Archangels of War

The origin of the explosion was the roof of the magic academy. It rocked the walls, and the ground, and by all accounts, I would have assumed that it was something like an earthquake. If it wasn't for the massive red-orange blast that came along with the tremors. Debris was catapulted downward from the ceiling at lethal speeds, crashing into the ground, and catching some students off guard. 

What became of them, I didn't know. 

The massive plume of smoke and red orange flames erupted downward from the ceiling, reaching down as if it was the massive hand of some flaming giant. 

Pieces of debris ricochet violently off of the walls and the ground, wounding some students, and destroying the decorations and sections of wall that they hit. 

The first most immediate reactions were screams. 

Along with the massive BOOOM!!! that came along with the explosion, and the "CRACK and SLAMMS that came from the rubble and debris that that crashed into the walls and the ground; shrill screams, pained shouts, and strained yells erupted from the student body that was gathered in the lobby of Theta magic Academy. 

Students who were hit by stray pieces of glass, rubble, metal, soot. 

Those who were trapped under the larger pieces of the roof that had been blown off in the explosion. 

They all let out shouts, screams, and yells, which filled the massive lobby of Theta magic academy. 

Along with the smoke that was now spreading throughout the massive lobby of Theta magic academy. All of these factors combined to create a literal hell in front of my eyes. 

My eyes were overloaded with the vibrant color of the massive explosion. All of the rubble falling down and blocking my vision. 

My hearing was overloaded from the deafening boom of the explosion to all of the screams that surrounded me, and the sounds of rubble crashing into the ground and hitting students. 

My nose was completely overwhelmed by the smoke, and the smell of soot. The scent of something burning lingered in the background. 

My mouth was filled with the taste of charred air in smoke. I spit, but nothing I did could remove the foul taste from me. 

My own hands were numb from the number of times I swung my blade in order to block and destroy pieces of rubble. 

And finally, my brain was completely overloaded by the numerous amounts of things that I began to calculate. 

Who the hell is out attacker? How did they get in here? Was it just a machine misfire? That seemed much too unlikely. There was the saying that it was always better to over engineer than to under engineer. So that leaves the option of it being an attacker. But that only brought up a completely new question. How did they get in. The defense scheme that Yuri had given to the defense force was the one that made use of as many people as possible to cover the perimeters of the school. Members of the defense force were stationed around points were there was minimal camera coverage, as well as along the roofs of the building to survey from above. Not to mention that each member of the defense force was equipped with a panic button, that they could press when they spotted something suspicious, and it would send an emergency signal. Not to mention, they would have to get through the barrier. The one that was impenetrable. The one that literally hid the magic academy from the eye of anyone outside it. 

I slashed away another piece of rubble, helping a pair of students to their feet, before ducking under more falling debris and clearing a path for them to make it to the front exit. 

That also brought up the issue of Kami. Where she had gone, I didn't know. However, I had to find her. 

Whoever this attacker was, they were seriously no slump. 

Next to me, Suijin used her own water magic to locate trapped students and guide them towards the exit, which I was keeping clear. 

I looked over and noticed Hikaru, and Masayoshi's black uniforms running about, helping students. Students were helping each other. 

Despite the utter shock and suddenness of the attack, the evacuation process was going smoother than expected. 

I could feel magical energy being built up, as someone charged up and let loose a wind spell in order to blow away the smoke. A gush of wind blew through the lobby, blowing away a majority of the smoke. 

However, in the center of the lobby, in between the glass staircases, a funnel of smoke was resisting being blown away. It struggled against the wind, and the funnel was pushed back, compressing even more. It was now circling around a spot in-between the two staircases, like a mini typhoon. The smoke sped up as the wind continued to blow against it, before it finally gave in. 

A final push from the wind and the dark smoke was vanquished, blown away. 

And standing in the center of the two staircases, was a literal fairy tale figure. 

Completely black coat. An eyepatch covering one eye. A chilling laugh came from the man, filling what was now a almost dead silent hall. 

"HAAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" 

The man, the intruder, the culprit, perpetrator, the one behind the sudden attack on theta magic academy? 

He was Wrath.

The man who had survived a battle with a world ender. The man who had endured an S-rank ability. 

He was the one who would serve as the villain, to this fairy tale, to the castle of dreams. 

If despair hadn't settled into the students of Theta magic academy yet, it did now. 

My own heart dropped as his figure appeared. Standing tall, with his head reared back in crazed laughter. 

"W-why is he here?" I muttered to myself. It only made me even more worried. If someone like this was here, what exactly was going on at Theta magic academy? 

Cries could be heard as the last students were being quickly evacuated. I'm sure there was even more confusion outside. 

"Raiden!" Hikaru shouted as her, Suijin, and Masayoshi rushed to my side. In the now empty hall, her voice carried. 

"Masayoshi, did Yuri say that-" 

"Should a threat be posed to the magic academy higher than what we could prepare for, to leave it to him? Yeah. And I'll be honest. I really hate where this going, but it seems like-" 

"He isn't coming." Suijin finished for us. Her voice tense, and her expression possessing a hint of.... anger?

I let out a shakey breath, trying not to let my worry for Kami cloud my eyes to the current situation. 

"First things first. How many students do you think are still in the magic academy?" I asked. 

Suijin shivered. "A lot. A bunch of people in the engineering branch remained behind to survey the machinery and monitor the designs. Not to mention, a lot of students went upstairs to check things out..." She couldn't finish her sentence. 

"With how spread out everybody is. It quite literally will be impossible to go to everyone personally in time before..." Masayoshi didn't need to finish that though. 

Before Wrath began to destroy things. I finished in my mind. 

Suijin's eyes widened. "The PA system! There should still be a group of students in there that are in charge of getting out a message in case of crisis!" 

However, no such message came. That spoke depths with how off guard that this attack had truly caught everyone. 

"A few students part of the task force should have been defending them as well. Meaning, if no message has come yet then..." 

"Something has happened to comprise them, or put them in danger, or..." I finished for Hikaru, but left the last possibility unspoken. 

Hikaru and Suijin shivered at the thought. 

Suijin then took a deep breath, wiping her face, before turning to face us with a silent determination in her eyes. "We need to split up. The two of you need to head up to the PA system and help any students you meet along the way. Gather as much info as you can as too what's happening. If you meet any members of the defense force, send them out to help others, and find the headmaster. Once you save the students in the PA room, send out a message, explaining the situation." Suijin calmly and quickly laid out or plan of action. Despite how tired she seemed, and how stressful this situation was, she was still capable of thinking rationally and put the lives of the students first. 

She had delegated this task to me and Hikaru. We both nodded, acknowledging her plan. 

"What about you two?" Hikaru asked, worried about leaving the two of them alone with such a powerful foe. 

An unbeatable, foe. 

Suijin simply shook her head, and flashed Hikaru a smile. "We will face this enemy and hold him off until then." 

I looked at Suijin's figure. The slump in her shoulders was visible, as well as the strain of her facial expression. However, I knew she was a powerful, smart, and skilled mage. The foe she was facing, however, would render that meaningless. I couldn't help but be a bit worried. 

"Don't push yourself. This isn't something that can be handled alone." I said those words to her as I left." 

Suijin gave me a look, one filled with complex, unreadable emotions. Those emotions flitted around her eyes for a second, as she glanced at me. And then she nodded. "Same to you." 

With that the two groups split up. 

Me and Hikaru headed to liberate the PA system. 

Masayoshi and Suijin turned to face Wrath.