Dawn of the Dead? (6)

"Something's happening inside Dormitory B…..!"

As soon as they noticed that the 'corpses' inside the commoner's dormitory were killing the students, ⅓ of the available troops quickly charged inside the building.

But just as the troops charged inside the dorm, Yuriel's face paled as a strange abomination tore through Educational Building A.

Why is this bullshit happening right on the day I'm on duty?

Meanwhile, since Ferzen went outside to smoke, Yuriel was by herself at the moment, and after pondering the best course of action, she rallied the remaining ⅔ of the troops standing in front of Dormitory A.

"You....!"

And then, as Ferzen approached the scene, Yuriel started to yell at him with a displeased expression.

"What the hell were you smoking to take so long—!"

"I stopped by the washroom on the way."

"..."

"But that's not important right now. Have those knights retreat. The Wizards can stay."

"What did you say?!"

"I'm saying that you have to leave this area."

Controlling Isabel's corpse, Ferzen produced a strong electric current and blasted it at the monster of the underworld.

But the electric current attracted by the magnetic field of the thing's body started to dissipate its energy as it orbited around the field.

"If you are unwilling to retreat, throw away your armor and weapons. This thing is capable of controlling magnetic fields, so it will be capable of dealing with all of you easily."

"Ah..."

Realizing that Ferzen only said those things with their best interest in mind, the offended knights quickly took their armor off.

"What...?"

"Didn't I just say that you need to dispose your armor and weapons?"

"..."

Yes, Ferzen had been unaware for a moment.

After all, Knights were creatures who transformed their own bodies into living weapons, so what use would they have for things like armor and swords?

"Ah...!"

The monster of the underworld then started to throw the reinforced bars at them mercilessly.

In addition to Yuriel and Ferzen, the members of the Wizards Corps molded the earth and created a large barrier.

"There is a difference between courage and stupidity. Can't you see how many projectiles that thing can hurl at us? Those who haven't reached the peak of the body reconstruction and still have some parts of their body untouched by mana...."

Like the Achilles tendon, if they manage to get hit in such parts, then even one who walks the path of an Auror Knight will perish.

"Do you have any idea on how to deal with this thing?"

"If magnetism is the problem, then we just need to remove it."

Ferzen reached out to his subspace and pulled an intricate coffin engraved with the Brutein crest as he temporarily cut his connection with Isabel's corpse.

Then, the corpse of the 27th head of Brutein, Bavaria Von Grielle Brutein, emerged from his coffin with a composed pose.

Although Isabel was a genius Elemental Wizard, she couldn't convert her mana into fire.

"Yuriel."

"What."

"The Wizard Corps and I will resonate our mana so that we can cast a combined spell. You will be the 'main axis' in this."

"...Are you crazy?"

Clank!

Clink!

Clank!

Steel rained down from the sky, tearing down trees, buildings, and the ground, as the creature recalled its projectiles once again to repeat the process.

Since the monsters from the underworld don't use magic, there was no need to push for a battle of attrition.

"What will be the goal of the resonance?"

"Fire."

"Fire?"

"You will understand soon. For now, just follow my instructions."

"Ang!"

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Ferzen poked Yuriel's navel as she argued with him.

A deep blush bloomed across her face at her shameful reaction as she bit her lips to suppress her shame and refused to face him.

Since the composition of spells corresponding to the Euclidean class is interconnected, it was imperative to maintain a clear matrix...

This could be called the principle of a joint spell.

Of course, since Yuriel would become the main 'axis' of the spell, and the mana would be converted into fire, it would be impossible for a wizard incapable of such transformation to participate.

"Let's go──!"

The connected mana resonated, and Yuriel, who controlled it, targeted the spell at the distant abomination as the egregious quantity of mana transformed into a raging fire.

Crackle──!

The flames created by mana weren't combusting the oxygen, but by combining the mana of all the wizards in the matrix and having a widespread area for combustion.

So the initial spark turned into a raging inferno as the flames went from a crimson to vibrant red...

And from vibrant red to orange.

In this instant, the flames reached the temperature of 1727°C.

───────!

At first, the flames started to produce a high-pitched sound reminiscent of a dolphin's cry, but gradually the decibels of the sound rose and entered a realm that couldn't be heard by the human ear, as it literally produced a silent howl.

As the thing attacked again, the projectiles simply melted when they came into the proximity of the flames, and the monster lost control over them.

'It's working...'

Ferromagnetic materials lose their properties at specific temperatures.

This is called the Curie point, and the Monster lost its magnetism after reaching its curie point, which is 2.3 times that of iron.

"Yuriel. Close your eyes."

"Have you gotten insane?! I need to look straight at the thing to make the fine adjustments needed for this spell. Otherwise, I can destroy everything around us!"

Mana converted into fire can be dispelled.

Mana converted into ice can also be neutralized.

However, it is impossible to neutralize the consequences that the spell caused, such as vapor caused by either fire or ice.

This is one of the most basic understandings of elemental magic.

This means that if this flame is moved somewhere, the fire would no longer belong to the realm of magic, and because of this fact, Yuriel was extremely focused while handling the flames.

"..."

Ferzen then assumed control of Isabel's corpse.

As long as the monster's ability was countered, there was no need to continue using the corpse of the 27th Head of Brutein.

Spark!

80% of his mana was consumed.

While pouring mana in this way would be considered a foolish decision in most cases...

The clouds in the sky raged with negative ions, while the area around the monster became rich with positive charges.

"Oh…..uh....."

However, due to the intensity of the electrically charged atmosphere, everyone's hair stood on their end.

At this rate, it was clear where the divine lightning would strike, so Ferzen burned even more mana to increase the strength of the electric field.

"Kyaaaa—!"

At this moment, Ferzen covered Yuriel's eyes and embraced her waist, who was observing the monster through a gap in the barrier.

Ruu──uumble!'

The night sky was lit alight and became bright as a day while a blue and white stream of lightning fell down from the sky.

The wise ones would gaze at this phenomenon and marvel at it.

The ignorant ones, however, would consider this a heavenly punishment and cower in fear.

Crash!

The sheer power of the lightning shattered bits of the earth as the positive charges in the ground soared up to the sky once again, giving birth to a new bolt of lightning.

Craaash...!

After all, it was done.

The sound, which traveled slower than the light, broke the eerie silence.

"Your response was exceptionally quick. Excellent, Yuriel."

"..."

At the moment when the chorus of lightning struck at a single point, Yuriel quickly decomposed the spell and scattered the flames...

But she wasn't happy upon hearing this praise.

Because he covered her eyes and embraced her waist, she could only feel a tingling sense of embarrassment.

"You... Get away from me."

After widening the distance between the two, Yuriel fixed her wizard's hat.

But in the middle of the crater, the monster of the Underworld, who was scorched…..began to spasm violently.

"Ah..."

This process only took 3 seconds to complete.

After this short time, a huge magnetic field was conjured, sucking all of the surrounding reinforcement bars...

Clank!

Crash.

At that moment, countless steel bars fell from the sky like a barrage of arrows shot by a large army. Because of this, not only Yuriel, but all the people present there froze on the spot.

Claaank!

However, in the midst of all that, one man stepped forward.

Controlling Isabel's corpse, Ferzen mustered what little mana he had left and used it to change the course of some steel bars that were charged with opposite charges.

Clank!

Clink!

Clank!

Then, like a circus show, the bars that were shot towards them were clumped together...

Claaaaank──!

The steel bars became something akin to a floating hedgehog.

But of course, there were many projectiles that couldn't be deflected, but the direction of many of those were mostly vacated buildings.

"Ah.....No….."

As the cluster of steel bars in the sky trembled and squeaked, Yuriel belatedly stepped back.

Squeeaaak!

However, she was too slow as her body was riddled with mana exhaustion, and as the desperate magnetic field disappeared, she closed her eyes as the steel bars fell...

"Gah–!"

Just as she was about to close her eyes, Ferzen grabbed Yuriel's neck and flung her back.

At the same time, the Knights also moved quickly to protect Ferzen, but...

Squeak!

Schluk!

A single steel bar struck Ferzen's body by a minuscule opening and knocked him down.

"...Ugh!"

At first, he didn't feel any pain, but when he tried to move his right arm, Ferzen couldn't help but frown at the searing pain being delivered to his brain.

'Sigh...'

Subtle sigh of relief and a deep regret flooded his being.

Rationally, letting Yuriel die would be a great blow to Alfred's influence and power, but...

Seo-Jin's ego rejected such a choice, and since his ego had a major influence on 'Ferzen' morals, his body moved unconsciously.

'I have to....'

But seeing the Knight's quick response, it would be unlikely that Yuriel would have died even if he didn't save her.

"Professor, are you alright?"

"Well..."

Ferzen was quickly snapped from his thoughts as the knights removed the steel bars around them. Meanwhile, the pain in his right arm continued to soar.

From the look of things, his bone was certainly fractured.

But this wasn't the key issue at the moment.

'...'

One fractured right arm and one intact left arm.

This was something his OCD wouldn't allow to continue....

* * * * *

11 P.M

Despite the late hours, countless people were going in and out of the Imperial Academy.

"..."

And Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred.

She carefully entered the hospital room, glanced at Ferzen, who was resting on his bed, and bowed her head.

"Huh...?"

But after a while, Yuriel raised her head and began staring at him with a dubious gaze.

"What happened to you?"

Ferzen, sensing her piercing gaze, turned around.

"Oh, no..."

Apparently, his right arm was injured during the storm of the steel bars.

But if that was true, why would Ferzen wear a cast with splints on both arms?

"That...."

"Yuriel, if you have something to say, say it."

"Do you want me to fetch you some water....."

Yuriel quickly changed the subject because she didn't dare to ask why both of his arms were injured.

"..."

"Oh…..ah...Or if you want to go to the bathroom, just tell me."

"Yuriel."

"Hey, stop it! You can't do it alone right now!"

"Sigh….Did you forget that I am a Warlock?"

"Ah..."

Soon a sly smirk flickered across Ferzen's face.

"But if you are so eager to take care of me...."

"NO! I....I-I need to use–! T-The bathroom!"

"..."

Yuriel quickly left the hospital room while blushing profusely.

After she left, Ferzen's face contorted into a displeased frown.

Even though he was given painkillers, the pain in his left arm showed no signs of stopping.

Because it was much more painful to inflict wounds of such gravity by yourself.

"I'm really crazy...."

If the right arm was fractured, then the left arm should also be broken.

And the sheer feeling of satisfaction that accompanied this absurd conclusion...

It wasn't normal.

'Truly...'

If I had walked the path of arts, I would have accomplished marvelous things.

Because the more insane an artist was, the more fame he acquired.