"Hmm."Serene smiled.The Legion's skeletons and corpse spiders surrounded her without a gap. Though she was overwhelmingly outnumbered 27:2, she showed no sign of agitation."Well, this is also enjoyable entertainment. I'll humor you, Commander."She extended a slender, long index finger straight out.Shhh.An unusual pure white feather appeared on her fingertip. Simon focused intently, observing her every move.'That's Serene's unique ability.'A power that only a select few chosen beings on this continent obtain.It was neither dark magic, nor divine magic, nor pure magic, but an 'out-of-spec' superpower. It was on a completely different level from the Black Hand that Haren Koke used. She lightly curled the feather in her hand and threw it.'Fast!'Simon gritted his teeth, pulled out his shortsword, and swung it.Clang!Metal and feather collided, but it was the metal that shattered. Still, the feather's direction was barely deflected, grazing Simon's cheek slightly before embedding itself in a tree behind him.Thump!In that brief moment, Simon felt a burning pain like being consumed in a sulfurous hell before returning to reality.It was less than a second, but every cell and organ system in his body reacted, pouring out endorphins for pain relief.'What is this?'Cold sweat streamed down his back. Serene said,"This is my power. I can imbue this feather with emotions."Simon looked back.The tree where the feather was embedded was twisting its branches. As if feeling its entire body being gnawed by pests, the trunk synthesized pest-repelling substances and created a scent to attract natural predators, scattering it into the air.Simon smelled a pungent, tree-sap-like odor. If the plant kingdom reacted like this..."Primary emotions like joy, anger, and pleasure, as well as fear, desire for domination, and lethargy—anything is possible."She conjured new feathers in her hand. Six feathers danced above her palm."If the opponent is human, just one feather can make them crawl like a dog. Want to see?"The full-scale offensive began.Feathers flew at a terrifying speed, and Simon, startled, leaped to evade them. A loud sound echoed each time a feather struck the ground.Shhh!She directly held one of the feathers that bloomed from her fingertip. The feather turned pitch black and shot out at more than twice the previous speed.The black feather reflected in Simon's eyes just as he landed.Crack!At that moment, Pier leaped in front of Simon and split the feather with his greatsword.[Kuhuhu! Are you alright?]"As expected, the reaction speed of an Ancient Undead is terrifying~"Serene muttered. Pier readjusted his pure white greatsword.[What will you do, boy?]Simon stood up with a serious expression."I'll fight."No sooner had he finished speaking than Pier's body shot forward like an arrow.Serene grinned and threw a feather.Pier's body flashed, rising upwards, then sharply changing angle and slashing downwards. She held the feather in her other hand above her head.Kagagagagagagak!Sword and feather collided, emitting violent sparks. The feather had already transformed into a defensive magic circle."I've been wandering around without much thought, but I never expected to face an Ancient Undead here, did I?"[Hmph!]Fierce flames erupted in Pier's eyes.Boom!Pier's greatsword tore through the defensive formation, and Serene used the opening to retreat.'Web!'Simon's eyes widened, and the corpse spiders scattered around simultaneously shot out webs.She calmly evaded with graceful steps, her hands clasped behind her back. Her movements were as if she was slightly floating in the air.'Spearmen, advance!'Whoosh!Skeletons ambushed in the bushes thrust their spears. Five spears passed through where Serene's torso had been, but she evaded by lying flat on the ground."How troublesome."Pababababak!Feathers that bloomed from her body shattered all the surrounding skeletons. As she rose again, Pier's mountain-like slash descended upon her from behind.Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!A precise, relentless combination.As Serene escaped the firepower by fleeing into the air, corpse spiders, moving like pendulums, rushed at her from front and back. Serene, nimbly sending feathers to shoot down the spiders, ascended higher into the air.'As expected, imbuing feathers with emotions isn't her only ability.'Simon, watching, bit his lip."As expected, a Legion Commander is on a different level!"Serene waved her hand like a conductor. The bodies of the feathers, fluttering in the wind, disintegrated into jet black, and the jet black transformed into magic circles.More than twenty multi-casts, which would make even active Necromancers gasp, were merely a flick of her wrist.Each feather was a means of attack, a conduit for emotion, and a magic circle.Raising twenty magic circles, she smiled."Dark Flare.""......What?"Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!Twenty black flames unleashed from the magic circles devastated the ground. The bodies of the skeletons and corpse spiders were unilaterally blown apart by the overwhelming firepower.Thud!Simon narrowly avoided a direct hit, but more than half of his barrier gauge was gone.'......All of that was Dark Flare? That's impossible!'Special Case #2, Serene Eindark, had already far surpassed the level of a student.[How lukewarm.]It was then. Pier, who had flown into the sky, appeared behind Serene.Kwoooosh!With a shockwave, her body fell to the ground. And even faster, Pier, who had already landed and was waiting, swung his greatsword.Bang!Serene blocked it by transforming a feather into a shield, and Pier continued his assault like a madman."Kuk!"Serene, sacrificing feathers one after another to block, retreated far back and spread her palm.Feathers fluttering in various places in the air transformed into pitch-black magic circles, surrounding Pier.[Hoo-ooh!]Pier's eyes flashed.The pure white greatsword transformed into a single trajectory, leaving countless sword paths in the air. Soon, the magic circles that densely covered the sky were all torn apart.[You have indeed surpassed the level of a student!]Pier kicked the ground and leaped up.[But you are still just a student!]The pure white greatsword descended as if to cleave Serene's forehead.Stop."You fell for it."The greatsword stopped by a hair's breadth. Twenty feathers were embedded in various parts of Pier's body."I lured your attack and then raised the feathers I had already laid on the ground."She approached with light steps and tapped his skull with her finger.But Pier showed no reaction."Twenty Feathers of Lethargy. Originally, my power wouldn't work on undead, but you're an Ancient Undead, so you survived. A being that has existed for a long time, capable of thinking and feeling like a human."She turned her head to look at Simon."Now~ Commander? Your best card has been sealed. Now......."Simon grinned."That's just your wishful thinking."[Hehe! Kuhuhuhu!]Hearing Pier's laughter, Serene turned around.The feathers attached to Pier's body were falling off with a 'thud' sound.[Indeed, I possess emotions, girl! But to be swayed by mere trifles like this!]Kugugugugugugu!Dark blue jet black erupted from Pier's body as if exploding.[My will! Is not weak!!]Pier, having overcome Serene's power with sheer willpower, gripped his greatsword tightly.Serene quickly retreated, sending feathers to deploy defensive magic circles.[No more holding back! Die!]Pier's greatsword scattered light in all directions.<Fierce Night>Kwoooosh!The slash tore the world in half, causing a massive explosion. It was larger than any of Pier's slashes Simon had ever seen.'Kuk!'Trees and plants were uprooted by the fierce backdraft.Simon covered his face with his arm and stared straight ahead.'......Pier! You really can't kill her! She's the Ivory Tower's successor!'[You worry too much.]Pier said, shouldering his greatsword.[That's a monster beyond your imagination.]Kugugugu-As Pier said, the smoke cleared, revealing Serene.Simon was surprised. Three wings were attached to her left shoulder. "It's been a long time since I've shown this form."And only one pair of wings. There were no wings on the opposite right side.This was the true nature of her ability. The wave of jet black emanating from her was incomparable to before.'Pier. Can you use that technique one more time?'[Kuhuhu! Of course!]'If I distract Serene.......'"But us."Serene pointed behind her and said,"Are we going to keep fighting like this?"Simon's eyes widened.Pier's previous slash had cracked Serene's barrier around them. Once the collapse began, the barrier crumbled entirely with cracking sounds.This was troublesome. With the barrier broken, they were now within the Observers' line of sight.'Damn it, return!'Simon pulled an imaginary lever.The Legion's skeletons and corpse spiders that had surrounded Serene swiftly entered his subspace.Serene, perhaps judging that showing her wings was not good, also concealed them back into her body.'Pier, you go in too.'[Me too?]Pier's expression hardened.[It's not just about revealing my identity! That woman's feathers have the power to easily turn a human into a cripple!]'It's fine. I have a plan.'Simon fiddled with the artifact necklace around his neck, the one Neptis had given him.'I'll leave the subspace open. Go in for now, and if I'm ever in danger, please come out.'[Hmm, be careful!]Pier also entered the subspace, and Serene's barrier completely vanished. Perhaps because the surroundings were devastated, the Observers in the sky began to move around."Phew."Now only Simon and Serene remained. Simon lightly adjusted his school uniform tie."This way, your 'last option' is out of the question, isn't it?"The option of eliminating Simon and burying the Legion so no one else could obtain it was now impossible. Kizen's watchful eyes were wide open, observing them."That's true. Then how about this?"Serene plucked a feather and placed it on her cheek."I'll play with you as I please out of spite, and you'll be out of the exam. I'll erase your memories.""Ha."A breeze blew. A single feather fluttered down and landed with a soft thud at Simon's feet.-You will have a painful Kizen life from now on.The feather transformed into a magic circle, and her voice was heard.-Unexplainable misfortunes will pile up. You'll fail exams, mess up practical evaluations, and then get expelled from Kizen. Once their protection ends, I'll come for you. How about it? Isn't this a legal and wise method of persuasion?Simon chuckled, putting his hand on his hip."Stubborn. You've been doing this to other kids too, haven't you?"She blinked, smiling as if asking what he meant.It was obvious. She would make promising talents fail out of school, and then the Ivory Tower would subtly recruit those disheartened students.A method of poaching talent.Of course, it would be problematic if caught, but it probably wouldn't matter to her whether she was expelled from Kizen or not.According to Mei-rin yesterday, Serene was studying here due to a pact with Kizen.Special admission was undoubtedly a huge privilege, but from a diplomatic perspective, the situation was peculiar. A large organization like the Ivory Tower had to send its successor, of all people, to an outside entity.To put it bluntly, it felt like a prince or princess being held hostage.It was only natural for her to dislike Kizen. Serene's goal was probably the complete independence of the Ivory Tower.'I feel like I've gotten involved in something complicated.'Kizen was not just a school.It was a place filled with talents who would one day dominate the Dark Alliance and the continent.To lay the foundation for the continent, to draw the blueprint, various interests and intrigues would be lurking in this school.He would be caught in many power struggles in the future.How would he wisely deal with them each time? It was as if Simon had been given a new challenge."Serene.""Yes.""There are people who won't yield to your methods."Simon slowly took his stance."Your methods only increase your enemies.""How dare you lecture me?"Serene raised her arm. Twenty feathers flowing from her arm fluttered in the wind, gathering towards the center."I am the next Ivory Tower Head. The one who will divide the continent into three and usher in a new era."As she pointed her finger, the feathers flew like bullets.Just as Simon was about to use Jet Black Treading to evade.Whoosh!The air distorted, and someone cut in front of Simon.The person's action was a simple swing, as if shaking off their arm.Bang!With just that.The feathers that had rushed in as if to tear everything apart vanished without a trace."I just heard something interesting-"A pressure that made his entire body tremble just by hearing the voice."Who's getting expelled from Kizen? Who's ending their protection?"With her black hair fluttering, her terrifying red eyes widened."Simon is mine to protect. You, Ivory Tower's dog."A strong candidate for Kizen's next supreme leader, and a rising pillar of the Dark Alliance.Lorraine had entered the fray.
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