Chapter 293: Iron Fairy Subjugation (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 293: Iron Fairy Subjugation (3)
[Allow me to explain the new rules of the game.]
Rachnil’s voice echoed through the chamber once again.
[Your victory requires two conditions. First, you must reach me and defeat me. I am waiting at the very peak of this sanctuary. It will be an arduous journey, but surely an enjoyable one!]
If Rachnil’s plan succeeded, countless lives would be lost.
For now, the first condition remained the same as it was in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
[The second condition is to fulfill the special victory condition of the Academy Clash. I promise not to lay a finger on anyone except the challenger who intends to face me directly.]
The special victory condition of the Academy Clash.
It meant finding the key and opening the safe located in the center of the stage. Everyone present likely interpreted it that way.
This is different from the game.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, there was no special victory condition. It was simply a battle royale between students in the Iron Sanctuary with their lives on the line.
Could this special condition have been created because I was a variable? To think he incorporated that into his own game’s rules.
For a fairy, the weight of a promise was as heavy as their life.
Which means I can trust his word.
Is the 'challenger' statement directed at me?
It seemed Rachnil was expecting me to come and fight.
[The effects of items and traps remain the same. There is only one difference!]
Rachnil’s voice dropped an octave, turning chillingly cold.
[Elimination equals death.]
To Rachnil, killing people was as effortless as stepping on an insect.
Using [Clairvoyance], I meticulously scanned every corner of the Iron Sanctuary. The students had scattered in all directions. Some were trembling with fear, others had collapsed, and many were simply consumed by their own terror.
[But if it’s just you lot, it would turn into a boring game where you only work together and cheer each other on, wouldn’t it?]
What?
[So, I decided to add a new participant!]
With a low rumble, iron mana surged from the walls and floor, merging and taking the form of an armored knight. He blocked the passage leading to the next area, leveling his long weapon at me.
His glowing red eyes were vivid and menacing.
[Iron Knight]
Lv: 130
Race: Fairy
Attribute: Iron
Danger Level: Middle-High
Rachnil’s minion…
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, those bastards were the ones waiting to execute eliminated students. They were also the enemies encountered while ascending the sanctuary toward Rachnil.
The higher you go, the stronger they get.
In other words, this wasn't an opponent I should have been facing right at the start.
He even has a qualification stone.
On the Iron Knight’s shoulder was an ornament mimicking the qualification stone. This meant the minions were also subject to the rules of the Academy Clash.
The situation was grim.
[Everyone, try your best to survive! I sincerely hope we have a good game!]
Rachnil’s voice faded, but his Academy Clash had only just begun.
I quickly scanned the area with [Clairvoyance]. Many students were paralyzed with fear as the Iron Knights appeared.
As expected, there are just too many of them…
There were too many students to protect.
Moreover, Iron Knights were appearing even in areas without students. They were likely farming the items from the original Academy Clash. It seemed that due to the new rules, Rachnil was setting up a massive battle: "Academy Students vs. Iron Minions."
Since there were so many people to protect, I needed all the help I could get.
“Hilde!”
Hilde, who had been glowing faintly like a firefly inside my shirt collar, leaped out. She transformed into her human form, her short white hair fluttering. I immediately pulled out the Magic Cloak of Disguise - Berserker and threw it to her.
It wasn't for a disguise; she just needed clothes. I didn't give her the mask.
Clang!
An Iron Knight kicked off the ground and charged toward me.
Boom!!
I condensed ice mana in my hand and unleashed it.
The 5-star ice spell, [Frozen Explosion]. The Iron Knight shattered into a thousand shards. The incapacitated minion melted like mercury, absorbed back into the wall.
[I dressed as quickly as I could, Master.]
Hilde fastened her robe, the long garment covering her body. Though in human form, her horns and tail remained. She readied herself for battle.
In a confined space like this, she couldn't grow to her full size in her original form, but she seemed to understand my intentions perfectly.
“Take this!”
Ice mana gathered in my right hand as the sound of rattling chains echoed. The mana transformed into a massive scythe emanating a bone-chilling frost. It was the Frostscythe.
I tossed the Frostscythe to Hilde, and she caught it with both hands.
[The Frostscythe?]
“You use it for now.”
It was just a hunch, but I felt Hilde would be able to wield it effectively. In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the official name of the weapon was sometimes listed as “Hilde’s Frostscythe.”
“We need to move, fast!”
[Understood, Master!]
As I began to sprint, Hilde followed immediately.
“There’s no time. There are too many students we need to protect!”
As I ran toward Ian’s location, I used [Clairvoyance] again to check on the others.
Faced with the Iron Knights, the students were terrified. Even if they were the elites of a prestigious academy, they were still just teenagers with little real-world experience. In a life-or-death situation, most collapsed in fear, attacked clumsily, or simply fled.
I have to save them.
I didn't need a reason. Since I was the only one with the power to change this, I had a responsibility to those kids.
Boom!!
After casting [Frost Barrier] on a group of nearby students, I wiped out the surrounding Iron Knights with an AOE ice spell, but…
It was difficult to help those in distant areas. If they weren't in my line of sight, there was only so much I could do.
Alice was also moving quickly, defeating Iron Knights and rescuing students, but there were simply too many for her to handle alone.
I gritted my teeth. I had to do something, no matter what.
I have to, somehow—
Whoosh!!
At that moment, [Clairvoyance] picked up something moving at tremendous speed in the distance.
I saw a girl with a ponytail wielding rock magic, smashing Iron Knights to pieces one after another.
A pink-haired girl was using fire magic to shield students.
A petite girl was hugging a pillow while crushing enemies with overwhelming magical force.
“These girls…”
In areas beyond my reach, the students of Märchen Academy were spread out, systematically defeating the Iron Knights and rescuing their peers.
“Thank goodness…!”
Swish!!
Suddenly, an Iron Knight leaped from a wall of iron mana, swinging its sword in a surprise attack. I reflexively ducked, the blade whistling over my head.
[Howl, Hell’s Frostscythe.]
Slash!!
Along with a bizarrely named technique, a silver line was drawn across the Iron Knight’s torso, instantly cleaving it in half.
Hilde adjusted her grip on the Frostscythe, which was now wreathed in freezing energy, and looked down at the melting remains of the minion.
“…What was that about 'Hell’s Frostscythe'?”
[I have always wanted to try saying a technique name like that, Master.]
The name was dramatic, but it was really just her swinging the Frostscythe with brute force while channeling its chill. Still, since she handled it so well, it worked out.
*
“Kahahaha! They looked tough on the outside, but they’re as soft as mush!”
The vain blond noble, Tristan Humphrey, boasted as he smashed through Iron Knights at incredible speed, rescuing students. His fists and kicks were packed with dense wind mana, delivered in a rapid-fire barrage. With his natural acceleration, the power of his attacks far exceeded the level of any ordinary student.
“Let’s gooo!!”
Clang!
Lisetta Lionheart sprinted through the Iron Sanctuary. Swinging her club-like magic weapon, Rock Bat, she unleashed a barrage of rock magic that shattered the Iron Knights into rubble. Enemies she could crush mercilessly only fueled Lisetta’s competitive spirit.
“Ciel!”
“How annoying…”
Keridna Whiteclark wielded fire magic while protecting the students. Ciel Carnedas yawned, covering her mouth, yet continued to relentlessly cast elemental magic, sweeping through the Iron Knights like a tide.
“T-thank you…!”
“Thank you so much!”
The rescued students stammered their gratitude, and Keridna quickly evacuated them toward the Märchen Academy base. Other Märchen students were also taking down enemies in areas Isaac couldn't reach, following Keridna’s orders to secure the perimeter.
This was the difference in real combat experience.
The students of Märchen Academy, having already survived multiple life-and-death battles, were able to suppress their fear and fight back. And they possessed the raw skill to back it up.
“Student Council President, what’s the plan?” Ciel asked as they crossed the sanctuary.
“What else? You felt that mana earlier, right? Whatever is at the top isn't something we can handle,” Keridna replied seriously.
“We have to do what we can.”
“Yeah… so, finding the key, right?”
Keridna was protecting the participants of the Academy Clash, intending to fulfill the special victory condition.
“If you know the plan, then help out properly.”
“I’m trying. I just want to go back to sleep as soon as possible…”