Chapter 207: Alice Subjugation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Alice Subjugation (3)
It was a state of emergency.
The academy and the Imperial Knights had never expected a terrorist attack, let alone one orchestrated by the academy's own students. To be more precise, those students were the terrorists themselves.
The Imperial Knights spurred their horses and familiars toward Bartos Hall to quell the assault. Their caution was at an all-time high, the air thick with tension. Some exchanged hurried whispers to steady their nerves.
“I don’t know either. But in my experience, any magic that uses such a terrifying amount of mana—especially a type no one has ever heard of—is bound to be extremely dangerous.”
Their advance was abruptly halted. The Clover Paladin, Pierre Flanche, stood in their path, backed by a legion of Trump Soldiers. Clad in his uniform, Pierre looked more like a seasoned veteran than a student. It was the moment the truth came to light: the terrorists had infiltrated the academy by disguising themselves as youths.
The Imperial Knights drew their swords and charged without a second thought.
In another sector, the Diamond Paladin, Alexa, led her own platoon of Trump Soldiers. She intercepted the Märchen Academy combat forces as they converged on Bartos Hall.
The academy plaza was a cauldron of panic. Dozens of wizards scrambled to erect barriers to protect the civilians, while faculty members, acting on the Headmistress’s prior instructions, guided the crowds toward the shelters.
However, one student refused to follow orders.
“Hey! Why aren't you evacuating?!”
“Isaac... Isaac, where are you...?”
Luce Eltania shoved through the tide of fleeing students, moving in the opposite direction. Isaac had been missing for some time. Despite her preternatural eyesight, she couldn't find him anywhere.
Isaac was always at the center of the storm. He was, after all, the Nameless Hero.
By now, he would be heading toward Bartos Hall, the site of the attack. The timing was too perfect; his absence from the mandatory academy event suggested he had foreseen this unfolding disaster.
Deducing his location, Luce summoned the Thunderbird—Galia.
In an instant, thunderclouds blotted out the sky. With a deafening roar, purple lightning tore through the heavens, and from the black shroud, a massive, majestic avian revealed itself. It was the Thunderbird Galia, an 8-star lightning elemental magic beast.
Galia descended near Luce as she ran. The surrounding students shrieked in terror, scrambling away from the massive creature.
“Student Luce!”
“What are you doing?! Stop this instant—! Ack!”
When the faculty and Imperial Knights tried to intercept her, Luce lashed out with water magic, creating a perimeter that no one dared cross. As Galia lowered his body, Luce vaulted onto his back.
“Galia, over there! Isaac might be there!”
[Understood!]
Isaac’s power was likely conditional. If her assumption was correct, it was imperative that she protect him. Even if it wasn't, Luce simply wanted to be by his side. She had to be. If Isaac were even slightly injured, she felt as though her heart would be ripped to shreds.
It was an undeniable, obsessive attachment—and Luce cherished that feeling.
Galia took flight, soaring toward Bartos Hall with Luce clinging to his back.
Whirrr!
“Ugh?!”
Luce and the Thunderbird, consumed by their worry for Isaac, were a fraction too slow to notice the incoming bombardment. A sphere of deep pink flames streaked through the air at high speed, slamming into Galia’s wing. With a violent explosion, the wing was engulfed in high-density mana flames.
Despite the searing pain, Galia remained steady, flapping his wings to disperse the fire.
A blockade of forces appeared in the sky and on the ground, barring their path. Trump Soldiers mounted on winged horses surrounded them. Then, a youthful-looking woman—the one who had launched the fireball from the ground—mounted her own familiar and took the lead, ascending high into the sky.
She rode an armored red horse that galloped through the air, deep pink flames flickering at its hooves. The rider was none other than the Heart Paladin, Shera Hectolica.
As Shera reached the front of the Trump Soldiers and deployed a fire magic circle, Luce countered by manifesting a lightning circle, her gaze hardening.
“We meet again, don't we?”
“...”
Luce scrutinized Shera. She wore a red uniform now, looking far more mature than she had during the joint practical evaluation, despite her youthful features.
“I’m sorry, but what can I do? No one passes through here!”
“Move aside.”
“I said no.”
Luce’s gaze turned ice-cold.
More reinforcements were converging on their location—the academy’s combat forces and Imperial Knights. Among them, a group of students including Ian Fairytale, Tristan Humphrey, and Mateo Jordana had formed a makeshift team, secretly following the adults in a desperate bid to protect their school.
They all clashed with the Trump Soldiers.
Shera didn't care; she was only buying time. It was fine. She just had to hold on a little longer until Alice revived the Evil God. Then, victory would be theirs. It wouldn't take much longer.
Even if I die in the process... it doesn’t matter.
For Alice, Shera was ready to lay down her life. Ever since the moment she was saved by Alice in Wonderland...
The other Paladins felt the same. Amidst their somber resolve, only Shera made an effort to appear cheerful. She believed they had come too far to let their spirits falter now. But for this fight, she had to kill her emotions.
For the kingdom... no, to protect Alice Carroll, the one who saved me.
“Who gave the order?” Luce asked.
“Our Queen.”
“So you enrolled with this purpose from the very beginning.”
“Yes. We, too, have something we must protect.”
Luce did not hide her disgust.
Bzzzzzz!
She decided there was no need for mercy against an enemy of the academy. Luce extended her left arm, unleashing a surge of lightning mana.
“...?”
Shera’s eyes widened. The mana radiating from Luce was incomparably stronger than it had been during the evaluation. Luce’s lightning surged, amplified by the magic weapon on her left ring finger—the Ring of the Abyssal Queen.
Was she holding back this much when we fought last time?
Shera scoffed, though a thrill of anticipation raced through her. If this was to be her final battlefield, what could be more exhilarating than facing such an unreasonable genius with everything she had?
“I don’t care about your circumstances,” Luce’s voice dropped, cold and biting. Whatever their reasons, they were built on the suffering of others. “They aren't worth listening to. What matters is that you stood in my way. For that... I cannot forgive you.”
“Then try to kill me, Luce Eltania!”
Excited, Shera summoned the red knight minion, ‘Heart Jack,’ entrusted to her by Alice, and wreathed herself in deep pink flames.
Boom!!
Massive plumes of fire and bolts of lightning collided, triggering a chain of explosions. Luce and Shera spiraled through the air on their familiars, trading high-level elemental spells.
Kooooh!!
Shera’s flames scattered in every direction. Fireballs rained down on the academy forces, the Imperial Knights, and Ian Fairytale’s group as they struggled toward Bartos Hall. To the two powerhouses in the sky, the people below were mere debris. Though the falling fire was dangerous, the knights and wizards managed to dodge or intercept the projectiles while fighting the Trump Soldiers.
Mateo Jordana raised a [Rock Wall] to intercept the stray blasts. Tristan Humphrey, the vain blond noble, kicked a fireball away with a gust of wind-infused mana while surveying the chaos.
Suddenly, Tristan’s eyes widened in horror. Someone hadn't dodged.
“That fool!!”
“Ian!!”
Ian Fairytale, the light-element prodigy, lay unconscious on the ground, steam rising from his scorched body.
*
Meanwhile, inside Bartos Hall.
[Status]
Name: Isaac
Lv: (159)
Currently, [vs. Human Combat Power] was active, sitting at 76. For every 10 stat points invested, his level temporarily increased by 5. This meant his level jumped by 35 whenever he fought a human opponent.
Isaac’s vision flickered in sync with the malfunctioning chandelier.
Whoosh!
A tachi infused with frigid mana tore through the air during a moment of darkness. Isaac, mid-cast, twisted his body violently, narrowly dodging the blade aimed at his heart.
Frost crept across his skin as he kicked off the ground, desperate to put distance between himself and Zenon.
“...This is insane.”
A piercing chill that bypassed Isaac’s ice resistance bit into his chest. He had barely avoided being frozen solid. He realized then that he couldn't rely on instinct alone; he had to maintain a wide gap. He couldn't let the blade even graze him—the cold was so intense that a near-miss could still freeze his limbs. Moreover, the length of the tachi made it far more dangerous than anything he had faced in the game.
“Weren’t you the Nameless Hero?” Zenon asked, sheathing his tachi.
If Isaac truly were the Nameless Hero, Zenon was prepared to sacrifice his life just to inflict a single scratch. To him, the Nameless Hero was a champion among champions, a being beyond all norms.
But now, he dismissed the thought. Though Isaac’s mana density had spiked, Zenon attributed it entirely to the magic staff he held.
“The Queen has harbored vain suspicions all along.”
Zenon adjusted the brim of his military cap, pulling it low over his eyes as he muttered to himself. This is the end. Alice suspected Isaac was the Nameless Hero, but it seems she was mistaken.
To Zenon, the silver-haired boy was simply a product of great talent and rigorous training.
Shhhck!
Brandishing his blade, Zenon lunged again. The tachi struck like a bolt of frozen lightning.
Clash!
Boom!!
Isaac scrambled backward, casting ice spells to counter Zenon’s own. Ice ground against ice, and cold grappled with cold, the two forces neutralizing each other in a whirlwind of frost.
The two men exchanged blows in the flickering light. In terms of elemental power, mana mastery, and raw experience, Zenon held every advantage. Yet, as the fight dragged on, Zenon couldn't help but marvel at Isaac’s talent.
It was as if Isaac were reading his every move. The boy made perfectly rational decisions, evading and retaliating with terrifying precision whenever an opening appeared. His casting speed was monstrous; his mind had to be working at a superhuman rate.
This wasn't the level of a student. Even if he wasn't the Nameless Hero, he was a once-in-a-generation genius.
But... I’m sorry.
You would have become a magnificent wizard.
But I must kill you. I must snuff out your future.
For Queen Alice, and for the kingdom I must protect.
Zenon unleashed a fierce onslaught. Isaac’s movements began to lag as the frost from Zenon’s blade slowly overwhelmed his body.
Crackle!
Zenon dodged an elemental blast, slipped through Isaac’s guard, and swung his tachi. Isaac jerked backward to avoid the first strike, but the sheer momentum of the dodge left him overextended.
The second strike hissed through the air, aimed to kill.
Isaac’s eyes widened. He desperately drew a dagger from his robes, bracing the hilt with Zhonya’s Staff to block the incoming blade.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the friction, only to be instantly swallowed by the surging cold. Neither man yielded, putting their entire weight into the struggle. Their mana intertwined, each trying to freeze the other where they stood.
“Ugh!” Isaac groaned.
He could feel his dagger beginning to freeze. The struggle was turning against him as his strength faltered under the numbing cold. Isaac gritted his teeth, straining every muscle to keep from being pushed back.
Zenon, his breathing perfectly calm, narrowed his eyes.
“...Impressive.”
“What?” Isaac spat.
“You have remarkable qualities. It is a pity you have to die here. But... it is what it is.”
“...”
“Curse me if you must, Isaac.”
In that moment, the Sheath of Disaster slid down Isaac’s trouser leg and hit the floor at his feet. He instantly kicked it with the tip of his shoe, detonating the stored magic.
“...!”
Caught completely off guard, Zenon kicked off the ground to retreat, but the Sheath of Disaster had already triggered.
Kwaaaaa!!
A 5-star ice spell: [Frost Explosion].
Boulders of ice erupted from the blast. Zenon let out a cry of pain as his leg was severely frozen. Though he had avoided a direct hit, he couldn't escape the sheer scale of the icy detonation.
Whoosh!
Isaac blurred through the dense mist of cold. Zenon’s eyes widened at the sudden, explosive speed. His judgment faltered for a split second. Despite his unstable footing, Zenon tried to swing his tachi in a desperate arc.
Thump!!
Isaac’s fist was faster.
“Oof!!”
The punch connected with Zenon’s face with the force of a cannonball.
Whoom!
The impact sent Zenon spiraling through the air. His body skipped twice off the ground before he managed to conjure a block of ice to halt his momentum.
Zenon gasped for air, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. He had been protected by a constant [Basic Protection Magic], but it had been useless against the raw, concentrated power of Isaac’s strike.
Zenon lifted his head, his expression one of pure shock.
Blood dripped from Isaac’s knuckles.
“For a student... how is this...?”
His voice trailed off. In the swirling frost, Isaac’s chilling red eyes glinted with an ominous light. Within those eyes burned a cold, suppressed rage.