Book 1 Chapter 327

327

Fwoosh-!

Flames erupted from Celia's sword.

Watching Celia, Chloe swung her staff.

Whoosh-!

The blue orb at the end of her staff emitted a sharp light.

"Ice Storm."

An icy wind swept through.

The ice storm emanating from her staff canceled out Celia's flames.

Poof-!

Along with that, the magic cannons on the rampart unleashed fire.

Celia swiftly executed an Aura Step.

Fwoosh-!

Flames flickered at her feet.

With every step she took in the air, a residual trail of flames like a phoenix's wings remained.

Phoenix Step.

It was one of the representative Aura Steps of the Zerdinger family.

A tremendous amount of magical bombardment struck where Celia had retreated.

Currently, Harmony and Noble were attacking Glory's stronghold with Celia and Duran at the forefront.

Glory was suffering from a numerical disadvantage.

Even though they were pouring all their efforts into defending their stronghold, Harmony and Noble were also dedicating all their forces to attacking Glory's stronghold.

"Magic Cannon ready, firing complete!"

"Complete!"

"Fire!"

Whoosh! Boom!

Students from Harmony and Noble's magic departments were even creating siege magic weapons to break through Glory's defenses.

Even as students, they were all students of the Heroic Military Academy.

If this were anywhere other than Lumern, this would be a formidable force capable of easily collapsing the walls of an ordinary fortress.

If the defenders weren't fellow Lumern students, such defenses would have crumbled in an instant.

"If we break through the defenses, we win!"

"That's right! If we just get inside the stronghold and fight…"

Flash-!

Just then, a blue light flashed in the sky.

"Chloe's Ice Breath! Everyone, take cover! Fall back!"

CRASH-!

Cold mist flowed from the magic circle generated in the air.

A male student from Noble's magic department, who was commanding the magic cannons, shouted urgently.

Crack-!

"You told us to take cover, but why aren't you taking cover yourself?!"

"Healer! Healer!"

The other students shouted, looking at the male student from the magic department who was completely frozen.

Just then, Nella approached and unleashed her aura.

Vroom-!

Nella's healing aura enveloped the male student, but he was soon declared dead and returned to the stronghold.

"He's dead."

"Sob!"

"That wicked ice witch!"

"Ugh… Your death will not be in vain!"

The magic department students from Harmony and Noble put on a dramatic performance as if their comrade had truly died.

Nella watched them with a look of wonder.

"The magic department students are having fun."

Even as she said that, she looked at Chloe on the rampart with a serious expression.

"As long as Chloe holds out, I don't think we can breach the walls."

Having said that, Nella turned her gaze to Celia.

It wasn't just Nella.

In this situation, Celia was the only student who could face Chloe.

Duran had already engaged Chen Xia in a one-on-one fight some time ago.

The aura and fighting spirit emanating from the two were so intense that other students couldn't dare to approach them.

As the students' gazes turned to her, Celia tightened her grip on her sword.

"I'll do whatever I can."

At her words, cheers erupted from all around.

"As expected, the top honor student from the Knights' Department!"

"Celia's flames can surely overwhelm Chloe's ice magic! She has the best flames among our peers!"

The reason Sword actually deployed Celia to attack Glory's stronghold was precisely because Celia had a clear advantage in terms of elemental matchups.

However, to the students' cheers, Celia gave a self-deprecating smile.

'…The best flames.'

Celia had already been defeated once by Leo's flames.

'Will my flames… work on Chloe too?'

Clenching her teeth, Celia approached the wall.

'Now… I have no choice but to clash.'

Fwoosh-!

Celia kicked off the ground and charged towards the wall.

"It's Celia!"

"Celia's coming!"

The Glory students, their bodies engulfed in the flames of their aura, saw Celia charging and shouted in alarm.

"We need to neutralize Celia first!"

"If we're not careful, the defenses could be breached in an instant!"

Bombardment from the magic cannons and magic from the magic department students poured towards Celia.

Fantastical beasts and spirits also focused their attacks on Celia.

Fwoosh-!

Crack-!

Celia unleashed her Aura Step and slammed her foot down hard.

Flash! Fwoosh-!

Celia, leaving a trail of flames, dashed towards the wall like lightning.

CRASH-!

Celia dodged all the attacks that blocked her path.

"So, so fast!"

"Is this how fast someone at the top of the Knights' Department can move?"

Her movements were almost divine.

Any attack she couldn't dodge, she parried with her sword.

Watching her, Chloe chanted a spell.

Vroom-!

Ice particles began to form in the sky.

Soon, the ice particles turned into sharp icicles and poured down on Celia all at once.

Celia's red eyes gleamed.

"Crimson Wing."

An aura in the shape of crimson wings formed at the tip of Celia's sword.

As she swung her sword, a massive wave of flames evaporated the ice icicles.

Fwoosh-!

Clink-!

Celia, having blown away Chloe's attack as well, stepped onto the wall.

She immediately began to sprint upwards along the wall.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Isn't that completely unfair?!"

The Glory students defending the wall clutched their heads and screamed at Celia's movements.

Fwoosh-!

Celia, running up the wall, reached Chloe directly in front of the rampart.

"Be ready, Chloe."

Celia shouted sharply and swung her sword.

Just as her flame-wreathed sword was about to strike Chloe.

Flash! Clang!

A white flash, and a long sword blocked Celia's sword.

"Hehehe, I can't let you touch our Ice Queen so easily."

Iliana, who had blocked Celia's sword, grinned.

"The Light Swordmaster who protects the Queen! Iliana has arrived! Worship me, everyone!"

The Knights' Department students from Glory, who were stationed to protect Chloe, let out exclamations.

"Ooooh!"

"Iliana!"

"She's brute force, but reliable when it counts!"

"Who just called me brute force?!"

Iliana, shouting angrily, looked at Celia and grinned.

"As long as I'm here, Chloe won't be touched, not even a hair… Eek!"

Celia put more power into her sword, pushing Iliana back.

Fwoosh-!

The flames erupting from Celia's body burned menacingly, and Iliana shouted in alarm.

"Guys! Help!"

"Tch! I was a fool to trust you!"

"Form ranks! Protect Chloe!"

The Glory Knights' Department students attacked Celia.

Taking advantage of the opening, Iliana began to chant a spell.

The true strength of a swordmaster lies in the harmony of aura and magic.

If Iliana were to fight with her full power, she would be a formidable opponent for Celia too, but if it were just swordsmanship, the story would be different.

"I'll show you my trump card."

Iliana grinned and summoned a shield from a spatial rift.

For her 'Sub Weapon' mid-term exam in the Knights' Department, Iliana had chosen none other than a shield.

"A shield is your trump card?"

Celia asked with a puzzled expression, and Iliana replied with a meaningful look.

"As if!"

As Celia narrowed her brow, Iliana puffed out her chest.

"This shield was created based on my personality, it's an 'Ego Weapon', a familiar."

Iliana grinned.

"It has a function to assist my magic incantations! This allows me to chant spells much faster!"

The students of the Knights' Department looked surprised at Iliana's words.

"She can create such a complex-looking familiar?"

"Impossible!"

"Heh heh! Be amazed to your heart's content!"

Iliana said proudly.

"She wasn't an idiot!"

"Do you think idiots can use magic?"

"She's a smart idiot!"

"What do you mean, a smart idiot?!"

Iliana glared and shouted.

Fwoosh-!

Just then, flames flickered from Celia's body.

"You're in the way."

Celia narrowed her eyes.

"Move aside."

CRASH-!

A pillar of flame shot up on the wall.

Celia's red eyes, which had turned the surroundings into a sea of fire, found their prey.

All the surrounding students were declared dead.

Iliana, who had narrowly survived, stood before Chloe.

Swoosh-!

As Celia charged towards Chloe, Iliana, holding her shield, charged towards Celia.

Clang! CRACKLE-!

"Tch!"

Iliana's body wavered as she blocked Celia's attack.

'Close combat… I'm at too much of a disadvantage!'

As a swordmaster, Iliana had an advantage when creating distance from Celia.

However, she couldn't do that as she had to protect Chloe.

"Hah!"

Iliana swung her shield desperately.

Fwoosh-!

Just as she thought she had cut Celia.

The afterglow of flames scattered.

As Iliana gritted her teeth and was about to swing her shield backward.

Slice-!

Celia's sword cut into Iliana's back.

"Guhhhhh!"

Iliana rolled on the ground.

At that moment.

Crack-!

Chloe, having completed her spell, unleashed it.

"Huh?!"

Celia hurriedly created distance.

Chloe, who had frozen the entire surrounding area, smiled faintly at Celia.

Watching Chloe, Celia adjusted her grip on her sword.

"Hah!"

Fwoosh-!

Sword energy of flames surrounded Chloe.

Seeing that, Chloe slammed her staff on the ground.

Whoosh-!

Then, a wall of frost blew away Celia's flames.

'She didn't seem to be chanting…'

Celia's eyes twitched.

"Is that your familiar?"

"Yes. It's a slime specialized in defense that protects me."

As Chloe extended her hand, ice lumps formed at her fingertips.

Seeing that, Celia gritted her teeth, readjusted her sword, and began to emit an aura of flames.

Fwoosh-!

Chloe chanted a spell.

Fwoosh-!

Celia quickly closed the distance to Chloe.

CRACKLE-!

"It's no use!"

Ice icicles shot up from the ground, blocking Celia's path, but they melted with a single blow.

"Ice Bolt."

Chloe created hundreds of ice bolts in an instant and targeted Celia.

Celia's eyes gleamed.

CRASH-!

Celia, blowing away all of Chloe's magic, thrust her sword towards Chloe.

'Got her…'

CRACK-!

Celia's sword pierced Chloe's chest.

At that moment.

Chloe, smiling faintly, grabbed Celia's hand.

'Ah! Ice Clone!'

Chloe's signature Ice Clone exploded, freezing Celia's body.

'I've been tricked…'

Celia bowed her head.

Watching her, Chloe said.

"Aren't you going to draw out Flame Storm?"

The sword Celia was holding was not Flame Storm, but an ordinary rapier.

Of course, it was also a fine sword crafted by a master, but it was incomparable to her beloved sword, Flame Storm.

Celia gritted her teeth.

"This isn't like the Celia I know."

"What?"

"The Celia I know was always confident and never gave up in the face of any hardship."

Chloe smiled softly.

"She was mature, reliable, and a friend I felt admiration for. I tried my best not to be ashamed of you as class president."

Celia bit her lip.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Is losing to Leo that much of a shock?"

Celia bowed her head.

It was easy to defeat a mentally unstable Celia.

But Chloe didn't want to do that.

In their first year, when things were tough, Celia had been a source of strength for Chloe.

Even though they were rivals in the same dormitory.

That fact remained unchanged.

'Now, I want to be the one to help her up.'

If Celia hadn't been there after the first-year midterms, Chloe might have collapsed.

Even though they were in a relationship where they had to defeat each other.

'We're still students.'

As close friends, she didn't want to leave Celia in despair.

Having experienced profound despair over Leo, she understood her feelings even more deeply.

"Celia. You have your own…"

"Ah! What is it? I thought you seemed a bit different than usual, and you were scared of the class president?"

Just then, Iliana, who had barely avoided being declared dead, jumped to her feet.

Then, nodding as if she understood, she went "Mhm-! ".

"I don't get intimidated even in front of the class president! But Celia is scared!"

Iliana put her hands on her hips and burst into laughter.

"What can you do! Even the great Celia is equal in front of the class president! Still, being scared… Pfft! Even the perfect honor student has a cute side?"

Iliana was as boisterous as ever.

"Well! If that's the case, it's a complete victory for our Glory!"

Hmph! Celia bowed her head as she watched Iliana snort.

"Who… said I was a coward?"

"Huh?"

From her shadowed face, red eyes gleamed dangerously.

Fwoosh-!

"I've never… been scared!"

Enraged, Celia unleashed an immense heat from her body.

"Eek?"

Iliana was horrified.

Celia, her face flushed red, drew Flame Storm from its sheath.

Fwoosh-!

Seeing Flame Storm reigniting, Iliana hid behind Chloe.

"Wh-why is she suddenly like this?!"

"…Good job. Even though it's not what I intended, you seem to have regained your spirit."

Chloe let out a wry laugh, watching Iliana successfully provoke Celia.

"Prominence!"

Celia unleashed her aura with all her might.

Seeing that, Chloe's expression became slightly serious.

"The problem is that you've regained too much spirit."

Chloe, knowing that Celia, who was usually calm and rational, would become reckless when angered, looked troubled and pushed Iliana, who was behind her, forward.

"Huh? Huh?"

"Please, Iliana?"

"For what?"

"Friend Shield."

It was when Iliana made a pained face, watching Chloe smile like a witch.

CRASH-!

"What is that?!"

Iliana was surprised as a tsunami engulfed them.

The Glory students defending the stronghold.

And the students attacking fiercely also wore expressions of shock.

"Tch? Someone who would do something like this…"

As Celia gritted her teeth, Chloe sighed.

"Who else could it be?"

CRASH-!

A giant tidal wave instantly covered the battlefield.

***

Eliza frowned, watching the battlefield, now a waterlogged mess from the tidal wave.

'She's truly a monster.'

As a summoner, she could tell how outrageously Leo had used spirit arts.

Eliza was wary of Leo when he raised his hand.

As the four of them tensed, a pure white spark jumped from Leo's fingertips.

Pure white sparks.

Realizing what they were, Eliza let out a hollow laugh.

"If this is a nightmare… please wake me up."

Flash! CRASH-!

Lightning struck Leo's hand.

As the pure white flash subsided.

A pure white horse appeared.

Leo, mounted on Atie, said.

"Shall we start phase 2?"