Book 1 Chapter 724

Seven hundred twenty-four.

The nine magic students, excluding Rinis, were wary of Chen Xia.

Chen Xia, looking at those magic students, had a relaxed expression.

"What's with that face that shows no tension at all? Are you saying you can take us on alone?"

As Eligue, a third-year magic student, narrowed his eyes, Abad shook his head.

"That's unlikely. They're probably just trying to pinpoint our location and retreat. It looks like a reconnaissance mission."

"That makes sense. But wouldn't Iliana Laden be more suitable for reconnaissance? She's the fastest among the knights."

Chelsea, who had her arms crossed, answered Eligue's words.

"Do you think that idiot is capable of performing a difficult mission like reconnaissance?"

"What's so difficult about reconnaissance?"

"It's difficult for that idiot."

Chelsea spoke without mercy.

As some nodded,

"It seems like we're the ones who look relaxed, not you?"

Chen Xia said with a smile, and Eligue replied,

"It wouldn't be easy to retreat now that we've been spotted, unless you came stealthily?"

Eligue drew his staff and pointed it at Chen Xia.

"Even in terrain like this, where camouflage is easy!"

Kugugugugugu-!

The trees around Chen Xia attacked him as if they had a will of their own.

"Wow, as expected of Eligue. You wield tremendous power in the forest."

Chen Xia exclaimed in admiration.

Eligue Tuna.

As a master of plant magic, he uses powerful magic in forests.

While his combat power significantly drops outside of forests, his combat ability within forests alone makes him one of the top five strongest in the third-year magic department.

Chen Xia stepped out with light footwork, executing Aura Step.

As if he had become flowing water.

Chen Xia tried to escape Eligue's attack range, dodging the tree roots that surged to ensnare him.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Eligue generated magical power.

Then, more tree roots erupted from the ground.

At that moment-

Flash-!

Tzerejeok!

Ppeobeobeobeok!

As Chen Xia flicked his hand, sharp throwing knives flew towards Eligue.

"Cough?!"

Eligue stumbled backward in surprise and fell on his rear.

An ice wall had suddenly appeared in front of Eligue.

Seeing that, Chen Xia narrowed his eyes.

'Not Miss Chelsea… Miss Chloe?'

He had expected his attack to be blocked.

However, he had thought it would be Chelsea, who specializes in high-speed incantations, who could block his attack.

Chelsea, who had reacted quickly to Chen Xia's attack, also looked with surprise at Linis, who had reacted even faster than her.

Linis had been watching Chen Xia continuously for some time.

The moment their eyes met,

Chen Xia felt goosebumps all over his body.

Then, without delay, he disappeared into the darkness of the bushes.

'A sharp one.'

Linis smiled and moved his feet.

"Chloe, where are you going alone?"

A classmate of the same grade grabbed Chloe's shoulder with a puzzled expression.

At that moment.

Tzerejeok-

"Ugh?!"

He flinched and pulled his hand off Chloe's shoulder.

An immense cold swept over him the moment he touched Chloe.

At that moment.

Chelsea's eyes drastically changed.

Chuk-! Seuk-!

Chelsea's staff touched Linis's neck.

Abad had also summoned his staff and was pointing it at Chloe's back.

"What is this?"

"Who are you?"

"I thought you were a bit strange since this morning."

Chelsea asked in a sharp voice, and Abad nodded as if he had expected it.

The atmosphere among the magic students also shifted with the reactions of the two siblings.

Linis, seeing that, asked with a curious expression.

"How do all of you get so perceptive?"

"You should try being tormented by Leo hyung. You'll become incredibly quick?"

Smeol-smeol-

"Chelsea! Step back!"

"……!"

Abad shouted urgently, and Chelsea also flinched and distanced herself from Linis.

Chelsea's and Abad's feet were suddenly submerged in black shadows.

"What is this?"

Chelsea, having escaped the range of the shadows, looked at Linis in shock.

Abad's face hardened.

"Is it a disguise?"

Linis smiled at that and reached out his hand.

Tzerejeok-! Ppagak-!

Linis plucked an ice shard that bloomed from his palm and dropped it on the ground.

Kagagagak! Kkadeuk! Kagak! Tzerejeok!

The ice shards that fell to the ground grew and began to take shape.

Soon, an ice doll identical to Chloe's appearance was created.

It was an ice clone, one of Chloe's specialties.

"Please."

At Linis's words, the ice clone nodded.

Turning around, Linis pursued Chen Xia.

"Where do you think you're going!"

The moment Eligue unleashed his magic.

"Ice World."

Kwagagagagag-!

As the ice clone chanted, a tremendous cold wind swept through.

Abad, flustered, used a protective spell, a wind barrier, to push back the cold wind.

The wind barrier, which protected the nine magic students, disappeared as the cold wind subsided.

Everyone's jaws dropped at the sight of the landscape that had turned into an ice forest.

"What in the world! Could Chloe have devised magic this powerful?!"

"No! It's clearly a spy impersonating Chloe!"

The magic students were wary of the ice clone.

After all, Chloe's magic skills were best known by her fellow magic students.

They all knew her overwhelming magic power, but this far exceeded the level they knew.

It looked like Chloe and used magic similar to Chloe's, but

the being before them was completely different from Chloe Muller.

"Stop impersonating Chloe and reveal yourself!"

Chelsea shouted fiercely, pointing her staff.

In response, the ice clone covered its mouth and burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

The ice clone, shedding tears from laughter at Abad's question, wiped its eyes.

Small ice particles scattered.

"Sorry. Sorry. It's just that kids are the same now as they were back then."

"What do you mean?"

"It's true I'm not Chloe, but this power belongs to Chloe."

Linis smiled.

"That's nonsense…"

"You just don't know."

Linis looked at the faces of each magic student.

"How great your potential is. How strong you can become if you use your power properly."

Googooo-!

A cold wind began to blow around Linis.

Abad's face hardened at the ominous sight.

"What's your scheme?"

"Scheme."

The ice clone smiled.

"Leo Flove."

"Leo?"

"I'm going to kill that guy."

"Our leader is a busy person, so it'll be quite difficult to meet him."

Linis laughed heartily at Abad's words.

"In that case, shall I try my best to struggle?"

Googoo-

A killing aura emanated from Linis's body.

Seeing that, the magic students shivered.

'…This presence.'

Abad clenched his fist.

Someone's image overlapped.

'Leo?'

"I'm personally looking forward to it."

A large number of magic circles appeared all around the ice clone.

"Please don't disappoint me?"

***

Linis, who was chasing Chen Xia, conjured another ice clone.

And that ice clone headed towards the nine knight students.

The knight students, seeing Linis suddenly stand alone before them, looked somewhat taken aback.

Even the great Duran looked dumbfounded.

"Hello?"

As the clone greeted them with a smile, Iliana snorted.

"You dare to charge at us alone?! And it's you, Chloe, not Chelsea?! I will defeat you in the name of the Knight Department! Here I goooo!"

As the excited Iliana drew her sword and lunged, Celia reached out and grabbed Iliana.

"You idiot! You'll get hit if you charge in recklessly! Do you think Chloe came without any preparation?!"

"Ah! It's a trap! As expected of Chloe! Trying to trick me so cleverly!"

Seeing Iliana's surprised reaction, Celia pressed her temples.

Then she stepped forward.

"Are you going to step up?"

At Duran's question, Celia pushed her hair back.

"I'll figure out what your scheme is. In terms of elemental advantage, I'm the most favorable among us."

Celia, who wields flame aura, certainly had an advantage in a fight against Chloe.

Furthermore, Celia is the one who most often takes on the role of the vanguard in such situations among third-year knight students.

Iliana, though fast, lacks destructive power.

Similarly, Chen Xia's abilities are not suitable for missions that involve sweeping away enemies head-on.

Duran, who uses destructive aura comparable to a mage, like Celia, was slightly inferior to Celia in terms of pure destructive power.

Duran's strengths are speed and destructive power.

Therefore, he often undertakes missions that leverage his mobility.

'No matter what your scheme is, it's useless.'

As Celia stepped forward, the ice clone's eyes gleamed.

'You're Kyle's cousin in this life, right?'

Her posture looked upright.

And her red eyes conveyed uprightness.

'…The children of Rumern are truly fascinating.'

In a way, they are descendants of Kyle.

But they show so many different aspects.

The wit, creativity, and uniqueness of the magic students carry Luna's traits.

The unwavering will and bravery of the knight students carry the traits of Dweno and Aron.

And in their eyes that never gave up, one could glimpse Kyle's image.

'You resemble me too. Is it Kyle's influence?'

Linis tilted his head with a surprised expression.

"Do you have time to think about other things?"

Fwoosh-

Flames engulfed Linis.

Seeing that, Linis extended his staff forward.

"What?"

Kang-! Hwararararac! Tzerejeok-!

As swords and staffs crossed, flames and ice covered the surroundings, blocking everyone's vision.

Kagak-! Kagak-!

"What?"

Seeing Linis struggling against her, Celia's expression was one of shock.

Linis easily deflected Celia's sword and plunged into her embrace.

Linis, with his palm wide open, struck Celia's chest.

Jjeok-! Hwararararac-

"Kuhuk?!"

Celia quickly retreated.

If her Aura Armor had been deployed even a moment later, her entire body would have frozen.

"What kind of physical combat is this? Did you learn it from Xia?"

"Huh?"

"You resemble Xia!"

"Ah."

At Celia's words, Linis's clone smiled.

'If that child is a descendant of Bihar, then they might resemble me.'

The foundation of Bekia's swordsmanship and magic were Aron and Luna.

Leo taught Bekia how to fight using the abilities he learned from those two.

Similarly, the foundation of Bihar's techniques as a shadow was Linis.

'To be precise, it's the power of the black dragon.'

The abilities of the black dragons, guardians in the darkness.

Bihar made them his own and used them.

"You have sharp eyes. But…"

Linis tilted his head.

"Aren't you the one who's thinking about other things while fighting?"

"What?"

Tzerejeok-!

"Kuhuk?"

Celia's body froze.

Linis said in a cold voice as he looked at Celia, whose eyes were wide open.

"A little disappointing. To be defeated by this much without focusing on the fight."

Stomp- Stomp-

Linis approached Celia.

In reality, she had been defeated too easily compared to the power Celia possessed.

Linis said coldly as he watched Celia bite her lip tightly.

"Is there something more important than fighting me?"

At those words, Celia lowered her head.

Then she said,

"Chloe."

"Why?"

"…You're not in a relationship with Abad, right?"

"What?"

"You've kept a clear line as friends and rivals in the same department with Abad, right?… But this morning, something felt strange."

"Did you have feelings for Abad?"

"What feelings could I have for that butterball! He's the heir to the Rwelin family!"

Seeing Celia retort defensively, Linis exclaimed inwardly.

'Oh my, look at this.'

She denies it when it's obvious she has feelings.

Her shy, dishonest appearance is cute.

And it also reminds me of someone.

A comrade and friend more precious than anyone else.

'Luna.'

As someone who liked the same person, Linis couldn't support Luna.

'How youthful.'

For some reason, he felt a sense of contentment.

'It's a good time.'

Even as he laughed inwardly, Linis felt like teasing Celia a little.

"Then…"

"……?"

"Can I try to flirt with you?"

"……"

Celia's eyes trembled.

Normally, Celia would have sensed something was off, but today, her complicated feelings prevented her from noticing.

Googooo-

The ice began to melt rapidly.

"Do as you please."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Celia's lips contorted fiercely.

"I… I'm fine. You two should get along. Very well."

Seeing Celia spit out her words, Linis smiled.

"Yes, thank you."

Kwawawawa-

"Thank you!"

Hwararararac-!

Celia's flames engulfed Linis.

"Huff-! Huff-!"

It was when Celia, freed from Linis's ice restraint, was gasping for breath.

Hwararararac-!

The phoenix's flames gathered into one.

And it burned on Linis's palm.

Celia's face stiffened.

"Who… are you?"

Linis smiled deeply at the question.

"A secret."

The flames burning on Linis's palm took the form of a phoenix and then engulfed Celia.

Kwagagagagang-! Thump-!

"Keuk?!"

"Celia?"

"What happened?"

As the knight students were shocked,

Duran flinched-! and tried to swing his sword.

But Linis's index finger tapping Duran's forehead was faster.

Tok-!

Flash! Kwagagagagag-!

A flash emanating from Linis's hand sent Duran flying.

Linis, who had infiltrated the knight students, smiled.

"Are you ready? You'll have to do your best."

Wiing-!

A small sphere of light floated on Linis's fingertip.

Seeing that, Iliana shivered.

"It's going to hurt a lot."

"It's a light-elemental magic! Everyone dodge!"

At that cry, light particles burst from Linis's fingertips like buckshot and covered the knight students.

The Linis ice clone, which had instantly swept away the knight students, stood nonchalantly.

Celia and Duran struggled to get up.

Iliana, who had barely escaped the attack's range and hidden behind a rock, peeked out.

Googooo-

As an ominous aura emanated from Linis's body, Iliana's face crumpled.

"What in the world is this, Chloe in captain's version?"