Chapter 196: Silverleaf Academy (XLIV)
“AESTREA?!”

Lucas shouted.

He grabbed Aestrea’s arm, but the moment he touched him—

FREEZE!!

A loud, biting crack filled the air as a thick layer of ice suddenly formed over Lucas’s hand.

“AGH—!”Lucas cried out, immediately yanking his arm back.

Frost clung to his skin, red and raw underneath.

“GHHH…!” Ethan groaned, his body twitching.

Aestrea’s hand had just pulled back from his chest, and a green liquid dripped off his fingers, sizzling softly as it hit the icy ground.

『 Ice Generation! (✦ 1st-level Spell ✦) 』

Aestrea moved fast, as ice surged from his hand, sealing the deep hole in Ethan’s chest like a lid snapping shut.

The green sludge hissed and broke apart into mist, vanishing into the air.

“Heal him,” Aestrea said flatly, not even looking at Iris.

Iris instantly nodded, chanting a spell.

『 Holy Series: Holy Heal! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

Crack!

The frozen layer split as a golden light poured into the wound. Ethan’s chest rose and fell, slow at first, then stronger.

His skin closed up, muscles regrowing right before their eyes.

Lucas dropped to his knees, his voice shaking in relief.

“Ahh… thank God…”

And at his words, Aestrea stopped in his tracks.

“What did you just say?”

Lucas looked up at him with a confused expression.

“I… said thank God.”

Aestrea turned his head, his cold eyes locked on Lucas.

“What the fuck are you even talking about?” he said, walking closer. “Was it your god that saved him?”

Lucas flinched, trying to keep calm.

“I just meant… maybe God led you here—”

“Pfff…!”

Aestrea laughed.

“Ah, really?”

He stepped right up to Ethan again. Slowly, he touched the side of Ethan’s neck. His fingers pulled something small and cold from under the skin.

A tiny frozen flower.

“This,” Aestrea said, holding it up, “is a magic tracker. I gave it to Ethan before we entered the dungeon. It lets me sense where he is. How hurt he is.”

He looked straight at Lucas, voice full of venom now.

“And you think it was your god that saved him?”

He tossed the flower to the ground before stomping on it.

“Fucking die.”

Lucas froze.

“For a hero…” Aestrea growled, walking past him, “you sure are shit at saving your own friends.”

Lucas froze at his words.

Especially about the part of him being ‘shit’ at saving his friends.

His fists clenched tightly.

{Lucas, calm down!}

“You think you’re better than everyone just because you showed up late and did one damn thing—!?” Lucas snapped, voice shaking.

“Where the hell were you before he almost died?!”

Aestrea turned back slowly, his cold eyes narrowing.

“Don’t fucking raise your voice at me.”

Lucas didn’t back down.

He stepped forward, hands shaking at his sides.

“Ethan was dying! And we were doing everything we could! We’re not perfect, but we were trying to help him—!”

CRACK!

Aestrea’s foot slammed into the ground, ice bursting beneath him.

“Trying.”

He took a step forward, and a violet aura started leaking out of his body, causing a slight pressure to fall in the air.

“What would happen if I didn’t put the magic tracker on him, huh?! Do you think that he would be fucking alive?”

Lucas gritted his teeth at his words, and immediately, he threw a punch straight at Aestrea’s face.

WHOOSH!

But Aestrea tilted his head slightly.

SWIP!

Lucas’s fist missed, brushing past Aestrea’s cheek.

And before Lucas could pull back—

BAM!!

Aestrea’s fist slammed into his stomach.

“Urgh—!”

Lucas’s body folded from the impact, his eyes wide as the air shot from his lungs. He flew back, sliding across the icy ground, before slamming again a rock.

He groaned, curling slightly, one hand clutching his stomach.

“LUCAS!!” Maya shouted, running toward him.

But Telmo stepped between her and Aestrea, raising his arms.

“STOP!” he barked.

“That’s enough!”

Aestrea didn’t even bother to look at him, passing before him like he didn’t even exist.

“Esty—!”

A soft voice then called out, shaky, breaking through the tension.

Ella.

She stepped forward, eyes wide and wet, clutching her hands together.

“Esty, please… for me, stop.”

Her voice trembled.

“You’ve done enough… He’s safe now. I know you’re angry, but hurting them won’t fix anything.”

Aestrea’s steps slowed.

Just for a second.

But then… he walked right past her.

Didn’t even look.

Her hands dropped to her sides as her chest tightened.

“Esty…” she whispered again, but her voice didn’t reach him this time.

ZSHHHH!

Violet’s crystal magic shimmered into place, forming a wall of thick, glowing shields around him, flickering like glass catching sunlight.

At the same time, Leon stepped up behind her, his hand glowing with a gold-blue mix of wind and barrier magic.

The magic shot toward Aestrea from both sides, the crystal walls closing in, and the spiral winds twisting like ropes.

But—

CRACK!!

The ice beneath Aestrea split.

『 Ice Series: Frost Chains! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦) 』

Sharp chains of frozen mana erupted like snakes, wrapping around Violet and Leon’s legs and arms in an instant.

CLANK!

CLANK!

They froze in place, their spells breaking apart mid-air, breath caught in their throats.

“W-What…?!”

Leon struggled, the ice digging into his skin. Violet gasped, trying to shatter the chains with her crystals, but the frost kept spreading, crawling up their bodies with a sharp hiss.

And now only one stood in front of Aestrea.

Maya.

She didn’t raise her fists.

Didn’t move to fight.

She just stood there, eyes locked on his.

“Aestrea… I know you’re mad. But hurting us won’t bring peace. Ethan wouldn’t want—”

WHAM!

Aestrea’s palm slammed into her shoulder.

Her body spun from the force, flipping once in the air before hitting the ground, sliding across the ice, and rolling to a stop.

“Ugh…!” she groaned, trying to lift her head.

Finally, Aestrea stood in front of Lucas.

He grabbed Lucas by the front of his shirt with one hand and yanked him up. His red eyes glowed bright, glowing like fire in a storm.

Cold and furious.

“Bring him out,” Aestrea said.

“W-what… do you mean?” Lucas asked, barely able to breathe, his body shuddering at the coldness of Aestrea’s words.

Aestrea’s eyes narrowed.

“BRING YOUR FUCKING GOD OUT.”

Lucas flinched, his heart pounding hard in his chest.

He didn’t answer as he didn’t know how to.

Aestrea’s teeth clenched, his hand tightening on Lucas’s shirt.

“ELOHIM! COME OUT!” he screamed into the sky, his voice crackling like thunder. “IF YOU DON’T, I’LL KILL YOUR FUCKING CHILD!”

But nothing happened.

No light from the sky, no miracle or answer.

Only silence.

Aestrea’s eyes dimmed darker.

Thruuuuum!

Twelve glowing swords made of pure red energy appeared in a circle around them. Each sword floated in the air, aimed at Lucas from every angle, neck, chest, stomach, and joints.

“Three…”

Aestrea started counting down.

“AESTREA STOP!”

Ella snapped towards Aestrea, biting her lip hesitantly as she raised her sword high above her head, a divine light enveloping it.

『 Royal Swordsmanship: Heaven’s Punishment! (✦ SS-level Swordsmanship ✦) 』

But Aestrea didn’t even look at her.

He simply raised his free hand.

『 Ice Series: Frost Crash! (✦ 6th-level Spell ✦) 』

A massive chunk of jagged ice burst from the ground like a mountain punching upward. It hit Ella’s body mid-sprint.

Her eyes widened as she was slammed into the air, her sword slipping from her hand.

CRASH!!

She flew backward, smashing through a boulder and falling limp to the side, coughing and barely conscious.

“Two.”

Aestrea kept counting, staring at Lucas like he wasn’t even human.

FWIP!

Suddenly, the wind roared.

“NOW!” Telmo shouted, hands flashing with magic.

At his side, Iris was also conjuring magic.

Three giant tornadoes spun out around him, tearing into the battlefield, howling and sucking in debris.

And just in the middle of them, a huge golden lance could be seen.

『 Wind Series: Triple Tempest Spear! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

『 Holy Series: Judgment Lance! (✦ 6th-Level Spell ✦) 』

Both of them were sent towards Aestrea.

But—

『 Mixed Ice Series: Ice Lotus Explosion! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦)』

SHHHHH-BOOOOM!!

A massive lotus flower of ice bloomed right in front of Aestrea. Its petals shot out like blades, freezing the tornadoes mid-spin.

Each one turned into sharp ice sculptures before cracking into frozen dust.

The blast blew both Telmo and Iris off their feet and flung them back like a ragdoll.

“One.”

Lucas struggled.

He tried to move his hands, tried to summon his sword—Excalibur, anything, but his limbs felt heavy, like he was buried in stone.

Aestrea’s aura was everywhere. It pressed down on his body, filled his lungs, and locked his magic like chains.

He couldn’t even speak.

“Zero.”

Aestrea whispered it like a death sentence.

FWOOP!!

ZHINGG!

The twelve swords launched forward all at once, cutting through the air with high-pitched sounds, aiming to tear through every inch of Lucas’s body.

Everything stopped.

And the air turned to death.

SHIIIIING!!

A blinding golden light burst out from the center of Lucas’s forehead.

BOOM!!

A shockwave of divine energy exploded out, stopping the swords mid-air.

Aestrea’s eyes widened as his whole body was suddenly pushed back, sliding across the ice, his aura swords shattering mid-flight, turning into fragments of red light.

“…You’ve finally showed your fucking self,” Aestrea muttered in complete rage.

Then, above Lucas’s head, a small figure appeared.

It was glowing, barely taller than a child, and wore flowing white robes made of pure light.

Its eyes were closed, its body floating gently with a soft hum in the air. A halo shimmered behind it, spinning slowly.

“…That’s—” Violet gasped.

CRACK!

The ice chains binding her wrists snapped and shattered like glass.

CRACK!

Leon’s chains broke, too.

They both dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as the divine pressure lifted.

The entire battlefield fell into a stunned silence.

Maya, bruised and half-kneeling, looked up at the glowing figure, her lips trembling.

“…Is that… a real god?”

No one answered.

The glow from the figure spread slowly over the ice, melting it like sunlight at dawn… and everyone just stared, frozen in place.

No one spoke or moved.

All eyes stayed locked on the divine figure above Lucas.

Then—

Step…

Aestrea stepped forward, his boots cracking the thin ice with every step.

“You fucker…”

From his eyes, a thick red mist started to leak—scarlet smoke—like rage turned into something real.

“You finally decided to appear.”

The air around him trembled.

His killing intent was so heavy it pressed down on the others like a storm was crashing down from above.

“Ugh!” Violet gasped, her body shivering without realizing it.

Leon stepped in front of her, but his knees felt weak.

Even Ella, still gripping her sword, couldn’t stop her hand from shaking.

“Why…” Aestrea growled, his voice louder now, sharp with fury.

“Why the hell did you tell Excalibur not to heal Ethan?!”

He stepped even closer, pointing straight at the glowing figure.

“WERE YOU REALLY GONNA KILL HIM?! JUST TO ‘HELP’ LUCAS GROW STRONGER!”

He was yelling now.

“TELL ME!”

“FUCKING TELL ME!!”

The wind around him twisted with his anger. His aura cracked the air, frost and flame swirling at once.

The divine figure’s eyes, once calm, narrowed.

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