LHAHS Chapter 318
"That's Walden!"
"Walden's here to save us!"
Cheers erupted from Harmony's side.
Nella, still catching her breath from her clash with Leo, muttered quietly as she watched her dormmates celebrate, "I don't think Walden came here specifically to save us…"
Right after she spoke, Walden lifted a hand.
Fwoosh—!
A massive sphere of fire formed above his palm. His specialty—melding magic formulas with elemental arts—was on full display.
"Wow, Walden! Walden!"
Harmony students chanted his name.
Rumble—
"Walden! Walden…"
The cheers faltered as something felt off.
"……" Silence fell over the battlefield as all eyes locked onto Walden.
A knight student from Harmony hesitantly said, "Uh, hey."
"…What."
"Don't you think… that thing's getting way too big?"
"You think so, too? So do I…"
Walden's fireball kept growing, its glow swallowing the battlefield in an eerie red hue. Beads of sweat rolled down the foreheads of every student except Leo.
"N-No way."
"Right, there's no way he'd use a massive area-of-effect attack with so many allies around. Hahaha…"
The knights and mages forced awkward laughs.
The summoning students, however, had already bolted.
"Hurry, run for it!"
"That guy absolutely doesn't care about us when he's launching a huge attack!"
A year of knowing Walden had taught them better.
Seeing their retreat, the knights and magic students finally snapped out of it and scrambled away too.
Nella, as if she expected this, let out a deep sigh and turned to leave too, when she noticed Leo standing there motionless. "Aren't you going to dodge?" she asked.
Leo smiled and casually pointed a finger. "Then should I run that way?"
Harmony's students happened to be evacuating in that exact direction.
Startled, they glanced at him and shouted.
"Hey, don't come here! Stay away!"
"Go somewhere else! Anywhere else!"
"What, you trying to survive by using us as a shield?!"
They gestured frantically toward the Noble students, who immediately started freaking out too.
Leo found it all amusing and turned his attention back to Walden. "Don't mind me, Nella."
Nella, taking that as her cue, dashed toward her Harmony peers.
Walden's colossal flame hurtled toward Leo. Facing the massive, raging fire, Leo gripped his sword tightly.
Hummm—!
Gray aura surged around him, and his eyes flashed as he swung.
Swish—!
A chilling sound sliced through the air.
Fwoom—!
The fireball split cleanly in two.
Boom—!
A thunderous roar shook the battlefield as the flames erupted like a waterfall of fire.
Leo's eyes narrowed. A fusion of Fire and Earth Elementals?
The attack wasn't what he expected. It wasn't explosive magic or a typical elemental combination.
Walden was already preparing another strike.
Gurgle—! Bubbling—!
The fire sank into the ground, then spurted up like a geyser. The battlefield transformed into a sea of molten lava.
Controlling both fire and earth elementals, Walden made the molten flow surge.
Kwagagagagak—!
A wave of magma rose like a tsunami, sending the surrounding students into sheer panic.
"Aaaagh! We'll be swept away!"
"Run, run!"
Walden had complete control over the battlefield's terrain. This was no longer a battle, it was a natural disaster.
Leo's gaze followed the tidal wave of molten rock rushing toward him.
"He's a monster, all right."
Squelch—!
The lava swallowed him whole.
"Amazing! Harmony dorm's Walden Tiden! Can this really be second-year level elemental arts?!"
Runeba Tess, a fourth-year summoning student known for her energetic commentary, practically sprayed saliva as she shouted into the mic.
"Professor Sedgen, you're the overall supervisor of the second years—how do you rate Walden's elemental arts?"
"So elegant!"
"Wow! Even the great Professor Sedgen is rarely so generous with praise!"
Rina, propping her chin on her hand, grumbled, "Huh, he's always using the word 'elegant.' What's he even talking about?"
Next to her, a beautiful young woman toyed with her hair and replied, "Runeba is just good at making things sound fancy."
In her capacity as the vice chair of the board, Elena was assisting Principal Rina.
Meanwhile, sitting beside them, Haviden, the deputy mayor of Lumeria City, wore a sleep eye mask, his head tilted back as he napped while he nearby royal VIPs looked on in bewilderment.
"Could you tell our audience how outstanding Walden is?"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Walden is one of my proudest protégés, someone I, Sedgen, trained with my utmost care!"
"Erm… as I recall, Walden was not under Professor Sedgen's supervision last year…"
"Who cares! He's studying with me now, so he's my student! Walden! Hurry and punish that detestable Leo Plo—gack! Grrk!"
"S-Sir, you have to remain neutral as the commentator…"
"Harrid's puppet Leo Plo—rk-!"
The broadcast cut off abruptly.
The entire audience froze.
"We apologize for the technical difficulties." Harrid's cold voice echoed over the speakers.
By then, Sedgen was being dragged away by other professors.
Among the stands, aristocrats and royals from all over sat watching. In normal circumstances, such a public scandal would have been disastrous.
The first-year students trembled, worried about what would happen next. The third, fourth, and fifth years, however, remained unbothered.
"My boy is disliked by professors, isn't he?" Reina asked.
"Aw, disliked? Actually, they adore him," Yura giggled as she massaged Reina's shoulders.
"Senior Reina, have a cup of top-grade black tea I cultivated using magic." Len elegantly poured Reina a cup, raising a hand to signal to someone.
Anna approached, her expression grim. "I baked these cookies."
"Oh my, thank you."
"…Professor Len, everyone's watching."
"Assistant Professor Anna, mark my words: hospitality is vital for advancing magic."
Anna sighed. He never acts like this when other guests come…
"Hey, Carlo, why are you late?"
"…You expect me to fetch supplies from Phantom Beast Island in just ten minutes?"
Carlo, Yura's assistant, arrived, looking miserable as he presented fruit from the island.
"Senior Reina, skip those cookies and try these fruits. You know how rare Phantom Beast Island fruit is!"
"Oh my, thank you." Reina laughed behind her hand, then tilted her head. "But why are you all doing this for me?"
"A cute junior is just showing his respect to a beloved senior, of course."
"Cute…?" Carlo blurted out.
Yura wheedled, and Carlo shrank under her glare.
"Yes! Ever since Reina-senpai graduated, I've never forgotten you."
Anna sighed heavily, "…Professor Len, that's a dangerous statement."
Still, Len remained unfazed.
"So, what do you want?" Reina asked.
"It's about magic's future and Leo's."
"Senior Reina, Leo must focus on summoning. Sure, you were from the knight department, but that shouldn't stop him! Just look at him! Even though he's got Zerdinger blood, he's the Phoenix's contractor!"
"Huh, your argument's not bad either." Reina smiled. "But I suddenly want some ice cream from Lumeria City."
The moment she said it, Yura and Len bolted off without a second thought.
Watching them, Aine muttered, "They're a disgrace to Lumene's faculty."
Anna and Carlo couldn't argue.
Putting all the annoying people to work, Reina turned back to the magic screen, her eyes gleaming. "That Walden kid is remarkable."
"If not for Leo, he'd definitely be the strongest second-year. He's notorious for a reason."
"I see. Even though I've retired, I'd heard his name."
Watching Walden standing in the middle of a sea of lava, Reina nodded.
"But of course…" Ain, watching the screen intently, muttered without looking away. "Your son is more of a monster."
A gasp spread through the entire audience.
In the middle of the lava ocean, Leo remained standing, with Fiora, the phoenix, perched on his forearm.
The lava churned, yet Leo stood calmly in the center.
Not even that is enough to take him down, huh. Walden narrowed his eyes. Leo was unscathed amid the molten sea.
He let out a snort and flexed his hand. Leo Plov.
Walden Tiden. Born in the southern desert nation of Dolian, a land known for its elemental summoners, Walden had risen from a lower-class child with talent to someone the kingdom needed to survive.
His rapid ascent had made him a target, with nobles seeking to eliminate him before he could challenge their authority. By the time he was fourteen, having summoned a high-level elemental, he was no longer just a threat—he was an irreplaceable asset.
Still, that wasn't enough.
Being strong made people wary, but being the strongest made them kneel.
At Lumene, he had believed he would rise to the top again.
But then…
Along came Leo Plov.
Before he even realized it, that man had left him far behind.
Even Walden had to admit that Leo was stronger than him right now. Even so, he refused to give up on his dream of being the strongest.
Fwoosh—!
Leo's aura intensified, feeding Fiora's flames. Walden felt Leo wresting control of his own fire.
If I'm not the strongest, then…
Fwoosh—
A colossal sphere of flame appeared, this time aimed directly at Walden.
I'll challenge that strongest with everything I have.
Goooong—!
Walden's aura surged, and Leo's eyes twitched at the sight.
Rumble—!
The ground quaked violently.
Kwagagagagang—!
The earth itself seemed to roar. The battlefield erupted.
Gwooooh!
A deep, guttural howl echoed through the air.
A massive giant of rock swung its arm, seizing Fiora's flames.
Kwagagagagagang—!
The earth rumbled as the fire scattered. It was a living cataclysm. Walden stood atop an upturned section of ground, his expression firm. The colossal giant of earth bellowed at the sky.
Leo's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this at all.
"An Elemental Lord?"