Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Midterm Exams (4)
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"Lydia."
"Y-Yes..."
"Stick close to Veronica and provide support."
Lydia nodded and sidled up next to Veronica.
Her role during this midterm exam period was rear support. More precisely, she was a buffer, leveraging her expertise in buff-type spells.
"Veronica. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
Her gaze, fixed on the Sword Saint's disciple—the Next Northern Grand Duke—and Ferris, was calm and steady.
They were the established stars of the Golden Generation. She was part of it too, but they stood a cut above.
Even Ferris, who had lost to Aren, still wielded power that made him a formidable foe from her position.
But.
"Just trust in me, Veronica. I haven't taught you precise techniques yet, but widening your mana circuits alone should be enough to handle them."
"...Okay."
She took a small breath, then began channeling her mana. In sync, Lydia cast buffs and defensive spells on Veronica.
Meanwhile.
The nine students from the three teams facing off against Aren's group exchanged glances before slowly fanning out to encircle them.
They had heard the rumors about Aren auto-farming with turrets right in front of the escape zone, so they had decided to cooperate at least this much.
It bruised their pride a bit, but the leaders of each team—the Sword Saint's disciple and the Next Northern Grand Duke—knew Aren was on another level after he thoroughly trounced Ferris.
"Jethua. You take the right flank. I'll handle the left."
The Sword Saint's disciple, Darsen, said quietly to the Next Northern Grand Duke.
Jethua gripped his sword tighter and nodded.
"They're all mages. Best to break through to close quarters as fast as possible."
"Same here."
Tension thickened in the air.
It was clear that the moment anyone attacked, a chaotic melee would erupt.
With that in mind, to seize the initiative, Jethua and Darsen charged at Aren simultaneously.
The instant they moved, Veronica unleashed over ten spells in quick succession.
Her primary goal: block Jethua and Darsen from reaching Aren.
Immediately after, her signature fire magic slammed into the ground, creating a massive explosion.
But.
"Hup!"
"Haat!"
The two endured the blast and closed in right up to Aren. Veronica whipped her head toward him in alarm, but...
Ferris's spell hurtling toward her was faster.
Kwaaang—!
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky. Its target: Veronica, a fellow mage. The moment she sensed mana forming in the air, she deployed a defensive spell.
It was a reaction speed that would normally be impossible, but the body(?) developed by Aren made it feasible.
And.
Two of the triple-layered barriers shattered—
But she held!
"You're doing great."
Aren was pleased. That left Ferris and the rest to Lydia and Veronica—
"Now's not the time to worry about them."
"......"
Darsen's voice slithered into his ear as he closed in right beside him. Likewise, Jethua on the right flashed his signature blue glare.
From both left and right, they swung their swords simultaneously.
Srraack—
But their blades sliced only air. Aren had already dodged the moment they swung. Jethua and Darsen whipped their heads around to see him casually rolling his shoulders behind them.
"Out for blood, are you? Sword aura and all—you mean business."
"Didn't think you'd come out unscathed."
"Fast."
"Hm?"
Fast.
That was the Next Northern Grand Duke Jethua's impression.
Typical mages struggled in close combat. Their specialty was unleashing powerful blasts from afar.
It wasn't for nothing that the saying went: to kill a mage, drag them into melee.
But.
"Did you think I couldn't handle close quarters? Sorry to disappoint, but my master taught me the basics."
"Battle mage, huh."
"Not quite."
Battle mage?
No such thing.
Darsen spat at Jethua.
"Ignore what he says. He's a mage. Overwhelm him from both sides, and he's done."
"That's what I've been saying—it's not that."
Ignoring Aren's words, the two charged again, swinging relentlessly.
Strikes aimed at head and heart.
Out for blood?
With sword aura to boot, they were a real pain. Even Aren would take fatal damage if grazed.
These guys aren't your typical romance novel heroes for nothing.
In that instant, feeling Darsen's blade slicing toward his neck, he twisted his head aside.
But the strike veered oddly mid-swing, straight for his heart.
Srraack—
A thin layer of mana around his heart blocked the sword.
Kkiiigggggrrrrind—!
Aren's mana clashed with Darsen's sword aura, grinding like twisting steel and shaking the surroundings with a deafening screech.
Aren snapped his fingers without missing a beat.
In that moment, a black thread shot from his hand, whipping toward Darsen.
Sensing the chill, Darsen retracted his sword and leaped back.
But.
Kwa-duk—
"...Hah."
The thread swept the ground, kicking up a massive dust cloud that blinded them.
Seizing the opening, the Next Northern Grand Duke Jethua pierced through with pinpoint precision. Time seemed to slow as Aren watched the razor-sharp blade flash past his nose.
As if on cue, it burst from the dust, swinging at his left arm.
Perfect angle.
Then—
Kwaaaaang—!!!
White and black mana intertwined around Aren, erupting in cataclysmic force.
Jethua and Darsen were caught in the blast and flung far away.
They tumbled across the ground several times.
"...He's strong."
"......"
Jethua silently agreed with Darsen. They stared at Aren emerging unscathed from the explosion.
The surroundings had been obliterated by the shockwave, leaving a massive crater. They didn't know it, but Aren had just unleashed a simplified version of Virtual Form: Ultimate.
Reshaping the terrain was child's play.
"...Jethua. I'm going all out from here."
"...Me too."
Confirming mana gathering in Aren's hand, they gripped their swords anew and rose.
As Aren snapped his fingers, black mana fanned out—they dodged and closed in once more.
Darsen and Jethua unleashed a barrage of strikes at Aren, lacking perfect sync but overwhelming in ferocity.
Kwagagagagak—!
The three tangled in a frenzy, exchanging blows that shook the forest with thunderous booms whenever Aren's Shu Arts clashed with their swordsmanship.
Trees toppled from stray slashes, earth cratered under Shu Arts.
Trading attacks and defenses at breakneck speed, they turned the woods upside down—enough to make the professors monitoring via magic scream.
Meanwhile, deflecting their heart-bound strikes, Aren thought.
Dodging is tougher than expected.
Unlike with Ferris.
These two felt more refined. Normally, sword swings carried momentum that prevented mid-course corrections.
Not Jethua and Darsen.
They bent their paths unnaturally, like guided missiles.
Darsen, the Sword Saint's disciple, is the problem.
Quickdraws mixed with illusions.
Spotting the real strikes amid the flurry and defending was a hassle.
Jethua's, meanwhile, hit heavy and sharp. A graze meant death.
That was his style.
This would turn into a war of attrition.
Resolving himself, he timed it perfectly and seized both swords with his bare hands—at the exact moment they crossed.
"!?"
"Wha...!"
They panicked, their aura-clad blades caught barehanded. Hands should've been severed instantly, yet Aren stood unharmed.
"What strength...!"
They couldn't wrench free either. Smiling at their shock, he murmured low.
Reversal
Their auras backflowed along the blades.
In that instant, their auras surged back into the swords. Meant to project outward, it overloaded internally instead. Soon, the blades shattered like exploding glass.
"...!"
"This mad...!"
Swordsmen without swords?
As good as losing an arm. Thinking fast, they sensed total defeat and bolted through the trees at impossible speeds.
But Aren wasn't about to let them.
"Virtual Form: Ultimate"
⟨ · ⟩
The forest they fled into vanished.