Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Fake Knowledge, Fake Sage ☆ (3)
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The roar of cannons and explosions shook the ground.
Warning broadcasts blared without pause.
The clatter of automated armors in motion.
The battle began abruptly, accompanied by a cacophony of noise.
[Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!]
[The right flank is under attack by an enemy believed to be The Violet Spindle—!]
[All artillery units, to your positions! To your positions!]
[Fire upon the infiltrating enemies!!]
BOOOOM—!
SCREEECH—!
CLANG— CLANK, CLANK!
The students of Svart Industrial High School unleashed the countless magitech weapons they had developed, holding nothing back.
They pulled triggers and activated drive systems, launching weapons toward the enemy's hiding spots. Red ether projectiles lit up the air, fired frantically into the wasteland's darkness.
KABOOOOM—!
RATATATATATA!!
It was as if a red shower was falling from the dark sky.
Beneath the sky raining red ether.
The dark elf girls fired every magitech weapon they had.
Following the orders of Student Council President Andrea, the dark elves were deployed in their magitech armor. They knew something had begun, but ironically, few understood the exact situation.
They simply felt an unconscious sense of crisis, pulling the triggers of the heavy, mounted ether machine guns. And they could only scream as they fired into the air.
The confused voices of the Svart Industrial High School students.
“What?! Are we attacking now?! President Andrea said we were just supposed to hold our ground!!”
“I don’t know, why are you asking me?!”
“It’s an enemy attack!! They say The Violet Spindle is attacking!!”
“An enemy attack?! Why would The Violet Spindle attack us here?!”
“I don’t know!! I said I don’t know—!!”
The excitement of a battle that had started so suddenly.
Their whole bodies trembled, their hearts pounded.
The dark elf students panted with shallow breaths.
The shortness of breath only made the girls’ voices louder.
“Aaaah!! I never thought we’d actually fire these things!!”
“Hurry!! Please!! Get the ‘Slick Armor’ started!! What if they come over here?!”
“I’m trying my damn best, okay—!!”
“Damn!!!”
A dark elf girl with gleaming eyes gripped the handles of a machine gun and shouted. She kept looking around, searching for any trace of violet ether.
“Where is she?! Where is she!! Has anyone seen purple?!”
“I don’t know!! Just fire everything you’ve got straight ahead!!”
KABOOOOM—!
RATATATATATA!!
Some fired blindly ahead without receiving orders, while others launched their magitech weapons according to the ever-changing commands of their commander. They cut through the empty air, becoming stars in a red galaxy.
‘I wonder if Lotha is hiding well…’
Beneath that red galaxy.
I was running at full speed with Freyja on my back.
With every step, a beam of ether light sliced through the air.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—!
I deftly weaved through the dense web of fire.
The weapons aimed at my head missed.
I ran as if strolling through a world in slow motion.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—!
I moved leisurely across a battlefield that seemed to be playing in slow motion. Occasionally, I would lightly step on the shoulders of charging dark elf students I encountered and pass them by.
Tap—!
The crowds passed beneath my feet like stepping stones.
-Wha-what was that?!
-What’s that pink thing?! Why is it so fast?!
-The one she’s carrying on her back!! That’s The Violet Spindle—!!
Leaving behind the dozens of dark elf girls screaming in astonishment, I advanced toward the next target.
“Whoopsie—☆”
I slightly twisted my body while holding onto Freyja, who was busy chanting a spell.
Whoosh—!
KABOOOOM—!
I heard the sound of a machine gun that had been aimed at us from afar go wide. Its presence had been leaking out for a while, so dodging it wasn't particularly difficult.
-Damn…!! Are you kidding me?! She dodged that—?!
-What is that thing?!
I let out a chuckle at the dramatic words of the Svart Industrial High School students.
‘You just have to see it, run, and dodge…’
I was so used to wracking my brain like Zhuge Liang that I was reminded of how peaceful and relaxed I felt when I could simply move my body according to someone else's judgment.
‘Haa… If only the world were at peace…’
Using one's head was no small task.
Though the turbulent times had called for me, and I lived as a strategist.
I actually wanted to live a comfortable life like this, just following someone's orders.
‘Freyja also seems to trust me when it comes to physical matters…’
As if she had complete faith in my presence-sensing ability.
Freyja paid me no mind at all, mechanically murmuring behind me to prepare her skill activation.
“[Eternal Spindle], activate, maximum range, precision strike.”
“Yup♪ A tea party under a shower of purple—☆”
The activation of the [Eternal Spindle] was complete again.
‘Now, where should I unleash this for maximum effect?’
With a surprisingly calm mind, I assessed our path.
I was simply darting around the battlefield, running amok.
Then Freyja would automatically rain down attacks and destroy everything.
This division of labor was incredibly convenient.
‘Since we’re splitting attack and movement, my head is free. And unlike Alvitt’s group, which has to think about a complicated route, we just have to charge ahead and draw attention.’
Confirming that Freyja was ready, I prepared to kick off the ground and leap. All I had to do now was charge toward the location Freyja pointed at.
“Hup—♪”
My loyal legs, which still retained their swift mobility.
They easily supported the weight of two girls and jumped high into the sky.
“Yah☆”
THWOOOM—!
I felt the wind in the air as I soared.
The sound of the wind brushing past my ears.
A brief moment of suspension in the air.
In that moment, Freyja gestured with her chin and timidly said.
“Th-that base… on the left… go there, you ruffian…!”
“Which one are you talking about—☆ There’s more than one base, you know♪”
“It’s obvious… th-there are a lot of weapons over there…! Y-you idiot…!”
“Okaaaay—☆”
Ah, I got it now.
The place Freyja was pointing to with her wand, shimmering with purple ether. There, students of the Federation were adjusting the aim of countless magitech weapon barrels.
‘Okay. Adjusting trajectory that way. I’ll have to disarm them spectacularly so Alvitt’s group can break through the encirclement with ease.’
That was why we had decided to run wild, after all.
‘My ether has recovered enough just from moving around, so…!’
I extended my leg toward the magitech weapons that were gradually getting closer. With a tight feeling in my lower abdomen, the ether in my entire body activated, and we began to fall.
It was like a flying kick on the way down.
Feeling the acceleration of my descent, I said.
“There’s no mercy in my kicks—☆”
Hearing this, Freyja was startled. She blurted out in a shrill voice.
“N-not that again?! C-could you please stop with that nonsense…?! Wh-what kind of barbaric act are you trying to pull now…?!”
“Oh my, compared to what I did in my first year, this is practically the epitome of a graceful lady—♪ Fufufu—☆”
“You, you crazy…! You pale pink filly…! I-if you keep this up, you’ll…?!”
“As long as it’s not a ki blast, it’s fine, it’s fine—☆ We need to finish up quickly and get back to where Lotha is hiding—☆”
I ignored Freyja’s words. Then I kicked off a foothold made of a minuscule amount of ether in mid-air as I fell.
Tap—☆
As the faint ether activated.
A hot energy gathered at the tip of my foot.
A pink meteor fell from the sky.
SHWOOOOOSH—!
We drew a large arc.
And fell in a straight line from the sky.
I put strength into my outstretched leg and shouted.
“Pink☆Love☆Kick—!!”
“Uwaaaaaaah!!”
Freyja screamed. Then she protected herself with purple ether.
“Hiyah—☆”
With a faint red ether activated on my leg. Trusting in the durability of my body, which had reached the state of Apex, the limit of a character's solo growth, I launched a flying kick at the base where the dark elves were gathered.
‘It’s weaker than a secret technique… but it’s the best I can do right now.’
Take this, you knife-ears.
This is my own raw-powered flying kick.
KABOOOOM—!
A heavy impact resounded with a deafening roar.
Upon collision, an invisible shockwave erupted, knocking over the girls who had been continuing the bombardment. They were scattered in all directions like people blown away by a typhoon.
“Aaaaaaaaargh?!”
“Kyaa?!”
“Hyaaaaa!!”
Amidst the fierce shockwave.
The wind raged, and the ground trembled.
Countless knife-ears and the beastkin nobles occasionally mixed among them were sent flying in astonishment.
“Kuh!”
Amidst the aftershock, Freyja swung her wand toward the dozens of magitech weapons left behind.
“…Fire!”
A purple afterimage scattered from the tip of her wand, and a massive violet spindle appeared. As the giant spindle slowly turned, it unleashed the spells Freyja had been storing, matching the activation commands she had input.
Woooooong—!
[Eternal Spindle]
Ether calculation and emission.
The two most fundamental stats for a mage in this world.
A computational device that helps push them to their absolute limits.
Purple weapons poured out from within Freyja's ether skill.
Like a purple meteor shower illuminating the dark sky.
Like a downpour of violet raindrops lashing down.
Thousands of purple armaments, made of merciless destructive light, glittered.
KABOOOOM—!
A roar like thousands of soldiers dropping their weapons at once.
Thousands of weapons fell with a tremendous sound that shook the heavens.
Leaving trails of purple light, they devastated a radius of several hundred meters like guided missiles.
KABOOOOM—!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The roar seemed like it would never end.
“…”
“…”
But soon, silence returned.
Swoooosh…
And the surroundings became a ruin, strewn with the breaths of unconscious students and the wreckage of the devastated base.
I grumbled to myself inwardly.
We had done this several times now, but Freyja was just as barbaric.
‘…She swings her power around barbarically herself.’
The violence of mass… just overwhelming firepower.
It was a destruction that sent shivers down my spine just by looking at it.
This was truly the most ideal ability activation for a mage-type ether user.
‘But it has a fatal flaw. With almost no physical ability buffs, if she can't get through the skill preparation time, she becomes weaker than a normal ether user… a pathetic stray cat.’
With that thought.
I smelled the burnt scent of wreckage rising from below and asked Freyja. To disrupt the encirclement that stretched for several kilometers, it seemed we would have to move quickly.
“Now, which sector should we go to…”
At that moment.
A loud noise came from within the ruined wreckage.
What rose with the roar was an armor puppet.
It stood up, its heavy black body glowing with golden patterns.
Woooong—
The automated armor puppet took a stance.
A miraculous survivor among the dozens that had been annihilated.
Even amidst this merciless bombardment, the cable connecting the armor puppet's back to a dungeon gate and a blessing remained intact. Thanks to that, even in its less-than-fully-charged state, it could operate like a phone plugged into a charger.
‘I was trying to quickly devastate place after place to prevent this from happening…’
The armor puppet, with its menacing three-meter-tall frame, stared at us with inorganic eyes.
“…”
“…”
Freyja tapped my shoulder from behind and said.
“L-let’s just avoid it. It takes time to activate the [Spindle of Fate]… a-anyway, since it’s on a wired charge, it won’t be able to chase us far…”
“…”
“Q-quickly, let’s move, you ruffian.”
“…”
Uh.
That’s a bit…
It looks like one hit would do it.
But running away… somehow… it hurt my pride a little.
Besides, if this thing went on a rampage and joined up with Alvitt…
“…”
A chance…
I glanced at the part of the armor puppet where its core was. It was riddled with cracks, precariously leaking the blessing of ether recovery.
‘J-just one hit… if I can just land one…’
I gently set Freyja down on the ground.
Freyja, startled again, cried out.
“Th-this crazy pink filly…?!”
“Fufufu—☆ Even if I can’t use my ether skills willy-nilly, there are moments a maiden must not back down—♪”
“You crazy…!”
Leaving her rude remarks behind.
I picked up a black helmet lying on the ground and put it on.
Then, lowering the face shield, I slowly advanced forward.
‘Rage once more! O, raw power of Apex! A body that has reached the limits of experience growth will not be broken!’
I resolved myself and took a ready stance reminiscent of a track athlete. Then I prepared to dash forward, wrapping a faint amount of ether around the helmet.
CLANG—!
The giant armor moved first.
Like a moving fortress wall.
It charged menacingly toward me.
“…!”
Focusing on the top of my head, I stomped my foot hard.
Thwack!
A shockwave erupted from my kicking foot, making the air tremble.
The instantaneous air resistance came at me like a gust of wind.
I charged toward the approaching armor like a human missile.
The launching Pretty☆Missile.
SWIIIIISH—!
The wind entering through the gap in my face shield made a threatening sound… and then came the impact. I clenched my teeth hard.
The approaching impact.
I plunged through it like a bullet.
CRACK!
CRUNCH!
KABOOOOM—!
A brief moment of darkness obscured my vision.
And then the open air was visible again.
The sound of the armor collapsing behind me…
‘Heh heh, I’ve done it.’
I had finally destroyed the armor using the ether I had gathered in my helmet.
I wanted to pass down this legendary tale to someone for ages to come.
Tap-tap!
I landed lightly in mid-air, mimicking the pose of a gymnast. Then I threw off the dented helmet, intending to turn to Freyja and boast.
But at that moment… I suddenly felt a strange sensation in my body.
‘Ether depletion? No, that’s not it…’
A warm… and familiar feeling.
A faint energy leaked from the core of the fallen armor.
The energy, tinged with a faint light like dandelion seeds, approached me.
“…!”
The moment they touched my body.
What came to mind was Clara from the original story.
The girl who accepted the name Urðr, for my sake.
Urðr’s face, smiling brightly among the stars, flashed through my mind.
-Do your best—☆
‘It’s… recovering.’
The familiar blessing of ether recovery.
It wasn't as much as before… but it was enough to fight for a while.
Enough to use second-stage ether with ease if I held a weapon.
“C-crazy… from injuries to recovery… h-how barbaric do you have to be to be satisfied…”
Freyja stared at the scene with a dumbfounded look and muttered.