Academy’s Genius Swordsman

#293

【Disappear!】

Navardo let out the breath he had been holding. A tidal wave of fire swept across the sky. Abel's voice echoed through the crimson flames.

“You know that won’t work.”

Choaaaak! The wall of flames split and Abel jumped out. He was covered in the primordial fire, but other than a little singed hair, he was unharmed. Abel’s sword energy shot through the wind and passed by Navardoze’s cheek.

【Ugh···!】

The fight between the two took place at the edge of a white land where nothing existed. Their skills were so equal that there was no way to determine who would win. He raised his eyebrows as he was about to counterattack.

“hmm?”

Navardo's figure was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, her voice rang out from above.

“this.”

Abel, realizing his mistake, raised his head. The giant hand was already right in front of his nose. Navardoze's hand slammed down on him. Kwaaaaang! His body fell with a loud noise and hit the ground.

“This won’t work.”

Abel muttered as he lay there. The blow was considerable. It was so deep that the hole he had penetrated through seemed as small as a fingernail.

As expected, Navardo was too strong. Even though I was wearing the protection of the stars, my back was aching. If I continued like this, I thought I might really lose.

“···I can’t help it.”

Although he didn't feel like it, he felt he had to resort to desperate measures. With that in mind, Abel got up.

****

“Fuck, get over it at any cost!”

“Blood, bring me more blood!”

The final charge order was given. Shouts mixed with curses could be heard from all directions. The Allied forces, freed from fear, were mobilizing all their might to attack the headquarters.

Massive battering rams pounded the gates, ladders and siege towers advanced slowly, and men prepared for the final battle by drinking the diluted liquid made from Ronan's blood or applying it to their weapons.

“Go over it! Just go over it!”

“We must capture the castle before Mage Asel falls!”

Someone shouted. The protection of the stars still covered the sky. The defensive shield that Asel had set up with determination was barely able to block the giants’ barrage. His small body was absorbing the mana of all the magicians.

“Ugh···uuuu···!”

Blood was flowing down Asher's small lips. No matter how much support he was receiving, there was a clear limit. He concentrated his mind as if he was walking on a blade, and spoke as if he was squeezing it out.

“Hurry up… and look around!”

(Don't stop! Find the archbishops and stop the ritual! We must stop the giants from coming down!)

At the same time, Adeshan's telegram rang out. The most urgent thing was not to make the situation worse. She remembered Tieria's words that the descent ritual was in progress. It was most likely taking place inside the castle.

'We must first capture the castle and fight the giants. If we can just hold out until Lord Navardoze or Ronan returns…!'

They had to buy time by taking the enemy's foothold. Fortunately, the siege itself was going in the Allied Forces' favor. The followers of Nebula Clazie, who had not expected the situation to develop this way, were moving busily.

“These guys, they just won’t give up…!”

“Get out of here! Don’t let them climb the walls!”

In fact, if you take away the giants, it was actually the sect that was lacking in power. The leader had gone somewhere with the Doge of Navarre, and the archbishops, who were the next in line, were mostly busy with the descent ritual.

Of course, the side defending the north was still at an advantage. The believers defending the north were preparing magic to destroy the siege tower. Kung! Kung! Dozens of shadows rose from below and landed on the castle walls. The first shadow to rise opened its mouth.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Okay, Zaifa!”

The believers were shocked. In the hand of the black weretiger was a sword covered in aura. Crack! Before they could say anything, the slash cut the believers' bodies to pieces. Marya, who was standing behind, let out a sigh.

“It really came up. I don’t know anymore.”

“Hahaha, isn’t this side more glorious?”

Braum chuckled. Thanks to the shadow mana dispelling his fear, he was able to regain his hearty laughter. Schlieffen, who had been looking around, rushed forward.

“I will save this sheep and come back.”

“Shoo, Schlieffen!”

Marja called, but Schlieffen did not answer. He ran deep into the pale castle without looking back. Whoosh! The screams of the believers echoed along with the sound of the wind. Zaifa blurted out, having swept away all the enemies in the area.

“Kill them all.”

“Wow!”

With those words, the people who had climbed up the wall rushed in. They were a temporary special force organized to block the consciousness and save Iril. However, if you ask whether they could turn the situation around, that was not the case. Crap! Blood spurted out from the middle of the Allied Forces camp.

“Oh my···!”

The wizard who was hit staggered. Suddenly, something seemed to jump out from the wall, and a hole was made in his chest. He was dispatched from the Full Moon Tower and was supporting Asel with other wizards.

Thud. He finally got down on his knees and reached out his hand to the woman in front of him.

“Give it back…”

“Who would stand by and watch such an impudent sight?”

Archbishop Tieria laughed. She held the heart of the wizard from earlier in her hands. Finally, the wizard, who had lost his breath, fell to the floor. Tieria took a bite of the heart as if it were an apple and opened his mouth.

“Abandon hope. This is your final destination.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

The soldiers rushed in at once. However, Tieria was the archbishop who boasted the strongest fighting power along with Phantasion. Every time she swung her claws, the severed limbs flew into the air.

“Whoaaaa!”

“Hey, save me!”

“Ahahahaha! This is it!”

Tieria burst into mad laughter. The Allied Forces, who were focused solely on capturing the castle, had no time to pay attention to her. Asel's body swayed every time a wizard died.

“Ugh.”

Now, the limit was really nearing. Maintaining the protection of the stars consumed a great deal of mana. The giants were still bombing, and outside, the servants summoned from the feathers were glowing and beating the shield.

In the meantime, the supply source was disappearing, so it was really unbearable. Just as Tieria was about to collect the thirteenth wizard's heart, Kaaang! Something sharp struck her claws hard.

“Oh, you’re doing a good job.”

Tieria's eyes widened. She landed on her back, spinning around, and looked at the person blocking her way. Nabirose, who had aimed the tip of her sword at Tieria, opened her mouth.

“Do not disturb my disciple.”

“What if you don’t like it?”

Tieria laughed. Instead of answering, Nabirose ran away, kicking the ground. Kaaaaang-! A sharp metallic sound erupted from the spot where the two women had clashed. Asel, who had somehow regained his energy, was trying to concentrate again. A familiar voice echoed from the sky.

“Are you guys having fun?”

“···what?”

Adeshan's face hardened. He heard a voice that he clearly should not have heard unless his ears were malfunctioning. He felt his breathing quicken.

“no way···.”

She raised her head in the direction of the voice. In the empty sky, only the magic circle that summoned the giants was flashing.

Yes, I misheard. It was while Adeshan was catching his breath that he was chanting. Kwajangchang!! The space in the middle of the sky shattered and a man jumped out. The believers who were desperately fighting a defensive battle erupted in cheers.

“Church, Church Master!!”

“The leader has returned!”

The atmosphere completely reversed. The shocked Allied forces all raised their heads. The man coming down through the wind was clearly Abel, the leader of Nebula Clazie.

“What, you’re not finished yet?”

Thud! He landed on the wall and clicked his tongue. The faces of the Allied soldiers turned pale.

“What? A cult leader?”

“I, Lord Navardoze···?”

Only Abel was able to escape the dimensional gate. Navardoze was nowhere to be seen. They were frozen in shock. Bam! Abel, who was looking around, snapped his fingers.

“Don’t hurry. There’s no time to waste here.”

Choaaaak! At that moment, a curtain of bizarre colors began to rise up along the outskirts of the headquarters. The rising barrier creaked and bounced off the soldiers and siege towers that were climbing the walls. Adeshan let out a scream of despair.

“Oh, no!”

However, the new star's protection had already completely covered the castle. The operation that was thought to be the last one had all gone down the drain. The personnel who had already entered the castle were isolated.

He had to quickly plan his strategy again, but Abel didn't give him time to do so. He drew his sword without saying a word and swung his sword at the shield protecting the Allied forces.

Kwaaaaang! The shield shattered as soon as the sword energy hit. Asel's already precarious shield was no longer able to block the leader's attack.

“Kahak···!”

A clot of blood spurted out of Axel's mouth. He eventually collapsed on the floor, unable to bear the shock. Orsay, who saw this from above, gritted his teeth.

【Damn it, wizard!】

He wanted to save him right away, but he didn't have the time. Five giants were already chasing him. Orsay was using acrobatics and even blinking to avoid the spear of light.

Kwaaang! The spears that Lorhorn had not been able to throw away began to rain down on the Allied forces again. Every time a pillar of light rose, hundreds of death cries echoed.

“Mom, everyone run away!”

“I give orders… kekeke!”

The servant horses that had been lurking outside the barrier also rushed in as if they had been waiting. Abel, who was carrying a load on his back, turned his gaze to Adeshan.

“You’re the commander. You still look young, but you’ve managed to get this far.”

“Ah···ahhh···.”

Adeshan did not answer. It would have been more accurate to say that he could not. Now there was no way to defend against the giants. The castle could not be taken, and the carts containing Ronan's blood were completely destroyed.

Even though I had my eyes open, I couldn't see anything. Despair was quickly creeping in where hope had disappeared. Abel clicked his tongue and blurted out.

“I told you, it would all be useless.”

“···shut up.”

Adeshan, who had been dumbfounded, reached out to the crossbow hanging on her back. It was not an action that she thought about or did out of the ordinary. Only the will to do something remained and moved her.

“Stop it. Face your end calmly.”

Abel shook his head. But Adeshan finally pulled the trigger. Bang! The crossbow aimed for Abel’s forehead was torn apart in midair. Cutting down a single crossbow was no easy task for Abel. Adeshan reloaded the crossbow with trembling hands.

“You have done enough. Don’t be afraid and accept it. This will make us better.”

“I told you to shut up···!”

Kang! Adeshan fired again, but Abel cut off the crossbow with one swing of his sword. Just as she was about to reload, a spear of light landed nearby. Kwaaaaang! Adeshan was thrown by the aftershock of the explosion and rolled on the ground.

“Ugh!”

“That’s too bad.”

Abel turned his back. Adeshan was getting up, squirming, but Abel had no intention of watching it through to the end. It took a while, but it was finally over. It was something that Navardoze could deal with little by little.

“Okay… then what should we do first?”

Abel muttered. Iril's powers were not yet fully developed, so he could not send the giants out into the world. He did not want people to die in pain.

“Yeah. I guess I have to catch some cockroaches.”

He soon reached a conclusion and pulled the hilt of his sword. Since the enemies outside would be taken care of by the giants anyway, he thought he could just catch and kill the idiots who entered the castle. While waiting for 'that person' to descend, Abel was about to take a step.

Choaaaak-! A sound like a million sheets of paper being ripped at the same time echoed across the sky.

“what?”

He had never heard such a sound. Abel turned around and his eyes widened. The space in the middle of the group of giants was torn apart and something huge was appearing. For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the sky. Adeshan, who barely raised his head, narrowed his eyebrows.

“That is···?”

A shadow was cast over the battlefield. The mass that tore through space took on a strange, indescribable shape, a flower made of rock and metal. Or perhaps it was a whale with such flowers clinging to it.

What was equally impressive was its unrealistic size. If a mountain were pulled out like that, would it look like that? Everyone was confused. Kwaaaaah! Suddenly, the mass flashed and dozens of red rays shot out toward the giants standing on the top, bottom, left, and right.

“What···!”

People gasped. It happened in an instant. The beam did not penetrate the star's protection, but it did blast the giants far away. Some of the giants below were pushed to the ground and slammed into the ground.

“What is that?”

Abel frowned. He had seen something like that somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. The giants, who had changed their targets, threw their spears at the unidentified mass.

Kwakwakwakwang! The spear of light hit every single one of them, but the lump was not damaged. The same shield they used covered the lump. Then, a small shadow shot out from the lump. Abel's eyes widened.

“no way···!”

“It’s not even a disease. Those fucking kids.”

Ronan looked around and cursed. He saw the battlefield turning into hell in real time. The huge pits dug everywhere reminded him of his past life.

However, it seemed that it was not too late, as there were still many troops left. He jumped out at the same time as Dynhar leaped through space. The winged bald heads were staring blankly at Ronan, who had suddenly appeared.

“Huh?”

In the meantime, Ronan's gaze fell on a giant. He had expected to be fighting giants, but he had never expected this kid to be there. One corner of Ronan's mouth went up.

“It’s been a while, you little shit.”

“You···?”

Ahayute twitched his eyebrows. He clearly remembered seeing the human before him. He soon realized that this was the human who had killed Duaru.

“Who killed Duaru?”

“Oh, you remember?”

“What···.”

Ronan raised his eyebrows. The giants who shared his senses reacted simultaneously. The surrounding photons began to gather in their hands. The first to attack was the closest one, Ahayute. Six lances of light formed around him, moving on their own.

“You who go against His will, disappear.”

“Fuck it.”

Ahayute swung his spear. Ronan, who had raised his middle finger, twisted his body. Six spears of light stabbed at the same time from different angles, but none of them reached Ronan. He remembered the habits of all the opponents he had fought once.

Of course, it wasn't just because of past experiences. His body, now free of the curse, was much different than before. Ahayute's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

『This is impossible···!』

The spears doubled in number. This time, twelve spears flew at Ronan, but the result was the same. Ronan, who easily destroyed the sword path, dug deep into it.

Ahayute's torso was completely empty. Ronan pulled the hilt of his sword. Memories of his past life flashed through the elongated time.

A childhood spent living like a scoundrel, a punishment unit where I was captured after killing a nobleman, days spent soaked in blood and alcohol, and fellow punishment soldiers who would kill me as soon as they got close to me.

The three giants who suddenly descended, the people who died, the sister who disappeared along with her hometown Nimbert. The Lorhorn and Navardoze who chose to become the same person, the glorious end of the Imperial Swordsman Schlieffen who ultimately failed to achieve his goal. The feeling of General Adeshan's lips, vivid even after many years.

Looking back now, many things have changed. There were things here that I couldn't protect back then. Adeshan, who glanced down, was looking this way as if he had lost his mind. She met Ronan's eyes and muttered softly.

“Ronan.”

Ronan didn't answer. Judging from his bruises, he must have suffered a lot. He smiled faintly and looked back at Ahayute. His bald head, which had grown slow, still didn't recognize the sword strike.

Now that I think about it, this kid also gave me some motivation. Yeah, what did he say? I remember it clearly.

-It's a blessing for us. You wasted your talent in the mud.

-If you had refined yourself, you would have become a huge stumbling block blocking our long-cherished wish.

“under.”

Ronan laughed. Now that I think about it, it was all true. In a way, it may have been that bald man who had fixed my rotten mindset.

I guess I should at least say thank you. Ronan, who was holding the hilt of his sword, swung his sword horizontally. La Mancha, which was imbued with the spirit of the holy sword, advanced in a brisk arc. Only then did Ahayute notice Ronan’s approach and let out a look of bewilderment.

『What···.』

I tried to do something in a hurry, but the decision was already made. It didn’t take long to settle the past. The blade slid smoothly across Ahayute’s throat. Clap! His head, which had risen with blue blood, fell in a parabolic arc.