It was already past 8 hours in real time after Shiro went out to find Blanc and neither of them came back just yet. We’re already at the eve of the assault against the enemy. Everyone was already lining up in formation while I’m still waiting for those two to come back. Lin was already ready to begin her mission as she approached me and greeted me.

“How are you?”

I replied to her, “I’m fine…”

Lin was concerned and decided to ask me, “They haven’t returned yet, are they?”

I nodded and say, “Yup. Looks like there’s nothing we can do about that. We have a duty to be done.”

“I’ll scout ahead and wait for the Alliance to make their first shot.”

“I’ll make my way to my mission starting point by joining the Alliance in the meantime.”

“Very well.” Lin then covers her face with a sleek looking mask. “Good luck, Ralph.”

As Lin was about to leave me to my own accord, I stopped her and said, “This might be our last conversation. So…see you around…”

Lin seems to understand my situation and simply nodded back at me and continued to walk away from me. I walk away to a different direction to get my stuff ready for the mission. I put on my uniform that was issued by Sam and grabbed my guitar and slid it down to my back. I laced up my boots and finally put on a hunter-like hat and made my way to the main formation of the Alliance.

As I walked around the formation lines, I see the Cardinals were giving out orders to their subordinates. Ace was barking down orders to his fellow classmates. Meanwhile, Lala didn’t say anything at all. Only the person next to her was talking over to their classmates on what needs to be done. I guess that’s her advocate of some sort. At the same time as well, a quarter of the groups from Magic Advancement were in their own groups. The only reason there was only a few groups of them was because the others were a part of the Watchers.

I decided that it was time for me to get out of the Training Ball and scout ahead. I made my way to the exit and in a blink of an eye, I finally returned back to the classroom. I noticed that it was night time. It was the perfect time for us to strike the enemy. Attacking the enemy when they least expected was one of the way that has been told in that one book written by someone from Zhongguo. I think the book was called, The Art of War. In order to know thy enemy, you have to know thyself. I got all philosophical all of a sudden. I really should get going.

“Now where’s the perfect place to scout…” I looked around the hallway, searching for a vantage point. Then I stopped when I saw a ladder, “Of course…The rooftop. Where else?”

I made my way up the ladder and headed for the roof of the building. As I finally reached the rooftop, the beautiful moonlight shined the darkness away, enabling me to partially see what was going down there. I made sure not to stand out by applying all the things I got from Lin’s lesson just a few hours ago.

From the way I see it, looks like there were some Watchers guarding around the campus but there wasn’t a whole bunch of them like last time. It’s probably because it was night time. I decided to sit out and wait for the Alliance to begin their midnight assault. As I was waiting, I saw a silhouette jumping around from rooftop to rooftop. Upon closer inspection, it was probably Lin that was underway with her own task.

After waiting for about half an hour, the Alliance finally made a footing right in front of the campus bridge that separate the classroom building and the dorms building. Around the same time as well, a number of units were already stationed on each floor of the classroom building in order to fully occupy and seize this building, thus establishing this building as the Alliance main camp.

Ace orders his men to use a fire-based magic to create a firework that signifies the beginning of the assault. It also tells Sam’s Order to begin the assault on their side as well. The Battle for Infinity Academy has officially started.

Everyone raised their weapons and marched to the battlefield, attacking and capturing every enemy they see. During the chaos, the Watchers were in a massive confusion thanks to the surprise midnight attack that the Alliance suggested. It was a fruitful strategy coming from the likes of us. We were also surprised to see that the Watchers didn’t expect us to do any of this. It took them quite a while before they were able to handle the situation and during that time was the time where will we stomp them before they will even be able to get back up.

In the midst of the battlefield, I made my way to the broadcast room that was located at the dorm’s office building. As I was on my way there, I suddenly saw a bunch of winged creatures appearing from the enemy lines. Birds as far as the eyes can see, they come in many shapes and sizes but all of them were unnatural. They were all dark and black. One of them tried to lunge on me but I quickly cut it down with my guitar-axe. After seeing it fallen to the ground and quickly disintegrate into a pile of darkness, it instantly headed back to the enemy line while still on the floor.

I know what this is…this can only be the work of one single person and I know him very much. He is one of my dorm mates. It was Kallen. Kallen Lonn. His ability was called Shadowforce. It allows him to manipulate any shadow around him. Which means, the moonlight in some way help him out in this? It’s going to be an endless onslaught of shadow birds.

But I finally made my way inside the room as planned thankfully. But inside there, a bunch of Shadow creatures were already waiting for me inside. Looks like the enemy was expecting me. I don’t know how they know about this but I have no time to think about it as I strummed my guitar and played an intense tune while slashing the shadows with my guitar-axe.

I’ve finally got inside the broadcast room and quickly searched the device that activates the campus broadcast system. I need to turn it on and play a tune to slow down the enemies. But I started to hear a grumbling noise approaching me. Looks like the other shadows were on its way to me. I turned the machine on and began to play a song I call, Bedtime. It was a calm and relaxing music. The whole campus was blaring with the tunes. Everyone on both sides was influenced by this ability. But to the Alliance, there was nothing much because this tune is a tune to break off the minds of the Watchers from being under control by an unknown force. Most of the Watchers finally dropped their weapons.

This is all possible thanks to what Sam had guided me the other day. She deliberately allowed me to use that hypnotic ability so that she can help me write out a devastating tune. This tune was all on you, Sam Maximus. It wouldn’t be possible without you, my Cardinal. You’ve helped me a lot in these last days of me staying here in Infinity Academy. It made me realize how fun it is to be here. I should reconsider to stay here but I already proceeded the process to drop my studies…I can’t undo what has been done.

But all of that thought comes to a close as the front door of the office was heard crashing. Apparently, Kallen came in prepared of this. He wasn’t influenced by my tune. The shadows were approaching me to stop me. If I stop this tune, all of the Watchers will just go back to their original state and prolong the battle. But as I keep thinking of a way out of this predicament, I remembered something.

“What do you want from me?” This was a memory of the past few days with Sam…

“I have one request for you.” Sam walks to the window and said, “Come and join us for lunch. It’ll be fun, Ralph. You don’t really need to leave right about now, right?”

Remembering that really caught me off guard the same way I was off guard back then. She really knows what to say when it matters. She’s really a beacon to Magic Administration. She really does a good job being a Cardinal. I applaud to that.

“Very well…Wherever you go today, I’ll go. Here we go!” I said that as I continued to strum my guitar.

And for a moment, I thought that was all I had but then I felt a sense of accomplishment. I felt that everyone was cheering for me. I can’t let them down. I must keep going. The tune keeps on blaring as the background of the tune became distorted thanks to the oncoming shadow creatures. The song kept on playing and playing and playing and playing…until it suddenly stops…

All of the Watchers had finally come back to their senses and began their counterattack on the enemy. That…was what I call…my last concert…

…

…If only…if only I get to make an encore…

TO BE CONTINUED