Academy’s Genius Swordsman

#287

(Adeshan. It's dangerous.)

“Ahhh···!”

Adeshan clutched his forehead as he suddenly felt a headache. The woman's voice echoed in his head again. It was the first time he had heard it in a situation that required such concentration.

“So what is more dangerous in this situation···!”

She muttered to herself without realizing it. As expected, there was no answer. At this point, she was starting to get annoyed. It was no longer a situation where she could receive a warning. Shouts, screams, and maddening roars were sporadically erupting from all over the battlefield.

“Bring more diluent! Don’t spread it out, aim for one spot!”

“We have to blow it up in one go. Request support bombing from the rooftop right away···”

Kwaaang! The conversation of the soldiers surrounding the fortress was swallowed by the sound of an explosion. The spear of light that had been flying in from a blind spot had hit the center of the formation. Where the smoke had settled, chunks of shredded flesh appeared.

“All, my legs! My legs!”

A scream of pain rang out. The defensive magic that was activated immediately enveloped their heads. Boom! Boom! The spears of light that fell one after another exploded as they hit the defensive shield.

There were no additional casualties, but a single surprise attack had already left dozens of casualties. A soldier who barely managed to escape with his life pointed to the sky and shouted.

“Over there! Those three are right above!”

Adeshan raised her head. As the soldier had said, three artificial giants were preparing to throw their spears in turns. She took out her crossbow, aimed at the closest giant, and pulled the trigger.

“away.”

The distance was far, but it didn't matter since I was positioned at the rear. The crossbow shot straight out and hit the artificial giant between the eyes. Clink-! The arrow head, sharpened with Ronan's blood, burrowed deep into the giant's brain and exploded.

【Ugh···!】

The giant, with the upper part of its forehead missing, fell limply. Adeshan immediately reloaded and fired two more shots in quick succession.

Boom! Boom! This time, it hit the forehead and temples again. The giants fell with a small explosion and bounced off the shield. The soldiers cheered at the divine sniping skills.

“Hey, I got the commander! Hurray!”

“Never disadvantaged! Push through!”

The Allied forces, now filled with morale, charged forward. Adeshan was refining his strategy again. One of the soldiers shouted in an urgent voice.

“Hey, Commander!”

“hmm?”

Adeshan's eyes widened as he turned his head in a hurry. A man wearing the protection of the stars was running towards him, holding a dagger.

“You’re crazy, you bastard. Die!”

It was an assassin from the sect who had sneaked out of the fortress. The man who was in charge of the southeastern branch was killing officers from the Allied Forces one by one. Adeshan bit his lip.

“Ugh···!”

“In the name of the great star!”

It was too late to dodge. She was about to hurriedly regain control of her mind. Urrrrrr! The ground bulged and a rising stone wall blocked the gap between her and the assassin. The embarrassed assassin swore.

“What the hell is this···.”

It was the moment he was about to pull away. The rock, which had transformed into the shape of a giant hand, grabbed the assassin. Crack! The sound of it crashing and exploding echoed simultaneously.

“Ugh!”

A thick clot of blood gushed out from inside the assassin's gaping mouth. There was no doubt that it was an instant death. Boom! Boom! As his corpse, which had turned into a piece of stale sap, was thrown away, dozens of identical rock grips rose up. A voice was heard from behind Adeshan, who was dumbfounded.

“Are you okay?”

“Now, Professor Jarodin?”

Adeshan took a deep breath. A thin man was standing there with his hands in his pockets. It was Professor Jarodin from the Phileon Academy, whom I had seen before. He spoke in a dry voice.

“As he said earlier, you are one of the Allied Forces’ staff officers. I think you can retreat a little further to the rear.”

“···thank you.”

“Never mind.”

Adeshan nodded. Jarodin, who had just turned his back, snapped his fingers. Kroong! The giant rock hands began to move freely, blocking the giants’ attacks or striking the outer walls of the fortress.

“···amazing.”

Adeshan was impressed. The power of the magic was powerful, but even though he used such great magic in succession, there was almost no waste of mana. He had never been able to see its true value because he was always in the laboratory, but it really seemed like he was the tower mage of the full moon tower.

Even the protection of the stars, which seemed like an iron fortress, was slowly showing cracks. The followers of Nebula Clazie were resisting by shooting arrows and magic in the fortress, but that was not enough to stop the advance of the Allied Forces.

The general offensive was proceeding as fiercely as expected. All the Allied forces except for a minimal number of troops were mobilized and were knocking on the gates of the nine fortresses. It was a necessary gateway to reach the Pale Castle where Iril and the cult leader were.

“These ignorant bastards…!”

“Hold on until the archbishops arrive!”

The believers of Nebula Clazie were waging a desperate resistance against such a coalition force. It wasn't easy to break through, as the artificial giants were already in shambles, and there were quite a few strong men like bishops and branch leaders.

But if you ask if the situation was unfavorable for the Allied Forces, it was absolutely not. The long-sharpened blade was doing its job well.

There was just one thing bothering me, Adeshan muttered.

“But… where did all the archbishops go?”

****

“Just, ordinary.”

Ronan blurted out. Even after completing the ritual and slicing a few monsters, he didn't feel any noticeable changes. At most, his body felt a little lighter. He continued, turning his wrists and ankles.

“Are you sure the curse is really gone? I’m not sure.”

“The ritual was clearly a success. I guess it’s because the curse is still disintegrating. I expected you to feel excruciating pain, but you’re still fine… You have extraordinary adaptability.”

“You feel excruciating pain? Why?”

Ronan tilted his head. The Savior, who had been scratching his head, spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone.

“I have placed a curse far more powerful than you can imagine. One so vicious and evil that no ordinary human could even bear a trace of it.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Whether it’s big or small, there will definitely be pain later. Anyway, as long as you’re okay right now, that’s fine. Come in quickly… Whew!”

Suddenly, the Savior covered his mouth with his left hand and coughed. The sound was unusual, mixed with moisture. Ronan, panicking, supported him.

“What, are you okay?”

“Yeah… it’s okay.”

The Savior furtively wiped his left hand on the hem of his trousers. A red stain appeared, but Ronan did not notice it because his movements were so skillful.

“Damn, that doesn’t seem right. So why did you come to a place like this?”

Ronan frowned. In any case, he was an old man who would not listen to words. The Savior had come all the way to Dainhar, ignoring Elsia’s advice that he should still rest. Sita, who had brought the two of them, let out a worried cry.

“Whaaaahh …

“Look, she’s worried too. I told her I’d just go by myself.”

“That won’t do.”

The Savior spoke firmly. The veins on Ronan's forehead bulged. To be honest, there were more than a few things that I didn't understand. Not only was it painful, but I don't know what my sister is being treated by those lunatics right now, and I'm going through this remote area. The Savior continued.

“There’s something you absolutely must see. It has to be now.”

“That’s true.”

Ronan clenched his fist. His eyes were too serious to run away after telling her not to talk nonsense. He wasn't the kind of person to mess around with his only daughter. Ronan bit his lower lip and sighed.

“Okay… Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“But if you’re late and something happens to your sister, you’ll die by my hand.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’ll be quick, but it won’t be any slower. This guy is pretty good, though.”

The savior glanced at Sita and spoke confidently. Ronan did not answer. He did not know what he would do, but at this point, he had no choice but to trust. Ronan said, scratching Sita's neck.

“Sita. You go scouting. If anything happens, let me know right away.”

“Bye!”

Upon hearing the order, Sita flew up. The two arrived in front of Dinhar after walking a few steps. Ronan, who was looking around, sighed as if he was tired.

“Why is nothing different here?”

The Dainhar I saw after a long time still boasted its unchanging appearance. The mountain of rocks and metal that grew around the ruins looked like fire blooming in the desert.

The shield that had been activated after Ronan and Schlieffen were driven out still completely covered Dinehar. Suddenly, a strange experience from three years ago came to mind. The US identifier was something and then it was driven out on its own.

“What the heck was that?”

Of all the things he had experienced, this was the strangest. While he was reminiscing about the past, he heard a man's voice near the rocky mountain of Dainhar.

“Ro, Ronan? Are you Ronan?”

“ok?”

Ronan raised his eyebrows. The voice sounded familiar for some reason. He looked up and saw a dark-haired young native with his head poking out from a crevice in the rock. Ronan's eyes widened.

“Dreaming Thunder?”

“Ronan! It’s really Ronan!”

The young man began to descend the rocky mountain, making a fuss. Although time had passed, he remembered clearly. It was Dreaming Thunder, the native boy he had met in Dainhar in the past. The Savior asked with a somewhat surprised tone.

“You have a connection with the locals here? Are you familiar with them?”

“Yes. A little while ago.”

Ronan nodded. He and Schlieffen had saved him from being chased by Terranil and Yuria, executives of Nebula Clazie. He had even gone to the center of the ruins with his older brother, the Angry Gust. Ronan waved his hand, his expression brightening.

“Long time no see! How have you been?”

“We’ve all been fine! There hasn’t been a single intruder since!”

Dreaming Thunder shouted. He could see that it had grown in size, as if it had been three years. He said that the tribesmen and the relics were all safe.

Ronan sighed in relief and opened his mouth, adding that Nebula Clazie had come several times, but had not been able to penetrate the newly created defenses.

“That’s great. Now let us in!”

“No!”

“What?”

Ronan's brow furrowed. It was so firm that for a moment I thought I had misheard him. He put a hand to his mouth and shouted loudly.

“Why not!”

“The transparent membrane doesn’t disappear! No one who isn’t from our tribe can enter or leave!”

“Nimi. What are you talking about?”

“Seriously! Before we go out, we have to ask permission from some woman!”

Thunder, who had been crawling down the rocky mountain, finally landed on the sand. He started running towards Ronan, swinging his long limbs. A woman, what does that mean? It was the moment when Ronan tapped the barrier.

(Unauthorized user. Entry is prohibited.)

“Oh, shit. I’m shocked.”

A woman's voice echoed in his head along with a tingling sensation. Ronan hurriedly pulled his hand away. It was the same voice he had heard when he was kicked out in the past.

“Is this how it’s supposed to come out?”

I thought I knew what Thunder meant. The rite of passage was still in progress at that time. Ssrrrrung···! Ronan pulled the handle of his sword. No matter how thick it was, it was just a defensive barrier made of mana.

He was just about to raise his arm. The Savior, who had grabbed Ronan's wrist, shook his head.

“Don’t get excited. It’s normal. And if you destroy the barrier now, you won’t be able to function properly at a critical moment.”

“Is that a natural thing?”

“Yes. In the past, Dainhar was a place that only a select few people could enter. Judging by the tattoo, it seems fortunate that the lineage is still alive.”

The Savior's gaze was fixed on the tattoos carved into Thunder's body. Now that he looked at them, the natives here, regardless of gender or age, all had such tattoos. The Savior, who was looking at Dainhar with eyes mixed with longing, placed his hand on the barrier.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. Really.”

Paaaaa···! A faint glow of light emerged from the area where the palms of my hands had touched. Something was off. A few seconds later, the woman's voice rang out again in the heads of everyone present.

(You are a registered user. The defense system will be temporarily disabled.)

“Huh?!”

At the same time, the shield that had been covering the entire Dainhar disappeared. The mana that had been lingering inside the force field spurted out. The dreaming thunder that had been running towards him was startled and fell on its butt on the sand. The savior turned to Ronan and said.

“Let’s go quickly. If we do that, we can save the world while we’re at it.”