Chapter 575

Chapter 575

Quoooooong!

The massive vibrations of a golem activating rumbled across the area.

The construct immediately locked its sights onto none other than Lea.

“Tsk!”

Thud-! Splash-! Thud-! Splash-!

Lea clicking her tongue in irritation as the towering Lava Golem began barrelling straight toward her position.

“What a pain.”

It was simply rotten luck that the automaton had materialized so close to her, putting her right in its path of destruction.

In truth, creating a functional golem wasn’t an overly complex task for anyone with a decent grasp of magical engineering. Its fundamental simplicity meant it could be easily altered or customized.

Granted, the vast majority of such modified constructs turned out to be poorly made, fragile things.

However, a Lava Golem belonged to an entirely different class of magic.

To begin with, constructing a golem composed entirely of molten rock was a feat of immense difficulty. A construct whose very anatomy was forged from liquid fire possessed terrifying destructive capabilities by its nature alone.

‘And water magic, the usual counter to fire-based entities, doesn’t even work properly on a Lava Golem! On top of that, the entire battlefield is transforming into a volcanic wasteland, making this incredibly troublesome to deal with!’

Because its physical form was made of pure magma, the Lava Golem’s offensive and defensive traits scaled exponentially within a molten environment.

‘Engaging it directly is a waste of time.’

Whoosh! Bang! Splat!

She leaped aside to evade the construct’s heavy strike, causing a geyser of liquid stone to erupt into the air.

Feeling the suffocating waves of heat, Lea quickly cast Fly magic, rising into the air to distance herself from the automaton’s lethal reach.

Suddenly, Medvedev materialized right beside her.

“Lea Tingel. Are you really going to ignore me just to chase down that spineless coward Luke Elda?”

“Luke Elda might be a coward, but besting him holds far more value than fighting you.”

“Is that so? In that case, I suppose I’ll just have to demonstrate that I am much more worth your time than he is.”

“Think you’re up to the task?”

Lea let out a mocking laugh.

Right at that split second—

Thump-!

“Luke!”

Aina’s startled cry rang out over the chaotic battlefield, accompanied by the distinct crack of someone leaping powerfully off the terrain.

Before anyone could react, a blinding streak of silver light tore through the space separating the two combatants.

“Luke Elda?!”

“What in the world?”

Both of their expressions warped in sheer disbelief as they watched Luke sprint headlong toward the monstrous Lava Golem.

Crash-!

His heavy footfalls sent glowing magma spraying across the ground.

Luke’s entire form was completely enveloped in a brilliant silver radiance.

It was the manifestation of a power that pushed his unique mana traits—which surged in tandem with his accelerating heartbeat—to their absolute pinnacle.

This was Luke’s personal, specialized magic, allowing him to briefly surpass his natural physical and magical constraints.

‘Transcendence.’

Flash-!

Cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crash-!

A colossal silver barrier of energy cleaved upward as if aiming to slice the heavens apart—a truly monumental sword strike.

Split cleanly in half, the massive Lava Golem collapsed and disintegrated.

Splash! Poof-whoosh-!

A massive tidal wave of molten rock surged violently outward from the impact.

Woooooow-!

The stadium seating erupted into a deafening collective roar.

“He destroyed it in a single strike!”

“I genuinely thought he was a weakling because he kept sprinting away! It turns out he earned his spot as the top first-year from Lumen for a reason!”

“Incredible!”

The spectators screamed in wild appreciation.

Ever since the opening bell of the match, the audience had been completely enthralled by the first-years unleashing magnificent auras, grand spells, and powerful summoned entities.

Though they were undeniably green and lacking real-world experience, the prowess these students had forged during their single year at the Hero Academy was nothing short of spectacular.

Of course, being deemed “inexperienced” was only a metric used when comparing them to upperclassmen.

To the eyes of ordinary citizens, anyone capable of attending the Hero Academy was already an elite superhuman.

Yet, the raw display of force Luke had just unleashed was an overwhelming feat that completely separated him from the rest of his peers.

“It makes total sense now! He really is Leo Flov’s student!”

Hearing the distant shouts of the crowd, Lea’s attention locked in instantly.

“Luke… Elda…!”

Lea’s gaze hardened into a sharp glare.

“I will earn Senior Flov’s acknowledgment as well! And I’ll do it by crushing you!”

“Eek!”

“Hold it right there!”

Seeing Lea charge toward him with a ferocious shout, Luke cried out in panic and turned on his heel to flee, while Aina stepped in to intercept her path.

“Lea! When are you going to stop breaking away from the group?!”

“Aina! Don’t bother stopping Lea Tingel! Luke isn’t someone who goes down easily anyway!”

Yoynia and Ju-eun advanced toward the brewing skirmish, yelling out as their gazes locked.

Without missing a beat, the two girls glared at one another and raised their staves in unison.

Flash-! Cr-cr-cr-crash-!

Spells collided directly against spells, triggering a cataclysmic detonation.

“Aaaah! Unhand me! Let go of me this instant! I’m going to obliterate Luke Elda!”

“Get a grip on yourself!”

Angre used raw physical force to pull the thrashing Lea away from the blast zone.

Meanwhile, Medvedev remained perfectly still, mentally replaying the sequence of events that had just occurred.

‘There’s no mistake. He was grinning.’

Right as he threw himself at the Lava Golem, Luke had a distinct smile on his face.

‘What was the reason behind that smile?’

Medvedev was fully capable of shattering a Lava Golem with one strike himself.

However, given the current tactical landscape, squandering such a massive reservoir of stamina just to eliminate a single construct in one blow offered zero practical advantage.

‘Is he just a battle maniac? No, his everyday demeanor doesn’t align with that. Then what could it be?’

Medvedev shifted his gaze toward the stadium stands, where the audience was still wildly cheering Luke’s name.

Then, his eyes drifted over to find Ar, who was positioned among the rest of the Azonia contingent.

‘You excel at practically everything, but you harbor a surprisingly childish streak, don’t you? Conceding that match far quicker than I anticipated?’

Those were the exact words she had thrown at him after he dared to challenge Ar upon his initial arrival at the institution.

Even though he was fully aware he stood no chance of winning, Medvedev had challenged her regardless, driven by a desire to measure the vast gulf between his capabilities and hers.

Yet, he had thrown in the towel before he could even force her to reveal a genuine opening.

‘Using your brain is fine, but on occasion, you need to throw caution to the wind and act on raw instinct. That is the true essence of a challenge, is it not? Charging ahead without overanalyzing the consequences.’

Medvedev had questioned Ar as she stood beneath the evening sky, arms crossed beneath the silver moonlight.

‘Is that the reason you behave in such an unrefined manner, Senior?’

The immediate response to his query had been a swift fist to his jaw, knocking him out cold on the spot.

For whatever reason, that particular memory chose to resurface at this exact moment.

‘Could it be that his objective is to claim total dominance by obliterating the Lava Golem and then methodically crushing every opposing academy?’

He had heard tales of individuals who operated under that specific brand of madness.

The rare breed of combatants who felt a surge of pure euphoria when attempting to conquer the mathematically impossible.

And it was precisely that reckless defiance against impossible odds that the spectators found so intoxicating.

“He possesses true mettle. Honestly, he embodies the spirit of an Azonia student far better than I do.”

Medvedev’s lips curved into a slight smirk as he stared in the direction Luke had fled.

“Allow me to reevaluate my opinion of you, Luke Elda. You are indeed an opponent worthy of my blade.”

“Kyaaaak!”

“Are you some kind of wild beast?! You’re normally so quiet, so why do you lose your mind the moment Luke Elda is involved?!”

Angre bellowed in exasperation, pinning Lea beneath her arm like a heavy sack of luggage to keep her from breaking out into a sprint.

“Out of everyone in our year at Seirun, I am undisputed number one! Therefore, I am going to prove that I reign supreme over every year from every rival institution! Taking down Luke Elda is merely step one!”

“This is nothing more than a petty personal vendetta!”

“I can settle my vendetta and validate my supremacy simultaneously! It’s the perfect outcome!”

“Have you completely forgotten the guidance Senior Lunia gave us?!”

Hearing that name, Lea froze in place, her lips twisting into a disgruntled pout.

‘You actually pillaged provisions from a boy named Luke during our joint training camp, didn’t you?’

Lunia’s utterly exasperated face flashed clearly in her mind.

‘Are you a common street thug? What possessed you to steal food? Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you brought upon our academy’s name?’

‘I am not the thug here, Senior Lunia. You are.’

Squeeze!

‘Gasp!? G-g-g-g-gasp-!’

Without a single moment of hesitation, Lunia had applied a vice-like chokehold on her younger peer using her elegantly crafted hand.

‘I grasp why you are so entirely consumed by Luke Elda. But mark my words. If you fixate solely on what is dangling directly in front of your nose, you are bound to stumble over a hidden obstacle.’

‘…Um… Miss Lunia. I believe Lea has lost consciousness.’

‘Oh? She passed out from just a gentle grip? How incredibly fragile.’

‘Under normal circumstances, applying that level of force to a person’s neck results in fatality.’

Lea had slipped into unconsciousness with the lingering sounds of Lunia’s annoyed huff and Eiran’s frantic reasoning echoing in her fading mind.

‘Is it truly a mistake to be this fixated on Luke Elda?’

Fierce competition didn’t just exist outside their borders.

Even within the ranks of Seirun, there were more than enough peers constantly vying to usurp her standing.

‘…When I stood before my ancestor, I swore a solemn oath. To evolve into someone who can stand tall and proud before the figures I revere. That is the sole reason I crave validation.’

And that was precisely why she harbored such intense jealousy toward Luke Elda.

Because he had already earned that very validation from Leo.

Just as Lea was sinking deep into her memories—

Whoosh-!

“It’s unwise to let your attention wander on the battlefield.”

“Where on earth did you come from?!”

Rixson, acting as the combat representative for Demian, suddenly materialized right before them, a calculated grin plastered across his face.

“Behold the invisibility mantle of my own creation. It is an artifact capable of entirely masking one’s physical presence!”

Without warning, Rixson swung a colossal war hammer directly at Angre.

Clang-!

The sheer force of the impact jarred Angre violently, causing her to lose her grip on Lea.

“Ah?!”

As Lea plummeted toward the expanding sea of magma below, she frantically scrambled to invoke her Fly magic.

“Checkmate!”

With a resounding clang-!, Rixson brought his heavy war hammer down upon Lea, driving her straight into the molten depths below.

“The system will automatically teleport her out of the arena the moment she’s disqualified, so she won’t suffer any actual burns!”

Rixson flashed a triumphant grin.

“I calculated that a prime opening would present itself if I targeted Lea Tingel while she was utterly blinded by her obsession with Luke Elda!”

Rixson bellowed, utterly pleased with his tactical execution.

“Ugh! You absolute snake!”

Angre gripped her weapon in pure fury, but Rixson merely gave a casual shrug of his shoulders.

“Strategy is strategy in an active tournament. Though, I must admit, Senior Driana was absolutely livid, claiming my tactical approaches completely lacked artistic beauty.”

Rixson briefly recalled Driana, an upperclassman a single year ahead of his class.

‘Rixson! Your battlefield conduct is utterly vulgar and beneath us! It lacks any semblance of aesthetic beauty!’

‘As long as the ultimate outcome favors us, does artistic flair really matter all that much?’

‘Of course it matters immensely! Even Lord Dweno sought absolute perfection in beauty! We of the Demian academy must not only engineer breathtaking constructs, but our very conduct on the field must be a work of art! You possess undeniable genius, do you not? You are entirely capable of seizing a glorious triumph through honorable means without relying on underhanded ploys! If you behave like a common cheat, the world will label you as something hideous.’

‘Could it be that it is actually Senior’s own crafted pieces that are lacking in beauty…?’

The immediate consequence of that remark had been Driana driving her crafting mallet directly into the crown of Rixson’s head, instantly knocking him out cold.

‘Well, I suppose that particular maneuver did border on being a bit underhanded.’

Rixson scratched his face idly.

Even now, he could hear a noticeable wave of disapproval rising from the surrounding stadium.

“It appears the crowd’s reaction is rather hostile, likely because they were riding the high of Luke Elda’s display. Nonetheless, prioritizing practical efficiency is—”

Grab-!

“Huh?”

Right in the middle of his sentence, a slender hand erupted from the surface of the magma pool and locked tightly around Rixson’s ankle.

Rixson froze, staring down at the ground with wide, horrified eyes.

There stood Lea, completely encased within a glowing protective barrier, a chilling, venomous smile plastered across her face.

“The winter season can be terribly biting, can’t it? Luckily, it’s exceptionally cozy down here.”

“I-I think I’ll pass on the invitation…”

“There’s absolutely no need to be polite.”

“Kyaaaah?!”

With a violent yank, Rixson was dragged beneath the boiling lava by Lea, resulting in his prompt disqualification from the match.

Lea calmly wiped off her hands and let out a disdainful snort.

“Know your place.”

Right at that exact second—

Rumble-rumble-rumble-!

Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle-!

The volcanic terrain, which had been steadily swallowing the battlefield, began to shudder violently once more.

Cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crash-!

“Another Lava Golem?!”

“There are four of them this time!”

“Are you kidding me?! Are we even supposed to be fighting the other schools?!”

“The prompt stated this was a survival trial! This isn’t an academy skirmish anymore, it has evolved into a brutal gauntlet of pure survival!”

Panic-stricken shrieks echoed across the remaining students.

The contestants, who had initially attempted to maneuver around the molten terrain and the towering Lava Golems to launch offensives against opposing factions, found themselves completely cornered. They had no alternative but to engage the newly arrived automatons directly.

“Ugh! Our primary threat isn’t even the rival academies, it’s this nightmare of a battlefield!”

Students wailed in despair against the brutally oppressive environment.

Whenever a group managed to dismantle a single Lava Golem, an endless wave of replacements would instantly rise to take its place like an incoming tide.

Even under these ridiculous conditions, sporadic skirmishes persisted as teams desperately sought to whittle down the numbers of their rivals.

Eventually, the relentless spread of magma left so little safe ground that the remaining forces of all four academies were forced into a tight confrontation at the absolute center of Erek.

Gurgle-gurgle-

The liquid stone surged and bubbled around them, completely erasing any avenue of retreat.

“Hmph… So this is the staging ground where the final victor will be determined?”

Medvedev stepped to the forefront of his group, tightly cracking his knuckles.

“This suits me just fine.”

Lea mimicked the gesture, popping her finger joints as she offered her response.

“It is the perfect moment to gauge our respective limits.”

Representing Lumen, Harviden smirked slightly as he murmured under his breath, before casting a glance over his shoulder.

“Luke, aren’t you going to step up to the plate?”

“If I show my face out there, those two are going to make me their absolute primary target.”

“You are the top-ranked first-year of Lumen. Bear the burden and overcome it.”

“Get out there! You’re our spearhead!”

“B-but that’s…”

Shasha chimed in as well, placing her hands on Luke’s back and shoving him forward.

Left with zero leverage against the literal crown prince and imperial princess of the realm, Luke could only drag his feet forward, a thoroughly miserable expression plastered across his face.

Right at that split second—

Peeeeeeeeeeeeep-!

An unusual, piercing screech reverberated through the air.

Thump- Roll-roll-!

A vibrant crimson ball of fluff plummeted directly out of the sky, tumbling across the ground until it bumped against Luke’s boots.

Luke reached down and lifted the small creature, his face twisting into an expression of utter bewilderment.

Cheep!

“Fiora? It’s been ages! Have you been doing well?”

Recognizing Fiora, the legendary phoenix belonging to Leo whom he had encountered multiple times during the course of their opening semester, Luke’s face lit up with a brilliant, welcoming smile.

Cheep-! Cheep-!

Fiora flapped her tiny wings furiously, letting out a series of frantic, high-pitched vocalizations.

In an instant, the complexions of every single remaining contestant in the arena turned completely pale.

“N-no, there’s no way. That’s impossible. Even for this exam, they wouldn’t push things to such a ridiculous extreme…”

Shasha whispered in a shaky, trembling tone, desperately trying to reject the grim reality staring her in the face.

Surely, the instructors wouldn’t unleash something that deliberately unfair?

“Hand it over!”

“Eek!”

Without warning, Lea lunged directly at Luke.

Startled by the sheer intensity of Lea’s sudden movement, Luke accidentally fumbled his grip on Fiora.

Having successfully intercepted Fiora, Lea beamed with delight, softly speaking to the mystical creature cradled in her grasp.

“It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you. You’re Fiora, correct? I’ve been dying to meet you.”

Lea, whose adoration for anything even remotely tied to Leo bordered on the absolute, offered a radiant greeting to the phoenix.

Right at that exact fraction of a second—

Fiora’s tiny eyes abruptly narrowed into sharp slits, and her miniature form began to violently expand.

“Huh?”

Whoosh-! Roar-!

Fiora’s rapidly ballooning anatomy was instantly engulfed in a roaring inferno of divine flame.

“…”

Staring blankly at the impending disaster expanding in her hands, Lea acted on pure instinct and hurled Fiora directly at Luke as if she were discarding a live explosive.

“I-I’m returning your property!”

“Don’t throw that monstrosity toward us!”

“R-run for your lives!”

The Lumen contingent broke formation, scattering in absolute pandemonium.

Screech-!

Roar-! Cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crash-!

Fiora let out a magnificent, earth-shattering roar, initiating a merciless, sweeping assault against every single first-year left on the field.

“Regardless of the context, that seems just a bit entirely uncalled for.”

Chelsea slowly shook her head from side to side, watching the surviving first-years shriek in pure terror as they ran aimlessly to escape the living calamity that was a fully unleashed phoenix.

The sheer cruelty of the trial surpassed anything they could have anticipated.

This test was no longer a metric of who could eliminate the highest number of adversaries; it had devolved into a brutal game of who could cling to survival by the absolute skin of their teeth.

Hearing Chelsea’s remark, Karl could only shake his head in weary agreement.

“Why else do you think the student body refers to him as the Demon King?”

Absolutely nothing was left standing upon the vast expanse of the Erek training grounds.

A lone figure slowly clenched his fist into a tight ball, his eyes fixed on the final embers that were quietly flickering out at the absolute center of the charred Erek parade ground.

“What exactly are you staring at, Lumen?”

“It’s nothing of importance, Rodia. Putting that aside, there are matters regarding Erebus that we urgently need to discuss.”

Lumen pressed her lips into a thin line, finally turning her back on the scorched arena where the final remnants of dark ash were floating away into the air.