The mana decreases and the breath becomes disordered. They barely managed to hold their breath while continuing to defeat a steady stream of demonic beasts. The seniors' troops continued to retreat in the forest while protecting the wounded students.

Several hours had passed since the battle began, and their retreat seemed to be in disarray. The demonic beasts came one by one, but the huge small demonic beasts swarmed up, forcing them to weaken their physical strength, and the lion-headed apes that appeared many times also caused their magic power to gradually drain away. Just now, because the magic power was too low to cast a decent magic, he accidentally let the lion-headed ape come over and suffered great damage. Nearly half of the troops were in a state of exhaustion of their magic or wounded, and their combat strength was in danger. The team retained what little strength they had left, constantly exchanging strikers to maintain the line, but they didn't know how long they would last, and they were not far from camp, and now only the hope of a safe haven sustained them.

However, the reality is cruel to them.

Two lion-headed apes appeared in front of them—they looked so excited that they were about to foam at the mouth, and rushed straight towards the troops. The magic of our counter-attack was noticeably much less diluted than it had been at the beginning, and we were unable to stop them. The students who played as strikers frowned. In order to defeat a lion-headed ape just now, more than ten students have been injured and the troops have been severely damaged. If you just go head-to-head with two at the same time, you may be wiped out if you are not careful.

Stefania, who was in charge of the noble command, also knew it. Not only did she give orders just now, but she also stood on the front line with a wand to shoot magic. She also considered various feasible options during the battle, but they really didn't have enough combat power to break through the encirclement. The students who make up the army are almost at the limit of their physical strength and magical power. Even if you want to fight off the lion-headed ape, the only remaining strength can't even force yourself.

The lion-headed ape has a strong body that matches its body. They pressed forward step by step, not paying any attention to the last resistance of the students. The indiscriminate attacks just now only stimulated them and made them even more excited.

"No way......

I don't know who muttered that. The lion-headed ape, who had already approached him, raised his fist and aimed it at the head of one of the strikers. Even if he knew that it was a dying throe, he could only raise his shield to protect himself.

So, when a low explosion rang out over his head, he suddenly didn't realize what it meant.

He didn't see several lines of fire from the back of the troops with terrifying accuracy, flying towards the lion's arm. He didn't see it, and the magic of the Armor Flame Spear exploded one after another along its own spell, blowing up the lion's arm. When he noticed, the lion-headed ape was roaring as hard as he could and began to run away.

Immediately afterward, another thing happened beyond his imagination - it was not only the magic bullet that flew over, but also the "person who fired the magic bullet" - El Nesti also turned into a silver bullet and flew towards this place. This statement cannot be completely metaphorical, as he uses the magic of air compression propulsion to accelerate during his jumps, and he is literally the embodiment of a bullet. He followed the force to meet the lion-headed ape who had lost his arm and limped away in the air, and at the same time passed by with a vacuum slash, and in the blink of an eye, the lion-headed ape's head was in a different place, and his head flew into the air, and his huge body fell to the ground.

Al landed with a force that almost lifted the ground, slithering and turning his head, reaching out Winchester to point at the other lion-headed ape. Bursts of flame burst from the tip of the cane in quick succession, and many firebolts swooped down on the lion-headed ape, sending a storm that shook the ground. Half of the lion's head was charred and he fell to the ground and passed out.

"Take advantage of ...... Give it a fatal blow now!"

Al suddenly bursts into the battlefield and shocks Stefania, but she doesn't miss the opportunity. Her voice sent the students into a hurry to give the lion-headed ape the final blow.

「...... El ......"

"I've kept you waiting, student council president. I've got some rescuers. 」

Without Al pointing her out, there was a sound of heavy footsteps coming from behind. The rescuers immediately crossed the seniors' unit and dispersed as if to protect them.

The ten-meter-tall giant knight wielded a huge steel sword and slashed through the surging beasts with almost no effort, which was the strongest weapon of the human race with overwhelming power. Seeing the Phantom Knight's powerful form, the students erupted in cheers. For them, who are already on the verge of collapse, there is no more reassuring rescue. They finally got enough protection.

「...... Oops, I didn't expect it to be the right thing to do with El Nesty. 」

Edgar of Earl Cambury muttered to himself as he banished the nearby monsters.

They followed El's advice and chose an open location to search. Unexpectedly, after heading there, it was easy to find the senior students. That's because they were gathered together and were preparing to retreat. However, when Edgar spotted them, the lion-headed ape was already in front of the troops, and they were in a desperate situation. If there is the power of the Phantom Knight, that level of Warcraft can be easily solved, but the distance between the Warcraft and the troops is too close. Whether it's slashing at monsters from the past or attacking from a distance with the Wizard Suit, the students will be swept into the attack.

Having the power to save them, but unable to do anything about the situation in front of him, Edgar almost gritted his teeth with remorse. Just then, El Campber's hand rushed out. Watching the approaching lion-headed ape being knocked down by his unstoppable blow, Edgar couldn't help but sigh: "Now we really don't have the face to see people."

Under the protection of the Phantom Knight, who caught up at the last moment, the seniors' troops continued to retreat. Despite the many wounded, no one was left behind, and everyone managed to escape and return to the camp safely. Back in time, the students of the Knight School of Dreiser School set off for Croke Forest a little later.

A Phantom Knight passed them by, arriving at the east gate of the city of Yantunin. Probably there was something urgent, and the rider in the driver, who was emaciated and exhausted, approached the knight guarding the gate as soon as he reached the east gate. The knight was taken aback by this sudden situation, but after listening to the words of the rider, his face suddenly turned pale, and he hurried to report it.

"It's ...... Really!?"

Philip Herhagen, the head of the Guardian Order of Yantunin, changed his face after hearing his subordinates' report. Godfi Thuvaline, the deputy head of the regiment who was in the regiment's room together, was expressionless, but his face was also pale. This shows how much of an impact the report has had on them.

"Yes! Fortress Bagley has been devastated by the attack of the divisional and regimental level demonic beast, the Land Emperor Tortoise, and the garrison is likely to be wiped out. Besymour advanced westward, heading into the country, and was expected to appear near Yantunin sooner or later. Report is complete!"

The sudden attack of the divisional and regimental level demonic beasts made Philip feel dizzy in a nightmare-like situation. However, as the commander of the Knights, he didn't have time to be in a daze. Fortunately, thanks to the arrival of the rider, they had some buffer time before Besimour appeared. Not a single second can be wasted now.

"Woo, quickly give the order to summon all the knights in the vicinity of Yantunin! The situation is urgent, this takes precedence over all the tasks that are being carried out now!"

The subordinate who came to report repeated it, saluted and immediately ran out. Philip and Godfi also rushed out of the regimental commander's room and headed for the operations conference room as if they were chasing after him.

"It's Behemo...... Even if this is Yangtunin, it doesn't have the combat power of a division. Then you have to have it in the royal capital. 」

"The hierarchy can only be used as a reference. I think that even with the current combat strength, as long as you are mentally prepared for a large amount of losses, it is still possible to succeed in the crusade. 」

Philip clenched his fists as he moved quickly.

"I know, I know it, but the problem is the scale of the damage! There's no point in sending all the hundred knights of our Order to the enemy! Who will protect Yantunin after that!"

Hearing this, Godfeld fell silent. He didn't want to see the Knights destroyed, but Behemoth had already destroyed a fortress. It is not an exaggeration to say that the fate of the country is at stake if Yantunin suffers heavy damage, the flow of goods in the country will be seriously blocked, and once the supply lines to the border are blocked, it will also affect some fortresses and cause even greater disasters. Even if you exchange the entire Knights, you must block it and annihilate it. If necessary, no matter what kind of suggestion he has, he is obliged to put it forward to the head of the regiment, which is his responsibility as deputy head of the regiment.

「...... No, there's no time to discuss that now. If it is not stopped here, the worst-case scenario is the destruction of the country. Send an envoy to the royal capital, and after we destroy the order, we must entrust it to the knights who will follow......

Philip, who was anxious about the current situation, twisted his face, and the only thing Goddelphi could do was nod.

As soon as Philip and the others entered the battle room, the knights on duty in the Order had already gathered there. The incident happened suddenly, and there was a nervousness on every face that could not be concealed.

During the period before the knights in the field received the order to summon and returned to assemble, they had to confirm the actual situation. Get the map ready now. Begin to predict Behemo's course of advancement. The riders who came to warn him did not know the exact location of Bessimore, so they had to predict his route by analyzing his mobility ability, terrain, and other factors, and then deduce the approximate current location. In addition, they also need to decide where the Knights will fight.

"Given the direction it was heading and the geography of its journey from Fortress Bagley, the most likely route would be to bypass Mount Daigbel and pass through the forested terrain at the foot of the mountain. 」

"This route can't avoid the suburbs of Yangtunin...... What about the current location?"

The knight who was asked pointed to a point on the map.

"I think it's probably made its way through the Plains of Krepel and about to enter the Crok Forest. 」

"Croc Forest...... Well, it's closer than you think. Even if we want to fight now, we will fight very close to Yantunin......

At this moment, a knight behind them shouted out in a hurry.

"You said Croc Forest ......!?"

"What's wrong? Is there anything in Crocker's Forest?"

No one in the room wanted to hear any more bad news, but they still had to keep track of all the insecurity as much as possible. The knight's face was still pale, and in the eyes of the crowd he announced:

「...... Now, the students of the Dreiser's School are doing exercises there!"

"What......!?"

The knights present were also speechless. Not only the city of Yantunin, but also the citizens of the country, as well as the children, are also in danger. What's more, there are also family members of people present who are in the Department of Knight Dreiser. Several knights immediately ran anxiously towards Philip.

"We should go to Crock's Forest right now!"

"In any case, let the children evacuate first!"

Faced with a series of problems, Philip was tormented, but he didn't have to worry for long. He must prioritize a certain task.

「...... Send heralds, but don't move the Knights until enough knights have gathered. 」

"Commander, do you want to die without saving you!?"

"How is that possible!"

Philip shouted at the knights whose faces had changed drastically and came forward to ask questions, his voice mixed with irretrieval that could not be concealed.

"Of course I want to help them, but with the strength of our Knights, we will do everything we can to defeat Behemo...... We can't be more optimistic about the results. Attacking rashly before rectification will only consume combat power in vain, and if you don't do it, you will lose to Bessemore. Make no mistake about it, our goal is to defeat Behemo and protect Yantunin, and the entire kingdom of Virard!"

The noisy knights fell silent. They also understand that there is simply no choice from the start.

「...... Now all we can do is put our hope in their luck and wisdom......

His gaze looked into the distance where the deep, pitch-black Crocker Forest was.

The entrance to Crock's Forest, the camp of the Dreiser Academy and the Knight Academy.

After the retreat of the senior students of the middle division, they set up camp based on the phantom knights and simple fences of the high division, and built a defense network.

Most of the demonic beasts that emerged from the forest were about one meter in size, and the largest ones were only about three meters in size. The combat ability was not at all comparable to that of the Phantom Knights, who were ten meters long, and they slashed away the gathered hordes of demonic beasts with a single sword. However, because of the difference in size, it is inevitable that there will be fish that slip through the net. The monsters that weren't killed flocked to the fence, so the students went on defense and tried to fill the gaps.

From the point of view of the beasts, the Phantom Knights, who seem to be showing off their existence, make them feel threatened. Unwilling to confront them head-on, they unwittingly split into two forces to flank the camp. There were a lot of injuries among the senior students in the middle school, so it was a lucky thing for the knight department, which was struggling with combat power.

The sun crossed the middle of the sky, and when the red figure disappeared into the mountain, the attack of the demonic beast was also over. Even the students, who remained on alert after the attack was interrupted, sensed that the fighting was over and relaxed.

"There won't be any more Warcraft now......

Stefania Serrati breathed a sigh of relief as if she was tired from the bottom of her heart. She led the uninjured students until the end. Although there were other teachers in the camp who would join them, according to their judgment, it would be easier for her to continue to lead the group after giving orders since the retreat, but this was also because of her own personality that could not be calmed down.

"Kid, Artie...... Al. 」

The alert eased, and she comforted the resting students as she looked around the camp. On the way, she saw a familiar face, which made her feel relieved to call.

"Ah, sister...... Are you hurt? I've heard that the middle department is in big trouble!"

Stefania shook her head.

"As you can see, I'm fine. Don't talk about that, you're really messing around. 」

Stephanie said this, her expression a little dumbfounded. When they first withdrew to the camp, the wounded and tired seniors had lost a lot of strength. If it goes on like this, it will be very difficult to deal with those demonic beasts that have penetrated the defense net of the Phantom Knights, but thanks to the time they have gained, they have managed to survive.

"That's right, but at that time, we were the only ones left, and we were going to mess around with it. 」

「...... I don't think the three of you are as active as a unit, and it can't be said to be a 'mess around'...... Hey, forget it. What's more...... Al!"

Stefania approached Al behind the two and hugged him directly. She didn't have time to resist when she was startled by the captured El, and she rubbed her cheek against the soft hair in satisfaction.

"Ahhh~~It's really healing~~ As long as El is here, I can continue to fight. 」

(Sister Stefania...... Hey, no way. Seeing that she is working so hard this time, let's serve. If I can make her change her mood by sacrificing alone, it won't be a big deal. ）

Stefania played with her hair and cheeks as much as she could, and Al didn't resist any further, playing as she pleased. As for the twins in the back, although Artie showed inexplicable anger, it didn't seem to be intending to step forward to stop them. Stefania enjoyed herself like this for a while. Suddenly, a trembling voice stopped her from behind them.

"Ugh...... Student Council President ......"

The student looked like he had come to her, but was taken aback when he saw Stefania smiling so weirdly. It's no wonder that she, who had just led the senior troops majestically, was now holding the junior brother with an indecent smile on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"The teacher asked you to come over and say that you want to decide on your future plans. 」

"I see. I'm sorry, you three. We'll talk later, and I'll go back. 」

It seemed too late to disguise it, but Stefania didn't mind and quickly switched to the student council president's mode. The three of them waved her away, half-dumbfounded.

(Okay, it looks like we've survived the current crisis, but what's next?)

They had survived a lot of monster attacks, but Al really didn't think it would end like this. Looking back at the Crocker Forest, the darkness deepened as if it was trying to block his view.

Even El didn't know what lurked in the depths of the forest. "So, I ended up moving tomorrow?"

The teachers also seem to be at loggerheads about what to do, and it's no wonder that they don't yet get the full picture. In short, the course of action was conveyed to all at dinner. Al and the others checked their condition while drinking the soup made with grain and common mountain vegetables.

"Yes, although there were many injuries, fortunately none of them were life-threatening, and the most serious ones were broken bones. To make matters worse, there are many people who are exhausted from running out of mana and lack the actual combat power on the field, and the teacher seems to think that it is dangerous to move by force in this situation. 」

"Well, don't you think it's dangerous to rest in a place like this?"