Last Man Standing
11.
What kind of reaction does a person have when confronted with a situation far beyond their ability to handle? Reactions vary wildly from person to person, but for most humans, it leads straight to panic. After all, anything beyond one's capacity to deal with usually triggers overwhelming terror.
"Uh, u-uhh! It's really falling!"
"Professor Stan! Stop just standing there and come up with a plan already!"
"What the hell are we supposed to do about that? It's not just some spell—it's the unique skill of Dracapolis's princess! Even hundreds of mages like me couldn't stop it!"
And this held true even at Triam Academy, where countless elites had gathered as faculty. The moment Sidus activated her unique skill, the proctors monitoring the exam island in real-time went into full-blown emergency mode.
A unique skill was a miracle that warped and altered the world itself. The power of the phenomenon it brought to a twisted reality couldn't be compared to any magic in existence. That was the root of the proctors' panic.
If Sidus's unique skill truly descended upon the island, not even the barrier enveloping it would hold.
"Professor Perolia, could we concentrate the barrier in one spot using remote manipulation magic?"
"No good. The remote control magic stones outside the barrier are already fried from Princess Sidus's mana. All that's working now are the small observation golems inside."
Mary and Perolia—proctors for the academy entrance exam—were scrambling for a solution amid the chaos. But Sidus's unique skill was so far beyond common sense that finding a countermeasure wasn't going to be easy.
"Th-then... maybe we beg the princess to cancel the skill right now..."
With no other ideas coming to mind, Mary suggested pleading directly with Sidus to stop. But...
"...Mary. We've been doing that this whole time."
Words from mere humans weren't going to reach a dragon consumed by rage.
"Ugh... Why the hell did she say something like that right in a dragon's face? Has that girl lost her mind? I thought we finally had some hope for commoners when we heard one took down the boss right at the start of the exam..."
With nothing left to do, Mary clutched her head and cursed Lerven, the source of this mess. Who in their right mind—especially one who valued their life—would spout such nonsense in front of royalty, let alone Dracapolis's royalty?
"...Complaining about what's already happened is pointless. Stop grumbling and think of more countermeasures."
Perolia partly agreed with Mary, but the situation was too dire for lamenting. They couldn't intervene from outside or inside the barrier. If Sidus unleashed her skill like this, the damage was impossible to predict.
"Ah, Professor Kedil? Any word from the headmaster yet?"
"......"
Perolia ignored Mary, who was already whining and mentally drafting her resignation, and turned to another proctor. The man she'd addressed had been shouting the loudest from the podium. He'd stopped channeling mana and was shaking his head instead of croaking out his hoarse voice.
Meaning no contact with Triam Academy's headmaster.
"We're done for... Even Grand Mage Headmaster Telic isn't here—what are we supposed to do on our own...?"
Telic Faust, Triam Academy's headmaster and one of the Empire's pillars, the greatest mage in Elumhult. Despite his position, he was often dispatched on imperial orders, and unfortunately, even on this crucial exam day, an urgent summons had pulled him away.
Hearing this, Mary went slack like the world had ended and started scribbling her resignation in a frenzy. Perolia knew this disaster wouldn't end with a few apology letters, so instead of writing one, she bit her nails in anxiety.
The headmaster's unreachable, and no interference in the exam grounds is possible... What the hell do we do now...?
But even as she agonized, the star descended slowly. The dragon's wrathful gesture clashed with the barrier.
*KWAZIK!*
Through the small golems inside the barrier, they captured the moment Sidus's unique skill collided with it. A crumbling sky. A single pillar holding it aloft. It felt like a preview of the apocalypse.
*CRACK!*
"Please, hold on, Headmaster's barrier...!"
The proctors—facing what seemed like the end of their paychecks before the world's—clasped their hands and prayed desperately for Telic's barrier to withstand Sidus's unique skill. But their prayers went unanswered.
*SHATTER!*
Telic's barrier broke first. It hadn't been designed to handle that level of output, so its durability wasn't enough.
"Ah."
One of the proctors let out a sigh. Without a word, they all began pulling resignation letters from their pockets.
*GRIND—ZZZT—SCRAAAAAPE—*
Beyond the screen, Sidus's unique skill slowed slightly but kept grinding through the barrier toward the island. Its approaching mana caused the filming golems to malfunction one by one.
"Uh... F-for now, we should move the golems to the island's edge..."
Frustrated by the erroring and shutting-down golems, one proctor maneuvered the survivors to the periphery.
"Just leave 'em. They're gonna get smashed anyway."
"Still, if even one or two survive, we might see what happens after impact."
"Fine, do what you want. I'm off to submit my resignation..."
"Ah... Yeah, good luck..."
Of course, the golems would shatter if Sidus's skill hit directly, but feeling they'd be a waste, he opted to save what he could. The scattered small golems slowly converged on the island's outskirts.
"...Huh?"
Time passed slightly. Just before the star hit, the last golem reached the edge. The proctor controlling it was about to give up and leave when something appeared on the screen.
*"Uwaaaaaah! Look over here, you bastards!"*
A navy-haired boy, Lerven, sprinting madly along the island's outskirts. Yelling furiously, he was bizarrely pursued by a horde of examinees and phantom beasts.
"What's going on?"
"Uh, this got caught on the golem..."
Drawn by his bellowing, several proctors gathered to watch.
"Hey, isn't that the current top examinee?"
"Ah! My paycheck's nemesis!"
"...But why's he got that whole crowd trailing him?"
The proctors' reactions to screen-Lerven varied, but they all zeroed in on one thing: he was being chased by a mob of examinees and phantom beasts alike. Even stranger, the pursuers all looked entranced, out of their minds.
"Anyone know the total number of remaining examinees and phantom beasts on the island?"
"Lemme check... About 500 examinees left, and around 50 phantom beasts."
"Then how many are in that mob behind the leader?"
"...At least 300 to 400. Trying to snag first place at the last second...? But why are the phantom beasts following too...?"
"Maybe he has a taunt skill? He's got a mace, so probably aiming for vanguard."
The proctors speculated on why Lerven was herding examinees and beasts, but none hit the mark. Still, with everything lost, his spectacle made for decent entertainment, so they watched silently.
*"Hahk... guh... heuk. Th-this should be enough by now...?"*
After running endlessly, Lerven abruptly stopped and turned. Sweat pouring like rain, he faced the charging horde. Exhausted, armed with just a mace—a terrifying spot for anyone. Yet he smiled, as if he had something up his sleeve.
*"Come on, you bastards."*
And finally.
The star fell.
A blinding flash and deafening roar swallowed the area, strong enough to rattle eardrums. Even the distant control room felt faint vibrations—no need to describe the island.
*ZZZT—*
As expected, all small golems broke, cutting communications. The proctors could no longer see inside. With nothing left to watch or do, they rose one by one to prepare resignations.
But then, in the corner of their vision, a golem screen that hadn't fully died flickered.
"Whoa! That one's still alive!"
"What? For real? Control it quick! What do you see?!"
"Hold on! If I... like this...!"
*—ZZZT—ZZZZT—*
Activating the remote magic, the cracked screen stirred. Its simple circuits, now free of Sidus's skill influence, somehow functioned. This miraculous survivor began scouting the island.
"Whoa, total devastation."
The captured island was obliterated. Trees uprooted and scattered, rocks pulverized to dust in the wind. And that was after clashing with Telic's barrier had weakened it somewhat.
"The island not splitting in two is a miracle... Ah, head to where that top examinee was."
"One sec... Almost there..."
The golem was slow, but with obstacles gone, it reached the desired spot faster. The place where Lerven had faced the human-beast wave. All proctors gathered as it zoomed in.
"Wh-what the...? How...?"
"Whoa... Professor Perolia, this isn't a dream, right?"
"...I'd prefer if it was."
The magnified scene on the cracked screen left them speechless in shock. Phantom beasts piled mountain-high dissolving back to mana, injured examinees teleporting away one by one.
"This might just be a moment etched in history."
Only Lerven stood firm amid it all.