Chapter 63: Midterm Evaluation (5)
“I’m sorry, Adeshan. But, third place isn’t bad, right?”
“Ah!”
With Ronan’s whisper, her vision darkened. Adeshan clutched her throat and sank down.
“I-it was…!”
Without a doubt, she felt it.
Something sharp and hot passed through her throat. Adeshan, who had let go of her neck tremblingly, smirked.
“Uh…?”
Contrary to the expectation that it would be full of blood, nothing was smeared on her hands. She hurriedly groped my neck, but there were no wounds. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from beside her.
“Here you are.”
“Professor Na-Navirose?!”
Adeshan stood up in surprise. Looking around, she finally realized that this was the first arena where Navirose’s lessons were held.
Failed students gathered in groups, were talking amongst themselves. Medical personnel were treating injured students in one corner. Navirose spoke.
“Lower your head.”
“Yes?”
It was an incomprehensible order, but Adeshan did as instructed. Unexpectedly, Navirose began to gently stroke her head. In a bewildered and mixed voice, Adeshan asked.
“P-Professor…?”
“Congratulations. You’re in third place.”
Adeshan’s body stiffened. It was as Ronan had said. For a moment, her bright expression dimmed once again. From within her loosened hair, a somber voice emerged.
“…I didn’t do anything.”
“You deserve respect just for having survived this long.”
“All I could do was follow my junior around.”
“Nope. Your strike in the battle with Ayun wasn’t bad at all. That’s how I see it.”
“What? How can you…”
“Look over there.”
Adeshan lifted her head. Only then did she notice that all the students were looking in one direction.
On the southern wall of the arena, a certain image was being projected. The video, as if taken from the sky or a bird’s eye view, was showing the familiar island. Adeshan’s eyes widened.
“Ooh, that’s where we had our exams, right?”
“Yes. The transmission has been ongoing since the start of the test. There were originally more perspectives, but now only that one is left.”
In the video, Ronan and Shullifen’s battle was in full swing. While students were doing various tasks, they couldn’t take their eyes off the video.
“Morally, shouldn’t we exclude those two from now on…?”
“It looks like a battle between two magicians, not swordsmen.”
Two tornadoes were wreaking havoc in the forest. The forms of Ronan and Shullifen disappeared and reappeared in an instant, repeating the process.
Kaang!
Every time the two collided, a metallic sound resonated through the arena with such force that it vibrated.
Navirose spoke.
“Don’t dwell too much on those two. They’re strange in many ways.”
“…Yes. I’m aware.”
Adeshan unconsciously adjusted her collar. Even if she wanted to analyze, it was beyond her ability to keep up with what she was seeing. Shullifen, who dealt with non-standard auras, and Ronan, who faced him, were both far beyond the norm.
Navirose, who had been watching her for a while, raised an eyebrow.
“By the way, that outerwear doesn’t seem to be yours. Is it really what I’m thinking?”
“Yes? Th-this is… Well…”
Adeshan hesitated and couldn’t answer. Navirose chuckled at the red-faced assistant’s attempt to respond.
“Never mind. You’re a feisty one, so do your best.”
“It’s not like that!”
Adeshan shouted back. She vehemently denied this hasty assumption, but ultimately didn’t take off the outerwear. The battle in the video was reaching its climax.
Kaang!
With each resonating metallic sound, cheers erupted from the students’ mouths.
****
Thirty minutes had passed since the battle began. Ronan and Shullifen, who had come down the hill, were fighting using the forest as a battlefield.
Shuaak!
Whenever Shullifen swung his sword, the released blade energy was tearing through the trees. Ducking down to narrowly avoid the blade energy, Ronan lunged forward and shouted.
“Take this!”
Stepping on a fallen tree, Ronan leaped forward. He performed a vertical somersault and brought his sword down. It was Navirose’s spinning sword, accelerated by the flow of mana.
“Ugh…!”
It wasn’t an attack that could be blocked or avoided easily. Shullifen shot the blade energy forward and pulled his body back with the recoil.
Quaang!
The ground where he had been standing cleanly split into two, and the fallen leaves that had been lying there shot upward.
In the instant Ronan pulled his buried Lamancha from the ground, Shullifen’s piercing strike flew toward him.
“You brat…!”
Ronan hastily raised his sword.
Kagaang!
Sparks flew in the air, and the sound of metal resonated three times, spreading out. Ronan, using the fallen leaves to cover his vision, leaned backward.
“This daring bastard. When did you copy that?”
“It’s good technique.”
“This is why I hate geniuses.”
Ronan let out a bitter laugh. Three strikes compressed into one motion. It was the technique he used when he first faced Shullifen. Jumping away with a zigzag pattern, Ronan swung his sword again. The two blades that had been clashing in succession came to a halt as they met.
Beyond the intersecting blades, the two could read each other’s intentions. Seeing Shullifen’s pale face, drained of color, Ronan chuckled.
“It’s a sight to behold, isn’t it? Are you getting dizzy?”
His usually calm azure hair had been disheveled for quite a while. Deep wounds adorned his right side and left rib cage. The blood flowing down his thigh seemed like it wouldn’t stop; given time, it looked like it could lead to excessive bleeding and collapse. Shullifen replied dryly.
“It doesn’t seem like you should be the one talking.”
“That’s true.”
However, Ronan’s condition was by no means any better. If anything, it was worse. Drops of blood were falling from his bangs.
The aftermath of the Stormsword, whether cut or evaded, had left dozens of deep and shallow wounds all over his body. His already torn shirt was sticking to his body due to the blood, to the point where it felt like it was glued on. Ronan, feeling his legs gradually becoming heavy, twisted his lips.
“Damn it, I have to end this.”
Shullifen was gradually adapting to Ronan’s speed. He truly was the continent’s greatest genius. They had to fight in a forest with a lot of variables due to the terrain. Unexpectedly, the corners of Shullifen’s mouth twitched slightly.
“I’m happy, Ronan.”
“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?”
“I mean it. I should thank the heavens for giving me an opponent like you.”
“You’re quite the amusing brat. Hey, do you think you’re the strongest in the world?”
Ronan chuckled as if in disbelief. Of course, in a few years, that would indeed become the case. Shullifen, who had crossed the threshold, would undoubtedly become the best swordsman on the continent.
However, not now. Right now, even looking at Navirose’s aura alone, he would be frozen stiff like a mouse before a snake and his head would be blown off before he could match the current swordsman, Zaifa. Ronan was about to rebuke him for his arrogance.
“Of course, there are many out there stronger than me in the world. For now, that is. But I am convinced that I will surpass them all.”
“Even Zaifa and Professor Navirose?”
“That’s right.”
‘This guy is worse than I thought.’
Ronan spat on the ground. Shullifen continued speaking.
“But, Ronan, I don’t feel that same conviction from you. You will become stronger. Maybe even stronger than me.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“I’m going to give it my all in this fight, so you should too—”
In an instant, the mana around them swirled and was drawn into Shullifen’s body. Ronan clenched the hilt of his sword. An aura was emanating from Lamancha, which had tasted blood. As Shullifen pushed the sword away, he yelled as if expelling something.
“Show me everything you’ve got!”
Both of them were sent back. Ronan, reading the flow of mana, prepared to strike again. The aura of the Stormsword wrapped around Shullifen’s sword and surged upward.
“What the hell…!”
Ronan, cursing, hastily stopped. Shullifen’s sword, thrown diagonally, drew a wide arc.
Hoo-woong!
The massive crescent-shaped blade energy shot toward Ronan.
‘I can’t cut it.’
The Stormsword was different from the other blade energies. Hastily cutting it could lead to being caught in the whirlwind that erupted from the point of impact.
Most of the injuries he had sustained were from the early stages of the fight. Haphazardly cutting through the blade energy had turned into two whirlwinds, tearing Ronan’s body apart.
“Ugh…”
As the blade energy almost reached him, Ronan twisted his shoulder.
Swish!
The blade energy that had narrowly missed his nose vanished behind Ronan by a mere sheet of paper’s distance.
It was the moment when a relieved Ronan was about to kick off the ground and rush forward.
Shing!
Another blade energy came flying at an oblique angle and embedded itself under Ronan’s feet. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“This damn trickster…!”
Due to the overlapping waves of blade energy, it had been difficult to see. Ronan quickly tried to move his body, but Shullifen shot another blade energy, interrupting his motion.
Kwaahhh!
A burst of mana formed a storm that engulfed Ronan.
“Kraaargh!”
Blood spurted out. In an instant, deep wounds were carved all over his body. Ronan swung his sword like a net to cut through the blade energy. Just when he thought the situation might improve for a moment, the wind began to blow incessantly.
Before long, the formless storm transformed into a swirling vortex with a radius of 10 meters. It was a whirlwind of thrusts, much like the whirlwinds generated by the blade energy. Leaves, rocks, whole tree trunks—all torn apart—were carried by the wind, disintegrating.
“…Huu.”
Ronan’s figure disappeared from view. No more screams could be heard.
Thud!
Shullifen knelt with one knee, collapsing. Blood from his side and shoulder formed a small puddle at his feet.
“Quite the trickster…”
Shullifen chuckled to himself. He had concealed a blade energy infused with aura behind a regular one. It was an action that would have been unimaginable for his true self.
But without resorting to such tactics, he didn’t think he could possibly win. The two strikes he allowed Ronan during the fight had both caused serious injuries.
“Truly… a monster guy.”
It was only after enhancing his entire body with mana that he could fight on an equal footing. Shullifen spat out the blood that had been in his mouth. Then, he noticed the perception bracelet on his wrist.
‘Come to think of it, how does the winner… return?’
His vision was becoming hazy. Due to the significant blood loss, coherent thoughts were difficult to maintain.
The wind was gradually subsiding. Objects that had been high up in the sky were falling. Most of them disintegrated without a trace, but a few thick and sturdy trees still maintained their circular forms.
The shadows cast by the trees fell over his head. He raised his sword to cut them away. An inexplicable shiver ran down Shullifen’s body.
“No way.”
Shullifen raised his head. A shadow emerged above the trees, and Ronan’s face met his gaze, frozen in place.
“He wasn’t eliminated…!”
Ronan was drenched in blood, looking like he had just been pulled out of a hellish forge. He clung to a massive tree, desperately fending off the onslaught of wind. He had avoided elimination, but he couldn’t escape severe injuries.
“I have to end this now.”
Ronan tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down even for a moment, as it felt like he might lose consciousness if he did. He immediately plunged forward with his sword aimed at Shullifen.
As Shullifen swiftly rose to his feet, he sent a blade energy flying like a counterattack.
Swish!
The unstable blade energy was caught between Ronan’s strikes and vanished on the other side of the sky. Shullifen gritted his teeth.
“Ronan…!”
Ronan and Lamancha had closed in unexpectedly, almost within his arm’s reach. It was a distance where he couldn’t dodge or defend. With all his might, Shullifen swung his sword and stomped the ground beneath his feet.
Kwaang!
A vortex with a radius of about 1 meter erupted toward Ronan.
“You crazy bastard!”
A gust of wind enveloped Ronan. Each swing of his sword to defend himself caused his descent trajectory to waver.
Barely managing to keep his head up, Ronan glared at Shullifen. His condition was precarious, as if he could die from a single scratch. However, it was a distance just out of reach of the blade by a hair’s breadth.
‘Somehow, just once…!’
In the end, Ronan gave up on defense and adopted a stance. In an instant, the wind carrying the ominous aura swept past his body. Holding his breath, Shullifen released his strike. At that moment, a shock reminiscent of being struck by lightning surged through Ronan’s body.
“Damn it!”
Ronan furrowed his brow in unexplained pain. But there was no room for doubt. He swung his sword, intending to parry the strike. In a split second, Ronan saw something like an extremely thin wave shoot along his blade.
“Huh?”
Swish!
A crimson line appeared on Shullifen’s chest, and blood spurted out. Simultaneously, the strike that had changed course grazed Ronan’s neck. The two figures twisted and disappeared.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l