Winter had not yet left Ferbia.
Only a few days had passed since the Magic League ended.
The Royal Magic University of Ferbia stood calm under a pale morning sky. Snow rested quietly on rooftops, and students walked peacefully through the courtyards.
No one expected what was about to happen.
It began with a sound.
A deep, unnatural vibration in the air.
Sun stopped walking mid-step.
Yuki, beside him, frowned.
"Did you feel that?"
Aria turned toward the sky.
The clouds above the university began turning black.
Not storm clouds.
Something darker.
Then the sky tore open.
A massive crimson crack split the air above the university towers.
From that crack—
Creatures began pouring out.
Demons.
Hundreds of them.
Winged monsters with twisted horns. Shadow beasts crawling across walls. Giant armored demons with burning red eyes.
Students screamed.
The alarm bells of the university began ringing violently.
"DEMON INVASION!" someone shouted.
Professors rushed forward, casting defensive barriers.
But the number of demons was overwhelming.
They fell like rain from the sky.
The peaceful campus transformed into a battlefield within seconds.
---
Sun's eyes hardened instantly.
"Yuki. Aria. Stay close."
Yuki summoned her staff immediately.
"I'm not hiding."
Aria raised her hand, light magic forming around her fingers.
"Neither am I."
A massive demon crashed into the courtyard, crushing a stone fountain.
Students ran in panic.
A group of professors attacked together, destroying several demons at once.
But for every demon that fell—
Three more landed.
The sky continued bleeding darkness.
Sun clenched his fists.
"Fire Art: Flame Burst!"
A wave of fire blasted forward, incinerating several demons instantly.
Yuki followed.
"Water Dragon!"
A massive dragon tore through a line of shadow beasts.
Aria leaped upward.
"Light Judgment!"
A beam of pure light pierced through two flying demons.
For a moment, the three of them fought side by side like they always had.
But this was different.
This wasn't a tournament.
This was war.
Screams echoed across the campus.
Buildings collapsed.
Students who had never faced real combat froze in fear.
Sun watched as a young first-year student was nearly grabbed by a clawed demon.
He dashed forward instantly.
"Thunder Step!"
In a flash of lightning, he appeared and sliced the demon down with a flaming strike.
"Run!" he shouted at the student.
The boy ran, trembling.
But Sun could already feel it.
There were too many.
A giant armored demon landed in front of them, shaking the ground.
Its body was covered in dark scales. Black flames burned from its shoulders.
It swung its massive blade.
Sun blocked with fire magic, but the force pushed him backward several meters.
Yuki immediately froze the ground beneath it.
"Ice Bind!"
The demon roared and shattered the ice instantly.
Aria attacked from above.
"Royal Light Spear!"
The spear pierced through the demon's shoulder, but it barely slowed down.
The creature grabbed Aria's leg mid-air.
"ARIA!" Sun shouted.
Yuki reacted instantly.
"Burning Frost Slash!"
A combined blast of fire and ice struck the demon's arm.
It released Aria with a roar.
Sun charged forward.
"Sacred Art: Solar Collapse!"
A massive explosion engulfed the armored demon.
When the smoke cleared—
The demon was finally gone.
But the sky still poured more enemies.
Sun looked around.
The outer city walls were already breached.
Demons flooded into Ferbia itself.
The entire city was under attack.
Aria's voice trembled slightly.
"There are thousands…"
A professor rushed past them, injured.
"Evacuate! Fall back to the inner districts!"
Sun clenched his teeth.
If they stayed here, they would die.
Not because they were weak—
But because the enemy was endless.
"We need to retreat," Sun said firmly.
Yuki looked conflicted.
"We can still fight!"
Sun grabbed her wrist.
"If we die here, we can't protect anyone."
Another explosion destroyed part of the main tower.
Demons began swarming toward their position again.
Aria nodded.
"He's right. We need strategy."
Reluctantly, Yuki agreed.
The three of them fought their way through the battlefield, clearing a path with combined magic.
Fire.
Ice.
Light.
They moved like a single unit.
But the city had fallen into chaos.
Flames rose from buildings.
Smoke covered the sky.
Demons roamed freely in the streets.
Finally, after an exhausting escape, they reached the outer part of the city.
Beyond the city gates stood abandoned houses from an old district long forgotten.
Sun pointed.
"There."
They rushed inside one of the broken wooden houses.
It was dusty and cold, but hidden.
For the first time since the invasion began—
Silence surrounded them.
Only distant roars and explosions echoed from the city.
Yuki slowly sank to the floor.
"They destroyed everything…"
Aria leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Sun stood near the window, watching the burning skyline of Ferbia.
His jaw tightened.
"This isn't random."
Yuki looked up.
"You think it's planned?"
"Yes."
Aria's eyes darkened.
"The royal palace will be their next target."
Silence filled the room.
Outside, the city was filled with demons.
They couldn't fight them all directly.
So Sun made a decision.
"We fight at night."
Yuki blinked.
"What?"
"Demons rely heavily on darkness," Sun explained. "But they're scattered during patrols. We eliminate small groups secretly."
Aria nodded slowly.
"Hit and hide."
Yuki's eyes sharpened.
"Guerrilla warfare."
Sun smirked slightly.
"Exactly."
---
Night fell.
The city was covered in unnatural darkness.
Fires burned across rooftops.
Demons roamed through streets in packs.
Inside the abandoned house, Sun turned toward the two girls.
"Ready?"
Yuki stood up confidently.
"Let's hunt."
Aria's light magic glowed softly in her palm.
The three stepped into the night.
They moved silently across rooftops.
A group of four demons patrolled a narrow street.
Sun whispered,
"On my mark."
Three.
Two.
One.
They attacked simultaneously.
Sun descended like a falling star.
"Flame Edge!"
Two demons were sliced instantly.
Yuki froze the ground.
"Ice Prison!"
The third demon was trapped and shattered.
Aria pierced the fourth with a silent beam of light.
All four eliminated within seconds.
They disappeared before reinforcements arrived.
Again and again, they struck.
Small squads.
Lonely monsters.
They reduced the demon numbers slowly.
But they never stayed long.
By morning—
They returned to the abandoned house.
Exhausted.
Covered in dust and faint bloodstains.
Yuki collapsed onto an old couch.
"I hate hiding."
Sun sat beside her.
"I know."
Aria leaned against the wall quietly.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Yuki suddenly looked at Sun.
"You're hurt."
A small cut marked his shoulder.
Sun shrugged.
"It's nothing."
Yuki gently placed her hand over it.
Warm water magic flowed softly, healing the wound.
Her fingers lingered for a second longer than necessary.
Their eyes met.
The world outside was chaos.
But inside this broken house—
There was warmth.
Aria watched them quietly.
Then she stepped closer too.
"You can't protect everyone alone, Sun."
He looked at her.
"I'm not alone."
For a brief second, the three of them stood close together.
The weight of war pressing outside.
But inside—
They found comfort in each other.
Yuki rested her head lightly against Sun's shoulder.
"If we survive this…"
She whispered softly.
Sun gently wrapped an arm around her.
"We will."
Aria looked at both of them, then stepped closer, leaning slightly against Sun's other side.
"You better not take two years to decide after all this," she said softly.
Sun laughed quietly despite the situation.
"Right now, surviving is priority."
Outside, a distant roar echoed again.
The city was still crawling with demons.
And this was only the beginning.
For days, they continued the same pattern.
Hide during daylight.
Strike during night.
The abandoned house became their temporary sanctuary.
The city became their battlefield.
And though the world around them burned—
Their bond grew even stronger in the darkness.
But deep inside—
Sun could feel something worse approaching.
Because an invasion this large…
Was never without a leader.