Chapter 346
“Haa! Haa!”
Dick and Maelyn were sprinting up the sloped city stairs at full speed.
“No, but I just can’t understand this!”
Even while running, Dick was shouting with a face full of shock.
“How did the Guardian Stone end up breaking? And what’s with Hector being on the siege team?!”
“Quit whining and just run.”
Supreme Commander Simon’s orders were simple.
All Keyzen students were to assemble at the royal palace.
Simon had decided there was no longer any point in defending the city.
“By the way, who’s guarding the palace?”
Maelyn asked.
“Goul and Pengel.”
Dick answered, but Maelyn’s expression showed she had no idea who they were. So he added,
“Goul’s just an ordinary haematologist, and Pengel’s around mid-to-upper squad level, but if Hector’s the opponent, neither of them will last long. Unless Pengel can somehow hit Hector with Banshee’s Embrace, that’s the only chance.”
“...Banshee’s what?”
“It’s a thing.”
Dick’s head tilted upward.
“Ah! Please! I just hope someone catches on first and gets there quickly…!”
* * *
The open square before the royal palace, the final location leading to the ‘King’, the game’s objective.
Hector and Simon were standing apart, facing each other.
“...You.”
But Hector’s expression, instead of being pleased to face Simon, was twisted in fury.
“What’s with that state?”
Simon looked like he’d just come from a battle. Dirt clung to his clothes and hair, his face was pale, and his breathing was ragged.
Hector’s mind spun.
In the siege team, there was only one person besides himself who could have done this to him.
“...Was it you who took down Jule?”
“That’s right.”
Simon spoke as if relaxed, but there was no hiding the labored breathing.
Hector’s face contorted sharply.
‘I told them I wanted to fight Simon Follentia at full strength!’
Hector recalled his conversation with Elisa.
—If you just follow my plan, we can win the game and get you that fight with Simon.
—No need, insect. I’ll move alone.
—Then the situation you want will never happen. Simon’s the supreme commander. You think the defense team will just hand over their boss to you willingly?
—…
It had been convincing enough. When Hector fell silent, Elisa quickly pushed her persuasion further.
—Trust me. I’ll set the perfect stage for you.
Elisa’s plan went like this:
First, capture the outer castle and move into the inner siege. Then, use a certain method to shatter the Guardian Stone. The moment it breaks, Hector would transform into a dragon and reach the royal palace at the top of the castle.
Once in the palace, fighting the defenders, Simon would be the first to rush in, Elisa swore she’d make it so.
And indeed, just as she planned, Simon arrived… but he was already battered and worn down.
“One thing I’ll ask.”
Hector’s eyes glared like an axe blade.
“Was fighting Jule your own decision?”
Simon hesitated, but decided it wasn’t something worth hiding.
“No, Jule was the one who kept chasing me relentlessly.”
Hector wrinkled his nose hard, then threw his head back and roared,
“Elisa Celineeeee!!!”
Rrrrrooooarrr!
Simon clamped his hands over his ears.
‘…D-Dragon Fear?’
The sound curse was on a completely different level from what the werewolf student had used on the castle walls.
Dick had said Hector wasn’t yet at the point of using Dragon Fear, but from what Simon could tell, it wouldn’t take him long to complete it.
“…Once this fight is over, I won’t let that woman off either!”
Hector spat the words like venom, then fixed his glare back on Simon.
‘Damn.’
It was frustrating.
The man was using his special opportunity No. 5 just to face him now.
Defeating an exhausted opponent meant nothing to Hector. Perhaps Elisa thought she was doing him a favor to ensure victory, but it only made him extremely displeased.
‘Still.’
This exam was important enough not to indulge his pride.
And even if their duel had been knocked down to second priority, this was still the fight he’d been longing for, a battle with Simon Follentia.
“Bring out the Royal Guard.”
Hector spoke imperiously.
“I’ll give you that much time.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have the strength left to use the Royal Guard.”
The veins in Hector’s neck flushed red.
“So you went all out against that swordsman, but think you can beat me without them?!”
‘…How do you even interpret it that way?’
Simon let out a deep sigh and raised his arm.
A subspace opened, and five skeleton mages descended behind him.
Using the Royal Guard again here was realistically impossible. This was a hastily made technique, but there was no time to be picky.
Simon unfolded a magic circle in the air.
Click! Click! Click!
The five skeleton mages’ skulls shot into the sky.
Then, the Cloud flowing from Simon’s body wrapped around the mages’ skulls. It looked as if emerald mist was swirling around a central skull.
<Simon’s Original – Skulldron>
Centered around Simon, the skeleton mages’ skulls began to rotate slowly.
Hector frowned at the sight.
“You’re going to face me with some minor version of the Royal Guard?”
The dragon wings on his back spread wide with a shrrrak.
“Don’t regret it, Simon Follentia!!”
“Minor? What are you talking about?”
Simon grinned and lowered his stance.
“It’s one of my proudest techniques.”
Without another word, Hector charged.
At the same time, the jaws of the floating Skulldrones opened, and dark-blue flames flickered within.
<Dark Blaze>
When the fireballs shot out, Hector’s eyes widened.
‘Magic fired straight from the skull, without a staff or body?’
He hurriedly shifted direction to dodge, and the fireballs exploded on the ground with sharp bangs.
“!”
And while Hector was busy evading, Simon rushed in and threw a punch.
<Hongpeng’s Original – Chwita>
Boooom!
Hector blocked in a guard stance, but still let out a grunt as he was shoved back, sliding across the ground. The scales hanging from his dragon form’s chest clattered to the floor.
“Kuhhp!”
This time, Hector strode forward and raised his fist.
Boooom!
But suddenly, he felt something explode behind him. Staggering, Hector turned his eyes to see the Skulldrones floating in the air.
“You son of a…!”
Whack!
This time, Simon’s turning kick smashed into Hector’s face.
‘Good, it’s working!’
Fighting alongside the Skulldrones, Simon’s combat style was pure style itself.
Using Magical Combat to engage Hector, he kept the Skulldrones floating around in all directions, launching spells.
Focus on the fireballs, and Simon struck. Focus on Simon, and the fireballs struck. Assaulted from six directions, Hector could do nothing but take the hits.
“You brat!”
A vicious light flared in Hector’s eyes. As he raised both arms with a shake, dragon scales flew like buckshot, striking the Skulldrones’ skulls.
Thud! Thunk!
Simon, connected to the Skulldrones, flinched, and Hector pounced, ramming his fist into Simon’s abdomen.
Baaam!
Simon barely managed to guard, but Hector’s lips curled upward.
“Yeah, so this is how you want to fight.”
Hector stepped back and swung his arm. The bone shards scattered on the ground rose up, forming Bone Spears.
“Go!”
He sent the Bone Spears flying at the Skulldrones, while he himself charged at Simon.
“Move!”
Simon also maneuvered the Skulldrones to evade the Bone Spears, while clashing with Hector.
Tatadat! Thud! Whish!
The two boys traded fierce blows before leaping back at the same time.
Hector tried to raise the Bone Spears again, but—
<Dark Blaze> <Dark Blaze> <Dark Blaze>
The Skulldrones’ attacks were faster. Hector raised his dragon wings in a defensive posture, blocking the fireballs.
“Huff! Hoo!”
Breathing hard, Simon steadied his stance again. Hector wiped the blood from his lips and smiled.
“Good, good. Good!!”
This was it.
It wasn’t at full strength, which was unsatisfying, but this was exactly the feeling he’d wanted!
This guy was on a different level from the countless common students. A perfect target to crush and dominate.
Hector’s entire body began to swell and grow.
The Dragon Form of the Moore family.
Before, it had felt like dragon parts were merely hanging on his body, but now his form had drawn closer to that of a dragon, around 40% complete.
The scales settled into place, and the movement of his wings became natural.
“I’ll kill you!”
Hector soared into the air and dove straight toward Simon’s Skulldrones.
<Pierce of Blizzard>
Shhhhhh!
A storm wind erupted.
With the fierce blizzard tearing in alongside shards of ice, Hector hastily took a defensive posture and landed. The spot where he landed now held something like a sticky pit.
“Nice one, Maelyn!”
Dick suddenly popped out, grinning as he swung both arms.
<Toxic Whip>
A whip of poison lashed toward Hector. He destroyed it with a weak breath attack, then tore himself free of the sticky trap by force and took to the air again.
“Dick! Maelyn!”
Simon called out happily.
“Were you waiting for us, Supreme Commander?”
Maelyn winked with one eye. She and Dick stepped forward as if to guard Simon, and Hector’s face twisted in annoyance.
“Vermin! Don’t interfere in my duel!”
“Are you insane? The royal palace is about to fall, who cares about a duel right now?”
Dick said with a smirk. In an instant, the battle had shifted to 1-on-3.
“Simon!”
“We’re here to help!”
And now, students from the defense team who had heard Simon’s transmission were arriving one after another. From 1-on-3, it swelled to 1-on-9.
“Don’t let that guy get away.”
Dick pulled a net from subspace as he spoke.
“If we capture Hector, we can turn the tide of battle.”
“Yeah, fine.”
Hector’s Dragon Form advanced even further, his figure now clearly that of a dragon.
“Come at me, all of you. I’ll take you all on by my—”
Boom!
Boooom!
Before he could finish, cannon fire roared from the sky, and cannonballs rained down. The defense team students hurriedly retreated, and someone shouted in shock,
“It’s… it’s Elisa’s Ghost Ships!”
Far in the distance, three transparent ghost ships floated in the air.
Soon, students from the siege team began dropping from the ships one by one, joining up behind Hector. The headcount between the students evened in an instant.
“Hector! We came to help!”
“Ha ha! Could the timing be any more perfect?”
‘…Damn it!’
His allies spoke without knowing Hector’s true feelings.
Hector ground his lips hard. Just when he thought he could finally have a proper fight with Simon, it had turned into a group battle.
He looked back at his allies and growled fiercely,
“Simon Follentia is mine. Touch him, and you’d better be ready to face me first.”
“Ah, got it.”
Both groups of students took up fighting stances.
“Let’s go!”
And without anyone needing to say who would move first, the siege team and the defense team students charged at each other.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!