As the days went by, the work of the adventurers in the guild continued.
And there are no signs of stopping; instead, it's on the rise.
And as for the academy, the same could be said for the people here.
I guess news travels fast, even without social media.
It is quite clear that the academy itself is having trouble deciding what to do with the stampede, or at least that's what I would have thought if it weren't for the declaration of the same guy who was sent to the guild to explain his situation.
~~~~~~~~~
"T-hose guys…. they're not humans; they easily d-defeated our squad w-without breaking a sweat."
Breathing deeply, he spoke of what happened.
"Huuuu. I… I should have been dead."
"Then why aren't you?"
"Shut it."
"Just saying."
"Continue."
"O-okay. We found monster carcasses, and in them were highly concentrated mana cores. They get stronger as they absorb the monster's core."
"That's not new; we all do that."
"But it's different for them. They don't need assistance from other mages or runes to refine the mana core."
"They can absorb the core without processing. Is that true?
Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."
"What kind of people were they?"
"They're not people, they're monsters!"
"Okay okay. But please tell us how you escape. We might be able to know their weaknesses."
"Okay, I just hid behind a tree after I was blown away by one of their attacks. When I got back, everyone was already in critical condition. And my body was also rendered useless by wounds from the attack."
"That explains the injuries you received."
"Mm, yes. Then, seeing how they massacred all my allies, I lost strength and chose to hide under a tree since it was somehow surrounded by deep mud."
"I see we need to tell the governor about the current situation. And inform him of what we know."
"Okay, I'll do it."
Then, as they made a decision on what to do, they moved fast to create countermeasures.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The two people who attacked the group of scouts returned to their base.
There, they met up with the other groups.
"Where have you two been?"
"Nothing much, really. We just took a stroll for a snack."
"You have the gall to make all of us wait!"
"Now, now, calm down, baldy, we have our reasons."
"What did you call punk?! "
"Stop." As they were about to fight, their leader stopped them.
"It doesn't matter where you two have been, but now is the time to attack. Get ready."
"""Yes!"""
"The final plan was finally set in motion," whispered the leader as he relaxed himself.
~~~~~~~
In the governor's office, the governor received a letter.
"Is what is written here true?"
"Yes sir."
"I see, Tell all personnel to scatter around the cities and make sure everyone is on high alert."
"Of course, sir."
He then commanded his people to get ready for any sudden problems that might occur.
After his command, the guild leader received his reply.
"Alright, men, we will have a bountiful harvest today, so the rewards will be even greater!"
He declared this to the people.
"Is this alright, guild master?"
"Yes, we have no choice; the more enthusiastic they are, the better. After all, we don't know what the outcome of this battle is going to be."
"Understood."
The labyrinth city's governor made announcements to certain individuals in the city, and just to be sure, he made contacts with the outside countries that were close by to request help.
And when he did so.
"What? How come I can't connect to the outside?!"
He wasn't able to do so, and this situation was the first and final warning the citizens higher-ups would get. From the people who were about to attack.
~~~~~~~~
"Before we start our attack, it is in our best interest to lower their strength by making them blind."
"Come here, child," he then asked the little girl who was with the woman that Dustin interacted with.
"Yes leader. Go on, and this way we shall be free.
Okay."
Listening to her sister, she walked to the center and arrived before their leader.
"Your power is very special among the second generation. You have the most potential."
Hearing that many were dissatisfied, none argued, for they themselves knew it was true.
"You hold both pure dark and pure light attributes. And these two hold the key to making this operation successful. Take this, which, although small, holds power beyond measure. Just like you."
He then handed her a small mana core. But if seen by any high-ranking mage it will make their eyes glow with greed for the power it contains.
And as she took the core, her body was filled with power. And later filled her with pain.
"Ahhh!"
"No!"
Her sister cried out as she saw her in pain.
"No worries, I will be there to guide her."
"Huh?"
"Do you doubt me?"
"No, how could I? But please, take care of her."
"Of course, but instead of worrying about her, you should worry about your role."
"Ah, yes, I'll get going then."
"Good."
As their conversation ended and the woman left. The girl's pain became even worse.
Seeing this, their leader reaches out his hand to help the little girl.
"And true to his words, the girl was able to stabilize herself.
Now follow my words as you activate your powers."
"Y-yes…l-leader."
"Good. As for all of you, get in place and prepare, the distractions."
"""Yes leader."""
"But, leader, you said that you would command us during the raid. How could you do that when you're here?"
"Don't worry, I have my ways."
"Okay."
Seeing as their pleas had been answered, they left to execute their plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Have you found the cause of all this?"
"No, sir, we asked the experts at every part of the city, and they couldn't find the cause."
"Sh*t! What a tragedy this is?!"
"Also, the magic train cannot function."
"What?! One problem after another—can this day get any worse?!"
"Sir! Sir, governor."
"What problem is it now?"
"A stampede."
"What?"
"A stampede is predicted to arrive in our city in half a day."
"What kind of curse is this?!"
The governor spoke softly at first, but midway through, his voice screeched as he screamed.
~~~~~~~
"To think it would be this effective. What a monstrous ability."
The leader of the group of raiders said. As he looked at the little girl in front of him.
'So what that shady wizard said was true. With the right person, this would work.'
"Aha, ahahaha. Hahahahahahaha!"
He laughed loudly as he raised his head.
"Finally, I will get my revenge. And finally, all of you will be at peace."
He said as he took out numerous tags.
"And to think that I would find someone like this girl, whose power of light and dark shows her great potential, But seeing her bloodline ability at work with her elements is truly a sight to behold."
He admirably looked at the child in front of him.
"Even her sister has the same bloodline ability as her."
A sudden thought then came to mind as she thought about the child's power.
"Too bad that it can only affect the respective elements they have.
Dismayed, he reviewed what he had heard from the sisters when using their powers."
'Their powers called My World. Once they are in certain areas, they can take them as their own and manipulate them with just their will.
What a waste! I wonder what will happen if it is used by a person who can do all the elements. What can they do?'
"Who am I kidding? They will become god itself. Anyway, I think everyone is already on standby."
He then activated the power of the girl to send his thoughts to his subordinates.
[Is everyone in their position?]
[[[Leader!]]]
[You could do this.]
[Amazing.]
[Stop getting distracted and answer my question.]
[We are in position]
[We are too.]
[It would need to take at least a few hours for us to place all the certain items.]
[Good, then first send the monsters to the designated area of our target.]
[Yes, leader, we are already making them move.]
[Then all that's left is to see their performance.]
~~~~~~~
At the government's office, the leaders of every huge name were called.
"Is what you said true? There will be a stampede arriving at this place."
"Yes. We predicted it would arrive within half a day."
"The number is how many there are."
"They are at least half a million in number."
"That's a lot."
"Are there any possible countermeasures?
"That I don't know."
"Damn it! What should we do?"
As everyone was feeling devastated.
A person then made a suggestion.
"I think I have a solution for this predicament."
"You really do, Mr. Principal Magia?"
"Yes, it's this." He then took out a set of armor.
"This will be our ticket to victory."
He then proudly claimed it as he took it out.