Chapter 150
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150
As dawn slowly broke.
“Clear.”
“Clear over here!”
“We’ve subdued them, Roen.”
As the deep blue sky gradually brightened and the first light of dawn filtered through the dense jungle rainforest, the battle against the Noble Alliance came to an end.
The result, naturally, was an overwhelming victory for the coalition formed by Silphyette and me.
With their escape route cut off and betrayed by the very allies they had trusted, the Noble Alliance crumbled swiftly, unable to mount even a semblance of proper resistance.
With a collapsed mound of earth blocking their rear, Silphyette’s defecting team in front of them, and our detached units ambushing them from both sides of the canyon—the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
“S-Stop!”
“We surrender! We’ll surrender!”
The students under the Noble Alliance were thrown into a panic by the magic and arrows raining down from the cliffs and the sudden landslide behind them. Trapped and demoralized, the Noble Alliance’s combat forces surrendered one by one without putting up a real fight.
Esetra and Yurkov, the leaders of the Noble Alliance, tried to resist as best they could even as their forces folded, but their efforts were ultimately futile. Esetra’s summoned beasts and Yurkov’s barrier magic were certainly tricky, but they were no match for the overwhelming difference in raw strength.
In the end, the Noble Alliance was completely subdued by my hand.
The students who surrendered were already being gathered, their Cubes confiscated. All that remained was to take the leader Esetra’s Cube and officially disband her team.
Grrrrr—.
“Stay still.”
I manipulated wooden vines to bind Esetra’s summoned beast, which was still baring its fangs at me.
Whimper—.
The pack of large wolves, resembling Siberian Huskies, let out piteous whines as the vines tightened around them. I also fashioned a cage-like structure from the vines to trap the pink sparrow that had been darting around me, trying to peck at my eyes.
Chirp, chirp—.
With the last of Esetra’s resisting summons neutralized, the battle was well and truly over. Silphyette approached me and bowed her head.
“You’ve worked hard, Roen.”
“What did I do? You and your team did the heavy lifting.”
All I had done was transmute the steel ingots I’d planted in the canyon beforehand to trigger the landslide and block the enemy’s retreat. The true credit for this victory belonged to Silphyette and her subordinates.
“Hah... hah...”
Bound by vines and breathing heavily, Esetra glared up at me and shouted, “You piece of trash! When did you win over Silphyette’s team? And you—how dare you betray me?!”
Esetra snarled at Silphyette, who stood beside me. Silphyette simply averted her gaze, remaining silent.
“If you have a mouth, answer me! Why did you betray me?!”
“……”
Seeing Silphyette’s visible discomfort, I answered in her stead.
“She’s not to blame. I found her weakness and exploited it. Silphyette was just a tool I used.”
“Ah, Roen, you don’t have to…”
Silphyette tried to protest, seeing me take the full weight of the blame, but I reached out and gently covered her mouth.
“What? You bastard... so you really did use some dirty trick!”
I simply shrugged at Esetra, who now wore an ‘I knew it’ expression.
“Dirty? You’re one to talk, considering you pressured Theon into a false alliance with me. What right do you have to criticize my methods?”
“……”
“I was simply more clever. This isn't a battle of good versus evil, so don't be a hypocrite.”
Just as I had backstabbed her through a secret deal with Silphyette, she had conspired with Theon to backstab me. The only difference between us was that I succeeded and she failed.
“If anything, you’re the pathetic one for trying the exact same thing and getting completely outplayed. If you’re going to play dirty, you should at least have the competence to pull it off.”
“Tch.”
Snatch—.
I took the Cube and student ID from the grimacing Esetra. Then, I looked down at her, still bound in vines, and considered my options.
‘Esetra is a decent asset, but she’d be too difficult to control.’
Her power to command summoned beasts was certainly useful. However, given the blatant hostility she displayed toward me, I couldn't afford to have her on my team. It was a similar situation to when I recruited Chepesi, but at this stage, there was no need to take the risk of bringing an unstable element into the fold. I already had plenty of capable allies.
I decided to have her eliminated.
I handed Esetra’s Cube to Silphyette.
“Here, you eliminate her yourself. You should get a significant number of points for it.”
“Me…?”
“Yes.”
After that, I called Silphyette’s teammates over one by one and had them eliminate the remaining members of the Noble Alliance. Since points were awarded for eliminating other students, this allowed Silphyette’s team—who would soon be surrendering to me—to secure a high score. It was the least I could do to reward them for their help in subduing the Noble Alliance.
Once the points were distributed, I held out my hand.
“Alright then, Silphyette. Surrender to me.”
“Yes, Roen.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Silphyette handed me her Cube.
With that, I had successfully dismantled the Noble Alliance and absorbed Silphyette’s team. The final piece of the puzzle to counter Elena’s team was now in place.
*
Elena’s Camp.
Adler came to find Elena, who was currently cooling off in a bathtub filled with chilled water.
“Lady Elena, a report. Regarding the Noble Alliance this morning and…”
“Mmm~ I assume Roen won, didn’t he?”
Elena splashed the water playfully, parting the curtain slightly. At the sight of her wrapped in a thin towel, Adler simply nodded, his expression unchanging.
“Ah. Yes, that is correct.”
“How large is Roen’s team now?”
“Including his allies and subordinates, it appears to be around 500 people.”
“And us?”
“We are approaching 1,000, but our growth has slowed. There are almost no independent students left to absorb.”
With very few small teams remaining, the consolidation of power was nearly complete. Of the students who had first arrived on this jungle island, only about fifteen hundred remained. They were now divided between our forces and Roen’s. All that was left was the final confrontation between the two powers.
Elena settled back comfortably into the tub. “Hmm, so this next battle will decide the outcome of the test. Adler, are you confident?”
“Of course.” Adler smiled, his hand gripping the sword at his waist. “If you’ll permit me, I’d like to face Miss Ciel.”
“Oh my, are you suggesting I should be the one to face Roen?”
Elena’s competitive ranking was 15th—not particularly high, considering her reputation. Specializing in healing, recovery, exorcism, and protection magic, her direct combat abilities were generally considered her weak point. She couldn't be certain of victory against Roen, whose reputation was currently skyrocketing.
The way he had fought against Ciel proved he was one of the top combatants in their year. The Steel Barrier and the endless barrage of steel spears were formidable. Even Ciel, known for her immense strength regardless of rank, had been helpless against him. While it was partly a matter of a bad elemental matchup, the martial prowess Roen had displayed was undeniable.
Adler shrugged. “Well, you don’t necessarily have to fight him yourself, Lady Elena. You could delegate that to another student. Or we could simply overwhelm him together.”
Adler’s expression shifted as he continued. “And… if you were to go all out, Lady Elena, I doubt there is anything in this world you couldn't handle on your own.”
Publicly, Elena’s combat ability wasn't considered top-tier, but Adler knew the truth.
‘If Lady Elena gets serious… not even I could stop her.’
Perhaps she was hiding her true strength and maintaining a modest rank simply to preserve her public image.
“Oh, stop joking. What power do I have?”
“……”
There was much Adler wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Well then, shall we declare war soon? I want to leave this jungle island and get some proper rest at a resort.”
Elena stretched languidly in the tub. Even with students using ice magic to cool the room, she had reached her limit. She didn't want to stay on this muggy, humid island a moment longer.
She smiled, looking out from the fortress made of Cubes.
*
Near Full Moon Island. Imperial Fleet Naval Base.
Inside the lighthouse illuminating the dark night sea.
“Yaaawn.”
Lieutenant Zvelin, on duty with the lighthouse keeper, let out a massive yawn. Keeping watch over the pitch-black sea was an incredibly tedious task. Leaning back in his chair and staring blankly at the rotating beam of light, Zvelin recalled the Union’s floating ship that had arrived at Full Moon Island a few days ago.
Apparently, the second-years were here for a summer training camp. It must be nice to be young. Zvelin reminisced about his own past.
‘I had a lot of fun back when I was at the Union, too.’
As an alumnus of Ishtal Academy, he had also come to Full Moon Island for a summer training camp years ago. He remembered a test where they used Cubes to fight between factions. It had been quite the experience.
Lost in nostalgia, Zvelin nudged the watchman dozing off beside him.
“Yuron, what class were you in at the Union?”
At Zvelin’s question, the new recruit, Yuron, snapped awake and answered stiffly.
“Sir! The 507th class, sir!”
Zvelin chuckled and began to spin a yarn. “Heh, you brat. Hey, back in my day…”
Just as they were killing time with idle chatter, the lighthouse keeper, who had seemed to be dozing with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open and shouted.
“Wait. Zvelin, I think I saw something strange out there.”
“Strange? What’s so strange? Did some pirates show up? Yuron, shine the light over there.”
“Yes, Lieutenant!”
Creeak—.
Yuron worked with the keeper to adjust the lighthouse’s beam. When the light hit the spot the keeper had indicated, they saw an unfamiliar island that had appeared out of the thick sea fog.
“An island? What the... is it a mirage?”
The three men rubbed their eyes and stared at the massive object materializing beyond the mist. But for some reason, the island seemed to be slowly drifting toward the lighthouse.
“…Increase the luminosity.”
The lighthouse beam intensified. The magical light cut through the dense fog, brightly illuminating the unknown entity. Then, the colossal form of what they had mistaken for an island was revealed.
Shwaaaa—.
A massive being rose from the dark depths, water cascading from its body like a waterfall. A monstrous creature with a face like an octopus and long tentacles hanging like a grotesque beard emerged from the fog.
An ancient mystery, a titan in the form of a kraken, and one of the Demon God’s Twelve Honored Ones: Kral of the Deep Sea.
Of course, neither the lighthouse keeper nor the watchmen could speak its name.
“Uh… uh…”
The moment they laid eyes on it, a bizarre, twisted energy invaded their minds, beginning to corrode their very sanity.
At that moment.
[KRRRRRR—!!]
The being roared.
Along with a cry that seemed to shake the fabric of space itself, an unholy torrent of mana erupted. The Imperial ships docked at the naval base began to be tossed like toys.
Ruuuumble—.
As if swept away by a tidal wave, the Imperial fleet was pushed back by the force of the roar, crashing against the docks and splintering into pieces.
“Aaargh!”
The lieutenant, the watchman, the lighthouse keeper, and all the Imperial soldiers stationed at the base clutched their ears and screamed in agony.
While everyone was trembling in pain.
Vwooom—.
Suddenly, a translucent barrier formed. The madness that had been rattling their brains subsided, and their senses returned.
“Huu, huu…”
“What in the world was that…?”
As Zvelin caught his breath and dazedly looked up, a giant sky whale floating in the dark night sky came into view. It was a floating ship dispatched from the Magic Tower.
An old man standing on the prow of the ark stood confidently before Kral. He scratched his beard with a troubled expression.
“Hmm, this is rather troublesome. For a monster that fell into slumber so long ago to awaken now… It’s the end of days, I suppose.”
Flick—.
He produced a staff he didn't normally use and offered a small smile.
“Since it’s come to this, I might as well reduce their numbers by one. Honestly… twelve is just too many, isn't it? Hahaha.”