Academy’s Genius Swordsman

#290

“No matter how often I come here, I never feel attached to it.”

Abel muttered to himself. He was walking on the land that was completely covered in white. It was a world where giants lived. A cold, empty wind that reminded him of winter in the slums brushed his cheeks.

In a world where even a single grain of sand was white, there was no color to be found. The headquarters of Nebula Clazie was decorated similarly, but it was no match for the original.

When I raised my head, I saw a white sky. In the clouds that covered the stars without a single gap, a huge magic circle was disappearing and appearing repeatedly. It was a passage used by giants going out or returning from hunting.

He must be busy. Abel, who had been mumbling like that, took another step forward. A low, deep voice echoed from above his head.

『O mortal, where have you come to dare to seek this place?』

“Stop that presumptuous step.”

“Ahhh… I see.”

Abel looked up from his knees. Two giants were looking down at him from directly above. Judging by the four pairs of wings each, they were not very high ranking beings.

Hwaaaaak! The wind from the flapping wings periodically swept in all directions. It was a gale that would crush a human, but Abel was not affected at all. His translucent body was made of spirit, not flesh. One of the giants who had been staring at Abel opened his mouth.

“You are… a face I remember.”

“Well, I came yesterday too.”

Abel nodded. Perhaps because he was periodically revealing his face, he was no longer attacking indiscriminately. He cleared his throat once and spoke as politely as possible.

“I came to see him.”

“What···.”

The giants flinched. Their already stiff faces became even stiffer.

They were silent for a long time, and Abel did not particularly urge them. Abel knew that the giants were communicating with the being they called 'Him'.

'Sharing sensations. How convenient.'

Abel waited silently, his head bowed. In the silence that had become longer than expected, a voice that he normally would not have noticed was heard.

-Save me.

-I did nothing wrong!

-Please take it out···Please···.

It was a small voice, like a whisper. The language was different, but the meaning was understandable. The screams of countless people were coming from within the giants' bodies.

Abel knew that these were the voices of the souls of those slain by the giants. They had become one with the great race and were destined for eternal life, but they did not seem very happy.

Abel smiled bitterly. Soon, those who remained on Earth would meet a similar fate. Of course, their circumstances would be very different. Then, one of the silent giants spoke.

“Go back. He doesn't want to see you.”

“···Is it today too?”

Abel's eyebrows furrowed. It was as expected, but it still felt bad to be rejected. He continued.

“No, please tell me one more time. I’m struggling to give up a whole star, so wouldn’t it be okay for you to grant me a favor like that?”

“I won't tell you twice. Go back.”

Suddenly, the two giants reached out their hands at the same time. Light particles began to gather inside their pure white palms. Anyway, these bald people were not able to communicate. Abel, who had been observing them, let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t know what’s so difficult about asking you to show your face even just once. I guarantee that if you come here and make fun of my motherly nature, you’ll be in trouble.”

“How arrogant. Mortals cannot defeat us.”

“Then what about the four people who passed away on our planet not long ago?”

“What···.”

The speechless giants fell silent. Abel slowly raised his head. His eyes were no longer those of a man who made a mean request. Now was the time to negotiate.

“Why, are you scared?”

Abel sneered. One corner of his mouth went up in a smirk. Crunch! A spear of light flew in from somewhere and pierced Abel’s back.

“Ugh···.”

Abel took a deep breath. It was so fast that he couldn't even see it. He barely managed to raise his head to follow the trajectory and the sky above him was swirling.

'That's.'

It was a huge vortex that seemed to envelop the entire star. A black hole opened in the center where the spear fell. Abel instinctively sensed that something was looking down at him from beyond.

Pot! The moment he was about to say something, his vision went black. Abel opened his eyes again and raised his upper body as if he was bouncing.

“Ugh···!”

His head was spinning. He was sitting alone in a secret room. It was a secret room in the headquarters. It seemed that his spirit body had disappeared and his consciousness had returned to his original body.

“You really have a bad temper.”

Abel stood up from his seat. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat. The sensation that pierced his chest was still vivid. A magic circle was drawn under his feet to communicate with the world of giants.

'He took the bait.'

Abel, who had been scratching his chest, smiled. The stupid bald people had not listened to his request in the end, but it didn't matter anymore. The one who had thrown the spear of light in the end was definitely 'that person'.

That was all that could be done here. What was left was up to Iril and his few remaining subordinates.

Suddenly, memories of the past flashed before my eyes. Thinking back, I had followed Cain around and killed many enemies. From savage nomadic tribes to the machine legions of the Dynhar Empire. He straightened the scabbard on his waist and left the room.

“Where, let’s see how much it has improved?”

****

“Surrender now!”

Marja shouted. She lunged forward and swung her greatsword horizontally. The blade was longer and thicker than her body, and it was covered in the same red as Ronan’s blood.

“This insolent bitch!”

“Do we look that funny?”

The believers who were fighting desperately on the walls rushed in furiously. Although Marya had good momentum, she was unable to penetrate their armor and shields.

Kang! It was the moment when they raised their shields and took a defensive stance. The great sword, which had been digging in without stopping, passed by slicing through the waists of the believers. The man, who had lost the feeling below his chin, let out a look of bewilderment.

“uh?”

“You look funny!”

Marja shouted again. The believers, who were left with only their upper bodies, fell to the ground. Kwaaaaang! The slash that flew without stopping collided with the watchtower next to it. The watchtower, whose base was cut off by the blow, collapsed under the castle wall.

“What the heck, it’s a monster!”

“What kind of power is that···.”

Shock erupted from all sides. The plate armor she was wearing was unscathed even in the midst of the fierce melee. The armor, shimmering with aurora colors, was something Ronan had brought from Aurora Skaal a while ago.

Armed with heavy armor and a greatsword, Marja was confidently leading the charge, slicing through the enemy. When she turned her head, she saw Braum fighting while protecting her allies. Boom! He blocked the hammer of the branch manager, Puran, and shouted, striking his great shield with the back of his sword.

“Is that all you can do? Try harder!”

“How dare you say you have a pierced mouth…!”

Furious, Puran swung his hammer, using his Aura. A much more powerful blow flew in, but Braum blocked it beautifully. Boom! Finally, the soldier who was positioned in Puran’s blind spot pierced his waist with a spear.

“Cough!”

Puran, spitting blood from his mouth, fell forward. At the same time, five or six spears rained down on his body. Braum, who confirmed that the enemy from the outside had been eliminated, turned to Marja and shouted.

“It’s over here!”

“Here too!”

Marja answered. The two large voices resonated loudly. They had finally broken through the last fortress and were working with the Allied Forces to eliminate the resistance forces inside. Looking outside the walls, eight fortresses that had already fallen came into view.

“···I did it.”

It was a scene that stirred emotions. Eight Allied flags were fluttering above the high walls. Orsay and the Shadow Archduke were swooping through the sky, shooting down the remaining artificial giants. Not far away, Asel's voice rang out.

“Everyone, everyone must pay the price!”

“···Cutie.”

Marja blushed in shame. It didn't take long for her to realize how arrogant her declaration to protect Axel had been before the battle began.

Asel was riding on Orsay's back, firing huge ice spikes in all directions. The magic, enhanced by Elizabeth's aura, was displaying much more powerful power than usual.

【Crack!】

【Kuaaaaak!】

Pok! Pok! The giants who were hit by the unmelting ice were falling down, spitting out blood. Usually, they died in one hit, and none of them could withstand more than three hits. Orse, who had transformed into a dragon, burst into hearty laughter.

【Hahahaha! That's it, the killing machine!】

“Heeeeeeek! You, don’t fly so fast!”

Axel let out a new scream. Marja laughed. The adventures they had had so far and the lessons they had learned in Pyleon had not been in vain.

I also need to work harder. It was the moment when she turned around, having gathered her resolve. A number of screams echoed from deep within the castle.

“Here comes the morning star of the empire!”

“Look, run away to the castle! Lock the door!”

The believers who had been fighting a desperate battle were all retreating to the inner castle. Their once desperate faces were now filled with nothing but fear and despair.

Marja turned her gaze in the direction they had come from and her eyes widened. A hellish scene had unfolded before her. The torn corpses were countless. There had clearly been no such thing just a moment ago.

“Schlieffen.”

Marja knew that those clean cuts were all marks of Schlieffen's storm sword. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the one who committed the most murders today. Schlieffen was running toward the inner castle, trampling on the path of corpses he had created.

The Pale Road held in his left hand was emitting a cool blue light. Every time he hit the floor, the gap quickly narrowed.

“Close it! Close it! Close it!”

“Hey, don’t let them in!”

The believers were screaming like children. Kkururung···! The inner gate was closing rapidly. The specially designed gate was something that even the Allied Forces had to put in a lot of effort to destroy.

“Oh, no!”

But Schlieffen managed to sneak inside just before the door closed. Boom! The door slammed shut the moment he entered the inner chamber.

“Whoaaaa!”

“Hey, save me!”

The screams, which became more desperate, began to resonate. The sound of the wind was heard mixed in between. Even the advancing Allied Forces stopped and swallowed.

“······!”

Then, at some point, the screaming stopped. No more voices could be heard from inside the gate. One of the soldiers spoke.

“Uh, is it over···?”

There was no answer. The soldiers exchanged glances and stepped forward. Kwaaaaang! The ceiling of the inner castle shattered and a huge tornado rose up.

“Ugh!”

“Uh, crazy···!”

The tornado formed by the cold wind seemed to be dozens of meters in diameter. Debris from buildings and torn corpses were scattered in all directions.

A figure rose from the center of the whirlwind. Bam! Schlieffen landed on the highest watchtower and shouted at the top of his voice.

“Doge of Navarre! It’s all done!”

It was a voice so loud that it was hard to believe it came from the always quiet Schlieffen. The shout spread across the battlefield and reached Navardoze, who was waiting.

【Confirmed.】

The star protection that had been blocking the main headquarters, created by the fortresses, was disappearing. Navardoje nodded. Between her open mouths, a hot and bright fireball formed that could be mistaken for a small sun.

Now the time has come. The Navardo Doge, who had been inhaling for the entire time, exhaled for the first time. A ball of flame shot toward the pale castle.