Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Academy Recapture (2)
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Elis, Adriana, the nobles, and the mercenaries arrived at the academy's main gate.
The wounded guards wore dazed expressions as they glared at the pitch-black dome's boundary. Countless priests were treating them.
One priest who seemed to be the representative spotted them and approached.
"May the gentle embrace of darkness comfort you all. I am Byron, the Archbishop of the Church of Night. Are you from the imperial palace?"
"Pleased to meet you, Archbishop Byron. I'd love to exchange pleasantries leisurely, but... we all know the situation is dire, so I'll skip the introductions. Instead, please share the details quickly."
"Of course."
As expected, Byron, who didn't recognize me, began explaining the situation to Adriana.
In summary, unidentified monsters had been sighted at the academy, emanating dark magic. The priests and guards had combined forces to enter but were repelled and forced to retreat.
In the process, they learned the enemies were attempting to summon what was presumed to be an evil god.
"And now, a barrier has enveloped the entire academy, leaving us no way to re-enter."
"Have you contacted headquarters? Or requested aid from other temples?"
"For some reason, the moment the dome completed, all external communications were cut off. It didn't matter where we went in Elysium. We've sent people to gather all the priests in the capital and try reaching out from as far away as possible, but..."
"No word yet, I see. It must not have been enough to go just a little farther. Makes sense. Even the knight who came to inform the banquet hall ran here injured in person."
"Yes. All we could do was tend to the wounded and watch the dome's exterior to ensure no monsters broke out."
"Understood. By the way, that thing looks like darkness... Can't Lady Nix punch a hole in it with her divine power?"
"We tried, of course, but Lady Nix's power had no effect. It felt like it was simply absorbed into nothingness. ...It's not darkness. It's a void so absolute that even the faintest light doesn't exist, making it appear black."
"Ha... this is a pain."
Adriana brushed back her bangs, drew her sword from thin air, and stood before the dome, slowly raising it.
Hummm-
A subtle sword hum filled the surroundings. An aura resembling starlight cloaked the blade, soon taking on a distinct form and substance.
Aura Blade.
The pinnacle of aura, honed for the act of severing.
Forged repeatedly by human will, it boasted power rivaling that of a grand ducal house of the empire.
Adriana, who wielded destruction itself in the form of an Aura Blade, swung her sword with sharpened eyes.
Shrieeek!
A vertical slash drawing a straight line. No fancy techniques, but all the more devastating for it.
The moment it touched the dome, an unpleasant aura unique to dark magic erupted explosively. Followed by...
Thud!
It dug deep.
...And that was it.
It hadn't fully severed; the sword merely embedded itself, and even the small gash it left was rapidly repairing.
Adriana clicked her tongue as if she had anticipated this.
"Tch. That's dark magic for you."
"This isn't ordinary dark magic. It's so densely compressed that one could believe the divine power of the God of Tragedy, melted within it, was manifesting authority."
"That intense...?"
"Yes. It's possible only because they're attempting to summon an evil god inside. I'd say it's impressive that Lady Adriana even managed to lodge her sword."
"Sigh. Could you perhaps bless my sword...?"
"Lady Adriana's sword aura would slice through my blessings with ease."
"It's never straightforward."
Adriana scowled, her face resembling Cornelia's.
At the same time, those who had followed with high spirits belatedly grasped the reality and grew demoralized.
Common sense dictated bringing priests when facing warlocks. In such situations, all priests in the capital would naturally gather.
But with communications severed, there were few priests, and the warlocks' barrier prevented entry into the academy.
There was nothing they could do.
As a sense of powerlessness spread, with more people grinding their teeth...
I shifted my gaze from the dome I'd been staring at to Elis.
"This should be enough, right, Elis? I can hit it a few more times if needed."
"It's fine, Enoch. A sword master's blade is truly impressive. To think it would cause ripples like this. I've 'seen' plenty. It's not our first time, so make sure you're prepared."
Elis smiled faintly, retrieving the staff-sword she'd entrusted to the mercenaries.
Shing.
A thin blade with a faint ripple of aura, feeble compared to Adriana's.
But Elis's true value lay not in power.
Though fallen, as a noble-born, she possessed an innate bloodline ability.
Her eyes, once green but now tinged blue, proved it.
Eyes that saw flows: Flow Sight.
Elis could visually perceive the flow of all things in the world. Be it aura, mana... or even dark magic, none were exceptions.
Against people, with so many variables, it was limited to predicting the next move at best.
But against a fixed target like a barrier, it enabled intriguing feats.
For instance... reading the flows and slicing along their seams with her sword.
"Those eyes... No way, the matriarch of the Dark Houses...!"
One elderly noble seemed to recognize Elis upon seeing her eyes, but she ignored him and maintained her focus.
Then, at a certain moment, she swallowed briefly. As if even the slightest tremor from breathing was intolerable.
"Hup."
At the same time, tiny magic circles appeared over her joints.
Elis, elf-like in her aptitude for magic, could cast simple spells.
She simultaneously cast dozens of telekinesis spells, fine-tuning her entire body... and swung her sword.
Unlike Adriana's, it couldn't even penetrate the barrier, merely scraping the surface—a frail strike.
But the result was vastly different.
Ching!
A small explosive ring echoed through the air. A faint crack formed along the path of Elis's sword.
Like paint peeling off or a hairline fracture in glass—a minor damage.
But it was enough.
Before the crack could heal, I thrust the tips of both hands into it with full power.
Krunch!
Absolute resistance to dark magic. Using it not as a shield but as a spear, I relentlessly pried at the fissure.
Tougher than any dark magic barrier I'd faced in Calypso Territory... but I could break through now.
Whoosh!
The seeping flames concentrated at my fingertips.
The dense dark magic surging to repel my hand and repair the damage burned away helplessly.
Perhaps because I stopped regulating my aura and poured in full force.
The clothes over my upper body, where the flames focused, ignited and scattered as ash.
The moment my back, etched with vivid patterns, was exposed to the night breeze...
My fingertips slipped in, burying half my hands inside the barrier.
Stab.
"Got it."
I grinned, gripping the barrier's surface and pulling it apart sideways.
"Krraaaah!"
The muscles in my back, shoulders, and arms writhed madly, generating monstrous strength at my command.
As aura naturally flared from the exertion, enveloping my arms completely in flames...
Craaaack!
The unbreakable barrier tore open wide.
Large enough for a person to pass through. The edges clung to blazing flames, endlessly repeating repair and destruction.
At least until the aura I poured in depleted.
I nodded toward Adriana and the others, who gaped at me slack-jawed.
"What are you waiting for? Don't just stand there—hurry inside. Right, I did think of a plan while moving..."
-Kyaaack!
Before I finished, a grotesque monster charged from beyond the torn barrier.
A massive maw like a drake's. But its body was strangely serpentine, elongated.
...No idea why it had tentacle-like limbs attached to a snake's torso.
A monster whose identity was truly unknowable. Like a child's crude scribble or a horror from a nightmare.
Its sharp teeth sank toward my shoulder and nape.
Adriana moved to swing her sword a half-beat late, but...
Crack!
Seeing its heavy jaws and fangs fail to pierce even my skin, she blinked and froze.
The monster, baffled with my nape in its mouth. The thick dark magic emanating from within made me smile involuntarily.
"Such ill manners."
Yes. It's in here. Whatever it is, it put real effort into this incident.
Even a mere sentry had this much power.
...They'd be thrilled when I smash their plans.
With a grinning face, I bit into the monster's nape from my side.
Crunch!
-Kieeeek!!
Teeth piercing tough scales. Black blood sprayed, filling my mouth and inducing nausea, but I ignored it.
I clamped down and spat out the torn flesh.
"Ptoo!"
Only then did it hurriedly pull away from me... but far too late.
-Kyak. Kek. Keheuk...
It let out deflating gasps a few times before going limp.
Soon, the massive corpse melted away, vanishing into a black puddle.
With the nuisance gone, I continued.
"Back to what I was saying... The plan's simple. Lady Adriana and I smash through everything in our way and beat the warlocks to death. You all handle the monsters and protect the academy students. Disrupt the ritual if you can."
"......"
"......"
"......"
The nobles and mercenaries still stood dumbfounded, unable to respond. Probably overly tense since it was their first time facing such foes.
I shrugged with my friendliest smile to reassure the rookies.
"Don't worry. They're nothing special. Just bite their napes like you saw, and they die. See? Easy, right?"
"......"
"......"
"......"
For some reason, their faces grew even paler.
I couldn't understand it.