Chapter 109: Friendly Mock Battle (5) |
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The base of the Arsene faction.
Since the battle commenced, Ulan had not diverted his gaze from the screen.
Among those fighting, he was particularly paying attention to a former comrade from his past life, the Paladin Ian Marcus.
'He's hiding his strength.'
The fact that he wasn't using his holy power was proof of that.
Ian was in the realm of an Expert, but if he pushed his holy power to the limit, he could use the power of a Master for a short time.
However, even though he was hiding his strength, he didn't show any signs of being pushed back. It was rather Arsene's attack force that was being pushed back.
The battle will surely end in Ian's victory.
No sooner had he finished his guess than—
[Rand Philius: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 8]
—the hunter, Rand Philius, who had been holding Ian in check while firing arrows, had his bead shattered.
Only Iris and Ibella remained.
Realizing the situation was turning increasingly unfavorable, he immediately spoke to Cliff.
"Do you need my help?"
"......."
"It seems it's time to switch out."
Still, there was no response.
However, he had not been silent the entire time.
Before Rand was eliminated, he had been conversing with someone while clutching the bracelet.
And at that moment...
…Ian grabbed Ibella by the throat.
[Ibella Elearde: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 7]
Ibella writhed, clutching at her stomach and rolling on the ground. Witnessing this, Iris abruptly withdrew, her intentions unclear. Was she planning to flee?
Just as he was thinking about it…
—Ulan Bator!
…a loud voice echoed across the battlefield.
The Iris on the screen suddenly called out his name. She was shouting with all her might, veins popping in her neck.
—If you are watching this video, please switch out with the defense force's combatants and come to the battlefield! We need your help!
With Iris's call for assistance…
…Cliff's face suddenly crumpled, "Tsk, useless effort..."
His expression clearly showed his displeasure; he clicked his tongue disapprovingly and said to Ulan, who was trying to leave the base, "Stop, barbarian."
"......?"
"You cannot leave here."
"What do you mean?"
"You are part of the base's defense force. Don't even think about stepping out of here."
"But Iris asked for my help..."
"It seems you didn't understand my words."
After furrowing his brows again, Cliff glared at Ulan, "No matter what, you cannot go outside. That was the condition of the student council for participating in the mock battle."
"Student Council? A condition?"
"Didn't Iris tell you?"
No, he hadn't heard.
After all, he had only learned about the student council's participation in the mock battle that very morning.
Seeing Ulan's bewildered reaction, Cliff sneered as if he had guessed the situation, "Well, I can understand Iris's feelings. As the young lady of the Seniore family, she probably didn't want to talk to a barbarian like you for long."
As his mocking reply ended, the sight of Iris collapsing came into view.
[Iris Seniore: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 6]
The attack force was now completely wiped out.
Ulan's eyes narrowed.
While he didn't understand why Cliff was blocking him, he could no longer hesitate. If he didn't act, he might lose without being able to do anything.
So, ignoring Cliff, he immediately tried to leave the base, heading to the defense line to switch with someone.
But there was a problem.
"If you leave, I leave too," Cliff declared, standing together with Ulan at the entrance. With an air of readiness to leave the stronghold at any moment, he casually tapped the entrance with his foot.
"Even the most foolish barbarian should understand what happens if the base is empty, right?"
"......."
Ulan, who was about to leave the base, fell silent.
Why on earth was he doing this? He furrowed his brows at Cliff's incomprehensible words and actions, "Why would you go that far...would you be so......."
"I simply despise you."
At that moment.
Cliff cut off Ulan's words, "The fact that I have to attend the same academy as a barbarian like you is utterly repulsive." A disdainful sentiment evident in his azure eyes, as if scanning Ulan's form up and down as if it were filthy muck, "I'm not alone in this. I'm sure all the other students feel the same way. They're just too intimidated by your fists to voice their complaints."
[Emil Dirbel: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 5]
"It should have been you leaving the academy, not Himmel Deorg. You're an abomination in Arsene, the epitome of filth!"
[Dilia Arpen: Dead]
[Camilla Tanesia: Dead]
[Arsene Remaining Forces: 3]
The Arsene forces were rapidly dwindling.
Cliff, on the other hand, was unperturbed. Ulan, too, no longer watched the video.
They stood at the entrance and Cliff glared at Ulan.
"Know your place, barbarian."
"......."
"You don't belong with Arsene."
After growling menacingly, his foot tapped the entrance again, "So, I'll kindly ask you to leave Arsene. Don't sully its reputation anymore. If you refuse..." I'll make you want to leave. Cliff smiled grimly.
There were many ways to do that.
Even the commoner students he had expelled so far numbered in the double digits. Expelling a barbarian without any backing would be a piece of cake.
'No matter how much of an expert you are, if you're publicly disgraced and your reputation plummets, you won't be able to endure it.'
Cliff smiled with satisfaction.
But it was only for a moment when he noticed something odd.
'What? Why isn't he reacting at all?'
Despite the sharp criticism and mockery, Ulan showed no reaction whatsoever. He simply stood there in silence, as if deep in thought.
As if lost in deep contemplation.
Huh? Wait a minute. Lost in thought?
Cliff's eyes widened slightly.
That's when Ulan also opened his eyes wide, "Ah, I see."
"What?"
"Yes, that would work."
Ulan nodded.
Cliff raised an eyebrow, looking as if he'd just come out of a deep thought.
"Don't tell me, all this time, you didn't even..."
"Huh? You've been talking to me?"
"......."
The moment Cliff's suspicion became a reality.
He had a look of disbelief on his face.
Shortly after, his face gradually turned red and then pale; the humiliation of being ignored by a barbarian.
"But listen to this."
Ulan, on the other hand, looked at Cliff, whether he realized it or not.
"I've found a solution."
A clever way to resolve the current situation.
Ulan beamed with pride.
"I'll just keep you from leaving the base."
"......what?"
Cliff looked incredulous.
It was a perfectly obvious solution that anyone could think of.
He had been so preoccupied with coming up with this simple idea that he hadn't even been listening to me? Cliff scrunched up his face and shouted, "Ha! How could you possibly...... me!"
"Are you familiar with totems?"
"What? Totems?"
"They are structures that shamans use to achieve magical purposes."
Of course, he knew that. Cliff was a mage, after all, "And how is that relevant to—"
"If it's relevant, it is." Immediately cutting him off, Ulan pointed his finger at Cliff, "Because from now on, I'm going to make you into a totem." With a completely indifferent tone.
The moment he heard those words—
Shivers!
—goosebumps suddenly broke out all over Cliff’s body.
Instinct frantically began to warn him.
He had to get away from this place immediately. Realizing this, Cliff urgently cried out, "Don't come any closer!"
After reciting a defensive spell he had prepared in advance, he grabbed his mana bead. Then, he sharply warned, as if threatening, "If you take one more step, I'll shatter my mana bead!"
This way, Ulan wouldn't be able to move so recklessly either. If the bead broke, it would be equivalent to a portion of the base' defense force vanishing.
And there was one more thing.
He had leverage to use as a threat.
"Afterwards, I'll reveal that your assault caused the bead to shatter! Then the one in trouble..." Will be you. That's what Cliff had intended to say.
But he couldn't finish the sentence. Apparently, the tactile sensation of the bead he had just felt had vanished like smoke.
"......Huh?" Cliff blinked, dumbfounded.
A little while later...
…he wore an astonished expression.
Ulan, who had approached from this side, was now holding Cliff's mana bead in his hand.
"Wh-What?! When did you—! Gah!" Just as he was about to shout in surprise, Cliff let out a piercing scream.
A large palm clutched his face in a vicious grip; the next instant, he felt an immense crushing force.
Wracked with pain that felt like his face would burst, Cliff struggled and screamed, "Aaaargh! Ugh! Gah!"
But it was a futile struggle; the more he struggled, the harder Ulan's grip on his face tightened.
Meanwhile, Ulan walked on wordlessly.
A moment later, he was in the center of the hut. The center of the hut, where Arsene's banner had been planted.
"This should be about right."
Ulan nodded quietly.
Cliff wanted to scream and ask what he was planning to do to him.
But at that moment.
Suddenly, the world flipped upside down. And before he could even wonder about the abrupt situation—
Craaash!
—a powerful force struck his head.
Along with the dizzying sensation of being struck by lightning, his vision was instantly engulfed in blackness.
Cliff lost consciousness.
* * * * *
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The hut was filled with a thick cloud of dust.
It was due to the ceiling dust pouring down from the recent impact. After a moment, when the dust settled, Ulan calmly observed the object in front of him.
"......."
There lay the student council president.
It was Cliff Anton, buried upside down; his upper body, including his head, had been driven into the floor, and only his lower body was exposed.
Ulan tightly tied Cliff's legs together with a rope. He then placed a glowing blue mana bead into Cliff’s belt.
"Now it looks more like a proper totem."
Wearing a satisfied smile, he recalled the rules of this mock battle.
'Each faction's base must have...'
…at least two members. If there is a change in personnel, depending on the situation, a grace period may be given or they may be disqualified.
'However, the condition of those members was not specified.'
In other words, as long as Cliff remained in the base, even if he was injured, he would still be recognized as a member.
And the bead was still intact, so Cliff was clearly present as a member here.
"I must say, this is an excellent solution."
To have come up with such a clever solution…
…attending the academy has had its benefits. Ulan felt a sense of pride, as if he had become a bit smarter.
Just then…
…he suddenly felt a presence from outside; followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of someone roughly knocking on the door.
"Ulan! Ulan! Are you in there?!"
A familiar voice that rang in his ears.
As he opened the door, a familiar face appeared.
"Noah?"
"Yes! I've come to switch out," Noah replied through ragged breaths.
At her words, Ulan chuckled.
The timing was perfect. He had been about to go out and look for Noah.
"So, hurry up... Oh, my goodness!"
And then Noah was startled.
She had noticed Cliff Anton, buried upside down on the floor. Letting out a short scream, she pointed at him with a shocked expression, "Wh-What is that?"
"Cliff Anton."
"Ah, the student council president. I thought it was some kind of totem or something."
After briefly nodding her head, Noah's eyes narrowed, "You didn't... kill him, did you?"
"I didn't."
"But his upper body is buried in the floor!"
"But he's still breathing."
Well, then it was not a problem.
Noah nodded.
"As long as he's alive, that's all that matters. But hurry, go to the battlefield! I'll stay here and guard the banner, along with the totem, I mean, the student council president."
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?"
"It might be tough, but I'll do my best. I don't want to lose like this, you know?"
That's true.
Losing without doing anything was not the outcome Ulan wanted.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."
"Okay! Oh, by the way, do you have any kind of strategy?"
"Strategy?"
"Judging by your response, I guess not," Noah laughed sheepishly.
Ulan shook his head at that, "No, if you mean strategy, I do have one."
"Oh, really, what is it?"
"Well, that's..."
Just as he was about to answer the question, a sudden loud noise was heard.
Crash! Bang!
The door flew off its hinges.
Followed by uninvited guests entering the base. Two young men, shielding themselves with divine barriers.
They were the attack force from Eloden.
"We have found the Arsene banner!"
"Great! Secure the banner first!"
The young students were filled with excitement.
However, they made a mistake.
They became so fixated on the flag that they tardily noticed Ulan's presence. Of course, even if they had spotted him first, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
Boom!
An explosion loud enough to tear the eardrums echoed.
As Ulan extended his fist, an intense shockwave swept through like a storm. And it struck the defenseless two students head-on.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
With violent tremors, as if an earthquake had occurred, the two were blasted out of the base.
[Denver Gordo: Dead]
[Robern Krach: Dead]
[Eloden Remaining Forces: 8]
The two, unable even to let out a scream, lost consciousness.
Having swiftly subdued the attack force, Ulan turned to Noah. He then completed the answer he had intended to give earlier, "This is my strategy."
"...And what is that?"
"To destroy anything that stands in my way."
"No, that's a bit..."
Isn't that strategy too simple?
But she couldn't bring herself to voice it. Ulan had already disappeared outside the base.
Whoosh!
As a fierce wind collided head-on, Noah silently gazed down the hill.
Soon, the Eloden attack force ascending the hill came into view. Among them was a familiar face.
"Ian."
And even Laurea.
Meanwhile, their faces has stiffened.
As if they had seen something terrifying.
After a moment, without waiting for the other, they began to back away, their faces turning deathly pale.
There was only one reason for this — they were terrified to meet Ulan charging towards them, driving the ground beneath him.
"Iaaaan―!"
A cry filled with joyous emotion.
Ulan was genuinely thrilled at the prospect of fighting alongside his former comrades from his past life. Without hesitation, he rushed down the hill, his heart filled with pure happiness.
End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .
Translator's Notes:-
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