden doors. Right after, Cassian began weaving wind magic into the gap, creating a temporary seal of pressurized air that would hold for a few minutes.

Lancet looked around the chapel.

It didn’t look anything like a place of worship, at least not anymore. The miasma had seeped in through cracks in the walls and ceiling, and everything was coated with red-black sludge.

The pews had been pushed aside to create a clear path to the door behind the altar. There, they found the door that led down to the catacombs.

That door was still clean. The miasma stopped at its threshold, as if blocked by some residual blessing in the stone.

"The civilians are down there," Amira said quietly. "Hundreds of them. Waiting."

"How did the citizens not know about the smuggler tunnels?" Finnea asked. "Wouldn’t they have tried to escape through them already?"

Nereus Grimlake answered, hands folded like an apathetic shadow. "The tunnels lead to the south gate. The Demons have built a nest there—hundreds of them, maybe thousands. Anyone who goes that way is just offering themselves up as Demon lunch."

"So we’re going to open the tunnels and send civilians into that?" Finnea’s voice rose with alarm.

"No," Nereus said calmly. "We’re going to clear the tunnels first. That’s the second phase. First, we seal the ground beneath the chapel. Then we sweep the tunnels. Then we evacuate."

From outside, the sounds of Demons shrieks grew louder. More were coming. The ones that had been chasing them were regrouping, and the ones that had been patrolling other parts of the town were converging on the chapel.

Astensia burst through the doors—not pushing them open, but shouldering through the gap that Jaxen had left. Her armor was dented in three places. A gash on her cheek wept blood. But her eyes were clear, and her blade was still raised.

"They’re massing at the gates," Astensia reported. "We have maybe ten minutes before they try to breach. Maybe less."

She looked at the two Arcanists: Maevia Sol and Amira Vineheart.

"I’ll stop them from surrounding this chapel. Secure the ground as fast as you can."

Maevia and Amira didn’t need to be told twice. They dropped to their knees on opposite sides of the chapel, pressing their palms flat against the stone floor.

They shut their eyes close and started to whisper incantations.

Astensia turned to the others.

"Nereus. Seradine. Jaxen. Rilla. With me."

The four students stepped forward.

"We’re going to push them back," Astensia said. "Create a kill zone outside the doors so we can buy the Arcanists time to finish."

She looked over her shoulder, scanning the evac team until her eyes found Lancet.

She walked to him, ignoring the surprised stares of the other students. Up close, Lancet could see the exhaustion in her face, there were dark circles forming under her eyes and tightness around her mouth.

But she smiled at him anyway.

"I’ll be back soon, Master."

Several students turned to stare at Lancet—Renan, Frieda, Nereus. Even Jaxen, who had been focused entirely on the doors, glanced back to stare at him.

They still hadn’t gotten used to a legend from the Era of Ash, one of the greatest Awakeners in human history, calling a first-year student "Master."

Lancet just looked at Astensia and nodded.

I would have told her to be careful, he thought. But she’s Astensia. Being careful isn’t in her nature.

She turned away, her shield raised, her sword ready. "Open the doors!"

Cassian released his wind seal and Jaxen pushed the doors open.

Led by Astensia, the chosen students all charged into the swarm of Demons outside, their magic forming dangerously around them.

Finnea shut the door after. Lancet could hear Skills being yelled, Demon shrieks and blasting of elements. Notifications of Astensia’s kills filled his vision.

Renan stepped forward in the tense silence and he and Lancet locked eyes for a moment.

"It’s up to us now to get to the citizens," he said.