Chapter 828
"Achoo! Achoo!"
After sneezing several times, Maelyn quickly looked around, worried someone might have heard her.
Nearby, there were only lava monsters buried in ice, their movements halted, no one else was present.
'Ugh, let’s just get this over with.'
Tap.
She leapt down from the glacier and landed in front of the Sealing Stone.
One of the Sealing Stones seized by the Volcanic Lord through her lava monsters. Maelyn placed her hand on it and breathed her Darkness into it.
Wooooong—!
The Sealing Stone, corrupted by strange colors, finally returned to its clean, achromatic state.
[The challengers have seized an additional Sealing Stone.]
[The Volcanic Lord weakens.]
She raised her head and looked up the mountain.
'Will this help Simon, even if just a little?'
Because she had been caught up in fierce battles early in the exam, Maelyn had entered the central island a little late.
By the time she arrived at the volcano, the raid party had already departed. At first, she thought she should push herself to catch up, but then she recalled what Endolas Vaudeville had said back on the camp island.
-We’ve prepared artifacts that can weaken the Volcanic Lord. If you occupy or destroy these artifacts, you can weaken the Lord’s power!
Endolas had said so clearly. In the end, someone had to take the task of occupying the Sealing Stones.
After some hesitation, she decided to change her destination.
"Maelyn!"
From within the glacier, Claudia popped her head out. At the same time, she transformed her hair into snakes and pierced the neck of a lava monster struggling inside the ice.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Hmph, of course not. What do you take me for."
Behind them, the Keyzen students under Maelyn’s command were dealing with the remnants of the lava monsters. As one of the Top 10, she too had gathered a group with enough strength to hold their own.
Claudia asked,
"We’ve occupied the Sealing Stone, so, what do we do now, Maelyn?"
Haa—
Her cheeks reddened from the cold. Bringing her palms to her lips, Maelyn exhaled white breath as she sank into thought.
Amid the jagged glaciers, with her eyes closed in contemplation, the girl’s appearance was like a painting.
"Here’s what we’ll do."
At last, her lips parted with her decision.
"We’ll leave only a minimum number of people here, and go seize the next Sealing Stone. Even at the volcano, they must be fighting at the risk of expulsion, so we should move more aggressively too."
Claudia smiled and nodded.
"Yes, for Simon, who must be fighting above."
"That’s......."
Just as Maelyn was responding, she quickly turned her head.
"?"
"?"
Their gazes met. Maelyn’s face immediately turned as red as a carrot.
"W-what! Why are you saying that, why do you care about Simon!"
"I had a bit of a debt to him before."
"What debt?"
"I forgot."
Claudia brushed it off casually, then hugged Maelyn playfully.
"Ooh, did I surprise you? How cute."
"D-don’t cling to me out of nowhere, dummy! And what debt, tell meee!"
"Hehe, who knows."
* * *
Slaaaash—!
A snow-white blade dug into the rough hide of a monster. With the sound of flesh being torn, the blade burst out through its body, and the monster collapsed.
Thud!
The monster fell, and a black-haired girl, panting, gripped her dagger again.
"Leave none alive."
Loraine spread a magic circle and invoked black magic.
Responding to her Darkness, huge Dullahans began staggering forward, smashing lava monsters apart.
<Loraine’s Original – Royal Guard>
Her own unique control-type black magic, commanding five Dullahans at once.
She had created it, inspired by Simon’s Royal Guard. It was her pure achievement, accomplished without using any special ability.
The five Dullahans began butchering the monsters, in the literal sense.
"......."
Loraine focused intensely on controlling the Dullahans. But just then, a lava monster, thought destroyed, rose to its knees and lunged at her back.
Whack!
But before its arm could reach her, its head burst like a watermelon.
Slaash!
Slaaash!
Other nearby lava monsters were also shredded, their bodies scattered across the ground. From above, someone flipped midair and landed on the ground.
"Controlling five Dullahans at once is impressive, but the flaw is that it leaves your own guard wide open."
It was Kajan. Loraine turned and said,
"Thank you for your help, senior."
"Senior? Just call me Kajan."
He replied casually, scratching at the wound beneath his eye. Then he turned his head toward the crater.
After finishing the Sealing Stone capture by placing her hand on it, Loraine also turned.
"I thought you would head up there, Kajan."
"I’ve no reason to go."
Kajan answered while kicking aside a lava monster.
"This is their fight."
"Everyone!"
Kamibarez, wearing a large cloak made of blood, pointed forward.
"There, on that hill, I can see the next Sealing Stone!"
* * *
-Merida, look at this!
All her memories of her older brother were happy ones.
Whenever their parents left for the city to work, the one who always looked after her was none other than her brother, Phantasus.
-Hyaah! Here comes the galloping horse! I am the knight riding a steed that flies in the sky!
She remembered vividly her brother, laughing brightly as he kicked along on a toy wooden horse.
Even though they were poor, with toys worn out and eyes missing.
Those days, that fleeting moment of happiness.
Merida could never forget. It had been the happiest time of her life.
-What’s wrong, Merida? If you’re tired, want me to carry you?
When she sat down refusing to descend from the hill, her brother crouched down and offered his back.
She had been happy.
The world of just the two of them.
On the way home, she missed that warm back.
"......."
Merida awoke from her dream as a cold wind hit her face.
It was someone’s back.
It felt a little broader than the back from earlier.
Back then, it had been uncomfortable and made her wake often, but now, it felt strangely comfortable.
'If only not for the cold wind.'
She turned her head and saw a dangling blanket. Torn, letting in cold drafts, probably what had woken her. The surroundings were oddly noisy too.
-Kyaaaaaah!
-Climb! Keep climbing!
Noise was tolerable, but discomfort was not. Merida clutched the torn part of the blanket and curled herself up tighter.
-Screeeeeech!
From above, a cold wind rushed down. She realized it was actually a winged monster charging at them.
Was it trying to tear the blanket again? She hated having her sleep disturbed.
"Merida!"
Just then.
Simon was running frantically, stepping on floating terrain in the sky.
"Did you wake up? If you’re awake, then now......!"
At that moment, a flying monster rushed at Simon and Merida, its fangs bared.
Simon was about to assemble the bone spear and strike back.
“Don’t disturb my sleep.”
Merida, who was draped over Simon’s back, opened her eyes.
[......!!!]
Patter.
Patter-patter.
Patter-patter-patter-patter-patter—
Rain began to fall.
The monsters’ eyes drooped shut, and their movements froze. They staggered and dropped downward.
The students, who had been driven into a corner, widened their eyes and looked around.
“O! What the heck just happened?”
“Wh-who did that?”
Simon also turned to look at Merida in surprise. But by then, she had already pulled the blanket over her head and was softly snoring.
‘Nice, Merida.’
As expected, having her along was bound to be helpful.
Simon leaped again, stepping off the sky-fixed ground.
‘Almost there now.’
As he climbed with steady effort, the volcanic castle floating in the sky finally came into view.
[Too slow, Simon Follentia.]
Above it was Hector, transformed into a dragon. He had been the first to reach the first floor of the volcanic castle, unleashing his breath to incinerate incoming monsters.
Simon, carrying Merida, landed second on the volcanic castle soon after.
“Are you sure it’s okay to transform now?”
[If I hadn’t fought in this form, we’d have been annihilated long ago.]
Hector exhaled heat from his nostrils.
[Wait here. I’ll go down and return.]
He took off beneath the volcanic castle, scorching enemies with his breath.
Meanwhile, Simon secured Merida more firmly and gazed ahead.
‘So this is the volcanic castle.’
It was far larger than it appeared.
The structure was five stories tall. Since Hector, who could fly, hadn’t gone straight to the top floor, it was clear that all external routes were blocked. One had to ascend from the first floor.
‘Naturally, the Volcanic Lord will be on the top floor.’
As Simon rubbed his chin in thought, one by one, other students crawled up onto the volcanic castle.
“Ugh, feels like my back is shattered.”
The one whining as she appeared was Elisa Celine.
Though she had lost her ship, she still showed the resilience befitting a Top 10.
Right after, Jule, the demonic sword user, carved through monsters as he arrived, and other high-ranking students climbed up with determination.
‘Let’s see. Survivors remaining are…’
Scanning the students who had made it up safely, Simon’s hand moved.
Only 21.
Out of 370 who entered the exam, after a few short hours, only 21 had survived to the volcanic castle.
[Two more added.]
Hector returned, wings flaring. Draped exhausted across his back were Cindy Vivace and a boy Simon didn’t recognize.
That made 23.
[No more will make it up.]
Hector returned to human form. Simon nodded.
“Then let’s go!”
The final survivors of the assault team—23 including Simon—rushed swiftly through the first floor of the volcanic castle.
They reached the second floor without encountering a single enemy.
“I thought resistance would be fierce, but there’s no one here. Did they send out even the guards?”
Elisa remarked.
Hector frowned.
“Do not lower your guard, ghost ship.”
“Yes, yes.”
Five floors total.
Taking advantage of the lack of enemies, they advanced quickly—until they were forced to stop at the sight of figures blocking the way.
“!”
They weren’t soldiers of the Volcanic Lord. Surprisingly, it was fellow Keyzen students standing in their path.
“Welcome.”
The speaker had angular hair streaked with brown, orange, and autumn hues.
It was the Bee Queen, Meridiana, ranked 6th overall.
“......”
And beside her, arms crossed with a displeased expression, stood Aseraz Mikel, ranked 5th overall.
“Oh, so there were those who got here before us?”
One of the assault team students stepped forward with a smile.
“Why don’t we join forc—”
“Stop.”
Hector raised an arm to block him.
“They are not allies.”
“What?”
“That’s yet to be seen.”
Meridiana replied, flicking her tongue like a snake.
Simon narrowed his brow and glanced behind them.
‘Already prepared, huh.’
Behind the two, hives were scattered thickly. Hidden in the shadows, the low droning revealed countless wasp monsters swarming within.
Meanwhile, Aseraz had summoned three massive golems, waiting behind her.
They were bluish, almost like transparent glass, etched with countless magic circles. It was her specialty, the “Magical Golems”.
‘Not sure how they beat us here, but they clearly want to fight.’
That path was the only way forward, toward the next floor where the Volcanic Lord awaited.
Then Meridiana stepped forward.
“As one of the Keyzen students, as a fellow of the 329th class, I’d like to propose something to you.”
“?”
“Here, let’s—”
She spread her arms wide.
“—stop.”
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