LHAHS Chapter 327
Flames surged from Celia's sword. Watching her, Chloe swung her staff. The blue orb at its tip glowed sharply.
"Ice Storm."
A blast of frigid wind roared forth. The icy gusts from her staff neutralized Celia's flames.
Boom!
At the same time, the magical turrets atop the walls unleashed fire. Celia swiftly stepped into her aura stance. Flames flickered at her feet. With each step, she left behind fiery afterimages, like the flapping wings of a phoenix.
Phoenix Step.
One of the signature aura footwork techniques of the Zerdinger family.
The spot Celia had just left was instantly bombarded by a massive wave of magical artillery.
Currently, Harmony and Noble were spearheading their attack on Glory's base with Celia and Duran at the forefront. Glory, facing a numerical disadvantage, was pouring all its strength into defense. However, both Harmony and Noble had also committed everything to breaking through Glory's stronghold.
"Magic cannon, ready to fire!"
"Ready!"
"Fire!"
Whoosh! Boom!
The magic students from Harmony and Noble had even crafted siege weapons, determined to breach Glory's walls.
Even though they were still students, they were cadets at the Hero Academy. If this were anywhere outside Lumene, they possessed enough firepower to shatter fortress walls with ease.
Had the defenders not also been Lumene students, the barriers would have crumbled in an instant.
"If we break down the walls, we win!"
"That's right! Once we get inside…"
A brilliant blue light flashed across the sky.
"It's Chloe's Ice Breath! Everyone, fall back!"
Crash!
From the magic circle floating midair, a cold mist poured out.
A male student from Noble's magic department, who had been commanding the artillery, shouted in alarm.
Crack, crack!
"You tell everyone else to dodge, but you're just standing there?!"
"Healer! Healeeeer!"
As the frozen student stood there, encased in ice, his classmates screamed.
At that moment, Nella stepped forward and released her aura.
Hum!
Her healing aura wrapped around him, but he was already marked as eliminated and was sent back to the base.
"He's dead."
"Damn it!"
"That wicked ice witch!"
"We won't let your sacrifice be in vain!"
The students of Harmony and Noble dramatically acted out the situation as if their comrade had actually died.
Nella, watching the scene unfold, tilted her head in curiosity. "The magic students sure know how to have fun."
Despite her words, her expression turned serious as she looked up at Chloe on the walls.
"As long as Chloe holds out, we won't be able to cross the walls."
Nella then turned to Celia.
She wasn't the only one.
Among all the students here, Celia was the only one capable of facing Chloe.
Duran, on the other hand, had already been locked in a one-on-one duel with Chen Xia. The fierce exchange of aura and combat energy between them was so intense that no one dared approach.
As the students' gazes focused on her, Celia tightened her grip on her sword.
"I'll handle it somehow."
A cheer erupted from all around.
"As expected of the top student in the knight department!"
"Celia's flames can overpower Chloe's ice magic! She's the strongest among our peers!"
Carl had assigned Celia to the assault on Glory's base precisely because, in terms of elemental advantage, she had a clear upper hand.
However, hearing the students' praise, Celia gave a wry smile.
…The strongest flames.
She had already been overwhelmed by Leo's fire once.
Will my flames even work against Chloe?
Gritting her teeth, Celia stepped forward toward the wall.
For now… I have no choice but to face her head-on.
Fwoosh!
She kicked off the ground and charged toward the fortress.
"It's Celia!"
"Celia is coming!"
The students defending Glory's walls shouted urgently as they saw Celia clad in flaming aura rushing toward them.
"Focus fire on Celia!"
"If we don't stop her, the wall might collapse in one blow!"
Magic bombardments from the turrets and spells from the magic students poured down toward Celia.
Summoned beasts and elementals also concentrated their attacks on her.
Fwoosh! Crack!
Celia stomped the ground, activating her aura step.
Flash! Fwoosh!
She streaked toward the wall like a fiery comet, leaving behind a blazing trail.
Boom!
She dodged every attack in her path.
"S-She's too fast!"
"Is that the kind of movement top-ranking knight students are capable of?!"
Her movements were almost supernatural, and the attacks she couldn't avoid—she simply deflected with her sword.
Watching her, Chloe began chanting.
Hum!
Glittering ice crystals formed in the sky, quickly transforming into razor-sharp ice spikes that rained down toward Celia.
Celia's crimson eyes glowed.
"Crimson Wing."
A crimson, wing-shaped aura flared from the tip of her sword. As she swung her blade, a massive wave of fire surged forward, evaporating the ice spikes.
Fwoosh!
Tack!
Having swept away Chloe's attack, Celia landed on the fortress wall. Without stopping, she sprinted up its surface, dashing toward the top.
"Ahhh!"
"Isn't that basically cheating?!"
The Glory students defending the wall clutched their heads and screamed as they watched Celia move.
Whoosh!
Dashing up the wall, Celia reached Chloe in an instant.
"Prepare yourself, Chloe."
With a sharp shout, Celia swung her sword. Just as her flame-wrapped blade was about to strike…
Flash! Clang!
A white flash and a longsword blocked Celia's attack.
"Heh, I can't let you lay a hand on our Ice Queen so easily."
Eliana, who had intercepted Celia's blade, smirked.
"The Radiant Swordmaster, protector of our Queen, Eliana, has arrived! Bow before me, all of you!"
The knight students of Glory, assigned to protect Chloe, let out cheers.
"Ooooh!"
"Eliana!"
"She may be simple-minded, but at times like this, she's reliable!"
"Who just called me simple-minded?!"
Eliana shouted in outrage before turning back to Celia with a grin.
"As long as I'm here, you won't lay a finger on Chloe— EEEK!"
Celia pressed forward, putting more force into her blade.
Fwoooosh!
Flames erupted from Celia's body, burning with an intimidating heat. Eliana panicked and shouted.
"Guys! Help me!"
"Ugh, I was a fool to believe in her!"
"Form up! Protect Chloe!"
The knight students of Glory attacked Celia.
Using the distraction, Eliana slipped away and began chanting a spell.
A magic swordsman's true strength lay in the harmony of aura and magic.
If Eliana were fighting at full power, even Celia wouldn't be able to handle her easily. However, if she relied solely on swordsmanship, the story was different.
"Time to show you my trump card."
Eliana smirked and summoned a shield from her subspace.
For the Sub Weapon exam in the knight department's midterms, Eliana had chosen a shield.
"A shield is your trump card?" Celia asked with a puzzled look.
Eliana gave her a mysterious smile.
"Of course not!"
As Celia narrowed her eyes, Eliana proudly puffed out her chest.
"This shield is an Ego Weapon crafted from my own personality. It's my familiar."
Eliana grinned.
"I added a function to assist my spell chanting! With this, I can cast spells even faster!"
The knight students watching were stunned.
"She actually made such a complex familiar?"
"No way!"
"Heh! Be amazed all you want!"
Eliana declared proudly.
"She's not just a fool after all!"
"Do you think a fool could use magic?"
"She's a smart fool!"
"What the hell is a smart fool?!"
Eliana's eyes twitched as she yelled in frustration.
Fwoooosh!
At that moment, flames surged around Celia.
"You're in the way."
Celia narrowed her eyes.
"Move."
BOOOOM!
A pillar of fire erupted atop the wall.
Celia's crimson eyes gleamed as she scanned for prey. The surrounding students had all been eliminated.
The only one still standing was Eliana, barely managing to stay in front of Chloe.
Tap!
Celia dashed toward Chloe.
Eliana, gripping her shield tightly, charged forward to intercept her.
Clang! Clang!
"Guh!"
Eliana staggered as she blocked Celia's attack.
Close combat is too disadvantageous for me!
As a magic swordsman, Eliana needed to maintain distance. But with Chloe behind her, retreat wasn't an option.
"Haaah!"
Eliana desperately swung her sword.
Fwoosh!
For a moment, she thought she had landed a hit on Celia.
But all she struck was the lingering afterimage of flames.
Grinding her teeth, Eliana quickly tried to swing her shield backward.
Slash!
Celia's blade sliced across Eliana's back.
"Gaaah!"
Eliana tumbled to the ground.
At that moment…
Crackling!
Chloe completed her spell and unleashed it.
"Wha—?!"
Celia immediately backed off.
A wave of ice engulfed the area, freezing everything in its path.
Chloe smiled as she faced Celia.
Celia steadied her grip on her sword.
"Haaah!"
Fwoooosh!
Flames erupted, surrounding Chloe.
Seeing this, Chloe struck the ground with her staff.
Whoosh!
A wall of ice rose, scattering Celia's flames.
She didn't even chant?
Celia's eyes narrowed.
"Your familiar?"
"Yep. A slime specialized in defensive magic that protects me."
Chloe stretched out her hand, and shards of ice formed at her fingertips.
Celia gritted her teeth, then tightened her grip on her sword. Aura flared violently from her body.
Fwoooosh!
Chloe chanted her spell.
Fwoooosh!
Celia closed the distance in an instant.
Crack!
"Ice won't stop me!"
Jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground in front of Celia, but with a single slash, they melted away.
"Ice Bolt."
Chloe instantly conjured hundreds of ice bolts and fired them at Celia.
Celia's eyes glinted.
Boom!
Flames surged.
Celia burned away all of Chloe's magic and lunged forward with her sword.
Got her—
Crunch!
Her blade pierced through Chloe's chest.
At that moment, Chloe smiled and grabbed Celia's hand.
Damn! An ice clone!
One of Chloe's signature techniques, the ice clone, exploded and froze Celia's body in an instant.
I got caught…
Celia lowered her head.
Watching her, Chloe spoke.
"You're not using Flame Storm?"
The sword Celia was holding wasn't Flame Storm but an ordinary rapier. Though it was a masterfully crafted blade, it couldn't compare to her treasured weapon.
Celia clenched her teeth.
"This isn't like you."
"What?"
"The Celia I know was always confident and never backed down from any challenge."
Chloe smiled softly.
"Mature, dependable, and someone I admired even as a friend. As class president, I worked hard to be someone you wouldn't be ashamed of."
Celia bit her lip.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Was losing to Leo really that much of a shock?"
Celia lowered her head.
Defeating Celia in this state was easy.
But Chloe didn't want to win like that.
Back in their first year, Celia had always been someone Chloe could rely on whenever things got tough as class president. Even though they were in rival dormitories, that didn't change.
Now it's my turn to lift her up.
A year ago, after the first semester midterms, if Celia hadn't been there, Chloe might have crumbled.
They were meant to be opponents.
But we're still students.
As a close friend, Chloe didn't want to leave Celia in despair. She understood the crushing feeling of hopelessness that Leo's overwhelming presence could bring.
"Celia, you have your own…"
"Aha! So that's what's going on! I knew something was off—turns out you were just scared of the class president!"
Eliana, who had barely escaped a death ruling, suddenly stood up. She nodded sagely, as if she understood everything.
"I don't feel intimidated by the class president at all! But Celia gets scared, huh?"
Placing her hands on her hips, Eliana burst into laughter.
"Well, it can't be helped! Even the great Celia is equal before the class president! But to actually be scared—pfft! Even the perfect honor student has a cute side!"
As usual, Eliana was being her usual loud self.
"Well, if that's the case, then it's a complete victory for us, Glory!"
Snorting smugly, Eliana grinned while Celia lowered her head.
"Who… did you just call a coward?"
"Huh?"
Celia's crimson eyes glowed dangerously from her shadowed face.
Fwoooosh!
"I've never been scared of anything!"
Furious, Celia's body erupted in intense heat.
"Eeek?"
Eliana recoiled in fear.
With a flushed face, Celia drew Flame Storm from its sheath.
Fwoooosh!
Seeing the rekindled blaze, Eliana quickly hid behind Chloe.
"W-why is she acting like this all of a sudden?!"
"…Well done. Not exactly what I intended, but at least she snapped out of it."
Chloe let out a wry chuckle as she watched Eliana successfully provoke Celia.
"Prominence!"
Celia unleashed her aura with full force.
Chloe's face grew slightly more serious.
"…She might have regained a little too much energy."
Normally, Celia was composed and rational, a model honor student. But once she lost her temper, she would become reckless. Knowing this, Chloe sighed and gently pushed Eliana forward.
"Huh? Huh?"
"I'm counting on you, Eliana."
"For what?"
"Friend Shield."
Chloe smiled like a mischievous witch while Eliana's face twisted into despair.
At that moment…
Rumble!
"What now?!"
Eliana's eyes widened.
A tidal wave surged toward them.
The students defending Glory's stronghold and those fiercely attacking it all froze in shock.
"Damn it! If anyone would pull something like this…"
Celia grit her teeth while Chloe sighed.
"Who else could it be?"
BOOOOM!
The massive tidal wave swallowed the battlefield.
Watching the battlefield turn into a flood zone, Eliza furrowed her brows.
What a monster.
As a summoner, she could tell just how absurd Leo's elemental magic was.
While Eliza was warily observing Leo, he raised his hand.
The moment he did, the four of them tensed.
Crackle!
A pure white spark flickered at Leo's fingertips.
Realizing what it was, Eliza let out a dry laugh.
"If this is a nightmare… please wake me up."
Flash! BOOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck Leo's hand.
As the white light dissipated, a radiant white horse emerged.
Seated upon the majestic steed, Leo smirked.
"Now, shall we begin Phase Two?"