Only one minute had passed from the time the Floating Fortress above Academy City was filled with music and dance to the moment it descended into total chaos.
The nobles, who usually held themselves in high esteem and wore glamorous clothing, had now discarded all their feigned elegance and composure.
They screamed and cried, scurrying about like headless flies.
The acrid scent of gunpowder smoke mixed with the sickly sweet smell of blood, filling the air and making it nearly impossible to breathe.
A group of soldiers dressed in the uniforms of the fortress attempted to raise their standard longswords and great shields to organize a line of defense.
However, the Demon Elite Flight Unit diving from the clouds attacked with devastating speed.
They flapped massive, hideous bat wings covered in fleshy membranes, creating sharp, ear-piercing whistles as they tore through the air, easily shredding the guards’ formation.
Many of these soldiers were nothing more than useless hacks who had used their connections to get stationed there.
After all, compared to the harsh conditions of remote regions, serving on the Floating Fortress in Academy City was prestigious and offered a better chance to rub shoulders with the nobility.
Most importantly, it was supposed to be safe!
Over time, the soldiers serving here came to view it as mere formality.
After all, who would have thought the Floating Fortress would ever be attacked?
One streak of pitch-black demonic flame after another swept past with precision.
The defensive line was easily torn apart, leaving one bloody gap after another.
The casualty count climbed at a terrifying rate.
***
Meanwhile, on the main battlefield.
Several demon elite warriors, clad in heavy bone armor and brandishing hideous warblades wreathed in black demonic flames, had already landed on the deck of the Floating Fortress.
They were like bloodthirsty vultures descending from the underworld.
Spreading their bat wings covered in black keratin, they let out piercing roars and landed heavily on the swaying deck.
Every step caused the metal plating to groan under the weight.
“Kill them all! Control the core!”
The goal of these demon warriors was clear.
Their crimson gazes were fixed directly on the Central Control Room deep within the Floating Fortress.
Any fortress soldiers who attempted to intercept them along the way were easily cut down by the warblades swirling with ominous black energy.
Third Prince Elvin Red Maple’s handsome face had long since turned as pale as paper from extreme terror.
The elegance and composure he normally maintained were nowhere to be found.
Although he was filled with ambition and a desire for power, he had never personally experienced such a bloody and brutal battlefield.
Facing those demon warriors who were like relentless killing machines, he felt his legs grow weak.
He could barely stand, and if not for the personal guards he brought from the Royal Capital supporting him, he likely would have collapsed to the ground.
Fortunately, several elite guards dispatched from the Royal Capital — truly battle-hardened veterans — fought desperately at the front to protect Elvin, using their own bodies to block the demon onslaught.
“Protect the Prince! Quick! Retreat to the airship!”
Over the years, the court mages and the Magic Academy had been researching large-scale floating magic arrays.
Although they hadn’t replicated the Floating Fortress itself, they had succeeded in creating smaller versions.
By inscribing these onto ships, they had created airships.
The prince’s guards shouted anxiously.
They forcibly hoisted the nearly paralyzed Elvin and retreated toward the airship docked at the edge of the deck.
As for the other nobles, especially the young noble ladies who were usually pampered and lived in luxury, they were showing their ugliest sides.
Their exquisite makeup was ruined by tears and sweat, and their expensive gowns were stained with dust and blood.
The air was filled with the sounds of crying, screams for help, and desperate whimpers.
Even though some of them possessed decent magical talent or wore expensive magical accessories, they had completely lost the will to fight.
They could only tremble and curl up in corners, fruitlessly praying for divine protection or for someone to save them.
Several Photography Crystal Orbs that were originally intended to broadcast the festival’s highlights continued to faithfully perform their duty amidst the chaos.
They clearly transmitted the sudden tragedy occurring on the Floating Fortress to the world below.
***
Inside Academy City.
The citizens, who had been immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the Winter Festival, stared at the massive magic screens in the plazas or at their own Magic Phone screens.
They watched in stunned silence as a scene resembling the end of the world unfolded before them.
At that moment, debris from explosions on the Floating Fortress continued to whistle through the air as it crashed down.
The plaza instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Even the sounds of children playing vanished, as if the very air had been frozen.
This was immediately followed by an extreme panic that swept through the entire city like a tsunami.
“That… what is that?”
“Demons! It’s a Demon Race Invasion!”
The Demon Race was a terrifying species that existed only in the fearful memories of their elders.
They were the nightmare that had brought endless disaster and destruction to the entire Human Kingdom seventy years ago!
‘They… they had actually returned!’
Panic spread through Academy City like an invisible plague.
The noble figures they had thought were omnipotent and the soldiers they believed were brave and powerful were proving to be utterly helpless under the attack of the Demon Race.
Meanwhile, sharp-eyed people noticed that the Floating Fortress was beginning to tilt.
“Run! The Floating Fortress is going to fall!”
“The demons are going to invade the city!”
In an instant, panic consumed the entirety of Academy City.
Right then, a Photography Crystal Orb responsible for the broadcast seemed to find the only light amidst the chaos.
It locked a close-up shot onto Su Nian.
In the frame, the girl wearing the Star-Moon Embrace stood tall amidst the demonic flames and the light of explosions.
Her aura remained ethereal, and her beautiful face showed little sign of panic.
Light flowed from her fingertips as water-blue magic barriers quickly condensed in front of her.
The surface of the barriers shimmered like ripples on a lake yet remained exceptionally tough, blocking flying debris and energy shockwaves to keep the members of Magic Feather Fantasy behind her safe.
She quickly raised her clear, azure eyes and scanned the chaotic battlefield.
Her peerless face turned solemn and cold due to this sudden, devastating turn of events.
The other idols of Magic Feather Fantasy were already scared out of their wits by the hellish scene.
Their faces were pale, and they let out shrill screams as they instinctively stumbled toward Su Nian.
At this moment, Su Nian was like the only piece of driftwood they could cling to in a stormy sea.
After all, among them, Su Nian was the only powerful mage.
She was their only hope and support.
“It’s the Demon Race… ‘hic’, it’s so scary,” Amy sobbed, her tears flowing freely.
Just moments ago, she had been happily singing on stage.
She never expected to face the arrival of the Demon Race.
Clearly, this was no stage effect.
***
Meanwhile, inside Su Nian’s mind, aside from her vigilance and wariness toward these sudden demons, there was an indescribable layer of worry.
‘Horned Demon Lord.’
‘Hmm… that Horned Demon Bastard…’
‘Could he be on the same side as these savage demons?’
The moment that thought surfaced, it brought with it a suffocating chill.
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