Book 1 Chapter 322
322
Noble's base.
Karl, who was in charge of base defense, made a dumbfounded expression.
“What? Glory’s kids are all just defending?”
For Karl, who was in charge of collecting information and planning operations through various routes, it was a perplexing story.
‘Did Chloe notice?’
If it was Chloe, she would be able to change the plan in preparation for information leaking in advance.
Karl wore a troubled expression.
“Hey, first, how about we provide siege weapons to the strike teams?”
“Right, if all the Glory kids only defend, it’ll be hard to break through with our current strength.”
The Noble students remaining at the base discussed.
Most of the students who remained for base defense were from the Department of Magic.
They were students specialized in support and base defense rather than combat.
It was when the Noble students were formulating their base defense plan.
Thud-!
“Huh?”
Something flew and stuck into the student’s back.
The light on the bracelet, showing life, instantly went out.
The Noble student, who was judged to be eliminated, was forcibly moved to the revival point.
The faces of the Noble students who saw it stiffened instantly.
“W-what’s going on?”
It was when a female student from Noble’s Department of Magic frantically looked around.
“Hello?”
A soft voice was heard.
Karl made a terrified expression.
“Chen Xia? How did you get in here!”
“I snuck in.”
Smiling - Chen Xia wore a beautiful smile.
But that smile was like that of a grim reaper.
Swish-!
Chen Xia raised her hand.
In that hand, she held a throwing dagger.
“Run!”
“Kyaaaak!”
“Go awayyy!”
For mages.
Especially for mages specialized in rear support or base defense, close combat with a knight is a very disadvantageous fight.
It's an even more terrible situation if the opponent's skill is overwhelmingly superior.
Moreover, the opponent was Chen Xia, from the Shadows.
She was a woman specialized in hunting hero hunters.
Chen Xia, who smiled sweetly as she watched the Noble students scatter in all directions, chased Karl.
“There are so many other kids, why are you chasing me, the weakest one, of all people!”
“Karl. Do you know the basics of hunting?”
“How would I know that!”
“It’s about eliminating the weakest opponent first!”
“You’re from the Department of Knights, yet you have no chivalry?!”
“Because I’m from the Shadows.”
“Kiaaaak!”
Karl shrieked in terror.
Indeed, the current situation of being chased by Chen Xia was terror itself.
It was when Chen Xia rapidly closed the distance with the fleeing Karl.
Whoosh! Rumble!
A massive orb of flame flew towards Chen Xia.
Chen Xia, who easily dodged the attack, tilted her head.
“Did you really charge into the middle of the enemy camp without fear?”
“Emio!”
“Emio is back!”
The Noble students' faces brightened.
Although not called the strongest among second-years, Emio, who belonged to the strong lineup, was a student capable of stopping Chen Xia.
“Arrogant fellow.”
Simultaneously with Emio's cold words, the ground Chen Xia was standing on began to shake.
“Earth's Binding.”
As soon as the spell was completed, palms rising from the ground gripped Chen Xia.
As Emio clenched his fist nervously, immense power was applied to the earth encasing Chen Xia.
Crunch-!
An eerie sound echoed.
Emio, seeing that, snorted.
Although it seemed like he suddenly appeared and used magic, it was actually a powerful spell he had cast by investing a long time from the moment he confirmed Chen Xia's presence.
‘Chen Xia isn't someone with overwhelming destructive power like Celia or Durant.’
Within the Department of Knights, she is considered an equal to Celia and Durant, but their areas of expertise are clearly different.
‘In close combat, mages are definitely weak against knights. But with this much distance, a mage has a distinct advantage!’
Especially like Celia and Durant.
The two, being knights with overwhelming firepower, could perform area-of-effect attacks, making them very formidable opponents from a mage's perspective.
But Chen Xia was different.
As long as she doesn't allow close approach, she can maintain distance and attack the opponent.
‘Leo Flobe!’
Grind-!
Emio gritted his teeth.
Although he claimed to have been careless, the fact that he, a top student from the Department of Magic, was utterly helpless in a place where countless people from all over the world gathered, was enough to cause him immense shame.
‘Damn him! Cowardly surprise attack…!’
It was when Emio was about to conjure magic, spewing curses at Leo.
Thump-!
The Earth's Binding that encased Chen Xia distorted like mud.
Emio's face stiffened for an instant at the sight.
Boom-!
The solid prison burst as if exploding.
Chen Xia, in the posture of having thrown a punch, and Emio's eyes met.
Chen Xia, walking out with light steps, lightly dusted off her clothes and smiled sweetly.
“Your finish is lacking, Emio.”
Emio’s face twisted mercilessly.
But soon, he curled up the corners of his mouth.
“Escaping that magic is certainly impressive, but I still hold the upper hand in this situation.”
Emio didn't think he was significantly inferior to the top students in terms of combat power.
He was the one who, coming from a military family, had mastered combat-specialized magic.
A versatile mage armed with all sorts of practical offensive magic.
He was properly prepared for combat, anticipating the current battle.
“The place where a mage can exert their strongest combat power is none other than the base.”
Emio shouted confidently.
Indeed, the dorm bases were plastered with magic circles enhanced with all sorts of magical power for defense.
“Furthermore, if the specific condition of ‘distance’ is met, I have an even greater advantage.”
Emio took out a magic orb from his pocket.
A palm-sized magic orb revolved around Emio.
“Moreover, our family has, for generations, eradicated low-class people like you.”
Given his family's characteristic as a military lineage that had fought countless wars, Emio's family naturally accumulated many grudges.
As a result, they had suffered threats from 'Shadows' who made assassination their main profession.
“I’m fed up with the Shadows' combat methods.”
Emio spat out.
At Emio's words, Chen Xia's eyes widened.
“So?”
“What?”
“I understand that the situation is advantageous for you, Emio. But…”
Chen Xia tilted her head as if genuinely not understanding.
“Is there really a problem? I'll win anyway, won't I?”
Emio's face twisted.
“Do you think you’re Leo Flobe?”
“Even if I'm not Young Master Leo, I think I can easily defeat someone like Emio.”
“Nonsense.”
Emio unleashed his magic power.
“I’ll crush you!”
Vast magic power twitched nervously.
‘From the start, I didn't like it; low-class Shadows, not even acknowledged by the gods, pretending to be hero candidates.’
A look of disgust appeared in Emio's eyes.
Even under that gaze, Chen Xia smiled sweetly.
Stories about Chen Xia had already spread among the students.
Many, regardless of upper or lower grades, harbored hostility and disgust towards the Shadows.
Therefore, such gazes were familiar.
But… Chen Xia didn't care.
Because the person she thought was the most heroic in the world had acknowledged her.
‘You will surely become a hero loved by people.’
From the moment she held the hand extended with an adult-like smile.
She vowed not to stop her dream of becoming a hero.
The light Leo had shown was too bright and radiant for her to care about other people's eyes anew.
Recalling the boy who affirmed her while holding the Book of Shadows, Chen Xia unleashed her aura.
Voom-!
Chen Xia took an aura step towards Emio.
Emio, who snorted at her fierce charge, lightly dodged using a Fly spell.
“What a barbaric attack.”
Chen Xia's attacks continued thereafter.
Emio kept casting spells while dodging Chen Xia's attacks.
‘My mobility is superior, Chen Xia!’
Emio curled up the corners of his mouth.
‘There's no enemy easier to hunt than a headstrong knight!’
Thinking so, Emio continued to unleash offensive magic.
“Firebolt.”
Whoosh-!
“Wind Cutter.”
Whizz-!
“Magic Missile.”
Emio, who had fused three spells to set their power and targeting, unleashed the magic.
Crackle-!
Dozens of blades causing explosions of flame enveloped Chen Xia.
Chen Xia, seeing that, moved her body gracefully.
As if dancing a beautiful dance.
She dodged all of Emio's magic.
Emio twisted his face, watching Chen Xia evade attacks like flowing water.
“This brat!”
The moment Emio was about to use a bigger spell.
Chen Xia, who had jumped into the air, threw a dagger.
“Hmph, as if I’d be hit by such a crude attack…”
Thwip-!
At that moment.
Emio felt a sting on his cheek.
And Chen Xia, who was falling to the ground, lightly stood in mid-air as if stepping on an invisible floor.
Emio, his face hardened, urgently chanted a spell.
“Search.”
As magic power gathered in his eyes, he confirmed that invisible threads, like spiderwebs, were emanating throughout the surrounding area, and made a horrified expression.
“When on earth…!”
“I told you. Even if it's an advantageous battlefield for you, Emio, the outcome won't change.”
Chen Xia, standing on the threads, smiled sweetly.
“It's possible to charge and capture Emio like Celia or Durant, but that's not my style of combat. So I set a trap.”
“Cowardly…”
“You're saying strange things, Emio. I'm someone who charged into the middle of the enemy camp; where is there anyone braver and less cowardly than that?”
Chen Xia, with a bright smile, extended her right hand.
Clench!
“Ugh!”
Invisible threads wrapped around Emio’s neck.
“Such a trap wouldn't have worked on Abad or Chelsea, though.”
“Ridiculous. You think you can subdue me with such crude threads…”
For an instant, Emio felt his consciousness fading.
“Spiders, you see.”
Chen Xia whispered.
“They bite their captured prey, inject venom, and then eat it.”
Saying that, Chen Xia made a gesture of biting the air with a soft "Ang-" sound, then winked one eye.
“Scary, isn’t it?”
It was a very innocent and cute appearance, but in this moment, she was more chilling than anyone else.
“I… Ik!”
Watching Emio's consciousness fade, Chen Xia smiled sweetly and pulled the thread.
At that moment, the light on the bracelet vanished as if extinguished.
The students from the Department of Magic, who had been watching the situation, shouted as they saw Chen Xia subdue Emio in the blink of an eye.
“We’re ready to fight too!”
Rumble-!
Golems made into guardians appeared from various places.
“Prepare yourselves!”
“I don’t know why you came all the way here…! No matter who you are, it’ll be hard for you to get out unharmed if all of us rush you at once! Chen Xia!”
Fierce voices were heard from all directions.
Chen Xia, who had swept her gaze across those students, smiled brightly.
“Young Lady Chloe predicted that Noble and Harmony would launch a joint attack. So Young Master Leo was tasked with intercepting enemies attacking the rear.”
Chen Xia withdrew her aura.
“I infiltrated another dorm’s base to gather information.”
It was a strategy possible because Chen Xia was a Shadow.
“So, about that.”
Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.
“Karl isn't around, is he?”
At those words, the faces of the Noble students stiffened instantly.
Chen Xia's gaze shone sharply.
“Abad, too. He had an interesting idea.”
At Chen Xia's words, one Noble female student flared up and shouted.
“Ah, no it’s not! It’s not what you think…!”
‘You idiot!’
‘How could you say that out loud!’
The Noble students clutched their heads and shrieked.
***
Celia gripped her sword and charged towards Glory's walls.
Whoosh-!
An unusual flame surged from Celia's sword.
Clash-!
As red spiritual light flashed, a blade of flame struck Glory’s walls.
“What kind of knight is that!”
“She’s a complete siege weapon!”
“She’s not even a mage!”
The Glory students, who were fending off Harmony's attack, shrieked.
Even though defending from a base was overwhelmingly advantageous, currently, only Chloe was defending Glory's base.
As a result, whenever there was an offensive from dorm leaders like Celia or Abad, the base walls were on the verge of becoming critical.
‘Why isn't Warreden returning? According to Chelsea, Durant and Eliza from Noble aren't returning either?’
Celia furrowed her brow.
‘Are they facing Leo?’
It was when Celia was lost in thought.
Whoosh-! Swoosh-!
Celia's burning flames soon scattered in all directions.
At that, Celia flinched - her shoulders trembled.
Stomp- stomp-
Someone emerged, parting the flames.
Celia, confirming the opponent's face, made a surprised expression.
“Leo?”
Celia made a wary expression.
Leo said, looking at his cousin.
“Now that I think about it…”
“…?”
“We’ve never really fought seriously, have we?”
Watching Leo smile in an adult-like way, Celia felt the hairs on her body stand on end.