I, the All-Class Magus, All My Awakening Skills are LvMax

Once the shield had fully encompassed the entire fortress, John and Archibald immediately took stock of the casualties.

"A total of over 30 dead, with more than ten bodies completely destroyed beyond the possibility of resurrection. The rest are queued for revival," Archibald reported, his expression turning grim.

This surprise night assault by the monsters had caused significant casualties, presenting a huge challenge for them.

"I suspected there might be something unusual tonight, but I never imagined the monsters would attack at night, and with flying creatures," Archibald said, regret evident in his voice.

If they had prepared in advance, such a high number of casualties could have been avoided!

The surrounding people felt a deep sense of dread.

They had never imagined that death would hit them so close.

In the previous days, they had been cautious and had avoided major losses, but this attack had truly terrified them.

Seeing the shield fully deploy and cover the entire fortress brought them a brief sense of relief.

However, this was soon followed by the sounds of crying.

"He... he was taken by the monsters to save me."

A young girl sat on the steps, crying uncontrollably, clutching a torn piece of cloth stained with blood.

The people around her felt a deep sorrow.

They had shared these ten days together, a period of mutual dependence and solidarity.

No one expected such a tragic separation.

"We promised to have dinner together when this was over. How could he... how could he be gone just like that?"

The girl's soft, murmured words broke the hearts of those who heard her.

No one knew what to say, so they gently patted her shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort.

"I'm such a useless person. I should have been the one taken instead of him..."

The girl muttered to herself, her eyes devoid of light, as if her entire world had shattered in that moment.

"He died saving you."

Suddenly, a voice broke through the sorrow.

Everyone turned to look.

It was John.

John's expression was as cold as ice, and he stared at the young girl.

Those around them looked on with a mix of pity and unease.

The girl was already deeply distressed, and John's harsh words seemed to be adding salt to her wounds.

"The piece of cloth you're holding might be the last thing he left in this world," John said, his voice as cold as ice.

"His parents are still waiting for him to come back. Now, he can't return, and you think this piece of cloth isn't worthy of seeing them?"

The people around turned their heads, unable to bear the look on the girl's face.

"If you want to die, it's simple. Just jump off right now. You can leave these things with me, and I'll take them to his parents. I'll tell them their son died protecting a coward, and that his death was utterly meaningless."

The girl clutched the piece of cloth tightly, her eyes glaring at John with a fierce intensity.

"Why are you staring at me? He sacrificed his life for you, and you're still here crying as if it will bring him back. What good does crying do? Will it resurrect him?"

"Why don't you reflect on yourself? It's because you're too weak, too useless, that someone had to protect you! If you had even managed to keep his body intact, I could have saved him. But you let him die without a chance of revival, leaving him in pieces."

John's words cut deep, and the girl's grip on the cloth tightened, her eyes brimming with a fiery defiance mixed with profound grief.

Even Archibald, hearing John's words, couldn't help but look distressed.

He cautiously tugged at John's sleeve, suggesting he might have gone too far.

The girl was already heartbroken; this would only make it worse.

But John seemed oblivious to his hint and continued speaking.

"It's not just you. All of you, each and every one, are useless!"

The onlookers instantly turned their incredulous gazes toward John.

What was happening? Why was he suddenly blaming them all?

Some had felt sympathy for the girl, while others were angered by John's harsh words.

Those who had previously thought it didn't concern them now felt indignant as the accusation extended to them.

Archibald was beside himself, desperate to mediate but unsure what to say.

These were all sons and daughters of nobles.

While they couldn't leave now, once they did, there would be repercussions!

John gave the crowd a cold, sweeping glance and scoffed.

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had so many casualties today. Especially those on patrol tonight—can you tell us what you were doing? Why didn't you sound the alarm immediately? If you had responded appropriately, none of this would have happened."

The patrol squad members blushed, though the night provided some cover for their embarrassment.

"We... we had no way of knowing there would be a sudden attack tonight. There hadn't been any previous night attacks," one of them muttered defensively, but their voice grew quieter toward the end.

"So, that's your excuse for sleeping through the first wave of the assault?"

John's voice was icy, silencing everyone around, though the anger remained palpable.

Why should they be blamed like this? The casualties were already hard for them to bear, so why were they being scolded?

John looked around at the indignant faces and nodded slightly.

"Feeling angry? Feeling wronged? Think I'm being too harsh, unjustly blaming you?"

The silence was thick, but the defiant looks were unmistakable.

"Heh..." John let out a cold laugh.

"If you're so capable, kill more monsters. Show me how strong you are with your scores! Don't think you can just cry and wail here because you have teammates protecting you."

"Don't forget, your lives are not your own right now. They belong to your fallen comrades!"

"They don't even have bodies left. What right do you have to wallow in sorrow? What right do you have to cry? What qualifications do you have?!"

Silence...

The entire scene fell silent, and everyone instinctively lowered their heads.

They couldn't meet John's gaze, and as they looked down, they saw the bloodstains on the ground.

The sight of the crimson pools stung their eyes, making them unconsciously tighten their grip on their weapons.

Boom, boom, boom...

Outside the shield, the monsters continued their relentless assault.

Each impact created ripples on the shield, constantly reminding them that the monsters outside were the ones responsible for their comrades' deaths.

"Ahhhh!!"

The young girl on the ground, tears streaming down her face, screamed and clutched her staff, hurling attack skills at the monsters with all her might.

She cast her spells chaotically, focusing solely on using the most extensive area-of-effect skills to hit as many monsters as possible.

Yes, the person who protected her was dead.

Her life no longer belonged to her.

She had to live, had to survive to carry out her mission.

The only way to survive was to kill all the monsters!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Die, all of you!

The flying monsters, mostly feathered, caught fire when hit by her fire-based skills, shrieking as they fell to the ground.

The flames spread to the fur of the ground monsters, causing chaos.

Around her, others, filled with righteous fury, clenched their teeth and launched their skills at the monsters.

Ice-based skills slowed the flying creatures, and plant-based skills entangled the others, everyone working together seamlessly.

Their scores on the leaderboard began to change rapidly.

Archibald silently exhaled in relief, casting a quiet glance at John.

This man... was a born commander!