Chapter 640
Chapter Title: Shattered Unity
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640.
A howl erupted from Leo’s lips, overwhelming the surroundings.
“He’s not even a beastman…!”
“That howl is even stronger than the ones from those Azonia guys!”
“He uses Star Magic and Draconic Magic, too!”
“Ah! Seriously! Is there anything our president can’t do?!”
Voices filled with exasperation poured from the 4th and 5th years in the vanguard.
But even so, they held their formation firmly.
It was a clear difference from before.
‘Of course, it’s different.’
Leo’s intention was obvious.
To sweep away the upperclassmen from the front.
They were initially flustered by his uncharacteristically reckless charge, but that didn't last long.
Now that they knew their opponent was being reckless, they just had to devise a strategy to match.
And if Leo’s movements changed, it didn’t matter.
That would be the Leo the 4th and 5th years knew, so they could handle it.
They also showed a different level of response to the howl than just a moment ago.
A howl was a type of momentum.
A technique that drove one’s momentum into the opponent’s body through their hearing.
The way to counter such a howl was simple.
Meet momentum with momentum.
“Haaahp!”
“Hoo!”
“Hyaap!”
“What kind of girl says ‘hyaap!’? It’s ‘huraahp!’”
“Shut up!”
Leo smirked as he watched the 4th and 5th years let out battle cries to shake off his pressure.
Seeing that, Lumerne students were Lumerne students after all.
‘I’ve still got some room to breathe.’
Observing the now more solid vanguard, Leo raised his sword.
Vwoom-!
A gray Aura scattered around Leo’s body.
Seeing Leo’s Aura, the faces of those in the vanguard tensed.
It was already a well-known fact that Leo could handle various elemental Auras.
Among them, the one with the most destructive power was the Jerdinger flame.
But now, the students of Lumerne knew.
Leo was at his most powerful when he emitted that gray Aura.
“Come to think of it, that Aura… doesn’t it resemble Sir Kyle’s?”
“That guy’s an All-Class, isn’t he? Same as Sir Kyle.”
“Right. Do all All-Class users have the same Aura?”
‘Because I *am* Kyle.’
Leo let out a dry laugh and muttered inwardly, but he couldn't say it out loud.
‘Well, I don’t plan on using my own techniques today, anyway.’
The gray Aura began to dye itself gold.
A golden glint emanated from Leo’s red eyes.
Seeing this, the complexions of the vanguard changed.
Thud-!
Leo gathered his Aura and swung his sword toward the sky.
Swish-!
A crescent-shaped golden sword wave flew into the air.
The students positioned in the rear looked up.
“What? Where did he send that?”
“Isn’t that just going to fall back down?”
As everyone wore puzzled expressions.
The golden sword wave that had soared into the sky exploded.
And…
Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka-koom-!
“……!”
“What is this!”
“Mages! Deploy shield magic!”
A rain of sword waves began to fall from the sky.
Sword Rain.
It was a technique Ar-on often used when facing multiple enemies, literally a skill where sword energy rained down like a storm.
‘When Ar-on uses it, it really pours down like a squall.’
He could feel the 4th and 5th years panicking at the completely unexpected attack.
“Tak-on! I think we should pull back the defensive line for now!”
“No! That’s what Leo wants! If the front line is breached like this, the rear will just collapse before him!”
Eren urgently responded to Niel’s words.
There wasn’t a single 4th or 5th year student who could keep up with Leo’s speed and support him.
Hearing their conversation, Tak-on gripped his shield tightly and said.
“Stop Leo!”
At his command, the vanguard took their positions.
Leo charged forward without slowing down.
Fwoosh-!
A golden flame erupted from Leo’s body, then vanished.
“Wait! Why isn’t he slowing down?”
“Is he planning to crash right into us?”
“No way! Even for Leo, he’ll obviously get trampled if he does that!”
Though flustered, they quickly readied their weapons.
Just then, a female student clad in heavy armor in front of Leo raised her mace.
And she swung it at Leo, who was charging straight for her.
An attack carrying enough power to pulverize a boulder with a mere graze.
But she knew this attack wouldn’t work on Leo.
‘There’s no way something like this will hit him!’
He would probably dodge the attack and exploit the opening to take her down.
Normally, she should have used her greatshield to push Leo back instead of attacking, but she had changed the order.
‘If he dodges my attack, I’ll push him back with my shield!’
As the 4th-year female knight student thought this and readied her shield, her face was suddenly filled with astonishment.
‘Huh? He’s not dodging?’
She felt the mace slowly heading toward Leo’s forehead.
Just as she tensed, wondering if he would dodge at the last second.
Tuk-
The mace touched Leo.
“Huh?”
The moment the female student, who never expected her attack to land on Leo, let out a dazed sound.
Crack-!
The head of the mace shattered.
Leo simply swatted the female student who had attacked him away with his arm.
Thwack-!
“Guah?!”
She was sent flying pathetically to the ground.
And with that as the start…
Kra-ka-boom-!
“Uwaaah!”
“Gack?!”
As if a tank had just charged into an infantry unit.
The knight students began to be flung away by Leo.
Whenever they attacked, their attacks were simply deflected.
Not a single scratch appeared on Leo’s body.
“Wha-what is this! Why aren’t our attacks work—gack!”
A 5th-year knight student was hit by Leo and sent soaring into the sky.
The Aura Leo was currently cloaked in was Dweno’s.
They didn’t know it, but what they were facing was a fraction of Ar-on, the strongest warrior in history, and Dweno, the greatest vanguard.
The skills and power of Ar-on and Dweno far surpassed the expectations of the 4th and 5th years.
Their strategy to deal with Leo was distorted from the very beginning.
Fwoosh-
Leo grinned as he saw the fiery Aura that rose up before him.
“You’re not going any further!”
The vanguard hadn't been broken through yet.
Leo’s ridiculously brutish charge had disrupted their formation, but it hadn’t collapsed.
If they could succeed in stopping Leo even once, they could proceed with their plan from there.
For that purpose, Niel blocked Leo’s path.
In the case of such a charging attack, if its speed and momentum were reduced, it would eventually be stopped.
And Niel, as a user of flame Aura, boasted the highest pure offensive power among the 5th years.
Beside Niel, Tak-on stood with his twin swords, blocking the way.
Tak-on, cloaked in wind Aura.
“I’ll cover you, Niel.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Fire and wind Auras. Their synergy was excellent.
If Niel launched a major attack, Tak-on would provide support, cover any openings, and pressure Leo.
Even if Niel and he didn't get along and often bickered, they weren't so immature as to not coordinate at a moment like this.
If they were, they wouldn't have remained at the top of their department for four years.
‘The current two tops of the Lumerne Knight Department.’
Compared to Lis and Hark in their 5th year, these two were certainly lacking.
But that was only when compared to those two.
It didn't mean they were weak.
And they were skilled enough to quell Leo’s momentum.
Leo was also currently surrounded.
It would be troublesome if his momentum was broken here.
Gwoooo-!
More students flocked to the area to support Niel and Tak-on.
Watching them, Leo smiled.
“Senior Niel. So, when are you getting married?”
“What?”
Niel’s face was momentarily filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Tak-on flinched.
“Niel! Focus, for now!”
“Hah?!”
Startled, Niel tried to swing his sword, but Leo, who had already exploited that momentary gap, was faster in grabbing Niel’s neck.
“Keuk!”
Niel tried to shake Leo off.
But Leo was faster, pushing Niel straight into Tak-on.
As the two of them tumbled to the ground in a heap, Leo ran past them without losing speed.
“Why did you hesitate! Niel!”
‘I fell for it!’
Realizing Leo had used Spiritism to speak only to him, Niel gritted his teeth and shot back up.
‘To think he’d catch me off guard like this. It’s not like Young Master Leo!’
And that was why he had fallen for it.
One could call it a dirty trick, but in this situation, it was his own immaturity for making such a mistake.
Kwang-!
“Kyaaah!”
“He broke through!”
“Stop him!”
“How is he so tough!”
Screams erupted from all over.
In the midst of the chaos, Leo raised his hand.
Black mana flickered in his palm.
Slam-!
Leo slammed his hand on the ground.
A black energy swirled on the ground where the pursuing knight students stood, trapping their feet.
“What is this!”
“Draconic Magic?!”
‘Shadow Swamp.’
It was a spell Lisinas had used.
Having tied up the knight students, Leo’s red eyes turned toward the magic students who were preparing their spells.
They tried to respond calmly.
But…
Gwoooo-!
Star magic swirled from Leo’s body.
Quickly finishing his incantation, Leo unleashed his spell.
“Lux Fragment.”
Kiiing-!
Shards of starlight scattered in all directions.
This too was a spell Luna had favored when dealing with multiple enemies.
Fwip-fwip-fwip-!
“Keoheok!”
“Block it!”
“Wh-what in the world is this magic!”
“That Leo punk! Did he create more unique spells?!”
“Dammit! That Aura skill and Aura armor from before were completely new, too!”
No.
Neither the Aura skills nor the magic.
They all belonged not to Leo, but to Ar-on, Dweno, Lisinas, and Luna.
Unknown abilities of an unfathomably higher level that they couldn't comprehend.
Thus, to the 4th and 5th years, the current Leo was an unknown enemy.
And not just a powerful enemy.
But a being that far surpassed their common sense.
The unity of the 4th and 5th years appeared solid on the surface.
That's why it wouldn't shatter easily even if shaken.
Even if they took a strong hit, it wouldn't break immediately.
It would only weaken their bond gradually.
But.
When faced with the unknown one after another.
“Tak-on! What are you doing! Lead properly!”
“Aden! What’s the next plan!”
“You! Hurry up and stop Leo!”
“Can’t you see I can’t move right now?!”
“What? Are you talking back to a senior right now!”
They crumbled rapidly.
It was a pathetic sight, unbelievable for 4th and 5th years.
But this was inevitable for any group of outstanding individuals who lacked individual cohesion.
Unity is something that strengthens even as people clash with one another.
Only by truly understanding not just an opponent’s strengths, but also their weaknesses, can you finally sync up.
But the 4th and 5th years hadn't worried about such things for a long time.
‘Because all they had to do was follow one person’s orders.’
Runba bit his lip hard.
They had collapsed far more quickly than he had imagined.
“I can’t believe we’d end up like this without even putting up a fight. Still, this is too much.”
Just as Runba was feeling anxious, Leo stood before him.
“Did you know that the 4th and 5th years are mostly similar to you, Senior Runba?”
“What?”
Leo said with a bitter smile.
“You seniors lack the fighting spirit to aim higher.”