Mistress Of The Evil Forest-C̵͑ā̷s̸̓ȅ̵ ̷͑1̶8̵8̴: ̷ ̴Out̴ o̷f̵ t̴h̷e̴ c̴a̵ge̶ ̵: ̴͝Hȯ̴r̵̈́ro̵r̶̾ ̶̿s̷up&#

Alongside Amelia, Claire is the most active member in this defense. Fighting with these two, the students can't help but feel as though they are just the side characters. Is it because of this that they also act accordingly?

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

No, in the first place, the two are already so far ahead of the rest, pushing even the likes of Luxia or Scarlett into the support roles.

Yet, even they have a limit.

Everything has a limit, even the encroaching dragons. It's just that theirs are much, much higher than mere humans. In reality, one side is cornering the other. Without help, some losses might be unavoidable...

''...Claire. I think we need to break through them.''

''That might be hard.''

''I know. But we will die otherwise.''

''That's—''

Claire abruptly stops her sentence as she feels a blitzing presence ahead. Just, a sharp and lightning-fast shadow cutting through space...

'''' ... ''''

...and the dragons' heads. All of them.

The humans freeze.

Standing before the headless lizards' corpses is a thin figure with squirming tentacles bursting from their back. The towering man's black vest absorbs the shower of dragon blood quite well, but the same cannot be said about his bleach-white skin, which easily gets tainted.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Just on an instinctual level, this entity is infinitely more dangerous than what they have encountered.

''Ah, wait...''

''Isn't this...?''

Some of the students present at the Nuf incident have briefly seen this same figure among Silaerob's ranks. With the inevitable fear, a sense of relief also blooms.

Nonetheless, the atmosphere is still immensely tense, especially as the man turns to the group, staring at them with no eyes at all.

''Baldie...''

And that is precisely the moment a certain twin-tailed airhead blurts out a word she shouldn't.

'''' ...! ''''

In one gulp, the tension skyrockets, and everybody braces themselves for the worst—

''A—Ah, wgahit...!''

But as if to trample on that foolish worry, all Luxia Neveah ever receives are some hearty, merciless, cheek-pinching actions. The seemingly slippery tentacles have a surprisingly good grip, kneading the girl's cheeks like a well-made dough.

That mere incomprehensible scene leaves many in utter confusion.

''Kyah?!''

It isn't until a massive explosion of wind sweeps by that their attention is back to normal. In the sky, a huge shadow rips through the crimson night, frantically twisting its shaky form to avoid the giant javelins of ice following its way.

Following the lord dragon's counterplay bullets, one can easily locate the position of Bianca Cecil—the very grandmaster who is cornering the colossal enemy on her own. Seeming almost too composed, she controls the whole battlefield with ease, creating threats with ice so cold it can freeze the sun.

''You guys! Is everybody alright?!''

That flashy display momentarily distracts the group from the ground, on which another team is rapidly approaching.

''Professor...?''

''Aunt.''

They are Claudia, the professor from Heisenberg, Alice, the principal, and several other staff members. Breathing out a sigh of relief at this sight, Amelia reports the group's status and quickly flops down for some rest.

''...''

At some point, the slender man has vanished.

'Truly a horror supply at the right time, huh...'

More importantly, Luxia has accidentally slipped up, and the kids are looking at her strangely. After all, one can't just joke around with an eldritch being like that normally.

'...I guess it's fine. This act is almost over anyway...'

Deciding not to worry about that problem anymore, Amelia closes her eyes and begins to follow the sounds. Just like how a chess master can play without looking at the board, she can recognize how a fight might unfold from only the sounds it creates.

And so far... it is a slaughter.

Even though it isn't official, Bianca Cecil is considered one of the most powerful grandmasters on this continent. It is rumored that her level threshold is somewhere around eighty—a number no one can joke about.

So, it isn't too strange that she easily dominates the fight against a lord dragon. As though an animal trapped in a perpetual maze, the lord dragon is forced to go through the same traps, the same setups every single time, chased by the unstoppable ice spears.

The more Amelia listens, the more she is impressed by this woman—by her mastery over tactics, magic, and even psychological warfare. Her firepower is not too far ahead of the other grandmasters, but how she uses it makes all the difference.

It will be over soon.

Such thoughts are food for Amelia's mind. Not only will the academy become safer, but if she defeats this opponent, she can move to Zircon and assist Aurora.

Until then...

'Stay strong, Aurora.'

Meanwhile, at the imperial palace.

Intermittent explosions ring from within the training grounds, some deadly and careless enough to destroy the buildings found in this place.

''Phew...''

''How is it?''

Graham lightly shrugs, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. It has been a good bit since he and his colleague, Ivan Apollo, began fighting the twin lord dragons of ice and water, and so far, the battle is even.

Knowing they needed to quickly defeat these two and reach Zircon to face the final hurdle before confronting the moon, considerable efforts were made, but they were not yet sufficient.

''It's time to get serious,'' Ivan utters, unfazed against the tempest encroaching.

''Yeah. Let's make it quick.''

Even though they intended to converse some strength for the later fights, it seems that option is impossible, after all.

————!

In an instant, a blazing hot storm like that of the sun hits the imperial palace. With both grandmasters releasing their mana at the same time, every bit of the storm ahead vaporizes in half a moment.

Graham's fists ignite two scorching stars, and Ivan's claymore radiates a cosmic jet of light.

The two lord dragons, now back in their mortal forms, resort to their primordial instinct and lay low, nailing their whole mana into the ground to protect themselves. It would be quite difficult to break through that layer of defense.

All they need is a brief window of action... and a certain creature lurking nearby might have a solution for that.