"On your left!" I shouted, gritting my teeth as I charged toward the juggernaut.

Null followed me, his fingers glowing a dark purple as he leapt into the air while his trench coat fluttering in the wind.

"Luminary Bolt!"

I pointed my hand at it, bracing as I launched a burst of gold and orange-red energy blasts at the monstrosity. I didn't expect them to do much more than stun it, but every second counted.

My spheres of energy struck its face, causing it to stagger slightly before it roared, rushing forward.

"Move!" I screamed, jumping out of the way as it swung one of its enormous claws.

A flash of blue streaked through the air, and Elysia appeared on top of the creature's back, digging her blades into its shoulders.

The juggernaut roared, swatting at her with its free hand. She leapt back, narrowly dodging its swipe as she landed nimbly on the ground behind it. I quickly followed up, charging up a Rank 3 Luminary Beam as I rushed forward.

"Luminary Beam!"

A beam of orange-red energy surrounded by a golden spiral burst from my hands, striking the juggernaut square in the chest. The blast sent it stumbling backward, its skin steaming and crackling from the impact.

I planted my feet firmly in the ground, pouring mana into my attack as I kept up the barrage.

The creature raised its hand to shield itself from the blast, and Elysia took advantage of the opening. She lunged forward, slicing and dicing at the back of its knees with her rapier.

The creature growled, collapsing to one knee as the ligaments in its leg tore and split. But before we could press the advantage, a pack of five horrific wolf-like monsters leapt at us, their glowing blue eyes and razor-sharp fangs flashing in the light. 'Wolf' was a generous description, though. They were more like hulking, twisted, mutant beasts, with wolf-like, snouts, heads without visible ears, and furless bodies ranging a gamut of earth colors, snouts. The monsters had sharp, spiked clay-like bone plates protruding from their shoulders, backs, and heads. They were far larger than any real-life wolf, and had to be over a meter tall while standing on all fours.

"Shit!" I cursed, barely dodging a bite to my leg and halting my attack.

I spun to the side, narrowly dodging one of their lunges as it landed on its hind legs and swiped at me with its claws.

Suddenly, green glowing streaks shot through the air, nailing the two closest wolves in the side and sending them flying.

Vanna landed next to me, electricity crackling around her halberd as she and Clipboard flanked me.

"Need a hand?" She smirked, twirling her weapon in her grip.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist," I replied, grinning back.

Clipboard charged forward, his katana glowing with a a light, sky blue energy as he slashed at another wolf's head, instantly decapitating it.

"Suiton:" Clipboard shouted, sweeping his katana up vertically. "Water Tide!"

He gestured his hand, and a rush of water surged from the ground, forming a surging wall of water in front of us.

"Blast it!"

Vanna held her hand out, sending a surge of electricity through the wall. Simultaneously, Elysia coiled up and flung herself over the wall, dismissing her swords as a blue glow emanated from her hands.

"Frozen Flare!"

She shot out a blast of freezing air, swirling to mix in with the wave of water and electricity.

The three attacks struck the juggernaut, sweeping up half a dozen wolves with the force. They howled and shrieked in agony as their bodies froze, their skin cracking and breaking apart.

Elysia landed in a crouch, a smirk forming on her lips as she slowly rose to her feet. "Stay sharp, that's not going to be enough for the big guy."

I nodded, turning my attention back to the juggernaut. It was still down on one knee, but it was already starting to regenerate. I could see the flesh and bone in its leg quickly mending and reforming, its chest shuddering as it sucked in air.

I raised my hand, preparing to launch another blast of energy as it started to rise. But before I could do anything, a blinding light flashed from behind us, and a deafening explosion rocked the earth.

We all stumbled, shielding our eyes as a rush of wind and heat blew past us.

"Dammit!" Elysia growled as I turned. "Sunlit Majesty is going to burn us alive if we don't deal with her soon!"

She was right. Sunlit Majesty had been raining meteors down on us since we started the fight. Elysia had thrown up a blue barrier, blocking most of the incoming projectiles. Meteors rained across the misty plains, crashing into a swarm of wolves across the field below us.

"We've got new creepy crawlies coming in," Forest Willow shouted, appearing at my side with her bow drawn. "They're definitely not friendly."

Sure enough, a mass of creatures had appeared in the distance all around us. They were large and lumbering, with dark, wispy and shadowy bodies, and dozens of glowing blue eyes that glowed eerily through the mist.

"What the hell are those?" Clipboard asked, gritting his teeth as he raised his sword.

"No clue, but they look like they mean business," Vanna said, adjusting her halberd in her grip as she stepped forward.

"I have a feeling we'll need to get Frostburn and Sparrow here before this fight is over," Elysia muttered, shaking her head.

I turned to Null, who'd been standing back, keeping an eye on the situation. "You said you were low on mana, right? I think we might need you to deal with any nasty surprises coming our way. Do you think you can handle this?"

He shrugged. "Honestly? I'm pretty tapped. But I'll do what I can when it hits the fan."

I nodded, turning back to the juggernaut. It began to stand, its wounds fully healed as it snarled, blue energy crackling around its wounds.

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I took a deep breath, clenching my fist as a golden glow formed around my hand.

"Here goes nothing..."

I couldn't afford to let them get too close. So as the juggernaut lurched toward me, I shot off a burst of energy, jumping back as Vanna and Elysia rushed forward, ready to intercept.

But before we could strike, a flash of yellow light blinded me, and a rush of heat and force knocked me backward.

"Ugh!" I groaned, my ears ringing as I stumbled, trying to regain my bearings.

Fireball after fireball slammed into the large creature, slowing it down as it covered its face with its massive, claw-tipped hands.

Molten rocks rained across the battlefield, scorching the earth and setting the grass alight.

"Ace! What the hell are you doing?" I screamed, barely able to hear my own voice over the roar of flames and the thunderous explosions.

She and Aurora were nowhere to be seen, and 'Sunny' was raining down fire and brimstone like it was going out of style.

"Shit!" Elysia growled, leaping forward to back to shield us from the fireballs with her barriers.

Blue honeycomb-like shields formed around us, protecting us from the worst of the blasts.

But the juggernaut was getting pelted, and I could see its skin blistering and cracking as it continued to thrash and snarl.

"We have to make for the fort the school made for us to hold out for this exercise!" Null shouted, pointing toward the stone and metal structure in the distance. "That thing's gonna regenerate in a heartbeat."

"Um. Yeah, about that," Vanna said, shaking her head. "We've got a small army of these wolves and shadowy things coming up fast!"

"Then we'll just have to carve a path," I stated, turning to Elysia. "Ready?"

She nodded, holding her hand out as a blue glow emanated from her palm. "I'll take point."

"And I'll bring up the rear," Null grunted, his sunglasses shimmering in the light. "Just keep moving."

"Right by your side, Elysia!" Vanna said, grinning as she gripped her halberd tightly.

"Let me open up!" Clipboard shouted, sheathing his katana as he settled into a low stance. Blue lightning crackled around him as he gripped his sword hilt tightly.

"Raiton: Uraemi!"

He drew his sword quickly, sending a burst of lightning through the ground in front of us right as Elysia dropped the barrier. The shockwave sent the nearest wolves flying backward as their bodies convulsed and spasmed.

Vanna charged forward, soaking the lightning into her body as she charged into the fray, swinging her halberd around in flashes of red.

All of us exploded into streaks of light as we sprinted down the hill. I could see the wolves and shadowy creatures rushing toward us, but we had to get to the fort before they overwhelmed us.

I gritted my teeth, building up my mana as we ran.

Forest Willow broke from our formation, rushing ahead to flank an incoming group of wolves. Her arrows whistled through the air in green streaks, nailing the beasts in the head and chest with deadly precision.

"Let's go!" she shouted, shooting off another volley of arrows.

Elysia leapt forward, her body glowing with blue energy as she unleashed a storm of ice and snow. "Frozen Flare!"

The blast of ice and cold froze several of the monsters solid, and Vanna followed up, swinging her halberd with a shout.

"Strike: Thunderclap!"

A wave of red electricity exploded from her, shattering the frozen wolves and sending their bodies flying.

The additional hordes were a nightmare and closing in fast, but we pushed on, our weapons and powers flaring to life as we carved a path.

"Come on, come on!" Null urged, grunting as he struggled to keep pace. His lack of a full transformation was clearly starting to affect him, and he was struggling to keep up.

"Just a little further!" Elysia yelled, glancing back at him. "We're almost there!"

Gnashing teeth and glowing eyes surrounded us from every angle, but we pressed on, refusing to give an inch.

"We're getting boxed in!" Vanna shouted, spinning her halberd in a blur. "We're out of options!"

"Elysia!" I shouted, turning toward the silver magical girl as I felt my mana reach an apex. "Shield the team! Now! I'm going to clear a path! Everything I have!"

She turned, her eyes widening as she nodded, stepping back as she put her hands out, summoning another massive barrier around the group.

I nodded back, taking a deep breath as a golden glow formed around my feet and hands. And then, I charged forward, throwing everything I had into one large burst.

"Luminary Art: Dawn's Glorious Explosion!"

A scream erupted from my lips, and a massive wave of golden light exploded outward, washing over the field around us. The earth shook and trembled, and the sky flashed white as the force of the blast rocked the landscape.

Dozens of monsters closing in were incinerated in an instant, their bodies evaporating into dust as a wave of heat and force washed over them.

The nova continued to expand, consuming the entire field and a good chunk of the surrounding plain before it finally stopped.

My vision blurred, and I could feel my head spinning as I struggled to catch my breath. I sank to the ground, unable to stay on my feet. And as the energy and light faded, we all stood in the center of a scorched crater, surrounded by dozens of steaming, charred carcasses. In spite of that, monsters continued to creep and surge from the hills and plains around us.

There were... so many more of them. It was a stream of horrors and nightmares that took me back to that night at Refuge Zeta. The burning buildings and shadows, the screams and the tears...

But just as I began to panic, a wave of warmth and energy flowed through me.

"Hey," a soft, sweet voice chimed from above me.

I looked up to see Elysia floating over me, smiling reassuringly. "Easy, easy. You gave me a real scare, huh? A burst like that could have leveled a city block."

She held her hand out, and I grasped it tightly, pulling myself to my feet. "Yeah, I just..."

She smirked, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Well, looks like that blast got us just enough time to make a run for it. At least until Ace comes to help, that is."

I glanced up, and sure enough, we could see a streaks of yellow, blue and red racing toward us from somewhere beyond the misty hills.

"We have to move. Now," Clipboard urged, already starting to sprint up the hill with Null.

"What the heck is an honest-to-god fort made of concrete and metal doing here anyway?" Null grunted, leaping over a mound of charred wolves. "The amount of resources it must have taken to bring that stuff here would have been astronomical."

"Oh, that's just par for the course for a premier magical knight academy," Forest Willow sighed, shaking her head as she unslung her bow. "You'd be surprised by how much cash and resources, and literal ancient magic artifacts they have lying around. Although..."

A roar echoed through the hills, and we all turned to see the juggernaut looming over the battlefield, completely untouched and unscathed by our efforts.

"Shit. It's like we didn't even tickle it," I muttered, clenching my fists.

Vanna scowled, tapping her fingers against her halberd as she glared at the creature. "It's going to be a real problem."

"Oi!" an obnoxious, nasally voice called, and we turned to see Frostburn standing atop some ramparts roughly twenty feet in the air, looking worse for wear. "It's about time! Thought you losers were gonna die out there!"

Null snorted. "Frostburn's personality is still on point, at least."

Elysia helped me to my feet, and I brushed myself off as the others gathered around.

"You okay?" she asked, looking at me with a worried expression. "That was quite a blast you threw out there."

I shrugged, rubbing my neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it took a lot out of me, though."

"Well, you'll need your strength," Clipboard said, nodding toward the battlefield. "That thing's still coming."

"And we're still going to need a plan to deal with it," Elysia sighed. "It's going to take a lot more than just a few blasts to stop that thing."

"Hey asshole!" Vanna shouted. "You gonna open the gate? We've kinda got a small army on our tail!"

Frostburn smirked, turning and disappearing from sight. Moments later, the fort's heavy steel doors swung open with an electronic woosh.

Elysia gently grabbed my arm, and we started to move. "Come on. Let's get inside before that thing catches up."

"Man, do we even have enough firepower to take it down?" Null muttered, shaking his head as we made our way up the hill.

"Well, we have Frostburn and Sparrow here now. Plus, I think Ace and Aurora are already on their way too," I said, trying to reassure him.

But deep down, I couldn't help but feel the same fear and apprehension building in my chest.

We were still alive, but there was no telling what would happen next.

I glanced back at the juggernaut, watching as it lumbered toward us in the distance, its eyes glowing with blue fire as it prepared for another round.

I could only hope we had enough time to regroup and come up with a plan.