Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 257: Clash (8)

“What are you two doing here? You look pathetic.”

“R-Ronan…!”

Aselle cried, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks. Ronan’s appearance, cutting through the giants of light, was as dramatic as the dawn breaking over the mountains.

“You’re safe.”

Another familiar figure emerged. Shullifen, maintaining his usual dignified demeanor, had also survived. Aselle buried his face in Orsay’s neck, sobbing loudly.

“Shullifen…! Thank goodness…”

Both of them looked worse for wear. Their bodies were covered in blood and wounds, evidence of their harrowing ordeal. Orsay, who had been silent, finally spoke.

【…I thought you were dead.】

“Yeah, it was a hell of a time.”

Ronan spat on the ground. He and Shullifen had been relentlessly pursued by the Dragon King’s minions, making for a very unpleasant time.

Evading eleven dragons, driven by blind loyalty, was no easy task. Ronan looked around.

“You guys look pretty worn out. They’re not that strong, just a lot.”

The giants of light, now reduced to fading remnants, had been shredded by Ronan. He kicked at the feathers on the ground—the framework of the giants. These were Duaru’s feathers.

Using feathers to summon creatures was a technique used by those bald-headed bastards when fighting numerous opponents or when they wanted to obliterate all life in a target area. Aselle, feeling guilty, bowed his head.

“I-I’m sorry… I used up all my mana. Orsay too…”

“You did well. But next time, prepare better. Ahaiyute, that bastard’s minions are a whole different level from these.”

Recalling his past life’s battles, Ronan grimaced. Looking at Doaru, it seemed not all giants were on the same level.

Ahaiyute had turned battlefields into hellscapes with far more formidable summons. Ronan could only speculate about Duaru’s spear-handling skills. Orsay tilted his head.

“Ahaiyute?”

“He’s a friend of that bastard.”

Ronan answered, nodding towards Duaru. High up in the night sky, Duaru was now just a white dot indistinguishable from a star.

‘How am I supposed to bring him down again?’

Ronan clicked his tongue. At such a height, even his aura couldn’t reach. Just as he was about to say something, a loud wail echoed around them.

“Graaah!”

“Damn it.”

Suddenly, the ground shook with the approach of more giants. Aselle, startled like a rabbit, gasped.

“Hieekk!”

【This is tiresome.】

Orsay frowned. More giants, twice as many as before, were thundering towards them. Ronan, scratching his head irritably, looked at Shullifen.

“Shullifen.”

“Hmm.”

Shullifen silently reversed his grip on his sword. Storm aura began to envelop the blade. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he drove the sword into the ground. Boom! Dozens of massive whirlwinds erupted from the earth.

“A-amazing…”

Aselle’s eyes widened. Shullifen’s abilities had grown significantly. The whirlwinds formed a giant barrier around them, slicing through any giants that tried to break through.

“Grrr…”

Unable to pass through, the giants disintegrated into particles. For now, they seemed capable of holding off the current wave. Ronan patted Shullifen’s shoulder and turned to Aselle and Orsay.

“Now, tell me what happened while I was gone. What’s causing these tremors?”

“Um, so…”

Aselle nodded. He explained the events that had transpired in Ronan’s absence: the collapse of the Sky Tower, the Dragon King’s fall, and Duaru’s sinister plan. Ronan’s eyes widened in shock.

“Bringing down Adren? What the hell does that mean?”

“Th-that…”

Aselle stammered, turning to Orsay, the only one who knew the full story. Rising slowly, Orsay spoke.

【What it sounds like. At the center of Adren’s foundation is a massive floating stone. These tremors are from the damage it’s sustaining.】

“A floating stone? Like the ones in airships?”

【Yes. It’s a unique treasure, said to have been recovered by Navardose. That monster plans to destroy it, causing the dragon city to crash.】

“Shit.”

Ronan chuckled bitterly. No wonder the tremors felt so unusual. That was why Duaru kept throwing spears at seemingly empty spots.

【That monster senses the floating stone’s presence. Despite the many protective spells on it, such destructive power will break through eventually.】

Shullifen’s face hardened. The situation was more dire than he had thought. If Adren fell, it would shatter into pieces, and the proud dragon city would become a playground for the stupid fish.

It was almost laughable, but it was something that could not be allowed to happen. Ronan asked.

“Is there any way to stop it?”

【None. Injecting mana directly into the floating stone might slow its descent, but it would only be a temporary fix. We need to stop the destruction itself.】

The group looked up at Duaru. Each spear throw intensified the tremors. Boom! Another pillar of light shot up, piercing the night sky.

Moreover, Duaru kept scattering feathers, increasing the number of giants spreading across Adren like a luminous plague.

“This won’t be easy.”

Ronan frowned. Penetrating the encirclement would be no simple task.

But there was no other option. After gathering their heads together, they began to plan. Ronan was the first to speak.

“Orsay. Firstly, can you transform into a human?”

****

The stars were almost gone. The sky, more blue than black, heralded the dawn’s arrival.

Whether Adren would see the sun was uncertain. Ronan glanced back and clicked his tongue.

“They just keep coming.”

The severed bodies of giants disintegrated into light. They had cut down at least three hundred just to get this far.

“How much further?”

“Just a bit more.”

Orsay, now in his human form, answered. Aselle, limp and tired, was draped over Orsay’s shoulder like a basket. He murmured.

“I’m… I’m sorry… for always being such a burden…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Alright. Let’s keep going.”

The group exchanged glances and resumed their steps, making their way through a park filled with broad-leaved trees. Every step through the fallen leaves produced a faint rustling sound.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Their plan was to launch a surprise attack. They would get as close to Duaru as possible, with Aselle and Shullifen creating a distraction, while Orsay and Ronan would strike. The plan was simple, almost laughably so, but they had no other choice.

…Boom!

…Crash!!

The closer they got to Duaru, the louder the explosions and flashes of light became. The vibrations from the damaged floating stone were now a constant, chronic headache shaking Adren.

Duaru seemed unaware of their approach. Or perhaps he just didn’t care. After about ten more minutes of walking, the forest abruptly ended, revealing an open space.

“This is…”

Ronan’s eyes widened. A massive crater, large enough to bury a million people, lay before them. Boom! At regular intervals, spears of light crashed into the depths of the crater.

Soon the light subsided. At the bottom of the crater, something smooth and round peeked out. It glowed faintly with a beautiful coral hue.

Even the exposed part was enormous, likely as large as the dormitory Ronan stayed in. Orsay pointed at it.

“We’re here. That’s the floating stone.”

“The floating stone? That?”

Ronan chuckled in disbelief. He had heard it was big, but this was beyond imagination. It made sense though; such a stone was needed to lift all of Adren. Ronan frowned as he looked at the stone.

“It doesn’t look good.”

“It looks like it’s about to break.”

The protective spells had long since failed. The smooth surface of the floating stone was already marred with damage. Each spear that struck it widened the web of cracks.

Looking up, Ronan saw Duaru hovering almost directly above. The distance was vast, but it was a direct path with minimal unnecessary movement. At that moment, Aselle noticed something strange and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

“Huh?”

Ronan followed Aselle’s gaze. Tiny firefly-like objects floated around Duaru.

He had seen something similar when fighting Ahaiyute. Realizing what they were, Ronan cursed.

“Oh. Fuck.”

The fireflies were actually winged giants of light. Among the creatures born from the feathers, some could fly like their master.

Instead of aiding in the destruction, they were creating an aerial defense around Duaru. Ahaiyute had used them for killing, an annoyingly meticulous tactic.

【Raaaaargh!!】

Suddenly, a dragon roared and took to the sky from the outskirts of the city. It was a sizable blue dragon. Judging by the fury and sorrow in its voice, it had lost someone precious.

“Reckless.”

Ronan bit his lip. The dragon, enhanced with various spells, flew straight at Duaru. The giants of light surrounding Duaru intercepted it. Boom! The dragon managed to break through the defenses.

【Graahhh! Let go of me!】

But several giants clung to its body like barnacles. No matter how it shook or breathed fire, they held on. Its flight slowed noticeably. Duaru, turning, hurled a spear at the dragon.

【No…!】

“No, don’t!”

Aselle squeezed his eyes shut. Boom! The spear struck the dragon’s chest, exploding with a flash of light. The dragon’s mangled remains plummeted to the ground. The giants of light also vanished, but Duaru kept scattering feathers, rendering it pointless.

“This is bad.”

Shullifen muttered. Everyone’s faces hardened. Aselle spoke in a panicked voice.

“Wh-what do we do? If this keeps happening…!”

Ronan gritted his teeth. He hadn’t anticipated aerial defenses. The difficulty of breaking through on Orsay had just multiplied.

“…We’ll have to break through, no matter what.”

Ronan, after a moment of silence, spoke decisively. It would have been much easier with more people, but it couldn’t be helped. As he was about to signal the start of the operation, a voice called out from behind.

“What’s this? Everyone’s alive.”

“Huh?”

The group turned almost simultaneously. About twenty steps away stood a massive figure. Ronan raised an eyebrow.

“Who are you…?”

The newcomer had an incredibly peculiar aura. The face atop broad shoulders was as beautiful as a marble sculpture. The flowing blond hair was reminiscent of a lion’s mane.

It was hard to tell if they were male or female. Who is this guy? As Ronan looked him up and down, he took a sharp breath.

“Fucking hell.”

“What the…!”

Shullifen, standing nearby, also reacted strongly. They had been so preoccupied that they hadn’t noticed immediately. The mana radiating from the stranger’s shoulders was the same they had felt countless times in the Sky Tower.

Shing! Ronan and Shullifen drew their swords and stepped back. Orsay already had the spear drawn from his chest. Aselle, the last to recognize the stranger, turned pale.

“Eeek! You’re…!”

“Your Majesty, please don’t go ahead. It’s dangerous!”

Just as Aselle was about to let out a shrill scream, familiar faces emerged from the bushes behind the stranger. A young woman with iron-gray hair that seemed as strong as steel appeared. Aselle turned and gasped again.

“Na-Naransonia?”

“You guys…?!”

Naransonia stopped. Behind her were several oddly dressed humans. It wasn’t hard to realize they were all dragons in human form. Pointing his sword at the stranger, Ronan growled.

“What are you doing here, Dragon King?”

“Lower your swords. We mean you no harm now.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]