Chapter 640

Chapter 640

The roaring that burst from Leo’s throat completely dominated his environment.

“He isn’t even a genuine beastman…!”

“That cry holds more force than the roars of those Azonian warriors!”

“He’s utilizing both Star Magic and Dragon Tongue Magic simultaneously!”

“Oh, come on! Is there truly nothing our president cannot accomplish?!”

Frustrated shouts erupted continuously from the fourth and fifth-year students holding the frontline.

Yet, despite their astonishment, they maintained their battle ranks with determination.

Their coordination was noticeably different than it had been previously.

‘It absolutely had to be.’

Leo’s goal was completely transparent.

He intended to utterly overwhelm his upperclassmen right from the vanguard.

His uncharacteristic recklessness had caught them off guard initially, but that vulnerability was fleeting.

Once they recognized that their adversary was acting impulsively, their only task was to formulate a counter-strategy to exploit it.

Even if Leo altered his tactics, it wouldn’t unnerve them.

This was because the upperclassmen understood Leo’s capabilities thoroughly and were prepared to react to him at any moment.

Furthermore, their ability to withstand his roaring demonstrated a significantly higher level of readiness than before.

A roar was essentially a manifestation of raw momentum.

It was a method that channeled pressure directly into a foe’s body through pure sound waves.

The countermeasure for such a technique was direct and uncomplicated.

They merely had to elevate their own fighting spirit to match and deflect the opponent’s pressure.

“Haaah!”

“Whoo!”

“Hryaah!”

“Did a girl just yell ‘Hryaah!’? What kind of shout is that?! Try ‘Hrya-hah!'”

“Quiet down!”

Leo offered a hidden grin as he observed the senior students unleashing their battle cries to dispel the crushing weight of his pressure.

Witnessing this resilience reminded him that a student of Lumen was truly cut from a different cloth.

‘They still possess a bit of breathing room.’

Observing the fortified frontline, Leo hoisted his blade.

Wooong—!

A charcoal-colored vapor began to swirl and drift around his frame.

The vanguard fighters who caught sight of Leo’s shimmering aura instantly tightened their expressions.

It was common knowledge across the academy that Leo could command various types of elemental energies.

Among his arsenal, the flames of Zheldinger were recognized as the most devastating.

However, the students of Lumen were now fully aware of another truth.

Leo reached his absolute peak of power whenever he manifested that particular grey vapor.

“Now that I look at it, doesn’t that vapor… look incredibly similar to Sir Kyle’s power?”

“That guy is an All-Class variable, precisely like Sir Kyle.”

“Is that so? Do all individuals with All-Class traits project the exact same energy?”

‘That is because I happen to be Kyle, you know.’

Leo chuckled silently to himself, keeping the thought internal since he could hardly reveal that truth to them outright.

‘In any case, I have no intention of using my personal style to confront them today.’

The charcoal vapor gradually transformed, taking on a brilliant golden hue.

Beams of radiant gold light projected from Leo’s crimson eyes.

The countenances of the frontline defenders shifted dramatically at the sight of this transformation.

Kwoong—!

Leo concentrated his energy and swung his blade upward toward the heavens.

Skak—!

A golden, crescent-shaped arc of blade energy soared high into the sky.

The spellcasters and support units stationed at the rear raised their gazes to track its trajectory.

“What is he doing? Where is he aiming that?”

“Isn’t that strike just going to plummet straight back down?”

While everyone exchanged bewildered glances, the golden arc that had ascended into the sky suddenly shattered in a violent burst.

And then…

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak—!

“……!”

“What on earth is happening?!”

“Sorcerers! Erect defensive barriers immediately!”

A torrential downpour of razor-sharp energy began raining down from above.

Sword Rain (劍雨).

This was a signature maneuver that Arion frequently deployed when facing massive hordes; quite literally, sharp projections of energy fell from the sky like a severe thunderstorm.

‘When Arion initiates this, it truly resembles a torrential downpour.’

He could sense the waves of panic rippling through the fourth and fifth-year students due to this entirely unforeseen assault.

“Takon! It would be wisest to pull back our defensive perimeter for the moment!”

“Absolutely not! That is precisely what Leo wants us to do! If our vanguard shatters right now, he will plow through and decimate the entire rear support!”

Eren spoke with great urgency, countering Niel’s suggestion.

Among the upperclassmen present, there wasn’t a single person capable of matching Leo’s sheer velocity to contain him.

Takon, listening intently to their frantic exchange, tightened his fingers around his massive shield and bellowed.

“Halt Leo’s advance!”

Following his command, the frontline troops braced themselves and assumed their defensive stances.

Leo sprinted forward along a linear path, refusing to decrease his momentum in the slightest.

Hwarrreuk—!

Golden blazes flashed across Leo’s skin before vanishing just as rapidly.

“Hold on! Why isn’t he reducing his pace?!”

“Is his plan really to just slam directly into our shield wall?”

“That’s absurd! Regardless of Leo’s immense strength, he will undoubtedly be crushed if he collides with us head-on like this!”

Despite their rising dread, they swiftly readjusted their grip on their armaments and defensive gear.

At that precise moment, a female knight heavily clad in thick plate armor stepped into Leo’s direct path, raising a massive mace.

She brought the heavy weapon down with full force toward Leo, who was barreling straight in her direction.

It was an impact powerful enough to shatter solid boulders even with a glancing blow.

Yet, she harbored no illusions that this strike would easily subdue Leo.

‘There is no way a straightforward swing like this will connect cleanly!’

She anticipated he would evade the trajectory and capitalize on her momentary vulnerability to strike back.

Under normal circumstances, she ought to have used her massive shield to repel Leo rather than swinging her weapon, but she had reversed her tactical priority.

‘The moment he avoids my mace, I will smash him backward using my shield!’

With that strategy locked in her mind, the fourth-year knight academy student braced her shield, only for her expression to instantly twist into pure terror.

‘Wait, why isn’t he dodging?’

She watched as her mace drew closer and closer to Leo’s forehead at what felt like an agonizingly slow pace.

She tensed up entirely, expecting him to slip away at the final fraction of a second.

Thud—

The heavy weapon collided directly with Leo.

“Huh?”

The female warrior, who never actually anticipated her strike hitting its mark, let out a bewildered gasp.

Kwajik—!

The iron head of her mace snapped completely off upon impact.

Without missing a beat, Leo simply swatted away the female combatant who had attacked him using the bare strength of his arm.

Bbeok—!

“Kku-ak?!”

She was sent hurtling through the air, crashing violently onto the dirt.

That single collision set off a chain reaction…

Kwa-ga-ga-gang—!

“Uwaaah!”

“Kkeo-eok?!”

It resembled a heavy armored vehicle plowing through a division of ordinary foot soldiers.

The elite students of the knight academy were sent flying in every direction by Leo’s unstoppable advance.

Every single strike they managed to land simply deflected off his form without effect.

Not a single blemish or scratch could be found anywhere on Leo’s flesh.

“W-What is the meaning of this?! Why are none of our blows connecting… Kkeo-eok!”

A fifth-year knight academy combatant was struck directly by Leo and launched straight into the upper atmosphere.

The protective layer currently enveloping Leo was none other than Dwenor’s legendary barrier.

The students remained entirely unaware that they were testing their strength against the legacy of Arion, the premier warrior of history, combined with Dwenor, the ultimate vanguard defender.

The combat arts and raw power derived from Arion and Dwenor completely eclipsed any tactical preparations the upperclassmen had devised.

Their entire strategy for containing Leo was rendered useless from the very beginning.

Hwarereuk—

Leo allowed a subtle grin to form as he witnessed a blazing wall of fire ignite directly ahead of his path.

“You will not advance a single step further!”

The frontline had been disrupted, but it was not completely shattered yet.

Leo’s brutally direct charge had severely unaligned their formations, but the line had managed to avoid total collapse.

If they could successfully halt Leo’s momentum even for a solitary moment, they could execute the rest of their battlefield strategy from that point forward.

To accomplish this, Niel planted himself firmly in Leo’s way.

When dealing with a charging opponent, if one can sap their velocity and drive, the assault can eventually be contained.

Furthermore, as a master of flame energy, Niel possessed the most formidable offensive output among the fifth-year class.

Flanking Niel was Takon, who stood ready while brandishing a pair of twin blades.

Takon was completely enveloped in a swirling wind aura.

“I will provide your flank defense, Niel.”

“I am counting on you.”

The combination of fire and wind energy possessed flawless synergy.

When Niel unleashed a massive offensive spell, Takon would cover his openings, preventing any vulnerability while keeping the pressure on Leo.

Even though Niel and Takon frequently bickered due to their competitive relationship, they would never allow personal rivalries to interfere with their synchronization during a critical moment.

Had they been that unprofessional, they wouldn’t have maintained their status as the absolute best within their respective departments for four consecutive years.

‘They stand as the top two practitioners currently in the Lumen Knight Academy.’

Granted, if one compared their current capabilities to what Lyss and Hark displayed during their own fifth year, these two certainly fell short.

However, that deficiency only existed when measured against those two specific legends.

On their own merits, these two were incredibly formidable.

They possessed more than enough expertise to put a serious damper on Leo’s momentum.

At this stage, Leo found himself rapidly surrounded.

It would certainly complicate his objectives if his forward drive was brought to a standstill here.

Goo-oooo—!

Additional combatants rushed forward to reinforce the positions around Niel and Takon.

Observing this rapid consolidation, Leo’s smile widened.

“Senior Niel. Tell me, when are you finally getting married?”

“What?”

Niel’s expression instantly flushed red with utter bewilderment.

Takon flinched hard upon witnessing his partner’s sudden distraction.

“Niel! Keep your mind on the battle!”

“Hah?!”

Startled back to reality, Niel desperately attempted to swing his blade, but Leo moved with superior velocity. Capitalizing on that microscopic lapse in concentration, Leo reached out and clamped his hand directly onto Niel’s throat.

“Keugh!”

Niel thrashed wildly in an attempt to break free from the grip.

Instead, Leo used his momentum to shove Niel directly into Takon’s path.

Sprinting past the two entangled upperclassmen who had tumbled to the ground together, Leo continued his charge without losing an ounce of speed.

“Why on earth did you hesitate, Niel!”

‘I was completely tricked!’

Realizing too late that Leo had employed a specialized communication spell to direct those words exclusively to his ears, Niel ground his teeth in fury and scrambled back to his feet.

‘To target such a bizarre vulnerability… that is completely unlike Young Master Leo!’

That uncharacteristic behavior was precisely why he had fallen for the deception so easily.

An outsider might label the tactic as underhanded, but within the reality of combat, it was his own lack of focus that caused the blunder.

Kwaang—!

“Kyaaak!”

“He has broken through our line!”

“Intercept him immediately!”

“How can anyone be this resilient?!”

Agonized cries resounded from every sector of the battlefield.

Amidst the chaos, Leo extended his palm.

A sinister, dark magical energy began to crackle and dance across his fingers.

Kwak—!

Leo slammed his hand flat against the terrain.

A wave of obsidian energy surged through the earth directly beneath the feet of the pursuing knight academy students, instantly binding their ankles.

“What is this?! What’s holding us?!”

“Is this Dragon Tongue Magic?!”

‘Shadow Swamp.’

This was a specialized binding spell that Lycinas used to favor.

Having successfully pinned the knight academy students by their feet, Leo turned his crimson gaze toward the magic academy students who were currently chanting their spells in the distance.

The spellcasters attempted to maintain their composure and respond methodically.

However…

Goo-oooo—!

An ethereal star energy began to cascade and swirl violently around Leo’s frame.

Having completed his internal incantation in a mere heartbeat, Leo unleashed the accumulated energy.

“Lux Fragment.”

Keeing—!

Shards of pure starlight erupted, scattering in every direction imaginable.

This was another specialized spell that Luna frequently relied upon when managing massive groups of adversaries simultaneously.

Pa-ba-ba-bat—!

“Keo-heok!”

“Deflect it!”

“W-What classification of sorcery is this?!”

“That Leo bastard! Has he gone and invented entirely new unique spells once again?!”

“Curse it all! The Aura Skill and Aura Armor he utilized a moment ago were completely unprecedented as well!”

In reality, it was none of those things.

Neither the martial skills nor the magical spells originated from Leo; they belonged entirely to Arion, Dwenor, Lycinas, and Luna.

These were unknown arts derived from an incomparably higher plane of mastery that the students could not fathom.

Consequently, from the perspective of the fourth and fifth-year students, the Leo they faced today was an entirely unquantifiable adversary.

He was not merely a powerful combatant.

He was an entity that completely shattered their understanding of common sense.

The solidarity of the fourth and fifth-year students seemed incredibly robust on the outside.

Because of that superficial strength, a simple shock would not cause their line to splinter immediately.

Even if they sustained a devastating blow, their structure wouldn’t shatter instantly; it would merely erode their coordination piece by piece.

However.

When forced to confront the entirely inexplicable over and over again…

“Takon! What are you doing?! Issue proper orders!”

“Aden! What is our secondary contingency?!”

“You there! Move quickly and intercept Leo!”

“Are you blind?! Can’t you see that I am currently immobilized?!”

“What did you just say?! Are you seriously talking back to your upperclassman right now?!”

Their structure dissolved with terrifying speed.

It was a miserable demonstration, completely unbecoming of senior students.

Yet, no matter how individually gifted the members of a faction might be, if their fundamental cohesion is artificial, this outcome is inevitable.

True unity is forged and strengthened precisely when individuals challenge and clash with one another.

One can only achieve genuine synchronization by thoroughly understanding not just a comrade’s assets, but their vulnerabilities as well.

Unfortunately, the fourth and fifth-year students had never spent time reflecting on such concepts.

‘Because their entire dynamic relied solely on executing the directives of a single individual.’

Runba bit down hard on his lower lip.

The collapse of their forces was occurring at a rate far exceeding his worst projections.

“To think our entire formation would fall apart like this without even mounting a proper resistance. This is simply absurd.”

While Runba wrestled with his mounting dread, Leo suddenly materialized directly before him.

“Are you aware that the vast majority of the fourth and fifth-year students share your exact mindset, Senior Runba?”

“What?”

Leo offered a somber smile before responding.

“The upperclassmen completely lack the burning drive required to fight their way to the top.”