Chapter 83
this is a fictional story by realTensai
Alvis left the library in a hurry, wanting to confirm his new theory. It took him under three minutes to reach the end of the school grounds, the barrier.
“Let’s take a closer look at this.”
His eyes narrowed on the black sphere that was holding them back. He raised his hand and placed his palm against the barrier. A faint, tingling sensation overcame Alvis as if a static charge ran across his skin. Yet it didn’t even hurt, so he continued by pushing against the barrier. His eyes widened as he noticed that he could push it back a bit.
Alvis’ palm glowed faintly with mana as he pressed harder, only for the surface to ripple like disturbed water. Sweat formed on his brow. The more he pushed, the more the barrier seemed to swallow his efforts, pushing back with a force that grew stronger by the second. His arm shook, the mana in his hand sputtering out like a candle in a storm.
“Interesting.”
Alvis had a few ideas about what the barrier could be made up with, but he still needed more information before concluding. He activated his skill Mastermind which he had leveled up to level. 12, boosting his intelligence for three minutes. The gears in his brain shifted, setting the stage for his analysis.
He started by creating a small earth spike and firing it against the barrier. His attack reached it, but made no damage and vanished. Alvis tried again, this time looking closer at the area of impact. His earth spike flew against it, yet it turned into mana particles as soon as it reached it. But this wasn’t all. He could see tiny components of the barrier moving at exactly the place he hit it.
Alvis raised his hand once more and put his palm against the barrier, wanting to see something. Just like the first time, a static charge ran down his spine.
“This has to be an energy field. Most likely an electromagnetic one.”
He continued pushing against what felt like an invincible gel, this time trying to identify the component that gave it its physical form. By focusing all his mana on his eyes and with his improved senses intact, he gazed at the place he was pressing against. And then he saw it. Tiny, rapidly shifting particles near its surface, rearranging every millisecond.
“Are these nanobots?”
Alvis audibly gasped as he remembered Elise once talking about them. And then it all clicked.
If these are nanobots and the barrier also has an electromagnetic field, then it’s a hybrid defense system consisting of two main components: an invisible energy field and a swarm of nanobots that form the physical barrier.
The core of the barrier is the invisible energy field. It deflects physical and mana-based attacks by absorbing or reflecting them. It probably works by manipulating subatomic particles. I can’t explain how, but the priest somehow created a powerful electromagnetic field that operates on a quantum mechanical level. This field slightly distorts space and time, preventing matter or radiation from penetrating the barrier.
Complementing this energy field is a swarm of nanobots. They form a solid surface that acts as a second layer and physically blocks intruders. They are made of highly durable materials, most likely carbon-based nanomesh, graphene, or maybe even dragon scales, which are all extremely strong and flexible. They are capable of responding to commands from the projectors and are rearranging themselves every millisecond, making it impossible to analyze their structure.
His legs buckled, sending him collapsing onto the ground. His mind throbbed, thoughts rushing faster than he could catch them. Sweat poured down his face, his vision blurred as his pulse roared in his ears. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe before he lost control.
“Ha...haha...haha---,” He stared at the black sphere having finished his analysis, yet the only thing he could do was laugh. “It’s science. It really is science!”
Even though he couldn’t recreate it or explain how one could even create it, he understood the core mechanics behind it. Yet it was also this understanding that made him realize his incapability.
“I can’t break this barrier.”
It wasn’t as if he was lacking confidence or as if he was just humble; it was the plain truth. Only because he understood how it worked did he know how difficult it would be to break it. He wasn’t on that level yet. However, it didn’t make him despair. No, it only strengthened his resolve.
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“I might be unable to do it, but if it’s her, I know she can. She is the only person on this planet capable of breaking this barrier.”
The person on his mind was no other than his mentor, the greatest scientist and the cheekiest brat, Elise Zweistein.
“I need to get through to her as fast as possible.”
Who knew how much time they still had left before the first kill would happen? Alvis had to convince Elise before that time would come. With his fist clenched and his eyes burning with resolve, he made reaching Elise his number one priority.
She is the key to completing this level!
“Ring, ring, ring, ring.”
However, as soon as he made that decision, his phone started ringing. As he looked at it, he saw that Lyon was calling him.
“Yeah, hello.”
“B-Boss,… we need help--- BOOOM, BOOM, BOOM!”
“Hey! What’s going on?! Where are you?!”
“A fight--- KABOOM, BOOM, dodge, dodge! A fight between humans and demons. BOOM.”
“What? Where?”
“Before the main building, it’s…. BOOM! If this continues, someone will----BOOM!”
The connection ended, and Alvis couldn’t even hear his last words.
“What the fuck is going on?!”
Every hair on Alvis’ body stood on edge as this sudden message changed everything. The gears in his brain started turning again, having to work overtime as he tried to figure out what was happening. But one thing was clear.
“He said someone will die.”
Alvis’ body didn’t even wait for commands from his brain and started running towards the main building. He focused all his mana on his legs, gaining top speed within a few strides, yet he still felt as if he was too slow as every second counted. Alvis could only pray that whatever was happening over there wouldn’t escalate more before he arrived.
His mind was overfilled with thoughts, but after three minutes of straight sprinting, the main building was right around the corner.
Please….
However, what met his eyes had him stopping in his tracks.
“Wh-What… is going on?!”
The stench of blood lay in the air as countless students fought each other to the bone. Demons were fighting against humans, not only using their bare fists but also magic. Sparks and smaller explosions flew around as the humans fought back using magical tools and items. No side even showed signs of backing down, the inevitable result being many casualties. Flashbacks of the Awanikan festival crossed his mind, the scene of all the insane people fighting each other resembling what was happening before his eyes right now. And within this chaos were his three students desperately trying to stop the fighting.
Alvis couldn’t move, as a barrage of questions flooded his mind. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Who caused this? Did someone already die? Where are the teachers? Where is Mr. Woltzer? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why….
However, all these questions didn’t matter right now.
“I have to stop this.”
Alvis released the shackles around his mana core, letting it flow through every vein of his. Within a second, he was right within the battle. Two glances to the left and right were enough for him to scan the entire field and get a grasp of the situation.
“Stop, right now, I’m Alvis Silva from the student council!”
His voice reached every student engaged in this fight and, for a second, they all stopped. Alvis could see his three students cry tears of joy after noticing that he was there. However, despite his status, his appearance didn’t change the people’s minds.
“We don’t care who you are. In the end, you are just another human trying to suppress us!” a demon shouted, and the battle resumed.
It’s too late to talk. They are driven by pure hatred.
“Eat this human!”
A demon who was around two meters tall came in to strike Alvis with his fist, which he had coated with fire.
“Boss, watch out!”
Alvis could already feel the heat of his flames, yet compared to the flames that had once burned him alive, these flames weren’t even enough to light a candle. He just twitched his head to the side, avoiding the attack with no wasted movements. He then used the big demon’s momentum against him, grabbed his arm, and tossed him over his shoulder. A loud boom echoed throughout the battlefield as the demon was knocked out of consciousness.
“An attack like that will never reach me.”
He turned around, his attention immediately switching to the most dangerous place. If he couldn’t stop the battle, he would at least stop it from escalating more by knocking out the most dangerous threats. If he did that, no one would die and the teachers would arrive in time to put an end to this.
An icy shudder ran down Alvis’ spine as he felt the mana concentration spiking around one person. His eyes wandered to the far end of the battlefield, finding a human charging up a magical tool that looked like a smaller beam cannon. Alvis could already see light particles gathering around it as he was about to fire an attack.
If he fires this attack, someone will die!
Moving with instinct alone, Alvis crossed the battlefield, dodging attacks from left and right as he closed the distance between his target within seconds. The human boy couldn’t even blink, as Alvis had almost reached his side. Yet he had already pulled the trigger.
The beam cannon fired, cutting through the air with a deafening roar. Alvis swung his fist into the weapon just in time, shattering its barrel. However, even though it wasn’t enough to stop it, it still changed the trajectory. The beam veered off course, skimming over the demon’s head, missing him by mere inches, clashing against the barrier in the end. Alvis exhaled, his heart pounding in his chest.
“I…. I made it.”
The words barely left his lips when the demon’s legs wobbled. Alvis froze, watching in horror as the demon stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground. The ground beneath him turned into a crimson sea, his head being its source. Alvis’ pulse thundered in his ears, the battlefield fading into a sickening silence.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blood. It was spreading faster than he could think. His mind screamed at him to do something, anything—but all he could do was stand there, helpless, as the reality of it settled in. He could barely move his trembling lips, yet these words would still leave his mouth.
“I-Is… he dead?”