"Mr Larouse probably died here in my previous life." Kaero's memories were returning to him.
His eyes narrowed in anger as more and more details of the bloody assault surfaced in his mind even as he followed Mr Larouse and sped towards the Teacher's Lounge.
"Those demons were specifically targeting the instructors and teachers. It was not a random attack. It was an assassination!" Kaero's heart pounded in a mix of worry and grim excitement.
This event had been one of the key sparks that ignited humanity's eventual decision to take the fight to the demons the moment they had gathered enough strength.
Unlike the dragons, who were arrogant yet content to rule lazily over Africa, and unlike the mindless Specters who remained silent and emotionless in their frozen domains, the demons were loud, aggressive, and utterly vicious.
They lived for war.
Their purpose was simple.
To enslave and devour the remnants of humankind before turning their claws upon the dragons, and eventually, the Specters.
They never stopped. They never rested. Every month brought new raids and probing attacks, testing humanity's defenses, seeking cracks in their defenses.
To survive, the whole of Australia had been transformed into a gigantic fortress.
It became humanity's final bastion. Its walls and wards were reinforced by generations of mages, its skies patrolled by floating citadels.
But New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the South Pacific islands weren't so lucky.
There simply weren't enough resources to protect them all.
Those islands had become perpetual warzones.
They became battlefields where humans, demons, and even stray dragons clashed daily. Cities rose and fell within months, conquered and reclaimed in endless cycles of blood and fire.
It was both the playground of demons and dragons and the crucible where humanity's soldiers were forged.
Blacksteel Magic Academy was located in Darwin, Australia.
Although it was well within the fortified defenses of Australia, it was also the closest city to the dangerous island of Papua New Guinea, where a massive demon city brooded beneath the clear blue tropical skies.
Every now and then, the demons would launch a probing attack just to see if there were openings available for them to exploit.
The sneak attack that day had been one of many they had launched.
Kaero never found out who the specific target of the massacre was. But it didn't matter now.
The twenty five demons only succeeded because of the element of surprise.
Now that the academy was on high alert, there was no way that they would be able to achieve the same bloody result of killing so many instructors and teachers.
After all, the instructors of Blacksteel Magic Academy were no weaklings.
Most were C-Ranked combatants, and some were even veterans who had seen blood and battle.
Individually and ambushed, they could be overwhelmed. But together, fighting in squads, their destructive potential was terrifying.
Twenty-five demons would fall like leaves in a storm.
"Kaero. How did you know that there are demons?" Emily asked him quietly as they ran out of the student building and into the huge assembly ground that would lead them to the Teacher's Lounge behind another tall research building.
"Hmmm." Kaero heard her question, and he could see Mr Larouse's head twitch slightly, an indication that he too was curious and his attention was upon him.
But who was Kaero?
A thirty five year old war veteran who had fought in countless battles!
Ignoring a little girl's question was easier than flipping his palm.
Kaero pretended to focus on circulating his power to prepare for the battle.
It was reasonable, of course.
He was at the bottom of D Rank, a measly Low Grade D Rank Fire Mage, and he was merely able to cast simple fireballs that were strong enough to kill bears or the weakest demons.
Against full grown demons, he was nothing more than a snack.
But even then, a well placed fireball could do wonders.
Absolute strength was important. That much was undeniable.
But the way strength was applied was just as important. That too was truth.
A needle is not as strong as a battle ax.
But if used correctly, a needle could kill as surely as the battle ax.
In fact, it would be able to kill much more efficiently in certain situations!
Kaero was certain that he would be able to render critical help.
It was spoken from the confidence and experience of a thirty five year old Fire Mage, the so called Fire King so aptly named by his enemies!
Kaero's expression turned sombre and a thick killing intent emanated from him.
It was so strong and potent that Mr Larouse actually turned his head around to see which veteran powerhouse had joined them!
He was shocked to see that the killing intent came from Kaero.
"This child is strange. I must investigate later. If… I survive." Mr Larouse thought wrily to himself.
He could already sense the chaotic and savage thoughts of the demons. He estimated that they were less than two hundred meters away, and closing fast!
Then, from ahead, a thunderous roar erupted. The sound rattled the windows and sent flocks of birds fleeing into the sky.
The instructors had made contact with the demons.
"There!" Mr Larouse shouted as they rounded the corner of a building.
A hundred meters ahead, an open plaza had become a battlefield.
Flames erupted in spirals as mages unleashed torrents of fire. Earth walls rose and shattered under claws of blackened steel. The acrid scent of burning mana filled the air, mixing with the copper tang of blood and the sharp, electric taste of ozone.
The instructors were holding nothing back.
They had to kill the demons as quickly as possible, no matter the price they had to pay!
Because if they allowed the fight to drag out too long and allowed several demons to escape… Those demons would be able to unleash a horrific massacre among the students.
And that was utterly and completely unacceptable!
The teachers and instructors would rather die than allow even a single demon to escape.
They launched desperate attacks as though their lives were on the line.
Screee!!
Sickly black shapes shimmered into view midair. They were humanoid with wings. Their skin was scorched black and they had huge eyes that were completely pale violet in colour.
The demons howled in confusion and shock. How did these puny humans detect them? And what was with the overly aggressive attacks!
Chill, damn it! We are just here to massacre a few teachers! Don't over react!
Powerful fireballs, ice spears, wind blades, poison bombs, every single element imaginable exploded among the twenty five demons, instantly shredding seven of them apart.
Dozens more runes flared into life on the ground at that moment, and writhing green vines burst forth with startling power.
They quickly wrapped themselves around the nearest demons and pulled them down to the ground where the melee fighters immediately threw themselves at them, hacking and slashing with wild abandon.
"Oryaaaaa!!" A burly Japanese instructor swung his flaming samurai katana in a powerful two-handed grip and cleanly slashed a demon in two.
Without pausing, he dashed forward again gracefully, his sandals sliding across blood-slick stone.
The demon in front of him lunged, claws and tendrils whipping through the air. But the instructor's blade flashed once and severed them all.
"Kacha!"
With a single, brutal thrust, the tip of his flaming katana pierced through the demon's skull. The beast convulsed, then collapsed in a smoking heap.
Two kills in seconds.