Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

Chapter 206

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 206: Jaeger (6)

“Kuek!”

Ronan leaped forward, raising his sword diagonally. The head of the Werelion charging at the forefront soared into the air. Hot blood splattered his face like hot spring water.

“It feels like I’ve gone back to the past.”

Steam rose from the blood-soaked ground. Ronan, recalling his past life, chuckled softly. Fighting with Werewolves in the snowy mountains, he found solace in being covered in their blood to briefly forget the cold. It was before the headless Werelion’s body hit the ground.

“Die, human!”

Thwack! A horn the size of an adult’s thigh tore through the Werelion’s chest and protruded. It was the rhinoceros beastmen charging from behind. Ronan, muttering under his breath, immediately lowered his stance and thrust forward. Swoosh! With a swift motion, his blade created five windholes in the rhinoceros’s neck before withdrawing. Once again, hot blood gushed out as the rhinoceros, with the force to crush mountains, fell over while clutching its neck.

“Ugh…!”

“You fool, stumbling like that all of a sudden!”

The approaching beastmen spat out their perplexity. From their perspective, it was as if a dam suddenly appeared before them. Although there was no one who stumbled, Ronan didn’t miss a single moment of vulnerability they showed. His crimson-stained blade traced a crescent arc. Swish! A storm of sword strikes rained down on the beastmen’ heads.

“Argh!”

“Grrk!”

A deadly blow pierced through brains, breaking through the back of their skulls. Three dead, two injured. Even with precise aiming at their foreheads, seeing them dodge it, it seemed they couldn’t be taken lightly. They were formidable opponents compared to the indigenous people he faced in his past life.

“Show some tenacity, you furry bastards!”

Of course, there was no other option but to cut them all down. Ronan, catching his breath, shouted out his fighting spirit as he swung his sword. It was not so much to build up determination but to divert their attention from Adeshan, who was struggling. Having spent so much mental energy controlling the beastmen, her combat prowess was significantly diminished.

‘She’s a fearsome woman.’

Adeshan was fighting not far away. With her whip made of welded steel pieces, she blocked the approach of the beastmen. From her method of bracing against the wall and engaging in combat, he could see how much she had grown over the past two years.

‘I need to finish this quickly.’

However, their limits would soon be reached. It was regrettable that she couldn’t bring her crossbow due to the necessity of infiltration. As Ronan was in the midst of slashing with his sword—

“Keuk?!”

Suddenly, a dizzying pain struck Ronan’s lower body. As he quickly lowered his head, he saw a Werefox clamped onto his thigh. Particularly small in size, it had approached stealthily, making it impossible for him to notice. With its teeth sunk in, the Werewolf shouted.

“I’ve got him!”

“Good, keep him like that!”

Seizing the opportunity, the other beastmen rushed in. Ronan immediately adjusted his grip on the sword and beheaded the Werefox. Even though its body disappeared, the fox’s head still clung to Ronan’s thigh. It was the stubborn tenacity typical of the race, making Ronan gnash his teeth.

“Damn annoying…!”

Fortunately, he had reflexively strengthened his leg muscles, which saved him. Although it stung and tingled, there was no time to shake it off. In addition to fighting human foes, battle axes and maces were flying towards his head and body, aimed by two hefty Werebears.

“You bastard!”

“Enemy of Kanochi!”

Both were so massive that strength was their forte. Ronan had no idea if Kanochi was the fox that had just died or one of the furry bastards from earlier, but their anger seemed deeply ingrained. While Ronan pondered how to deal with the awkward situation, the movements of the two beastmen swinging their weapons suddenly halted.

“Gruk.”

“Ghek.”

“What?”

Ronan’s eyes widened. The two Werebears, who had been charging dynamically, froze as if turned into statues. As he swung his sword, tracing an ellipse, their heads fell to the ground. From behind, Adeshan’s voice could be heard.

“Ronan… haa, are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

The moment he looked at her face, his doubts were dispelled. The Werebears lying on the ground were still blurred and hazy in their dull gray eyes. It was Adeshan who had taken control of their minds.

“Thank you.”

“There are too many of them. Aren’t you overexerting yourself?”

“I’m used to this… Besides, are you okay, Sunbae? You don’t get along well with these furry bastards.”

“…Yeah. I’m fine.”

She nodded her head, of course, it was a lie. Every time the beastmen’ fangs and claws came at her, she wanted to scream and cower. They were of the same kin as those who had killed her mother and brothers. If she said otherwise, it would be a lie.

However, she couldn’t retreat. If she continued to be crushed under the shadow of the past, she wouldn’t even reach the rank of a general, let alone surpassing it as she once dreamed. She didn’t want to waste her talent until the day she died, which she had only realized thanks to Ronan.

“Phew…”

Having made up her mind, she grasped the whip tightly. Although Ronan was handling most of the situation, she still needed to provide some assistance, even if only minor. As the hesitating beastmen’s encirclement began to tighten again, Ronan spoke.

“If you think it’s too much, run away immediately. I’ll manage somehow on my own.”

“Yeah. Got it.”

Adeshan smiled. With exchanged glances, the two went in different directions. Standing against the wall again, she wielded her whip. Clang! The steel snake swung horizontally, sweeping away the beastmen who were charging towards her. The whip, captured from a Nebula Clazier executive in the past, tore through even the thick skins of the sturdy beastmen like matured meat. The beastmen, with bones visible through their severe wounds, scattered with blood splattering as they fell.

“Grraahh!”

“Damn it, it hurts!”

But her opponents were inherently robust, making her lack the lethality to inflict fatal wounds. It was around the time when Adeshan, using a combination of mind control and her whip, rendered about five of them incapacitated.

“How long do you think things will go your way!”

Suddenly, a hefty Weretiger lunged forward, catching Adeshan’s whip mid-air with bare hands. Despite the whip digging into his flesh, he didn’t let go. With a grunt, the Weretiger swung his arm forcefully, dragging Adeshan along.

“Come here, you human wench!”

“Ugh…!”

It was an immense force. There was no chance to let go of the whip. The Weretiger aimed a knee strike towards Adeshan as he swung her forcefully. Whoom! The air pressure stuck first, throwing her bangs backwards.

‘Too late.’

Sensing impending death, Adeshan bit her lower lip. The knee, like a siege hammer, aimed to smash her skull. Just then, Ronan barged in from out of sight, pushing Adeshan aside.

“Ronan?”

Her eyes widened. The Weretiger’s knee was now heading towards Ronan’s side. He calmly grabbed Adeshan’s hand holding the whip and said,

“I’ll pull you.”

“What?”

Ronan didn’t reply. He embraced Adeshan, leaping forward. Crash! The Weretiger’s hand, entangled with the whip, was torn off. Hot blood gushed out like a hot spring. Piercing screams echoed.

“Aaargh!”

Blood spurted from the messy severed wound, reminiscent of a geyser. The Weretiger, now crippled, collapsed to its knees. Adeshan, looking up at Ronan, drew a labored breath. A golden phantom covered his arms like armor.

Unlike the vague outlines from the past, the distinct form of the phantom resembled the claw of a cat. It was the aura of body enhancement borrowed from Varen a while back. Ronan, setting down Adeshan in a corner, returned her whip and spoke.

“I didn’t expect to repay the debt this quickly.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. We should’ve fought like this from the beginning. Power begets power after all.”

With a mischievous grin, Ronan flexed his arm. It was a change that occurred after receiving treatment from Navardose. Ronan, now adept at both his own skills and mimicking Nebula Clazier’s ability to copy Auras, felt greatly enhanced.

The roughly dismembered corpses of beastmen were strewn about where he passed. Fragments of shattered weapons indicated how ferociously Ronan fought, imitating Varan’s Aura. A heavily armored Weredeer, breathing heavily, asked,

“Haah.. are… are you… truly… human?”

“Probably.”

“It’s a shame… if you were one of our kind, you’d have become a warrior rivaling Lord Zaifa…!”

Covered in muscles, the body of the Weredeer seemed ready to burst at any moment. Taking a breath, the Weredeer, horns lowered, charged forward like uprooted roots. Its finely crafted horns bore numerous scars, like those of a warrior.

“Quite the warrior.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Ronan remarked, his smirk rising with overwhelming force. Without backing down, he swung his sword vertically. The blade sliced through the horns as it continued through the Weredeer’s head and torso, passing between its legs. With a cry, the divided body pieces grazed past Ronan on both sides.

“Even Razmush…”

“S-Strong.”

Thud! The severed halves of the Weredeer’s carcass rolled on the ground. A consistent demeanor among the Werewolves began to change. Fear slowly crept into their beings.

“Wh-why is he fighting so well?”

Jaeger, watching from the rear, stepped back hesitantly. The candle, almost extinguished moments ago, now blazed fiercely, burning the waves of beastmen. More than half of the elite beastmen, fifty in number, were already reduced by more than half.

“Hey, what should we do?”

Jaeger asked, fixing his gaze on Ronan. But the Advisor didn’t respond. After waiting for a while in silence, Jaeger turned his head.

“You, I’m asking you… huh?!”

Jaeger’s eyes widened, as if bulging out. The Advisor who was standing beside him just moments ago was now gone. Only the traces of a rift, where a dimensional portal had opened, remained, shimmering like a mirage.

“E-Escaping?!”

Jaeger’s face stiffened. Simultaneously turning towards that direction, Ronan chewed his lower lip. He could immediately sense that the Advisor had fled. The Aura of Zaifa was nowhere to be found.

‘Damn it, even if I was in the middle of a battle, I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off her.’

It was a momentary lapse of attention. Now, the only option left was to apprehend Jaeger and interrogate him. Just then, Jaeger, in a rush, began rummaging through his desk drawer. Soon enough, a scroll was clenched in his hands, causing Ronan’s eyes to widen.

“Wait, that can’t be…!”

Jaeger, who was watching causality, opened the scroll. The space around him distorted and a portal appeared. Ronan, seeing his worst imagination come true, raised his voice and shouted.

“Are you planning to escape, you coward!!”

“Hmph, it’s a strategic retreat! Guards, stop him!”

Upon Jaeger’s command, the beastmen stopped their retreat. Determined, mumbling to themselves, they resumed charging towards Ronan. Ronan gritted his teeth at the unwavering loyalty, even though it was pathological. Capturing that bastard was imperative now, but there were still about twenty enemies left.

“Stay right there!”

Thud! Observing the situation, Ronan propelled himself forward. He intended to shoot out sword energy or activate an Aura, but with his leap, about twenty beastmen surrounded him in mid-air.

“Damn it, can’t you just fuck off?!”

“I cannot let you reach Lord Jaeger!”

“Step aside!”

Fueled by rage, Ronan swung his sword. Dozens of red lines were drawn across the bodies of the beastmen blocking his path. As he landed on the ground, chunks of beastmen flesh poured down like rain. Despite the gruesome sight, the beastmen, obeying Jaeger’s command, rushed towards Ronan like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

‘If we keep going like this, I’ll really miss him!’

Unlike humans, they were massive and tenacious. Waves of fangs and teeth crashed like a tide. Ronan couldn’t think of a way to push these giants aside before Jaeger escaped. A sense of despair slowly crept in. Just as an eerie ripple passed through his body, all the beastmen suddenly froze in unison.

“…Huh?”

A chill ran down Ronan’s spine for a moment. He quickly turned to Adeshan. She stood apart, her eyes wide open, glaring at the beastmen. Blood vessels protruded around her eyes. Ronan narrowed his eyes as he realized what Adeshan was doing.

“No way.”

A strange mana current permeated the room like mist. The beastmen’ pupils flickered with the same grayish hue as hers. It was a large-scale mind control, as he suspected. The beastmen, suddenly paralyzed, looked confused.

“My… my body won’t move…!”

“Humans, what have you done!”

However, it seemed that only their physical movements were halted. The beastmen continued to growl menacingly, eyeing both Ronan and Adeshan. She whispered as if squeezing out the words,

“…I can’t hold on for long.”

“Sunbae.”

Adeshan looked precarious, as if she could collapse at any moment. A thin trickle of blood ran down her sharp nose. It was an unexpected opportunity. Ronan’s mana-enhanced thigh swelled as if it would burst at any moment.

“Just hold on for 5 seconds!”

Ronan shouted and leaped forward. There was no time to delay. As Ronan grabbed the hilt of his sword, a burst of light erupted and enveloped him.

“Urgh?!”

The light was tinged with a crimson reminiscent of sunset. Jaeger closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them to find that the dimensional portal that had been right in front of him was now far away.

“Oh, damn it…”

Jaeger realized that he had fallen victim to the ability the Advisor had suffered. Just as he turned his head, he saw Ronan, who had already prepared to swing his sword. Despite the situation being too late to dodge or counterattack, Jaeger’s expression wasn’t particularly dark. Hastily rotating his head, Jaeger chuckled and shouted,

“Fool, it’s a barrier that blocks any attack!”

Suddenly, Jaeger grabbed the pendant he was holding. Simultaneously, sparkling mana spread out from the pendant like an explosion. A hemispherical shield rapidly expanded around Jaeger. Recognizing its nature, Ronan furrowed his brow.

“Protection of the Stars…?”

“Kahahaha! Fly away!”

Jaeger laughed. He had seen the Advisor use this technique in the past. A defensive barrier that repelled any malevolent magic or projectile was his final secret weapon that would protect him in any situation.

Now, while this madman was flying away thanks to the barrier, using the escape scroll again would be the end of it. Ronan sighed with relief.

“I’m glad I was the one to come here.”

“What?”

At the incomprehensible words, Jaeger tilted his head. Just as the expanding Protection of the Stars was about to collide with Ronan’s body, he calmly raised his sword, and slashed vertically. Crash! The shield, touched by the sword, tore apart and vanished.

“…Huh?”

“Is that all?”

Jaeger couldn’t understand what had happened. The barrier that could block everything had disappeared without a trace. Ronan raised his sword again, ready to strike. Sensing the danger, Jaeger scrambled and shouted,

“W-Wait! Wait a minute. Let’s talk this out!”

Seeing how he had come this far only through quick thinking, Jaeger realized he wasn’t dealing with a foe he could handle. For now, feigning surrender and looking for an opening was the best course of action. Watching Jaeger’s reaction, Ronan smirked.

“It’s nice to see that you’re consistent, Jaeger.”

Despite becoming stronger, seeing Jaeger groveling made Ronan think that this was the same Jaeger he knew. Still, even though they had old ties, he should have disabled him. Muttering under his breath, Ronan nodded.

“But what now? It’s already too late.”

“…Too late?”

Jaeger tilted his head, and at the same time, a red line appeared from his left arm to his right thigh. Ronan, who had turned his sword around, swung down. Swoosh! Along with a gushing fountain of blood, Jaeger’s limbs fell to the ground.

[Translator – Peptobismol]