Chapter 323
Chapter Title: An Insurmountable Wall
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KABOOOM—!
A pillar of fire shot up as if to pierce the sky.
SHWIIING—!
Thrown back, Celia hastily stabbed Flame Storm into the ground to regain her balance.
Celia gritted her teeth as she watched Leo approach, readjusting his grip on the Lancea.
‘He hasn’t had the Lancea for very long…’
Weapons possessing immense power were difficult to handle.
One misstep, and the wielder could be overwhelmed by the weapon itself.
It had taken Celia a long time to properly wield Flame Storm.
‘And yet Leo managed it in just a few days…’
She tightened her grip.
Celia pressed her lips together.
‘Come to think of it… Leo has been like that since we first met.’
His swordsmanship had overwhelmed her.
His formidable physical abilities.
And his knack for initiating his Aura and using the Jerdinger flames in the blink of an eye.
In a way, she had spent more time with Leo than any other second-year.
‘We trained together a lot, too.’
That was why Celia understood the gap between her and Leo better than anyone.
Celia gritted her teeth.
‘I’ve never once thought I wanted to seriously fight Leo.’
Because she was always reminded of the gap.
Because the more she tried to close it, the more painfully she felt it.
Except for their very first meeting, her competitive spirit had never truly ignited against him.
Not that she had ever given up on catching him.
But on the other hand, she was already intimidated in his presence.
She was an honor student befitting her family’s name.
But that was all.
And in this situation.
In front of so many people.
Leo had been the one to challenge her to a serious fight.
‘I can’t back down.’
FWOOSH—
Flames erupted from Celia’s body.
Fire flickered at the tip of her rapier-like sword.
‘Prominence.’
From the very start, Celia drew out the maximum firepower she could muster.
Flame Storm spewed forth a powerful blaze.
The Jerdinger family heirloom, imbued with the will of the Phoenix—a storm of flames.
It was a sword that would never break, rust, or chip, so long as its user’s will continued to burn.
SWISH—!
The sharp sound of the sword piercing the air echoed.
With it, a blade of fire flew toward Leo, aiming to skewer him.
Seeing this, Leo spun his Lancea.
WHOOSH—! WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH! KRAKOOM!
The Lancea, spinning at an incredible speed, wrapped itself around Celia’s flames.
FWOOOSH—!
The Lancea burned even more fiercely.
Celia’s face stiffened at the sight.
‘My maximum firepower…!’
“Flames are always devoured by stronger flames, Celia.”
Celia clenched her jaw.
“Especially when you’re both wielding the ‘same’ kind of flame.”
He wielded the Jerdinger flames.
He was even the contractor of the ‘Phoenix,’ the very source of those flames.
As Leo stepped forward, Celia took a step back.
“Well, the biggest reason is…”
FWOOSH—
Flames rose from Leo’s body.
“It seems to be that you think, ‘I can’t win.’”
“Hmph! Shut up! That’s not true!”
Incensed, Celia readjusted her grip on her sword and charged at Leo.
SWISH—!
Celia pulled a small dagger from her belt.
A parrying dagger.
It was the secondary weapon Celia had chosen.
As a knight with immense firepower, Celia already had a strong advantage in area-of-effect attacks.
Leo had recommended the parrying dagger to her to strengthen her close-quarters swordplay.
CLANG—!
Celia deflected Leo’s spear with her parrying dagger and aimed for his neck.
WHOOSH—!
Leo charged forward, dodging Celia’s thrust and closing the distance between them.
CLANG—!
Leo pulled out his own parrying dagger.
The small daggers clashed at close range.
“Hrk?”
Having allowed Leo to get so close, Celia gritted her teeth and readjusted her grip on her rapier.
Leo let go of the Lancea and seized Celia’s wrist, the one holding the rapier.
“Giving up so easily isn’t like you.”
“Who said I’m giving up?”
Celia retorted, releasing her Aura.
The instantaneous burst of Aura at maximum output sent Leo flying back.
Suddenly, blades of wind flew toward him.
Leo, generating Aura at his fingertips, spun his body.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAK—!
The wind blades struck Leo’s hand and scattered in all directions.
FWOOSH—!
Leo stopped spinning and looked behind him.
Thud—!
“Wow! Wow! That’s Leo for you! Amazing!”
Chelsea let out a stream of exclamations.
Watching her, Celia gritted her teeth and shouted.
“Chelsea! This isn’t the time to take Leo lightly! This is a test!”
At Celia’s words, Chelsea replied in a flustered, protesting tone.
“I-I’ve never taken Leo lightly, you know?”
“Then be serious! There’s no way such a flimsy spell would work on Leo!”
“What? F-Flimsy? This is…!”
Just as Chelsea was about to flare up at the unusually irritable Celia.
Swoosh—!
Leo’s fingertips pointed at Chelsea.
VWOOOM—!
A powerful surge of mana was released.
WHOOOOSH!
“Ugh?!”
As a powerful gust of wind blew in, Chelsea squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Wind magic!’
Just as Chelsea tried to hastily counter Leo’s magic.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA—!
A whirlwind raged around Chelsea.
“Wind Storm.”
Watching Leo complete the spell in an instant, Chelsea felt a chill run down her spine.
‘High-Speed Incantation!’
High-Speed Incantation was Chelsea’s specialty.
Moreover, the spell he had completed was high-tier magic.
Chelsea quickly cast Dispel Magic, then flew into the air to escape Leo’s spell.
“Chelsea!”
Celia, her face pale, called out urgently to Chelsea.
“…!”
Chelsea’s face also turned pale as she looked at Leo before her.
Leo launched a kick straight at Chelsea.
“W-Wind Shield!”
POW—!
Wind clashed with wind, creating an ear-splitting sonic boom.
WHOOOOSH—!
The shockwave from the collision between Leo and Chelsea flattened the surrounding blades of grass.
The ground was overturned and sent flying.
“Aaaah!”
“What was that?!”
The students who had been attacking Glory’s fortress walls screamed at the sudden storm.
BANG—!
“Something flew over!”
“Was that a cannonball? What is it?”
Then, as something flew toward the fortress wall, they fell into confusion.
The thick cloud of dust settled.
Revealing Chelsea, embedded in the fortress wall.
“Gasp!”
“Ch-Chelsea!”
The Harmony students rushed to help Chelsea.
At that moment.
“Kweeeek!”
“Leo’s coming!”
Seeing Leo flying toward Chelsea at an incredible speed, everyone’s faces filled with terror.
It was then.
SWISH—!
A spear flew in with a sharp sound, stopping Leo in his tracks.
“Howl!”
Howl Nape, a top-ranking student from the Knight Department, blocked Leo’s path.
Using his Poison Aura, Howl threatened Leo with his signature snake-like spearmanship.
Leo smiled at Howl.
“Impressive. You’re like a knight protecting his king.”
Howl’s expression hardened as he swung his spear.
WHOOSH—!
“Celia is quite the strategist, you know.”
Proficient in both martial and literary arts.
That was Celia’s motto as the honor student befitting a direct heir of the Jerdinger family.
“Chloe told me.”
Leo grinned.
“She said Celia would choose Chelsea as her King—the one with the best mobility among the second-years, who could escape even a chaotic melee.”
The reason Chelsea was sent to the front lines was to hide that fact.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems I was right.”
With a smirk, Leo swung the Lancea behind him.
CLANG—!
Flame Storm and Lancea crossed, spewing sparks.
Using that opening, Howl swung his spear at Leo.
SWISH—!
Like a snake striking its prey.
Howl’s spear, with its unpredictable movements, aimed for Leo.
KABOOM—!
Leo kicked Howl’s spear away.
“Hrk?”
Howl was sent flying.
At the same time, Leo used his free hand to punch Celia in the stomach.
POW!
“Kegh?”
The fist, imbued with flame Aura, made Celia’s body double over as she was sent flying.
Leo’s gaze turned to Chelsea.
The Harmony students supporting Chelsea shrieked, “Eek—!”
“Run! Run!”
“Protect Chelsea!”
“Chelsea! Get away!”
The moment their King died, Harmony would be eliminated.
The regular students charged at Leo.
Staggering to her feet, Celia gritted her teeth.
‘To think we’d be on the defensive this early in the test.’
Normally, even if it was discovered that Chelsea was the King, they wouldn’t have been pushed into such a crisis.
The reason for making Chelsea the King was just as Leo had described.
Mobility that prevented her from being easily cornered.
And even if a crisis arose, she had the speed and combat ability to break through it all.
Even with Woreden and Celia attacking together, capturing Chelsea wasn’t easy.
That was why she had been made the King.
And yet…
‘Just what is he?!’
Celia gritted her teeth.
Leo’s abilities had far surpassed her expectations.
‘He said I think I can’t win?’
Celia’s hand trembled.
‘No! I’ve never… never thought that…’
Just as Celia’s eyes wavered.
“Celia!”
Howl urgently called out to her.
Celia snapped back to her senses.
“Leo’s after Chelsea! We have to stop him!”
“Got it!”
Shaking off the pain in her abdomen, Celia quickly got up and chased after Leo.
The Harmony students charging at Leo to protect Chelsea were being swept away.
Chelsea, seeing Leo chasing her, gritted her teeth and summoned her mana.
‘Taking Leo lightly?! No way! I was just…! So…’
Chelsea, who had been internally refuting Celia’s words, was swept up in the storm.
Leo was completely overwhelming her with his wind magic.
Tumbling on the ground, Chelsea looked up at Leo.
Seeing Leo’s expressionless face as he approached, spear slung over his shoulder, Chelsea felt a chill run down her spine.
She understood what Celia had meant by ‘taking him lightly.’
At the same time, Halind’s words came to mind.
‘Are you going to follow in their footsteps? Or will you walk your own path?’
Halind’s words echoed in her mind.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAK—!
Once again, a storm raged before Chelsea’s eyes.
Barely dodging it, Chelsea watched Leo approach her with emotionless eyes.
Seeing the person she admired looking at her as a target to be defeated, Chelsea gritted her teeth.
Except for the moment they first met, she had never once seen Leo as a rival or someone to be defeated.
He was like a hero from a storybook, an object of admiration…
Someone she just wanted to watch.
Without any thought of walking beside him or standing behind him.
Like a little girl reading a fairy tale.
Chelsea, who had only wished to watch his exploits with a pounding heart, felt the distance between herself and Leo for the first time today.
She didn’t think she could win.
Because Chelsea knew the gap between her and Leo just as well as Celia did.
She had thought that just watching from afar was enough…
‘I can’t see him.’
She realized it now.
The fact that he was now so far away that she couldn’t reach him even if she stretched out her hand.
‘What am I supposed to do…?’
Chelsea’s eyes trembled.
“Chelsea?”
Then, she heard a familiar voice.
“Brother.”
She looked at her other source of admiration.
Seeing Chelsea looking at him with a gaze that seemed to plead for help, Abad’s expression hardened as he summoned his mana.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAK!
Abad, blasting away Leo’s magic, shouted.
“Celia!”
Celia, who had already reached Leo’s back, was gathering her flame Aura.
“I don’t like the idea of teaming up with you, but.”
Sparks flew from Celia’s eyes.
“Right now, this is the only way!”
FWOOOOSH—!
Fire and wind.
Among the second-years.
The combination capable of producing the most powerful force joined hands.
“Prominence.”
“Tempest.”
Celia’s Aura and Abad’s mana merged, creating a massive storm of fire.
Celia raised her sword and shouted.
“Brace yourself! Leo!”
Seeing this, Leo summoned his own Aura and mana.
FWOOOOSH! WHOOOOSH!
A storm of fire formed in Leo’s hands as well.
“Haaaaaaaahp!”
Celia let out a battle cry and swung Flame Storm at Leo.
KABOOOOOM—!
The storms of fire collided, sweeping through the surrounding area.
***
The flames subsided.
Chelsea stared blankly ahead.
“Chelsea.”
Abad smiled bitterly and reached out to pat his sister’s head.
“Brother…”
“Isn’t it… about time for you to soar, too?”
With a bittersweet smile, Abad received his death verdict and vanished.
THUNK—!
The Lancea that had been lodged in Abad’s back fell and stuck into the ground.
Celia’s hands, drained of all strength, trembled.
She looked at her hands, which were firmly gripping the blade of Flame Storm.
Blood flowed from them, and they were burned.
But those hands were steadfastly blocking Celia’s attack.
“You said you never thought you couldn’t win, right?”
Leo put more force into his hands.
The sword that remains immutable as long as its master’s will burns.
CRACK—! FWOOSH—
The blade of Flame Storm, broken by Leo, dissipated into flames.
Celia’s face contorted.
“Still think so?”
At Leo’s almost cruel question, the battered Celia took a step back.
The light on the bracelet indicating her life points went out.
“Chelsea.”
Celia looked back at Chelsea.
“Run.”
FWOOSH—!
Celia, too, received her death verdict and was teleported away.