Chapter 16
Chapter 16
16th Episode
EP7 - Bonehead! (3)
This conflict began half a year ago, in the first semester, with the Hidden Dragon Society's entrance exam.
Perhaps it was a deep-rooted conflict that started even before that, when the White Path and Black Path divided and aimed their swords at each other.
'You bitch…'
Marina gritted her teeth.
Half a year ago. Marina of the Moon Shadow Scholar was pushed out by Elise and barely made it into the Hidden Dragon Society as the eighth-ranked Student. This was despite her unrequited love for Kendrake.
Since then, she had always hated Elise.
She had been holding back and suppressing her annoyance every time, but upon hearing the shocking news, she could no longer bear it.
"Hey, I heard you got half the answers wrong on the Hidden Dragon Society entrance exam written test?"
Elise blinked and replied, "Yeah."
"You're not even denying it? That's the problem with you White Path bastards. You think you're the only ones who can receive titles, so you crawl in using your family's influence and don't even feel ashamed?"
"……?"
Elise waved her head and hands in confusion. "Um, I didn't get in because of my family's power…"
"What?"
"I did well on the practical exam."
"How well could you have done on the practical exam, you crazy bitch? Are you the only one with a sword?"
"……."
"Hey. Tell me. Are you the only one with a sword? Did you have a sword, and I assassinated with a spoon?"
Marina's friends chimed in with comments like, "That's so absurd," and "Why are you talking back?" Elise pursed her lips.
"Um… I don't know why you guys hate me."
"You don't know?"
"I don't hate you. We've known each other for a long time."
Marina scoffed and approached, flicking Elise's forehead with her finger. "Still pretending to be nice. Must be nice to have a head full of flowers."
Elise stepped back. "Honestly, I'm jealous. Even if the White Path's family declines, they still have the ability to get you into the Hidden Dragon Society. Huh? My dad couldn't get me in even if he poured money into the academy."
"…Maybe he didn't have enough money?"
"Right? You don't need money. But I can't get in even if my dad pours money in because he doesn't have enough? Because I'm the daughter of some Black Path Assassination Squad nobody without a title?"
Marina's breathing grew increasingly rough. She shoved Elise's forehead hard.
Thwack!
Elise staggered.
"…Stop it."
"You're the one who should stop it. Stop pretending to be nice. Stop pretending to be innocent. Stop pretending you're the only one with a good personality."
"……."
"I heard you pretend to be nice whenever you get angry? Why? Do you want to kill me right now?"
"…I don't kill unless it's a mission."
Marina burst out laughing. Then, she became frighteningly serious.
"How long are you going to keep up the pretense? Huh? Hey. Hey."
Marina ran forward and headbutted Elise's face.
"…Let's stop. Please. Okay?"
"Try it. Keep pretending."
As Elise stumbled backward, she triggered a Trap.
Thud!!
Below her skirt, her calf and shin were caught. Blood spurted out, soaking the floor. '…….' Elise staggered and fell on her butt, while 'Hahahaha! Moron!' Marina and her gang laughed at her.
Elise forcibly opened the Trap and removed it.
Several more exchanges followed.
Elise occasionally glanced at the gathered professors.
But they were neutral professors, and they were only watching without intervening, as always.
"…Can't you just let me go? If you keep doing this, I'll start to hate you too…"
"Then what are you going to do? Assassinate us or something? Go ahead. Don't just talk big because you're scared. Do it!"
"……."
"Why? Are there too many eyes watching? Should I set up a stage for you?"
Crackle—
Lightning-like Magical Imprints sparked from Marina's body, signifying the activation of her Superpower. At the same time, tombstones rose from the ground around her.
It was Marina's main Superpower, the Totem System.
『 Armory of Destruction 』
Totem System. It was a Superpower system that occupied an area and exerted dominant power within that area.
A level 6 top-tier Totem unfolded. The air tore open, revealing a dozen or so gun barrels.
All those gun barrels were aimed at Elise.
"Die!"
The gun barrels spat fire.
Rat-tat-tat!!
In an instant, bullets poured toward Elise. Staggering, Elise quickly created distance and evaded the bullets.
"See! How is your practical skill any different from mine!"
Rat-tat-tat!!
Elise used Footwork to evade all the bullets and create distance, but in the process, a stone fragment the size of an adult's head struck her leg.
Thwack!
It was the leg that had been broken by the Trap. Blood splattered, and her upper body flinched in pain.
Even so, Elise only staggered with a gloomy expression, without any thought of retaliation. But then.
"Isn't your Stealth just a bubble too?"
"…What?"
"Isn't your Stealth just a bubble? Is that why your dad died a meaningless death somewhere?"
Marina finally touched a deep nerve.
Snap, something broke in Elise's heart.
"……."
Elise's world went silent.
Her unfocused pink eyes, which had been looking at the ground, slowly lifted to meet Marina's blue eyes.
"Hey. Look at that hypocritical bitch taking off her mask!"
Marina judged that the real battle was about to begin and expanded her Superpower.
Rumble-
Two more Totems appeared in succession.
Three pairs of cannon barrels, a staff imbued with Magical Power, and spears and swords revealed themselves in the air.
As one of the three Totems emitted Magical Power, the surrounding space was enveloped in a spherical darkness of Illusion Magic.
『 Dark Barrier 』
Because the penalty is reduced if it's unclear who killed whom.
At the same time, large Magical Imprints sparked from the bodies of Marina's friends.
Crackle-!
They also unfolded Totem System Superpowers, so a total of five Totems rose.
"……."
Staggering, her upper body swaying.
Elise erased her expression and reached for her waist.
Swish ─
Something was drawn from the air, creating friction.
An invisible weapon of Legend I grade, embodying the desire for murder.
「 Formless Sword○ 」
The reason she avoided fighting was simple. She didn't know how to fight without killing.
Murder that wasn't assassination could result in expulsion. But now, those thoughts had vanished.
Elise closed her eyes.
"……."
The time of the world around her stopped.
This was a secret Superpower passed down through her family.
『 Thorny Forest Walkway 』
Taking this opportunity, Marina's gang raised their Magical Power to unleash an attack.
Crackle-!
"Kill her―!!"
A scream filled with malice echoed. A situation where they had no choice but to kill each other.
In that critical moment—
'Huh?'
……An anomaly occurred.
Something began to interfere with the entire Totem area.
─── .
The weapons began to lose their control and waver.
The tips of the swords, the ends of the staves, the ends of the gun barrels, etc.
'What.'
All the weapons that had been aimed at Elise slowly turned, aiming at themselves.
'Huh? Uh oh? Shit. What's going on?'
Even the thick cannon barrels began to creak and bend, causing Marina and the Students to be horrified.
'Uh oh??'
It was incomprehensible.
This space was within their Totem area.
Totem was a Superpower designed to assassinate all beings within a space.
The difference in Magical Power inside and outside the area was more than threefold.
In other words, they were like gods in this space.
But then.
'Why, my Superpower…….'
The disconnect of feeling like the gun in her hand was placed in her own mouth. The sense of crisis as if she had completely lost control of her body. In that instant.
Elise opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Marina's back.
Thwack ―
The tip of the sword that had pierced Marina's waist protruded through her stomach.
Splatter-!
As blood gushed out, the gang Students still hadn't realized what was happening.
It was so fast, and even at the moment Marina's stomach was pierced, they couldn't see anything.
Half a beat later, Marina felt a foreign object in her abdomen and was taken aback when she saw the protruding sword.
'―When?'
Even then, Elise didn't stop, and she saw another girl's arm. The area below Elise's forearm blurred.
Thwack-
With a very faint sound, the Student's arm flew off along with her shoulder. It was completely severed.
Even then, Elise didn't stop, and she saw another Student's thigh.
Thwack-
With a monotonous sound, the person's thick thigh muscle was chopped off along with the bone. The body began to collapse diagonally.
Even then, Elise didn't stop, and next, she saw Marina's head. Those blue eyes. It was right in front of her before she knew it.
All of this happened in an instant, in less than two seconds.
However, the reason Elise stopped moving wasn't because the last attack was aimed at a person's head.
It was because a 'human' she had recently grown fond of was blocking her path.
Her heart sank at his pink eyes looking down at her. Like a puppy caught making a big mistake.
"Professor."
She stopped abruptly.
The stopped time began to flow. A sharp, high-pitched scream rang out. Marina clutched her stomach and collapsed.
Elise remained still. Even so, she couldn't hide the rising excitement and her hands trembled.
"Please move. Just a little."
Dante narrowed his eyes. "Stop." He said. But Elise shook her head.
"No, I can't. I can't stop myself. You have to move, Professor."
Trembling hands. Even more trembling pupils. Her breathing was rough. Her legs were restless, as if they were about to spring out at any moment.
Drip-
Blood began to flow from Elise's nose.
She wasn't calmed down. This situation was no different from tying a rabid dog with a single thread.
Elise knew. She couldn't stop herself when she was in this state. Only her father had ever stopped her in her life, and no one had ever stopped her since.
"Professor. Please move. Please…"
So, she asked him to move. Before the single thread of reason she had barely held onto snapped. Before she lost her mind and attacked even you, whom she had grown fond of…….
But what came back was a single word.
An order that was so cold and stern.
"Sit."
In an instant, Elise's emotions stopped.
Like a runaway train crashing into a mine wall.
"……."
The trembling in her eyes subsided. The strength in her fingertips released. The invisible blade fell to the floor. 'Clang!' Slowly, her body, stained with the blood of others, lowered.
Elise knelt on the floor.
Like a good puppy in front of its owner.
Around that time, Marina wiped the blood gushing from her mouth. Too many things had happened in an instant, and she was dizzy, but her gaze was fixed on one man.
'That person is…….'
It was a face she had seen several times. The new professor whom she had a crush on and thought was stronger than any other professor, and whom even Kendrake, whom she admired, had shown inferiority to many times.
Their eyes met.
Hic….
She heard a hiccup next to her. Marina used Magical Power to stop the bleeding and gritted her teeth.
'Shit. What is it. What is it. Goddamn it! What is this!!'
She couldn't end it like this. Elise was a Hidden Dragon Society Student and a member of the White Path. Touching this meant that Marina had a lot to lose as well.
So, she endured a little longer, and the professor who had calmed Elise approached her and ordered, "Release the Totem."
A voice that sent chills down her spine. Even though the inside of the Dark Barrier was her world, it was a voice that completely suppressed her.
"…Why? This isn't my fault."
"……."
"That bitch! She started it first! Using her privilege as a Hidden Dragon Society Student! As a member of the White Path! That bitch looked down on me first…!!"
Marina desperately began to argue, but the professor looked down at her and said in a slow tone, "Release it."
She couldn't bring herself to look at those pink eyes.
Marina lowered her head.
"……."
Finally, the Dark Barrier surrounding them disappeared, as if a soap bubble was slowly bursting.
All the Totems she had ambitiously summoned lost their power and began to crumble into dirt.
Then, Professor Dante shouted to the neutral professors who were gathered, "You there. Please clean up the situation."
The neutral professors froze stiffly.
A few new professors who were more motivated moved. They called the infirmary and the disciplinary department. They informed the Black Path and White Path of the situation. They isolated the Students.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities. And the injured were also in a recoverable state.
The midday emotional fight ended like that.