Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

Chapter 211

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 211: King of the North (5)

“Greetings. Vultures who ruined everything for me.”

“Barka.”

Ronan hurriedly turned the corner. Barka was nowhere to be seen. Shimmering mana, and only the presence reminiscent of Zaifa, swirled beyond the darkness.

“You’re as timid as a mouse, not coming out?”

“I’m not a fool, Ronan. It wouldn’t be wise to reveal myself even after experiencing your swordsmanship and that mysterious power. Your ability is inevitably to draw in beings within sight or the reach of that light.”

Ronan’s eyes widened. Two things surprised him.

One was that this fake Zaifa knew his name, and the other was that he immediately saw through the Aura abilities. Barka said,

“It’s a powerful ability, but the method to foil it is simple. Just don’t stand in front of you, whether it’s one side or the other.”

“It must be nice to have a thick skull. Who told you my name?”

“Ha, to wish to remain unknown after eliminating two Lycopos? It’s not an exaggeration to say that everyone in the hierarchy is targeting you. Of course, that foolish Sword Saint also mentioned you in a letter.”

“Sword Saint, did Zaifa talk about me? Is that guy also associated with you?”

“Hahaha… who knows.”

A somewhat affirmative laughter was heard. Ronan tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

He wanted to shout out loud, “What the hell are you talking about?” But Ronan suppressed his suspicion by breathing deeply. This, too, could be psychological warfare.

‘Stay calm.’

It seemed like it would be a troublesome fight. Unlike the brute force of Zafia, this one seemed to be someone who actively used his head.

Ronan tried to focus his mind to estimate the exact location of the guy, but strangely, he couldn’t detect him well. Had he taken some measures across the entire ice face? Ronan, turning his head in seven directions, opened his mouth.

“Jaeger, did you do this?”

“You could say that. I didn’t cut his throat, though.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Jaeger was nothing more than a worm. He had a knack for gathering people, so I tried to make use of him somehow, but for some reason, he betrayed me at the last moment. Thanks to him, most of my plans went awry.”

Judging by his tone, it seemed like he was deeply angered. Barka’s voice sounded entirely different from before. Still, in the end, Jaeger died as a king. Ronan clicked his tongue.

“If it was a plan, was it about uniting the North?”

“I don’t need to tell you that. It seems like you’re just buying time to escape, but it’s futile.”

“Fuck.”

Ronan cursed. In fact, he and Adeshan were stealthily moving toward the exit. There was nothing good about being in the jaws of that damn bastard. He’s quick on the uptake.

‘Damn it, isn’t there any decent topic for conversation?’

They were trying to move towards the exit as much as possible, but the situation became tricky. Barka’s sardonic farewell interjected.

“Then let’s bid farewell here. Goodbye…”

“You tried to raise Jaeger as a puppet and turn him into a tyrant, and then tried to kill him. That way, you could ascend as a hero. I think I understand why you didn’t expand your power despite having the ability.”

Suddenly interjecting, Adeshan cut off his words. Ronan raised his eyebrows. She had come close without him noticing.

“Sunbae?”

“Because if you behave normally, you can’t escape Zaifa’s shadow. Many still prefer the peace obtained through Zaifa’s sacrifices. The curse imposed on the North was also a collaboration between humans and Jaeger.”

The restless eyes settled calmly. They seemed to have succeeded in drawing attention. A considerably long silence followed. A more ferocious voice of Barka echoed from the darkness.

“…That woman who was there. Who is she?”

“She’s someone who you took everything from. Barka, there’s one thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you so obsessed with uniting the North? Are you willing to do such things to your own people? Squeezing tears from the people who will eventually become your subjects or soldiers?”

There was no answer. The two started moving again.

Despite moving considerably, there seemed to be no sign of an exit in the long, winding corridor. Suddenly, a sound like gnashing teeth echoed in the darkness.

“…To show hell to you humans, especially to those of the Empire. Anyway, soon everything will be engulfed by starlight and disappear, but that’s too sweet and peaceful a death for the Empire’s pigs.”

“Starlight? What are you talking about?”

“You’ll know soon enough. And to that hateful Zafia as well…”

Barka trailed off. Ronan and Adeshan narrowed their eyes simultaneously. Earlier it was about a letter and now it’s about hatred; it was confusing to keep up with the changing tone.

‘What…’

Suddenly, Ronan, who was walking ahead, furrowed his eyebrows. The sound of crashing waves could be heard not far away.

By this point, it seemed like the exit was close enough. The two exchanged glances, ready to bolt out. Bang! Suddenly, with a loud crash, the ice ceiling in front of them collapsed, blocking the passage.

“Damn it, what the hell?!”

Ronan instinctively pulled out his sword. The rushing sword energy poured down onto the pile of ice.

Kwaaang! Cold shrapnel scattered as a path was opened. However, immediately, the ceiling ahead collapsed again, blocking the way forward.

“You son of a…”

There was even more debris than before. It seemed like it would take some time to break through. At that moment, a similar collapse sound echoed from behind where they had passed. Adeshan, who sensed something, shouted desperately.

“Ronan, something’s coming out. It’s coming this way!”

“What did you say?”

Ronan’s eyes widened in surprise. Even though it wasn’t detected before, the presence that Adeshan mentioned was now felt. It seemed something was rapidly approaching them. A gut-wrenching roar resounded through the ice cave.

“Grrrrr! Kraaaak!”

“The nonsense has gone on long enough. Say hello to Jaeger for me.”

In an instant, Barka’s presence disappeared. But there was no time to pursue him right now.

Inside the corridor, Adeshan aimed her crossbow and fired. Thud! The arrowhead penetrated the flesh with a sickening sound, and the shadow took on a solid form, rolling on the ground.

“Kieeek!”

It was a Werewolf, resembling the boy who had attacked Jaeger. Blood oozed from its gaping mouth, and its joints twisted in grotesque directions.

“This looks like the one I saw before…”

A bolt from Adeshan’s crossbow was firmly lodged in the center of its forehead. Judging from its motionlessness and convulsions, it seemed like its brain had been destroyed in one strike. Adeshan, observing the Werewolf, furrowed her brow.

“No doubt about it. This was created through necromancy. As if a curse wasn’t enough, resorting to black magic…”

“His specialties differ a lot from Zafia.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

The combination of a Weretiger and a black magic user seemed quite mismatched. As Ronan tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, a golden aura traveled up his right arm to his shoulder. But for now, escaping this damn freezer was the top priority.

“I’m going. Follow closely.”

Saying so, Ronan dashed towards the exit. In an instant, his hand blurred, drawing dozens of lines across the debris blocking their path. Ronan didn’t slow down, ramming his shoulder into the rubble. Kaboom! With an explosion akin to a bomb blast, the ice wall shattered into pieces.

“Oh my goodness!”

Adeshan exclaimed in admiration. Varen’s aura-enhanced physical abilities allowed such reckless actions. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the front.

“Aaargh!”

“Grrrk, Kiririk!”

“What a mess.”

Ronan chuckled at the sight ahead. Contrary to expectations of a clear path, the corridor was filled with a severe congestion.

A thick stench of decay wafted through the air, making it dizzying. The reanimated beastmen, brought back to life through necromancy, filled the corridor completely. Ronan wondered where they had all come from. With a loud crash, the ice wall ahead shattered, and a Weredeer burst out.

“Mwiik! Mwiick!”

“Ah.”

It seemed that the ice was scattered with corpses here and there. Ronan felt a strange sensation, recognizing some of the figures among the living dead.

“Don’t some of them look a bit familiar?”

“They’re the beastmen from Jaeger’s room…!”

Adeshan bit her lower lip. Among the living corpses, there were definitely some that they had seen in Jaeger’s room. It seemed they hadn’t retreated but had been wiped out by Barka. A Werelion, missing all its fur, growled with a broken voice.

“Ronan. Ronan. Ronan.”

“That son of a bitch.”

Ronan’s hatred towards Barka was escalating. It was regrettable, but unavoidable. Ronan ran forward, wielding his sword. A wide arc of devastation sliced through the air, cutting through the living dead. Slash! The beastmen’ heads rose up to the ceiling, leaving only their lower necks.

“Kieeek!”

Headless bodies collapsed in unison. Simultaneously, a wave of corpses surged towards Ronan and Adeshan. Fifty from the front, fifty from the back. There were over a hundred in plain sight alone. Ronan, unleashing his sword once again, turned to Adeshan and asked.

“Can’t control them?”

“They’re mindless corpses, it won’t work!”

“Shit.”

There seemed to be no choice but to brute force their way through. Ronan slashed, stabbed, and occasionally unleashed sword energies to dismember the oncoming horde.

The already dead beastmen kept moving. Despite their numbers, only a few seemed to have functioning hearts and lungs, a fact that was both bitter and amusing.

Gathering his energy, Ronan swung his sword diagonally. A precise sword energy shot forward, cutting through the advancing bodies like popcorn popping in the dark.

“If you’re dead, please just rest in peace!”

Yet the wave of corpses showed no signs of abating. More beastmen burst through the ice wall, trampling over the mangled bodies of their fallen comrades as they charged forward. They seemed well-prepared indeed.

As the battle dragged on, the situation became increasingly dire. The bodies of both Ronan and Adeshan were turning sickly black, soaked in rotten blood. The putrid blood evaporated along with their sweat, draining their body heat.

Adeshan fought with her crossbow and whip alternately, but the undead warriors were relentless. Thud! A Werewolf’s claw dug in from a blind spot and struck Adeshan’s back.

“Ugh!”

“A-Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Phew, I managed to block it!”

Adeshan gritted her teeth. Fortunately, she swiftly rotated her whip to defend herself, dampening the impact. Ronan swiftly lunged forward with his sword. The Werewolf’s head exploded like a balloon, its brain splattering everywhere. Ronan, feeling a sense of confusion, asked her.

“I’m confused, too. Is the corridor narrowing?”

“Yeah, it seems like it…”

If it wasn’t a misconception, the corridor was indeed narrowing. The entire ice block seemed enchanted with some kind of magic.

Continuing like this would indeed be perilous. If they didn’t hurry to escape, they risked not only losing Barka but also being frozen along with the bodies of the beastmen. The needle of the Blood Needle was slowly moving northward.

‘With that bastard’s personality, he will definitely ensure we meet our end.’

It seemed like he hadn’t escaped far yet. Most likely, Barka was leisurely enjoying watching his trap activate from a safe distance.

Ronan sincerely did not want to lose Barka. His determination was clear from just a few words of conversation. Barka was a monster filled with such vile and repugnant evil that shouldn’t exist in the world. Ronan’s eyes widened with desperate resolve.

‘Wait.’

He remembered bringing it along, just in case. Ronan rummaged through his pocket with the hand not wielding the sword. His fingertips touched a small, gem-like object. A smile crept onto his bloodied face.

“This is it.”

Ronan withdrew his hand from his pocket. Clutched in his hand was a badge shaped like a sun. For his role in rescuing the Dawn Tower from Virja’s grip two years ago, he had received the 1st Class Medal of Valor, bestowed upon him by Aun Philara, the master of fire magic,

Originally, he had kept it attached to his school uniform, but he brought it along just in case it was needed in the cold northern regions. Aun Philara had definitely mentioned engraving some defensive magic on it.

Judging by the temperament of its creator, it undoubtedly contained powerful fire magic. After all, he was a man of large-scale effects. If they could burn everything down and escape, they might just make it. Ronan glanced at Adeshan, who was struggling in battle, and said.

“Stick close to me, Sunbae. As close as possible.”

“Wh-what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“Just do it, and be quick!”

Reaching out his arm, Ronan wrapped it around Adeshan’s waist. Taken aback by the unprecedented intimacy, she gasped for breath.

“Ro-Ronan!”

“Let’s see your skills, Aun Philara.”

Although he didn’t understand the mechanism behind how the magic worked, it seemed like it would trigger upon receiving an attack. The moment Ronan pressed the badge against the reanimated beasts, a dizzying burning pain engulfed him.

“Ugh!”

“Ronan?! Are you okay?”

The pain was excruciating, enough to make his body collapse. Heat radiated from his veins as if burning them, spreading from deep within his chest. Ronan’s mouth opened from pain that somewhat gave him a sense of deja vu.

“Keuk.. Navardose?”

It was the same pain he had experienced when the curse was extracted from him, except this time, it seemed to be a side effect of infusing his own spark into the curse’s place.

‘What is about to happen?’

He couldn’t discern the details, but he speculated that inserting his own flame where the curse had been drawn out might have been causing the side effects.

A giant Werebear was about to strike with its claw. Gathering his senses, Ronan raised the badge again.

“Come on.”

“Kwaaaargh!”

The claw had enough force to send a human’s torso flying with one blow. At the moment of contact between the icy corpse and the badge, a flash of light exploded around Ronan, illuminating the dark corridor.

****

The sky was overcast. Snowflakes fluttered down, disappearing as they touched the seawater. Ice floes drifted around, carried by the ghostly sea.

-Karr, karr.

Ghostly white dolphins swam through the murky water. Although they were a rare and fantastical sight, Barka paid them no heed. Rowing on his wooden boat, he muttered under his breath,

“It must be over soon.”

His gaze lingered on a distant iceberg, gradually fading away. By now, even if the undead warriors hadn’t killed Ronan, the ice would have covered the corridor, sealing their fate.

The iceberg, spread across the sea and land, was both Ronan’s grave and Barka’s trap. How much effort had been put into building this tomb and trap to bury Ronan?

“It’s a shame. I wanted to kill him myself.”

Barka clicked his tongue. As much as he wanted to personally end the enemy who had ruined everything, he couldn’t afford to be complacent against the opponent who had thwarted Darman’s plans.

‘No. This is the right thing to do.’

Being cautious to the extreme was Barka Turkon’s way. Moreover, his most reliable ally, always kept in his robe and taken everywhere, was currently undergoing detoxification treatment in the laboratory. It had been stabbed in place of Jaeger’s dagger.

“…That scoundrel.”

Even now, the thought of Jaeger’s face ignited a fiery rage within him. He never imagined that trash could demonstrate such power. If he had known, he would have turned him into an undead warrior instead of simply killing him with a single blow.

“Well, we can always try again.”

But Barka quickly shook off his irritation and regained his composure. Apart from his grudge against the empire, all other past matters were just obstacles hindering his progress.

Furthermore, there was still some time before the arrival of the stars. If they could swallow up the north with another plan, that would be the end of it. After all, the research lab located in the Sea of Ghosts was filled with weapons capable of unifying the north.

With renewed determination, he prepared to set his plans in motion once again. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the air! The iceberg containing Ronan erupted, catching Barka off guard.

“Wh-what?!”

It seemed as if a dragon was breathing fire from within. A massive column of flames shot skyward, illuminating the darkness. Shards of ice and charred corpses rained down into the sea like falling rain.

“This can’t be. There was no mage among them…”

Barka stared at the burning ice in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom what had happened.

Was it a self-destruct at the last moment? With such an explosion, he couldn’t have survived unscathed. Should he go check the bodies? He was panting heavily, his mind racing. From the deck, a familiar voice reached him.

“Phew… I barely caught up with you. That was dangerous…”

“What the…?!”

“Ugh, it’s freezing… fuck.”

Barka hastily lowered his head. A white dolphin was attached to the side of his boat. Its eyes, which should have shimmered with a beautiful blue hue, were clouded gray. A young man covered in black blood and seawater, clutching the dolphin’s neck, lifted himself up.

“Ronan?!”

“Yeah… but man, you really look alike…”

Ronan chuckled weakly. If it weren’t for the reddish fur and the horrific scar running across his face, he could easily be mistaken for Zafia. Perplexed, Barka shouted,

“How…?!”

“That’s… well, there’s no reason for me to tell someone….”

Clang! Letting go of the dolphin, Ronan leaped onto the deck in one swift motion. As he emerged, the seawater clinging to his body froze instantly. Ronan swept his bangs aside and spoke.

“Who will die soon.”

“You!”

Barka instinctively threw a punch. It was remarkably fast, perhaps due to the Turkon bloodline, but compared to Zafia, it was far from enough. Ronan deftly dodged, twisting his shoulder to evade the attack. Grabbing the hilt of his sword, he pulled it out. Fwoosh! Like a comet, the thrust pierced through Barka’s chest.

[Translator – Peptobismol]