Chapter 492: Winter Opening Ceremony 3

Dashing through the panicked crowd with pinpoint precision, Reina tightened her grip around her sword, her blue eyes locked onto a single target in the chaos.

“H-Help!”

A terrified cry echoed nearby.

WOOOSHH!!

With a sharp swing, a radiant slash of sword aura flew from her blade, cutting clean through the arm of a massive ice golem that had raised its jagged fist toward a frozen student.

The severed limb hit the ground with a heavy crack, splintering into frozen chunks.

The golem reeled back, letting out a deep, grinding growl, more confused than hurt as the icy remains of its arm began to twitch—already starting to regenerate.

But Reina didn’t give it a chance.

She exhaled once, calmly—then shot forward.

Mana surged into her legs as she launched herself off the ground like a streak of white light.

[Heavenly Sword]

[Penance]

Her body blurred into a radiant flash as she closed the distance in an instant. In that fleeting moment, her senses sharpened—she felt the faint pulse of mana deep inside the golem’s chest.

There.

CRACK—BOOOOM!!!

Her blade drove straight through its core.

The golem stopped moving.

Then, with a thunderous crash, its entire body exploded into a storm of ice and shattered stone, reduced to dust in the blink of an eye.

Reina landed several meters away, her boots skidding lightly against the snowy ground. The cold air stung her cheeks, but her breath remained steady.

She turned back toward the student she’d just saved.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes…!” the young male student gasped, still shaken. He looked down at his trembling hands—his sword shattered, his legs barely holding him up.

Reina’s eyes flicked to the weapon. “Your sword’s broken. You won’t be able to fight. Hurry and evacuate with the others.”

The student swallowed hard and nodded. “R-Right! Thank you!”

Without wasting another second, he turned and bolted toward the nearest group of evacuating students, disappearing into the chaos.

Reina took another look around.

More golems were falling.

Far too many.

The sky kept cracking open with the sound of descending ice, golems landing like meteors in waves.

Though the students and professors were holding their ground, the pressure was building.

The battlefield was covered in craters and fractured ice, bodies moving in every direction—fighting, running, shouting.

Reina narrowed her eyes.

“There’s too many…”

Even with the combined efforts of S-Class students, professors, and elite combat units, the sheer number of monsters meant the tide could shift at any moment.

One misstep. One blind spot. That was all it would take.

And for Reina—who relied on precise, mana-infused strikes aimed directly at golem cores—every attack had to count.

She couldn’t afford wasted movements.

Every swing drained more mana than she wanted to admit.

If she wanted to keep them from casting their ice-based magic, she had to finish them quickly—before they charged up.

And that pressure? It wasn’t just on her.

Most of the students fighting weren’t from Class S.

They didn’t have the training or power to keep up this pace.

She could see it in their breathing.

The hesitation in their footwork.

Their attacks were shallow, scattered.

Their mana was wearing thin.

At first, Reina had assumed this was another surprise training exercise.

The academy had done it before—thrown first-years into mock crisis situations to test how they responded under pressure.

And with so many students gathered, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to think this was one of those setups.

But the moment she saw the sheer number of golems crashing down from the sky, she realized something was off.

Far off.

These weren’t staged illusions or constructed familiars.

These were real, living A-rank monsters. The kind that required full clearance and layered containment procedures just to be summoned or studied.

Even Snow—calm, cold Snow—had that flicker of surprise in her expression. And the professors, who usually kept their cool during drills, were visibly reacting as well.

This isn’t part of the program.

GROOOOAAGHHH!!

A monstrous roar ripped her thoughts apart.

Reina barely had time to brace herself before a hulking ice golem came barreling toward her like a wild bull, its massive arms dragging through the ground as it charged.

It was fast. Faster than something that big should’ve been.

She raised her sword and set her stance, blue eyes narrowing, muscles tightening as she prepared to meet it head-on.

But then—

VOOOOSHHHHHH!!!

A wave of golden flames laced with crimson streaks surged past her from behind.

The air warped instantly from the heat, and in a blink, a burning arc of fire sliced straight through the golem’s chest before it could even reach her.

The creature didn’t just fall—it melted, its body reduced to puddles of steaming ice that hissed and cracked beneath the heat.

The aftershock from the blast even caught the other golems nearby, pushing them back as the flaming shockwave rolled through the battlefield.

Reina blinked, stunned by the sudden burst of power.

“Please don’t lose focus, Reina,” came a composed voice behind her. “Even if these monsters are weaker than us, we’re still in battle.”

“…Stacia?”

She turned and saw the familiar figure of Princess Stacia Alger Del Luna approaching, her platinum blonde hair glowing faintly under the flickering flames she’d left in her wake.

Her crimson eyes carried that same serene sharpness as always, though there was a faint heat to them now—one matching the battlefield around her.

Reina was surprised to see her here.

She had last seen Stacia fighting on the right side of the field, far from where she was standing now.

But judging by the scorched earth behind her and the lack of any remaining enemies in that area, Stacia had likely cleared out the entire section on her own before heading this way.

As expected of someone considered the pinnacle of the knight department.

In chaotic battles like this, her flames and swordsmanship shone the brightest.

“I wasn’t distracted,” Reina replied, quickly straightening herself. “I had that one…”

Stacia tilted her head, her lips curving faintly. “Hmm. Then perhaps I was being rude.”

“N-No! I actually… appreciate the help. Really. Thank you.”

Reina glanced down for a moment, slightly flustered by her own awkward tone.

She wasn’t good at taking help—or admitting she needed it.

But this was different.

Stacia’s presence brought a calm kind of pressure. Reassuring, but heavy.

Stacia nodded, stepping closer as she observed the field.

“It’s fortunate the monsters are only landing within the academy’s training grounds,” she said softly.

“Yes…” Reina agreed, following her gaze.

If they had landed closer to the dorms, or in the city surrounding the academy, the damage would’ve been far worse.

Still… this many golems falling without warning was not normal.

Something was wrong.

“Do you know what’s going on, Stacia?” Reina asked, her eyes scanning the snowy horizon as more golems landed with deafening thuds.

Stacia, standing with her usual grace amid the chaos, didn’t look particularly fazed. She turned slightly, eyes still tracking the field.

“I have a few guesses,” she said, her voice calm despite the distant roars and exploding ice. “But it seems our dear friends may give us the answers in a short while.”

“…Friends?” Reina asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Vanessa and Flamme. Looks like the two went off on their own a while ago,” Stacia replied, flicking a bit of frost off her shoulder. “And with Flamme making a move… this whole situation should be over soon.”

“O-Oh…”

Reina blinked.

She hadn’t even noticed the two leaving. Everything had happened so quickly—the golems, the panic, the fighting.

Her focus had been locked on survival, reacting moment to moment.

The fact that Stacia not only noticed their departure but could deduce their intent… it was a little surprising.

No, she realized. It was more than surprising.

Stacia had been holding the right flank almost entirely by herself. She’d taken on a larger portion of the wave than anyone else.

Yet, in the middle of all that, she’d still had the clarity to assess the movements of other key students, the state of the battlefield, and anticipate the best response.

Reina couldn’t help but wonder—Was that her upbringing as a princess showing?

A natural sense of leadership? Or… was it just her?

Before Reina could dwell on it too long, her thoughts drifted toward someone else.

“…I hope Enna’s safe.”

“She should be. She’s a lot more protected than others.”

“Protected…?” Reina repeated, puzzled.

There was something in the way she said it—almost knowingly—but Stacia didn’t offer an explanation.

Instead, she walked a few steps forward, her boots crunching softly in the snow as she stared down the next wave of golems approaching.

She raised her voice slightly without looking back.

“Raise your sword, Reina. We’ll be holding these mongrels off for a while.”

Reina blinked out of her thoughts.

“The professors and academy security should be making their way here soon,” Stacia continued. “Once they arrive, this trouble will end just as fast as it started.”

Reina nodded, gripping her sword tighter. “Right.”

She took a deep breath and stepped forward to stand beside Stacia, her doubts and questions pushed to the back of her mind.

For now, all that mattered was the fight in front of them.

Still… something about Stacia today felt different.

The way she moved.

The way she spoke.

She always carried herself like royalty, sure—but right now, Stacia was radiating something more than elegance.

There was a quiet weight behind her words, a natural pull that made people want to listen.

Charisma, Reina realized. She’s… really shining right now.

It made her want to keep up.

Flames erupted once more from Stacia’s body, golden and vivid, dancing like a crown of fire around her frame.

The ground beneath her feet cracked slightly from the sheer heat radiating outward.

She lifted her sword with practiced elegance, her eyes cold but focused, and her aura surged in a sharp upward pulse.

Beside her, Reina followed suit.

She tightened her grip around her blade and drew in her mana, letting it flow steadily through her limbs.

The air rippled faintly around her from the pressure as her golden blonde hair fluttered in the wind, eyes set with determination.

Together, the two stepped forward—two different forces of nature wrapped in flame and light, their presence pushing back against the chill of the battlefield.

And then—

RUMBLE—!

RUMBLE—!

The skies trembled without warning.

A crack of thunder split through the clouds above, followed by a violent flicker of blinding light.

BZZZT!!

BZZZZZT!!

Bolts of electricity streaked across the field like wild serpents, tearing through the air with chaotic speed.

Blue-white lightning coiled and twisted across the battlefield, darting around students and crashing into the bodies of descending golems.

SWIISHHH!!

SWIISHHH!!

The whistling sound of slashes cut through the storm.

In rapid succession, several golems exploded into shards—cracked in half, cleaved through with impossible precision.

Ice and snow flew upward like glittering dust, casting small reflections of light across the battlefield.

And then—

VOOOOM!!

The final golem standing in front of Stacia and Reina was cut cleanly in half.

A vertical streak of light split down its body before it shattered entirely, crumbling to glowing fragments as residual sparks sizzled in the air.

Electricity still hung in the space around them—crackling faintly—until a lone figure slowly stepped forward, emerging from the fading cloak of lightning.

Click–!

With a soft metallic click, the sound of a sword sheathing echoed through the silence.

His golden blonde hair swayed faintly in the winter wind.

His piercing blue eyes—apathetic and half-lidded—swept calmly across the field, as if what he’d just done meant nothing.

“…B-Big bro?” Reina whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

She stood still, stunned.

“Senior Riley…” Stacia murmured beside her, more composed—but even she couldn’t fully hide the surprise in her tone.

Then, as if summoned by the storm itself, another blur of light appeared near him.

It was Seo—her figure steady beside Riley, dressed in black, her red eyes glowing faintly in contrast to the winter white around her.

Her presence didn’t make a sound, but her arrival didn’t need one.

Her eyes simply scanned the field, calm and quiet.

And like that—

In less than a minute, the entire battlefield fell into silence.

The panic. The shouting. The crashing. All of it—gone.

Dozens of students and even professors stared in awe.

What had been a storm of chaos moments ago was now cleared ground—covered only in melting chunks of ice, broken cores, and quiet snow.

The only thing that filled the silence was the soft shimmer of snowflakes—and the lingering sparkles of mana that drifted from the air like fireworks fading out on the ground.

“…Where the heck did the protagonist go?”

Riley’s quiet voice broke through the stillness as he looked around the ruined field, almost as if confused.

His tone was casual, even bored—but to Reina and Stacia, it didn’t match the destruction he had just caused.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep