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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Thirty minutes before Ruamos was completely eliminated.
Raymay found herself in a difficult situation.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Alliances are supposed to be between equals, are they not?”
Bellos’s pointed remark made Raymay fall silent.
As soon as she heard about the attack on her academy, she’d tried to leave the meeting room and return to her territory.
But Elua, sensing her intentions, had immediately blocked her path.
‘Damn it!’
Raymay knew just how precarious her situation was.
Her main forces were under attack, and her elite guard was stranded in enemy territory.
If everything had gone according to plan, she would have already arrived back at the Ruamos camp.
‘That man…!’
But Bellos had deliberately stalled her, nitpicking every single clause in the proposed alliance agreement.
He’d then insisted they share a meal, claiming it was almost dinner time. Refusing a meal offered during a diplomatic meeting was a breach of etiquette, a slight she couldn’t afford to make.
That delay had cost them over an hour, and during that time, Ruamos was being systematically dismantled.
“Wasn’t the first principle of an alliance to provide mutual support until both parties achieve their objectives?”
“Yes, but that agreement was predicated on your academy being intact. Right now, you seem a bit… preoccupied.”
“I agree.”
“…”
Elua joined in, her words a clear warning that Raymay wouldn’t be allowed to leave.
Raymay clenched her jaw, subtly signaling her forces through hand gestures and eye contact.
“Think carefully, Elua. Have you considered the consequences of keeping me here? Do you really want to see what a cornered Saintess is capable of? Perhaps letting me go and demonstrating the strength of our alliance would be a more prudent course of action.”
The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air. If they continued to stall her, she would unleash her full power.
Elua, glancing nervously at Bellos, finally relented.
“…Very well. I admit I was hasty. Go quickly, Raymay. And as a gesture of our commitment to this alliance, we will send reinforcements.”
“A wise decision. I accept.”
“Rather than only Velutos, why not send some of our students as well?”
“Certainly. We’ll arrange it.”
Raymay, believing she could still salvage the situation, immediately departed.
With the support of her priests and mages, reaching the Ruamos territory would be a simple matter.
She imagined herself launching a swift counterattack, crushing Mirinae Academy beneath her heel, and smiled.
Or rather, she tried to.
Mirinae Academy has captured Ruamos Academy’s territory.
According to the rules, all Ruamos Academy students are eliminated.
Ruamos Academy’s final ranking: 4th.
The message that appeared during her descent was a devastating blow.
It left Raymay speechless, her earlier confidence shattered.
“No…!”
Eliminated without even having a chance to fight, simply for leaving her base camp undefended.
As the Velutos students who had accompanied her watched in stunned silence, preparing to relay this catastrophic news…
“Not so fast.”
–Thud.
…they were ambushed by Mirinae students and swiftly eliminated.
“So, should we move now?”
“According to the class president… we’re waiting for a signal.”
“Is that… it?”
The Mirinae students paused, their eyes drawn to the smoke rising from below.
“Looks like it. Let’s move.”
“Okay.”
With that, the Mirinae students began constructing a large magic circle, preparing a powerful explosion spell.
The landslide was about to begin.
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–Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung.
The mountain crumbled.
Or, more precisely, a section of the mountain.
And that section happened to be where Velutos Academy had established their base camp.
While the mountainous terrain offered significant strategic advantages, it also presented a major disadvantage: it wasn’t exactly hospitable.
The Velutos students had attempted to compensate for this by using earth magic to reinforce the ground and create a more stable foundation.
‘They thought they were safe.’
And indeed, their preparations had been meticulous.
They’d analyzed the known strengths and weaknesses of the mountain terrain, deploying powerful protective spells and fortifying their position.
They believed that with these defenses in place, victory was all but guaranteed.
“Amateur magic.”
If it weren’t for Bellos.
“Their casting speed is pathetic. And they stop moving while they’re casting? That’s just asking to be eliminated.”
The magic of the Skerian Empire.
Forged in the crucible of constant warfare, it was brutal and efficient.
“I’ve spent every waking moment with them for the past month, and they never showed this level of power…”
Bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, striking the Velutos mages before they could even complete their spells.
Elua’s mind raced. When had he prepared this?
Even Bellos, talented as he was, had limitations. Large-scale magic like this required significant preparation time.
Yet, he had unleashed a devastating Storm Shower without any warning.
“You gave me time to prepare. Plenty of time.”
“…?”
“Did you really think our students were just running around lighting fires to cook your meals?”
Bellos’s words made the Velutos students look from the smoke rising from the cooking fires to the lightning crashing down from the sky.
“No way… Did they really…?”
Infuse mana into the smoke to draw a magic circle in the sky? That would require at least ten mages working in perfect synchronization.
Sending the smoke skyward was one thing, but maintaining its form and imbuing it with enough mana to create a functional magic circle? That required an immense level of control and coordination.
And such a feat was impossible for a single first-year student. Collaboration was essential.
“Ah…!”
That’s when Elua realized just how many students Bellos had brought with him.
Seven nobles and three commoners, not including Bellos himself. Ten students in total.
More than enough to prepare a Storm Shower, given enough time.
‘Four… five hours… They prepared this while they were cooking our meals?’
All that effort, all that risk, just for this? The potential consequences if they’d been discovered were catastrophic. Mana backflow alone could have been fatal. To prepare such a large-scale spell in the heart of enemy territory… It was madness.
Elua’s mind reeled, but she couldn’t afford to panic. In this situation, losing her composure would only worsen the situation. She had to focus on subduing Bellos, preventing further damage.
‘The actual damage is minimal.’
The lightning strikes were more spectacle than substance. While the booming thunder and flashing lightning were terrifying, the actual damage they inflicted was surprisingly low.
“Your timing is terrible.”
I’ve been suspecting you all along.
Elua swiftly dispelled the magic circle in the sky.
‘A magic circle drawn in the air is inherently unstable. A little disruption is all it takes to collapse it.’
She scoffed at the amateurish nature of the attack.
While she’d been momentarily startled by the lightning, a calm assessment revealed the attack to be more bark than bite.
“Hmm? What was that sound?”
“That’s what I’m asking you. You prepared a Storm Shower, but this is our territory. Did you really think you could get away with it?”
“I was always a disposable pawn.”
“What?”
Elua, about to deliver a scathing remark, was stunned into silence by Bellos’s casual response.
And she wasn’t the only one. Every Velutos student within earshot was equally dumbfounded.
The fifth prince of the Skerian Empire, a disposable pawn? What was he talking about?
“It’s foolish to think you could infiltrate enemy territory and survive. It was fun while it lasted.”
See you outside the arena.
With those parting words, Bellos swiftly activated a spell.
And the Mirinae students who had accompanied him, caught in precarious positions, followed suit.
–BOOM!
An earth-shattering explosion.
While hastily prepared and relatively weak, it was more than enough to destabilize the already weakened mountain terrain. The lightning strikes had disrupted the protective earth magic, leaving the ground vulnerable.
–Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu.
The fortified base camp began to crumble.
Elua, sensing the impending landslide, ordered her students to recast the stabilizing earth magic, but the disaster had already begun.
“You’re quick to react. Trying to fix it already?”
From deep within the crumbling mountain, a voice echoed, a voice Elua should never have heard in this situation.
“Congratulations, Velutos. You’re in third place.”
Lee Seok-hyun, accompanied by the entire Mirinae S-Class, materialized before her, a cheerful smile plastered across his face.
“Next time, remember this: Lee Seok-hyun’s storm strikes twice.”
With that cryptic warning, he advanced, an avatar of impending doom.
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Moments later.
A series of messages appeared on the coliseum’s main screen.
Mirinae Academy has captured Velutos Academy’s territory.
According to the rules, all Velutos Academy students are eliminated.
Velutos Academy’s final ranking: 3rd.
Mirinae Academy has captured Tanteroi Academy’s territory.
According to the rules, all Tanteroi Academy students are eliminated.
Tanteroi Academy’s final ranking: 2nd.
Mirinae Academy has captured all territories.
Mirinae Academy’s final ranking: 1st.
A stunning result.
As the audience reeled from the shock, a new battle began.
“Get to Mirinae Academy, now!”
“Where do the students exit? Wait there.”
“If you don’t get face time with Lee Seok-hyun, you’re fired. I don’t care if you have to cut in line, bribe someone, or start a riot. Just do it. I’ll handle the fallout.”
The scramble to recruit Lee Seok-hyun had begun.
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