The world around her seemed to bend to her will. An immense intent radiated from her, wrapping everything in her presence as if reality itself was bowing to her command.
An indescribable aura erupted from her, a power that Lucian had only encountered when facing a Grand Demon—a force on par with the current Lord of the Syndicate. Yet, such overwhelming might was emanating from this girl?
No, this was far beyond that Grand Demon. And deep down, he had a gut feeling that this wasn't even her full strength. She was merely hinting at her power, savoring the pleasure of toying with him.
Who is she?
Lucian kept repeating to himself in his mind, trying to figure out who this mysterious being was.
The moment she unmasked her presence, he immediately moved hundreds of meters away into the air. It was the instinct of the man. An instinct that was honed over decades of battles, such instinct shouldn't betray him.
But the scene before him defied reason. He fortified his body with every ounce of mana he possessed, bracing for the assault he expected from her. Yet, there was no shift in the atmosphere. No mana surged around her, but it felt as if everything was under her control.
He couldn't understand, no, he could not understand what being was standing in the middle of the collapsed forest.
Paired with her flawless features, an even greater smile spread across her delicate face as she looked up directly at him, despite the hundreds of meters between them. But he couldn't escape her gaze. The hollow, lifeless stare from her eyes pierced into his very being.
It was terrifying.
It was a whole different person.
The two students beside her were visibly shaken. Their eyes trembled with fear, standing so close to the source of this overwhelming power.
In a heartbeat, the princess beside her paled, her face drained of all color before she fainted, thus collapsing onto the ground.
All of this transpired in just one second.
The black-haired boy was barely left standing, as Lucian noticed a thin covering of holy power enshrouding his whole body. Emitting from the sword that he previously held to defeat Kellen, its plain steel sword slowly disappears.
Slowly, the gray sheath slid away, revealing a pristine white sword adorned with intricate designs. The patterns etched into the blade were unmistakable—the mark of the Holy Kingdom. At the sword's center was the symbol representing their god, a sacred emblem of unparalleled authority.
There were only two holy relics with such a powerful symbol ingrained in them.
And only one of them was a sword.
The Holy Sword.
"...!"
Lucian's heart sank as he instantly realized the gravity of the situation.
'...It's him.'
The very figure the Lord himself had warned about—the one even the Grand Demon had acknowledged with dread.
Whenever a human is chosen by the Holy Sword, it signals a monumental shift in the world. Such a change wasn't supposed to happen again so soon, not when the last one occurred only two hundred years ago.
The odds of being chosen by the Holy Sword were nearly impossible, and its selection now meant that the current era was about to descend into chaos.
Lucian had always believed the Lord was exaggerating about the emergence of another Hero. But now, faced with undeniable proof, he understood what it meant: a crisis on the scale of the Great Demon War was looming once more.
...Shit.
Two thoughts raced through Lucian's mind. He could either beg this being for forgiveness or attempt to flee with his life. Yet both options seemed equally impossible.
A Hero should not be left alone, never when it was still growing. This means a powerful being has to be assigned to protect the Hero.
Naturally, this responsibility should fall to the Holy Kingdom. Such a being needed to be shielded at all costs, so why would the Holy Kingdom allow the Hero to attend Lumi Academy?
...!
A sudden realization struck him like lightning.
'The Holy Kingdom doesn't know about his existence…!'
But Lucian couldn't afford to worry about the Hero right now. He had a far more immediate concern—not provoking the monster standing right next to him.
***
A muscular figure raced towards the southern forest, a scabbard strapped to his waist, holding his beloved sword as if he were stepping onto a battlefield he had longed for.
It was Eilot, now transformed by recent events. Having long since set aside his sword to focus on teaching the younger generation to defend against any threats, he had once believed that the world was peaceful enough that he no longer needed to fight alongside his comrades.
Yet, the fragile peace had proven to be a mere facade, prompting him to take up his sword once more.
He sped through the half-empty streets, the third-year students fleeing in every direction, likely guided to safety by a nearby professor or guard.
Running beside him was Mira, a young professor he had been watching closely. He had met her outside the expansive training room, where a few students were still training even after hours had passed.
Following Alyssa's advice, Eilot headed towards the southern forest with Mira by his side, who had chosen to accompany him.
Without her warning, he would have arrived much later. He had just received a Type 2 emergency alert—the second highest level of severity used by the academy to notify professors and guards alike of critical situations. This alert indicated that a part of the academy was under attack.
As he read the details on his bracelet while increasing his speed, the alert described groups of individuals clad in dark robes, accompanied by monsters ranging from Tier 6 to 7.
These threats were rampaging through the southern forest and were soon breaching the academy's defenses.
Next to him, Mira kept pace with ease, though a frown marked her face as she finished the contents of the alert she had just read.
"Mira, I will head there first now. Don't worry about everyone else, I will handle it."
"Don't worry, I will be there soon."
With a smile on her face, Mira spoke a few words to Eilot before he surged forward, his speed increasing dramatically. She watched as he quickly disappeared into the distance, his form a blur.
Eilot could have reached the southern forest by now if he had been fully intent on speed, but he was cautious of the surroundings. The area could not withstand the full force of his powers, and he feared causing significant damage to the academy's infrastructure.
Moreover, flying within the academy grounds was prohibited unless specifically permitted by the Headmaster. Unfortunately, the Headmaster had been summoned by the Union unexpectedly, leaving Eilot without the necessary authorization.
Minutes passed until he finally arrived at the border of the southern forest.
The scene before him was not as bad as he had expected. But it was certainly also not too great.
Multiple professors and guards alike were seen fighting numerous waves of monsters. He detected multiple people hiding behind in the trees as they were also watching the fight.
'...tsk, the Syndicate again, huh?'
But the situation was at a stalemate as both parties were having an even fight. Then why did Alyssa tell him to come here?
But soon enough, the question was going to be answered.
He noticed some of the guards were purposely losing against the monsters, letting their comrades get hurt in the process of trying to fight back. With his keen mana sense, he was able to detect faint traces of demonic mana in their body.
'So this is what Alyssa wanted me to come here for.'
She must have known that, with his recent breakthrough, Eilot could now detect even the faintest traces of exceptionally well-hidden demonic energy within people's bodies.
He was taken aback to discover how many people were concealing such energy right under their noses. It suggested that there might even be professors colluding with the Syndicate.
Casting another wary glance around, Eilot realized that Alyssa's warning had been clear: he must not allow these individuals to harm the academy's people.
The fact that the Headmaster hadn't yet identified these hidden threats suggested a far more dangerous force at play—one that Eilot was currently unable to confront.
"So I will just make sure no one dies," he muttered to himself.
With that resolve, he took a decisive step forward, vanishing into thin air and reappearing at the forefront of the chaos.
***
'...Why did she have to faint? This didn't happen when I used this skill in front of her before.'
I glanced at her body now lying motionless on the ground. Meanwhile, Ryder was struggling to remain conscious, to the point where the Holy Sword had to reveal some of its power to shield him. At the moment, he was protected by what felt like a cheat-like plot armor. But why did she have to reveal her semi-true form?
The man who had suddenly broken into a cold sweat and fled into the air hundreds of meters away was now the least of my concerns.
He now knows that he is the hero. This means I must ensure he either dies or, at the very least, that he doesn't reveal anything to anyone.
'...hmm, the first option seems impossible so only the second option then.'
…Isn't this also a great situation for me to figure out what this skill is doing?
Studying this skill, I found my emotions surprisingly stable, though my body's reactions seemed disconnected from what I should have been feeling. Instead, an unfamiliar presence filled the void, something I couldn't quite grasp.
Just moments ago, my body had been trembling, but now it stood upright with newfound confidence.
So, any kind of intent is now being blocked by this skill?
It appears I can still control my body freely, despite my initial worry that this skill might influence my actions. It seems my concern was justified.
"...Ugh. Alyssa, can you tone down the pressure you're emitting? It wasn't this intense during the Jester attack."
"Oh? It wasn't this intense before?"
Does this mean the skill's power adjusts based on the person I'm using it on? A pressure strong enough to terrify an ranked compared to an
"Don't worry, you can sit down and enjoy your master's performance."
Ryder looked at me with a look of disgust.
...
Remind me that, I'll need to re-educate this disciple of mine later.
Turning my gaze back towards Lucian, I willed myself to activate Overdrive. As I did, I felt the skill engage, but the efficiency was far superior to what I had previously experienced. Each point of my mana was refined into delicate threads, disrupting my mana veins in a way that enhanced the manual's effectiveness significantly.
…Was this not ingrained in my memories, or has it just not been unlocked yet?
Well, let's leave that worry for later.
Ding—!
A familiar sound echoed in my mind, a sound that hadn't appeared in a while.
It was the system.
--------------------------
[ Sub-Quest Issued ]
Force Lucian Vale to submit beneath your prowess! Depending on the quality of your "show," the reward will be determined by how impressive it is!
Reward : ???
Failure: Death
--------------------------
...Damn. You stayed so quiet, that I had nearly forgotten you existed.