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Chapter 214: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 214



Each time the sword was swung, brilliant light painted the empty air.


It was the kind of light that could easily evoke a sense of beauty in anyone’s mind.


But for those who were closest to the light, there was no room for such idle thoughts.


The place where the light scattered was the very heart of the battlefield, where a single moment of carelessness could mean the difference between life and death.


At least, it should have been.


[■■■■■■■!!!]


The squad members, who had unconsciously been mesmerized by the light, snapped back to reality at the beast's roar.


As the light that had filled the surroundings faded, the massive beast, now covered in deep wounds, came into view.


In any normal circumstance, such injuries would have been fatal.


But the beast, befitting its title as a higher-ranked monster, regenerated its lost parts and let out a savage cry.


Its voice, heavy and overpowering, thundered in their ears.


It was enough to make anyone shrink back in fear, but not a single glimmer of fear appeared in the eyes of the squad members surrounding the beast.


Yes, the monster before them was indeed a terrifying entity worthy of being called a beast.


But the one overpowering this terrifying beast was an even greater monster.


“So noisy.”


With someone's murmured complaint, the radiant light once again engulfed the beast.


Now, everyone knew.


That the beautiful radiance, despite its graceful appearance, concealed a great and destructive power.


And when the light, which had wrapped around the beast, subsided again, revealing its form, the squad members could only look on in disbelief.


It wasn’t because the beast continued to endure, stubbornly regenerating despite the massive assault.


No, the reason for their shock was because the once-feared higher-ranked beast, a creature akin to a walking disaster, had curled up, whining like a scared puppy, clearly aware of the overwhelming difference in power.


Seeing the sight of the monster, which none of them could have fought alone, cowering in fear, the squad turned their admiring gazes toward the young boy who had recently been appointed as their commander.


A boy, clad in pure white armor, holding aloft a shining sword, forcing the monster to its knees—a majestic hero.


Watching this scene, a single thought naturally took root in their minds.


Perhaps their new commander was someone destined to write a new legend in this era, just like the great heroes of the past.


Age? What did it matter?


After all, when fighting alongside him, they felt invincible.


Eyes filled with admiration and awe were fixed on Yoon Si-woo.


And in the midst of those gazes, Yoon Si-woo thought to himself.


‘...All these eyes on me... It’s really uncomfortable.’


He felt uncomfortable with all the eyes constantly watching him.


It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the efforts of those fighting alongside him. He knew thinking like this was ungrateful, so he gave a wry smile. But he couldn’t help it.


After all, the strategy of whittling down the beast with wide-range attacks using the Holy Sword’s radiance was a suboptimal choice, both physically and in terms of time.


If only he could use Lucy’s power, he could quickly shred the beast’s body, locate its core, and destroy it—an efficient and rapid method.


But with so many eyes around him, that wasn’t an option.


It was like having a lighter in your pocket but being forced to use a flint to start a fire.


Of course, it was natural to feel frustrated.


Not that fighting this way would prevent him from defeating the beast. The difference in strength was too vast.


As long as he kept at it, the beast’s eventual defeat was inevitable.


The monster, though still growling in defiance, was shaking in fear. Yoon Si-woo calmly raised his sword.


That’s when it happened.


[■■■■■■■!!!]


A monstrous roar echoed from somewhere else.


The beast’s ears twitched at the sound.


The monster, which had been trembling before, started shaking differently now.


Its body began to twitch and quiver, and its lips curled slightly upward as if it were smirking.


The sight of the beast, as if mocking them, caused Yoon Si-woo to feel uneasy.


And just then, a squad member’s urgent voice reached him.


“Commander...! Tellos has just been defeated by a beast...!”


At those words, alarm bells went off in Yoon Si-woo’s mind.


The one who should have held the line had fallen. That meant there was now a gaping hole in their defense.


Which meant...


“...The barrier.”


Turning his head at someone’s voice, he looked back and saw the protective barrier that had been shielding the city begin to disappear.


A sudden thought of Scarlet in danger filled his mind, urging him to rush to her side.


But the thing that kept him from sprinting toward the city was...


‘Be a hero for everyone. Not just for one person, but for many.’


It was the request she had made to him—the one person he wanted to protect more than anyone else.


Yoon Si-woo bit his lip hard.


He knew.


If he turned his steps toward the city now, he would be putting countless more lives at risk.


If he left this beast alive and it joined the others, the situation could spiral into a catastrophe beyond imagination.


Moreover, she had promised him.


No matter what happened, she would hold on until he arrived.


So it would be fine.


Even if it took a little more time, Scarlet would be safe.


Suppressing his pounding heart, Yoon Si-woo turned back toward the beast.


He just had to defeat it quickly and then rush to protect the city.


But what met his eyes as he turned was...


The sight of the beast, which had been crouching, suddenly leaping high into the air.


Not forward...


But backward.


“Ah, the beast...! It’s fleeing!!!”


“Quick! Stop it!”


None of them had anticipated that a beast of that size would turn and flee, and while they hastily attacked, the monster’s leap put it out of range.


Except for one person.


“Like I’d let you run away!!”


A torrent of brilliant light erupted from Yoon Si-woo, aimed at the beast soaring through the sky.


His attack targeted its legs, intending to cripple its mobility, and it engulfed the monster’s lower half entirely.


Even for a higher-ranked beast, it would take time to recover from such a loss.


With its mobility gone, they could catch up.


Now that he knew it would try to flee, he wouldn’t let it escape again.


He had no time to waste—he needed to reach the city as soon as possible.


With that thought, Yoon Si-woo launched himself toward the beast, which was plummeting to the ground.


But contrary to his expectations, the beast didn’t crash.


It balanced itself, landing smoothly.


Using the tentacles sprouting from its front legs and body.


[■■■■■■■■■!]


The beast’s mocking cry echoed as it abandoned its tail like a lizard, sprinting away on tentacles in place of its lost legs.


“Damn it!!”


If it had been fleeing out of pure fear, that would’ve been one thing. But if that were the case, it would’ve fled long ago.


Yoon Si-woo cursed, realizing the beast was stalling for time.


He gave chase with all his strength, but before he could catch up, the beast’s lower body had already fully regenerated.


And now that it was running on its legs again, its speed was too much to catch up with on foot.


Its strides were too large.


How could any human hope to match the sprint of such a creature?


That kind of pursuit would be impossible for anyone except someone like Leon Lionelle, or perhaps someone like Yoon Si-woo, who could enhance his body with the power of a witch.


His head began to ache.


Countless thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.


Even if he used the warp gates scattered around, a proper chase would still take too much time.


But allowing the beast to escape was also the worst possible choice.


Considering how they seemed to communicate with each other through their roars, it was highly likely that the fleeing beast would join up with others.


Voices of squad members wondering what to do filled the air.


Their voices, which restricted his power, felt like a distraction to Yoon Si-woo, causing him to scowl.


Should he just tell them all to get lost and use the witch’s power?


But even if not these people, there were surveillance teams scattered everywhere, monitoring the monster’s movements.


If they discovered him using that kind of power, things would get complicated.


Not for him, but for Scarlet’s sake, he couldn’t afford that.


Damn it. If only he could use his full power freely...


As Yoon Si-woo agonized over his choices,


“Ah...”


A flash of realization crossed his mind.


There was a way.


A way to use his power without being seen by others.


***


[The beast is heading east!]


[It’ll reach its destination in five minutes!]


“...That bastard really is determined to run away.”


The chase with the beast continued for a while.


Every time Yoon Si-woo reappeared near the beast through the teleportation gates, it would flee swiftly, as if determined never to face him directly. Watching the creature continually run away stirred a deep frustration within him.


How much time had he wasted because of this thing?


He needed to get to Scarlet as soon as possible.


But this game of cat and mouse was now over.


After all, he had lured the beast to this exact spot for a reason.


As he expected, the beast's frantic footsteps suddenly came to a halt in the distance.


The reason it stopped?


[■■■■■?]  

[■■■■■■■...!]


It had arrived at the location of another similar-looking monster.


The two beasts communicated with roars upon recognizing each other, then turned to face Yoon Si-woo, growling aggressively.


Perhaps, now that they were together, they calculated that they had a chance of defeating him.


If it had been a normal 2-on-2 battle, they might have been uncertain about their odds. But for this one particular beast, it wasn't surprising that it felt confident now.


After all, it hadn't sensed much danger while fighting the person stationed there.


"...You've arrived, Si-woo?"


"Yes, teacher."


The one who had been holding off the beast here was none other than Professor Eve. Though her specialty in illusions had bought them time, she was sweating slightly, a bit worn out. She looked at Yoon Si-woo with a curious expression.


"So, I heard you had a plan. But why bring another beast to me? If you're planning to team up, I won’t be much help..."


She sounded a bit worried, her face showing signs of unease. Yoon Si-woo merely smirked and reassured her.


"Don’t worry. I can handle both of them by myself."


"By yourself...?"


"Yes. I just need you to make it look like a normal fight to everyone else."


Understanding dawned on Professor Eve as she nodded.


With a snap of her fingers, the surroundings distorted.


Now, whatever happened inside this space would appear as just another ordinary battle to anyone watching.


This was the reason Yoon Si-woo had led the beasts here.


Eve could conceal him from prying eyes, and she was one of the only people besides Scarlet who knew about his power and was willing to look the other way.


The conditions were perfect for him to use his full abilities.


[[■■■■■■■!]]


"Right. I suppose you have some pride."


The creature, still seething from its earlier defeat, had returned with reinforcements, both now growling and preparing to charge.


Yoon Si-woo smiled coldly and muttered,


"Holy Sword, Reverse."


That pride of theirs—those foolish beasts—would soon realize too late that it would lead to their death.


---


"...Damn it, that took too much time."


Yoon Si-woo’s expression was grim as he sprinted through the teleportation gates toward the city.


Even though he had successfully taken down both beasts with Eve’s help, he had sensed through the True Sword that Scarlet had been gravely injured during the fight.


He had warned her not to push herself.


What had she been thinking about their promise?


But considering her personality, perhaps it had been unreasonable to expect her to come out of a situation like this unscathed.


Still, the thought of her being injured was painful, but he could accept it. Scarlet could heal from almost anything, even severed limbs.


"Please, just don’t push yourself any further. Wait for me until I get there..."


With that desperate plea, Yoon Si-woo drew the True Sword to check Scarlet's condition more closely.


"...Huh?"


The signal that had been relaying Scarlet’s state through the True Sword suddenly stopped.


"A-Ahaha, what’s going on...? Is it broken...?"


Yoon Si-woo came to an abrupt stop, tapping the True Sword in his hand with his fingers as he muttered to himself.


"This can’t be happening all of a sudden, right? Haha, it’s just broken, right?"


But no matter how much he tapped it.


"Fix it! Fix it now! It’s just a malfunction, right? Hurry...!"


He pounded the sword with his fist, but Scarlet’s signal did not return.


In response to Yoon Si-woo’s desperate actions, the True Sword flickered faintly, as if apologizing to its master.


Seeing this, Yoon Si-woo shook his head, mumbling to himself.


"...No."


[...Si-woo.]


Lucy’s sorrowful voice called his name.


He had already been told long ago, in detail, about the True Sword’s powers through Lucy.


But Yoon Si-woo shook his head in denial, using all his strength to reject the truth, shouting in desperation.


"...No! No way! That can’t be! Scarlet, Scarlet...!"


[...Si-woo. It pains me to say this, but you must accept it. There is only one reason the True Sword's signal would cease.]


There was only one case where the True Sword would stop sending signals from the person it was connected to.


[...She’s dead. That girl.]


The connection breaks only when the one it’s tied to has perished.


"Noooo!!!"


Yoon Si-woo screamed, howling in anguish, refusing to believe that Scarlet was gone, that she had died.


But the signal from the True Sword did not return, as if confirming the harsh reality.


For a long moment, Yoon Si-woo stood there in shock, running his fingers through the strands of Scarlet’s red hair tied to the hilt of the sword.


"I... I need to confirm it. If Scarlet is really dead, I need to see it with my own eyes..."


He rose to his feet, staggering as if a puppet whose strings had been cut, and began walking toward the city.


He couldn’t believe that Scarlet was dead.


After all, wasn’t she the one who had asked him to be the one to end her life when the time came?


He wouldn’t believe it until he saw her death with his own eyes.


With that thought, he forced his reluctant feet to move toward the city.


"..."


His head hung low as he walked aimlessly, and the air, which had felt humid as if it had rained recently, began to feel different.


The closer he got, the drier it became, to the point where his skin felt parched.


As he absentmindedly lifted his head, he saw it.


"...Fire?"


In the distance, the city burned with a blazing red fire, as red as blood.


"...Scarlet?"


The color of the flames reminded him of her, and with a dazed expression, Yoon Si-woo walked toward the place where Scarlet’s signal had last come through.


On the way, he spotted a familiar figure slumped against a wall in the middle of the street, her silver hair unmistakable.


She slowly lifted her head upon hearing his footsteps.


“Ugh...”


Seeing her expression, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t suppress the sigh that escaped his lips.


Sylvia Astra, the girl who cherished Scarlet as much as he did.


She sat there, crying endlessly, looking as if she had lost everything in the world.


Somehow, Yoon Si-woo felt that Sylvia might know where Scarlet was, and with rising anxiety, he forced his voice out to ask,


"...Scarlet?"


Sylvia slowly turned her head.


And following her gaze, Yoon Si-woo looked toward the center of the flames that raged so violently.


“Aah...”


At the sight of the figure standing within the inferno, Yoon Si-woo's face twisted with overwhelming emotion.


---


‘If... if I ever cease to be Scarlet Evande.’


A being that was not quite Scarlet stood there.


‘At that time, I want you to be the one to kill me.’


---


Finally, the time of their promise had come.


------------------------


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Comments

  1. The picture never showed mc dead body just him laying on the ground. There is still chance that he is still alive !

    ReplyDelete
  2. 💀💀💀

    ReplyDelete

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