[Lifespan Remaining: 14 days, 19 hours, 37 minutes.]
"Everyone, fall back toward the mirror!" Klein shouted. "Bring the injured inside first!"
Nobody needed to be told twice.
The Academy staff hurried to gather those who could no longer walk, while the remaining guards managed to slowly tighten their formation until they all fit inside the crater that had been formed from the explosion before.
Meanwhile, the custodian scrambled toward a squat metal device that was the mana shields beside the mirror’s platform, before dropping to his knees and began turning the brass rings surrounding them.
"Smaller!" Noct called. "We only need enough room to stand!"
"If I reduce it further, there won’t be—"
"Then we’ll stand closer! Make sure we have the most protection as possible!"
The custodian swallowed and followed along, twisting the outermost ring until the lines of pale light burst out from the device again. The light then enveloped the crater and the mirror’s platform.
"Inside!" Klein shouted. "Now!"
Nolan shoved one final skeleton away before stepping over the glowing line. And as soon as he did, the translucent dome closed, turning more corporeal by the second.
CRAAAAASH—!
The undead pursuing Nolan struck the surface immediately. Even from inside, Noct could hear the sounds of rusted blades scraping as well as magic being fired into the dome.
But it held...somehow.
Several candidates simply collapsed where they stood while others dropped onto their behinds, finally able to catch a breath.
"Noct!" Annie stood beside the reservoir with one hand extended. "The core!"
He placed it into her palm, and for the briefest of moments, hesitation caused his fingers to resist letting go.
After everything he had spent fighting that damn lich, he hadn’t even gotten the chance to see how much lifespan it was worth. Still, the plan was in motion, and all he had to do was make it out alive.
Annie hurried back into the crater and lowered the core into the empty central socket. It didn’t fit perfectly, but as soon as she did, the device activated instantly.
One by one, the conduits running under the camp lit up, carrying mana toward the transportation mirror, causing the dull black surface to briefly flicker.
A few candidates stood up at the sight, asking restlessly:
"Is it working?"
"Can we leave?"
Noct didn’t know how much time had passed, but from his internal clock, he could tell that fifteen minutes was almost up. And like he thought, as soon as a crack on the barrier began to show...
FWOOOOOOSH—!
The mirror powered up.
Annie waved at the group, hurrying them through. "Everyone! It’s ready! Please head through, one at a time, don’t fight each other!"
Surprisingly, her words got through to everyone. Candidates and staff alike began making their way through to the other side. Noct turned to look at the barrier, but he wasn’t confident it was going to hold out for much longer.
CRAAAAACK—!
A rusted axe finally got through. And once that did...the entire formation began to fall apart. The golden dome that had once been protecting them had now failed, and the undead began pouring through.
"Damn it..." Robin muttered next to him before yelling out a command. "Group Fourteen! Stand our ground!"
Nolan heeded his call instantly, catching the next strike that would’ve hit an academy nurse with his battered shield. Alex managed to drag the woman away while Robin stepped beside Nolan and finished off the attacking undead.
Noct raised his hand, and instantly, a gnawing pain stabbed into his head. ’Sylph, can I still keep going?"
’You can, but—’
’Then we need to keep going.’
Wind struck the approaching undead from the eastern side, sweeping their legs out from under them and sent them crashing down the slope. Yet the ones behind simply climbed over.
Noct’s eyes began bleeding, a thin stream of blood crawling down his face as he turned back to look at the rest of his teammates. "Annie! Take Alice and go!"
"What about you?!"
"Just leave!"
After a moment of hesitation, Annie hooked Alice’s arm over her shoulders before rushing them through the mirror and disappearing onto the other side.
Seeing her do so, the rest of Group Eleven followed right after. With Airy helping the injured Lucy through while Alex was the last to go through.
And one by one, the remaining staff went through as their circle of defense began shrinking closer and closer until it was only Group Eleven, Instructor Klein, Finn, and Noct left.
?Magia Aegis?
Colorless mana surged causing the spear to just barely stop in front of instructor Klein’s face. He fell on his back, coughing up blood from his wound that reopened.
’Finn...!’
The third prince stood beside the entrance with both hands extended, his teeth clenched as he forced mana to hold up their last defenses. The undead slammed against his barrier, causing Finn to slide backward half a step.
"Keep going!"
Nolan grabbed Violet and pulled her through while Celine went in right beind them. Klein backed onto the platform, hand pressing against his wound as his complexion began turning worse.
"Your Highness—"
"I can hold it!"
The instructor frowned before nodding, stepping through himself. Robin followed a second later, turning to stare at them for a second before eventually disappearing through to the other side...
Which left only Noct and Finn in the ruined camp.
"Noct, hurry..."
"You first."
"What?"
"I’m right behind you. Go."
"But the barrier—"
Though instead of arguing and trying to explain himself heroically on why he should be the last person here. Noct simply grabbed Finn by the back of his shirt before tossing the boy through the mirror.
Colorless light vanished, and the undead rushed through in hordes.
And now that he was the only one here, his attention settled on the only remaining value this camp had to offer: the Lich’s core.
’Sylph!’
A current made its way toward the core and tore everything free in one go without any need for elegance. Behind Noct, the mirror flickered, and the image of Rexford Academy began to fold inward.
As the core flew into his outstretched hand, so did another rusted sword travel toward his neck. But as soon as he felt a cool presence in his palm...
"See you later, suckers..."
Noct threw himself backward and into the portal just as quickly before it turned dark once more. Sealing the undead away in this godforsaken Graveyard for good.