Chapter 827
The sky was covered with grotesque lifeforms.
Flying-type summoned beasts shaped like monstrous stingrays soared across the sky, and atop them rode the Keyzen students.
The number of troops exceeded twenty.
“Let’s go!”
Students leapt down one by one from the summoned beasts and poured out black magic. The boss monsters, Lava Golems, began exploding under the overwhelming firepower.
‘I didn’t expect them to bring this many.’
Simon smiled faintly.
In truth, Simon had not originally planned to bring only Shatel and Elisa into the raid.
He had intended to recruit other Top 10s as well, and was gathering information from other students, but because the raid group had suddenly rushed up the mountain recklessly, he had been forced to hurry.
Instead, he had asked a Keyzen student with large-scale transportation ability.
—I’ll go ahead and clear the path. If you find other Top 10s, have them join the raid immediately.
The very student with that transportation ability, a ponytailed girl, jumped down from the stingray and landed beside Simon.
“Bringing them over was easier than expected.”
It was Guinevere Venners, a fellow student of Summonology like Simon.
She was one of the top students in their department.
“Thanks to you all paving the way, I just had to follow along the mountain’s foothills.”
It was an immense reinforcement.
Especially,
Shraaaak—!
The power of Jule, the demonic sword user who came with them, was overwhelming. Just by gripping the hilt of the demonic sword at his waist, monsters were slashed apart by the sword’s light.
“You’re late.”
He turned his body and looked at Simon. With a clack! the long sword closed, and the head of the last remaining Lava Golem split cleanly in half and toppled.
Simon’s eyes brimmed with emotion.
“Jule!”
“The whole school knows of the raid group’s struggle. The students who couldn’t join will act where they’re needed.”
Hoo—
Exhaling long, he continued.
“I do have at least some judgment. Quite a few of my friends were eliminated. Given the circumstances, I won’t let personal feelings sway me.”
“Yeah, thank you.”
“And I’ve brought with me the weapon to end this exam.”
Jule said this, then looked back.
On his back hung a white bundle. No, upon closer look, it was a blanket. Inside, something squirmed.
It was a person.
“Merida?”
Snooore—
Merida was fast asleep inside the blanket, oblivious to the world.
“After using Lost in a Dream, she was asleep up in the highlands, so I picked her up. I thought she could be useful in battle, but if you can’t trust her, I’ll toss her into the lava.”
“No, no. Once Merida hears about the situation, she’ll understand.”
Jule nodded, gripping the demonic sword’s hilt with one hand. A diagonal sword-light flashed, and the heads of lava monsters were cleaved one after another.
“What face do you have, crawling back here.”
At that moment, Hector approached with a sullen face.
“You were just a hunting dog, toyed with by the losers’ rabble.”
“Hector.”
Simon gave him a warning look, but Jule spoke in an indifferent tone.
“That was never my concern. I want to cross blades with Simon, and that hasn’t changed.”
He turned his head toward Simon.
“The only reason I’m restraining myself now, is because fighting amongst ourselves would bring harm to our department.”
“……”
Hector clicked his tongue.
Whether Hector or Jule, both bore the status of department representatives. Personal grudges had no place now, not since the appearance of the Volcanic Lord.
It was time to unite.
Jule moved his free hand and untied the cord binding Merida to his back.
“Who will face the lord?”
“Probably me and Hector.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Like tossing aside cargo, Jule threw Merida into Simon’s arms. Startled, Simon stumbled back, but what surprised him more was how feather-light Merida felt.
She was peacefully asleep, her mint-green hair sticking out in a few strands from the blanket and swaying.
“Protect her until she awakens. She’ll be the force to turn the tide. Then,”
Jule began moving forward. With each swing of his demonic sword, dozens of lava monsters were split apart by the black sword-light.
“I will clear the path!”
[Remaining Time – 03:23:15]
The reinforcements, led by Jule, had not only Darkness but also stamina in abundance.
They carved through the swarming lava monsters, opening the way. From Simon’s perspective, watching them was like finally breathing through a hole in suffocating walls.
Following the path they opened, Simon at last witnessed the form of the Volcanic Castle.
‘I see it!’
The long-awaited destination was finally before his eyes. The end of this exam was within reach.
“It’s been too long.”
Hector, his patience at its limit, was already growing scales on his body. Simon understood his feelings well.
Too many students had sacrificed themselves for victory. He had endured not for his own life, but for the sake of all those who had fallen. Yet even now, he burned to fight.
“Look, all of you!”
Elisa, ranked 7th overall, pointed at the castle.
“Something’s coming out of the castle!”
Beep!
At the same moment, a new message appeared on the students’ output devices.
[The Volcanic Lord appears.]
Step, step.
With heavy echoing footsteps, the Volcanic Lord finally emerged fully from the first floor of the castle, clad in crimson armor and a flowing cape.
[So, the foolish intruders have crawled this far.]
‘As I thought.’
From the voice alone, Simon realized she was Jin Arskalt.
[Already, your faces wear the expression of victory. But from here begins the true stage.]
As she gestured, the ground shook violently. Students all around stumbled and fell on their backsides.
‘There’s something more?’
Sensing ominous danger, Simon fixed his gaze on the Volcanic Lord. Soon, she lowered her arm toward the crater.
Boooooom!
The volcano erupted with an explosion far beyond anything seen so far.
This was firepower beyond comprehension.
“Take coverrrr!”
Students scattered in terror, running frantically. Rising magma rained down like a deadly calamity from the heavens.
Jule hurriedly cut down a falling meteor of lava, while Shatel diverted the overflowing magma to block it.
“Ah!”
The Volcanic Castle was rising higher into the air. The Volcanic Lord, eyes closed, arms raised, seemed to be lifting the entire castle with her power.
“We, we’ve been tricked!”
“How high is it going?”
Now the Volcanic Castle stood at an altitude far higher than before. From above, the Volcanic Lord looked down upon the students.
[Despair.]
From within the airborne castle, monsters swarmed out like a hive bursting open.
The lava monsters they faced this time looked different in appearance. They wore armor resembling that of the Volcanic Lord, held spears in their hands, and bore insect wings on their backs.
They were the Volcanic Lord’s elite soldiers.
[And now, meet your death.]
Kwoooooooom—!
The crater erupted again. Lava shot up like it would pierce the sky, then fell as rain, flooding down the slopes and swallowing students whole.
[Doris Benton has been eliminated.]
[Matheus Macmorrin has been eliminated.]
Eliminations erupted from the raid group. Seeing the castle now elevated high above, and the flying elite soldiers, the students felt their will completely crushed.
“……How did we come this far only for this!”
“Do we have to climb again?”
Elisa clawed at her own hair furiously.
“Ughh, if only one of my ghost ships had survived!”
As she said this, she glared sharply at Hector. Hector, with a calm expression, was stretching, then bent his knees.
“I alone am enough.”
<Dragon Form>
In an instant, scales and wings of a sea dragon spread across him, and Hector transformed into the shape of a dragon, soaring into the air.
But with lava bursting violently again from the crater, he could go no further and was forced to circle back.
[How irritating!]
The lava poured endlessly.
The volcanic castle rose ever higher.
And now, guarded by elite soldiers.
It was a sequence of utterly despairing circumstances.
“I will, take this on.”
Shatel stepped forward.
The surrounding students tried to stop him.
“Sha, Shatel! Even for you, with Darkness Domain……!”
Sitting on the dirt ground, Shatel clapped his palms together with a heavy thud!
<Shatel’s Original – Beneath the Tree, Upon the Stone>
“It is possible.”
In an instant, Shatel’s body petrified, turning to stone. What stood there was the form of a massive statue, smiling.
<Domain Domination>
Then Shatel’s true strength revealed itself. The entire volcano was dyed in black light like an ink painting.
Grass sprouted as though drawn in ink, and pine trees rose. The ground turned into an alien hue, as though submerged in ink.
Then, someone from the raid group shouted.
“Danger! The volcano is going to erupt again!”
<Domain Sealing>
At that, Shatel cast another black magic. The mountain’s ground turned pliable like dough, sealing the crater shut.
“……!!”
The terrain itself was being altered like a child’s sandbox.
The trembling beneath their feet revealed that an eruption had occurred inside the mountain. Lava began to seep from crevices like boiling soup spilling from a lid, but that was all.
[Pre, pare.]
The statue that was Shatel closed its eyes.
<Domain Reversal>
[Prepare, to climb the sky.]
Then, the ground seized under Shatel’s domain rose into the air all at once. They hovered, fragmented like floating islands.
“Wow……!”
Like stepping stones across a river of lava, the floating pieces of earth formed scattered circular platforms.
These platforms spiraled upward, creating a path that led to the Volcanic Castle.
The students were left speechless by the sight before their eyes.
“Thank you, Shatel! Everyone, let’s go!”
Simon, the first to regain composure, leapt onto the floating ground.
When the first-ranked student moved, the others quickly regained their senses and followed.
“Let’s go too!”
“Oooooooh!”
The students surged upward, summoning Darkness as they ran and leapt onto the floating ground.
Thanks to Shatel sealing the crater, the terror of raining lava no longer hung over them.
[It is a futile struggle.]
The Volcanic Lord gave the command to attack.
The winged elite soldiers stationed around the castle dove at once, launching an aerial assault. The students fought back frantically as they ran, firing black magic and curses upward.
“Hyup!”
Simon, carrying Merida on his back, focused only on running.
‘This is incredible.’
The soil itself had risen to form floating platforms, with black grass and pine trees sprouting upon them. Pebbles and stones also hovered in the air, as though stepping across a scattered bridge.
And all these floating paths led toward the peak of the sky.
The Volcanic Castle.
Wooooooong—!
From the castle itself, the most dreadful sight of the entire exam appeared.
A red circle began to ripple on one side of the castle.
‘The Volcanic Lord’s arrow!’
Unblockable, unavoidable, a death sentence where one student would surely be eliminated.
“Careful!”
“One shot incoming!”
Simon’s heart sank. The red circle moved ever so slightly, tracking the direction he ran. The aim was on him.
‘No, not me.’
Simon turned his head. There, still sound asleep, was Merida.
“Move!”
“If two fall here, it will be troublesome!”
At that moment, Cindy and Jule rushed in front of them, blocking the path of the shot. Simon was just about to cry out in alarm when—
Whoooosh—!
Suddenly, the red circle flickered out, like a light bulb on power-saving mode.
“Huh?”
Cindy and Jule, both braced for impact, showed bewildered expressions.
In the distance, the Volcanic Lord grimaced and lowered her bow. Simon realized instantly.
‘Something’s happened to the Volcanic Lord!’
His eyes darted immediately to the output device.
[The challengers have seized an additional Sealing Stone.]
[The Volcanic Lord grows weaker.]
‘That’s it!’
A flood of exhilaration washed over Simon, and he clenched his fist tightly.
“They’re fighting down below too! Keep going!”
“What happened? Why did she stop shooting? Explain!”
* * *
Frost was forming across the Lehlon Archipelago.
On the blazing fields of lava, pure white glaciers rose one after another, spewing freezing cold.
“Haa.”
White breath spilled from the lips of a girl hugging her own shoulders.
“Ugh, seriously.”
Ranked 8th overall, Maelyn Villene.
Her nose was red as she sniffled.
“When will I ever get used to the cold.”
Around her, lava monsters lay buried in the glaciers, frozen solid and inert.
And right in the middle of it all, the Sealing Stone stood tall, revealed at last.
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