A guttural voice resounded from all directions, so loud that it felt like our eardrums would burst. Some people with less physical resilience even collapsed on the spot.

A dark-red presence appeared in the sky and seemed to engulf the entire area surrounding the school.

The few survivors of the council who were spared because they hadn't been corrupted by powers fell to the ground, seemingly choked by some mysterious force.

I personally was able to withstand the pressure without much difficulty, but most of the others were in a wretched state, either on their knees or flat on the ground.

"I guess this is where it ends," I sighed. It truly felt unfair. We had fought with everything we had, yet we were being crushed like insects.

Could it be that humanity was no more than that?

"No," I shouted at the top of my lungs. I refused to go down quietly; I refused to be stripped of my humanity.

"Knights of the Ashes, rise up in arms!"

I channeled my power and activated the Bastion of the Ashes. My strength and that of the other knights immediately overflowed like a breached dam.

Everyone rose silently and began adjusting their own and each other's armor, then they all formed a column in front of me.

"KNIGHTS, brothers and sisters, brave warriors of humanity, the final moment has come. The invaders at our gates wish to break your spirits and make you surrender your power. How do you respond?"

"Never," they shouted in unison.

"The invaders demand submission."

"Never."

"The invaders want to take your humanity."

"Never."

"How long will you fight?" I raised my voice to the maximum.

"Until the Ashes!" One hundred voices resounded like thunder.

"Follow me!"

"ASH-ES!" The hundred members followed me, shouting loudly again and again.

At the entrance of the building, we formed facing the place from which the overwhelming presence emanated. There, a pillar of light could be seen, and from within it, a giant presence.

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"Knights," I raised my sword toward the enemy and channeled the energy within me to the maximum, a reddish light emanating from my eyes, with the same glow visible behind the helmets of the others. "Charge!"

Everyone rushed forward into a deadly dance. I could feel them channeling the energy of the ashes, pushing their abilities to the limit and beyond, burning their life force to fight the world's enemies.

I let the battle frenzy empower me and threw myself directly at the enemy leader. I charged forward without worrying about fighting anyone, as the knights jumped ahead to disrupt anyone who wanted to obstruct my advance.

"You insolent insect, dare you face Malakar, the apostle of the great Davros? You will pay with your soul for such audacity."

Malakar materialized in front of the beam of light in the form of a human with a stone-gray toga and a brass staff in his hands. He immediately raised his staff, and a grayish ray of light shot towards me. It was so thick that dodging it would cause havoc among my comrades, so I faced it head-on.

I put my massive sword in front of Malakar's ray and channeled my energy to protect myself. However, it was insufficient. Slowly, the ray pushed me and began to petrify my body. I started losing sensation in my legs and consciousness.

It was at that moment that a cry resonated in the field.

"Flame of the righteous, give me the strength to purge the evil that descends upon this world."

Lissie, our only mage, suddenly exerted overwhelming power on the battlefield, illuminating everyone present. I felt an overwhelming force at my disposal, although it exacted a great toll on my body and hurt my organs.

With the newfound energy within me, I repelled and canceled the enemy's ray and removed the petrification. Furthermore, I concentrated the power into my sword instinctively and lunged with a fierce vertical strike.

Two of Malakar's guards came out to block me, but I pulverized them on contact. With a great leap, I shifted my center of mass and changed to a horizontal strike, which hit Malakar solidly in the side, sending him flying at least four meters backward and making him fall to the ground miserably.

"Stop him, stop that insect."

I could see fear reflected on his face. However, soon that fear turned into an arrogant smile when his lackeys began to surround me.

Although I was at a disadvantage, I kept swinging my massive sword from side to side frantically. Soon, Jane and about fifteen knights came to support me.

"Great Master Alex, it is an honor to die for you, sir."

Fifteen young people who not long ago were considered pampered scions of the country's great fortunes now threw themselves into death with bravery, receiving mortal blows to clear the way for a final strike.

"It was a pleasure living alongside you, boys."

I forced my body to use energy, although it barely responded to my commands anymore.

My bones cracked, and blood gushed from my mouth. Nevertheless, I launched into one last sprint towards Malakar.

"You bastard wouldn't last a second if I had my true power."

"But you don't, damned invader. Die!"

I frantically struck a severely wounded Malakar on the ground with all my might, slashing him more than twenty times until I felt the energy field in his body weaken enough. Only then did I step back slightly and then leaped, stabbing his body to the ground at heart level.

Kneeling over Malakar's body, I could barely hold myself up, but I sent one last burst of energy.

"Die, you cursed demon," I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Finally, I couldn't hold on any longer and fell to my side, and the rest of the battlefield reveal to me.

My comrades in arms, my brothers, were being massacred left and right, their bodies, once burning with fervor, now extinguished like a candle in a storm. Their bodies were nothing but ashes, and ashes they would return to.

For a moment, I thought of closing my eyes. I had endured enough; I had fought enough.

My head touched the ground; it felt cold, it felt comfortable.

My vision darkened, and my consciousness began to fade.