"Is it Professor Gracie and Principal McDowell?"

"Yes, those two are holding them back."

Both Professor Gracie and Principal McDowell are among the academy's strongest.

They were among the few talents in the academy who were more confident in combat than in research.

However, it wasn't easy for them to hold back the undead legion.

The undead legion's ability to push forward was one thing, but they also don't feel fear.

For humans, showing a few strong abilities might make soldiers hesitate, but such tactics don't work on the undead.

They lack intelligence.

They only follow the commander's orders, driven by hatred for the living.

They would keep moving forward towards the canyon, regardless of their comrades falling beside them.

I looked at Cromwell, who was beside me.

"Can they hold them off? Should we send reinforcements now?"

"Don't worry. Do you think we have no plan?"

"So, is there anything to do until the main forces arrive?"

"No, there's nothing. Everything is already prepared."

Cromwell said that and led me away.

Cromwell led me to the top of the canyon.

"Oh, Cromwell, you're here?"

"Professor Mcguire?"

Mcguire greeted us at that spot.

"Is everything ready?"

"We've been preparing for days. Of course, it is."

Mcguire raised his thumb and smiled.

I tilted my head in confusion.

"Preparation for...?"

"Ah, that."

Mcguire pointed behind him.

"...Why is this here?"

"If we can use it, we should. Just borrowed it for a moment."

Behind Mcguire was a huge amplifier.

The amplifier made by Perrian Astria was set up at the top of the canyon.

Sparks flew around it powerfully.

Just being near it could result in death by electrocution.

Yet, Venderwood charged at Gracie.

"Lightning...!"

A giant bolt of lightning emerged from Gracie's body and aimed at Venderwood's sword-bearing right arm.

Zap─

Venderwood's arm melted from the lightning, leaving only the skeletal remains.

Without flesh, the great sword was dropped.

Unfazed by the loss of his arm, Venderwood flowed like water.

He spun his body, grabbed the great sword with his left hand, spun again, and swung the sword at Gracie.

"Ugh...!"

A small cut appeared on Gracie's face.

'He doesn't stop attacking even when hit...'

Venderwood continued his attack without hesitation, even after receiving an attack that melted his arm.

Gracie was clearly aware of this but was still taken aback.

Surely, after being hit by such lightning, one's body should at least stop.

The electricity spreading through the body would tamper with the muscles, causing them to lose strength.

Yet, Venderwood moved.

'What kind of freakish body structure is this...!'

"Discharge...!"

Gracie released the electricity in her body.

The burst of electricity exploded around her, and Venderwood narrowed his eyebrows and stepped back to avoid the attack.

'First off, he's not a wizard.'

That much was certain.

He was wrapped in sword energy, and with unbelievable physical abilities, he was a swordsman.

This raised an inevitable question.

What was Venderwood's ability?

Venderwood couldn't feel pain.

His body kept healing, and there was no restriction in his movement.

It felt like fighting an undead.

The natural physical reactions that should happen simply didn't.

It felt as though a different power was controlling his body.

'Did he implant a magical device in his body? But if so, it should have broken when Principal McDowell attacked earlier...'

Gracie recalled information about Raven she had learned some time ago.

That person controlled his body with a magical device implanted in his head.

He wouldn't die even if his body was destroyed, and from what she had heard, the device could also control pain.

Could Venderwood be related to that?

Gracie glared at Venderwood standing in front of her.

He was getting back into position.

'So, what should I do...'

A body that doesn't exhibit natural physical reactions.

Natural physical reactions...

To counter that...

"Ha!"

Venderwood kicked off the ground and charged at Gracie.

He swung his giant sword, as large as a person, at a fast speed.

"Ugh..."

Gracie tried to block the attack with the electricity wrapped around her hand, but the swift sword strikes began to leave small cuts on her body.

She started to feel little pains.

Thigh, arm, cheek.

They weren't fatal wounds, but the damage was accumulating.

The small injuries stung as if warning her to be careful.

It was okay for now, but if she accumulated more injuries, it might become difficult to move.

'Just a moment...'

That's when it clicked in Gracie's mind.

Pain is a warning the body sends to a person.

It's a signal to recognize injury and move more carefully, more safely.

Then.

Gracie extended her hand towards Venderwood.

"Electric Shock!"

Zap─

Strong electricity burst from Gracie's hand.

Venderwood blocked the attack with his sword, and the impact pushed him back.

Gracie immediately placed her hand on the ground.

"Electric Field."

Zzzt─

Electricity spread from Gracie to the ground.

The sand on the ground stirred due to the electricity.

"Hmm?"

Venderwood narrowed his eyebrows, observing Gracie spreading the field.

Even though the field was activated, it wasn't particularly threatening.

Only the sand on the ground stirred slightly; there wasn't a strong current running through the ground.

For an ordinary person, this amount of electricity could slow their movements, but Venderwood's body could ignore such electricity.

Venderwood, while assessing Gracie's magic, glanced at the undead legion.

The legion was being held back by McDowell, but not completely stopped.

-Grrrr...

"Damn it..."

A bone dragon with a massive body was pressuring McDowell.

McDowell had tried several flashes of magic against it but couldn't subdue it.

With the dragon holding McDowell back, the other undead could advance easily.

'Now's the time.'

Venderwood readied his sword.

McDowell couldn't stop the legion because of the bone dragon.

The legion had now reached the front of the canyon.

If he kept Gracie occupied now, the undead legion could enter the canyon.

"Huff..."

Venderwood exhaled deeply and looked at Gracie.

Gracie surrounded herself with electricity.

Her hair began to shoot upwards due to the sparks.

Zap─

Unlike the sparking sounds around, Gracie became calmer.

White light shone from her eyes, and the electricity in her hand began to form into the shape of a spear.

She extended her hand forward.

Gracie took a stance with the spear made of electricity.

Venderwood instinctively felt the danger of that spear.

If hit directly by that spear, he might not recover as easily as before.

But it didn't matter.

He just had to avoid it.

He was confident he could.

Venderwood's reaction speed was far superior to Gracie's.

The reaction speed of a swordsman compared to a wizard was incomparable.

"Huff..."

Gracie charged at Venderwood with the spear raised.

'Slow.'

Gracie's physical abilities were nothing special.

Venderwood easily stepped back, dodging Gracie's spear.

However, the role of the spear wasn't just to cut.

A strong current formed along the path of the spear Gracie had swung, and the electricity struck Venderwood's body.

The electricity entered Venderwood's body.

But that couldn't stop Venderwood's movement.

Ignoring the electricity, Venderwood charged at Gracie.

Venderwood's sword created a huge arc, aiming for Gracie.

Gracie stepped back and swung the spear again.

The electricity attacked Venderwood once more.

Venderwood, hit by the attack, advanced again.

As Venderwood advanced, Gracie was gradually pushed back.

'This should be enough...'

Venderwood glanced towards the canyon.

The undead army attempted to charge into the canyon, and McDowell tried to stop them. Gracie also noticed this.

"Ugh..."

Gracie let out a slight groan upon seeing the situation.

Venderwood didn't miss this.

With his great sword, Venderwood charged at her swiftly.

Here, Gracie had to choose.

Whether to attack the undead legion or to block Venderwood's attack.

Venderwood silently laughed at the thought of victory, no matter which decision she made.

Then, Gracie quietly uttered, "Got you..."

Crackle─

Electricity sparked from Venderwood's body as he charged.

At the same time, the electricity from the ground connected with the electricity coming from his body.

"What...?"

Venderwood's eyes widened.

Suddenly, electricity flowed, and he couldn't move his body.

Gracie laughed.

"People feel pain for a reason."

The electricity that Gracie had scattered with the spear earlier had been accumulating in his body.

Instead of just shocking him and ending it, she stored the electricity in his body.

Normally, a person should feel something off about this.

But he didn't feel it.

He didn't realize the electricity was accumulating in his body, nor did it spread and dig into his muscles.

'Of course, a normal person would have died from the accumulation of electricity in their body...'

With that thought, Gracie released all the electricity inside Venderwood's body at once.

The electricity seeped into Venderwood's muscles, thinly slicing through his muscle fibers.

Thus, Venderwood couldn't move.

Even though his healing ability was remarkable, he couldn't immediately recover from his entire body's muscle fibers being cut at once.

Gracie pulled back her spear.

"My spear isn't meant for swinging."

Aimed at Venderwood.

"It's for throwing."

She threw it with all her might.

"Pierce through. Astrape."

The spear Gracie released

Swept through the surroundings at an incredible speed and

"Ah."

Pierced through Venderwood's heart.

Bang!

A tremendous explosion of electricity occurred.

'Ha...!'

Venderwood thought as he watched his body burn.

That he had won anyway.

That the undead legion entering the canyon far away would bring victory to them.

However.

'All according to plan!'

Gracie laughed, watching the undead legion enter the canyon.