Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Open the Door and You're Screwed
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The original plan had been a witch hunt to corner Krash.
But Taria's intervention had thrown everything completely off course.
Still, thanks to that, Rona had realized one key fact.
"Taria, you could've told me sooner you were a seed of World Erosion."
Rona was a seed of the Black Witch.
So she'd heard about it in advance from her.
There was supposedly a seed of World Erosion inside the academy, helping Krash.
Just as Crimson Garden couldn't detect the Black Witch's seeds.
The Black Witch couldn't immediately spot Crimson Garden's seeds either.
Crimson Garden's seeds usually wore necklaces openly announcing their allegiance.
But Taria had been concealing her World Erosion powers with a custom-made polo shirt collar, just in case.
Rona regretfully touched the magic tool around her own neck.
It would've been perfect if this had revealed Taria as a seed of World Erosion.
'Too bad the one I made is a fake.'
Rona's skill in crafting magic tools was undeniably genius-level.
But even she wasn't that omnipotent.
She couldn't whip up a miraculous device that detected only World Erosion seeds on the spot.
So Rona had simply made a fake sword that reacted to Mirei.
Mirei was a seed planted by the Black Witch without even realizing it herself.
Anyone clueless about magic tools would blindly trust it the moment it revealed Mirei as a seed anyway.
The problem was that this had exposed her identity to Taria.
"Talk about bad luck."
But there was one exception.
The magic tool she carried to provoke and rampage World Erosion was real.
It was born from combining her magic tool craftsmanship with the Black Witch's black magic directly.
[Black Witch, that woman. She copied my power, huh.]
Crimson Garden belatedly pieced together how Rona's sword had been made.
In the past, as part of Ixion, Crimson Garden had rampaged World Erosion to gather its power.
The Black Witch had adapted that ability to recreate black magic and produce that damn magic tool.
At that moment, Rona's magic tools sprang into action again all at once.
As Taria dodged the flying tools, Rona deliberately raised her voice loud and clear.
"Taria, can't you and I, fellow seeds of World Erosion, stop getting in each other's way?!"
Taria was in just as much trouble if her status as a seed was exposed.
She wouldn't be able to live a normal academy life in Raheln Academy anymore, at the very least.
So Rona had intentionally drawn attention and shouted.
But she noticed that Denver, the theology vice professor desperately pouring his power into blocking Mirei, showed no reaction at all.
Rona touched her own neck and frowned.
Taria had blocked sound transmission around them with magic.
'Quick on the uptake.'
True to her status as the top first-year in the magic department, Taria's response was swift.
She had this all figured out.
Crackle!
But that didn't put Taria in the advantage.
Her signature lightning magic had been sucked into Rona's lightning rod magic tool again.
Unable to use her specialty magic.
It was a fatal blow for Taria too.
Yet Taria's expression only glared at Rona.
No sign of losing her fighting spirit.
Rona pondered while freely launching her magic tools.
'What now.'
Sticking around here would just bring more vice professors and instructors, leaving her no escape.
But backing off after causing all this chaos without gaining anything didn't sit right either.
The Black Witch wanted the Ignis that Krash possessed.
So she needed at least one bargaining chip that could bring him to the negotiating table.
'A trade.'
The word used when exchanging items of value.
So what would be valuable to Krash here?
Rona's mind raced.
'Hostages are the best bet after all.'
The students gathered at Raheln Academy were all skilled in their own ways.
Kidnapping one recklessly would drag things out, which was bad for her.
She needed someone Krash cherished but could grab quickly without delay.
'Got it.'
In that instant, one person flashed in her mind.
Magic tools began whirling around her body.
She planned to slip out of the theology building just like that.
Bzzt-crackle!
It was then.
A storm of thunderbolts poured from Taria's body in an instant.
The thunder storm passed Rona and hit the theology building wall, blue currents flowing across the entire surface.
Within that electrified space, Taria slowly pushed up her glasses.
"I can hear your scheming all the way over here."
Her clothes and hair whipped in the currents flowing from her body.
Chills!
Even to Rona, the sight looked incredibly dangerous.
"...How?"
Rona's eyes widened.
Taria was freely wielding lightning magic.
The lightning rod tool should have absorbed all of it.
She couldn't understand how Taria was unscathed.
"Thinking you can restrain me with just one magic tool seems a bit naive, don't you think?"
At that moment, Rona spotted the lightning rod tool.
Charred black, it was clearly non-functional at a glance.
How much lightning magic had she poured into it during that short time to wreck it like that?
'It could've swallowed a decent amount of lightning magic for a whole week.'
Rona newly realized what the top first-year magic department student at Raheln Academy really was.
The pinnacle among those aiming for the peak of magic.
Humans forged by talent operated outside basic common sense.
Crackle!
While Rona was flustered, fiercer currents surged from Taria.
Her entire body was enveloped in lightning magic.
The electricity was so intense it made her hair shimmer white and blue.
Thunder King.
The form that best suited the moniker she'd later be known by.
"I've gotta deal with rampaging Mirei quick, and I'm feeling a bit embarrassed for not noticing this sooner myself?"
She raised her right hand.
Bzzt-crackle!
A stealthily approaching magic tool was struck by lightning magic and charred black.
Smashed before it could activate.
As Rona swallowed involuntarily at the sight.
"Let's end this quick."
Taria's figure scattered.
By the time Rona spotted her, it was too late.
Crack!
"Kyaaak!"
The impact and thunder storm to her solar plexus swallowed Rona in an instant.
Her consciousness flickered as she arched like the letter Gi and soared into the air.
But the blows didn't stop there.
The moment she was airborne, a fist came crashing down from above onto her back.
Boom!
Having taken two hits in a flash, Rona slammed into the floor.
The following currents wracked her body.
The magic tools hurriedly moved to restrain Taria.
But spheres of charge that had formed around Taria blocked them all.
Strong.
Taria, the top first-year magic student, was overwhelming them completely.
Rona swallowed a groan from Taria's assault.
At this rate, she'd lose.
She had to pull out everything she had right now.
Judging so, she gritted her teeth hard.
A small magic tool inside her activated.
Ruuuumble!
Taria's descending fist was blocked by something.
Amid the sparking explosion, Taria's eyes narrowed.
There, tiny black grains had gathered into a sword.
The aura from that sword was unmistakably World Erosion power.
Especially since it blocked Taria's lightning-clad fist.
And Rona's appearance had changed too.
Tiny grains cloaking her body made her look clad in pitch-black armor.
The magic tool born from the black magic Rona had researched and crafted her whole life, enhanced by the Black Witch's black magic.
Jevillairon.
Tens of millions of tiny grains, each a magic tool.
With Jevillairon covering even her face, Rona forced a smile.
"See you later."
The moment she said it, a blinding flash erupted from her, sweeping the surroundings.
The unexpected glare was so intense even Taria had to squeeze her eyes shut and retreat.
Even so, she hurriedly unleashed lightning magic.
Bzzt-crackle!
As the sound of lightning striking echoed, Taria quickly recovered her vision.
By the time she looked around, Rona was gone.
"Damn it!"
Cursing, she looked up to see the theology building entrance smashed.
She'd deliberately sealed the whole building with lightning magic.
Yet Rona had brute-forced her way out.
Taria felt the true power of the Jevillairon she'd created.
'She got away.'
With that thought, Taria ground her teeth and moved to chase.
Thud, boom, boom!
But then, the sounds of rampaging Mirei came from behind.
Beyond the holy barrier, black octopus tentacles pounded madly at it.
The trembling barrier looked precarious.
Below it, Denver sweated bullets and bled from his nose, desperately holding back Mirei's rampage.
The Black Witch's black octopus tentacles were converting even Mirei's holy power into World Erosion force.
Mirei had risen to cardinal at a young age, after all.
Even so, a mere high priest like Denver alone couldn't hold it.
At this rate, he'd fall before other professors or vice professors arrived.
Taria hesitated for a split second.
Leaving Denver like this would lead to him getting killed by Mirei, with horrific consequences.
And Mirei would be beyond saving then too.
Should she help him first?
Or chase Rona?
[Taria, block the cardinal kid first.]
As her mind raced, Crimson Garden's voice resounded.
[Looks like that guy's finally come down.]
Hearing that, Taria let out a long sigh.
"Haa, what a shameful senior I am to my junior."
After all her bold claims, she'd messed it up like this.
Taria sighed in embarrassment and turned.
Lightning erupted from her body once more.
Fine, she'd do what she could.
"Mirei, this is gonna hurt."
Subdue Mirei.
＊ ＊ ＊
Amid the chaos at Raheln Academy from the theology building disturbance.
Rona was sprinting through it.
Her body creaked all over.
She'd taken excessive damage from Taria's attacks; her whole body was a mess.
If she hadn't prepared her trump card Jevillairon, she'd have been done right there.
"Haa, haa."
Rona pressed against a wall, catching her breath.
Vice professors were rushing around nearby.
Had word of her being a World Erosion seed already spread?
Unclear, but she moved as stealthily as possible to avoid detection.
With things this messed up, it was down to her final plan.
She'd grab a suitable hostage as originally intended and escape.
With the Black Witch's help, getaway would be easy.
Thinking so, the place she infiltrated was none other than the men's dorm.
With students still in class, it was conveniently empty.
Instead, some caretakers and attendants had gathered outside in alarm at the commotion.
Rona slipped past their eyes, entering through a window.
Once inside, she placed her hand on the wall.
Part of the Jevillairon that had vanished from her face flowed into the wall.
She held her breath, waiting there.
Soon, her eyes gleamed.
'Found her.'
She immediately raised her hand.
A dagger rose from her grip, shining.
Rona hurled it without hesitation toward a spot on the ceiling.
Thud!
The dagger pierced straight through without leaving a mark.
The moment she confirmed it and closed her eyes.
When her eyes opened, it was inside a certain room.
That room was none other than Krash's.
Beyond the closed door.
"Hmm~ hm♪"
Someone humming while brewing tea.
It was Alicia's voice, enjoying her tea party after tidying the room spotless as always.
The ordinary girl hadn't noticed the intruder in Krash's room at all.
Rona stepped forward and placed her hand on the doorknob.
Alicia was Krash's personal maid.
From gathered intel, he quite doted on her.
He'd never sit still if Alicia was kidnapped.
So as Rona reached to open the door and abduct her.
"You'd better not open that door."
It was then.
Rona felt chills at the voice from behind.
Freezing in place, she finally sensed a presence.
A boy sat there.
Under dark blue hair.
Bandages wrapped his scarred, festering hand; he lightly touched his fingertips.
And as he slowly lowered his hand, his blue eyes shone sharply.
"Open it, and you won't be able to handle what comes next."
Direct descendant of the Valheim family, top second-year in the martial department.
Krash Valheim.
He, who'd left for training, was there.