Episode 718
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The end-of-term martial arts battle, known as the Dungeon War, was set to take place on Shua Island, one of the main islands of the Pannotia Archipelago.
After the Celestial War, the Pannotia Archipelago became a hotspot for dungeons, with Shua Island hosting a significant number of them. Many of these dungeons, once fully explored, were repurposed as field study sites for students. This Dungeon War was to be held in one such dungeon.
Richmond, the event organizer, was an expert in dungeon excavation. He meticulously crafted an undead-themed dungeon using his secret arsenal of bones.
The rules of the martial arts Dungeon War were straightforward: teams would enter the dungeon, overcome the monsters and traps within, and retrieve as many hidden relics as possible. Each relic had a point value, and the team with the highest total score would win.
Inside the dungeon, not only were there undead monsters placed by Richmond, but also various traps, making it a realistic simulation. Competing teams were also a significant obstacle.
Students had to consider all these factors while searching for relics.
“Let’s do this!”
Lyla’s team, one of the favorites to win, led the student council members into the dungeon. Following them, other teams, each with their own strategy, entered the dungeon to hunt for relics based on the information they had.
In the early stages, teams that crossed paths often ended up fighting each other before even encountering any monsters. If a student became incapacitated, professors on standby would escort them out of the dungeon.
The goal of the Dungeon War was to provide students with a combat experience as close to real life as possible, without any risk to their lives.
Meanwhile, Richmond, the dungeon master, was also on the lookout for clues about the reincarnation of Astaroth. From a secret control room deep within the dungeon, he monitored the situation in real-time through the undead he had scattered throughout.
Managing and sharing senses with hundreds of summoned creatures was a feat no other necromancer could achieve, except Richmond.
“Not bad, so far.”
While the students might think they were engaged in fierce battles, to Richmond, who had fought in the Celestial War, it all seemed like child’s play.
As he observed the students, Richmond sharpened his senses through his summons, searching for anything unusual.
Then, suddenly, something caught his attention.
“What is this?”
Richmond focused his senses on the source. There stood a small boy with a sword at his side. His skin was so pale it was almost white. This boy was none other than Junon Redeye, known among the students as the Sword Saint.
Junon, the heir of the vampire Redeye family, was a mystery, known only to be the son of Bacchus Redeye, the family head.
As undead creatures swarmed around him, Junon, standing alone without his team, calmly drew the sword from his side. He took a step forward and swung his sword with a light motion, yet the trajectory was so profound it was invisible.
Crack!
The undead under Richmond’s control crumbled into piles of bones at Junon’s strike. Junon sheathed his sword, yawned, and looked around.
“Lost again…”
With that, he wandered off in a random direction.
Watching through his surveillance undead, Richmond’s eyes widened. The swordsmanship Junon used was anything but ordinary.
“Dragon Slayer Technique?”
It was the signature swordsmanship of the Draker family, which had vanished from the continent twenty years ago. The original form of the Dragon Slayer Technique had been lost, transformed into various family styles over time. Yet, Junon’s swordplay was unmistakably the foundational form of the Dragon Slayer Technique.
Richmond pondered Junon’s swordsmanship and nodded to himself.
“This could be useful.”
His hands moved swiftly, ready to spring the trap he had set.
Boom!
Lyla swung her sword at a skeleton charging at her. The blade, imbued with fire magic, exploded the skeleton into pieces.
In the past, training in aura was the norm over combining magic and swordsmanship, but with the rise of magic swords, the trend had shifted. Lyla, having studied magic swordsmanship under Luther Zemben, wielded her sword with confidence.
Boom!
After dispatching the skeleton, Lyla sheathed her sword as her teammates approached.
Vice President Nuel spoke to Lyla, “Rina found the path.”
Lyla nodded and followed Rina, who led the way. Soon, Lyla’s party discovered a cleverly hidden door after bypassing several traps.
Matan whistled at the sight of the ornate door. “Wow, they really went all out.”
Lyla shot him a disdainful look. “Idiot, it’s a repurposed dungeon. This was already here.”
Matan gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Gah! Lyla, you have a knack for pissing people off with just a word.”
Ignoring their bickering, Rina, who specialized in anti-assassination techniques, examined the door. She quickly found the mechanism and triggered it, causing the door to open.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Lyla drew her sword and warned her team, “Stay alert. We don’t know what’s inside.”
The student council members readied themselves and cautiously approached the door. Inside, they found a large altar in the center of a cavern, with a relic placed on top.
Matan, excited, shouted, “There it is!”
He dashed towards the altar. Lyla yelled after him, “That idiot!”
With his athletic prowess, Matan leaped into the air and landed gracefully on the altar. As he grabbed the relic, the entire altar glowed red.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
To their surprise, the red light coalesced into a Blood Golem.
Grrrr!
Matan was taken aback by the high-level monster. “Damn, they even prepared this?”
Clutching the relic, he launched a kick infused with wind magic at the golem.
Boom!
The compressed air struck the Blood Golem, and Matan used the recoil to retreat. But it wasn’t over.
Whirrr!
Summoning circles appeared throughout the cavern, and skeletal knights, known as Dragoons, emerged.
Clank! Clank!
The fully armored Dragoons formed ranks, blocking the exit. Lyla, brandishing her magic sword and shield, took a stance.
“Damn it, break through them!”
Following her lead, the party members raised their weapons and faced the Dragoons. Nuel wielded dual swords, while Rina brandished a three-section staff.
Matan, holding the relic, landed with flair. Lyla shouted at him, “You fool! After we deal with them, I’m going to knock some sense into you!”
Matan snorted, cranking his device to maximum power and taking the lead.
“Haaah!”
He leaped into the air, targeting the lead Dragoon’s shield with a powerful kick. The compressed air struck the shield, disrupting their formation.
Lyla seized the opportunity. “Charge!”
She raised her shield and ignited her sword with flames, bashing through the Dragoons and causing explosions with her strikes.
Despite their full armor, the Dragoons began to falter under the relentless assault of Lyla’s party.
But then, the Blood Golem advanced towards them.
Grrrr!
The golem raised its arms and hurled a sticky red sludge at Lyla’s party.
Splat!
The viscous substance clung to them, emitting a foul stench. As it hardened, it became increasingly difficult to wield their weapons.
Lyla’s party felt their movements slow as the sludge began to paralyze them. As their pace faltered, the Dragoons regrouped and pressed forward, pinning them down with their shields.
“Ugh!”
At this rate, they were on the brink of disqualification.
“Damn it, I can’t let that happen.”
Lyla raised her sword, channeling her magic into it.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted wildly from the blade, engulfing not only Lyla but her entire party.
Matanah, witnessing the spectacle, shouted in panic.
“Are you insane, President? Are you trying to burn us all?”
Ignoring Matanah’s outburst, Lyla focused solely on controlling the fire. Her will directed the flames to burn away only the sticky mud, sparing her companions from harm.
Crackle!
The red mud dried and crumbled away, finally freeing the party to move.
Understanding Lyla’s intent, Nuel dashed forward the moment the mud fell away, swinging his dual swords.
Boom!
In an instant, he charged through the dragoons, forcing the door open.
Lyla shouted to her team, “Get out of here, now!”
While she held back the dragoons and blood golems with her flames, the freed party members quickly escaped through the door.
Once Lyla was the last to exit, Rina operated the mechanism to shut the door.
Thud! Thud!
Thankfully, the dragoons and blood golems were trapped inside.
Only then could Lyla and her party catch their breath.
Matanah, clutching the artifact, spoke with pride.
“Phew! With this, first place is practically ours…”
But then, unexpectedly, someone appeared before them.
“Junon Redeye.”
Lyla, sword raised, glared at Junon with hostility.
Junon, with his characteristically indifferent expression, looked at Lyla’s party and spoke slowly.
”…I’m lost. Which way is out?”
Junon’s nonchalant words only fueled Lyla’s animosity as she glared at him.
“So, you don’t even care about someone like me?”
Seeing Lyla’s sword ignite with flames, Nuel shook his head and stepped forward.
“President, the priority is getting the artifact out.”
Nuel’s calm voice sought to reason with Lyla.
“Junon isn’t interested in the artifact. It’s wiser to bring him into the party and ensure a safe return. We might even find more artifacts.”
Lyla, breathing heavily with her flaming sword, finally calmed down at Nuel’s words. She extinguished the flames and lowered her sword, addressing Junon.
”…Junon Redeye, we have a guide. If you swear not to attack, you can leave with us.”
Junon nodded indifferently at Lyla’s offer.
Though she was itching for a confrontation, Lyla suppressed the urge.
But then, something was off with Matanah, who was holding the artifact.
Thud!
The artifact slipped from Matanah’s grasp, and his eyes turned an eerie shade of red. A strange mark began to spread across his forehead.
Grrrr—
A beast-like growl escaped Matanah’s lips.
“Matanah?”
Scribe Rina noticed the change and moved to approach him.
Before anyone could react, Matanah shot into the air.
Screech!
Without warning, he lunged at Junon, unleashing a flurry of attacks.
Faced with Matanah’s lethal assault, Junon instinctively drew his sword.
Slash—
A sharp strike aimed for Matanah’s neck.