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Chapter 119: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 119



As Yoon Si-woo slashed through the monsters, he thought about how cruel the world was.


Scarlet was a strong girl.


Even though she knew that she didn’t have much time left, she still tried to smile, saying she was working to keep her promise to him and find happiness.


She was so strong that she would rather die than harm others with her own hands.


Even as she was dying, she smiled beautifully, saying she trusted him.


How much pain and suffering did she endure daily to be able to smile so brightly even in the agony of death?


How could she live with such a mindset, to thank him with a smile after what he did?


He couldn't even begin to understand.


All he knew for sure was that her life was not entirely happy.


He had hoped that this girl, who had been born with such a tragic fate, could at least spend her remaining time peacefully and happily.


Why does the world always bring trials and tribulations to the kind-hearted?


Clenching his teeth, he pierced the monster in front of him.


His hands trembled.


The feeling of piercing through the girl's body with his hands lingered like an echo, and he swung his sword more fiercely to erase it.


The monsters’ red blood sprayed everywhere.


Seeing the red blood, his grip on his sword tightened involuntarily.


He didn’t like it.


It bothered him that these creatures had blood the same color as hers.


He had learned to control his emotions when wielding a sword, but today, he didn’t want to do that.


He vented his anger by slashing the monsters again and again.


As he did so, he sensed gazes from the barricade behind him.


The students from the academy, who had come for the field trip today, were watching him from over there.


He caught a glimpse of Scarlet's distinctive red hair.


Just a while ago, his heart would have raced just knowing she was nearby.


But now, instead of excitement, he felt a sinking sensation in his heart.


Even as he finished off the monsters and took a break, that feeling of frustration did not go away.


Even so, he couldn't stop himself from looking at her.


Not out of affection, but out of concern and worry.


Imagining what struggles might be hidden behind her expressionless face, he kept watching Scarlet.


And then, Yoon Si-woo spotted someone strange.


Someone was standing next to Scarlet, wearing a hood so naturally, where no one had been moments ago.


“Wow, that's impressive. I almost felt my heart flutter when you said you’d protect us.”


A thin, high-pitched female voice.


Before he could question her identity, he was already dashing toward Scarlet.


“...Who are you? Unauthorized people can’t enter this place.”


“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not suspicious.”


Yoon Si-woo saw the woman responding to Captain Martina’s wary question with a smile as she watched him running toward her.


An unsettling sense of dread crawled up his spine, urging him to move faster, but the distance between the battlefield and the students was great.


The orb the woman pulled from her robe glowed ominously.


“I’m not a human, but a witch.”


Along with the voice of the Holy Sword revealing the truth,


\[ \[ \[ \[ \[ ■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!!! \] \] \] \] \]


The roars of monsters echoed everywhere,


“No!!!!!”


Yoon Si-woo’s empty cry echoed within the barrier.


---


“This is insane! How did so many monsters suddenly appear?!”


“That’s not the point right now! We need to save the students...!”


“Damn it, it’s a barrier! To reach the students, we must take out the monsters maintaining the barrier! Engage all the monsters inside the barrier!”


The appearance of the woman who introduced herself as a witch.


And simultaneously, the monsters that poured out of thin air.


Amid the unprecedented crisis, the shouts of the squad members mixed with urgency and anxiety echoed inside the barrier.


It wasn’t the squad members who were in danger.


It was rare for so many mid-level monsters to appear at once, but they weren’t a significant threat to the squad members.


Astrape’s squad members were strong enough to handle mid-level monsters without difficulty.


The problem was the students who were trapped in the same space as the monsters and the witch with unknown strength due to the barrier.


Even a slight delay could lead to unknown consequences, so the squad members urgently began to engage the monsters inside the barrier to reach the students as quickly as possible.


Aside from the barrier, the Greed Monsters’ combat abilities were significantly weaker compared to other monsters.


Being trapped inside their barrier also limited their ability to fly, which was their only advantage, and the monsters inside the barrier were swiftly shot down by the squad members.


Yoon Si-woo, who was cutting down the monsters with fierce momentum, sensed something was off.


‘...Why are there so few monsters?’


The number of monsters flying inside the barrier was far less than the number that had initially appeared.


Could it be that all those monsters were attacking the students’ location?


Imagining the students being attacked by numerous monsters, Yoon Si-woo quickly defeated the last remaining monster and confirmed the barrier’s collapse before rushing forward.


And what he encountered was


“...What.”


another barrier similar to the one they had just escaped from.


Inside the barrier, a similar number of monsters were flying around.


Something was wrong.


The moment Yoon Si-woo realized this, Martina's barrage of magic wiped out the flying monsters in an instant.


As the monsters maintaining the barrier disappeared, the barrier collapsed once again.


Beyond it, another barrier, identical to the previous one, was erected.


The feeling of unease became a certainty.


“These bastards, they’re blatantly stalling...!”


The Greed Monsters had weaker combat abilities than other monsters.


But the barrier ability was that troublesome.


It was possible to break the barrier without killing the monster, but it required immense power, and if a certain number of them gathered to create the barrier together, breaking it by force became nearly impossible.


Normally, Greed Monsters would fight among themselves over prey trapped inside the barrier, acting selfishly.


But these monsters were moving in perfect unison, as if following orders.


They gathered just enough to make breaking the barrier by force difficult, creating separate barriers one after another.


To escape, they had to waste time breaking through them.


Yoon Si-woo’s face twisted as he sliced through a monster’s neck.


\[ \[ \[ \[ \[ ■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!!! \] \] \] \] \]


Even as its neck was severed, the monster howled mockingly.


As if it knew exactly how to make things most troublesome for them.


While they were wasting time breaking through the barriers one by one, who knew what was happening outside?


If something were to happen to Scarlet...


The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind, causing Yoon Si-woo to tremble as he glared at the barriers.


He realized he couldn’t continue like this to break through the layers of barriers.


If he couldn’t break it with conventional methods, then using unconventional means...


As he thought of using the power he had been training with Lucy recently, Lucy, having read his mind, murmured.


**[Stop it. You’re not ready to use that power yet, and there are too many eyes watching.]**


Hearing that, Yoon Si-woo looked around.


There were indeed too many people, as Lucy said.


If he used the method he had in mind, there was a high chance of causing irreversible damage.


But at this rate, something irreversible might happen beyond those barriers.


Ignoring Lucy’s warning, Yoon Si-woo was about to grasp the Holy Sword of Humility.


Then Martina called out to him from behind.


“Yoon Si-woo, if it’s that shining sword you showed last time, you could probably clear out the monsters inside the barrier at once, right?”


If she was referring to the released Radiant Holy Sword, then it was likely possible.


Yoon Si-woo nodded, and Martina asked again.


“How many times can you use it?”


“I’ve never counted, but probably up to five times...”


As the attack, strong enough to reach the clouds, drained considerable power, Yoon Si-woo replied, remembering that Lucy had warned him using it more than five times would strain his body.


Martina nodded at his response and muttered to herself.


“Alright, then hit them with everything you’ve got. The only ones of us who can perform that kind of wide-area attack are you and me. We’ll need time to prepare, so we’ll take turns. Got it?”


Yoon Si-woo understood her plan.


Rather than having everyone take down the monsters one by one, wiping them out with wide-area attacks would be faster.


Although it would burden a few individuals, it would be quicker.


Excluding the risky method he had considered earlier, this was the fastest way to overcome the situation. Yoon Si-woo nodded and drew the Radiant Holy Sword.


Martina gathered her mana and shouted to the squad members who were engaging the monsters.


“4th Squad! Fall back behind me!”


At her command, all the squad members quickly gathered behind her.


Kanna, the squad leader who heard Martina's plan, asked her with a serious expression.


“...Captain, we don’t know how many layers of barriers there are. Can you really do it?”


“Shit, it's not about if we can. We have to do it. This is the best way to get out quickly. Even if I exhaust my mana and collapse, I'll take down all the barriers, so make sure to save the kids.”


“...Understood.”


Martina’s crimson mana rippled through the air.


Yoon Si-woo muttered softly as well.


“Holy Sword, release.”


A brilliant golden light burst forth from the sword in his hand.


Seeing Yoon Si-woo ready, Martina muttered toward the monsters flying inside the barrier.


“I don’t like water, so I’ll burn you all to ash.”


With those words, the sky within the barrier ignited.


As the flying monsters burned and fell, the barrier collapsed.


“Haaah!!!!”


Immediately, Yoon Si-woo’s pre-prepared light slash engulfed the monsters inside the next barrier.


With no time to rest, as soon as Yoon Si-woo's attack ended, Martina's magic unfolded once again.


Each time the waves of flame and the sword of light flashed within the barrier,


The barrier vanished, and another barrier appeared.


They quickly repeated this process, destroying a total of ten barriers.


Yet, the barrier still remained.


“Huh... Hah... I’m sorry... I can’t do it anymore...”


Having exhausted his strength with successive attacks, Yoon Si-woo sat on the ground, panting heavily.


The brilliant gold that had illuminated his hand gradually faded.


Seeing this, Martina patted Yoon Si-woo’s shoulder.


“Good job. Thanks to you, we’ve saved a lot of time. Leave the rest to me.”


“...Yes.”


Martina gathered her strength once more.


The crimson mana spread, and flames continued to paint the sky.


They continued relentlessly, until finally.


“...Ugh.”


With a grunt, Martina paused for a moment.


Her pallor betrayed the onset of mana exhaustion.


No matter how much she was called an archmage, continuously casting such large-scale magic without rest was unsustainable.


Yet, even as blood trickled from her mouth, Martina continued to muster her mana.


To save the students in danger as quickly as possible, she squeezed out every last bit of mana to cast her spells.


Anyone could see she had reached her limit, but she persisted, her hands trembling as she cast her magic.


Watching her, Yoon Si-woo suddenly felt utterly pathetic.


‘What am I doing right now?’


Though his hands shook from fatigue, his arms could still move.


Though his legs trembled, they could still support him.


Yet, while his captain was giving her all, while the person dear to him was in danger outside, he was just sitting there, doing nothing.


Why was he sitting here, acting like he had reached his limit?


If there was a limit, wasn't this the place to surpass it?


Yoon Si-woo bit his lip and muttered once more.


“...Holy Sword, release...!”


The light returned to his hand, regaining its radiance.


The strain on his body from merely releasing it made him scream, but he forced himself to his feet.


“...Are you sure you’re alright?”


Despite looking much more exhausted herself, Martina asked him, to which Yoon Si-woo responded with a grin.


Just as the girl he liked had done.


“I hate just sitting around, relying on others for help...”


“...Ha, is that so.”


Martina chuckled softly at his words and muttered,


“Then don’t complain and follow me.”


At that, Yoon Si-woo grinned widely and swung his sword.


Light filled his vision.


As if not to be outdone, the flames roared to life.


Then, the light split the sky once more.


Though his joints creaked and his body screamed in agony, he swung his sword with sheer willpower.


Finally, as if cutting through the limits,


The sky appeared beyond the jet-black barrier.


Under the sky that was now visible again, Yoon Si-woo saw the students gathered just as they had been.


Seeing that most of them seemed unharmed, relief washed over him.


But then he realized something was wrong.


Yoon Si-woo scanned the area where the students were gathered.


But she wasn’t there.


Everyone was there, but the one person who should have been there was missing.


Yoon Si-woo looked at the students’ faces in a daze.


Though they were unharmed, their expressions were incredibly somber.


Some were even crying.


Most of them were the students who were close to Scarlet.


‘No way.’


Tell me it’s not true.


With that thought, Yoon Si-woo asked Sylvia, who was crying bitterly, in a trembling voice.


“Where’s... where’s Scarlet?”


At his question, Sylvia burst into tears.


Yoon Si-woo felt as if all the blood in his body had run cold.


At that moment, he wished desperately.


Please, no.


Please, not that.


But Sylvia, sobbing, conveyed the harsh reality to Yoon Si-woo.


“...Hic... She saved us... in exchange for...”


“...Ah-”


“...Scarlet... she... the witch...”


In that moment,


Yoon Si-woo thought.


The world is truly a cruel place.


“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!”




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