Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Ancient Calamity Awakens
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"Who in their right mind would pull a crazy stunt like this!"
Malvern, the Water Magic professor, roared in fury, frantically waving his hands.
At his command, a wave surged forth, casting a large shadow across the floor before crashing into the white barrier that sealed the space.
A full-force attack from a mage who had reached the pinnacle of the 6th Circle.
*CRASH!*
But it was useless.
The wall flashed with a bright light, then blocked the spell as if completely unfazed.
"Damn it all!"
The spell, powerful enough to crush hundreds of soldiers, dissipated into a spray of white foam, achieving nothing.
"Using a holy relic for this? Are they just rolling in money?"
As he raged at the barrier that had repelled his attacks time and again, Klyke, the Illusion Magic professor beside him, spoke calmly.
"Enough, Malvern. Any more is just a waste of energy."
"Professor Klyke, aren't you angry?"
As Malvern turned with a furious expression, Klyke opened his closed eyes and retorted.
"What would you have me do? There's no way out. Venting your anger without a plan won't solve anything."
He had tried several times to analyze the barrier, but a holy relic was power itself, not magic, so he could learn nothing.
"That may be, but..."
"Now is the time to calm down and find a way to escape."
At his calm tone, Malvern quelled the magic he was about to unleash. He then sighed and apologized.
"Hah... I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"I understand. It's fine."
They were currently trapped in a corner of the ruins.
Before the vibrations had even started, they had been isolated, the entire space sealed off without them noticing.
Because of this, they could only wait, unaware of the chaos unfolding outside.
"No matter how I look at it, this situation is extremely serious."
"I know. But even if an incident of this scale isn't common, something happens every two or three years..."
"No, what I mean is, I don't think this is on that level."
Klyke shook his head.
"They used such a powerful holy relic just to take the two of us—mere professors, if you can call us that—out of the picture."
After the Great Collapse, the temples rapidly lost their power.
Priests and Holy Knights lost their divine power, and their connection to the gods was severed.
In the midst of the temples' downfall, holy relics were special.
They were more powerful than ancient artifacts, with abilities divided into healing, defense, and offense.
Although the fall of the temples meant they could only be used once, their impressive performance made them coveted by many factions.
"Do you think people like that would have left the other professors alone?"
At those words, Malvern instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.
"They must have prepared a secret plan to deal with Zaqnir, too..."
"It might have already happened. What do you think those explosions we can hear from so far away mean?"
"Hah..."
Malvern sighed. It was already too late; the deed was done. In that case, there was no need to hesitate any longer.
With a determined expression, he pulled a large bronze chalice from his subspace.
"Then we can't delay any further."
"...Grand Magic."
The professors of the academy were by no means fools. They taught the world's most talented individuals. There was no room for incompetence.
That was why, even in such a dire situation, they remained composed and began searching for the next alternative.
"...I'll be bedridden for weeks because of this, but it's better to call for a solution."
"Malvern, are you sure you won't regret this? Preparing Grand Magic requires every professor to participate. We won't be able to look after the students on the surface..."
"It's better than wasting time like this."
He gave a bitter smile.
It was better to act than to be paralyzed by worry for the students above.
At Malvern's decision, Klyke also took out an identical chalice.
"Then I will send a signal to the other professors first."
Klyke lightly cut his palm, and a drop of blood filled the bottom of the bronze chalice. Simultaneously, the magic he infused into it spread across the surface, dyeing it blue.
*Woooooong—*
A translucent wolf materialized above the chalice, sat up, and let out a great howl.
Malvern smiled bitterly and stared beyond the white wall blocking their way.
"...We can only hope the damage is minimal."
Hoping that help would arrive as quickly as possible.
As Klyke made his preparations, the bronze chalice began to hum in resonance.
Other professors, trapped like them throughout the ruins, also began to prepare the Grand Magic as their own bronze chalices resonated.
***
*Rumble—*
The ruins vibrated as if on the verge of collapse, and explosions echoed from a distance.
Dust fell from the ceiling, and it became increasingly difficult to keep balance on the trembling floor.
Allen and Julius raced down the corridor with a rescue team that had appeared just in the nick of time.
Allen wondered how the rescue team had managed to descend to the 7th floor so quickly. The answer, however, was simple.
"Is that... a magic circle?"
After running for some time since leaving the cavern, they found a magic circle glowing faintly in a corner where the passage was blocked.
"It's a teleportation circle."
Rachel replied, sticking close to Allen's side.
"An upperclassman from the student council knew about it."
A man who appeared to be from the student council was preparing to activate the magic circle.
"So they had something like this prepared..."
The academy had installed teleportation circles on each floor leading to the surface, just in case.
The rescue team explained they were able to descend so quickly thanks to them.
"Then, how did you know I was here?"
"We met your team members outside."
Allen felt a sense of relief at her answer.
'So the others escaped.'
It seemed they had either left with the first rescue team or managed to get out safely after he disappeared from the cavern.
"But where are the professors? Why did only students come?"
"Well... the situation isn't good."
The rescue team's mission was not only to save Allen and Julius but also, primarily, to find the missing professors.
"We found where the professors were... but it was surrounded by a white barrier, and we couldn't get in. The ruins seemed about to collapse, so we had no choice but to come straight here."
"...Then where is Zaqnir?"
"We were too pressed for time..."
Allen's expression darkened.
The monster sealed in the ruins was clearly about to appear. Yet, for their own reasons, neither the professors nor one of the Eight Strongest were able to join the fight.
Anyone who stopped the monster would inevitably stand out.
It was like a stage, perfectly set to elevate someone.
"...It's ready! I'm activating the circle, so every..."
*Rumble—*
The ruins began to shake violently.
Fine cracks spread across the floor as something struggled to break free from below.
"Everyone, gather quickly!"
The students swiftly gathered on the magic circle.
As the light from the circle intensified, the cracks in the floor widened. Their vision blurred, their heads rang for a moment, and then space rippled.
*Fwoosh!*
What the escaped students witnessed was the sight of collapsing spires.
They couldn't feel the screams and shouts, the faint smell of blood, or the dry wind. The sight of the four massive spires toppling like toys was that surreal.
"L-look! It's collapsing!"
"I-is it over...?"
With the ruins destroyed, no more guardians could emerge.
All that was left was to work together and clean up the battlefield. The students watched with hope, but the tremors from the ruins did not subside.
"W-wait, the ground...!"
In fact, the ground began to shake so violently it was hard to stay balanced. Julius's expectant smile came to mind. White and black clothes flashed through the gaps between the students.
The vibrations grew stronger and stronger, reaching a critical point.
'It's coming.'
Allen lowered his stance.
*KRA-KOOOOM—!*
A colossal shadow erupted from the ground, shattering it. Its massive, outstretched wings kicked up a fierce sandstorm. He looked up. Beneath the cascade of stars, he saw the monster.
A falcon, black as shadow.
Majestically.
It looked down upon the world. A white whirlwind enveloped the bird's body. A great silence descended upon the land.
"────────────"
The ancient monster, freed after thousands of years.
***
Allen, who had been waiting, kicked off the ground. Julius, wreathed in lightning, drew his sword. But others moved before them.
"Begin the ritual!"
The Minima chieftain shouted.
Allen glanced around and saw that the Minima and Arachne tribes were now standing before the students.
Dressed in white and black, they began to move, holding flags.
They were drawing constellations in the eyes of the monster looking down from above.
The men in white formed the constellation Scorpio.
The women in black formed the constellation Arachne.
The constellations on their flags glowed brightly, and pale blue chains shot up into the sky.
Hundreds of chains flew into the air and wrapped around the body of the monster that was looking down on the world.
"Pull!"
At the chieftain's cry, the ruler of the sky began to fall to the earth. Veðrfölnir shrieked and struggled violently.
"────────────"
The white whirlwind surrounding its body raged, and the hundreds of chains swayed with its movements.
Just as a tense stalemate was reached, the chieftain shouted.
"Now!"
The chieftain yelled at the students. Allen's head turned toward the voice. For a fleeting moment, it felt as though their eyes met.
Allen felt the cry was directed not at the other students, but at him and Julius.
[Do not worry. Such is the arrangement of fate.]
The memory of their past encounter flashed through his mind. The corner of his mouth twisted.
'Fate...'
What a load of bullshit.
Allen didn't believe in fate. Not in the past, not now, and not ever.
But there was no time to waste.
"Julius!"
"I'm going first!"
At Allen's shout, Julius unleashed a burst of lightning. A small storm cloud formed in the sky. Condensed, deep blue lightning split the air.
A bolt from the heavens amplified the lightning in his sword aura.
*CRACKLE!*
The lightning-infused sword aura clashed against the black wings. A gust of wind erupted just before impact, halving its power, but it couldn't be nullified completely.
Veðrfölnir shrieked.
"────────────"
A high-pitched sound pierced their ears. Dozens of spells fell from the students' hands. But it was only for a moment.
*Th-th-thump—*
"What's that sound?"
A student holding back the remaining guardians at the front turned his head. His expression hardened.
Beyond the dark horizon, a cloud of sand was swirling.
"Kieeeeeeeh—"
"Kuhaha, kh-heh—"
"Grrrrrk—"
All the monsters from around the ruins began to converge.
"Half of you, hold back the guardians and attack! The other half, follow me!"
A third-year student who had been leading the others bit his lip and led a group away.
"────────────"
Now seeming to come to its senses, Veðrfölnir's counterattack grew fiercer. The falcon, large enough to blot out the sky, was truly worthy of the name 'ancient monster.'
Lightning struck down upon the monster's head.
*CRACK!*
「Allen, what are you waiting for? Hurry up!」
Vestla nagged him, wondering what he was doing in this rapidly changing situation. Allen shook his head, saying it was nothing.
"I was just thinking about whether magic or a sword would be better to bring that thing down."
「The sword! The sword! You know that new thing you learned! Use that! It'll take it down in one hit!」
Allen chuckled and, as she wished, took his stance.
The Giant's Sword Style consisted of nine secret techniques. Lacking talent with the sword, Allen had managed to learn only two.
Managram, Irpaskardus.
The swordsmanship she had taught him was both unconventional and abstruse, making it difficult to master.
He had only been able to add his own understanding to her sword style through the unique perspective of a mage; a normal swordsman with his level of talent might never have been able to learn it.
However, just before leaving for the ruins, he had succeeded in learning one more.
A foghorn-like sound echoed from Allen's Dragon Heart. Without needing to be drawn out thread by thread, an immense amount of magic was sucked into his sword.
For a moment, the Heart was empty.
The monster, sensing the massive flow of magic, began to struggle, but escape was not easy.
Managram used the emotion of anger as fuel to deliver the optimal strike at any given moment.
Irpaskardus used shadows to divert the enemy's gaze and allowed for countless attacks at once.
So, what about the third?
"Hoo—"
Allen's sword moved.
From bottom to top. It didn't matter if the blade didn't connect. For there is no place light cannot reach.
Giant's Sword Style, Third Form: Ljóssól. A sun made of light followed the path of the sword, stretching toward the sky. For a brief moment, the Dragon Heart could not keep up with the rate of magic generation.
A technique that no one short of a true giant could use.
"Still..."
It was not lacking.
Allen raised his head.
Beneath a sky of falling stars.
A sun of light rose from the earth.
***
At Galshdin Academy, where everyday life continued as usual.
On the roof of the Grand Library, a place no one at the academy could reach, a man lay looking up at the moon.
*Gulp, gulp—*
"When will I ever find those damn mosquitoes..."
The Beast King, Gaion.
Today, as always, he was drinking while glaring at the white moon.
Judging by the scattered bottles, he had been here for more than a day or two, and the smell of alcohol was thick in the air. Despite this, Gaion's mind was perfectly clear.
"It's about time I stopped this nonsense. If it weren't for the information they promised..."
He gauged the amount of sloshing liquor left in his bottle, lost in thought. Just as he was thinking of getting a new bottle...
*Woooooong—*
A resonant hum, audible only to him, made his gaze snap in a new direction.
"That direction is... Hmm, looks like something's happened."
Gaion stood up. Even after downing the rest of his drink, he still didn't feel a hint of intoxication.
It was just bitter.
"Making trouble for the old man... Tsk."
Still, a promise is a promise.
He stomped his foot, picturing the damned Director's face.
*BOOM!*
A section of the Grand Library's roof shattered as his body rapidly accelerated. He could hear surprised screams from below.
"Hmph. Since you've disturbed the old man's peace."
This should be fine.
Muttering words that would make the Director gasp in disbelief, his figure vanished at high speed.