Chapter 80
*Ting!*
Condition: Overcoming ‘the death of a comrade’, ‘extreme fear’.
By meeting these conditions, the use of the “Special Skill” has become available.
Upon hearing that sound, Liam could immediately sense what changes had occurred within himself.
There was no need to read the details in the manual.
Intuitively, just like before, the skill naturally permeated Liam’s body.
Fizz!
The blue lightning that had only been on the sword now enveloped Liam’s entire body.
The current instantly strengthened Liam’s body, pushing it to a level that was currently impossible.
At this moment, his reflexes, strength, agility, speed, and every sense that made up his body were greatly enhanced.
*Zap!*
The sound of the current flowing was audible.
Liam instantly closed the distance to Jagan.
With a swift strike, his sword pierced through.
A lightning-fast blow.
*Swish!*
Jagan’s left arm was severed.
Liam’s sword did not stop.
Once again, a swift movement.
Jagan’s remaining other arm was also severed.
Watching this, Lucaiel found it difficult to keep up with the speed even with his eyes. Clearly, the Liam he knew was there, but the martial arts he was witnessing were several steps above his usual self.
“Human beings were more interesting than I thought?”
Even with both arms severed, Jagan remained composed.
No blood flowed from the severed area of her body. It bubbled, signaling regeneration, and Liam aimed for her throat like a beast.
With his current abilities, Liam might actually stand a chance…!
But Lucaiel’s confidence didn’t last. Jagan, now aware of Liam’s new speed, didn’t allow any further damage.
Surpassing human limits, Liam’s swordsmanship was scrutinized with both eyes, elegantly evaded and evaluated.
“If I knew you had this, I would’ve brought it out sooner. Not bad.”
Jagan’s movements minimized as the confrontation intensified, becoming lighter. He swiftly adapted to Liam’s speed.
This human is quite strong.
To possess such speed and power at a young age is remarkable. Perhaps, if he becomes a hero, he will gain considerable fame.
He might even become strong enough to assassinate an archbishop in the future.
Hmm?
Liam’s sword was caught.
As if facing an immovable boulder.
“But what can you do? I’m still a pygmy.”
Thud?!
Jagan, whose arm had completely regenerated, seized Liam’s sword, pulling him in and kicking his abdomen.
Though not armored like typical heroes, the impact momentarily knocked Liam unconscious, sending him flying like a bullet.
Even with special skills acquired, the difference between Liam and Jagan could not be bridged. Just as climbing a mountain peak does not equate to reaching the sky, the same applied to Liam.
“Liam… Liam…!”
Watching Liam crash into the wall, Nichela called out to him tearfully, summoning mana once again.
Ever since manifesting Ifrit to fight, she was in a dire situation.
Even conjuring a simple fireball was not easy.
Nevertheless, she persisted and hurled it.
With a power that couldn’t even singe Jagan’s skin, she weakly resisted.
Lucayel, having lost both legs, lunged using his nails and teeth, while Hariana, with her left arm broken, fired elemental magic through teary eyes.
Jagan, directly enduring all their attacks, suddenly thought. It was a thought born from a pure, childlike impulse.
Oh, I’m sick of this.
You all, just leave already.
Crack.
Crack.
Just as the sound of breaking plastic erupted, before the vibrations could fill the air, Liam, aiming for Jagan once more like lightning, appeared.
“hahahahaha! It’s too late already.”
In Liam’s airborne rush, he saw it.
Lucayel’s head bursting open, revealing an empty interior. Hariana’s torso and lower body separated.
The mannequin of Nichela, frozen in astonishment.
“Jagan! Jagan???!!”
What a ‘hollow death’ it was.
Liam didn’t even see their final moments. Only remains. No final expressions, voices, nothing.
Having his sword taken away, Liam clenched his fist, filled with thunder, expressing his intense emotions through a fierce strike.
Liam’s intense anger was blocked as lightly as with a cotton swab, making it even more intense and miserable.
Jagan smiled slyly and gradually exerted more strength in the hand he held.
He didn’t use his power. From the first sight, he felt that this guy was a bit unusual. There was a need to observe him.
Thud.
Instead, he inflicted enough pain that Liam could no longer act out.
Jagan enjoyed playing around, but surprisingly, he also enjoyed quietly exploring interesting subjects.
Even though the joints of his fingers were being crushed, Liam didn’t even let out a small scream. With tears welling up to the point of bursting, he pushed through with intense emotions.
“Ugh, ugh!”
He poured out more current.
Whether it was effective or not was not important.
First, he pushed with the maximum mana and the highest output.
Thud, crack!
Even as intense pain surged through him from the crushed fists and continuous blows.
Right now, if Liam didn’t pour out this pain as anger, he felt like he would give up and slump into place.
The tragedies of his companions kept appearing before his eyes.
It was all his fault.
Even if he hadn’t made this crazy suggestion.
If only he had moved alone without telling anyone. If he had acted unilaterally. Such a catastrophe wouldn’t have happened… No one needed to die…!
“Ahhh??!”
The deaths of the main characters in a novel are crucial.
In most works, parting with comrades and precious beings rarely occurs, and if it does, it is accompanied by lengthy descriptions and dramatic scenes.
Lastly, a desperate message is conveyed. All of this is bound to be expressed.
But look at it now.
Although he wasn’t the protagonist himself. Even the important characters in the novel left tragically.
Ophelia is a noblewoman from a distant kingdom. Leading and guiding people, she harbored the potential for development, reflecting her face until the final stages of the story she knew.
Luciel was a character belonging to the important antagonist group of Vargan. Harianna became Luciel’s lover, playing an important role in pulling him out of Vargan’s ideology.
Nichela was supposed to leave the academy after this test, but it wasn’t supposed to end in such a tragic way due to trauma.
Everything changed because of his choices.
He wanted to hear curses at least.
Why were they brought here and pushed to death? Why did they come up with such an absurd plan? Why, even though they knew the future, did they not predict this situation?
“First, I need to calm you down a bit.”
Jagan’s fist struck Liam’s body.
Rather than giving it his all, it was more of a light warm-up level for her.
With every punch, all of Liam’s bones, veins, and everything that made up Liam burst, and his consciousness wanted to escape his body.
Their ears were so faint that they seemed about to go out.
“…Please stop.”
A woman who had crawled towards them grabs Jagan’s ankle. Not to harm Jagan.
There was no more rebellion or anger in her.
“Please… Please… Save Liam.”
“Nichela.”
The eyes of Jagan widen.
He throws Liam, who is gasping like a fish out of water, to the ground and grabs Nikolai’s hair, who is still alive, lifting her up.
Nikolai is barely breathing. It’s astonishing. Jagan had clearly stripped her of her body, but only signs of mana deficiency… Ah, that’s how it is.
“It seems there was a spirit who cherished you enough to sacrifice its life for you. hahahaha, amusing. How amusing! A spirit dying for mere humans!”
Nikolai now seems indifferent to her own fate.
In this state, there is a high chance she won’t last even if she goes outside.
Simply, the first man she has ever grown fond of. She only wishes for Liam’s survival.
“I’ll do anything… I’ll even give my life…”
She, who once communicated with spirits, awakened her talents, and came to Academia to save everyone suffering under the inhuman Altif.
In front of humanity’s enemy, Altif.
She sheds tears filled with earnest pleas, hoping for the safety of the one valiant warrior.
“Please… I beg you.”
If only that one earnest wish is fulfilled, Nikolai felt she could peacefully close her eyes.
But you see.
“How many people do you think have begged for their lives from me until now?”
Countless people have. Everyone tends to say similar things towards the end. hahahaha, it was truly amusing how desperate they all were.
Jagan continues.
Thwarting Nikolai’s wishes with her own logic.
“But, they all died.”
“If we save that man over there, won’t those people be pitied? All lives are equally precious, right?”
Once Jagan finishes her investigation of Liam, she plans to taste his body or even sever his limbs, just as she has done so far.
It doesn’t matter what emotions Nikolai harbors. Jagan simply didn’t want to save her.
“Still, how wonderful it is to leave behind a great legacy, right? You managed to hold on without dying. So, it’s time to end it.”
Die.
As Jagan’s hand moves to strike.
Crack!
The sound of a crow echoes.
A black crow flying swiftly like an arrow.
At the appearance of the unknown creature, Jagan’s head turns.
Zing?
The space behind Jagan warps.
Within it, a golden-haired man wielding a glowing red blade emerges and swiftly cuts off Jagan’s arm that held Nikolai.
A seamless action without any hesitation.
There is little squirming in the severed area.
No rapid regeneration occurs. Jagan begins to take the sudden change that is happening now seriously.
Thud!
“Ugh… Gasp…!”
From Noble mtl dot com
A storm erupts.
For the first time, a sound of pain escapes Jagan’s mouth.
The man’s fist, flying like a missile, deeply pierces Jagan’s abdomen. The man, with thick aura wrapped around his fist, was shaking his unkempt hair and thick eyebrows.
?Crunch!
The figure emerging in the strong wind is not just a man.
A woman with white hair, her eyes flashing, her remaining arm bare in a clear blue-black sword.
Jagan prepared to leap on the ground, trying to distance himself urgently.
I roughly understand the situation. The main army has arrived. First, widen the distance, assess the full force….
Oh, damn it. His legs froze.
For a moment, an ice block clung to Jagan’s ankle. It’s impossible to escape momentarily.
Jagan, with a bewildered expression, started to show his confusion.
Crack!
A club struck fiercely.
The ice holding her shattered, slamming her against the wall.
With a loud noise, Jagan stirred up a storm of dust.
Liam, with swollen eyes barely visible, captured the scene with his now blurry eyes.
They were all familiar faces, each one a formidable figure hard to find a flaw in.
The man with the darkest hair speaks.
His sharp gaze remains the same as always.
“You scoundrel. Pretending to be a kidnapped princess for the Demon King, what do you expect?”
He scanned the situation with fierce eyes.
His complexion darkened as he confirmed everyone’s death except for Nicola and Liam. He seemed somewhat angry.
The man unfolded a white handkerchief, pulling out a ring from within. Even at a glance, it looked extremely precious, a treasure, an artifact.
He put it on his finger, his ominous magic surging.
With the quantity and quality of pure magic alone, he exuded overwhelming power as if he could engulf this space.
Looking at the collapsed Liam, he said, seeming both pitiful and enraged.
“Open your eyes and watch from there.”
You despicable protagonist.