Chapter 145: Awakening 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Awakening 2
Croa Academy, the continent's premier educational institution.
Some might loathe admitting it, but no one could deny the fact.
There were many reasons why Croa Academy was hailed as the best. Its facilities were incomparably superior to any other academy, its professors were all world-renowned, and its graduates consistently achieved unparalleled success.
But the most significant reason of all was its curriculum.
Unlike other academies that focused solely on a single discipline—be it swordsmanship, magic, or Sacred Power—Croa Academy taught a variety of subjects that made people wonder, 'They even teach this?'
Swordsmanship, magic, and Sacred Power were a given, but they also covered curses, sorcery, monster hunting, magic tool crafting, and even Spirit Arts.
"In truth, no one in this academy earns a paycheck as easily as I do."
The students burst into small fits of laughter at the professor's remark.
The professor teaching Spirit Arts was one of the most popular figures at Croa Academy. He was young, pleasant, and always spoke formally to his students. Of course, his handsome features played a significant part in that popularity as well.
"Then again, no place other than Croa Academy would hire a spiritist as a professor in the first place."
The Spirit Arts professor usually shared a short anecdote before starting his lecture.
"What do you all think is the most important thing for a spiritist?"
"Spirit Affinity!" the students shouted in unison.
"Correct. Spirit Affinity. We all know the term, but while we understand the concept, no one truly knows its exact nature."
The professor continued, "For example," as he paced the room.
"When you think of magic, the Adelian family comes to mind. For swordsmanship, it's the Freya family. However, while there are individuals who have become famous as spiritists, there are no famous 'spirit families.' That is because Spirit Affinity is not something passed down through blood."
As the professor finished, a student raised their hand.
"Professor, has nothing been discovered about Spirit Affinity until now?"
"That's a great question. Since ancient times, many spiritists have challenged this mystery and studied it. What exactly is Spirit Affinity? Is it determined at birth? If so, what about those whose affinity grows later in life? Or is even that potential for growth predetermined at birth?"
The professor smiled as he looked at the now-captivated students.
"As you all know, spirits are beings closest to nature. Thus, early spiritists hypothesized that those living in nature would have higher Spirit Affinity. However, after comparing spiritists from the capital with those from the countryside, that hypothesis was proven wrong."
"Some also hypothesized that spirits are drawn to those with kind hearts, but since there have been several spiritists who plunged the world into chaos, that theory was also debunked."
"Professor, then what is Spirit Affinity?"
"I don't know either."
"What kind of answer is that?!"
The professor laughed at the children's reaction.
"That's why I have high expectations for all of you. I hope you grow well and learn the truths that I don't know, so that I may grow alongside you. Now, let's begin the actual lesson. If I keep slacking off like this, I might actually get fired."
* * *
The swirling wind transformed into dozens of blade-like shapes.
The wind blades flew toward Betzdo, looking as if they would shred anything in their path.
"You think you can kill me with such a pathetic level of skill?!"
The fierce wind blades only managed to slice through the numerous skeletons erupting from the ground; they failed to reach Betzdo.
"I'll take special care in killing you and turning you into a skeleton. You'll crawl at my feet for eternity!"
A long-armed skeleton lunged toward Sepia. Its arms stretched nearly thirty meters, closing in rapidly, but a mass of water materialized in mid-air and blocked its reach.
An attack from a skeleton firing its ribs like arrows was neutralized by fire, and a skeleton attacking with its long tongue was blocked once again by water.
Countless other skeletons launched a variety of attacks at Sepia, but she parried, blocked, or evaded every single one.
To an outsider, these bizarre attacks might have been shocking, but to Sepia, they were nothing new. In fact, she had seen them so many times she was sick of them.
-By the way, Pushover, are the skeletons' attacks strong enough to kill in one hit?
-Huh? No. I mean, maybe if you take a direct hit. But if they just graze you, it'll probably just be a small scratch.
-What! Then why did you make me start over from the beginning every time I got even a tiny scratch? I thought I was in serious danger!
-Well, obviously, it's because I'd be sad if you got hurt, Miss Sepia.
-W-What?
-Ah! Miss Sepia, you're distracted. That means we're starting over from the beginning!
-Hey! How am I supposed to react when you attack at a time like that!
A small smile played on Sepia's lips as she recalled the memory.
"You dare smile while facing me?"
However, the moment she looked at Betzdo, the smile vanished, replaced by a gaze filled with intense fury.
"I wasn't smiling because of you. I have an appointment later, so just hurry up and die."
As soon as Sepia finished speaking, the ground beneath Betzdo's feet sharpened into a spike, thrusting upward toward his throat.
Betzdo had lived for centuries and had fought spiritists before, so he had been cautious, expecting such an attack.
Zzzzt.
However, his reaction was delayed by the lingering effects of the lightning he had taken from Chirpy earlier. As a result—
"Gah!"
He allowed the blow to land.
Sepia moved to close the distance as Betzdo staggered, but she remembered something and backed away instead.
-You must never lose your cool. Your opponent is a necromancer who controls countless skeletons. If you get emotional and focus only on him, you'll be in danger. Don't just look at the enemy; look at the entire field.
A forest of bone spikes erupted from the spot where Sepia had been standing just a moment ago.
-That said, you shouldn't stay still for too long. Your strengths are your contracts with spirits of all elements and your knowledge of the opponent. You must attack in as many different ways as possible so the enemy doesn't have time to analyze you.
Sepia unleashed a barrage of diverse attacks from a distance, giving Betzdo no time to respond.
She used the Earth Spirit to disrupt his balance.
She used the Wind Spirit to obscure his vision.
She used the Water Spirit to block his escape routes.
And she used the Fire Spirit to strike.
Of course, the other skeletons weren't just standing by while their master was being pummeled, but Chirpy took care of any skeletons attempting to attack Sepia from the sky.
Even though Betzdo was less intelligent than other necromancers, he could tell by now—his reinforcements weren't coming.
'Did this girl's comrades kill them? Or did that old man Mordor step in himself?'
Naturally, his mind began to race, creating openings. Sepia's attacks began to land on Betzdo with increasing frequency.
'No, Katsudo is nearby anyway. Once Katsudo arrives, I can kill this girl and that annoying old man Mordor together.'
As Sepia poured out her attacks and Betzdo—unaware that Mordor was already dead—conserved his strength and focused on defense while waiting for Katsudo, they both saw it.
A massive golem appeared in the distance.
The distance between where Loki and Katsudo were fighting and where Sepia and Betzdo were clashing was considerable, but five golems over ten meters tall falling from the sky simultaneously was impossible to miss.
Sepia recognized those golems instantly.
After all, it wasn't her first time seeing them.
And she knew exactly why those golems were here instead of at the Academy.
"Ahahaha."
Though she had been calm yet half-consumed by a desire for revenge just moments ago, Sepia couldn't help but laugh.
He really is something else.
How did he even think of bringing those golems here?
Meanwhile, Katsudo—or rather, Betzdo—didn't know what the golems were, but he recognized the energy emanating from that direction.
'That energy... Katsudo? If that guy is using his protective shield, it means things are dangerous.'
The reason Betzdo had been fighting defensively against Sepia wasn't because she was a threat.
It was because of Mordor's presence.
He was saving his strength to hold out until Katsudo arrived.
'But what if this girl is just bait?'
What if that old man Mordor's target wasn't him, but Katsudo?
Betzdo, who would never have guessed that Loki had summoned the golems, mistakenly assumed that Mordor had come prepared with a grand scheme.
'I have to get to Katsudo quickly!'
Sepia attacked Betzdo again using all her spirits, but black fire erupted from the hands of the man who had only been blocking or dodging until now.
The black fire surged forward, devouring the attacks of all the spirits as it rushed toward Sepia.
Sepia tried to block it using the Water Spirit, but sensing instinctively that it couldn't be stopped, she threw herself to the side.
She tumbled across the dirt, but it was the right call.
The black fire struck a tree behind her, and the tree vanished into ash in an instant.
'The atmosphere is different than before.'
Sepia stared at Betzdo, a cold sweat breaking out.
"Did you really think I was weaker than you just because I took a few hits? I was only concerned about that old man Mordor. You are nothing. Now, I shall kill you in earnest."