Episode 529
Episode 529
"The number of challengers is a bit excessive..."
The statue looked slightly bewildered at the sight of students charging toward it.
While many students had challenged it before, this was the first time they were attacking in such numbers.
"Wardanaz! Cast the spells!"
"Feet, tread upon the earth. Hands, cleave through foes. Cloak..."
The White Tiger Tower students, empowered by multiple enhancement spells, charged forward with confidence. Among first-years, they were undoubtedly the most accustomed to combat using enhancement magic.
After all, battles using enhancement magic resembled knightly combat more than conventional magical duels.
Fueled by this pride and bearing far more enhancement spells than usual, the White Tiger Tower students' charge couldn't help but be bold.
Giselle frowned at the sight.
'They're charging headfirst against no easy opponent.'
Of course, even against a strong foe, one couldn't keep dodging forever.
Since numbers were one of their advantages, it was essential to somehow send scouts to restrain the opponent and gather information.
But there was a world of difference between reluctantly taking on that role and recklessly charging ahead just because you'd been buffed with magic.
"Come at me!"
A White Tiger Tower student shouted while shielding himself with his shield.
His heightened reflexes and invigorated body gave him confidence to react to any incoming attack.
Thwack!
Yet the White Tiger Tower student went tumbling sideways, rendering his battle cry meaningless.
"??!"
The statue's attack didn't come from the front—it came from the side.
The statue swung its club through empty air without pause, continuing its assault.
To an observer, it might have looked like the statue was flailing at nothing, but to the White Tiger Tower students, it was a terrifying barrage of attacks coming from blind spots.
As spatially-transported strikes flew from completely unpredictable directions—side, back, below, above—the White Tiger Tower students rolled helplessly.
"Th-this is..."
"What kind of nonsense...!"
The White Tiger Tower students were aghast, feeling as though everything they'd learned about swordsmanship was being negated.
And they weren't the only ones. The Black Turtle Tower students behind them were similarly shocked.
Even to their eyes, the enhanced movements of the White Tiger Tower students were frighteningly fast—beyond anything they'd dare face.
Yet the statue subdued them all with such ease that it rendered everything meaningless.
"Wardanaz! Do you have a strategy?"
"Yes."
"What is it?!"
"Keep advancing."
"......"
"......"
The students were stunned by Wardanaz's expressionless command.
Though he wasn't angry or threatening, his icy demeanor radiated an aura that brooked no argument.
'Compared to usual Wardanaz...'
'...he was actually incredibly kind!'
His friends belatedly realized that the Wardanaz who used to nag them while smacking the backs of their heads with his staff had actually been a very gentle and considerate Wardanaz.
"Wardanaz, come back to your old self...! This isn't like you!"
"Quiet. Advance."
"Sniff..."
"Wardanaz. I liked the old you better... well, not that I liked him, but still better than this..."
As the White Tiger Tower and Black Turtle Tower students tearfully prepared to charge again, Lee Han studied the statue.
The weakness of high-difficulty spatial magic had always been casting speed.
Though this statue was casting at an impossibly fast speed by borrowing Einrogard's power, its fundamental limitation remained unchanged.
Using numbers to exhaust the opponent and divide its focus was the right strategy.
Even as his White Tiger Tower friends screamed and went flying ahead, Lee Han's heart—bound by the fate called "the future"—remained utterly unclouded.
"Salko. Your turn. Go. Use earth elemental magic to obscure its vision as much as possible."
"......"
Salko seemed to realize there was no point arguing now and nodded before making a hand gesture.
"O sands, obscure their vision!"
In an instant, a cloud of dust rose up, blocking their view.
Though Wardanaz was clearly in a somewhat deranged state right now, one couldn't deny his judgment remained razor-sharp.
To accurately grasp exactly which spells Salko could use and issue precise commands at the perfect moment like this...
"Ratford. Cast <Confusing Sands>. Shyles. Cast <Rock Projectile>. Adjust your angle 30 degrees to the right."
As Lee Han spoke, he swung his staff.
A Water Orb materialized and embedded itself sharply in front of a White Tiger Tower student who'd been trying to retreat through the dust cloud.
"Advance."
"Wardanaz, please return to your normal self!"
* * *
Though the battle was growing increasingly brutal and fierce, surprisingly, some students were actually enjoying this atmosphere.
The students from the Blue Dragon Tower were among them.
"Keh... That Wardanaz bastard. Now that's the dignity of a high noble for you."
"......"
Nilia, who'd been drawing her bowstring, turned to stare at her Blue Dragon Tower friend in shock.
"What nonsense are you spouting!? He's clearly gone insane!"
"Huh? No. Nilia, that's too harsh. To say that about a friend!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students seemed more flustered by Nilia's reaction than anything.
No matter how you looked at it, calling a friend "insane" was going too far.
Did Nilia perhaps dislike Wardanaz?
"Ah, no, I was too hars— No, he IS insane!"
When one of the Blue Dragon Tower students was forcibly teleported upside down onto the ceiling, Nilia nearly lost her footing before catching herself.
This was undeniably madness.
"That's not insanity—that's high nobility in action."
"Exactly."
Among noble families, those with both history and prestige had always been objects of reverence.
Those of noble birth respected their unshakable dignity and authority so much that they sometimes misunderstood certain behaviors.
Like right now.
"He's telling his friend with a broken ankle to charge back in!"
"Necessary sacrifices must be made for the greater cause."
"Right. That's the virtue required of a commander."
As they spoke, Lee Han chimed in from the side.
"Your injuries seem healed. Rejoin the assault."
"Understood, Wardanaz!"
"On my way!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students, having finished bandaging their wounds, enthusiastically grabbed their staves and charged.
Nilia couldn't believe her eyes.
No...
No way...!
"Nilia. Your bowstring's slack."
"Hey!"
"?"
Lee Han turned his gaze in confusion.
When their eyes met, Nilia felt her mind go completely blank.
"...I'm firing now!"
"Good."
Grumbling internally, Nilia loosed her arrow.
The statue either teleported the projectiles away or summoned other statues to use as shields.
Though every attack kept getting blocked, there was meaning to it.
While they poured on this assault, the distance between the students and the statue was gradually closing...
Of course, that also meant the students were taking more hits...
Thud.
Nilia turned when she heard someone drop their staff nearby.
It seemed the Princess had fumbled her staff while casting a spell.
"Your Highness. Are you all right?"
"If you're tired, perhaps you should rest..."
The Princess's followers quickly spoke up.
Seeing this, Nilia grumbled to herself even more. 'If I were royalty, I'd have more friends too.' No matter how she looked at it, being a princess from the imperial palace seemed far more advantageous for making connections than being from the Shadow Patrol of the northern mountains.
Nilia didn't dislike Adenart, but she couldn't help feeling jealous of how friends just naturally flocked to her without any effort.
"I'm fine."
"But..."
"Truly, I'm fine."
Adenart hurriedly dismissed her followers, then subtly glanced at Lee Han's expression.
Then she vigorously swung her staff and began casting a spell. Somehow, her movements seemed more exaggerated and her incantation louder than before.
"...?"
Nilia felt something oddly familiar about that sight.
It was as if she was watching herself trying to catch Wardanaz's attention... 'No way, right?' Just as she was about to dismiss it as a misunderstanding, the Princess dropped her staff again.
She wasn't accustomed to such exaggerated movements and had made another mistake.
"......"
"......"
As Nilia stared at the scene, her eyes met the Princess's.
The Princess turned pale and shot Nilia a pleading look to pretend she hadn't seen anything. Without realizing it, Nilia nodded.
The Princess sighed in relief and bowed her head slightly before resuming her spellcasting. 'What... just happened?' Nilia wondered if she'd just imagined it.
"Nilia! We need to move forward! They've rebuilt the wall, so stick close behind it!"
"Hey. I think I just became friends with the Princess..."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about!? I said move forward!"
'Now.'
When the distance had closed by more than half, Lee Han—who had been only giving orders from the rear—began casting every available buff spell on himself and charged forward.
Sharkan was the first to let out a bloodthirsty cry and pounce.
Boom!
Though the statues had only been lightly subdued until now, Lee Han didn't hold back against Sharkan.
He could feel just how threatening this opponent was.
Crack!
Lee Han spread <Ogonin's Thin Mist> through the dust, then created an ice clone and sent it charging ahead.
The moment the statue swung its club to shatter the ice clone, the club froze solid with a crack, slowing its movements.
At the same time, a horde of Skeleton Warriors surged forward.
The statue kept one hand ready to counter Lee Han, who still hadn't emerged from the mist, while boldly swinging its other club to knock down the Skeleton Warriors.
Then, the Skeleton Warriors began exploding in rapid succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Kaboom!
The moment the club was teleported, it was inevitably caught in the surrounding explosions, dealing some damage.
The statue let out an admiring cry.
—What an excellent...!
But Lee Han didn't stop.
His opponent had only lost one arm at most.
Water Prison Bombs materialized in midair and hurtled toward the statue. Realizing these attacks were far heavier than any before, the statue reinforced its defenses.
But Lee Han was already sprinting like the wind in the opposite direction of the bombs.
The statue, most wary of this approach, tried to teleport boulders in every direction around Lee Han, just as it had subdued him before.
At that moment, Lee Han abruptly changed direction and accelerated explosively, as if he had anticipated the spell.
The statue, stunned beyond belief, sensed its defeat.
—I've lost...!
A relentless war of attrition from his friends, followed by a perfectly timed explosive ambush when the statue was most exhausted.
And then, hiding the fact that he could predict teleportation magic until the decisive moment to exploit its weakness.
It was a brilliant challenge that anyone would have to acknowledge.
—You may pass beyond this point...
The statue began crumbling into dust.
Having fulfilled its purpose by being defeated, it was now returning to the earth.
Click.
—Just before dispersing, the statue embedded a mineral fragment into Lee Han's staff.
It was the mark rightfully earned by the victor of the challenge.
This token, imbued with a simple teleportation spell, would show the mage who had defeated the statue a new path.
—Heh. A victory of magic... and friendship.
The students behind him were slightly puzzled by the word "friendship" but held their tongues.
Wardanaz was still plenty intimidating.
Lee Han, now holding the token, stood motionless.
"?"
"...?"
The students wondered why Wardanaz was acting like this.
'What's up?'
'Did you mess something up?'
'Uh, did I charge in too late...?'
Lee Han slowly turned around.
Then he spoke.
"What are all of you doing here?"
"......"
"......"
"I-Is this a trick question or something?"