Book 1 Chapter 400
400.
Azonia students, who heard Ar's howling, transformed.
And not just them.
Thud-!
The transformed Shadow Lord, Kirin, severed the heads of the Hero Hunters at immense speed.
Crack-
Kirin, who had torn off a neck with his claws, stretched his finger joints.
Meanwhile.
He mumbled, watching Chen Xia hunting the Hero Hunters.
Her graceful movements as she hunted the Hero Hunters captivated his eyes.
‘It seems the Princess can shine even if she steps into the darkness herself.’
As a shadow, he had seen countless heroes.
And Chen Xia's appearance resembled such heroes.
‘By the way, that cat. Impressive.’
He didn't know how it was done, but Ar's howling granted the beastfolk the same effect as a full moon.
‘The world is definitely changing.’
For a long time.
Kirin, who had served as a shadow, clearly felt that fact.
‘Leo Flobe must be at its center.’
The second-ranked student of Azonia's second year.
Dion fiercely swung his giant greatsword.
Clang-!
“Hahahaha! Not bad!”
A Hero Hunter blocked Dion's greatsword and burst out laughing.
But the laughter was clearly derisive.
“For a milky-mouthed brat!”
The Hero Hunter, who had been cackling with mockery, made a sinister expression.
“What's the point of boasting you're a descendant of Arion? When you can't even properly use the transformation ability Arion left behind!”
At those words, Dion glared at the Hero Hunter with an expressionless face.
“Hey, kid. Are we, who use Arion's transformation ability, the descendants of Arion? Or are you, who can't, the descendants of Arion?”
Dion spoke, looking at the Hero Hunter who continued to mock him.
“At the very least, you, who look so vulgar, don't seem to be a descendant of Lord Arion.”
“What?”
At Dion's words, the Hero Hunter's face hardened.
“You damn brat! I'll kill you!”
The Hero Hunter, whose eyes rolled at Dion's heavy, quiet remark, bared his teeth and charged.
Dion clenched his fist.
‘A strong enemy… and with transformation ability.’
It was an overwhelming opponent for the current Dion.
‘But I can't back down. Especially if the opponent is one who defiles the name of a hero.’
It was when fighting spirit blazed in Dion's eyes.
“Cooooooraaaaaaang!”
A howling sound echoed.
As if in response, Dion's ears twitched.
At the same time, his heart began to pound.
His body began to overflow with power.
Dion accurately realized what kind of change was beginning to happen in his body.
‘Transformation?’
Dion made a shocked expression.
Not just Dion.
The Hero Hunter he was fighting also wide-eyed.
“What in the world is this?!”
Dion looked down at the golden aura emanating from his body.
It was identical to Arion's aura described in ancient texts.
But another power resided in this aura.
‘Ar…!’
Dion clenched his fist.
‘I don't know how it was done, but.’
Dion put strength into his hand.
‘Now, I will punish the traitor before me.’
Goooooooh-!
An extraordinary fighting spirit erupted from Dion's body.
“This brat…!”
Sparks flashed in the Hero Hunter's eyes.
“If you're a brat, act like a brat!”
Kwoooaaah-!
The Hero Hunter roared, emitting an aura.
“Don't challenge adults, just cower!”
Kwaga gagagagang! Whu-du-du-du-duk-!
The aura unleashed from the Hero Hunter's sword enveloped Dion.
Thick dust rose, and dirt rained down like a shower.
“You don't know the fear of the world and act recklessly, serves you right!”
It was when he curled his lips and scoffed at Dion.
Whoosh-!
“…!”
A blood-soaked Dion burst through the dust and appeared right in front of the Hero Hunter.
Wounds that would not be strange even if he were nearly dead.
But fighting spirit shimmered in Dion's eyes.
“What… what is it? Those eyes…”
The Hero Hunter mumbled as if he couldn't tolerate it.
“What makes you so great that you glare with those arrogant eyes and attack?! Just quit and break already!”
Despite having overwhelming power over Dion, the Hero Hunter grew weary of Dion's relentless and unyielding charge.
To that outcry, Dion said.
“I cannot be broken by a traitor who has already broken and run away.”
Whoosh-!
Dion swung his greatsword.
“If I have received courage, I will move forward, even if it means death.”
Thud-!
Dion's sword severed the Hero Hunter's neck.
“That is Lord Arion's teaching that I learned!”
The Hero Hunter's neck flew into the air and then fell to the ground.
Thump-!
Dion coughed up blood and fell to his knees.
And looked toward Ar.
“I don't know how it was done, but… now he truly seems like a successor to a hero.”
***
Fizzzzzzzz-!
Golden lightning raged around Duran's body.
With golden light flashing in his eyes, Duran charged at a massive mass of darkness.
A two-handed sword was in his hand.
Kwagagak-!
Duran became a giant bolt of lightning and approached the darkness at incredible speed.
Kwagagagak-!
At that moment, a blade of darkness, surging like a shadow, flew toward Duran.
Jiiiiiing-! Clang-!
Just before the shadow struck Duran.
Magic flying from behind altered the shadow's trajectory.
Juen's sniping magic.
Not only that.
Tzzzzzzzz-!
Chloe's mentee, Betty's ice magic, captured the shadow.
The powerful magic of two first-year magic students.
However, the full-powered magic of the two merely managed to halt the Dragon Language magic.
But that was enough.
Flash-!
Duran, at incredible speed, slipped through that fleeting gap and approached the main body.
Duran boasted the best speed among the second-year Lumern students, known as the Golden Generation.
Duran swung his sword with both hands.
Flash! Pababababababat-!
Like a thunderbolt, lightning flashed in all directions.
Pabababababababat-!
Powerful firepower, reminiscent of magic.
The darkness seemed to lose its power in the intense light.
Duran's sword cut through the darkness and plunged in.
But soon, a blade emanating from the darkness tried to pierce Duran.
Whoosh-!
But a gust of wind blew faster, snatching Duran away.
“I could have cut it with just a little more.”
“Then you would have been skewered!”
“Couldn't you have supported faster?”
“Do you think I'm here to clean up after you?!”
Chelsea shouted, wide-eyed.
Duran snorted at that.
“Too slow.”
“I'll just throw you off!”
Chelsea gritted her teeth.
Among the second-year students, she was second only to Duran in speed.
Although Abbad was also a wind magician like Chelsea, he was a traditional type, so the combat-type magician Chelsea was much faster than her brother Abbad.
But even so, she had no choice but to be slower than Duran.
Kwoooaaaah-!
The shadow blade pursued Chelsea at high speed.
Chelsea, who snorted at the sight, raised her staff.
“Cyclone.”
Whoooooooosh!
Chelsea, who lightly created high-level magic with high-speed incantation, blew away the shadow.
“Rafale.”
Chelsea completed another magic towards the shadow.
Kwoogagagagagagaga-!
A fierce gust of wind enveloped the shadow.
The vacuum blade hidden within the storm tore the darkness apart.
Juen clenched her teeth at the sight.
“We're the same age, but…!”
Both Cyclone and Rafale.
These were challenging high-level magics for ordinary mages.
She completed such high-level magic with high-speed incantation.
A one-year difference in Lumern was significant.
But even so, the fact that they stood on different stages despite being the same age with only a one-year difference was close to shocking.
Meanwhile.
Goooooooh-!
A wind incomparable to the one Chelsea created blew in.
Fwoosh-!
On top of that, massive flames.
“Ready, Abbad?”
“I hope you are, Celia.”
“If you are, that's enough.”
Celia snorted.
Abbad smiled at Celia and unleashed his magic.
“Tempest.”
Abbad cast his unique magic.
Kwoogagagagagagaga-!
Wind concentrated on Celia's sword.
“Prominence.”
The wind of Rwalin and the flames of Zerdinger combined and blazed fiercely.
Squeezing out maximum firepower, Abbad and Celia targeted the darkness.
Flash! Whirrrrrrrrrrr-!
The wind of magic and the flames of aura enveloped the shadow.
Kwooooaah-!
Most of the shadow was blown away, revealing a human form.
But it wasn't over.
Slowly, stealthily.
Dragon Language magic activated again, and pitch-black darkness surged.
At that moment.
Kooooh-!
A giant's fist plunged down from mid-air.
It was the fist of Wardeden's pact-maker, the Great Earth Spirit Titaum.
Kwooooaaah-!
The darkness distorted under an unimaginable attack.
But that wasn't the end.
Tzzzzzzzzzzzz-!
The ground began to freeze.
At the very rear of the Lumern students.
Chloe stood there, wrapped in freezing magic.
Terrifying magic raged around her.
Among the current second-year students, if purely considering 'power,' the strongest was Chloe, the purest mage.
Since the battle began.
She had been continuously chanting spells.
For a mage, time equals power.
Chloe's blue eyes stared directly at the darkness.
The darkness also sensed that Chloe was dangerous and charged at her.
Clang-!
Wardeden dragged the darkness back.
The brute force made the darkness, which was charging at Chloe, flinch.
But soon, it unleashed blades of darkness, targeting Chloe.
“Block it!”
Chelsea shouted urgently.
Blocking the path of those dark blades were Aina, Harviden, and Sasha, who were guarding Chloe in case of an emergency.
Harviden used wind aura to stop the dark blades.
Sasha also blocked them using summoned beasts.
But the dark blades split into multiple strands.
At that, Aina swung her sword.
Whoosh! Clang-clang-clang-clang-!
Golden flashes flickered, then she struck down the multi-pronged dark blades at incredible speed.
It was truly astonishing swordsmanship that made one's jaw drop.
That brilliant swordsmanship momentarily halted the dark blades.
Thud-!
But soon, a dark blade that even Aina couldn't block targeted Chloe.
Chloe, who had been concentrating with her eyes closed, opened them.
The moment a mage unleashes firepower is a moment of despair for an enemy.
But conversely, until that moment, the mage is also vulnerable.
However, Chloe also prepared for contingencies.
Short-distance teleportation magic.
Of course, the power of the magic would be reduced because she couldn't fully concentrate on it.
But enough magical power had gathered to inflict significant damage.
The moment Chloe was about to unleash her magic.
A silver flash struck down the dark blade.