Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Hell Has Just Begun (1)
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# 45
6. Hell Has Just Begun (1)
#1 Their Situation: A Student Council President's Situation
It had been some time since the start of the semester, and vacation was now in sight.
We still hadn't broken through the professors from the military.
"The space is too cramped."
"How did the bars removal operation go?"
"Failure. It's insane. Even after attacking with spirits for an hour, they're fine. We even failed with the temperature difference tactic using fire and ice spirits."
"What about roof access?"
"Still can't get through there either. The traps are tough, but the things blocking the roof are as strong as the bars and won't break."
Early on, we'd taken down professors on each floor using numerical superiority, but we couldn't take out the ones on the second floor.
Their main forces were on the third floor, right below the students' floors, and the eighth floor, at the top. That let us subdue professors the fastest and coordinate pincer attacks from above or below.
But the second floor had no classrooms—just key school facilities.
With 1,300 people needing to pass through, even with a 40-to-1 numerical advantage, we couldn't break through the 32 professors, including Professor Maroon and Professor Arhan. They kept blocking us instead.
"Maybe we should wear them down with rotations and then break through with our main forces?"
"But shortening the time to clear each floor would be tough. We pushed with sheer numbers at first, but now the professors are getting used to it and holding out better than before."
"How about putting Lady Aris at the front from the start? We push down from the eighth floor, and instead of sending her up for support, we have her take the third floor and head straight to the second."
"Right—since manpower is limited, send the closest heavy hitter first?"
"Exactly. If the third-floor group can take out just ten, especially if they snag Professor Maroon, we might have a shot."
No one disputed that Professor Maroon was the core of the second-floor military professors' defense.
If we could take her out—she who maintained a defensive formation with three high-grade spirits—we might shatter their line.
"But Lady Aris alone can't get through Professor Arhan."
"Even the Spear of the Goddess can't overcome the Empire's armory. And experience is a big gap too."
If Professor Maroon was the key to the second-floor group's overall defense, Professor Arhan was their top individual fighter.
The gear pouring from the Empire's armory was so efficient, it was questionable if it even had weaknesses.
His personal skill rivaled any knight's.
Even Lady Aris, probably Yuglasia Academy's best in pure hand-to-hand, would struggle to land solid damage on him.
"No progress on window escapes or the rooftop breakthrough..."
"At this rate, vacation will start."
"Then total defeat for us."
That was when it happened.
Into the space thick with sighs and despair, a third party entered.
"You lot, I won't tell you to focus, but shut up already!"
"Eek! A professor! Our plan's busted! Spy! There's a spy!"
Big trouble!
The professors were finally sending a spy to uncover our strategies...
"You crazy student council idiots, it's class time right now!"
After that, the enraged professor made the entire student council write reflection statements in the faculty office.
...Sorry.
#2 Their Situation: The Professors' Situation
The legendary summoning theory master, Niserwin Ain, somehow sweet-talked the military into sending personnel to Yuglasia Academy, and now we were teaching there on orders from above.
Once called a one-man battalion as summoners go, but at some point, the talented juniors dried up.
Thanks to that, the military's current state had its youngest members stuck as rookies for 3-4 years.
Even in that decline, we looked forward somewhat to training future summoner juniors at the prestigious Yuglasia Academy.
But.
"Tired..."
A little past 10 p.m., the moment I strode into the faculty office and flopped into my seat, exhaustion hit with a sigh.
"Have we gotten old?"
"Don't lump me in with you old folks, Arhan. The kids are just young."
"No, probably both."
"Yeah."
Tired. So tired.
Felt just like coming back from the battlefield.
"The kids are getting more organized."
"How about requesting backup from Professor Muam or Professor Harian?"
"No, Professor Niserwin said these positions are set for the students' education. Otherwise, we could've joined the third floor and sealed the stairs down to the second."
Teachers were assigned to each floor, including for student escape support.
Among them, we were the first of the three final defensive lines.
As Professor Niserwin said, we'd been purely delaying, holding back the students. We'd managed it for nearly two months, but we were reaching our limit.
"Two behind us. And the last one..."
"Makes you wonder what it is. Is Professor Niserwin holding it alone?"
"Who knows. Everyone knows he's a great summoner, but I haven't heard anyone call him a powerful one."
Defeat would come soon.
Sometimes you'd fight unwinnable battles on the field, and it felt like that—eerie.
At latest, next week.
At earliest, this week.
Then Professors Muam and Harian—totally different patterns from us—would face the students.
And after that, something even we didn't know about. Something Professor Niserwin said the students could never break through, no matter how hard they tried.
What could stop students growing this fast?
A few days later, that curiosity resolved surprisingly quickly.
By taking it head-on, with my body.
"Die! Hectopascal Kick!"
"Grraaack?!"
#3 Their Situation: A Student Council President's Situation
"Eighth floor, subdued in 10 minutes!"
"New record—today's the day we win!"
"Fifth floor, cleared on our own. Orders? Sixth floor's delaying—send us there?"
"No, we're going down! Fifth floor, push to fourth fast and breach the second!"
Today's our chance.
The fourth-year grade chief—the eighth floor's strongest gatekeeper professor—caught a cold from getting soaked in yesterday's fierce battle and took the day off.
The grade chief professor alone was the eighth floor group's core heavy hitter.
Equivalent to both Professor Maroon and Professor Arhan on the second floor. Her absence let us clear the eighth in 10 minutes, when it usually took 30+.
"Vice president broke through the seventh!"
"Vice president and the seventh-floor group who burned their strength—recover in the rear and come down slow! The rest who haven't fought, with me to breach the sixth!"
Boost speed with the wind spirit's blessing.
Earth spirits rise around us, smashing barriers, blocking arrows and traps.
"Fifth-floor stairs! Fifth-floor stairs!"
"Watch for traps—move fast!"
Stairs are the most trap-filled terrain.
To reduce even one trap, as student council president, I'd protested: What if students get hurt or die on these deadly stairs you made?
Professor Niserwin just grinned, ignored the stairs, and leaped.
Before his head hit, something like a hallway barrier popped from the stairs. His body bounced a few times on it like a sponge and he stood fine.
What'd he say? Roughly, earth magic like a barrier for a cushioning effect?
When I asked how, Professor Niserwin flashed a thumbs-up.
"Made in Black Anvil."
No idea what it meant, but it made me want to buy Black Anvil products, he was so confident.
Even so, no slacking.
Stairs are dangerous.
You won't die falling, but stairs are dangerous.
Arrows could fly from anywhere, anytime. Stair heights could suddenly rise.
Ceiling magic anytime. Misjump, and your legs sink into a swamp, stuck.
Trip, and...
"Gaaah!"
"Damn! One retired!"
"Abort today! Leave 'em!"
"S-save me! Nooo! N-not there, don't come in!"
A third-year boy dodged an arrow, fell from the stairs.
Then, like Professor Niserwin showed, soft landing.
But then the cushion wall morphed—instantly into tentacles like a kraken's from the deep sea, violating him everywhere.
The girls who saw it? Morale plummeted.
And fear it could happen to them? Morale drops again.
But today! "Everyone, push! Second floor soon!"
Faster advance than yesterday, when we wiped all but Professors Maroon and Arhan.
Tactic only possible today, with the fourth-year grade chief out sick.
"President!"
"We did it, Lady Aris!"
The scene before my eyes.
Many students down, but over seven professors too.
"Damn, didn't expect this tactic."
Professor Arhan, holding off students alone, looked grim.
Normally, Lady Aris blocks him while the rest push, but today—with us joining fast—it's different!
"Your blessing, to the president!"
"Iron will, convey your resolve to my comrade!"
They layer every defense spell on me.
Only one strategy now. The moment all magic hits me, I kick off the hall, charging the path the first arrivals cleared.
"Lisen, do it!"
"You got it!"
Speed incomparable to wind spirit blessing surges.
Loki's Shoes.
Before Professor Niserwin came, Yuglasia's sole divine summoner, Lisen's pride and joy.
God's shoes that run sea and sky—grant near-teleport speed to the wearer.
"Fire, water, wind, earth. Great powers of nature, gather here!"
With the chant, summon top high-grade spirits per element.
Cloaked in their power and blessing, accelerate with Loki's Shoes!
"No!"
"Block!"
Target: Professor Maroon.
Take her—the core of defense with two high-grade earth spirits—and the rest fall to student rotations!
"Come! I'll show you all my power!"
Suddenly, her two high-grade spirits merge.
What emerges: a massive earth giant, stooped so its body fits the hall.
"This is everything! Can you break it?"
Knew she contracted at least three high-grade spirits, but a top-grade one? Unimaginable.
Right below spirit kings—stronger than heirs in raw power, top-grade spirits.
Empire officially has five with them.
But if what I see isn't fake, the Empire's hidden strength is beyond expectations.
"But I—we—won't loseee!"
Charge, arms shielding head.
Two arms breaking? Fine.
Professor Niserwin made Night Self-Study for this—hired top healers en masse.
Otherwise,
Professors fighting thousands daily would've collapsed ages ago.
Trusting comrades' magic and Professor Niserwin's efforts to keep us going tomorrow, unleash my max output!
"Haaaap!"
Max acceleration. Can't even perceive surroundings.
God Loki-only speed, near-teleport, fused with my spirits.
Boom!
"Grah!"
"Ugh!"
One strike, through the top-grade spirit, straight to Professor Maroon—other professors blocked by our guys, perfect chance!
"Not bad..."
Professor Maroon collapses, blood trickling from her mouth. From my spot, I smile in satisfaction.
Both arms broken, one leg messed up too.
But finally, we break the second floor!
That's what I truly believed then.
Before seeing the silver devil.