After witnessing their commander engaging with the enemy general, the soldiers of the 6th Division realised that they were on their own once again against both the aerial threat from the airships and the ground assault by the Miranian soldiers, who were still present in large numbers.

Nonetheless, they persevered in their defence, as they chose to believe in the possibility of victory, no matter how slim it was. Soon enough, their efforts began to pay off as the Nirvanians successfully sunk a few airships which barriers gave way.

However, this was achieved at a great cost, as several more Nirvanians lost their lives. Their woes were compounded by their loss of contact with the senior commanders in higher HQ, who were actually busy dealing with the immediate threat posed by Eustace and his men.

A Nirvanian captain remarked after cutting down his foe, "We really need something drastic to push this battle to our favour, for our inferior numbers mean that Miran hold the advantage in a drawn-out battle."

Unfortunately, his momentary distraction had allowed his enemy to slam him onto the ground, disarming him in the process. As the captain, who was terribly exhausted, closed his eyes as he resigned himself to fate, suddenly, he heard the sound of rapid bullet fire as his assailant slumped onto the ground unceremoniously.

A metallic hand stretched out to aid the captain to stand back on his feet, and the captain accepted it gratefully. The captain realised that the person standing in front of him was fully dressed in armour, but it was unlike that of knights.

The armoured individual carried no weapons in his hands, as his armour emitted steam occasionally. The newcomer removed his mask, as the captain gasped in surprise. He stammered, "Y-Your Highness, what're you doing here? What's this armour you're wearing?"

The individual, revealed to be Crown Prince Nixon, replied with a smile, "Well, as the 2IC to Chief Defence Researcher Himmler, I'm tasked with my men to test the prototype of our latest weapon, the Mecha Suit. These suits are designed to store and utilise electrical energy from our electric cells within the suit, which are powered by Lightning magic.

The steam you see is part of the cooling system, where water is released frequently to cool down the suit to ensure optimal performance. Ah, sorry, I must have been a little too enthusiastic to go into such fine detail. I believe a demonstration of the capabilities of the suit is in order."

Nixon then ran towards a crowd of incoming Miranian soldiers with incredible speed, much to their surprise. As he got nearer, he suddenly jumped towards them, sending one of them flying with an iron-hard punch to the face, the satisfying sound of cracking bones heard clearly.

Nixon continued to dodge or withstand the attacks of the Miranian soldiers with ease, as he started to reveal more hidden weapons in his arsenal, such as an electric-charged blade on the side of his forearm, machineguns on the top of his wrists and tasers on his palms.

Within minutes, his enemies were silenced by Nixon's display of weapon superiority as he capped off his solo performance with a shot from the miniature cannon on his left shoulder. The Nirvanians stood awestruck as Nixon cheered, "How'd you like that? That's the power of innovation and invention!"

The captain asked, "How many more like you are donning suits like that, Your Highness?" Nixon replied matter-of-factly, "Well, not many. About 20."

The Nirvanians were stumped. One soldier in a Mecha Suit could already decimate a platoon or maybe even a company with ease on his own, not to mention 20 such soldiers. They soon felt the impact of the Mecha soldiers on the frontline, as they slowly but surely negated and reduced the numerical advantage of the Miranians on the ground.

In the air, the defence posts of Nirvania were still struggling to bring down the airships, for their barriers were simply too strong to be brought down by a few Expert tier spells or cannon shots. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, multiple gigantic light beams shot forth, dispelling the barriers of the Miranians. Subsequently, cannon fire and offensive spells from the ground brought these vulnerable airships down.

A Nirvanian magician asked, "Who shot those spells which were at least Grandmaster tier…ah, it's Headmaster Zilean, and the teachers of Zion Academy! They've finally arrived!"

Zilean amplified his voice using magic as he announced, "We teachers of Zion Academy apologise for being late, for we had to ensure the safety of our fellow civilians seeking shelter at our school compound. Teachers, it's time to practise what we've always been preaching. For Nirvania!"

Zilean's eyes glowed green as he instantly conjured multiple Grandmaster tier spells directed at numerous ships, instantly breaking their defences which was followed up by attacks from his fellow teachers. Professor Zane, the Year 3 Combat Magic teacher, cried, "[Volcanic Meteor]!" as he hurled a gigantic meteor made of fire towards an airship, immolating and destroying it upon impact.

The Year 1 teachers, Scarlet, Samuel and Heinrich rushed towards their target together as Heinrich remarked, "Just like old times, [Decay Shroud]!" Heinrich conjured black smog from his hands that completely encased the large barrier of the airship, breaking it down gradually as it fed on the mana in the barrier to the horror of the Miran magicians within.

Samuel gripped his sword as he muttered, "Pierce through darkness, [Lumos]!" Samuel then jabbed his blade of light relentlessly at the barrier, shouting, "[Light Vulcan]!" as several beams of sharp light shot forth, shattering the barrier.

Before the magicians could reform the barrier in time, Scarlet had leapt towards it, performing an overhead swing with her great sword as she cried, "Bear titanic weight, [Busterblade]!" The immense weight of her weapon easily tore through the airship, as Scarlet landed on the ground gently, triumphant from her accomplishment.

The arrival of the Mecha soldiers and the teachers of Zion Academy proved to be pivotal, as the Miranians were steadily pushed back and annihilated.

Meanwhile, Arkad was exchanging fierce blows with Annabel, who was expertly dodging or deflecting his every blow with minimal effort on the rooftop. Arkad had initially attempted to wipe the floor with her using the special technique of [Fenrir], the [Crescent Moon Slash].

However, Annabel's weapon, [Gungnir], shot cosmic energy beams which were on par with the [Crescent Moon Slash], neutralising Arkad's ranged attacks. Thus, Arkad had no choice but to rely on melee techniques, which were currently ineffective as well.

Arkad was genuinely surprised that a woman as young as Annabel was skilful enough to match him, as though she was able to see through his every move, allowing her to retaliate in the most efficient manner. Annabel had even managed to sneak some of her own attacks, which could have been fatal had he not narrowly avoided them, escaping with a few gashes.

Realising that in his current state, he had no chance of defeating her, Arkad resolved to proceed with the most risky option, using [Fenrir - Armed]. Despite being its wielder for many years, Arkad had never used [Fenrir - Armed] on a consistent basis for its unbridled power was difficult to control since it plunges the user into an energised yet frenzied state. Arkad had horrible memories of losing control, but there was no room for hesitation.

Arkad prayed as he muttered slowly, "[Fenrir - Armed]." Annabel was momentarily blinded by the light given off by Arkad's weapon and the next thing she saw was a man covered in wolf skin like a shaman. In his hands, he was still gripping the same Kuan Dao, but there was something off about him. His eyes reflected the gleam of a madman driven to kill, its intensity strong enough to send shivers down Annabel's spine.

Before Annabel could react, Arkad had moved so quickly that he successfully scored a wound on her right shoulder that would have chopped her in half had she not moved quickly in time. Annabel gently rubbed her wound and licked the blood off her fingers as she praised, "You're pretty strong after all. Being the first person since the start of this war to injure me. Unfortunately, playtime's over. [Gungnir - Armed]."

A golden light enveloped Annabel as she was covered in golden armour throughout, save for her head. Arkad, in his frenzy, moved at breakneck speed, but his every move was expertly countered by Annabel, who remarked, "The moment I can match your speed, the battle's over."

True enough, when the opportunity arose, Annabel aimed the tip of her lance and shot a cosmic energy beam, catching Arkad squarely in the chest as it burned off his armour and blew a shallow hole in his chest, causing him to crash onto the ground below. Arkad coughed out blood as he lay helpless on the ground, his weapon deactivated.

Annabel landed gently on the ground and aimed the tip of her lance at Arkad's head. Annabel revealed, "You performed well, so I shall let you in on a little secret, a secret you'll carry into your grave. In truth, the reason why I can see your every move is due to my Enigma Ability, [Mind Acceleration], which increases the processing speed of my brain, giving me enhanced reflexes and quicker absorption of information."

Arkad cackled regretfully, "It's such a waste that I didn't lose to a true master of the spear…" as he lost consciousness. Annabel replied coldly, "War is cruel. I'll use whatever unfair means out there to achieve victory if need be. Now, die."

Before Annabel could burn a hole through Arkad's skull, a fireball shot towards her from behind. Without losing sight of Arkad, Annabel raised [Gungnir] and blasted the fireball into smithereens before turning around, only to be met by a shower of flames.

Annabel thought, "Humph, not bad, probably at least an Expert tier judging from the strength of magic used." as she blocked all the flames heading towards her by spinning her lance before her. To her surprise, her assailant was merely a little girl aged no older than 10.

It was Yuri, as she stood defensively in front of her father, her arms spread wide in a protective fashion. Despite her tender age, she could recognise her father's mana signature from the informal lessons she'd received from Adeline, and rushed out when she sensed that it was waning.

Annabel laughed coldly, "Step aside, kid. I hate hurting children but I'm not merciful to those who stand in my way." Yuri retorted defiantly, "You're not hurting my father!" as she stared at Annabel resolutely, refusing to concede an inch.

Annabel shrugged her shoulders and said, "Very well, I'll kill you both in one attack then." as she raised her lance, ready to impale both father and daughter. Before she could execute them, suddenly, Annabel felt a strong force pinning her to the ground. She realised that she wasn't alone in her sensations, as the ground below her cracked under pressure and buildings started to crumble, not to mention a few of her airships which were starting to plummet to the ground.

Annabel frantically searched for the source of this occurrence, only to realise that the source was none other than Yuri, whose eyes reflected resolve despite shedding tears of fear. In her desperation, Yuri had activated her dormant Luminos in her right eye, as it shone brighter with the use of her Enigma Ability, [Gravity Amplification], increasing the force of gravity in a 50m radius around her.

Determining that she would be an immense threat in the future, Annabel struggled against the overbearing force and pointed her lance towards Yuri's chest, shooting a beam straight at her. To Annabel's surprise, the beam was negated by a blur as the enhanced gravity ceased as well.

Annabel then realised there was a newcomer dressed in lean black armour. The mysterious figure removed his helmet, revealing a beautiful female face underneath with shoulder length black hair. The female knight patted Yuri's head, saying gently, "Little girl, go and get help for your father. I'll make sure this woman doesn't hurt him."

Yuri, who has noticeably calmed down and had her Luminos deactivated, nodded as she rushed off in search of aid. Annabel asked demandingly, "Who the hell are you? To stop an attack from my [Gungnir] so easily, you're no simple stranger." The female knight replied with a bright smile, "I'm Kuroka. Kuroka Blake."

Annabel immediately broke into cold sweat upon hearing that name, as she realised that both the woman's name and attire had matched the description of the #1 member of the 10 Saints, the Black King Blake.