Ellis's situation was not good, or rather, the situation of everyone present was not good.
Being passively defensive would eventually deplete all divine power, leading to the breach of the gates by the magical beasts, and then an attack on the academy.
Ellis had also realized this, but the magical beasts were already attacking, and there needed to be enough divine power to defend; otherwise, the consequences of the magical beasts breaking through the barrier would be unimaginable.
Due to the need to concentrate all manpower on defense to withstand the assault of the magical beasts, the Sylphid Knight Order could not spare any additional personnel to counterattack the magical beasts and could only passively endure their assault.
Thinking of this, Ellis couldn't help but feel anxious.
But if this continued, defeat was inevitable.
Someone had to step up now, and the only one who could do so was Ellis, the leader of the knight order.
Gritting her teeth, Ellis said to the people behind her, "I will go to fight the magical beasts; you hold on here!"
The other members of the knight order were taken aback, their faces showing panic. Those nearby tried to stop Ellis, but she had already dashed toward the barrier, charging toward the location of the magical beasts.
"Captain!"
Roa glanced at the magical beasts surrounding them. The large-sized magical beasts were not particularly difficult to deal with, but the difficulty referred to their size; their massive bodies brought immense strength, but they also lacked agility. If there were only one or two, Ellis could easily handle them one by one with her agility.
However, there were at least a dozen magical beasts attacking from the direction of the Spirit Forest. With so many magical beasts, even on a frontal battlefield, only a high-level spirit mage like the Twelve Knights could single-handedly charge into such a horde of beasts and take them down.
Although Ellis was quite capable, even compared to those formal spirit knights, she was still far from reaching the level of the Twelve Knights.
Charging recklessly to the front line was almost like seeking death.
However, given the current situation, if Ellis did not step up, there would truly be no one else to do so.
Roa did not intervene, standing by with interest.
Behind him, Est asked, "Master, should we intervene?"
Roa smiled and shook his head, saying to Est, "Not yet, let's wait and see Ellis's strength."
Est fell silent, continuing to watch the battle quietly.
The knight's sword was drawn, and Ellis stood coldly at the intersection of the barrier and the magical beasts, a faint divine power flickering around her. The divine power wrapped around the knight's sword along her right arm.
Of course, Ellis's methods could not directly annihilate the group of magical beasts like Roa could with sword techniques; after all, Ellis's profession was still that of an spirit mage.
"Come forth! Wind Spirit — Simorgh!"
The girl's clear voice echoed in front of the gate, accompanied by a violent fluctuation of divine energy. A fierce wind gathered, ultimately forming a creature resembling an eagle in front of Ellis.
This was indeed a high-ranking spirit.
Its name was Simorgh.
Simorgh spread its wings, displaying a greenish-blue hue as it slowly unfolded. The eagle was quite large and appeared robust, looking impressive just by its appearance.
The eagle named Simorgh let out a loud cry, diving from the sky like an arrow, leaping down from above and transforming into a blur as it shot down from mid-air.
At the same time, Ellis began to chant, "—Violent wind—"
"—Grant me the magic spear that pierces the heart of my enemies—"
As Simorgh fell from the sky, it transformed into a swirling wind, appearing in Ellis's left hand.
The wind continued to gather, eventually revealing its shape.
It was a spear, a spear that looked quite impressive.
Feeling the power emanating from the spear, Ellis's expression hardened. She sheathed her knight's sword, gripped the spear with both hands, and shouted softly, thrusting the spear forward.
Just as Roa was confused, a fierce wind appeared without warning, gathering with a destructive momentum toward the point Ellis's spear was aimed at, sweeping forward like a tidal wave.
The massive magical beasts were obstructed by the gusts, their enormous bodies swaying unsteadily, seemingly on the verge of falling.
Ellis's movements did not stop. Standing at the academy's entrance, she swung the spear again and shouted, "Wind of disaster, transform into countless swords and sever my enemies—"
The wind swords gathered from all directions, slicing toward the bodies of the magical beasts. The effect was outstanding; the wind swords easily tore through the beasts' scales and pierced their bodies.
However, compared to the massive bodies of the magical beasts, these injuries were akin to a mere paper cut, unable to inflict effective damage, and Ellis's actions would only serve to enrage them.
The magical beasts, in pain, roared in anger, redirecting their focus to the tiny human before them, swiping a massive claw that blotted out the sun, rapidly sweeping toward Ellis's position.
Feeling the howling wind, Ellis hesitated for a moment, but her movements did not stop. The girl continued to chant, "Raging wind, blow—"
The fierce wind gathered around Ellis, allowing her to lift off the ground. She controlled the airflow, retreating rapidly.
However, at that moment, a snake-like creature suddenly lashed out, a massive tail whipping toward Ellis from the side. The force of the snake's tail was tremendous, and the air let out a mournful cry under the strain. Everything happened too quickly; by the time Ellis reacted, it was already too late.
"Boom—"
The snake's tail struck Ellis with a loud sound, sending her crashing to the ground like a kite with a severed string, dust rising as she fell awkwardly.
The surrounding students were filled with despair, shouting in unison, "Captain!"
Ellis, lying on the ground, coughed a few times, dazedly looking at the golden-haired boy before her, uncertainly asking, "Roa, is that you?"
Roa reached out, pulling Ellis up, somewhat speechless, "You really are reckless; this is clearly a situation you can't handle."
Usually tough-talking Ellis fell silent, recalling the earlier scene, feeling a bit shaken.
If that level of attack had hit her directly, even if she didn't die, she would have been incapacitated for a while.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Roa had intervened to block that attack; otherwise, Ellis might now be lying on the ground, barely alive.
The fierce giant snake opened its crimson eyes, turning its gaze toward Roa, flicking its tongue and letting out a low, hoarse sound. Roa waved his fist; he had just gone up and punched the creature's tail, which had stopped its assault.
However, he had still overestimated his abilities a bit; if he were in the world of "Mushoku Tensei," that punch would have been enough to pierce through the entire tail.
Roa glanced at Ellis and pointed behind him, signaling the girl to move back.
Ellis hesitated, looking around; they were now surrounded by magical beasts. Gritting her teeth, she said to Roa, "No, this is my mess; I can't just—"
Roa waved his hand, cutting her off, "Don't be a hindrance."
Ellis's words faltered, her beautiful eyes widening. She was about to say something when she saw Roa raise his right hand.
"Est, I need you!"
Roa's words were simple and clear, and the response in his mind was a cold voice.
"I understand, Master. Please use me freely."
Roa was momentarily speechless, seriously doubting if Est was joking.
Seeing that Roa did not move, Est urged him slightly.
Then, Roa composed himself and began to chant an ancient spirit incantation.
"Cold Steel Queen, Holy Sword that slays demons, transform here into a sword of steel, grant me divine power—"
The spirit language representing the contract turned into a song, echoing around.
The intricate spirit seal burst forth with brilliant light, illuminating the surroundings.
The gateway to the Astral Zero opened, and Roa could clearly feel the connection between the spirit realm and the present world.
Divine power flowed into it, and crimson divine energy wrapped around Roa, igniting the surrounding atmosphere, flames flickering.
A faint aura emerged from the spirit seal, reaching the end of the circuit leading to the Astral Zero, silently responding to Roa's call.
The spirit seal entwined with flames, the flames ignited, and dense fire wrapped around, gathering particles of light, ultimately forming a long sword that was entirely silver-white.
The silver-white holy sword appeared in Roa's right hand.
On the snow-white sword, several lines were inscribed in ancient spirit script.
Guardian of the Barrier · Terminus · Est.
This was Est's full name.
Under the sunlight, Roa raised his right hand, lifting the weapon named the Demon Slayer Holy Sword.
Pointing at the magical beasts, his golden hair swayed in the wind, and the otherwise unremarkable student uniform looked exceptionally dazzling at that moment.
"Ellis, leave this to me."
Roa spoke calmly, exuding an unprecedented confidence.
That confidence made it seem as if the dozen magical beasts before him were nothing more than mere chickens and dogs.
Ellis instinctively nodded, following Roa's instructions and stepping back.
"Then, let's begin."
Roa said, charging toward the magical beasts.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!"
The magical beasts roared, their growls carrying a faint divine power, the cacophony causing Roa to frown.
The magical beasts raised their claws, swiping toward Roa. The size of the beast was enormous, but this particular beast was surprisingly fast.
Roa gripped the holy sword, infusing it with divine power. The snow-white sword shimmered with silver light, growing brighter and filling the entire entrance of the academy with dazzling brilliance.
Feeling the power emanating from the holy sword, Roa was actually quite astonished.
Indeed, astonished.
Roa had guessed the power of the Demon Slayer Holy Sword from his dreams; after all, it could slay demon kings, so it was normal for it to be quite powerful.
But right now, this was not just a little powerful; Roa could feel the immense power contained within the holy sword.
It was very strong, almost excessively so.
Roa said nothing more, gripping the Demon Slayer Holy Sword tightly, his golden eyes lighting up, the fervor in his gaze intensifying. He raised the holy sword high, the cold arc glimmering on the snow-white sword as he infused it with divine power.
The crimson divine energy continuously entwined, pouring into the Demon Slayer Holy Sword, the flowing silver light intertwining with the crimson divine power, forming a brilliant glow.
Est's upper limit was very high, able to fully accept the divine power from Roa, so Roa recklessly poured his divine power into it.
One person dared to infuse, and one person dared to receive; the energy contained in the Demon Slayer Holy Sword grew increasingly abundant until it finally formed a dazzling light.
Such a powerful aura made even the most foolish magical beasts understand the terror of the person before them.
The desire for life and the fear of death momentarily cooled their heated minds. The first magical beast, preparing to strike first, aimed to directly take down Roa.
But upon meeting Roa's crimson-golden gaze, a wave of fear, akin to facing an ancient terrifying creature, swept over it. The oppressive feeling of being at the top of the food chain made the magical beast feel immense unease.
Instinct told it that if it swiped its claws, it would face death.
The instincts of beasts are usually quite accurate, and this intuition had saved them many times, so the beast chose to trust its instincts.
The beast retreated behind the others, urging them forward, preparing to observe the situation.
However, seeing the increasingly bright holy sword, the beast sensed danger. It wanted to flee, but a voice resonated through the air.
"Ex——calibur!!!"
The flowing, brilliant light of the holy sword gathered together, ultimately erupting in unison. The crimson flames surged and boiled, compressing and gathering until they formed a silver-white color.
The silver-white flames shone like dazzling holy light, under which all filth would be shattered.
Danger! Danger!
The brain trembled, fear surged like a tide, and the beast reacted; it howled and prepared to flee into the distance.
But it was all too late.
In front of the academy, everything was flattened in an instant.