I got into school for nothing - Chapter 304
I got into school for nothing (304)
Lesson 59. Trap - 4
The flagship was half-wrecked.
Considering that it was carrying a commander from an S-rank dimension, one of the Ten Great Families, it was truly an unbelievable feat.
—KWA-AAAAANG!
“No, it's a failure.”
Amidst the explosion caused by the flagship, Ban Yuwon calmly assessed himself, holding Aire, and launched himself into the air.
The concept he had added to the sword at the last moment: Annihilation.
Although he had been able to reproduce it more easily than he expected, and the underlying thought was that it would be safer since he was wielding it through Abel rather than directly himself.
This was because he couldn't perfectly control the energy that threatened to annihilate not only the enemy but himself, forcing Lilyth to unleash all the remaining energy in her core to prevent the backlash.
[Even so, this is a success, Master! It was more effective than pouring all the core's energy into an attack!]
Lilyth's voice, having resourcefully protected both herself and her master, remained as bright as ever.
As soon as the fusion was released, Ban Yuwon landed gracefully, still holding Aire, onto Gwangjo, who cried out 'Kii-ii-ik' as he flew in. He then temporarily stored all his other vassals in his inventory, with the exception of Lilyth, who floated up to join them in her doll form.
‘How on earth does Yeon handle such power?’
She was a teacher both surprising and respectable, no matter how many times he witnessed it.
Of course, his recent experience imitating her wasn't meaningless. He even thought that if he continued to safely handle the energy of death through Abel a few more times, he might one day reach her level of mastery.
And he absolutely had to.
The dagger, deeply imbued with death, that the Chancellor had given him as a gift.
Because he had a premonition that the time to use it would eventually come.
‘I hope it's not too late.’
Ban Yuwon let out a low sigh and tried to put Aire down, but she held tightly onto both of his arms and wouldn't let go.
“Aire?”
“Uh, uh-huh!”
Aire's reaction was strangely sluggish.
Her expression never wavered, no matter the time or situation; unlike Asha, she was always exceedingly reliable.
Ban Yuwon, letting go of his arms, cast a worried gaze at Aire, who was hesitantly standing up.
“Are you okay? You were like that inside the robot earlier... Did you use too much magic?”
“Uh, maybe so... I'm feeling a little dizzy.”
Aire nodded as if she had just found the right words, then leaned her body against Ban Yuwon.
Because Aire's skill was so formidable, it was usually difficult to discern her emotions, but now, faint feelings like 'shame' or 'ecstasy' were subtly readable.
Perhaps she felt shame at showing a weak side to Ban Yuwon, her equal, and joy at the two of them combining forces to destroy a flagship from a higher dimension.
—How dare a mere commoner—!
“Anyway, the situation is urgent right now, so if you're tired, take a short rest. I need to go.”
“No, I'm fine. I'll assist, I can do it.”
As if belatedly coming to her senses, Aire pulled away from Ban Yuwon and clung to Gwangjo's back as if prostrating herself.
Gwangjo was a vassal embodying the concept of a Constellation; even on this battlefield, it wouldn't be difficult for him to fly while protecting her.
“Alright, then let's go.”
And Ban Yuwon—he enveloped himself in the concept he had seized from a previous Constellation, the Divine Wind (神風), enhanced with the concept of Wings (翼).
Though it was only a depth of 20, the staggering 300 Constellation's Stigma he possessed primarily amplified its power, and the wind woven with a depth of 650 assisted it, instantly giving birth to a pair of wind wings capable of covering both offense and defense.
Adding Lilyth's concepts of 'breakthrough' and 'acceleration' to this, it was the instant birth of a magnificent combat angel.
“Here I go.”
Whispering to no one in particular, he pushed off Gwangjo's back and began to fly.
From the half-wrecked Prominence flagship, several spheres enveloped in crimson flames were seen leaping out.
—So you're there—!
One of them, with an exceptionally booming voice, was charging towards Ban Yuwon.
Ban Yuwon's face hardened as, with the power of his enhanced Authority, he painstakingly read the individual's core concepts from afar.
Life 2,800—a level not significantly different from the core concept of the main cannon that had just fired at him.
He had heard many times that higher dimensions were different, but this was the first time he'd encountered such a visceral comparison in numerical terms.
‘I haven't even reached 1,400 yet, so this means it's more than double, doesn't it? If that person weren't from Prominence—meaning someone with at least a faint blood relation to me—I wouldn't even have been able to read their level.’
A head-on confrontation was absolutely out of the question.
Even drawing Requiem would be pointless.
No matter how excellent the weapon, it would be meaningless if its wielder was weak.
Still—he had started this knowing it would come to this; there was no retreating now.
‘And I have a weapon for a turnaround.’
Ban Yuwon glanced down at the ground, then firmly composed himself again. Seeing the enemy's figure, which had by now entered visible range, he silently drew and gripped Requiem.
“You bastard!”
It was the voice of a middle-aged man.
His physique was moderately muscular, and his crimson hair and eyes, as if they would ignite at any moment, proved he was of Prominence blood.
In both hands, he wielded gigantic claws made of fire; had it been the Executioner's Longsword, it would have melted the moment it collided. As expected, Ban Yuwon's judgment was not wrong.
“Do you know how many precious Prominence bloodlines you just killed, you bastard?!”
“Oh, how many kills did I get? Do tell.”
Trying to conceal his rising tension, he replied in an indifferent tone, raising Requiem.
Meeting crimson flame with crimson flame would be a grave misstep.
A portion of the divine wind that formed his wings flowed down his two hands and into his sword, forming a blade of wind that granted additional offensive power above him.
The Starlight (星光), the star's power learned and mastered from Cellon that suppressed Constellations, resided within it, making the sword appear as if it were crafted from pure light.
The combination of the god-slaying sword and Starlight was magnificent beyond Ban Yuwon's wildest imagination, and it seemed that with a little more research, he could even bring about permanent changes to Requiem.
“Five! Five precious Prominence blood relatives, whom you, a lowly commoner, dare not even lay a hand on, have died!”
A dazzling acceleration powered by flames.
Close.
He's coming.
—KWA-AK!
Immediately after, ten fiery claw marks slashed across the spot where he had just been.
Even as it cut through empty air, with a 'thud' and a tearing sound, space temporarily warped.
The lingering flames flickering in the empty space where the fiery claws had passed made it apparent that the crimson flame was not a simple fire, but an Authority.
“Just killing you won't settle the score!”
KWA-AANG! This time, they collided.
Fortunately, just before the collision, he was able to activate Monstrous Strength.
“Ugh...!”
“You bastard!”
Ban Yuwon intended to simply swing Requiem and cut him down, but the claws were not only powerful in destructive force but also incredibly durable.
Still, it seemed he couldn't entirely ignore Requiem, for at the moment of impact, the enemy's face twisted horribly.
“This power... is it that sword, you bastard? It doesn't suit your station!”
“It's because I have things like this that I could, say, smash your ship, couldn't I?”
“How dare you be so arrogant in front of an elder of the family?!”
Rushing in with murderous intent and then claiming to be an elder of the family—what a joke.
Ban Yuwon snorted, swung Requiem to shake off the enemy, and slid backward.
Even if he didn't show it, at the moment of impact with the claws, he thought he would suffocate to death from the heavy shock, and moreover, the heat that felt like it would incinerate even his soul.
Had he not possessed crimson flames within his body, had he not shattered the red moon and absorbed its concepts earlier, his lungs might have been cooked by this collision alone.
“He's only twenty years old.”
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man, who couldn't gain an advantage even after exchanging a single blow, frowned even more deeply, flapping the wings of flame that had erupted from his back, much like Ban Yuwon's wind wings.
“He endured my flames? Disagreeable. I don't like it. He certainly wasn't at that level until recently—Kuk?!”
It was precisely then that Aire's sniper shot flew in.
She, having swiftly retreated to a safe place by mobilizing Gwangjo, had in the interim concentrated the gathered mana into a single point, creating a bullet of ice that would never melt, and fired it straight away.
The fiery barrier protecting him blocked it, but it wasn't perfect, and he instinctively had to swing his claws to block it before taking damage.
“—!”
Ban Yuwon seized that opportunity and charged.
The wind he had created, the power of god-slaying, the starlight—all mingled with the peerless swordsmanship of Giwon Sword and converged entirely into a single point.
Nevertheless, he couldn't kill him.
“Kuh—Haa!”
An explosion, similar to when the flagship had been breached, erupted.
If he hadn't been able to read the flow of concepts visible to his All-seeing Eye, he would have been caught in the explosion and severely injured. But was he not Ban Yuwon, who had safely escaped even the flagship's explosion? He spread his wings and swiftly retreated to safety.
“Right, the explosion that happened in the flagship earlier was also for protection to prevent greater damage.”
“It seems this isn't the time for a lengthy conversation.”
The man's figure, revealed as the explosion cleared, was annoyingly intact.
Of course, he had sustained a wound on his chest from Giwon Sword, but it was by no means a severe injury.
This was because the crimson flame of immense depth residing within his body was protecting him as if it possessed a will of its own.
“Amazingly fast and sharp, yet shallow in substance. It means you're overflowing with talent, but your years are short.”
Only after taking a blow from Ban Yuwon did the middle-aged man truly understand him. Spreading both hands, he further increased the length and thickness of his claws.
He had never been going easy on Ban Yuwon.
It was simply that, compared to Ban Yuwon's martial power, he was excessively quick-witted and agile, preventing him from attacking as he pleased.
All of it was thanks to his All-seeing Eye, and furthermore, to his unique martial art, Giwon Sword, which Ban Yuwon had established....
“I definitely need to kill him now. Indeed, there's nothing to lose by following my older brother's words.”
“Older brother...?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Krathon Prominence, the Vice-Head of the Unquenchable Flame family.”
Vice-Head.
Hearing those words, Ban Yuwon, while understanding his monstrous Level, felt his heart pound at the thought that his goal was now close.
“The Head of the family isn't coming himself?”
“There's no need for a noble individual to act directly. The grand plan will be accomplished today anyway. That is, if you're not here.”
Tsk, Ban Yuwon clicked his tongue.
The man named Krathon would likely never understand why he clicked his tongue.
“This should have been finished earlier, and far more easily... but because of you, it's been greatly delayed.”
KWA-AANG! The man continued, this time blocking Aire's sniper shot from behind with much greater ease.
His gaze swept the battlefield from bottom to top.
The fairy race combat units that had flown up from the ground, beast-kin, and the golems Aire had left behind, as well as Shatie's demon army and even the genuine Dragon Fang Soldiers that Asha had brought—all were rushing into the sky, holding back Prominence and the dimension mercenary group.
Thanks to Ban Yuwon and Aire having half-destroyed the flagship and crippled its command system, the enemies were in even greater disarray. Nevertheless, because they were so powerful, they weren't easily pushed back.
“Consider it an honor that you managed to hold me back even for a moment.”
As Krathon raised both his hands, the already enormous fiery claws expanded even further, now resembling ten laser pillars erupting skyward.
Except for the Academy's full professors, Ban Yuwon had never seen anyone capable of producing that much energy.
“You did well to lead these ragtag fairies this far. I'll even praise you. But it's all for naught. Once kindled, the Prominence flame will never die out, and will eventually swell beyond control and swallow all of you whole—!”
The laser pillars descended vertically.
That was not an attack aimed at Ban Yuwon, but at the magic circle hidden in the earth.
The Prominence Legion, those who harbored crimson flames, those who had lured or threatened the fairies into engraving parts of the magic circle onto their bodies—all of them were gathered here.
And the one activating the magic circle was Krathon Prominence, the Vice-Head of Prominence, who was both the originator and overall supervisor of this plan.
Ban Yuwon confirmed that all key figures were in position.
Although some were in slightly higher places, all were nonetheless within the magic circle's area of effect.
“From this moment, the ritual shall commence!”
Krathon shouted boisterously.
The power of the great flame that extended from his body flowed through his claws, activating the magic circle.
Drawing on all the Concept Conversion power possessed by the fairy race, the universe's sole great ritual to elevate the great Prominence to a supreme position—!
Ban Yuwon raised one hand.
The concept of Changeling, extracted from the fairies used in the magic circle, was in his hand.
Harmonizing with the magic circle, which already had preliminary measures in place, it was the core material that would perfectly reverse its effects.
“Watch closely, fairy race.”
The ultimate Concept Conversion was this:
For them to become concepts themselves.
Snap—.
Ban Yuwon snapped his fingers.
Above the magic circle that covered the entire star, the concept, having gently settled, completed the spell.
It was the moment all holders of [Crimson Flame] who had sought Fairytale, except for Ban Yuwon, sacrificed themselves.
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