Chapter 295

RMSBS – Episode 295 . Rhapsody (10)

Students and professors flung magic spells to their utmost limit .

It was such a splendid view, a plethora of magic spells spanning all of the attributes melding together and washing over their target . The most eye-catching spells invoked were ceaseless bolts of lightning and flames that raged like an inferno; ground zero almost looked like the crater of a volcano .

What was left of the dormitory area had been obliterated in mere seconds and the air was soon stank of char and smoke .

“Huff, huff… ”

Ronde wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead . In just this short bout, he had consumed mana beyond his limit, causing a stiff sense of pain in his mana circles .

*BOOOM*

The shelling of spells continued even while he took a moment to catch his breath . Although the forces gathered by the Hebrion Academy were merely students, they were the best and the brightest across the continent, capable of matching the Imperial army in firepower .

‘… Is it over?’

There was no way any human could survive unscathed from this bombardment . Satisfied they had won, his face suddenly hardened as his eyes darted towards something .

“… !”

His stare was fixed on a group of black shadows that maintained its shape amid the endless bombardment . The Paladins with golden badges, Priscilla’s personal levy formed by the church’s cardinals, were protecting their Saint with their shields .

The magic had not broken through their defenses at all; they had not even burnt Priscilla’s collar . Their impromptu defenses rivaled the preemptively prepared arrays that guarded high-level fortresses .

At the same time, some translucent golden wings had sprouted from behind her back, intermittently covering her forces . They seemed to be frequently getting healed and restored by the second .

“It’s so pathetic . ”

Priscilla mumbled to herself with a subdued tone . Ronde felt a sense of dread and fear after making eye contact with her by accident .

“Obstruct their path!”

Hersaint-Blanc bit his lower lip and shouted while looking at Priscillia’s entourage .

Immediately, walls made of soil and ice encaged the Artemis Church members, but it was not enough to even slow them down . As one of the cardinals shook his hand there was a blast that demolished the walls in an instant . They started moving out of the dormitory area, striding through the constant magical shelling .

They soon took their first steps in the business district .

*BAAAM*

Several magic traps had been activated, placed in advance on the off-chance the Artemis Church managed to escape the Shadow World and attempt to maneuver around the Academy . Unfortunately, they proved to be useless: even when the traps pierced their defenses, injuries inflicted were rapidly recovered .

As they maintained the situation with a belt and braces, the Hebrion Academy non-stop spell shelling began to weaken and slow . Their mana had run low .

Finally, Priscilla, who had been staying rather passive until then, made a move . She flicked her hand in front of her . One of her cardinals, Ninahart, stepped forward . He thrust out his hand and moved it as if he was grasping something .

“… ?”

Ronde seemed to question this action . It was only to be expected though, as they expected some kind of flashy display of supernatural power, but nothing happened .

Then they noticed .

“What’s that?!”

“Giant hands… ?”

There was rumbling from behind . Ronde turned around to check and soon realized the cause of the commotion .

*THUMP*

There were giant hands made out of unknown translucent material . The hands gripped and tore at the barrier that encompassed the main campus of the academy .

*Shatter*

A large crack had appeared on the defensive magic that Professor Bridgette had made with her heart and soul . It looked ready to shatter at any moment .

“My goal is not you people but this land . ”

Oddly, everyone could hear Priscilla’s whisper .

“Leave . We won’t chase you if you step back now . ”

It was not a bad offer for the students and staff of the Hebrion Academy . All of their meticulous planning had come to naught and they had no other means to resist .

Perhaps it would be best to step back now .

“… ”

Professor Bridgette clenched her fist .

Seemingly, it was a generous offer, but the reality of this was different . If they backed off, they could sustain their lives for a brief moment, but the consequences were likely worse than death itself .

They had to resist until the end .

‘But how?’

Most of them were absolutely terrified due to the overwhelming power of Priscilla and her cardinals . Heading them off was already beyond their capacity, facing them in these circumstances was suicidal . They needed a turning point that they could use to reverse this situation . A very powerful ploy .

‘What should I… ’

She shut her eyes tight, unable to think of a way .

*Bzzt*

A unique wave passed through her .

‘Detection magic?’

But there was something strange about the spell . The way the mana behaved was obscure; though it definitely spread out as detection magic would, a Fifth-Circle magician like Bridgette was able to discern that the mana was not there to detect them .

She turned her head towards the source to see a massive blinding light had appeared on the other side of the auditorium, eliminating the darkness while dispersing waves of mana .

There was only one living magician that had such a bizarre relationship with mana .

‘Desir . ’

He had arrived . Anyone who saw the strange phenomenon and enormous mana waves in the sky realized it without further prompt . Their falling resolve began to harden again .

Bridgette took a step forward .

“We will not give up until the very end . ”

A magic array unfolded in front of her, unleashing a storm that ripped the giant hands into pieces .

That was the sign .

*BAAAAM*

Another blast and explosion occurred .

The Hebrion Academy, which had just been about to crumble, continued their all-out offensive .

* * *

Thanks for reading on patreon . com/maldfrogsclub ! Join us in talking about RMSBS at discord . gg/wxSdrsn

A southerly wind washed over the area, carrying the ripe scent of blood . Guiltian watched the battle closely with his stern eyes .

It was a cruel war . The air felt heavy . The smell of blood and screams pressured his whole body, as if he had been plunged into deep water .

They had been able to block the Artemis Church for this long, mainly due to the efforts of two people .

Raphaello Cheriger and Jean Euremrin .

Without these two Royal Guards, the defensive line would have been destroyed already .

But this would not last long . They indeed had superhuman powers compared to others, but they were also only humans with limits . It was impossible for two people to hold off an entire military on their own .

‘Perhaps my judgment is wrong . ’

Guiltian looked around .

There were people who escaped after being taken hostage by the Artemis Church . Though their war situation had significantly worsened, thousands of lives were able to make it here safely thanks to Raphaello and Jean .

As the worried citizens and soldiers gazed at him, Guiltian figured out something .

‘I was not wrong . ’

I'm going to protect everyone .

That was the greater cause he decided to take . He was simply following the principle someone taught him long ago but had, until this moment, long forgotten .

This Empire was no exception .

*Shing*

Guiltian agonized about it for a while and pulled out his sword, shouting .

“Get ready to open the gate!”

His decision was very bold . He was effectively saying that his side would give up the single advantage they held in this war .

“Join the Royal Guards and support them!”

However, that was the most reasonable strategy he could employ at the moment . The most powerful force they had was the Royal Guards . Losing those two people would likely mean losing the chance to win entirely . In other words, as long as those two survived, victory was still possible .

“We’re ready to sortie . ”

Swan Katarina reported with her head down .

Guiltian gently looked at what she held in her hand . It was a bow . Feeling her king’s gaze, Swan chuckled .

“I’d like to try my best for my last duty . ”

Last .

In a way, she was not wrong .

Guiltian turned his head away without saying anything, and Swan stood next to him after taking his implicit approval .

The time for action having arrived, the gate to the fortress spread wide open .

With his enemies ahead of him and his faithful allies beside him, Guiltian felt a small smile sneak its way onto his lips . He raised his sword in declaration .

“The Empire is… ”

The sword engraved with the lion symbol glowed with mana and emitted light .

“Undying . ”

*Swoosh*

A wave of mana scanned them at an outrageous speed . Before the combatants could question it, they got their answer .

*Whoosh*

“What… ?”

It suddenly brightened, the light emanating from a nearby source .

Their surroundings had been pitch black since it was the middle of the night . Until now, there had only been glimpses of light from the glow of magical shelling . The phenomenon occurring now was beyond any such trifle .

[Earth Nourishing the Sun]

One single dot that rose from the darkness grew in size and emitted heat that seemed commensurate with its incredible size .

Someone had created a star .

*BOOOM*

The blast resounded far and wide . The huge cross, which had not trembled in the slightest against the constant shelling so far, began to thrash around wildly .

As though mirroring the sun, it too began to give off a bright light . Perhaps this was it ramping up to full speed .

The plains were swept by the shock caused by the clash between the star and the cross . The moment the light disappeared and the darkness was about to consume everything once again, the Glance of the Father was revealed . It had unsightly cracks all over it like a glass that was at risk of breaking at any moment .

The spell that had been released was the same draconic magic used to kill Dadenewt in Prillecha . Originally, this Glance of the Father had been made to counter spells of the magnitude witnessed during that event .

If there was another attack of this caliber, it was obvious that the Glance of the Father would completely shatter; but due to the nature of draconic magic, being able to resist a single spell meant that the effort spent creating it had been worth it . They would not be able to break the cross: the Artemis Church had won .

But then .

Some sharp-sighted people realized that the residual sunlight was not scattering; rather, it was gathering somewhere else .

Something immediately streaked towards them .

[Arrow of Ruin]

The sky was divided and the cross split in half .

Everything in the path of the flash of light was incinerated .

The Glance of the Father and airships included .

Even sound itself .

—-

Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .

???: …

ED: Purplemen101

TLC: N/A

QC: Dr Lock