Chapter 207: Isaac And Catherine

He tapped to the next channel.

"North team, any contact with East?"

"No," came the reply. "We haven’t heard anything since they moved into position and located the Phantom Voice."

The southern leader frowned.

That wasn’t good.

H’Gael was careful.

He wouldn’t just go dark unless something was wrong.

Then, just as he was about to say something, the comms crackled.

It was the north team again, but the voice was broken, and rushed.

"We’re—ambushed—s-someone—"

The transmission cut.

The silence that followed was heavy.

"...You all heard that, right?" the south-side team’s leader said quietly.

His second-in-command nodded slowly. "They said ambushed."

One of the younger warriors leaned forward. "Could it be... that thing? The Phantom Voice?"

"No," the commander muttered. "Phantom Voice can’t move this quickly. It should still be near H’Gael’s. Someone else attacked the north team. Whoever it was had to be fast and skilled enough to sneak up on them."

"....Could it be a human?"

The leader looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, that can’t be possible. A single human can’t overpower three Champion rank nagas, even if it was an ambush. Maybe it’s another monster that came with Phantom Voice. Or perhaps.... It’s another ace of humanity like Vale."

"What do we do?" the second-in-command asked urgently. "We can’t reach East or North. If this keeps up, it’ll be just us and the west team, and we might be the next ambush target."

The leader turned to look at the golden dome again.

"Proceed with the plan. Attack the stronghold."

He stood up and dusted off his legs.

"Whoever is doing this, they’re strong, but they can’t be everywhere at once. If we press the stronghold now, they’ll have no choice but to show up."

He looked over his shoulder. "We’ll force their hand."

A few of his warriors exchanged glances, then nodded.

"What about H’Gael and the others?" someone asked.

The leader paused.

"I’ll take a small team and head east to check in on them, and attack the farmer at the same time. If our ambusher is protecting the farmer, they’ll have to come out. The rest of you, start the attack."

...

Isaac POV

The evening sun filtered lazily through the leaves, casting long shadows on the training ground behind the house.

Isaac stood with both feet planted firmly.

His breathing was steady, and arms hung loosely at his sides.

Across from him, Professor Catherine was guiding him through the flow of Aura.

Then she suddenly froze.

Her mouth remained half-open, and her eyes stared into the distance, unblinking.

Her hand, mid-gesture, trembled slightly before going still.

It was as if someone had pressed a pause button for her.

Isaac blinked, confused.

"Professor?" he called softly.

She didn’t respond.

He stepped forward, concern beginning to creep in.

"Professor Catherine?"

Still nothing.

He was about to reach out when she finally moved.

She lowered her arm in a robotic way.

Her head turned toward him, but her eyes didn’t focus immediately. They were glassy, and distant.

Then, as if trying to focus, she blinked and inhaled sharply.

"We don’t have much time," she said quietly, her voice suddenly heavy. "Isaac, you need to leave."

"Leave?" Isaac frowned. "What happened?"

"The Nagas are attacking." She looked around once, then met his eyes. "I just got the confirmation. Their warriors have already begun the assault."

For a second, Isaac froze.

Then his expression settled into something calmer.

Professor Catherine exhaled. "I’ve already notified the Sanctum Stronghold’s defense forces. Preparations are underway, but... based on the number of Naga warriors spotted and the amount of summon activity—"

She paused. Her jaw clenched.

"—our stronghold is going to suffer huge damage, and it might fall."

No one had expected the Nagas to attack so suddenly.

The Vice Principal Eleanor’s absence only made the matters worse.

The worst part of this fight wasn’t the Nagas themselves, but their summons.

The weakest summon of a Naga warrior was at least Master-rank. Some had Champion-rank beasts, too.

Together, they were less like a team of awakeners and more like a mobile army.

Facing them in battle was less about skill and more about numbers and endurance.

The plan was to delay them as long as possible.

They would buy time, hold the line, and call for reinforcements—Vice Principal specifically.

But even that wasn’t easy.

Professor Catherine bit her lip, thinking about how far Vice Principal Eleanor had pushed herself in recent days.

Even if she arrived in time, she’d be exhausted.

’I should’ve been stronger,’ Professor Catherine muttered under her breath. ’I should’ve been more prepared...’

Her confidence demeanor faltered.

Memories of her past came back, haunting her.

But then, a hand landed gently on her shoulder.

She raised her head.

Isaac stood before her, looking at her calmly.

"It’ll be alright, Professor," he said. "You don’t have to carry everything on your own."

His confidence was strangely contagious.

Professor Catherine stared at him, surprised by how firm his voice was.

It allowed her to smile again. "Of course it will. But you should still leave."

"I’m staying."

"Isaac..." She shook her head. "I know your elemental spirit will protect the farmland, but you’re still in danger here. It’s not safe."

"I’ll fight with you. I’m stronger now, you know," he added with a smile.

His smile had a quiet weight behind it. It was full of assurance.

Professor Catherine felt something warm in her chest.

She couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"Oh? Are you trying to charm me too?" she teased. "That’s what I heard you did with Selene. You helped her out, and saved her. It made her heart skip a beat, and fall for you."

Isaac’s smile faded instantly.

His lips flattened into a straight line like he was inwardly groaning.

The change in expression made Catherine laugh.

She reached out and ruffled his hair. "If you’re that confident, then I’ll give you something more useful to do. Go to Aeternum University’s stronghold."

Isaac blinked. "Why there?"

"We don’t know the Nagas’ full plan. For all we know, this is just one part of a coordinated strike. If they hit all three strongholds at once, we’ll be stretched thin. I’m here, and so is Vale Rae and the Titan Edge Guild. We have strength. The Horizon Institute stronghold has already been evacuated. There’s nothing to protect there now."

She paused, voice growing firmer.

"But Aeternum? They don’t have anyone strong enough to stand against a full Naga assault. If they’re attacked, we’ll lose too much. You go and protect them."

Isaac looked at her for a long moment. He understood what she was doing. She was sending him away to keep him off the battlefield.

Still, he sighed and nodded. "Alright. I’ll go. But you better stay safe. Don’t get hurt."

Catherine smiled again. "That should be my line."

...

In the central command hall of Sanctum Stronghold, the air was tense.

A large round table stood in the middle of the room, with General Magnus seated at its head. Around him were commanders, strategists, and senior defenders from all divisions.

Reports had already begun pouring in. The southern and western defenses were under attack. Summoned beasts swarmed the perimeter in numbers too large to count. The walls wouldn’t hold for long.

The atmosphere was grim.

"We need a clear plan," General Magnus said, glancing at the others. "Catherine. Can Vice Principal Eleanor return in time?"

"She’s on her way," Catherine replied. "But she’s exhausted. She had pushing herself more than she should’ve during the past few days. Even with Isaac’s grains, it’ll take at least an hour for her to recover enough to fight."

General Magnus didn’t respond right away. He just frowned and rubbed his temples.

"At least an hour..." he muttered. "It’s fortunate we have the grains. Without them, Vice Principal might’ve been too drained to participate at all."

Silence followed.

Everyone understood what that meant.

If Vice Principal Eleanor couldn’t fight, their strongest card was missing. And without her, the chances of victory dropped dramatically.

General Magnus turned to Vale. "Status of Titan Edge Guild?"

Vale stood up. "We’ve already deployed scouts to flank the southern front. Two squads are reinforcing the western barrier. Our main force is on standby. Waiting for confirmation on Naga movements before committing."

Catherine listened quietly.

She glanced at Vale.

His tone was steady, businesslike. He looked calm.

But Catherine couldn’t forget the aura she’d felt from him during his meeting with Isaac. That oppressive force... something far beyond what he showed here now.

She didn’t know what it was. But it told her he wasn’t what he seemed.

If Vale used that strength here, the tides of battle would shift drastically. But he hadn’t said a word about it. He showed no signs that he intended to reveal it, either.

General Magnus continued the meeting, calling on other division heads who were in charge of supplies, communications, logistics, and emergency evacuation.

The man in charge of summoner coordination reported that only three Champion-rank summoners were available right now. The rest were scattered, injured, or on missions.

A woman representing the healer corps warned they only had enough advanced potions for two major battles, maybe three at most.

The whole picture was bleak.

Finally, General Magnus stood and placed both hands on the table.

"The Nagas came prepared. They want this stronghold. Maybe all three."

No one spoke.

He looked around.

"This battle will decide the future of this city. Maybe more than just the city. We can’t afford to retreat. Not here. Not now."

A murmur of agreement echoed across the room.

Catherine took a slow breath, her eyes scanning the table.

’We just need to hold,’ she thought. ’Long enough for master to recover, and....’

She didn’t finish that thought.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to.