Chapter 160 – The Sword Lake (4)

Speedweapon grabbed his sweat-soaked hair.

“President… Am I really doing this right?”

Just as Kang Geom-Ma had instructed, he had already contacted the academy and was desperately trying to calm the chaotic atmosphere in the voting center.

Of course, controlling so many people on his own was impossible.

However, unexpected individuals stepped in to help manage the situation.

“Don’t you remember what Candidate #7 just said? You’re supposed to be future heroes, yet you’re letting fear paralyze you and render you useless in combat! What a disgrace!”

Den Range roared with authority. Kim Woo-Jin also stepped in.

“The academy has informed us that they will arrive in less than ten minutes. Until then, please, avoid displaying such a pathetic sight.”

Both of them understood that this was no time for rivalries.

They knew that, in terms of talent, they were far below Kang Geom-Ma.

Their pride wouldn’t let them accept it easily, but the leadership he had shown before going out to face the threat had left them stunned.

That’s why they decided to cooperate with Speedweapon.

Besides, they were still part of the student council.

They couldn’t inspire others like Kang Geom-Ma, but at the very least, they could help keep the cadets from panicking.

‘Thanks to the current president and vice president, the chaos is subsiding more quickly.’

Even so, instead of sighing in relief, Speedweapon bit his lower lip. He felt utterly powerless.

That was all he could do—just ensure that the cadets and the presidential candidates didn’t leave.

Nothing more.

He couldn’t fight alongside Kang Geom-Ma. He knew that for sure.

If it were a normal enemy, he could at least provide support from the rear, but in this situation, he would only be a burden.

And yet… Was it really okay to just stand by and do nothing?

Did he truly have the right to stand by Kang Geom-Ma’s side? The president had always handled everything on his own.

If he was just going to be dead weight, wouldn’t it be better to step aside?

For a moment, Speedweapon was lost in dark thoughts.

And then, someone slapped him across the face.

SMACK!

The sound was loud enough to draw attention.

But Saki didn’t care. She slapped his other cheek just as hard.

SMACK!

Then, she grabbed his shoulders and yelled at him.

“Hey, idiot! Kang Geom-Ma trusted you and left you in charge here, and you’re going to make that defeated face?!”

Speedweapon brought his hands to his burning cheeks. His lips had split, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

He couldn’t believe how hard the archer hit.

“Speedweapon, do you think you’re the only one feeling this way? I feel the same. But he trusted you. Are you just going to stand there, you idiot? Are you just going to do the bare minimum and then despair? Remember his words! He told you to find a solution! And what are you doing? With that attitude, you’re just betraying his trust!”

“……”

Speedweapon stared at her silently before running a hand through his hair.

That snapped him out of it. The physical pain helped clear his mind.

…Though he would have preferred if Saki had just talked instead of hitting him.

His head buzzed from the slaps.

‘How hard did she hit me?’

He sighed without saying anything else. If he complained, he’d probably get another one, and this time, he might lose a tooth.

Saki spoke in a softer tone.

“I’ll do what I can too. Speedweapon, you and I owe our lives to the president countless times. And also…”

Her voice wavered slightly. She wasn’t expecting a response.

It was more of a thought spoken aloud.

“I can’t just sit back and do nothing while the most important person to me puts himself at risk alone.”

“……?”

Speedweapon remained silent. Saki didn’t wait for him to say anything.

She simply walked up to the stage with firm, determined steps.

As everyone watched, she raised her voice.

“How do you all feel right now?”

Her question caught the cadets off guard. Their eyes met hers, and her sharp gaze shone with intensity.

“All of you looked down on Kang Geom-Ma just because he was a special student, didn’t you? You discriminated against him because he was a commoner or because he wasn’t a noble. And yet, he never paid any attention to it.”

The voting center fell into complete silence. Several cadets lowered their heads.

“You are students of Joaquin Academy, so you should already know this. The enemy that appeared outside is no ordinary threat. And yet, Kang Geom-Ma went out to face it, risking his life.”

Saki clenched her fists. Her eyes were red and wet.

She was frustrated. Anguished. Maybe it was self-loathing, or maybe it was just a way to vent her pent-up anger.

After all, even she hadn’t been able to do anything for Kang Geom-Ma.

She understood Speedweapon’s feelings perfectly.

She also hated her own weakness. But still, she wasn’t going to stand idly by.

“Why? Because he went out there alone to fight and protect all of you—the same people who looked down on him and mocked him!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Saki collapsed to her knees. With a trembling voice, she let out her last bit of bottled-up rage.

“If you have even a shred of conscience left, at least pray for him, the one fighting outside in your place. Please…”

Saki clasped her hands over her chest. They trembled visibly.

One by one, the cadets began to follow her lead.

Their clasped hands represented different wills.

A desire to support Kang Geom-Ma.

A desperate yearning to survive.

An attempt to dispel their fear.

And so, they closed their eyes and prayed.

Not to any particular god, but to whatever force might listen.

They didn’t know if their plea would be answered by the light that illuminated the world or by the darkness that enveloped it.

Lost and aimless, all humans could do was cling to the transcendent.

***

Vesna, Commander of the Third Corps of the Demon King’s Army, spoke with a trembling voice.

“Y-you…?”

Kang Geom-Ma remained motionless.

His once black hair had completely faded, turning as white as snow.

“No way… have you awakened?”

When a human surpassed their limits, their appearance often changed.

That was called ‘awakening.’

During the First Great Human-Demon War, she had witnessed it multiple times.

Even among the seven disciples of the cursed Primordial Hero, some had awakened.

The Sword Saint, Aaron Nibelung.

The Divine Archer, Seong Na-Yeon.

The Golden Dragon, Phrygia Midas.

The Demon of War, Hojo Moriyasu.

The awakened ones pushed beyond their limits by drawing power from an unknown entity.

But, of course, everything had a price.

Their own lifespan.

That was the reason why the Seven had disappeared so quickly.

And yet, they burned their lives away without hesitation to resist the demons.

They sacrificed themselves for humanity’s survival.

Thanks to their resolve, the balance between the two races shifted dramatically in favor of the humans.

With overwhelming power, they cornered the demons and, in the end, achieved victory.

For Vesna, it was a humiliating memory.

Just recalling that time sent shivers down her spine.

But after that war, no more awakened ones had emerged among the humans.

That was why the demons had been able to strike once more at the gates of the human world and finally descend upon it.

And now, suddenly—

“……”

Kang Geom-Ma continued to stare at the sky. He didn’t move, simply stood there.

And yet, his mere presence weighed on her chest with an indescribable unease. It was an emotion she had never felt before.

Not even seven hundred years ago, when she faced the heroes of old, had she experienced something like this.

His presence was chilling—or rather, incomprehensible.

Vesna couldn’t measure it in terms of ‘strong’ or ‘weak.’

Lesser beings could never understand what existed above them.

They could stand on the same ground, but their worlds were not the same.

However, her thoughts didn’t get any further.

“…Is that the power you used to defeat my sister?”

As if responding to her call, Kang Geom-Ma lowered his gaze.

Swoosh.

His pale eyes emitted a faint glow.

His face was utterly expressionless.

“What is that look?! Miserable creature! If you dare place me on the same level as my sister, you are gravely mistaken!”

With a desperate expression, Vesna began chanting a spell. The most powerful one she could conjure.

“Aqua Punishment.”

A water-based spell taken to its extreme, also known as the judgment of water.

RUMBLE!

Her mana expanded in all directions. In the next instant, hundreds of thousands of precisely constructed water spears floated in the air.

Each one, compressed with her magical power, carried devastating force.

At this point, hesitation was not an option. Kang Geom-Ma had to die, even if it meant losing such a valuable vessel.

“I will not allow you to exist any longer. I will cut this absurd hope at its root.”

Vesna raised her hand. The tips of the spears aligned, aiming directly at Kang Geom-Ma’s position.

Snap.

With a simple snap of her fingers, the spears rained down upon him like a deadly cage.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Hundreds of thousands of spears descended in torrents.

The lake surged with the impact, sending thick mist into the air. The explosion was so overwhelming that the walls of the adjacent building shattered and collapsed into rubble.

Despite the relentless bombardment, Kang Geom-Ma’s face remained emotionless.

He simply raised his two sashimi knives.

He wasn’t going to dodge. He would take hundreds of thousands of attacks head-on.

His body moved without any conscious command.

He was completely lost in the intoxication of battle.

His awareness and perception had long since faded.

Wielding Murasame in his right hand, he swung the blade.

He deflected hundreds of spears with a single motion.

The impact resonated through his hand, but without hesitation, he swung Eternal Frost in his left.

Another wave of spells was cut down and dispersed into the air.

One of the spears managed to pierce his thigh.

A chunk of flesh was torn away, and blood gushed out, staining the lake red.

The breath of life escaped his body.

Without changing his expression, Kang Geom-Ma activated the Blessing of Regeneration.

The wound closed instantly, flesh rebuilding itself within seconds.

Without even checking his recovery, he kept moving his arms.

Not even healing himself was worth his attention.

It felt as if he were trapped in a vivid dream. A dream so beautiful that he never wanted to wake up.

Euphoria completely enveloped him. The mere act of cutting and destroying filled him with overwhelming pleasure.

He had no time to worry about trivial wounds.

Despite his staggering form, he kept his back straight. Vesna continued chanting without pause, unleashing a deluge of spears.

Each time he cut them down, more appeared in their place. But every time his blade moved, the projectiles were split cleanly.

The battle was an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration.

Time and space seemed to crumble within the distortion of combat.

The clash of steel and magic created relentless shockwaves.

The deafening blasts echoed through the area, shaking the ground violently.

Finally, the building’s wall gave way and completely collapsed, exposing the interior of the voting center.

All the students who had been praying lifted their heads.

And at that moment, their eyes witnessed the collision of magic and swords.

?　？　?

But even as they tried to stare at the scene, their pupils involuntarily veered away.

The battle was on such an overwhelming level that their minds simply couldn’t process it.

In the face of such an unfathomable terror, humans could only accept their own insignificance.

Their brains refused to comprehend what they were seeing.

“Geom-Ma!”

Saki shouted his name, reaching out her hand. And without hesitation, she rushed out of the voting center.