Splash...

Oscar and I sat on the wooden bench overlooking the fountain, enjoying the cold mist that caressed our faces.

The water glistened in the sunlight, shimmering with a dance of colors as it shot up in graceful arcs.

It was a beautiful sight...

However, the air was filled with tense anticipation as if something thrilling was about to occur.

"So... where are they?"

Clenching his Silver Spear tightly, Oscar glanced around the garden with a mixture of cautiousness and excitement.

His brown eyes darted from one corner to the next, searching for any sign of movement.

I was no different, while I comfortably leaned against the wooden backrest of the bench, I was more than prepared to summon my Authority at a moment's notice.

"Don't worry, they'll be here soon enough."

Glancing at my watch, I saw as the seconds ticked by with a slow yet steady rhythm.

Tap... Tap...

Suddenly, the sound of distant footsteps echoed through the garden, drawing our attention away from the mesmerizing fountain.

Instantly, I knew there were more than a few people approaching the fountain, the sound of footsteps multiplied, growing louder and closer with each passing second.

"It's them?"

Oscar spoke, standing up and stretching his back, however, his eyes were cold and sharp.

"Probably..."

I also stood up from the bench, summoning my blade and gripping it tightly.

Tap... Tap...

Soon enough, from behind the rows of shrubbery emerged a group of figures, dressed like normal students.

Although they seemed innocent enough, their eyes held a dangerous glint that made me frown.

"Bastard..."

Suddenly, one of the boys muttered under his breath as he locked eyes with me, his gaze filled with malevolence.

Confused, I turned my attention toward the source and raised my eyebrows in surprise.

It was Theo, the guy who was Rose's worshiper and even challenged me for the right to approach the Princess.

Even now I can't help but cringe at the fact that we fought over it.

'I should've asked for a reward...'

Clicking my tongue, I rolled my eyes, making Theo's face contort with anger.

I could see him clenching his fists, preparing to summon his Greatsword, when one of the girls with long green hair stepped forward, placing a hand on Theo's shoulder to calm him down.

"Hello, sorry for our friend, he's just a little hot-headed..."

She gave Theo a side glance that made him divert his eyes and turned toward me with a polite smile.

Although it seemed genuine, I could only chuckle at her attempt to defuse the situation.

Click...

Summoning my Authority without hesitation, I pointed my blade's tip toward the group.

"Leave the area..."

I spoke, also offering the girl the same polite smile she had just moments ago.

Although I thought I seemed cool and composed, Oscar standing beside me had a troubled expression.

"Bro, you look like a maniac."

Oscar leaned closer, whispering in my ear, with a smug expression on his way.

His comment, however, made me frown.

Was I really that ugly?

"Why should we leave?"

My thoughts were pulled back to reality as the girl with green hair spoke, her tone calm and still polite.

'Oh?'

This made me pause for a second.

She was quite competent. She not only didn't react to my intimidation but also kept calm and still acted like an innocent student.

If she was not one of my enemies, I might've taken her under my wing as a competent ally.

'Unfortunate...'

Clicking my tongue, I shook my head, feeling the smile returning to my face.

"Demon worshippers do not belong here..."

I sneered and this time the other students behind the girl with green hair started to murmur amongst themselves.

Although she could maintain her composure, her allies couldn't.

They were like an open book~

"I guess there is no longer room for discussion, then..."

She sighed, pulling out a pair of daggers from her belt and gripping them tightly in her hands.

"Get ready..."

I also informed Oscar, seeing the group of students approaching us with steady steps.

There were around 10 of them, hence we each would have to take on multiple opponents to protect the barrier of the Academy.

Luckily, all of them were first-year students who were still inexperienced in combat.

The same went for me and Oscar but I had the advantage since during the past few months I had more battles than most of them combined.

Although my proficiency at wielding the Sword was still below average, my overall experience allowed me to improvise and adapt to some situations.

For example, if the girl with green hair took another few steps forw-

Boom...

A loud explosion shook the garden as the ground below her feet ruptured, sending debris flying in all directions.

While the Demon worshipers were taken aback by the sudden explosion, Oscar gazed at me with a mix of surprise and admiration.

"So that's why you were drawing something on the path..."

That's right.

While waiting for the confrontation I took advantage of the spare time we had and drew an Explosive Rune on the pavement.

Although it cost me quite a lot of Mana it was worth it since one of the traitors was now out of commission.

With the dust dissipating from the area, I could make out her silhouette kneeling on the ground with one of her feet completely blasted off and blood pouring from the stump.

"Aghhh..."

I could see the pain and shock in her eyes as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

She was in such agony that her mind went blank and she could no longer focus on the ongoing battle.

If she had just a tad better control over her pain and emotions, perhaps she could have drunk a health potion to heal her injury and continue.

Luckily, the pain was too overwhelming for her to bear and she lost consciousness in the next few seconds before others could assist her.

"You ready?"

Looking at Oscar, standing beside me, I could see his eyes darting across the faces of the students, his gaze becoming colder and colder every second.

"Yes."

With a firm answer, he nodded and took a deep breath, planting his feet firmly on the ground.

As the dust settled from the explosion, the remaining demon worshippers snapped out of their shock and anger filled their eyes. Four of them charged toward, while the other five aimed for Oscar. Each of them wielded different weapons, from swords to staves and bows, showing their diverse combat styles.

"You've got 1 more than me."

I sneered, looking at the approaching group while Oscar groaned, hearing my smug voice.

"But I will whoop their asses with ease..."

Hearing his reply, I smirked but quickly got into position to defend against the charging demon worshippers.

Clank...

The first two students swung their swords at me, but I deflected their attacks with ease, countering with a swift kick to send one of them stumbling back.

"Fire King: Fireball!"

Before I could fully engage, a fireball came hurtling towards me from the student with a staff. I sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the fiery blast, and used the opening to lunge at him, catching him off guard.

Meanwhile, Oscar had his hands full as he fended off the five students attacking him. His Silver Spear flashed in the sunlight as he parried their strikes and retaliated with precise thrusts. The sheer force of his strikes knocked one student off balance, and he quickly followed up by sending a blast of Mana from his spear to send a simple shockwave to knock one of his attackers off balance.

"Good thinking!"

I shouted from the side, but he didn't have any luxury to reply as another demon worshiper lunged at him.

Amidst the clashes of weapons and spells, I kept a close eye on Oscar as he skillfully handled his opponents. His moves were fluid and efficient, and it was clear that he had improved a lot since our last battle together.

As for me, I continued to engage the two sword-wielding students, dodging their strikes and landing calculated blows whenever I saw an opening. Their attacks lacked finesse, and it was evident that they were inexperienced in real combat situations.

However, just as I was about to disarm one of the swordsmen, I noticed Theo, the guy with the Greatsword, charging towards me with a furious expression. He swung his massive weapon with all his might, aiming to cleave me in two.

Dodging a strike of that magnitude head-on was risky, even for me. So instead, I evaded by leaning back, narrowly avoiding the deadly swing, and countered with an elbow to Theo's jaw as he passed by me.

CRACK!

The impact of my elbow hitting his face sent him stumbling backward, clutching his jaw in agony. He didn't fall unconscious, but he was temporarily incapacitated, giving me a momentary advantage.

Seeing Theo down, I quickly turned my attention back to the remaining opponents, ensuring none of them would take advantage of my brief distraction.

"This is about to be fun~"

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like