Academy’s Genius Swordsman

Chapter 262

Asel was staring at the stars with his eyes closed.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed. All he vaguely remembered was that he had activated the magic circle to stop Adren’s descent. His body remained still, but his mind did not.

His soul was thrown into a storm of stars, dust, and shadows. The strange colors of the nebula licked his skin, and the swirling star clusters whispered incomprehensible languages in his ears.

‘Ahhh… Ahhh…!’

Asel twisted his body and screamed, but his voice echoed only inside his head, unable to escape his lips. The pain was like his brain was being wrung out like a rag. As his consciousness sank deeper into an unseen world…

『Duaryu has perished.』

『The soul bodies that composed his form have all vanished.』

He heard a conversation. The voices, unbearably loud, reached his soul directly, bypassing his eardrums. Asel couldn’t block out the voices and was forced to focus on their conversation.

『That’s impossible. I will pursue immediately.』

Soul bodies? Signals? Asel was confused by the string of incomprehensible terms. Suddenly, his wildly shifting vision stabilized.

Asel’s eyes flew open. The star-filled darkness vanished, replaced by an expanse of pure white land.

‘W-where is this?’

It was an unreal sight. The endless landscape was devoid of life. The ground was covered in eerie white soil and stones, and grass of the same color.

The wind blew, but there was no sound. The ghostly cold wind made the grass sway all at once. The sky, too, was covered with white clouds, resembling a plastered ceiling.

Occasionally, lightning-like flashes would occur, and magic circles similar to those in Adren would appear and disappear on the cloud surface. Asel, looking around at the sky, froze.

‘Those are…!’

Giants resembling Duaryu were wandering around. They had at least four to eight wings fluttering on their broad backs. The giants drifted through the white sky or appeared and disappeared within the magic circles.

Usually, they went in and out one by one, but sometimes several would enter or exit at the same time. Could those be portals to somewhere? Like Duaryu, were they going to destroy another world?

Asel stood frozen, watching the bizarre scene. One of the giants, hovering in place, spoke.

『Someone is watching us.』

『What did you say, Ahayute?』

『Wait.』

The giant slowly turned its head to look in Asel’s direction. His eyes widened. How had they detected his presence when he was sure he had blocked any external signal?

Of course, that wasn’t the important issue now. The giant, looking around, began to approach Asel. As the distinct facial features came closer, Asel’s breath quickened.

『Somewhere around here.』

Just as the giant’s hand was about to cover his face, cracks began to form in Asel’s vision.

Sensing something amiss, the giant made a quick grabbing motion, but Asel’s consciousness was already flung out of their realm.

‘Ahhhhh!’

Asel screamed silently as his body rapidly flew away from the giants’ territory.

The scenery he had passed through began to play in reverse. As he sped through the innumerable stars, a familiar voice echoed in his ear.

“Hey! Asel!”

“Hyah!”

Asel opened his eyes. The cold dawn air rushed into his lungs. His vision, blurred by blood, made everything look red.

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the blood out before he could see his surroundings clearly. The sky above was filled with familiar celestial bodies. Asel, still dazed, looked at the person gripping his shoulder.

“…Ronan?”

“Are you back to your senses, you bastard? Huh?”

Ronan spoke. It felt like it had been ages since he last saw him. Orse, Naransonia, and others surrounded them. Instead of replying, Asel slowly reached out and touched Ronan’s ear.

The soft yet slightly firm cartilage confirmed that this was reality. Remembering what he had been doing, Asel spoke.

“What about Adren…?”

“Do you even need to ask? You did it, man.”

Ronan pointed upwards with his finger. A vast magic circle covered the sky, too large to see in one glance.

Inside the circle, enormous chains extended in four directions, capable of restraining even Navarodzhe. The chains, made of telekinetic force and shimmering mana, were visible only to Ronan and Asel.

The hooks at the ends of the chains were firmly embedded in Adren’s ground, preventing it from falling. The night sky was no longer receding. The crushing sensation was gone. Asel let out a faint gasp.

“Ah…”

He had barely succeeded, almost destroying his mind in the process. Watching the scene quietly, Asel smiled.

“…Hehe.”

It was the same pure, innocent smile as always. Ronan didn’t bother asking what Asel had done. The distinctive shimmering mana of Nebula Klazie was rising like a mirage over Asel’s thin shoulders.

Hearing Naransonia’s explanation, Ronan understood that Asel had drawn on the power of the giants. It was a power so immense that even the dragon king could not fully handle it, a power delivered in small portions over several days. Asel had pulled it all at once with the sole intention of stopping Adren’s fall.

There was only one thing Ronan could say to such a person.

“You’re insane. You’re really out of your mind.”

“Ugh, I feel dizzy…”

Ronan ruffled Asel’s hair vigorously. Asel, shaking his head along with the motion, laughed weakly. The onlookers, who had been stunned, began to speak up.

【It’s unbelievable. That human did it alone?】

【He replicated His Majesty’s ritual…】

【I’ve seen countless geniuses, but this is a first.】

Even the dragons, who had lived for hundreds of years, were astonished. They had never seen or heard of such a thing. An individual stopping a falling island from the sky. Even the supreme archmage Lorhorn might not be capable of such a feat.

“Now we just need to deal with those things.”

Ronan clicked his tongue, looking up at the sky again. The light giants, having lost their minds, were rampaging like a swarm of locusts. But together, they could handle it somehow.

【I am purely impressed, magician.】

“Orse…”

Orse stepped forward through the crowd. He looked weary from the battle but still maintained his arrogant and imposing demeanor. His eyes, looking at Asel, were filled with genuine respect.

【Even if I have to burn the empire, I will spare you. As long as you don’t interfere with me.】

“B-burn the empire… that’s… cough!”

Asel was about to respond when his body convulsed, and blood spurted from his mouth. The crowd rushed in, alarmed.

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“Asel. Hey.”

【What is happening?】

Ronan caught Asel’s staggering body. Even Orse’s usually expressionless face showed signs of shock. Asel, spitting out the blood gathered in his mouth, spoke haltingly.

“It’s… it’s not enough…”

“Not enough?”

“Yeah… I should have pushed it into orbit… if it stays like this, it will fall again…”

“…Fall?”

Ronan frowned at Asel’s words. At that moment, Adren, which had been stationary, began to shake as if an earthquake had hit.

Rumble… The ground trembled like a growling beast, throwing people back into confusion. Looking up, they saw the chains and magic circle flickering as if about to disappear.

“We need to… stop it.”

Asel staggered to his feet. He started walking towards the center of the magic circle, leaving Ronan and Orse behind. Ronan grabbed his arm urgently.

“Stop right now! Do you have a death wish?”

“It’s okay… once it’s in a stable orbit, it’ll be fine. Just a little more…”

“Just a little more, my ass! Do you think your body can take it right now?”

Ronan tightened his grip on Asel’s arm. There was a limit to recklessness. It was unreasonable for a human to draw the giants’ power and remain unscathed.

Even the dragon king, unable to handle the power, had gone berserk and caused an accident. How long could Asel, who was smaller than the dragon king’s claw, hold out? This wasn’t a matter of talent. Orse nodded in agreement.

【Do not push yourself, magician. You’ve done enough.】

“Come on. Thanks to the time you bought us, we can save more people.”

Ronan couldn’t watch his friend commit suicide. He’d rather let this city fall. Asel, who had been quietly watching, murmured softly.

“…Forgive me.”

“What?”

Ronan tilted his head in confusion. Suddenly, a burst of invisible force exploded from Asel’s center.

“Ugh!”

【What…!】

The force was tremendous. It flung not only Ronan and Orse but also the surrounding dragons far away. Bang! Ronan slammed into a building wall before stopping.

“You little brat!”

Ronan sprang to his feet. It wasn’t hard to guess Asel’s intentions. Drawing his sword, he tried to pull Asel towards him with his aura, but Asel’s figure was already obscured by an ice barrier.

“Stop right now!”

Ronan’s mana-enhanced

thighs swelled as if they would burst. Bang! Bang! Bang! With just three leaps, he reached the magic circle and unleashed a flurry of strikes. The ice, which wouldn’t melt or break, shattered into pieces.

“Asel!!”

Ronan shouted. Asel was already sitting cross-legged in the center of the magic circle. As Ronan approached, his eyes widened. A veil of bizarre colors surrounded Asel in a hemispherical shape.

“What the hell…”

His mind went blank. It was undoubtedly the blessing of the stars, albeit weak. A power that even the inner circle of Nebula Klazie couldn’t wield easily.

He couldn’t fathom what Asel had experienced to be able to use this power. If it weren’t for Ronan, he wouldn’t even be able to break through. He could sense Asel’s determination to resolve this matter.

“Let’s go back.”

But if he lost his life, everything would be for naught. Ronan didn’t hesitate to swing his sword. Slash! The delayed sound of the cut came as the star’s blessing shattered. Just as he reached out to Asel, their eyes met.

“…Ronan. Let me finish this.”