Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

The entrance to the academy had fallen. Arcadios Royal Academy's grounds were surrounded by a large wall to prevent any mishaps from escaping into the city. Spells and Arts were frequently used all around the facility and the walls were put in place to contain them within the academy and prevent any errant fireballs from heading into the city.

This meant the academy looked like a fortress on the outskirts of the capital. There was also only a single entrance on the whole of the walls and that was the one that led to the city. This entrance had fallen to the control of these unknown attackers which had cornered the students inside.

Due to the speed and suddenness of the attack, the guards were pushed back and those that resisted were killed easily. The attackers themselves used a mixture of weapons and magic, though the primary spells being used were fire spells. It was unclear if it was because those were the only type of mages that were present, or if there was another purpose to it.

Thomas looked on as he saw his home of the last four years going up in flames. Trees on the grounds that were used for resting and shade by the students were turning black and cracking from the intensity of the flames.

Bodies of students and staff littered the stone footpaths that winded through the beautiful scenery. Blood seeped into the ground, so much of it that the air had a tinge of copper intermingling with that of burnt flesh.

Still, the residents of the academy were not giving up. Though many people were dying, there were still those that refused to give up. They worked together to form groups to fight off their attackers.

While assessing the situation Thomas noticed a group of people rushing in their direction with swords drawn. Some looked like normal townsfolk while some others were wearing strange robes and masks to hide their faces.

"[Umbra: Silence]" Briene calmly cast her spell on two of the robed people attempting to cast spells of their own. The mana accumulating around their hands dissipated as they found themselves unable to verbalize the activation phrase.

Thomas rushed forward with his men at his back to meet the attackers. Swords and shields clashed in a shower of sparks. The first person he struck was thrown into the dirt immediately, unable to withstand the force and speed of his blow.

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One by one the attackers fell to their might. Just as the last two were dispatched, an arrow sunk into the neck of Terrance Rolf, one of his men. He coughed and choked on his own blood and desperately pulled at the arrow as he fell to the ground.

Thomas rushed to try and help him, but was stopped by the tip of Briene's blade. The look on her face was one of sorrow as she shook her head. Of course, he knew that his friend was beyond saving, but he could not help but try and reach out to him. With a sigh, he plunged a dagger into the back of Terrance's neck to swiftly end his suffering.

"Let's go…"

The remaining members of their group charged off to meet another bunch of students who were fighting off warriors actually capable of using arts. Of those that remained there was Thomas, Briene, Alex, Warren, and finally Gregory Burgess. They were some of the elite of the senior year and they knew that their presence would embolden their forces.

Thomas took command of several of the survivors and began to issue orders to the ones specializing in defense. He put those students under a unit led by Alex. Any students versed in archery were put to the back and under Briene's command. The mages were put under Warren's lead.

Finally, Gregory took charge of the warriors while Thomas took position over the entire operation. His orders were swift and clear and proved why he was the heir to his house.

Alex and his men stepped to the front of their lines while he used one of his arts to quickly block a barrage of [Fire Lance] spells. "[Shield Arts: Grand Bulwark]"

The reason for Alex's nickname was that he was able to produce a [Grand Bulwark] despite the art being above his rank. Everyone assumed he was simply so compatible with his shield arts that he was able to pull this stunt off. It was what made him so valuable as a retainer in the future.

Centered on Alex's shield, a wall of golden light erupted in front of them, covering the entirety of their lines. The others in his squad put up their own [Bulwark] Arts to reinforce the lower parts of Alex's. Since he was of a higher rank, the wall he created was three times taller than their own and intercepted several lances that tried striking the rear lines.

Alex canceled his Art, but ordered the rest of the line to maintain their own. Briene countered by ordering a volley of arrows from their archers. It appeared as though none of the enemy had anyone with shield arts and they fell one by one under the assault.

It was beginning to feel like they might have a chance. Maybe they would have a way out of this nightmare and now that they had a functioning strategy, they could choose to either advance and retake the front gates, or look for survivors.

Thomas quickly looked towards the very gates he was thinking about when he saw another horde of people rush in. They easily quadrupled the number of people they just fought off which made his next decision an easy one.

"Everyone, retreat to the main building. The gate is lost, we can only hope to hold it while awaiting reinforcements." He shouted.

His voice was much louder than before and almost hurt his throat with the amount of force and volume he used. It also exposed him as a leader which made him a target. However, he wanted to ensure that his voice carried to the other groups of students and staff trying to fight back.

"We need something more than just our Shield Arts to hold them off…we need to buy time." He muttered aloud.

Briene tugged on his sleeve. "My lord," She said, "I can do something to hold them back, but it will drain the remainder of my mana. Run, take everyone and flee."

Briene quickly left the cover of the [Bulwarks] and held her hands firmly out in front of her. Arrows whizzed by her head, threatening to end her life in a moment.

"[Eruptio: Magma Field]"

A surge of energy shot out of her small frame and sank into the dirt. The ground quickly heated up and turned into molten rock. The field expanded toward the gate and created a giant U-shaped barrier between the rest of the grounds and the entrance.

As she had predicted, the spell wiped her out and she fell to her knees with sweat pouring off of her face. Three enemies charged at her and she attempted to draw her rapier once more. Unwilling to let her bravery be wasted on self-sacrifice, Thomas launched forward with a massive swing of his sword, "[Sword Arts: Heavy Slash]"

The first robed figure was cut clean in half, but the other two were simply thrown backward into the pit of magma that had rapidly begun to cool. In only a short amount of time, her barrier would cool completely and the enemies waiting on the other side would be able to rush across.

"I can still use you, let's go." Thomas said, picking her up in his arms before running to catch up with the rest of their group that he had sent back to the main building ahead of them.