Within moments of the meeting ending, the battle had begun.
The ground shook as summoned beasts appeared on the western and northern sides of the stronghold.
Catherine had already announced her role in the Phantom Voice’s disappearance, so the awakeners fear being ambushed by Phantom Voice while they were fighting the summoned beasts.
They mobilized immediately, pushing against the summoned waves.
The scene at the north wall was chaos.
A squad of four awakeners moved in tight formation.
The tank, a stocky man in plated armor, raised a barrier of earth just as a rhino-like summon with molten skin charged them.
Behind him, a pair of long-range casters launched bolts of wind and light.
The fourth, a woman with a crimson spear, blinked forward and pierced the creature’s eye, ending it before it could roar.
Just a few meters away, another squad was using coordinated skill links.
They combined flame and wind to create explosive blasts that shredded entire clusters of summoned beasts.
Dozens of such squads were spread across the outer perimeter.
Even so, they were being pushed back.
The sheer number of enemies was overwhelming.
Titan Edge Guild fought like their lives depended on it.
Catherine was helping them.
Her real body was stationed in the central base, working on strategies, issuing orders, and coordinating the various stronghold defenses.
But multiple projection bodies—or "clones," as the others called them—were scattered all across the battlefield, fighting and monitoring.
One was moving alongside Titan Edge Guild in the northern section.
One was assisting Emily and Alice in the wilderness, ensuring the younger awakeners were protected.
Another was stationed at the far end of the Fortified City 89, standing on top of a crumbling tower.
That clone faced the Sentinel.
A towering monster, as tall as a skyscraper and crafted by the city’s old AI system, the Sentinel had been dispatched automatically after detecting Catherine’s presence.
Catherine knew it would cause chaos if he approached her while she was helping the stronghold,
So she’d sent one of her clones to stop the Sentinel on the way.
As she stared at the Sentinel in the distance, marching toward her, her characteristic smile tugged at her lips.
But her shoulders were tense.
I hope the nagas fighting the Phantom Voice hold up, she thought. If they are defeated too quickly, the Phantom Voice will be able to escape the mirror dimension, and it will attack the stronghold.
I’ll have to stop it then, and right now....
Her grip on her whip-like sword tightened.
This was the first time humanity was being pushed to the brink like this.
Catherine wondered if she would lose her him again.
’No, I won’t let it happen something like that happen again.’
She clenched her jaw and leapt towards the Sentinel.
...
Isaac POV
The air around Aeternum University’s stronghold was oddly quiet when he arrived.
Isaac didn’t get to enjoy the stillness for long.
A young woman in a dark blazer and thick glasses walked straight up to him, not wasting any time.
"You’re Isaac, right?" she asked.
He nodded.
"The General’s been expecting you. Please follow me."
He didn’t say anything, just started walking beside her.
As they moved past the entry gates, his hand brushed against the inside of his coat pocket. He felt the edge of the paper slip Professor Catherine had given him.
Her voice echoed in his mind.
"If you’re in danger, tear that paper. I’ll come help you."
He had never seen her so serious.
"Do not fight by yourself like you did back at the assassin headquarters."
He remembered that fight too well. The bloody walls. The chaos. Selene screaming.
Vice Principal Eleanor had given him a similar slip of paper back then.
He hadn’t used it. And he’d been scolded afterward.
Pushing those thoughts away, Isaac stepped into the meeting hall. The doors closed behind him with a low hum.
Inside, a dozen eyes turned to him.
The room wasn’t huge, but it felt crowded.
Veterans sat in wide leather chairs, dressed in everything from reinforced combat suits to ceremonial robes.
Almost all of them wore the insignia of the University’s top departments. Champion-rank and Master-rank awakeners, people who’d survived countless battles and walked away stronger.
Isaac paused at the entrance.
The General stood up and approached him with a firm handshake.
"General Corvan," the man said. "Welcome to Aeternum’s stronghold, Isaac. We’re glad you’re here."
Isaac shook his hand. "Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best."
Corvan smiled and gestured to an empty seat near the center.
As Isaac sat down, he noticed several people still looking at him. Some with open curiosity. Some with something close to admiration.
The General noticed his gaze.
"Don’t mind them," he said. "We’ve all heard the reports. What happened at the assassin headquarters. And then Metavore Hive."
He leaned back in his chair.
"At first, people thought those were just exaggerated rumors. But the Hive incident changed a lot of minds."
Isaac nodded silently.
The General glanced at the others and continued, "You’re still a student, sure. But at this point, no one doubts you’re one of humanity’s elite fighters. That’s why they are looking at you with admiration."
The meeting room inside Aeternum University’s stronghold was packed.
Every corner of the large war room was occupied by professors, guild officials, awakeners, even a few internal security personnel.
It had been hours since the first call came in from Master of Sanctum’s stronghold, warning them about the nagas attack.
The defensive grid was raised immediately, and all outgoing teleporters had been locked down.
Tensions ran high. No one wanted to say it outright, but everyone was thinking it.
There might be a spy.
It wasn’t just strongholds under threat.
If the Nagas had planted someone inside the strongholds, now would be the perfect time to strike.
They could’ve used the teleports to go the Fortified City 50 if the teleporters hadn’t been locked.
A sudden attack like that could throw the entire region into chaos.
So, they stayed alert.
Every conversation came with a tight undertone.
When the meeting finally ended, Isaac was given his assignment.