Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: A Coincidence for the Transfer Student (10)
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Boom!
Something crashed into the wall beyond. No one knew how they’d managed to reach the underground shelter, but one thing was certain.
The shelter’s walls wouldn’t hold out much longer.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The sound of something clawing through the wall echoed throughout the entire shelter. Soon after, cracks spiderwebbed across the wall’s surface.
Gulp.
Someone watching the splitting wall swallowed hard. The vague suspicion had hardened into certainty. Yes, the enemy had come.
No sooner had everyone realized this than short screams and the scramble of retreating footsteps filled the air.
The panicked noises of frightened students, the cracking wall.
Crack!!
The shelter itself seemed to scream as the wall vomited chunks of concrete and dust.
Yeomyeong gripped his weapon and spoke.
“…Everyone, get ready.”
With a thunderous crash, the massive wall shattered like it had been hit by a shell.
The sudden explosion of noise and shock sent the group scrambling—grabbing weapons, hunching down, assuming defensive stances.
Everyone except Yeomyeong.
Whoosh!
The instant the wall crumbled, he kicked off the ground. Ignoring the flying debris, he unleashed a burst of sword aura straight through the collapsing breach.
Attack over defense. A lesson hard-learned in blood back in North Manchukuo.
“Argh! My arm!!”
Someone struck by the sword aura watched their arm fly through the air. Before the blood gushing from the severed shoulder could even hit the floor, Yeomyeong landed on the other side.
Thud.
Beyond the wall stretched a massive tunnel, large enough for six grown men to stand side by side.
Yeomyeong wasn’t a construction expert, but even he could tell no one dug a hole like this overnight.
The scale alone proved this assault had been planned over months, maybe years.
“T-That guy! It’s the transfer student!”
The tunnel crawled with armed thugs.
Rifles, of course—and even someone aiming a rocket launcher.
Firepower surpassing any ordinary mercenary band zeroed in on Yeomyeong all at once.
“Kill him!”
The moment their muzzles flashed, Yeomyeong kicked off the ground.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Dodging bullets in such a confined tunnel was impossible. Yeomyeong took them head-on as he charged the nearest foe.
The bastard who’d breached the wall, no doubt—a mage clutching a staff.
“H-Hilaria’s…! Answer my call—Guhk!”
The mage reflexively began his incantation, but Yeomyeong’s blade was a fraction faster. The mana-infused sword sliced clean through the mage’s throat.
“G-Guh…”
Yeomyeong seized the spurting mage’s body and hoisted it toward the tunnel like a shield.
Anyone could see he meant to use the man as a meat shield.
The enemies froze their fire on reflex, but bullets already in flight hammered into the mage’s corpse.
“Deral! No!”
Shocked by the friendly fire, they faltered for a moment. Yeomyeong didn’t miss it.
He charged with the corpse in tow.
“Block him! It’s the dragon slayer! Don’t let him close!”
One step. Bullets rained down. Yeomyeong shielded his face and torso with the body.
Two steps. His heart pumped furiously. Blood poured from wounds taken before killing the mage, but his thoughts accelerated.
Three steps. A bullet lodged in his calf. He gritted his teeth and channeled mana into his sword.
Four, five… and seven.
Close enough to see their pupils dilate, Yeomyeong hurled the corpse and swung.
Flash!
The pent-up sword aura erupted, flooding the tunnel with light.
The Wave Yang Art’s mana-charged aura cleaved through incoming bullets and air alike.
“Dodge!”
Someone yelled, but where was there to dodge in that tunnel? The attackers could only spray bullets wildly or squeeze their eyes shut.
Just before it cleaved dozens in half—
“Hilaria’s light—!”
A beam of light exploded from the rear of the attackers.
Clang!
It collided with the sword aura at invisible speeds. The deflected mana burst outward, and the tunnel screamed.
Rumble…!
Rocks and dust billowed up. Yeomyeong steadied himself amid the shockwave and glared at the foes.
The magic had blunted the sword aura’s power—casualties were light.
Despite gathering ample mana for that strike… only a handful lay crushed against the tunnel walls by the blast.
But that alone shocked the attackers beyond measure.
They’d planned to pour firepower from the tunnel, never dreamed of being counterattacked like this.
And Yeomyeong gave them no time to recover.
He unleashed Flying Leg Art, kicked off, and charged.
“Switch to Plan B! All superhumans, front line! No holding back! He’s on par with the Saintess and the Vessel!”
The enemy wasn’t sitting idle. Instead of wasting more bullets, superhumans surged from their ranks.
They swung at Yeomyeong’s face—not the crude swordplay of Manchukuo mercenaries, but the real deal.
‘Skilled enough to assault the Academy, huh?’
Curious about their origins, but three-plus swords bore down, snapping his thoughts.
Clang clang!
Sparks flew as blades met blade. The mana sword spat shockwaves; his hands buzzed.
‘Too close.’
Not just skill—weapons were the issue.
His training sword couldn’t handle his mana. Cracks already spiderwebbed the blade.
Yeomyeong parried while pondering: retreat, or…?
‘Kill in one strike, seize their weapons.’
No time for long thought. He gathered mana for another sword aura.
“That sword aura again! Everyone, fall b—”
Then someone burst from behind him. Wavy black hair, blue eyes.
Swoosh!
The training sword swept the neck of a superhuman fixated on Yeomyeong.
“What’re you doing charging alone?”
Seti’s voice rang out belatedly.
Before the decapitated superhuman hit the ground, Yeomyeong and Seti exchanged glances.
No further words needed. They thrust at the superhumans in unison.
And with that, their comrades charged in.
***
Jeon Yunseong and Wesley, Soemiri and Gemini Teacher… and the Saintess yelling from the rear.
“Seti! Don’t get hurt!”
As Seti and the others plunged into the chaos Yeomyeong had sown, the enemy lines crumbled.
“Damn it! They’re all superhumans! Don’t worry about stray shots—fire!”
Even as students, superhumans dodged gunfire on instinct.
The attackers fired frantically, but the tide had turned.
Yet… the fight wasn’t as one-sided as hoped.
Gunfire dragged on endlessly, with superhuman blades occasionally arcing toward Yeomyeong.
Yeomyeong jammed a blade into a superhuman’s throat, seized it, and turned to find why.
After a brief scan of his comrades’ struggles, he realized.
‘…Right, they’re students.’
Only Yeomyeong and Seti killed mercilessly.
The other four wasted effort knocking foes out or down instead of finishing them.
No blame, no heart for it. They were students mustering courage enough. Demanding murder was too harsh.
Not that it excused him, but Yeomyeong swung fiercer.
His blade turned red in seconds; blood trailed every step.
Thanks to that, the attackers focused even more fire on him over the others.
“Die!”
A grenadier rushing for suicide, a rocketeer ignoring allies…
Bang!
Each time, the Saintess—now with a scavenged gun—sniped to cover him.
How she landed precise shots in the dim tunnel was a mystery… but didn’t she wear an eyepatch normally?
Yeomyeong ignored it, steadily thinning their numbers.
Finally, he faced the mage cowering at the rear.
“T-This can’t be…”
The man’s face twisted in shock, his gaze on Yeomyeong hollow with despair.
“The priest’s prediction… was wrong. You’re no Holy Knight. You can’t be. No Holy Knight could be this ruthless.”
“…Priest? A religious group behind this assault?”
Yeomyeong kept his guard up despite asking. The foe was a mage—one who’d nullified his sword aura in one spell.
Ready for a sudden incantation any second…
“…Joseph Teacher?”
Gemini Teacher, now beside him, addressed the mage.
“Gemini Teacher.”
“Y-You… how…?”
“…Regrettable to meet like this.”
An Academy teacher? Yeomyeong glanced between them.
Shock filled Gemini Teacher’s face; the mage called Joseph showed none.
“T-Teacher, why… why do this?”
“…For the greater cause.”
Before Joseph could reply, Yeomyeong cut in.
“A greater cause that sprays bullets at students. Quite the noble one.”
“…Spout whatever. You couldn’t grasp our pain or purpose.”
“Save it for the cops.”
Yeomyeong sneered, raising his sword.
Even a master mage was just a healthy civilian without staff or limbs.
As Yeomyeong advanced, Joseph sighed and turned to the still-dazed Gemini Teacher.
“Gemini Teacher. One final piece of advice.”
“…”
“If by some chance you survive this… go home. Don’t look back.”
“W-What do you—”
“We’re neither the first nor last to target this Academy. Countless yearn to shatter Earth’s false peace.”
Joseph abruptly surged with mana. As Yeomyeong reflexively readied sword aura—
“Even now, others besides us target the Academy—that proves it…”
Not quite a spell, too refined for rampage—the mana tore from Joseph’s body.
‘Suicide?’
No, more than that. It shredded his flesh and rocketed upward, smashing the tunnel ceiling.
KABOOM!!!
Collapse the tunnel? Yeomyeong backpedaled, but Joseph aimed higher.
A massive hole punched where his corpse struck—not the whole tunnel, a precise single point.
‘What the…’
Yeomyeong cautiously eyed the ceiling breach. Looking up, he met eyes staring down.
Rotting, pus-dripping, unfocused eyes.
The problem: not just one or two.
Hundreds visible at a glance; his senses picked up more…
“Seti!”
He shouted to his comrades clearing the tunnel.
“Yeah? Yeomyeong?”
“Back to the shelter! Now!”
Snatching dazed Gemini Teacher, he bolted as—
Zombies poured from the ceiling hole in droves.
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