Chapter 308
Chapter 308
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 308
Chapter Title: Chapter 308
-----------------------------------------------------------------
```html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 308
Chapter Title: Academy Team Competition -5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Pale Princess gnawed anxiously at her fingernails while staring at the screen. It felt as if an invisible hand was slowly tightening around her throat.
"The protected personnel count is dropping. Have they found Gordius's team members hiding in the mansion?"
"Not yet, Princess! They're digging up the ground, but... they haven't found anything. We're sorry!"
"There's no need to apologize. I know you're all doing your best. For now, come back inside the mansion. Snow White and Selvia will be here soon."
"B-but..."
If they couldn't find the hidden ones, even if they somehow managed to defeat Snow White and Selvia by some miracle, it would still end in defeat. The Pale Princess knew that all too well.
Even without the Devouring Labyrinth attacking, the situation was dire. There were 39 people hiding in the mansion—a number overwhelming enough on its own.
But time was running out. Searching for Gordius's party without preparing for those two would guarantee defeat. They were surrounded on all sides. The Pale Princess's faction was sandwiched between two fronts like a filling in a sandwich.
The one slim chance for survival might be persuading Snow White and Selvia... but the odds were low.
It was from a distance, but the Pale Princess could hear the conversation between Gordius and Snow White. From what she could guess, Snow White was unlikely to accept her persuasion.
Her worries deepened.
"Then what in the world should we..."
"Leave it to us, Princess! I'll be your shield!"
"We just need to crush the enemy! We'll offer you victory, Princess!"
Even those shouting such words knew the truth. Resolve alone couldn't overcome such an impossibly high wall. Time ticked away relentlessly, and before she could even make a decision, Snow White arrived.
The Pale Princess led everyone down to the first floor to prepare for battle. They drew their weapons, while those who could use magic readied ranged attacks from the rear.
They also prepared the key to mansion defense: the large shields. If two people equipped them and blocked the entrance, they could seal it without a single gap.
Ice magic ultimately relied on projectiles. If they blocked all attacks from the front, they could buy maximum time with minimal forces. That's what they believed.
And then, there was even some good news.
Thud. Thud. Thud...
"That sound... the Devouring Labyrinth!"
"The damn maze is coming!"
For some unknown reason, the Devouring Labyrinth was approaching. In that case... if they could just hold out inside the mansion, they could deal with Snow White and Selvia!
Creak. They raised their shields.
Before them, light footsteps fell softly, like snowflakes.
Whoosh──
A bone-chilling cold swept through, slicing at their skin.
Ding-a-ling. An announcement blared from the second floor. "The Crown's owner has been detected. A 1-hour countdown now begins."
Sure enough, Snow White had the Crown.
"...The mansion is already full. The Devouring Labyrinth is coming from behind you. Why not try something else from outside?"
The Pale Princess tried to threaten her with a tense expression, but Snow White stretched leisurely, showing no hint of urgency, and made her declaration.
"Turtles... no, tortoises. You can give up now."
"Give up? Out of the question! We've got nine here, carrying noble blood—we can't just tuck tail and run without fighting!"
"The mansion entrance is narrow! And we're blocking it completely with these large shields! We'll hold even if it kills us—no step inside!"
"......"
No.
The timing of Snow White's call to surrender was when she had prepared her... checkmate. It had been the same with Gordius, and though the Pale Princess didn't know it, with Bennett too.
She had already done something.
A chill ran down her spine.
The Pale Princess shuddered. It wasn't her imagination—actual cold was assaulting her. From the rear, no less. This was abnormal.
Crack!
A rear team member screamed as ice gripped their ankles.
"Cold is coming from the second floor... through the stairs!"
"How?!"
"One window on the second floor was open!"
It was the window Gordius had left open when he escaped the mansion.
The mansion was an indestructible object, and there was no way to open a closed window from outside. They'd confirmed that repeatedly.
Moreover, when the Pale Princess's faction took over the mansion, they'd checked and locked every window. So it should have been impossible for cold to enter from outside...
The rules hadn't changed.
A window that couldn't be opened from outside had been opened. Snow White's chill seeped in through it, slowly stealing their warmth. The answer was simple: the second-floor window had been opened from inside.
The first floor below was already packed with the Pale Princess's people. That left only one direction: above... the ceiling!
Gordius emerging from the ground had been a decoy to mislead them!
A tacky ceiling design and outdated chandelier flashed in the Pale Princess's mind. It really didn't fit the mansion—like it had been tacked on later. She shouted sharply.
"...I get it, I know! Where Gordius's team members are hiding in the mansion!"
"You've figured it out?!"
"Not underground, the ceiling! On top of the ceiling... the third floor!"
But it was already too late.
If she'd noticed the oddity sooner, confirmed the second-floor window was open, maybe they could have held out longer against Snow White's onslaught.
They might have eliminated Gordius's faction before the breach, or stalled until the Devouring Labyrinth arrived.
Now that everything was too late, the Pale Princess had only one option left.
Melee chaos.
Snow White and Selvia didn't know about the protected personnel count, nor that they were being picked off from closest to the entrance. Betting on that ignorance... all-out brawl.
"...Everyone except the two blocking the entrance, move to the second floor! Smash the ceiling and hold from inside!"
"We'll protect you with our lives, Princess-!!"
"How much meaning will that struggling have? Just—"
Snap.
Selvia stopped Snow White as she raised her hand.
"Selvia?"
"You, planning to wipe them all out again and then collapse from mana exhaustion? I can't wait anymore. The Crown countdown has started. We'll sweep them all at once, then you and me, one-on-one."
"Metamorphosis, Flame Angel."
⟨ Flame Angel ⟩
The air around her grew scorching, and Selvia's entire body rippled as it transformed into living flame. Seeing this, Snow White raised an eyebrow slightly—her maximum expression of surprise.
"A flame mage's metamorphosis...?!"
"When did she reach the metamorphosis realm?!"
Flame Angel Stage 1, Brilliant Cascade
[Condensed mini-sun launched]
A condensed miniature sun shot from her grasp. The moment it collided with the shields, an explosion rocked the entire mansion with a deafening roar.
Boom──!!
Selvia's metamorphosis boasted monstrous firepower but came with the drawback of low durability. In contrast, Snow White's simple slow debuff was stable but lacked standout features.
The two metamorphoses complemented each other perfectly.
"Gotta get close before that brute flame magic explodes── Gah, my steps are slowing...!"
"Her aim isn't as precise as expected! If I read the trajectory carefully..."
"How the hell do you dodge in this cramped mansion when you're slowed and surrounded?!"
Bang, boom──!!
The stage itself favored them too. Every spell hit, sending people tumbling from aftershocks, rolling across floors or slamming into walls. Selvia grinned at the perfect synergy of their abilities.
It wasn't the sync rate of directly linked combat with the Mad Mage, but it felt like running laps around the field in a trio.
Snow White's lips curved slightly too. So she'd finally reached the same realm. She'd thought it wouldn't take long, but it was faster than expected. Good.
The mage pair clearly held the advantage over the Pale Knights. The cramped mansion limited evasion space—shots landed as aimed.
But the mansion also prolonged the fight.
"...If we go all-out on firepower, we'll get caught in it too."
"Yeah. Mages are better off roaming open fields, after all."
"But we can sweep them all. The Devouring Labyrinth is coming... but by our guess, inside the mansion is safe."
Wide-area spells risked friendly fire in close quarters. They inevitably dialed back power to avoid it, extending the Pale Princess's faction's survival.
Whoosh──!
Another fireball hurtled toward them.
"...Pass Selvia's next attack to the ceiling! One, two!"
"House secret technique, Crescent Slash!"
"Orion Mounted Lance Style 1!"
On the Pale Princess's cue, they infused their mana into ultimate moves, deflecting the trajectory. The redirected fireball smashed into the ceiling and exploded.
Kaboom──!!
Crack. Crumble. The ceiling shattered absurdly easily, revealing the 39 people perched atop it.
"G-gross. What the...?"
Selvia recoiled in shock. Students were plastered to the dome-shaped ceiling like bugs. They shouted from where they clung to the walls.
"...We're busted! But Operation Cicada proceeds! Hold on!"
"I can hear the Devouring Labyrinth coming—Gordius saw it through to the end! He did it!"
"Then we just need to hold till the end! We can make Gordius's sacrifice worthwhile──!!"
Confusion mixed into Selvia and Snow White's expressions. Why were they clinging so desperately? Was there something...?
Was the mansion interior not safe from the Devouring Labyrinth after all? No time to investigate now. They steeled for friendly fire and amped their magic.
"Exactly. We just need to eliminate them all. Gardener of the Ice Garden."
Roar── Crackle!
The mansion's temperature split in two. Fierce flames roared on one side, while roses, swans, and other ice sculptures bloomed on the other.
Gordius's remnants responded simply.
"I'm going first──!"
"Next, me!"
Sacrifice.
"...Jumping straight into the spell's origin?!"
"Covering it with their bodies before it casts? Normally it'd be pointless suicide... but the 'safety device' added for the competition is weakening the magic."
Like moths to a flame, Gordius's team members hurled themselves one by one, buying mere seconds before incinerating. The Pale Princess clenched her fists at the sight.
Even without their leader Gordius, they dove in with conviction. As if he was with them in the unseen. But what about her? Had she led her subordinates properly? Or was she a bit lacking?
Did she even qualify to be a leader...?
As the Pale Princess wavered, Selvia fiercely surged her mana. But...
"But it's just buying time! I'll blast them all with Stage 3 Nova── Kyaa?!"
Chomp.
A massive hand climbed the stairs and seized her.
The horrified Selvia squeaked and looked back—beyond the second-floor window. There, the Devouring Labyrinth pressed its maw right against the mansion entrance. Time had run out somehow.
"Th-this was definitely a safe zone──?!"
Slurp. Selvia was sucked in with a death cry.
Snow White watched with a stiff expression, a bead of cold sweat trickling down, then fully grasped the rules and bolted.
She didn't know how many the Devouring Labyrinth would eat, but the order... was from closest to the entrance!
"Push Snow White out!"
"Hold!"
"Get back, tortoises...!"
The screen showed just 17 protected personnel left. The external squad's frantic cabinet-smashing had yielded that much. And twenty still clung to the ceiling.
Once the Devouring Labyrinth swept them all, only Gordius's team would remain!
"Ha, hahahahaha! Gordius, you're watching from heaven, right?! We won──!!"
A definite victory declaration.
Snow White, the Pale Princess, her minions—all sensed the match was decided and halted.
The Devouring Labyrinth would soon end it all.
......
It should have...
"?"
"Why isn't the Devouring Labyrinth... moving? There are still tons of people."
"The screen shows seventeen clearly!"
The Devouring Labyrinth suddenly stopped.
The Mad Mage watching via camera shot up from her seat. Had I botched the coding? Where was the error...?
As Mima pondered whether to trigger the announcement, static hissed, and an eerie mana wave spread from inside the Devouring Labyrinth.
Screens hit by the wave switched from personnel count to broadcasting its interior—a radio hijack of sorts.
The wave reached screens of academy visitors too, letting parents and nobles from afar witness it.
Terrorists toyed with by tentacles and grotesque gimmicks──
Envers triumphantly declaring victory.
Meanwhile, as the mansion siege raged...
The suspiciously well-versed new terrorist recruit Hee Young-hyun led the group at the front, guiding them through the academy.
Convincing the terrorists had been easy. After beating down a couple to prove his strength, sharing his "hatred" for the academy earned their trust.
Though Envers's acting was abysmal.
"And so, only the three characters Hee Young-hyun remain. In closing, I declare: I have never once dreamed. Not even once..."
"What a tragic tale. I believe you. You're one who truly hates the academy."
By swapping Open Sect Leader Hee Young-hyun's verbose story into academy terms, the borrowed narrative worked despite the poor acting. They chalked it up to him just not being talkative.
He even learned their plan. The leader carried a crystal orb for recording footage and an artifact to broadcast it via mana interference.
The goal: gruesomely slaughter students, spread the horror far and wide, and tarnish the academy's reputation.
But getting exposed to Envers was their misfortune.
In a wide academy hallway, Envers halted.
"Know where this is?"
"...No clue. But no students in sight. Didn't you say... you'd lead us to where eliminated students rest?"
"Hm, no lie there. Waiting here is the... fastest path. It'll come soon. The dungeon for the eliminated."
Thud, thud, thudthudthud──!
The Devouring Labyrinth approaches. This was its patrol route.
During the labyrinth raid right after Snow White vs. Bennett, Envers had been there. Amid the frantic escape, he'd memorized its path.
Heading back to join Gordius at the mansion, he'd bumped into a lost terrorist, tailed him on suspicion, and slipped into their group.
Missing the team comp was regrettable, but nabbing these academy attackers was the right call!
Envers trusted Gordius would understand.
"What the fuck is that monster?!"
"You bastard, you tricked us?!"
Shing. As terrorists drew weapons radiating killing intent, Envers calmly assumed a horse stance empty-handed and gripped the heavens in his mind.
"Not a step from here. Metamorphosis, Emperor Sword Form──!"
⟨ Emperor Sword Form ⟩
"Guh...?!"
"Wh-what is this power...?!"
Embodying his insights. Projecting all sword paths through will into the external world. The empty air instantly turned into a ferocious sword forest.
Pinned by heavenly pressure, the terrorists were rooted.
Thudthudthud── Shraaala!
"U, uwaaaaaah!"
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you Hee Young-hyun──!!"
All devoured by the Devouring Labyrinth.
To report the safe capture externally, Envers seized the leader's artifact and used it.
Afterward, the Devouring Labyrinth, having gulped uncounted extras, glitched. This zone had outsiders controlled for the comp, so it tallied the terrorists as students.
Having eaten dozens already, it eased up.
Thus, it spared the mansion students it was meant to devour and halted—after snacking on Selvia and a few, deeming the quota met, and backing off.
"H-hey... Hey, where you going! Eat Snow White first!"
"This Envers's doing, right?! Envers rigged this!"
"Hey! We almost won—where you going now, you Devouring Labyrinth bastard──!!"
Despite Gordius team's wails on the brink of victory, the Devouring Labyrinth departed leisurely, leaving Snow White and Pale Princess's factions intact in the Glorious Mansion.
"......"
"......"
"Metamorphosis, The Turtle Cannot Beat the Hare."
⟨ Turtle Cannot Beat Hare ⟩
Snow White acted with ruthless speed as always, wiping out all remaining except herself.
Gordius's plan, which might have reached victory... was ruined by the omen-bringer beast Envers.
The Mad Mage's office heated up over team comp fairness debates.
Gordius's team claimed victory since a gimmick stole their win despite near-certainty, while Snow White insisted she'd win a rematch. All because of that.
Mima muttered, tearing at her hair.
"...Aisha, should I apologize? Did I need to predict academy saboteurs hitting this exact timing too?"
"If the question's flawed, prof gets scolded. You could've coded tighter anyway. And weren't you slacking? Academy raids were national rule in your old world."
"Yeah, all my fault... Compensation, compensation. Ugh..."
Separate from the Mad Mage's deep悩, this team comp drew hot interest from stakeholders. The visuals were great, but it precisely gauged student competence.
Past 1v1s hid details from untrained eyes. Wealthy mana-less nobles couldn't track motion, guessing specs from flashes alone.
Or relied on external evals or academy rankings.
But multi-angle, viewer-friendly edits changed that. They grasped student value accurately, pumping sponsorship funds into the academy.
Half a success, at least.
```