-776- The academy's highest power

Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart, main gate.

"Back off!"

"Hurry up and back off!"

"All students, step back!"

Guided by professors, the surrounding students swiftly retreated, moving away from the frontline.

However, even so, these students were still filled with disbelief.

"That Fimbulvetr's Winter is openly opposing the academy...?"

"Is he that fearless?"

"Does he think the academy is like the Kreuzrittern, and he can easily defeat him?"

"This is the highest institution in the magic world, the premier academy of machinart, and it has autonomy!"

"Now Fimbulvetr's Winter is truly finished..."

Students were thinking such things one after another.

But even if it felt unimaginable, the events unfolded.

Rozen had indeed taken a confrontational stance against the academy.

"Fire!"

"Guards, attack!"

"Take him down!"

As the students retreated under the professors' guidance, groups of guards surged from all directions, joining the battle.

As soon as the guards arrived, they immediately raised rifles, and the home guards around them rushed forward without any fear.

However, if we were to talk about fearlessness, Rozen's side had it too.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle...!"

Under a series of freezing sounds, the rifles in the guards' hands were covered in frost as soon as they were raised, all frozen into ice sticks. Each guard cried out in pain, feeling the weapons tossed aside under the piercing cold.

Meanwhile, the guards were all kicked away by a moon-like figure.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

In the explosive sound of the air, each home guard was kicked heavily while airborne by that moonlight-like figure, causing them to fall like scattered rubbish.

The academy's security team could do nothing against Rozen's group. They helplessly watched Irori silently freeze all the weapons and Yaya, at super speed, kicking away all the automatons. There was simply no way to counter.

"Retreat!"

Realizing this, Avril, drawing her military blade, immediately gave the order.

"You're no match for Fimbulvetr's Winter! Everyone, withdraw!"

Following the headmaster's secretary's instructions, the guards retreated one after another, no longer daring to approach.

"It's really troublesome," the headmaster said calmly. "I used to be happy about his excellence, but now I have a headache. Never thought such a day would come."

This seemingly sincere statement from the headmaster showed no hint of falsehood.

"Do you need my assistance?" Magnus, standing nearby, kept a close eye on Rozen's direction and spoke indifferently.

"No, there's no need. The risk is too high if you confront him," the headmaster shook his head decisively, seeming unwilling to let Magnus take any risks.

"Don't worry; the academy is not to the point where it can't handle even a student. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worthy of being the highest institution in the magical world," the headmaster assured.

As the headmaster's words faded, Avril's cold voice echoed.

"Come! Deploy the Defense Enforcement Squad!"

Responding to Avril's call, numerous figures suddenly appeared from all sides of the main gate, landing around Rozen's group.

These individuals wore combat attire that seemed stripped of elaborate decorations, indicating a focus on practicality. Although their uniforms resembled those of guards, the white and blue color scheme was entirely different. They were accompanied by home guards larger than standard models by two sizes, clearly custom-made with performance superior to regular home guards.

Watching this force, Magnus's eyes flickered slightly.

"This is the rumored academy special force specialized in repelling and eliminating invaders—the Defense Enforcement Squad, right?"

At these words, the headmaster smiled faintly.

"Yes, they are directly under my command. While the general guards are usually overseen by the Academy Council, they are an exception. Only I can deploy them, and their combat capabilities are several times that of the regular guard force."

In other words, they were the headmaster's exclusive private troops.

"Moreover, the academy's professors are not easy opponents either."

Saying so, the headmaster let the professors, each wearing a white coat, appear behind the Defense Enforcement Squad.

In this academy, aside from the servants responsible for miscellaneous tasks, there are generally two types of people.

One includes the headmaster, secretary-general, professors from various departments, and the high-ranking and managerial personnel of the guard force.

The other includes students, including disciplinary committee members.

Whenever a significant event occurs in the academy, everyone, led by the headmaster as the highest authority figure, gathers to decide on all matters.

After all, the academy is an autonomous region, and even students sometimes have to comply with the academy's requirements and contribute to the effort.

In this case, students are involved in dealing with "Multi-Controller," responsible for constructing barriers within the academy to resist the invasion of "Multi-Controller."

As for the professors, although they usually deal with the affairs of their respective departments and focus on research and teaching, when faced with an external threat, aside from the headmaster, these professors constitute the highest power structure within the academy.

As authorities in various fields, these professors often possess high magical expertise and skills.

Especially the heads of each department, similar to the "Thirteen" among the students, there are heads of departments among the professors, whose abilities far exceed those of ordinary individuals and are not comparable to the guard force.

In the academy council, apart from the headmaster, the next in line are the chief representative of the professors, deputy chief representative, and the heads of various departments, making them the highest echelon in the academy.

Compared to these figures, the positions of the Night Party's executive members, the chief and members of the Disciplinary Committee, the overall commander of the guard force, the chief guard and seven guard captains, and even the student chief representative fall slightly lower. Even the head of the Night Party's executive branch only holds a relatively high level of authority during Night Parties.

Now, including the headmaster, the professors led by the chief representative of the professors, deputy chief representative, and heads of various departments have almost all appeared.

The moment they appeared, these individuals launched attacks without hesitation.

Various types of magic began to dance in front of the academy gates.

The Defense Enforcement Squad's home guards raised their hands one by one, releasing high-voltage shocks.

The professors, either using magical tools or magic stones, similarly unleashed various types of magic in Rozen's direction.

These magics varied in type, including attack, defense, support, hindrance, and even illusions and curses targeting puppet use.

This was the highest power of the academy, explaining the headmaster's confident demeanor.

Unfortunately, the expression of this old fox quickly turned serious.

Not only the headmaster but even Magnus squinted his eyes.

"It's actually ineffective...?" The headmaster muttered.

Yes.

Ineffective.

Regardless of the type of magic, when directed towards Rozen's group, it passed through as if hitting empty space.

This included illusions, curses, and the like that fell on Rozen; they were equally ineffective.

This made the eyes of the 19th-century's strongest magus become serious.