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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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As I passed through the back gate, I knew I was too late. The tremors were growing stronger, the intervals between them shortening. Untier would reach the university in seconds.
“A barrier…?”
A large-scale barrier was holding Untier back, and…
KABOOM…!
…a barrage of spells was slowing its advance. They had bought me thirty seconds. More than enough time.
“Thank you for buying me some time.”
“…”
I placed my hand on Ludwig’s shoulder, and he looked up at me, startled. I could see a flicker of hope and expectation in his usually stoic expression.
But…
‘What do I do now?’
I had rushed here without a plan. I had initially intended to use ‘Selection and Concentration’ on mana and unleash all my power on Untier. But seeing how it had shrugged off the professors’ attacks, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.
My magic lacked the precision and focus of the professors’. I needed another way. Another way to damage the massive, grotesque monster.
‘What about Vafe?’
Perhaps the sword of light could pierce Untier’s hide. It had sliced through thick trees with ease.
With enough speed, it could even shatter steel.
But there was still a problem. I had to get close to Untier to use Vafe. And even if I managed to stab it, would it be enough to inflict a fatal wound?
‘Increase its size…?’
I recalled the incident in the Great Forest.
When I had been wielding Vafe, an axe had been thrown at my head. I had used magic to stop it, depleting my mana and momentarily diminishing Vafe’s light. But when my mana had been replenished by ‘Selection and Concentration,’ Vafe had returned, brighter and larger than before.
It meant that, theoretically, I could control its size by adjusting the amount of mana I channeled into it.
It was time to test that theory. Failure wasn’t an option. Lives were at stake.
‘Selection and Concentration. One second on mana, three seconds on mana synchronization.’
My mana surged past 100,000, boosted by Untier’s mana emissions.
“Go back, Schlus Hainkel! This isn’t something you can handle—”
Whirr…!
The sound of my internal circuits activating filled the air. I was channeling more mana than ever before. My heart raced, and my body burned. My circuits were overloading. If I pushed any further, my blood vessels would burst. Mana surged through my body, making my head spin.
I felt a trickle of blood from my nose.
Now.
I raised my right hand towards the sky.
Kwaaah…!
A beam of light erupted from my palm, like a laser cannon. The light, threatening to tear through my hand, shot upwards, surpassing the height of the trees, reaching towards the heavens. The professors stared at the sky, forgetting to run.
Were they placing their hopes on me? Then I had to answer their expectations.
“Rooooar!!!”
Untier, freed from its momentary paralysis, charged towards us, its grotesque face contorted in rage. It was moving faster than before.
Five seconds until impact.
‘Damn it. It’s heavy.’
An immense pressure weighed down on my right arm, making it impossible to move. I looked up and saw the beam of light growing thicker. Wielding it with one hand was impossible. I raised my left hand and grasped the beam, like holding a longsword.
The light flared, taking shape.
“What… what is that?!”
“A greatsword…?”
It was a sword. A massive sword of light, towering above the mountain peak, visible even from outside the capital. Now, it was time to strike.
“Haaaaah!”
I swung the sword downwards, my muscles screaming. But it moved slowly, agonizingly slow. Untier was almost upon us, its massive eyes staring down at us.
One second until impact.
The slowly descending sword suddenly accelerated.
Zero seconds.
KABOOM!
Just as Untier’s maw was about to engulf me, the blue light sliced through its body. A shockwave ripped through the air, splitting the monster in half. The two halves of its body tumbled past me and Ludwig.
Thump! Rumble…!
The severed pieces crashed into the mountainside, crushing trees and flattening everything in their path. I turned around to find the professors lying on the ground.
Were they alright? No. One was missing. Who was it?
“Oink! Oink?!”
I heard a strange squealing sound coming from below. I followed the sound and found Professor Relic lying near Untier’s massive claws, his face inches from the sharp tips.
When had he run so far…? Regardless, he was safe. There were no casualties.
“Huu…”
I examined my arm. It was dark blue. I had initially thought it was stained with the blue light. It was only later that I realized it was covered in bruises. I looked around at the devastated mountainside. The trees had been flattened, the ground scorched.
The sight of Untier’s bisected corpse was surreal.
‘Am I… really that strong?’
For the first time, I realized that I might actually be one of the strongest humans alive. I had always thought of myself as a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Inferior to Hertlocker in close combat, to Pelaine and Trie in swordsmanship, and to Ainz and Erica in magic.
But now, with all the buffs and power-ups from the possessions, Schlus’s body was incredibly powerful.
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“Ouch!”
A strong grip on my arm made me yelp. It hadn’t even been that tight. Ludwig flinched at my cry.
Damn it. That was embarrassing.
“Good work. You may evacuate now.”
“Huh?”
Ludwig’s gaze was fixed on something behind me. I turned around and sighed.
A group of figures in black hoods were watching us from above.
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“Is anyone here still capable of using magic?”
“…”
Silence.
Ludwig gritted his teeth. They had been ambushed. And they were all exhausted, their mana reserves depleted. It was a hopeless situation.
“I’ll buy you some time. You all should—”
“With that mangled arm? Don’t be ridiculous. Go down the mountain and contact the Imperial Police. Have them surround this area.”
“…”
Schlus Hainkel’s face contorted in frustration. He had done more than enough. Now it was the adults’ turn to fight.
Schlus clicked his tongue and reluctantly backed away.
‘They were targeting the professors, after all.’
It seemed safe to assume that these hooded figures were the ones who had released Untier.
Their initial target would have been the capital, but their ambush here suggested that their primary objective was the professors of the Imperial University.
What kind of grudge did they hold against the professors…?
“Yusek! Don’t you find it stuffy in that hood? Why don’t you take it off?”
“What?”
Schlus suddenly called out from behind.
Yusek? Yusek… Yusek von… what was it?
Ludwig couldn’t recall the last name. He had been his assistant, but he had been so incompetent that Ludwig had sent him to be Alexia’s attendant.
That useless fellow couldn’t possibly be…
“Ha ha ha! Schlus Hainkel! When did you figure it out?”
The hood fell away, revealing a young face.
Ludwig was stunned.
That boy had orchestrated the release of Untier and the attempted assassination of the professors? He didn’t have the ability or the courage.
“Hey, graduate students. Why don’t you all take off your hoods? It must be hot.”
“…”
More hoods fell away, revealing the faces of… Ludwig’s graduate students. Most of them had been stuck in the same research cycle for years, unable to produce a decent thesis.
Had they done this out of resentment towards their professors? Some of the professors were in shock, unable to process the information.
“Good. You’ve unmasked them. Now what, Schlus Hainkel?”
“…”
“You’re not telling me you don’t have a plan.”
“…”
Schlus remained silent.
He must have a plan. He always did. Schlus Hainkel had never failed.
“Ludwig von Wermannstein! Do you remember me?”
“…Yusek.”
“So you do remember my name! I thought you had forgotten about me after assigning me to that damn Majin for over a year!”
“…”
“What? You said I was useless and should be the Majin’s punching bag? Don’t make me laugh! I have been reborn, Ludwig! I have received the power of a Majin—”
“You talk too much.”
“…”
Schlus Hainkel, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. Did he have a plan? A way to subdue them with words?
Ludwig watched him expectantly.
“You’re all talk. Just like graduate students. Trying to start a debate? I understand now why you’re all stuck in the lab, unable to graduate. You’re all losers.”
“You bastard!!!”
Ludwig felt a wave of dizziness. Instead of de-escalating the situation, Schlus had provoked them.
He shouldn’t have trusted that lunatic.
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