Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: On the Way to See the Heavenly Emperor
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Raheln Academy Inter-Squad Tournament, Round 1.
Raheln Academy's student squad tournament was pure brutality incarnate.
The squads, being the inaugural event, threw themselves into the fray with desperate ferocity, determined to claim victory at any cost.
As a result, the fighting dragged on savagely right up until sunset.
And amid it all, three figures shone the brightest.
The first was Sword Saint Charlotte Valheim.
She had stormed the White Sheep Squad alone, decimating their key members.
After her battle with Sigrin, she reemerged and smashed every squad in her path.
The sight was more than enough to reignite the fear everyone felt toward her.
The next was the Empire's Third Princess, Sigrin Epania.
As captain of the White Sheep Squad, she led her ambushed team through the chaos.
Sigrin showed exactly what it meant to bear the bloodline of the White Dragon.
She unleashed utterly overwhelming power.
With every swing of her sword came blasts of frigid air and the rising aura of the White Dragon.
The students fell helplessly before her.
Those who had begun doubting her true prowess were convinced that day.
She was the only one in Raheln Academy who could stand toe-to-toe with Charlotte.
As the Lion Squad and White Sheep Squad both rose in prominence during the tournament...
Someone else gained notoriety for an entirely different reason.
None other than the one who stole the most bracelets during the event.
Top graduate of the second-year freshmen class.
Krash Valheim.
Even as the first-years flaunted their full might and rampaged across the field...
This one outdid them all.
Even the renowned student squad captains were powerless before Krash.
Wherever he appeared, students flew through the air, and black flames roiled.
Those who had some inkling of Krash's strength came to a full realization during this tournament.
Krash Valheim was a force beyond even the second-years—not to mention the first-years.
Thus, as the three stars of the tournament were hailed...
The results were announced.
The battles had been such a chaotic mess that no student knew the exact outcome.
Amid the anticipation of all the students...
Durandal ascended the platform.
He gazed out at the wreckage of Raheln Academy and grinned.
"Haha, you all really went all out, didn't you?"
Raheln Academy was already being restored at a rapid pace by the magic department professors and assistants.
Given how wildly the students had rampaged, the assistants' faces were understandably grim.
They faced an all-nighter of repairs ahead.
Durandal, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh.
As far as he was concerned, the students had fought splendidly.
"Now, I'll announce the results."
And so he revealed the tournament outcomes.
"Fifth place: Scales Squad and Maiden Squad alliance."
The Scales Squad, led by the youngest cardinal Mirey Beakis and her nuns.
Everyone nodded in agreement at the mention of the pair.
The theology students, holy knights, and nuns alongside Mirey Beakis made for a formidable combination.
"Fourth place: Heavenly Bow Squad and Twins Squad alliance."
Next came the Heavenly Bow Squad, led by first-year magic department top graduate Taria Valles, and the Twins Squad under Anix Graiza.
Both squads had performed admirably with mid-tournament interventions but faltered in defending their bracelets.
"We got done in."
Taria scratched her cheek ruefully.
Anix, standing beside her, gave a wry smile as well.
The one who stole their bracelets was none other than Haring.
He had snuck in using Invisibility and snatched them during a lapse in vigilance.
"Wonder who she takes after. She's got some slick thieving skills."
Taria joked as she glanced toward Haring and Krash.
Haring was basking in Krash's praise for a job well done.
Seeing Haring's smug pride somehow deflated Taria too.
She hadn't been all that invested in her squad's victory anyway.
She shrugged it off as a good laugh.
"Third place: Golden Ox Squad."
A murmur rippled through the students at the third-place announcement.
The Golden Ox Squad was mainly literature department students.
They were naturally outmatched in combat compared to the others.
All eyes turned to their captain, Persona Madin.
The first-year literature department top graduate, whose instincts alone made him exceptional.
He had leveraged those instincts masterfully once again.
Amid the focused gazes, he shrugged leisurely.
Just as he had said from the start, they only intervened midway.
Considering that his vice-captain, Aering from literature, had lost all their bracelets in the end...
It highlighted just how tough it was to hold the top spot in literature.
"And second place..."
Tension filled the students' eyes at the mention of second.
Announcing second effectively decided first as well.
The top contenders were obviously the Lion Squad or the White Sheep Squad alliance.
The White Sheep Squad had taken heavy hits, but they recovered and aggressively stole bracelets right up to the end.
They had amassed nearly as many as the Lion Squad.
One by one, the students held their breath.
Their eyes locked on Durandal, who was well aware of it.
In that tense moment...
Durandal's lips finally parted.
"Second place is..."
Durandal alternated glances between White Sheep Squad captain Sigrin and Lion Squad captain Charlotte.
"White Sheep Squad, Giant Crab Squad, and Centaur Squad alliance."
The moment the announcement dropped, Sigrin's eyes began to glaze over.
The White Sheep Squad had secured a hefty number of bracelets from the rear.
She had been confident of victory.
Yet they lost.
Sigrin stared blankly in disbelief.
The faces behind her in the White Sheep alliance hardened as well.
Only Mayri stood tall, chin high.
Even with Krash and others targeting her squad first, she had defended her bracelet to the very end.
Of course, in truth, Krash had returned it as a favor for her help.
But she kept that to herself and stood proudly.
"And first place goes to the Lion Squad."
The instant Durandal confirmed first place, cheers erupted from the Lion Squad.
"We won! We won!"
"Victory for the Lion Squad!"
The Three Lights Trio and first-years were especially thrilled.
They had struggled fiercely against the White Sheep alliance.
Unlike the second-years...
The first-years knew each other's strengths and weaknesses intimately after a year at the academy.
Their clashes had been utter chaos.
"Lion Squad student captain Charlotte Valheim, please come up to the platform."
At Durandal's call, Charlotte stepped forward.
As she ascended, all eyes converged on her.
Her ink-blue hair swayed with each confident stride, as always.
Durandal handed her a certificate and a medal.
"This is the prize for first place in the student squad tournament."
The gold medal bore the Lion Squad emblem and the words "1st Place."
"Thank you."
Charlotte offered her thanks and promptly descended.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing, she hung the medal around Krash's neck.
"You collected the most bracelets, little brother. Here, it's yours."
Handing out the squad's collective prize like this might be questionable.
But knowing Charlotte's personality, Krash just accepted it.
"Everyone fought well. Benefits will be awarded based on ranking, so captains, stay tuned for further notices."
And with that, Raheln Academy's first student squad tournament concluded.
＊ ＊ ＊
As the excitement from the tournament began to fade...
Winter had arrived before anyone knew it.
Cold winds whipped fiercely, stripping the evergreen leaves from the world tree capital.
With winter's chill biting deep, students cut back on training compared to before.
Most took the season as a time for rest.
Yet one person burned even hotter because of the winter.
Krash, none other.
Amid the razor-sharp cold winds howling fiercely...
Krash stood motionless, eyes closed.
A sweltering heat radiated from him, banishing any trace of winter's bite.
The source was none other than Erosion Annihilation Flames.
He was exploiting the winter advantage to forcibly push the limits of his Erosion Annihilation Flames.
[You can't rely on Moon Yin Physique and Frozen Jaw forever.]
Crimson Garden's words rang out, and Krash affirmed them.
As she said, his Erosion Annihilation Flames now output far more than before, making Moon Yin Physique and Frozen Jaw insufficient to handle the strain.
'To raise Erosion Annihilation Flames' output further, I need one more trick.'
Reducing bodily overload even slightly would allow higher output.
He needed another means to mitigate that overload.
And Krash had one in mind.
"It should be about time for it to arrive."
Krash dialed back the heat emanating from his body and lightly stretched his arms.
Since the tournament, he had focused solely on Erosion Annihilation Flames training.
His body felt a bit stiff.
'Maybe a light spar...'
As Krash pondered this...
He sensed an approaching presence and looked up.
There stood familiar long black hair.
Beneath it, a woman hiding her face, her voluptuous figure evident even under winter clothes.
Yet her body huddled against the cold.
"K-Krash, sir."
The stammering voice belonged to Mary Diana.
Once called the Divine Spear.
Now utterly timid, she beamed brightly upon meeting Krash's eyes.
"Mary, long time no see."
"Y-Yes! It's been too long!"
Mary had been training solo more often lately, making sightings rare.
She was doubtless focused on reclaiming her Divine Spear days.
It might have irked him before.
But now, wielding her spear solely for Krash, it was far from unwelcome.
Her combat prowess was the real deal, regardless of her personality.
'She's gotten stronger.'
Krash could sense the aura flowing from Mary had changed dramatically from before.
As expected of a former Divine Spear.
Her innate talent and experience yielded absurd growth.
'At this rate, she'll be back to her Divine Spear peak within five years.'
Krash approached her with that thought.
"What brings you here?"
For someone who rarely showed her face to even come to a public training ground...
Krash asked curiously, and she glanced around furtively before whispering.
"W-Well, Sigrin Epania's been acting suspicious lately."
"Sigrin?"
He had completely cut ties with Sigrin, so her news was out of the loop.
Apparently, Mary had her own ears.
Krash eyed her in surprise, and she twisted shyly.
"You and Sigrin Epania seem on bad terms, so... hehe."
She wanted to help in her own way.
"I see. So, what suspicious activity?"
Krash cut to the chase, prompting Mary to clear her throat and hunker down further.
"She's been digging deep into your background. She targeted you before, but it's way more intense now."
"Hmm."
She must have gotten a read on him during the tournament.
Krash recalled Sigrin's gaze upon him.
Suspicion and wariness.
And profound anxiety over potential threats.
'She seems to be trying to suppress her unease.'
Her eyes, tangled with myriad emotions, looked incredibly conflicted.
'But confirming my regression would shatter her instead.'
The moment she learned Arthur—her final bastion—wouldn't return...
Sigrin would crumble irreparably.
What she was doing now was tantamount to tightening the noose around her own neck.
'She learned Sword Emperor's Sword Gleam.'
Sigrin had no skills.
Due to the imperial family's secret.
Yet she had mastered Sword Gleam, a one-person transmission technique.
Even Sword Emperor's son, Heavenly Emperor Dalpiron Junnon, hadn't learned it.
She must have pieced it together using regression knowledge.
'Sword Gleam is useful.'
A sly smile tugged at Krash's lips.
She was delivering something ripe for the taking.
No reason not to steal it.
"It's fine. No need to worry about it."
On the contrary, if she pressed closer, it was time to definitively prove his own regression.
Sigrin was no longer a threat to Krash.
Now, it was time to deliver her final blow.
"I-I see."
"Still, thanks for coming to tell me personally. It helps."
"O-Of course!"
Mary beamed with joy at Krash's gratitude.
Her flushed face evoked a fiercely loyal dog to its master.
"Krash."
At that moment, a familiar voice reached Krash's ears.
He looked up to see sea-blue hair.
The girl with her hair in twin buns, soon turning sixteen yet still petite, approached.
Speak of the devil.
It was Sisley Epania.
"Preparations are ready."
The meeting with Celestial Supreme Power, Heavenly Emperor Dalpiron Junnon, was set.