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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The beautiful crimson sunset… shattered and shimmered on Yeriel’s snow-white hair.
Like waves breaking on fine sand.
Just as gently… her lips parted.
“Aria… is there anyone at the academy you’re interested in…?”
“…”
For Aria, this question was, on the one hand, unexpected, but on the other, not surprising or shocking.
‘As expected… it was like that, wasn’t it?’
Aria could now finally guess the meaning of the ring she desired.
After a brief silence, she asked back,
“Interested… in someone, you mean…?”
“Yes…”
The pure white girl smiled gently and waited for Aria’s answer.
Her appearance was so affectionate and innocent that it didn’t feel like she was trying to probe or compete.
Therefore, Aria couldn’t bring herself to answer falsely or speak evasively.
In the end, Aria decided to convey her true feelings.
“Actually…”
That was when it happened.
-“Move quickly in formation!”
-“This is a real-life situation! Everyone, focus!”
-“Yes!”
In the distance, the academy guardians were moving in groups.
A similar situation to the previous great demon incident.
“Aria…!”
“Yeriel…!”
As if they had promised, the two girls looked at each other.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-KIIIEEEEEEEEEEK!!!
After the earsplitting screech that shook the surroundings, [Crimson Ash] began to rise into the sky once more.
Party 3 and 4, having endured another attack, were practically on the verge of annihilation.
The vanguard had completely collapsed.
This meant that the party’s composition was completely shattered.
The students, excluding Violet, were far from fulfilling their roles; they were either in despair or pacing anxiously.
“We need to send support to party 3 and 4!”
At the vice-commander’s words, Taylon let out a low groan.
‘I have to… make a decision.’
If parties 3 and 4 collapsed, not only would there be casualties from that side, but parties 1, 2, and 5, 6 would have to endure Crimson Ash’s descents at a faster pace.
However, if they supported party 3 and 4 with shield knights to forcibly balance things out, the survival of party 1 and 2, already weakened, would become uncertain.
-“Ugh…ah…”
-“I… I don’t have any more mana…”
-“A, are we okay, Commander? Is the subjugation almost over?”
The first-year students, experiencing actual combat for the first time, were already exhausted, unskilled in mana management due to fear and inexperience.
To make matters worse, a dilemma.
Caught between life and death, he saw it.
“Th, that’s…!”
Abelline Valantes, the shield knight of party 5 and 6, the one who should have been fulfilling the protector role, had discarded her shield and was holding a sword.
“Party 5 vanguard! What are you doing! Parties 1 and 2, then you, 5 and 6, are next!”
She disregarded the vice-commander’s instructions.
“That, that crazy…!”
As far as Taylon could tell, Abelline was trying to ‘kill’ Crimson Ash.
Of course, he wasn’t unaware of her talent and skill, but for a student who had just finished one semester to attempt to annihilate an A-rank or higher monster was…
reckless.
“Commander, what do we…!”
Time was of the essence.
Amidst this chaos, Taylon had to make the best decision.
But there was no “best” for someone as lacking as him.
All the possible moves were gambles.
‘Is that all there is…’
Having finished his thoughts, he instructed the vice-commander,
“…At this point, we support parties 5 and 6.”
“What…?! Are you serious…?!”
“If this continues, even if we hand it over to parties 3 and 4, we can’t guarantee the aftermath.”
“That’s true, but…!”
“We have to make sure it ends either by our hands, or by Lady Melissa’s.”
This was the only chance for all four parties, with their vanguards intact, to participate fully in the attack.
They had to somehow… end it within this opportunity.
.
.
.
“Lady Melissa, are you ready?”
“Y, You crazy! Can’t you hear the vice-commander telling us to stop right now?”
“Ha, whining about this and that before even trying, is this why even Sir Kaelan is fed up with you?”
“Hey, wh, what? Are you done…!!”
“Stop talking and hurry up! Do you want to die here?”
As Abelline urged her with a shout, Melissa closed her eyes and frowned deeply, then sighed and opened them again.
“Seriously, I don’t know!”
The emotions she felt now were the same as when she encountered the Tyrant Stitch in Lint Forest.
Despite being protected by Edwin, she ran away and left him behind.
He was the one who told her to go first, but it was still a discourteous act as a comrade and a student.
But this time was different.
Since the monster perceived everything around it as an enemy, even if she ran away, she would eventually become its prey.
‘Why… why did it turn out like this…!’
Edwin, who had protected her, wasn’t here.
In short, the only card she had, no matter what, was Abelline.
Having seen her in the same circle, Melissa acknowledged Abelline’s skill.
‘When Crimson Ash gets close, according to raid rules… we shouldn’t use magic attacks, but… there’s no other choice this time.’
Actually, Melissa trusted Abelline’s skills, but she didn’t trust her character.
She must have some ulterior motive.
Therefore, if the moment came when Abelline, as she said, landed a fatal blow on Crimson Ash,
‘…It’s mine.’
Melissa, too, intended to risk everything and aim for the final blow.
That was when it happened.
-SWOOOOOSH!
-!
“It’s coming! Everyone, get ready!”
After passing parties 1 and 2, [Crimson Ash] began flying towards parties 5 and 6.
Abelline spoke to the vanguard knight next to her.
“As I said, I’m counting on you.”
“…Yes!”
It was blatant abuse of power.
Since all the shield knights in this raid were from Divine Valhalla.
‘Mother, I’m sorry.’
The knight, tasked with tanking alone, had to swallow his tears.
There was no time for his heart to weaken.
He gripped his sword hilt tightly.
He had a home to return to.
-KIIYOOOOOOO!!!
-BOOOOOM!!!!
-Ughhh!!!
Once again, the paladin’s shield, protective skills, and barrier.
-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
And [Crimson Ash]’s afterimages collided, creating a deafening roar.
“Abel, Lady Abelline?”
Right in front, despite Crimson Ash’s charge, Abelline stood still, doing nothing.
‘Ha, haha.’
Her eyes were completely glazed over.
‘I’ll… finish it with my own hands…’
-SWISH…
Abelline’s holy power gradually gathered on her sword, imbued with the Demon Slaying attribute.
How much recognition would she receive for the achievement of bringing the Essence of Immortality?
A situation that naturally brought a smile to her face.
This imagination now took its first step towards becoming reality.
“Uaaaah!”
-SLASH!
A vertical stroke with the sword questioned who was evil,
“Lady Abelline…!!”
-SLASH!
A horizontal stroke tested who was righteous.
-KIEEEEEEE!!!
Crimson Ash began to convulse from the cross-shaped sword strikes.
-FLUTTER! FLUTTER! FLUTTER!
“Ugh…!”
Perhaps because of the barrier right in front of her, Crimson Ash’s wildly thrashing body stubbornly endured even Abelline’s holy attack.
“Ugh!”
As she let out shallow moans repeatedly, it happened.
-Flick. Fl! Flicker!
-?
-Crackle!
-KIEEEE! Ek!
With a hollow wind sound and the crackle of lightning, [Crimson Ash]’s trembling body momentarily stiffened, then fell silent.
-…
It was Violet’s support fire, the Sealing Arrow.
-!
And Abelline and Melissa simultaneously let out victorious laughs.
‘Now’s… the time.’
‘I did it!’
It would be her who executed it.
A hero was born in times of crisis.
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Leaving my party behind in complete panic, I stealthily headed towards parties 5 and 6.
This side, with the talented Abelline and Melissa, was in no less chaos than my party.
-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A single knight from Divine Valhalla was tanking [Crimson Ash] alone, and Abelline, seemingly emboldened by Violet’s Sealing Arrow, had finally managed to plunge her sword into Crimson Ash’s chest.
And Melissa, not to be outdone, was chanting a large-scale spell.
In short, a complete mess.
In a raid, the leader’s words should be absolute, but excluding the students, the fixed raid members were drawn from Divine Valhalla and Eternal Flame.
Both blinded by the Essence of Immortality, they had brought about this result.
Of course, it was fine by me.
“As long as they lower the upper limit, I’m thankful.”
I couldn’t break its pattern with my power alone.
I opened the skill window to carry out the next plan.
-Ding.
‘It’s already full.’
Even after using 1000 skill points to strengthen the Gamer trait.
The skills were packed tight.
One interesting thing was that yesterday, to try out a new skill, I had replaced the Hermit passive with Shukuchi.
And, this was actually…
‘The key to landing the final blow on Crimson Ash…’
-♪~
Whistling, I leisurely walked towards the center of the six parties arranged in a triangle formation.
-“What are you doing! G, get back to your position!”
-“You’ll die if you go that way! Maintain formation until the next order!!”
The vice-commander’s and Taylon’s raised voices immediately reached me due to my sudden action.
I ignored them lightly, but understandably so.
If the formation against [Crimson Ash] was even slightly disrupted, the aggro would go completely haywire.
‘Anyway…’
Finally, it was time to end this raid.
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Right, heroes in their mind but publicly known as team liabilities.
I guess they resemble that self insert in some way or another, selfish to the core