Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Inevitable Clash
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By now, there was only one development left.
The most primal method passed down from ancient times.
Barbaric, but all the more certain above all else.
*Shing—*
"I'm curious if your skills match that mouth of yours."
Batter said as he drew his sword.
I circulated my qi in response. It was the internal energy I'd conserved even while fighting the demon...
But holding back against this guy would be tough.
I'd dismissed him the whole time, but Batter Goodspring went without saying—he was the real deal.
Hector and Karon, who were especially outstanding among the leaders, even Sub-Sect Leader Evan and Seren...
Anyone up against Batter was doomed to lose.
And that held true now.
Even after I'd scraped at him pretty good, he was keeping his cool.
'Whatever the case...'
My take was that I needed to crush Batter here for good.
In a crisis like this, having two people in command was a situation to avoid at all costs.
'Confusion in the chain of command is a straight path to ruin.'
The good news was that Batter knew it too.
He saw me as someone he had to stamp out, so he wouldn't dodge the fight.
"I won't allow a duel here."
That was when Dean Alderson, who'd been standing quietly, made his presence known.
*Whoosh—*
Had his internals finally settled?
Mana poured from Alderson's body like ripples, dominating the space.
It wasn't particularly threatening...
But the soft, enveloping airflow naturally sapped my momentum. Like dousing burning fighting spirit with cold water.
I shrugged and withdrew my qi,
while Batter slightly lowered his drawn sword.
Of course, we both knew this was just a temporary truce.
We were both thinking we'd clash somewhere without the dean.
Did the dean realize that too?
He slowly opened his mouth as he looked at us.
"But... I understand there's an irreconcilable difference of opinion between you two. Here's how we handle it. Duel in twelve hours from now, and the winner's view prevails."
Batter said in a cold voice.
"My opinion was to head to Block 13 as soon as possible."
"You know there's some validity to Leader Ruan's view, right? Twenty-four hours. Not a long time by any means, but in this situation, it might as well be. Rest first, then discuss what comes next."
"......"
"I know getting back here wasn't easy. You need rest too."
Alderson's voice continued.
"I'll serve as the arbitrator for the match. No mana use, of course. Pure martial arts only. Understood?"
"...Hoo."
Batter let out a somewhat long sigh, sheathed his sword, glanced at me, then turned away without a word.
Marco and his men—likely the Special Task Force—followed behind.
I clicked my tongue openly.
"Look at that rude bastard. Won't even stick around to hear an adult out... Tsk tsk. I won't grow up like that."
"Quit poking at him."
"Should I?"
I nodded at the dean's words.
Then Alderson suddenly burst out laughing like a madman.
"Watching you makes even this desperate atmosphere feel hazy. What kind of nerves are those? The Bednicker blood?"
"Who knows..."
"No. Hector Bednicker proves that's not it. Just innate talent, then..."
"There's winning odds, so no reason to despair. If I do my best and it still doesn't work out, then I'll curse."
"What?"
"Like, 'God, you son of a bitch...'"
Alderson roared with laughter.
"Glad I'm not religious."
"If you were a believer, I wouldn't have said it."
"True enough."
Alderson said, still chuckling.
"Not giving up till the end. Everyone knows it in their head. But the human heart is a strange thing. The more dire the situation, the less it does what you want."
"......"
"One thing's clear. Your optimism will be a beacon for everyone going forward."
I thought he was a real oddball.
This felt more burdensome than outright insults—praising me, seeing the good in it, expecting things on his own terms.
"...A beacon, huh."
"Guess you haven't noticed how your group sees you. Whatever you think of yourself, you're already their leader."
Alderson chuckled dryly.
"Walk with me."
More to say?
I followed behind Alderson, who'd started walking first.
His steps were a bit sluggish.
Not just age—his condition still wasn't fully back to normal.
I reached out to support him, but Alderson shook his head and pressed on with labored strides.
By the time the sobbing, despairing cadets' voices faded a bit...
Alderson spoke.
"I'm feeling responsible for this mess."
"......"
"The academy... is a place of learning. We've spared no effort creating the best environment for education. We deliberately pitted cadets' ideologies and thoughts against each other to spark productive debates, hoping they'd grow into better people from it."
I'd only seen Alderson's eccentric side.
Building that absurd Training Tower inside the academy and reveling in cadets' suffering as they climbed it...
Admiring the White Knights to the point of crafting 250 combat golems.
And above all, Alderson was a mage.
The type who stops at nothing to get what they want.
At the pinnacle stood the archmages.
I'd never sensed any heroic spirit from mages like them.
Their long lives gave a sense of gravitas...
But the deeper you looked, the more you felt that madness unique to those who staked everything on one field.
"No limits on teachings. Freely changing ideologies and thoughts. Pondering careers at will. All privileges of youth. And we faculty had the duty to safely protect them until they entered society."
So this side of Alderson now was unexpected.
For the first time, I saw him not as an archmage, but as the academy dean.
It felt like I finally understood why this old man was dean.
I scratched the back of my head, picking my words... but nothing came to mind worthy of consoling someone several times my age.
In the end, what came out was something anyone could say.
"My condolences."
"The kids are all still alive. As the princess said, their souls are probably in agony as collateral."
"......"
"I'll save every last one. Even if it costs my life... I swear it here."
Alderson declared clearly.
"This blood-red world will be swept away by my violet."
Archmage Alderson Marver of the violet hue.
Even if it was dorm ranking, it befitted one who placed purple above the royal crimson.
"You like purple, huh."
"Isn't it the most mystical color?"
Alderson smiled faintly.
"That's why I like Bednickers too."
Wondering what he meant, I realized he was talking about eye color.
I chuckled.
"You're the most normal mage I know, Dean."
Alderson paused at my words, then smiled back.
"Not all mages are like Lord Asad. He's an especially odd one among archmages."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yep."
I said to the dean.
"Rest easy, Dean. I came here to bring the dawn."
Recalling the Martial God's words, I looked up at the dim blood-red sky.
"The sun has to rise, especially in hard times."
* * *
After a brief talk with Alderson...
I grabbed an empty room, shut the door, and meditated.
The pure yang qi from the Spirit Jade I'd forcibly shattered was rampaging inside.
"Hooo..."
I steadied my breathing, stabilized it, and absorbed it as smoothly as possible. A pleasant heat coursed through my body, relaxing my muscles.
Naturally, I replayed my talk with the dean.
'Optimistic attitude?'
Was it?
Honestly, optimistic? Not sure.
My stance on life now was simple.
From my current position, do everything I can.
I didn't think it was the answer.
Even giving your all, regrets are inevitable—and I'd experienced it.
Back at the training camp, now a past that never was.
So, honestly... I didn't want the [Spirit Mountain's Blessing] to trigger.
It was an amazing blessing, a second chance at life—a huge deal, sure...
But separately, it felt like a deep void.
Like all my worries, struggles, and human efforts turned to scraps of paper.
'Am I being too arrogant?'
Suddenly, I recalled my debate with the Iron-Blooded Duke back home.
—How does a human beat a god while staying human?
—To do that... you'd need multiple chances.
—Extra lives, or retrying like a game. Or... the most absurd assumption, rewinding time itself.
Exactly.
To face an unreasonable being like the Demon King, I'd need this level of unreasonableness too.
I snickered and stood.
Meditation done.
It'd ended quicker than expected, so still time before my duel with Batter.
Body feeling stiff, I opened the door to loosen up...
*Thud.*
Someone's head bumped my solar plexus.
"Huh?"
Looking down, I saw a blue head.
"You were here!"
It was Mir Giant.
"Got business with me?"
"Yeah!"
"What?"
"Kick me off the assault team!"
"Why."
I stared blankly, and Mir flinched, shouting louder.
"There are way stronger people than me!"
Arms crossed, I asked.
"Like who?"
"Th-that blond knight... or your brother..."
"Wrong."
"Wh-what?"
"You're stronger than those two."
Mir's eyes went wide, face saying "Really?"
'What the.'
I'd thought he'd fully shaken off his training camp trauma, but apparently not.
He no longer shrank from big guys, but his inner self-esteem wasn't fully built yet?
I was the one flustered now.
This kid didn't know his own worth one bit.
"Perfect timing. Come on."
"Huh? Ack."
I grabbed Mir by the scruff and looked for a spot.
Seeking open space led me to the first-floor cafeteria...
Which, naturally, was still a wreck.
No one around to clean it, so understandable.
*Clang!*
I kicked over tables, tossed them to a corner, clearing space.
Then to Mir, still standing dumbly:
"Wanna warm up? Or straight to it."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Fight, obviously."
"Outta nowhere?"
"Most fights start without warning."
Finishing "start," I hurled a chair. Mir startled and punched straight ahead.
*Crunch!*
'Wow.'
The wooden chair shattered to bits.
"What the hell!"
Ignoring him, I charged and threw a punch.
Infused moderately with internal energy, flames flickered faintly on it.
Mir gritted his teeth and thrust his hand forward.
*Boom!*
Five punches all blocked. My fist throbbed where they met.
Not flesh and blood—felt like striking rebar.
Made sense.
Pure physical prowess, giants were the strongest of the seven races.
No mana, and the top would always be a giant.
Plus, Mir carried the bloodline of the legendary giant Ymir.
On that level, equivalent to Bednicker descendants of the black elf Kusset.
"Grk..."
But as I pressed the attack, Mir's responses grew passive, until he was just backpedaling.
Tough body kept him unscratched...
Frustrating as hell.
"Why so scared?"
"Wha...?"
"You're born with the strongest spear and armor. Don't you get how huge a blessing that is?"
No need for evasion or defense with this guy.
Meaning he could pour most of his focus into offense—a big edge...
If Mir ignored his body and charged me now, I'd have to get somewhat serious.
"I-I..."
Mir retreated with a troubled face.
Pushed too hard?
His offense turned even more passive.
[Crank up the firepower.]
The Martial God advised.
'Can I?'
[You must. Breaking the shell's on that kid, but anyone can give a little peck.]
'...The chick and hen in sync.'
As the Martial God said.
The chick breaks the shell, but the hen can peck too.
*Roar!*
Flames surged.
Post-battle with Kajita, my fire hotter, now split clearly into three stages.
Red, blue, purple flames.
Obviously, temperature rose with each color shift.
"Ugh, urgh..."
The instant it went from red to blue...
Mir's face changed. Gritting small teeth with a grind, blue ghostly light flickered in his eyes.
"Raaaaagh—!"
"......!"
Ear-shattering roar.
Not from this tiny guy—from a hill-sized monster's lungs.
With the din, windows shattered, and explosive chill burst from Mir's whole body.
*Fwoosh!*
Like hit by a sudden blizzard, I huddled, wrapping myself in blue flame.
Not aura-strong, but to block the cold invading my body.
Just beyond skin, cold and heat clashed, steam fogging like mist.
*Bang!*
From it, a small cannonball flew at me.
Crossed arms cushioned the impact, but my body rocketed across the cafeteria, slamming into the wall.
Mir's fist.
'...?'
Chilling pain in my arms, sharp ice embedded...
Then, something baffling happened to me. For a split second, felt like ice and flame intertwined.
Strange sensation.
Fire and ice. World's most incompatible elements.
[Remember this feeling.]
'Yeah?'
Martial God's voice faded. His chronic habit kicking in.
Dropping a cryptic line like he knew something, then vanishing.
"Hah, ha... Th-this..."
Meanwhile, Mir panted, staring at his arm.
"Frost Giant power, probably. You awakened your ancestor's strength. Congrats."
"Ah..."
"Pure physicals, you're the strongest. Now with special abilities too. Reliable as hell."
I bent my knees, meeting the little giant's eyes.
"Block 13, Demon King's turf—anything can happen. Blessings or mana might get sealed. When that hits, only your honed body to trust."
"......"
"Got it? That's why you're in."
"But I'm so small..."
"Small ain't weak. One question. Why'd you join Bednicker's training camp?"
"...I."
Mir mumbled.
"...Thought I was pathetic, wanted to change, and become a hero."
"Right. Look around. Dean's hurt, Special Task Force who-knows-what, cadets all doom and gloom. Unprecedented crisis—perfect for a hero to shine, yeah?"
"......"
"Lend me your strength. I need you."
Mir hesitated, then stared blankly at me.
"...Got it."
He nodded, clenching a fist.
In his blue eyes, something like my blue flame burned.
"Now... I think I can do it!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Feels amazing! Like I can do anything..."
Mir whipped around to me.
"You... you woke me up, Ruan Bednicker! You taught me!"
"What teaching. Just gave a nudge."
"Can I call you Master?"
"No."
"Master."
"No, I said."
I replied half-heartedly, but Mir, eyes sparkling like he didn't hear, shouted.
"Master...!"
I told you not to.