The bead that the girl was holding up suddenly shone, and a large figure appeared at the school gate, howling.
[■■■■■■■■-!!!!!!!!!]
“Wh... Wh... What?”
The girl standing next to me, unable to understand the situation, let out a strange, incoherent sound.
I felt the same way.
As I took a deep breath, I took in the appearance of the monster.
A pair of horns on its head.
Glistening black skin.
Bulging muscles on its skin.
At first glance, it resembled a water buffalo.
The problem was that its height easily exceeded 2 meters.
The howl that suddenly erupted from the empty sky, where nothing had been just moments ago, was as heavy and loud as its massive body.
My skin tingled.
I could feel my body stiffening in response to the roar of this predator, which was much larger than myself.
“What is that...”
“There was nothing like that just a moment ago...”
The other students, who had been looking elsewhere, ran over when they heard the monster's howl.
The class president and the spearman muttered in a flustered voice.
The shieldman was silent, but they all wore expressions of shock.
A monster that was clearly not a low-level one, but at least a mid-level or higher.
It exuded a presence so overwhelming that it made my flesh crawl, and it didn't seem to have been weakened by passing through the barrier.
A dark purple aura could be seen swirling around the monster's body.
I felt that the ominous color resembled the hair color of the girl, which was now hidden by the monster's bulk.
Although I didn't know how, it was clear from the circumstances that the girl had summoned the monster.
The word 'witch' flashed through my mind, but I clenched my teeth and denied it.
In [The Holy Swordsman of the Academy], a witch only appeared as an enemy once, in the final chapter.
Yoon Siwoo and Sylvia, who were fleeing with a small group of survivors after the barriers around the world had disappeared for unknown reasons, were confronted by the 'Witch of Gluttony,' who had been sealed in a harmful state after being exterminated but had revived due to her incredible regenerative abilities.
If they could defeat the revived witch, they might be able to restore peace to the world.
Even Yoon Siwoo and Sylvia, who fought the final battle with the hope of defeating the witch, ultimately had to kneel before this ultimate boss of the world.
According to history textbooks, all witches had been exterminated long ago.
So the girl who summoned this monster couldn't possibly be a witch.
She shouldn't be a witch.
If she really was a witch and intended to kill us, the people here would have almost no chance of survival.
While I was having these terrifying thoughts, the monster moved.
The school gate, which had been hidden by the monster's body, came into view.
The girl who had been standing there was nowhere to be seen.
Only a black bead lay on the ground where she had stood.
I looked around, but saw no sign of anyone near the gate.
Where did she go?
My gaze shifted to the direction the monster was moving.
The gymnasium.
A few teachers and students who had poked their heads out at the sound of the howl were now frozen in place, staring at the monster.
The door was still open.
We couldn't afford to worry about the unknown girl.
The monster seemed to realize that there were plenty of prey inside the gymnasium and was slowly approaching it.
I looked urgently at the entrance to the gymnasium.
Some of my classmates, who knew we were on the roof, were pointing at us.
Surely they weren't leaving the door open because of us?
How could they care about others' lives when they were about to die themselves?
The monster, perhaps thinking we were already trapped like rats in a cage, moved leisurely, but we didn't have time to jump down and run into the gymnasium.
If we couldn't get in, we would be in danger, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.
We needed to tell them to close the door, regardless of us.
But even if we shouted, our voices wouldn't reach the gymnasium.
At that moment, I grabbed the shoulder of the girl standing next to me, who was frozen in place, and shouted.
“Tell them to close the gymnasium door! Right now!”
The girl, who seemed to come to her senses, focused her eyes and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting towards the gymnasium.
A moment later, the large door of the gymnasium began to close.
The monster's leisurely pace quickened as the door started to close.
Its large strides gained speed instantly.
“Close it faster!”
“Please...!”
The children shouted as the monster's pace quickened and the door slowly closed.
Even if they shouted, the door wouldn't close any faster, but it was all we could do.
Their voices were filled with anxiety and fear.
They must have been imagining the horrific scenes that would unfold if the door didn't close.
I joined the children, clenching my trembling hands and praying for the door to close quickly.
You ran to protect people.
The door needs to close to fulfill its role!
As if my earnest wish had been heard, the heavy door closed with a thud before the monster arrived.
“It's closed!”
“Phew, thank goodness!”
The children, who had been on tenterhooks, cheered.
It's really a relief...
Just as I was starting to relax, the monster, which hadn't stopped its charge even after the door closed, came into view.
The monster ran towards the closed door.
Instead of slowing down, it raised its head even higher.
I thought, "Surely not..."
Kwaang - !
A deafening sound echoed.
The massive sound of a solid object colliding with another solid object.
The girl, who had been standing next to me, collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out.
The other three were covering their ears and grimacing in pain.
I felt a tremor.
The vibration from the gymnasium had traveled through the ground to the school's rooftop.
The monster's terrifying strength seemed to be spreading the tremor through my body.
My body wouldn't move easily, but I had to check something, so I looked down.
The dust from the shockwave blurred my vision.
Through the haze, I could see the monster, snorting and fuming.
The dust gradually cleared.
The door the monster had rammed into was, fortunately, intact.
I was so relieved that I had forgotten to breathe, and I found myself sitting on the ground, burying my face between my knees.
The supervisor had boasted that even a formidable monster wouldn't be able to scratch it.
I wanted to give him a piece of my mind.
The children, who had been covering their ears and in pain, seemed to be feeling better and cautiously looked over the rooftop railing, sighing in relief. They helped the girl who was still on the ground to her feet.
It seemed the people in the gymnasium were safe for now.
We could probably hide on the rooftop and avoid catching the monster's attention.
I was thinking this cautiously.
The girl, who had been helped up by the others, looked down.
I saw her expression change from relief to confusion and anxiety.
I stood up and looked down.
The monster slowly turned its body and walked towards the school gate.
I thought it might be trying to leave, but it stopped halfway between the gymnasium and the gate, turned back towards the gymnasium, and kicked the ground.
Another massive sound echoed.
The first time, I thought it would be okay.
The second time, I started to feel a bit uneasy.
By the third time, my heart was pounding.
The children, who had been laughing and talking, now had stiff, frozen faces.
I hoped it was just my imagination, but it seemed that cracks were starting to appear in the door that had seemed so sturdy.
The supervisor had said that even a formidable monster wouldn't be able to scratch it.
But, but...
No matter how I looked at it, this monster didn't seem like an ordinary one.
Another loud sound echoed.
This time, a very small but ominous sound was clearly heard behind it.
It was the sound of hope cracking.
The children's faces turned pale.
If the door was breached, the many citizens inside would surely die.
Everyone was trembling.
Their minds must have been racing with countless thoughts.
The silence that settled among us seemed to reflect our fear and despair.
The one who broke the silence was the class president.
“...If we let it keep ramming like that, it will break through.”
Everyone's gaze turned to the class president.
She had voiced what we were all thinking.
Her voice trembled, but her eyes did not.
Her bright, determined eyes made everyone realize what she was about to suggest.
We should become bait.
The class president's gaze turned to the spearman and Daniel.
“There's no other choice. Damn it.”
Daniel clenched his teeth and gripped the spear he was carrying.
The class president's gaze then turned to the shieldman, Andre.
Andre silently nodded and drew the shield from his back.
The class president's eyes then met those of the girl, Jessie.
Jessie looked at the class president with trembling eyes and said,
“...That's at least a mid-level monster. If it attacks us, we might die, no, we will die. This isn't a training exercise; if we die, it's for real!”
Jessie shouted at the class president as if she were angry.
The class president listened silently.
Jessie, trembling, then sobbed and said to the class president,
“Sniff, I don't want to see anyone die again. I had a nightmare last night about what happened during the training... Sniff, it's scary...”
Jessie, sobbing, sniffled a few times and, with a deep breath, stopped her tears and said,
“I understand... Even so, it has to be done... I'll go too.”
Jessie wiped away the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.
The class president turned and met my eyes.
My hands were trembling.
To be honest, I was scared.
I was afraid of fighting and had a little bit of a desire to just run away.
But I thought about the people who might die if the gymnasium door was breached.
There might be an old lady I had helped carry her luggage inside.
There might be the researchers and supervisors I had laughed and chatted with.
I reached into my school uniform pocket and pulled out the now crumpled bear band-aid.
The boy who had given me this might be inside too.
After looking at the band-aid for a moment, I put it back in my pocket.
I took a deep breath.
We're not going to die.
We're just going to draw its attention.
I nodded at the class president.
The class president, Mae, drew her sword and said,
“Let's go.”
She turned and led the way, and we followed.
I could see the legs of those walking in front of me trembling slightly with fear.
Despite their fear, no one suggested running away.
Even though they were just students and not particularly strong,
they were heroes too.
The little heroes left the rooftop.
Author's Note
I burned the night away, working on this...
When I read novels, comics, or watch movies, I often imagine the lives of the extras who don't even appear by name.
Even though the focus is on the main characters, the extras are surely writing their own stories somewhere.
So sometimes, I wish the focus could be on them, even just a little.
These people, who would have been described as simply dying without any explanation of their thoughts or the fight they put up,