Academy’s Barbarian

– Kwaaaaang!

The resounding roar. The intense battle, as if scraping nerves with a chisel, continues, turning the already ruined city into an even greater wasteland.

The Right Arm of the Evil God. Though it was merely a severed arm, it exuded overwhelming majesty, as if to prove the might of a god.

Not quite on par with a dragon, but as I am now, it’s a monster I can’t handle. If it weren’t for Seilon and Lacey, if Nigel and Leonor hadn’t distracted it even slightly, I would have already been torn to shreds.

“Kyaaaah!”

I grit my teeth, shake off the negative emotions, and cut through the black waves.

Like a ship’s captain relying on a single beam of light to navigate through a storm, I desperately ignore the endless waves of despair.

The other comrades were also suppressing their fear, fighting with all their might against the calamity brought by the Evil God.

“The wicked, filled with sin, have birthed calamity and lies. May the merciful heavens strike down my enemies with thunder!”

The attack miracle of the Elpinel Church, Thunderbolt. The Pure White Divine Light becomes a Lightning Spear and is launched.

“Judge of the Scales! The land is filled with bloody sins, and arrogant cruelty fills the city. Forge chains to bind the necks of the sinners!”

Seilon’s ‘Weight of Sin’ manifests, wrapping around the monster’s body like chains, slowing it down.

And then.

【 H҉̢̦̯̦̙͇̖̙̱͇͍e҈̨͎̱͚̫̤̯̤͖͍͚̭̗ͅ.̸̭̰̬̖̞͍̮̯̦͉̰̗̫͉̠͜ͅ】

A distorted, twisted sound echoes like a noise-filled static.

The Lake of Magi boils over, swirling like a whirlwind. Lacey’s Lightning Spear is engulfed and destroyed by the magi, and the golden chains binding the monster’s body shatter one after another.

“Not yet, not yet…!”

“No one can escape Astraea’s judgment!”

But Lacey and Seilon refuse to yield, continuously unleashing divine light and miracles.

The circles of holy symbols formed around the monster pour down a barrage of judgment, and pillars of pure white light pierce through the Lake of Magi like a strike. It was a majestic yet tragic sight.

“Lacey! Fight while conserving your strength! Don’t obsess over attacking! If you fall, neither blessings nor recovery will be possible!”

I shouted urgently. While Elpinel’s Lightning Spear is a powerful technique against monsters, spamming it against an enemy it doesn’t work on is a waste of energy.

What I expected from Lacey wasn’t offense, but support for the allies facing the enemy.

Boosting physical abilities, blocking fatal attacks, purifying the magi invading our bodies, and healing wounds. That was Lacey’s most important role.

The moment her strength runs out and the blessings she bestowed on the allies disappear, our barely holding formation would immediately collapse.

Seilon and I could hold out even if Lacey fell. Seilon was relying on Astraea’s blessings rather than Lacey’s power, and thanks to my Demon Resistance and Holy Mark, I was barely affected by the magi.

My physical abilities had improved slightly thanks to Lacey’s blessings, and by pouring more of the Power of Feats into my attacks, I could maintain a level of strength similar to when blessed.

In other words, thanks to Lacey, we could fight longer.

On the other hand, Nigel and Leonor were practically alive only because of Lacey’s blessings.

Without Lacey’s blessings, they would have been corrupted by the magi and fallen, or taken a direct hit from that monster and been critically injured or killed.

If Nigel and Leonor fell, it was obvious that Lacey wouldn’t last long either. The two were thoroughly protecting Lacey from all dangers, as she was slower than us.

“Don’t worry! My Holy Mark is pulsating more intensely than ever!”

Lacey shouted reassuringly as she raised her Cross Spear.

The Holy Mark engraved on her wrist, a testament to her role as Elpinel’s favored representative, seemed to be fulfilling its role, amplifying the efficiency of her miracles several times over.

…Will she be okay?

I don’t know. In a game, maybe, but in this world turned reality, there’s no gauge to show the remaining strength. I had no choice but to believe she would be fine.

[Dodge!]

I couldn’t afford to worry any longer.

In the brief moment I focused on Lacey, the monster’s arms overlapped and swung at me like a wall!

– Whooosh!

The air displaced by its arm groaned. It felt like a wall of flesh and blood vessels was charging at me.

It was too late to dodge. I gripped Durandal tightly and let out a fierce roar.

“Kyaaaah!”

Like a swirling rapid, I layered slash upon slash, unleashing a golden blade barrier. Flesh and blood burst forth. The blade, carrying a destructive aura, cut through everything in its path. It felt like cutting through water.

But the monster’s arm was too fast to cut through all the flesh. Before the layered slashes could form a complete surface, the half-severed giant arm was already in front of me.

– Splaaat!

The sound of flesh bursting, like a leather bag filled with water exploding. My vision turned red as my body was flung away. The wind pressure slammed into my back.

With a single groan, I flew through the air for over a hundred meters and crashed into the rubble.

It was a force that a human body of flesh and blood couldn’t withstand. If I hadn’t defended, I would have surely suffered a fatal injury.

[Are you okay!]

‘My head is ringing…’

I dug myself out of the rubble, staggering from dizziness. The rapid flight and crash had left me disoriented.

[It’s a miracle you survived that. If I hadn’t blocked it, you would have died!]

‘…Well, that’s true.’

The curtain of Life Force Technique that had obscured my vision melted away.

The Power of Feats, which had been slowly filling since Hersela awakened, was now nearly half depleted.

So, this kind of defense is a one-time thing. Well… thanks to it, I survived, so I can’t complain.

I knew it was dangerous to focus on something else during battle, but Lacey’s wasteful use of holy power drew my attention, leading to a direct hit. It was an inevitable but fatal mistake.

【 G҉̢͡o҈̧̛o҉̧͡o҉̡҇o҉̧̛!̷̡͝ 】

There was no time to reflect leisurely. The distance between me and the monster had widened. Seilon was struggling to hold the line in my absence.

Golden divine light swirled like a storm, only to shatter repeatedly.

I shook my head to clear my mind, then kicked off the ground and charged again.

—

Though I was sent flying, the defense I attempted earlier left an indelible wound on the monster’s arm.

The arm, with more than half of its wrist severed, was now submerged in the Lake of Darkness, flailing with its remaining seven arms.

While we had sealed one of the monster’s attack methods, it wasn’t a sight to be optimistic about. The lake water flowing into the wound was slowly solidifying, replacing the torn flesh.

It was a method of repair similar to Diraid’s, far from regeneration.

Inflicting minor wounds wouldn’t mean much.

If it could replace injuries with magi, the only way to kill it would be to deal a fatal wound before it could recover, rather than slowly whittling down its life with small wounds.

…Whether that’s possible against such a massive body is questionable.

I poured more strength into my legs and shot forward like a cannonball. The distance between me and the monster closed rapidly.

Though my body creaked from the impact that even the Life Force Technique’s shield couldn’t fully block, the divine light from Lacey remaining in my body was quickly healing the damage to my muscles and bones.

“Sir Median! Are you okay?”

Lacey exclaimed with relief. Nigel and Leonor also seemed relieved, their expressions brightening.

“Thanks to you!”

I left a brief word of gratitude and passed by them, heading toward Seilon.

Though it only took about twenty seconds for me to be flung away and return, the ordeal Seilon had endured in that time was immense.

The Armor of Divine Light, manifested through divine power, was corroded by magi, with no part left intact. The halo of the Scales behind his head had also become translucent.

His face was covered in dust and sweat. Blood trickled from the corner of his tightly clenched mouth. His left arm, seemingly broken, was filled with healing energy.

It was only thanks to the paladin’s tenacity that he could hold out. Any knight of the same level would have been incapacitated long ago.

I really made the right call bringing him.

I announced my return by cutting through the black whip flying toward Seilon, then stepped forward to face the monster as Seilon retreated, gasping for breath.

【 G҉̡̕r҈̧̕r҉̧͡…?̵̢͡】

Perhaps because it thought it had killed me, or maybe it was my imagination, but the monster’s voice seemed to carry a hint of confusion. It didn’t last long.

【 G҈͜͠a҉̢͝a҉̡͠a҈̧̛a҈̧͞a҈̨͞!̶̢̛ 】

With a roar that shook the heavens, the monster’s hands began to rain down on me. It felt like facing a landslide head-on.

I sharpened my senses, drew more of the Power of Feats, and aimed Durandal at the monster’s arm rushing toward me.

If inflicting minor wounds is useless… then I have to aim for the head.

I spread the Power of Feats throughout my body and threw myself into the monochrome world.

【Heroic Tale – Reversed Heaven】

In the world that seemed to slow to a halt, I leaped toward the monster’s slowly approaching arm.

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