Academy’s Genius Swordsman

#291

Navardoze exhaled. The fireball that had been lingering in her throat shot toward the headquarters of Nebula Clazie. In an instant, all movements of the Allied forces stopped.

“Shoot, shot!”

Someone shouted. The moment had finally arrived. A bright and hot fireball, so bright that it seemed like it was the sun's younger brother, was gliding through the wind.

“Everyone, close your eyes and bow your heads! Send a request for support to the Magic Tower!”

“Respond calmly!”

This was where it got important. The commanders leading each unit quickly began giving instructions. The soldiers, as they had practiced beforehand, sought cover, ducked deeply, and turned away from the fireball.

(Aunt Fila. It's now.)

(I checked. This is awesome.)

Adeshan sent a message to the tower masters. The exclamation of the dawn tower master Aun Pillar came back. He was in charge of long-range fire support and was watching the battle situation with his subordinate wizards.

Woohoo! At the same time, a huge force field covered the nine fortresses occupied by the Allied Forces. It was not just the work of Dawn, but also the work of all the magic towers. It was a defensive barrier to block the backlash of the fire that Navardoze had spewed.

“please···!”

It didn't take five seconds for this to happen. Adeshan closed his eyes and clenched his fists. The peace of the continent was right before his eyes. It was the moment when the shrinking fireball hit the protection of the stars covering the headquarters.

Kwaaaaang-!! A loud noise rang out. Indescribable flashes of light and heat covered the white earth. Everything in sight was engulfed in crimson flames.

“Ugh···!”

“Hold on, hold on!”

The soldiers gritted their teeth. Despite the five layers of shields between them, the terrible heat was vivid. The shields, which had reached their critical point in an instant, were shaking madly.

“Whoaaaaah!”

【for a moment···】

Not a single living creature outside the shield survived, not even a single ant. The believers and artificial giants who barely managed to escape with their lives were oxidized to ash before they could even let out their final screams.

The grass, the trees, and the corpses strewn about were all consumed by the flames. The screams of the air shook the heavens and the earth. The primordial fire rose into the sky, drawing a gigantic whirlwind of flames thousands of meters in diameter.

Even a god wouldn't be able to survive there. Soon the tornado dissipated and the flames died down. Asher's eyes widened.

“Sat, it worked···!”

Instead of entering the shield, he had fled far into the sky. The headquarters that appeared from where the smoke had disappeared was not wearing the protection of the stars. Orsay, who was carrying Axel, let out a hollow laugh.

【What a monster with no answers.】

At this point, it was unbelievable. The shame of being hit in the chest and fainting seemed to have eased a little. The soldiers who opened their eyes late let out a gasp of shock.

“Look, look! Their defenses are disappearing!”

“Oh my god, really!”

Cheers erupted from the nine fortresses. The star protection, which had finally failed to overcome the heat, was crumbling. The interior of the castle, which had not been properly seen, was now revealed.

“Bird, there’s less than I thought. Did you put them all inside?”

“I’ve already turned nine fortresses, so that’s understandable. I guess I’ve run out of capital now.”

The soldiers were murmuring. Perhaps because they had dispersed their forces. The number of believers stationed on the walls seemed to be no different from the number of soldiers resisting at each fortress.

However, if there was one thing that bothered me, it was the mana that was surging deep within the castle. A huge amount of mana was rising into the sky, forming an invisible pillar.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know. It seems like it’s doing something, but…”

I couldn't see the details. Almost everyone looked up at Navardoze at the same time. She was breathing heavily and flapping her wings in place to catch her breath. Adeshan tilted his head.

“Lord Navardo…?”

Despite her amazing achievements, her expression was not very good. Her eyes were still glaring at the pale castle as if she was going to kill it.

The soldiers who did not know this were confident of victory and were waiting for the order to charge. After about a minute, Navardoze, who had been growling, blurted out.

【I'll shoot one more time.】

“yes?”

The people's eyes widened. The bewildered commanders were about to say something at that very moment. Kwaaaaang! Her mouth opened wide and fire gushed out once again.

“Wait a minute, Navardo!”

Schlieffen shouted urgently. Now that the shield was gone, if there was Iril inside, there was a high chance that he would be caught.

But the dice had already been cast. The torrent of flames had already reached the pale castle. The soldiers were panicking and were about to close their eyes and turn around. Kwaaaaah! The flames that were about to collide with the castle split to the left and right.

“What the hell is that!?”

“Oh, the fire is cracking!”

The soldiers' eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. They couldn't believe it even as they watched. Instead of reaching the castle, the split flames were passing by, swerving to either side.

Something was blocking her fire. Sensing the crisis in an instant, Adeshan shouted at her.

“It’s dangerous!”

【hmm?】

Navardo's brow furrowed. At the same time, a crescent moon shot out from where the flames had split. The crescent moon, shimmering with strange colors, was as large as the fortress where the Allied forces were stationed.

“Black flag···!”

Adeshan's eyes widened. It was a sword, no matter what its shape or form was. However, its size and power were simply unrealistic.

Navardoje increased his firepower as if he was getting nervous, but his sword did not stop. The crescent moon that flew through the flames was about to hit her at that very moment.

【Damn it.】

In the end, Navardoje twisted her body first. At the same time, the sword energy lightly brushed past her wingtips. WHACK! Blood spurted out from the spot where the sword energy had brushed past.

“I, Lord Navardo!”

Adeshan covered his mouth with both hands. The red scales that had been intact despite being hit directly by the artificial giant's spear were cleanly cut off. Silence fell over the shocked Allied Forces camp. Suddenly, someone's voice rang out from the castle.

“Twice is difficult, miss.”

【you···.】

Navardo's eyes widened. On the pure white walls, where the flames had completely died down, a man was standing. The longsword he held in his right hand and his pure white hair, as well as the clothes he was wearing, were impressive. Adeshan's eyes widened when he saw his face.

“···Ronan?”

The man's face was so similar to Ronan's. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were the same person, except that he was a little older and had different hair color.

Suddenly, the impression of someone Ronan had given flashed through my mind. It wasn't that hard to guess the man's identity. She murmured as if screaming.

“Cult Leader Abel···!”

“What, what did you say?”

Marja, who was standing next to him, raised her eyebrows. The fact that the man was the leader spread throughout the army in an instant. They were momentarily frozen. Kwaaaaang! Navardoze's wings spread out as if they were exploding.

【Don't interfere. I'll take care of that guy.】

I didn't know much about Abel, but my dragon senses and the bristling scales warned me that he was a more dangerous opponent than anyone else.

The shrunken body was gradually swelling up and returning to its original size. The newly grown scales were covering up the wounds on its shoulders.

She flapped her wings and shot forward. Almost at the same time, Abel’s form disappeared from sight. Kwaaaaang! The crash sound rang out exactly at the midpoint. Abel chuckled.

“You have a very impatient personality.”

【Shut up, you evil thing.】

Navardoze spoke with a tone of contempt. Instead of responding, Abel turned his sword around and grabbed it. The hand that had been wrestling with her was trembling as if it would break at any moment.

“Strength is useless, isn’t it?”

It wasn't for nothing that she was called the Mother of Fire. He was pondering over how to catch this. Suddenly, Navardo's horn flashed and a huge, translucent sphere enveloped the two. Abel raised his eyebrows.

“What is this?”

【Your ambition ends here.】

Navardoze growled. It was a shield to prevent the aftermath of the battle from being released to the outside. Just as Abel was about to say something, the two of them disappeared along with the shield.

“Oh, it’s gone.”

“That was the cult leader earlier? What’s going on?”

This was another unexpected situation. The soldiers were in confusion and were muttering. Suddenly, Navardo's shout resounded from the sky.

【All advance! Exterminate all the evil forces that are trying to realize their ugly fantasies!】

“Lord Navardo…!”

I couldn't see it, but I could hear it clearly. It seemed like they were fighting the cult leader in this space. Suddenly, the space where Navardoze was flipped over and Lorhone jumped out.

“Okay, then let’s go and see.”

“Your Majesty?”

The soldiers' eyes widened. His hands, which had returned to the form of an old man, were already wrapped in magic that he was casting. Clap! He clapped his hands after reciting a few spells. A small magic circle was drawn under the feet of all the Allied forces.

“What is this···?”

“I can’t walk that far. I’ll have to become a storm.”

Lorhorn laughed at the soldiers' confusion. Then, all the magic circles began to glow simultaneously, and the spaces where each member of the Allied Forces was located were turned upside down.

“Ugh!”

Paaaaah-! Those who opened their eyes again gasped. The allied forces that had been dispersed across the nine fortresses were gathered in one place. They were perfectly formed and were surrounding the pale castle.

“oh my god.”

“Oh, you moved a hundred thousand people at the same time?”

The high walls were spread out before my eyes. The pillars of mana that were visible from afar were now close enough to touch. The believers stationed on the walls were astonished.

“Damn, what the heck all of a sudden!?”

“Your Majesty, Archbishop!”

It was a magic worthy of the title of Grand Wizard. It didn't take long to get used to it. The commanders who shared their strategies through the telegram were about to give the order to charge. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from the top of the castle walls.

“Welcome, everyone.”

“huh?”

Adeshan raised his head. A woman in a magnificent robe was looking down at the Allied forces. She looked like a young and beautiful maiden, but the aura blooming from her shoulders was unusual.

“Thank you all for coming all the way here. I am truly amazed by your ability. Even though it is fake, I never thought you would defeat all those giants.”

The woman continued. The bewildered people listened to her without even thinking of what to say. The first to come to his senses was Adeshan, who aimed his crossbow. Archbishop Letancier smiled.

“Okay, bye now.”

It was a sly laugh. Then, the mana pillar that had been irritating the eyes since earlier and was rising above the castle was amplified dozens of times.

Hwaaaaak! At the same time, the clouds covering the sky dispersed. The Allied Forces' eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. Dozens of giant magic circles were densely decorating the sky.

“···no.”

Someone was mumbling. It was a sight that could never be forgotten once seen. I had seen the magic circles with strange patterns writhing around before.

As if to prove it, pure white giants were slowly descending, tearing through the magic circle. They had at least four wings, and at most six, and they were not artificially created fakes.

It was obvious that it had been prepared over a very long period of time. Only then did people realize that the nine fortresses were not simply built for defense, but to buy time. A desperate sigh escaped Adeshan’s lips.

“Was it hidden behind the clouds…!”

I didn't notice it at all. The sound of flapping wings echoed across the scorched earth. The gale that would uproot even trees was getting closer.

No one moved. No one raised a voice. Schlieffen, the two swordsmen, even Lorhorn, were frozen and just stared at the sky where the giants were descending.

Overwhelmed by despair, they forgot that they were even breathing. Then the first giant to descend reached out. It had four wings, but was much larger than Duaru or Vasagia.

The gathered particles placed a spear of light in his hand. The giant opened his mouth, aiming at the ground.

“Ahayutega, executes the brother.”