The air was still.

  Above the Thornwood Forest, the winter clouds drifted lazily, casting long shadows over the snow-covered canopy. The morning sun had yet to melt the frost clinging to the ground and trees, and a thin mist hovered over the forest.

  High above, in the distant skies to the southeast, black specks had begun to dot the horizon — dirigibles. They flew in loose formation, cutting across the heavens like vultures closing in on a corpse. Crimson banners bearing the Merlin family’s sigil fluttered atop most vessels, while the hulls bore the emblem etched in steel — a red dragon exhaling fire. As they drew closer, their number became clear: fourteen dirigibles in total, each one bristling with offensive runes, magic cannons, and enchantments designed for warfare.

  Within the lead ship, the Zephyros, Alphonse Merlin stood with arms clasped behind his back, his crimson cloak fluttering. His eyes were fixed on the slowly emerging outline of the Thornwood Forest below.

  It had been a week since his preparations had begun — a week of rallying allies, recovering from his wounds, and rebuilding strength. Now, the hour had come. It was time to exact vengeance for the ambush, for the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the despicable Victor Asteriscus.

  “Let’s see if your little academy can survive a real war… Victor Asteriscus,” he muttered coldly.

  Alphonse had total confidence.

  These fourteen dirigibles carried more than twenty Elemental Adept Magi and over one hundred third-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes, each one trained for war and hardened by battle. Every airship was armed with the latest magitech weapons — rapid-fire mana cannons, barrier-penetrating bolt arrays, and alchemical payloads designed to raze fortifications. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this kind of force could challenge a small kingdom’s standing army. Flattening a backwater academy established less than a year ago? That, in Alphonse’s eyes, was just a walk in the park.

  Even if Victor had managed to gather resources and people and even had a mysterious backing, it was impossible — no, laughable — to build a fully functioning, defensible institution in that short time. Infrastructure alone would’ve taken years. It was clear the boy was bluffing with his fancy air of importance.

  The only thing that he was slightly wary about was the inheritance that the brat had obtained there, but he was confident that he could crush everything with his power as a Nexus Temporal Magus.

  As the Zephyros crested the final bank of clouds, the Thornwood Forest unfurled beneath them like a frozen sea of silver and green. After another hour of steady cruising, the target finally came into view — first through the magic telescope, then projected with magic across the bridge’s central display.

  For a moment, Alphonse’s breath caught in his throat.

  The academy grounds were far more developed than he had expected. Wide outer walls curved in geometric precision — star-shaped in design — extended in all directions like fortress bastions. Dozens of structures brimmed with enchantments, and magic towers pulsed with steady streams of elemental energy. He could even see the eerie shimmer of defense arrays layered in rings around the perimeter.

  Hundreds of mechanical golems patrolled in synchronized formation between the walls, while what looked like giant magic cannons were stationed atop elevated platforms. Below, there were hundreds — possibly thousands — of people moving in seamless order, as if preparing for battle.

  “Is this truly an academy built in less than a year?” A Merlin family elder nearby gasped in disbelief.

  So, the rumors were true. That brat really did acquire the inheritance of a lost Magus force… possibly something from the Dark Era or even before that. Alphonse thought, creasing his eyebrows.

  After all, it wouldn’t be possible to build something that should have taken at least ten years in less than a year. Even the Arcane Radiance College might not possess such capabilities.

  But then, a smile of confidence flashed in his face. “No matter. They can build all they want; it changes nothing.”

  He then turned to the crew. “Prepare for engagement and send down the battalions of Ki-Warriors. Let’s see how long their defenses hold once fire and steel rain from the skies.”

  From the top of the eastern bastion, William stood with his arms crossed, gazing solemnly toward the horizon. Behind him, players from the Gamer’s Empire guild and several allied guilds moved with purpose — securing crates of ammunition, fine-tuning magic cannons, and reinforcing enchantments along the bastion’s stone ramparts.

  They were waiting for the incoming invasion, and the air was tense.

  Snow crunched beneath booted feet as players shuffled between tasks, and the wind’s distant howls were broken only by low murmurs and clipped orders. The academy, usually brimming with excitement and chaos, now moved with military precision.

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  Then it came.

  A flare burst high in the sky from one of the outer scouting teams stationed in the forest — a signal all of them had drilled over the past week. Almost immediately, a message came through the private channel, projected across their Shadowlink Marks.

  “Merlin fleet incoming! Estimated time of arrival: 20 minutes.”

  Almost instantly, players around William stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky. At first, there was nothing — just a haze of clouds and sunlight. But soon… dark shapes began to pierce through the veil.

  One after another, sleek, falcon-shaped dirigibles — some massive, others smaller and agile — emerged in formation, being led by the largest dirigible that was over five hundred meters long. Almost all bore the crimson banner of the Merlin family, a red dragon exhaling fire rippling ominously in the cold wind. The hulls of the airships bristled with magic cannons and rune-etched armor, their engines rumbling like thunder as zeppelin balloons carried them forward on thrumming mana thrusters.

  The time had finally come.

  William narrowed his eyes, activating his Shadowlink Mark to zoom in through a projected lens.

  “Fourteen dirigibles… each heavily armed,” he muttered. “And they’re not moving slowly. Clearly, they’re confident.”

  Behind him, Zero arrived, checking the same feed. “This is it. They’re here.”

  “I hope our preparations are enough,” said Storm, holding his chin. “This is a real war now.”

  William smiled grimly. “We’ll show these NPCs what happens when you try to mess with the academy built by players.”

  As he spoke, his guild members and everyone in the vicinity sprang into action. Dozens of players rushed across the battlements, checking defensive magic circles they had inscribed on the walls and slotting in special cannonballs into the magic cannons mounted along the wall and channeling elemental energy into them. Everyone was focused on a single goal — to win this war.

  “Squad Three, finish the last binding circle and get those lightning traps online!” Zero ordered calmly through the guild’s command channel.

  The Gamer’s Empire guild was no stranger to siege battles. In countless MMORPGs before this, they had conquered cities, held strongholds, and defended key strategic nodes. Now, inside a fully immersive VR world, they found themselves defending a real academy with real stakes. If this wasn’t life, William didn’t know what was.

  Across the bastion, players clad in robes and armor moved in perfect rhythm.

  “Trap mages in position!”

  “Alchemical fire payload loaded!”

  “We have eyes on all fourteen dirigibles. No flanks detected yet.”

  Suddenly, a low, sonorous warhorn blared in the distance — it wasn’t from the academy. It came from one of the enemy dirigibles, echoing like a challenge across the forest, as though signaling war.

  Prominence’s expression sharpened.

  “They’re descending!” someone shouted.

  Roughly a kilometer out, the dirigibles began to lower their altitude, fanning out as they adjusted formation. The main magic artillery cannons embedded in their hulls flared to life, glowing ominously as runes activated. The air grew thick with pressure as the Merlin family prepared to fire the first salvo.

  “Shields ready!” Storm shouted, raising his hand. He cast a spell, and a wide-reaching wind barrier emerged before him. Since achieving third-stage Initiate Attunement, his power had grown exponentially — rivaling what the headmaster wielded during the academy’s first major siege against the arachnid horde.

  All across the eastern bastion, players followed suit. Dozens more barrier spells went up, layering one over another. Then came the barrier formations from the towers, forming secondary barrier grids above the first.

  William’s gaze locked onto the largest dirigible at the center of the formation. “That must be the flagship… and the boss is definitely inside that one.”

  Without hesitation, he opened his guild communication channel through the Shadowlink Mark. “All squads! Hold your ground. We’ll show them what the Gamer’s Empire guild is capable of! We refuse to lose to the other guilds!”

  And then, the sky exploded.

  BOOM!

  The first volley fired — brilliant arcs of crimson and violet magic lanced through the air. Explosive shells screamed toward the bastion, followed by streaks of lightning and compressed fireballs. A few struck the outermost layers of the barrier, detonating like falling stars. Shockwaves rippled across the field.

  The eastern bastion trembled, but it held strong. Though the outermost magic layer cracked, none of the enemy spells pierced through. Dust and smoke filled the air, but the barrier formations were still intact.

  Withstanding the enemy’s first volley had been part of the strategy that Satellite, the tactician of the Spinula guild, had proposed during the final pre-battle meeting. It was vital to gauge the enemy’s opening power — and this was the only way. After weathering that assault, a brief delay in enemy fire would give the defenders an opportunity to strike back with precision.

  “Quick! Return fire!” Zero barked through the guild’s command channel.

  Immediately, over two hundred players stationed under the Gamer’s Empire guild at the eastern bastion surged into coordinated action. Dozens of magic cannons charged simultaneously. The anti-aircraft weapons in the form of rudimentary artillery were being charged and filled with explosive payloads. Moreover, trap mages amplified these long-range artillery with runes etched across the ramparts.

  “Fire everything we’ve got!” William shouted. “Aim for the engines!”

  With a roar, the eastern bastion launched its counterattack. Blazing beams of ice and flame hurtled through the sky. Alchemical payloads burst upon impact with the dirigibles’ magic barriers, scattering clouds of shrapnel, metal dust, and glowing embers into the sky. A few spells clashed midair with incoming projectiles, resulting in fiery bursts that lit up the airspace between.

  The eastern bastion wasn’t the only one to counterattack — the northern and southeastern bastions, respectively manned by the Spinula guild and a coalition of smaller guilds, also opened fire. Magic cannons thundered from their walls, all converging on the incoming fleet from their eastern-facing defenses.

  About five enemy dirigibles were struck directly by the barrage, sustaining minor damage. One of the smaller dirigibles wobbled violently as its left thruster ignited, causing a trail of thick black smoke to trail behind it.

  Despite the damage, the fleet continued to advance closer as their main artillery cannons charged again, this time accompanied by their side-mounted cannons.

  But just as everything seemed to be proceeding according to plan, something unexpected appeared. From the dense treeline near the eastern perimeter, an army of hundreds of elite Ki-Warriors and mages suddenly emerged, launching a surprise ground assault on the bastion. They moved with terrifying speed, enhanced by movement and cloaking spells that had concealed their presence until the very last second.

  The eastern bastion was now under siege — from both the sky and the ground.

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