Chapter 12: Terror (3)

“Maintain the formation! Don’t fall back!”

The silent plaza filled with harsh shouts and the cacophony of weapons being swung.

A horde of demonic beasts burst forward like a tidal wave through a collapsed gate, attacking the cadet candidates.

“Ugh!”

“Hold on! If we retreat now, everything collapses!”

The cadet candidates desperately held their line, fighting off the beast attacks.

The plaza’s narrow entrance worked to their advantage in defense.

No one was unaware that if they failed to hold this choke point, they’d be scattered and destroyed one by one.

“Hah!”

At the vanguard, Laysis swung her sword with fierce momentum.

Her radiant blonde hair fluttered through the air as each strike cleaved through a beast, each death blooming like a flower.

Some were momentarily captivated by her beauty.

“…Hah.”

At the moment her breath seemed to fail, Nerian stepped forward as if to replace her.

“Rise.”

With a light wave of his left hand, ice crystals shot up from the ground.

The crystals, as large as a person, instantly took shape into ice‑wielding soldiers holding swords and spears.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Because they were created by the power of ice, the soldiers easily withstood the beasts’ claws and teeth.

They served as the frontline shield, minimizing casualties.

Shing—!

Moreover, Nerian’s personal combat ability was outstanding.

Even when judged by swordsmanship alone, he surpassed Laysis’s performance by a level.

Rumble—

Whenever enough corpses piled up, he froze the path, creating ice walls.

He did this to give them a moment’s respite.

“…”

Nerian wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead.

The power of ice was effective—but consumed a lot of mana.

Using it too often was risky, but had he not stepped in, the damage would’ve been many times worse.

“First and second rows, fall back! Third and fourth rows take the front!”

At Nerian’s command, the cadet candidates shifted positions with military precision.

The only entrance to the plaza was limited.

Rather than everyone fighting haphazardly, Nerian’s strategy balanced stamina by reorganizing the lines.

‘At most a few hours before exhaustion.’

Everyone was moving with burning will, but those growing weary were now noticeable.

He could only hope reinforcement came from outside before their line collapsed.

If the plaza’s front broke, most of those standing here would be dead in under an hour.

‘Only Laysis or Yuria are worth saving for now.’

As for the rest… he could only tell them to run and survive individually.

Kraaaaash!

Then came a massive shock, widening the crack where the gate had collapsed.

The cadet candidates stared ahead tensely, but only one beast emerged from the choking dust.

The problem was that this single beast was absurd.

“…Drake!”

A candidate at the front recognized it and shouted with a pale face.

A kind of drake with thick hide that blades couldn’t pierce, known for high magic resistance—a high‑rank beast.

“Even worse, it’s a Red Drake!”

“A fire‑breathing monster! Everyone beware!”

Its blood‑red scales and bright yellow eyes gleamed.

The Red Drake shoved its massive body through the collapsed gate, spotted the humans inside, and opened its mouth wide.

Rrooaaar—!

Flames roared from deep within, surging outward.

Seeing that, Nerian was thrown into turmoil.

‘What do I do?’

If he turned and ran now, he might survive.

He could make an ice‑path to slide away quickly.

The instinct to survive—natural to any living being.

“…”

…But he didn’t feel like it.

Even if he burned to death, he’d die like a noble.

That was the pride of Hopfenheim’s heir, the successor inheriting the power of ice.

He planted his feet and lunged forward, sword held backward, thrusting it forcefully into the ground.

Sshhhhh—

A coldness rivaling the northern regions spread around him.

Drawing on all his remaining reserves, Nerian erected a thick barrier that covered the entire passage.

Whooosh!

The Red Drake’s crimson breath spewed against the icy wall.

Blocked by the ice, the fire surged upward and engulfed all the beasts around the drake.

Rather, it melted them entirely.

Ssssss—.

The thick ice wall vaporized before it could melt.

Watching its thickness shrink, Nerian gritted his teeth and unleashed more power.

“Haaaaah—!”

He pushed from the depths of his lungs, increasing the barrier’s thickness.

A brutal battle of melting and freezing.

At last, when his mana reserves ran dry, the fire from the drake’s mouth began to wane.

Sshhhhh……

The drake had only managed a single burst of flame.

But Nerian had expended all his energy and staggered, losing his balance before collapsing to the ground.

Thud.

Laysis stepped beside him and supported his shoulder.

Nerian, stunned, opened his eyes wide and looked up; Laysis gave a faint smile.

“You’re so cool. I never thought you’d hold them off here.”

“…You.”

He didn’t run away?

He, a foreign princess, certainly did not need to risk his life to save the empire’s cadet candidates.

And yet, he remained by their side.

“…Heh. What on earth is going on?”

At the muffled voice from the other side, Nerian’s eyes opened wide again.

Yuria, who only just now seemed to regain awareness from the previous chaos, was staggering toward them while wiping blood dripping from her nose.

“In any case, well done, Ice-man. I didn’t expect you’d even hold off a Red Drake.”

“…Ice‑man?”

“It’s a nickname given specifically in recognition of this merit.”

At that indescribable epithet, Nerian’s face distorted.

“Don’t call me by that name.”

“Enough. Fall back. I’ll take over from here.”

Sshhh—!

Fully recovered, Yuria spread her hands, and immense magical power surged from her entire body.

“That’s right. You risked your life to block the flames, so we should show something in return.”

“Of course.”

At Laysis’s words, Yuria nodded.

But all other cadet candidates, apart from them, already had their will broken by the overwhelming firepower.

Some had even collapsed to the ground with their legs buckling.

-Grrr…

The Red Drake lifted its head and stared at the two silhouettes blocking its way.

Because it had just unleashed flames, it would take a moment to prepare its next breath.

Yet the gap between them was overwhelming.

From the start, the Drake was not an entity that cadet candidates could contend with.

“Well, then…”

Unperturbed, Yuria turned her shoulder just as she was about to construct her magic circle.

Suddenly—a streak of black light fell between the cadet candidates and the Drake.

“…?”

Everyone’s gaze focused on him at the sudden intrusion of an unknown figure.

A pitch‑black robe’s hem, and a black mask adorned with golden trim.

As everyone froze at the appearance of this mysterious being, only Yuria’s eyes widened and she pointed a finger.

“…You!”

Even while losing consciousness, she clearly remembered that mask’s appearance.

“A familiar person?”

At Nerian’s question, Yuria shook her head and answered:

“Not that, but the one who saved me earlier. I thought it was a dream…”

“Then he is not an enemy.”

Nerian, with a pale face, narrowed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Carl had turned his back to the cadet candidates and looked toward the Drake and remaining beasts.

Thus far he had been hunting terrorists hiding within the underground labyrinth.

Including the first five he encountered, he had shot down about twenty‑four of them and destroyed most devices suspected of controlling the beasts.

It was not particularly meaningful.

If anything, it was the crime of disrupting his entrance exam.

“Taking the exam twice is a hassle.”

He already had a mountain of matters to handle for NOX—when would he find time for another exam?

While staring at the beasts, Carl’s glance shifted slightly toward Nerian behind him.

“…That was unexpected, though.”

Nerian Hopfenheim.

He was said to have a fiercely individualistic nature, caring little for anyone other than himself.

But now, the way he stood against the Drake was notably different.

Even among nobles, no local magnate or official of the Central Plains would ever show that sense of responsibility or duty.

Could that be the difference distinguishing the Central Plains from Artenia?

-Grrr…

The Red Drake summoned its flames again, preparing to breathe.

Clang.

Carl also drew his sword.

On the pure white blade, jet‑black energy surged, scattering tyrannical momentum.

The reason why mastering the Primordial Unity Divine Art was difficult was that it required combining opposing powers to form a unified pole.

The “Right” was the Bright Heaven Divine Art.

The “Left” was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Two divine arts merged into a singular pinnacle, creating a new realm.

But the distinctive gray aura of Primordial Unity was so pronounced.

Thus, here before many spectators, he intended to use only part of its power.

The exclusive martial art of the Heavenly Demon who ascended to absolute authority.

– Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Ultimate Secret.

Surging demonic energy flowed down the edge of the blade.

The beautiful sight of the black shards fracturing in mid‑air captivated everyone’s gaze.

Though their paths diverged, it was a realm of perfection that all aspired to.

Soon, the sword central to the tyrant’s path swept toward the ground, aimed at the criminal who defied the absolute.

── “Heaven‑Flow Twilight Flash” ──.

The world of demonic arts.

From the highest point among them, a fatal judgment strike fell.

Fwoosh!

The black flash devoured everything before their eyes:

Black Wolf, Raptor Spider, and the Drake.

All met the same end, swept away as ashes.

Quake—!

The impact was strong enough to trigger a sudden tremor within the labyrinth.

“…”

Frozen by the surreal spectacle, the cadet candidates were paralyzed.

A vivid feast of power.

Power transcending humanity.

Amid fear, horror, awe, longing, and aspiration, a flood of emotions swept through them at the sight of absolute power beyond comprehension.

Clack.

After lightly swinging his sword and sheathing it, Carl exhaled a short sigh internally.

“I’m tired.”

As expected of Heavenly Demon Divine Art—it consumed great energy.

He had overdone it to wipe out the Drake and all gathered beasts in one stroke.

Perhaps at mastery, handling each art separately would require training beyond his current achievement.

“Usually, it’s better to use Bright Heaven Divine Art instead.”

As a righteous martial art, Bright Heaven had none of the burden or aftereffects of the Heavenly Demon Art.

After confirming that all beasts were obliterated, Carl flapped his robe and took a step.

At the same time, he vanished like a wisp of smoke, erasing all presence as if never there.

…Sssslip.

And as everyone remained motionless, he silently blended into the midst of them.

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