Chapter 347: End of the Inter-Academy Tournament (5)

Even though in the Sword Lake, my mental world, half a day had passed, in reality only two minutes had gone by.

In just that time, the once joyous banquet hall had turned into a place where everyone looked ready to vomit.

A group of nobles kept trying to suppress their nausea.

People who, even with a splinter in their eye, would usually worry first about appearances, were now doing exactly the opposite, completely losing their composure.

***

“Uuurk…”

The nobles trembled. Director Dante of Parsy Academy was perplexed.

And Kang Geom-Ma, on the other hand, only observed with his deep, dark eyes, expressionless.

“From now on…”

He had barely opened his mouth when the retching stopped instantly.

The nobles fixed their broken gazes on him.

“If you mess with the students again, know that it won’t end with just a warning.”

“……”

“I already said it. Once, I resolve with dialogue, but a second time, not anymore. I’ll use force without hesitation, so be clear on that.”

Was that dialogue?

Everyone had that question written on their face, though they kept it to themselves.

They had experienced firsthand the power of Kang Geom-Ma—or rather, a mere fragment of that power.

‘M-monster…’

Heavenly Sword had deployed his mental world.

They didn’t know if that was even possible for others, but it was certain that only someone like him could do it.

He had used a supernatural skill of that caliber without restriction.

And not only that—he had dragged the entire crowd into his world.

Who would be reckless enough to defy such a monster?

“It’s not compassion that I let you live. It might even be a crueler punishment.”

Kang Geom-Ma issued his warning.

“You’ll always remember. Every time you feel a pang of conscience, you’ll wonder, what would he do if he caught me doing this?”

“……”

Chills.

“When someone speaks to you, you should respond.”

“…W-we’ll correct it…”

“Good.”

Kang Geom-Ma nodded indifferently and turned around. His coat flared like a fan.

Step. Step.

Kang Geom-Ma disappeared down the hallway.

The nobles, one by one, resumed their choked retching.

Dante, looking back and forth between the nobles and the place where Kang Geom-Ma had departed, thought.

‘This is the bright side of using power.’

Even the most corrupt nobles were, after all, heroes.

They gave absolute priority to the logic of strength.

If you dominated them, sooner or later they would yield.

‘If we’re civilized, then yes, we should talk first… but…’

When dialogue doesn’t work, you have to strike.

That’s human nature.

And against arrogant heroes, strikes are even more effective. They live lives close to violence.

Regardless of whether it’s right or not, when faced with someone stronger, rather than getting angry, they end up feeling reverence.

Probably, among these people, several will start seeing Heavenly Sword in a different light after this.

Heavenly Sword understood the nature of heroes better than anyone.

How to dominate those who, if left unchecked, could become mere bullies.

Faster than words, sashimi.

Dante felt he had understood something important.

“He’s also given me a new insight…”

The academic exchange wasn’t just for students. It was a place where teachers could also give and receive.

Now it was Parsy’s turn to return the favor.

Dante picked up the folder Kang Geom-Ma had left. He brushed the dust off the cover and began carefully reading the names.

“So you’re the one… Kitty.”

The red-eyed woman. Someone from the Auditore clan had requested the list of names.

After thinking it over, Dante had handed over the shareholder registry. And that had clearly been the start of all this chaos.

Along with the list, there were also documents detailing personal acts of corruption by the nobles.

Some held shares in Parsy Academy and had attempted to execute short sales.

They had even manipulated the value of the shares.

For them, a sentence of social death would be appropriate.

“From this moment, I will proceed to confiscate the money that has been fraudulently embezzled.”

“……!”

“And of course, this information will be made public at the end of the exchange.”

Dante’s eyes turned cold. The nobles tried to protest while wiping the corners of their mouths with the back of their hands.

“Hey, you’re the director of Parsy Academy! This will push the academy into ruin! Do you think you’ll still keep your position after this?!”

“I say that because I have no intention of staying in office, you damn fools!”

At Dante’s icy shout, everyone was left speechless. With a face twisted like a war god’s, he continued pressing them.

“I will resign as director of the academy as soon as the exchange ends. The choice of successor I’ll leave entirely to the Hero Association. And the internal audit will be handed over to the Order family, the Auditors.”

“You’re going to bring those blood-reeking guys into a cradle of students!?”

“Joaquin Academy went through the same thing ten years ago. Seen that way, the involvement of the Auditors can be considered a necessary evil for the academy’s growth.”

“Dante… Do you think you’ll walk away from this unscathed?”

Dante didn’t respond. He just snorted through his nose. He knew he was also at fault, so he planned to donate all his money and property to the GM Foundation.

Whether that was forgiveness or not, at least it was a way to calm his conscience.

The chaos didn’t settle all night. The high-ranking members of Parsy had to face the final day of the event with eyes wide open.

***

The next morning.

Only upon entering the training field did we find out what the final test would be.

For something that had been kept an absolute secret, the title was rather simple. What needed to appear had finally appeared.

“War.”

Ryozo tilted his head.

“They say the final test is war, but I don’t think it’s just an ordinary fight. Well, maybe it is. Or maybe it’s another twist, one more trap that ends in a labyrinth or something like that.”

Ryozo, while walking toward the guest area, kept theorizing. Connecting dots and deducing was his specialty.

“We’ll find out as soon as it starts. Just wait a few minutes.”

“Yeah, but… I’ve got a bad feeling. Like something’s really going to blow up. I’ve got that feeling—a strong déjà vu.”

I threw my arm over his shoulders and began rubbing his arm. With the warmth from the friction, his frown gradually eased.

“Yeah… with Geom-Ma around, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Abel naturally hooked onto my arm too.

Ryozo furrowed his brow a bit more but then sighed.

“Today’s an even day, right?” he muttered.

“…Yeah. Let’s go support our students.”

“That, that sounds more like the Ryozo I know.”

I, being a proper Korean, knew how to keep my balance in any situation.

“Are you still watching that YouTuber lately? ChopChopman, or whatever his name is?”

“Haven’t watched him in a while.”

Chatting like that, we soon arrived at the guest area.

As always, we sat there to observe the training field from above.

But.

“The training field…”

There was absolutely nothing.

The first test, “Capture the Flag,” had dazzled us with a floating island. The second, “Sköll and Hati,” had shown us the grandeur of an ancient era.

Each one had inspired us in its own way. Perhaps that’s why the current emptiness felt so crushing.

And we weren’t the only ones confused. Even the Parsy staff looked bewildered and lost.

They were the hosts, so the emptiness had to be even more disconcerting for them.

“And the students?”

Ryozo pulled out his phone and asked. From the other side came a hurried voice—it was Choi Seol-Ah, his assistant.

— Actually, I was about to inform the director a while ago, but the students arrived an hour ago via a subspace warp along with the instructors!

“…What…?”

Ryozo went blank and then shot to his feet, indignant.

“Why didn’t you report that to me immediately?! More importantly, who ordered the students to return to the academy?!”

— D-director, it’s been total chaos here too! I’m really sorry! T-the students actually returned to the academy almost by force… but they claimed it was unfair and decided on their own to return to Parsy Academy!

Both Ryozo and I, Abel and Leon, felt the pores of our skin open. We even swallowed hard at the sound of Choi Seol-Ah’s voice.

— And… the person who ordered them to return to Joaquin Academy was none other than…

Just then, the floor of the training field opened. From a square trapdoor, a figure emerged.

Silver hair. Sacred white robes.

It was the saint, Yu Sein.

Everything was in chaos.

Nothing made sense.

An international event that had caught the attention of the United States and stirred jealousy in Japan had just been wrecked.

And all because of someone completely unexpected.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

“Where are our students?! Where did they go?!”

“Do something, anything!”

“Cut the transmission, stop the damn broadcast first! What will everyone think when they see this?!”

The Parsy instructors were screaming at the top of their lungs amidst the chaos.

It wasn’t hard to guess who had caused this unprecedented disaster.

They were probably already in a bad mood from being crushed by me last night.

And now, the Association and the saint had secretly teamed up to snatch away even their chance at revenge.

Without even asking for a measly authorization.

‘What the hell are you thinking, Yu Sein?’

Even if I didn’t show it, there was no one more shocked than I was.

Yu Sein’s sudden action, always one to spout enigmatic phrases, left my heart in tatters.

My torso leaned forward purely out of reflex.

And in that moment, I, the possessed, and Yu Sein, the reincarnated, locked eyes in midair.

She nodded ostentatiously, as if to make sure I saw her, and then raised her index finger pointing at the sky.

I looked up like a bolt, directing my gaze to where she pointed.

The sun.

And if you looked closely there was a black spot on it.

“……”

Ah.

The time had finally come.

Without taking my eyes off Yu Sein, I asked Ryozo,

“Ryozo. That déjà vu you mentioned earlier—didn’t you feel it also on the day of the ‘Joaquin Tragedy’?”

“Huh, eh?! Ah!”

Ryozo replied perfectly with three “eh”s.

Without wasting time, I drew my sashimi from my waist.

My hands trembled, and the blade’s vibration was uneven.

Shiiing.

I placed one foot on the railing and prepared to launch myself.

The seriousness of my movement made everyone from Joaquin go pale.

Even Sköll and Hati, who were hiding beneath Abel’s legs, cautiously poked their heads out.

“Take cover for now.”

“What’s happening…?”

“Not even I know.”

My black coat floated in the air.

Electricity swirled over my skin and sparks surrounded me.

At that moment, Sköll and Hati bolted and suddenly grew in size.

They positioned themselves on either side of me, as if to escort me, and opened their jaws with a roar.

— Awoooooooo…!

— Awoooooooo…!

I felt their desire to accompany me.

Yes, for this kind of supernatural event, demons were more suitable than heroes.

I amplified the [Lightning Magic] that Lycan had bestowed upon me.

With the [Blessing of Transfer], I infused electricity into Sköll and Hati’s bodies.

Their fur stood on end, and their eyes glowed with a fierce yellow light.

The electric charge enhanced their physical abilities.

The pressure they emitted distorted space-time around them.

I had temporarily released their power limits.

If they continued like this, they’d end up seriously damaging the physical world.

Sharing my [Lightning Magic] with them was like giving them protective suits.

Having Lycan nearby would’ve been ideal, but.

‘This is the best we can do for now.’

I climbed onto Sköll’s back and spoke quietly.

“I’m going to confirm something with them.”

And so, the three wolves lowered their tails like lightning and dashed off.

Toward the sun.