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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘What are these guys?’ Neltarion thought in bewilderment.
If someone were to ask who was stronger, a dragon or a human, they’d be laughed at.
It was an absurd question.
Objectively speaking, the humans were acting recklessly, foolishly.
Fighting a significantly stronger opponent despite knowing the odds?
It was one thing to cheer for such bravery from the sidelines, but quite another to actually participate in such a foolish endeavor.
Even in the Demon Realm, only battle-obsessed dragons would dare challenge a superior opponent.
‘But why…’
Neltarion was witnessing something unbelievable.
These humans, fully aware of the power disparity, were fighting with smiles on their faces, their eyes blazing with excitement.
They were like moths drawn to a flame, except these moths were fully aware of the consequences.
Woosh—!
A fireball, spewed from a nearby dragon, whizzed past Michelle’s face, singing the ends of her hair.
It wasn’t a miscalculation; the dragon’s aim was true.
Michelle had simply dodged with impossible speed.
“It’s amazing how you can spew flames without any incantations or magic circles. Truly fascinating.” Michelle muttered.
“But spitting fire from your mouth… That’s kinda lame, don’t you think?”
“L-Lame?”
Criticizing the elegance of a dragon’s attack might seem petty, but it was a provocation nonetheless.
And a very effective one at that.
The dragon, enraged, charged at Michelle without hesitation.
But once again, Michelle dodged with ease, lightly tapping the dragon’s head with her telekinetic orb.
If this were a fair fight, Michelle would have been incinerated already.
‘This is exhausting…’
Adrian, however, was single-handedly keeping them alive.
He was dashing across the battlefield, providing support to each student with impossible speed and precision.
It was as if he were a puppeteer controlling four different puppets at once.
Bang—!
Flames erupted, but not from a dragon.
Charlotte had unleashed a torrent of fire, engulfing a group of dragonkin in a fiery explosion.
It wasn’t lethal, but it was enough to disrupt their formation and buy them some time.
Unfortunately, her zeal outpaced her abilities.
Charlotte’s hands were already covered in burns.
“Charlotte! Don’t get so caught up that you forget about your own safety!”
Isabel rushed to Charlotte’s side, her hands glowing with healing magic.
Her skills were still developing, but by continuously healing minor injuries, she was preventing any serious harm.
They were young, inexperienced, their magical abilities still raw.
But somehow, they were holding their own against experienced dragonkin.
‘How?’
Neltarion scanned the battlefield, searching for an answer.
‘Jekkiel!’
There was no other explanation.
It was his presence that was tilting the scales in the humans’ favor.
He was everywhere at once, supporting his students, pushing them beyond their limits.
He was like a master craftsman, meticulously shaping his creations.
‘But even so, those humans are his weakness.’
Jekkiel was strong, undeniably so.
But he was strongest when he was alone, unburdened.
These humans were a liability.
Eliminate them, and Jekkiel would crumble.
‘Now!’
Neltarion, his dragon eyes tracking Michelle’s every move, saw an opening.
The orb that protected her wasn’t invincible.
He thrust his sword forward, aiming for the unguarded spot.
He would eliminate one of them, and then—
Clang—!
An explosion sent his sword flying.
Before he could register the shock of his attack being deflected, a hand grabbed his ear and yanked him forward.
“Sigh…”
“Eep?!”
Michelle’s body trembled as if electrocuted.
“Didn’t I tell you to always have two orbs on defense? Getting cocky and switching to a full offense formation… what kind of arrogance is that?”
“I was just going to attack once, and then switch back to defense…”
“That ‘one time’ could get you killed. And you only have one life, don’t you? Just withdraw from this fight.”
Michelle trembled in frustration, but she couldn’t deny the truth in his words.
Adrian was incredible, there was no other way to describe it.
He was monitoring the actions of all four students while simultaneously providing support and guidance.
The key was ‘guidance’.
He was deliberately pushing them, using the dragonkin as training tools.
He had turned the battlefield into a live-action training exercise.
Adrian swiftly modified one of the spells Charlotte had inscribed in the air.
“You’ve overloaded the output circuit. I told you to never forget the final stroke, didn’t I? That doesn’t mean you should treat the other strokes lightly.”
He flicked Charlotte on the forehead for good measure.
Isabel, dodging attacks and managing her companions’ mana, glanced at Adrian scolding his students.
She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of… something.
Maybe it was admiration?
Adrian was clearly exhausted, yet he was giving it his all.
It wasn’t the begrudging effort of someone forced into a task they hated; it was the passionate dedication of a craftsman honing his skills.
‘He must be somewhat proud of them…’
…No, that was probably wishful thinking.
He’d likely scold them senselessly for their recklessness once this was over.
“Ugh!”
This time, it was Isabel’s ear that was yanked.
“Focus on increasing your healing speed. Conserving stamina is for the others, not you. Your job is to heal. If you run out of mana, they’ll cover for you.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Adrian dashed away, leaving Isabel to catch her breath.
He engaged the dragonkin with renewed vigor, pushing them back, widening the circle that had been closing in on them.
“Whew…”
They were back to square one, but something had shifted.
The dragonkin’s eyes were now solely focused on Adrian.
Neltarion, breaking away from the group, slowly approached Adrian.
Adrian, sensing his intent, didn’t back down.
“It seems I can’t end this without defeating you first.” Neltarion declared, his crimson scales glinting in the torchlight.
“That’s right.”
A wave of fire enveloped Neltarion’s form.
With a flap of his wings, he shot forward like an arrow, his sword a blur of motion.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three.
Three devastating blows slammed against Adrian’s defenses.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Adrian countered with explosions, but his footing faltered.
He was being pushed back.
Woosh!
Neltarion attacked again, a fiery whirlwind of blades.
Adrian, unable to counter with explosions, was forced to dodge.
The difference in raw power was overwhelming.
Neltarion’s every swing was like a giant’s blade cleaving through the air.
‘But…’
Neltarion saw it.
He saw his flames parting, splitting apart as if cut by an unseen force.
Through the gap in his flames, he glimpsed Adrian’s face.
Their eyes met.
More flames were parted, sliced away as if they were mere fabric.
‘What…?’
And then he saw it.
Jekkiel, wielding the broken hilt of his sword like a dagger, the blade wreathed in a faint blue glow.
Thud—!
Before Neltarion could react, the glowing blade pierced his throat.
His sword clattered to the ground, the flames that engulfed him vanishing in an instant.
He could only move his eyes, staring up at Adrian with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
Adrian, now empty-handed, raised a finger to his lips.
“Let’s keep that our little secret.”
Neltarion’s eyes lost their focus as he collapsed onto the ground.
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