Chapter 352 : Wrath of Gravity

The entire Academy grounds were shaking due to the magic unleashed by Queen Kayana. Everyone within the Academy precincts was startled by the tremors.

"What is this tremors?!"

"What’s causing this? Did an earthquake strike the San Fulgen Kingdom? Or is this the result of some kind of magic?"

"Who knows? Instead of wondering about that, we’d better get to safety. Those tree walls surrounding us could collapse and crush us because of this tremors," people said.

They began to run, trying to get away from the tree walls that encircled them. Yet, no matter where they ran, the tree walls remained all around them. This was because the entire Academy grounds had been filled with tree walls forming a labyrinth—a result of Duke Remy's magic. As long as they remained within the Academy grounds, those walls would continue to surround them. However, despite their fears that the walls might collapse, the tree walls held firm against the tremors. There was not a single crack or sign of damage on them—at least, not for the moment.

-

Back to the first floor of the Academy's central building.

The central building was still shaking from the magic Queen Kayana had unleashed. Duke Remy glanced around his surroundings. Although the building was trembling, its walls remained sturdy, showing not the slightest crack. After surveying the area, Duke Remy turned his gaze toward Queen Kayana.

"This sudden tremor has so far affected only this building, yet the structure remains standing firm despite the shaking. It seems the magic Your Majesty is employing poses no real danger. Still, I am puzzled—what kind of magic is she actually using?" Duke Remy wondered.

Shortly after that thought crossed his mind, Duke Remy suddenly felt a crushing pressure bearing down on his body.

"This immense pressure... could it be...?" Duke Remy thought.

The heavy pressure initially forced Duke Remy to stoop, but as it intensified, it drove him down until he was lying flat on the floor.

"This crushing pressure is coming from Your Majesty, but when did she unleash it upon me? I never saw her point her magic staff in my direction," Duke Remy mused.

Duke Remy was bewildered as to why he had suddenly been struck by Queen Kayana's gravity magic. He racked his brain for the reason. Just then, the floor beneath him began to crack under the immense weight of the magic. It wasn't just the spot where he lay; cracks were spreading across the entire ground floor. The only exceptions were the sections of the floor where Queen Kayana stood and where Commander Oliver lay; those areas remained completely intact.

Furthermore, cracks began to appear on the ceiling and walls of the ground floor. Duke Remy was shocked to see the floor, walls, and ceiling fracturing while he lay there. Witnessing this, he finally understood the reason behind Queen Kayana's gravity magic.

"So that’s how it is; I’ve been struck by Your Majesty’s gravity magic after she slammed her staff against the floor. The tremor from earlier was merely the prelude to this gravity spell. It isn't just affecting me—it’s affecting the entire building. No, I’m certain this magic is impacting the academy grounds as a whole. You certainly aren't playing around, Your Majesty," Duke Remy thought, gazing at Queen Kayana, who still held her staff against the floor.

Duke Remy’s assessment was correct. At this moment, the entire academy was under the influence of Queen Kayana’s gravity magic. People across the grounds could be seen hunched over or even lying flat where they stood, struggling against the crushing pressure bearing down on their bodies.

"What the hell is this?! It’s so heavy!"

"What is this crushing pressure? It appeared right after that tremor."

"A crushing weight, and the academy is still shaking... What on earth is going on?"

"It's so heavy... I can't move," the people said.

Those at the academy were struggling to move but found themselves unable to do so due to the crushing pressure weighing down on their bodies.

-

At Miss Karina's place.

Miss Karina was still sitting, leaning against the trunk of a tree. She was clutching her injured abdomen, having already roused from her rest. She tried to rise but couldn't. She, too, was affected by Queen Kayana's gravity magic, which pinned her in place with its immense weight.

"It's... so heavy. This magic... it seems like Sister Kayana is rampaging. This is bad; if she keeps this up, the entire academy will be destroyed by her magic," Miss Karina said.

-

At Rid, Chloe, and Charles's place.

I was hunched over slightly, struggling to withstand the heavy pressure that had suddenly descended upon me. The same crushing force was weighing down on Charles and Chloe, forcing them both to their knees.

"This heavy pressure... it must be Her Majesty's magic. What on earth has happened to make her resort to using this spell?" I wondered.

I glanced at Charles and Chloe; they appeared to be discussing something.

"B-Big Brother, this heavy pressure... there's no doubt it comes from Mother's magic. Something must have happened to her," Chloe said.

"Yeah, it seems so. Mother wouldn't use this magic unless something had happened to her," Charles agreed.

"I want to go check on Mother. But with this crushing pressure, it's hard for me to even take a step to go see her," Chloe said.

"Yes, I want to go too. But given our current situation, it seems we have to wait for this intense pressure to subside and vanish," said Charles.

-

At Irene's place.

Irene was hunched over, struggling against the crushing pressure bearing down on her. She was currently somewhere within the labyrinth of trees that had appeared at the academy. Her location differed from where she had previously been with Elaina and Noa—who was lying there, covered in wounds. It appeared Irene had left that spot to do something.

"The pressure is immense. If this keeps up, I won't be able to move forward to find Rid. I have to find him and tell him that Noa and the others are seriously injured. I also need to ask him to heal them, since my own healing magic doesn't work on their injuries. Rid is the only one who can heal them," Irene said.

-

At Duke Louis and Duchess Arlet's place.

Duke Louis was nearly lying flat on the floor, cradling Duchess Arlet in his arms. Meanwhile, the knights accompanying him were already sprawled on the ground, struggling against the heavy pressure crushing their bodies.

"This pressure must be coming from Her Majesty's magic. It seems her battle with Lord Remy wasn't over yet, leading her to finally unleash this magic," Duke Louis said.

-

Back on the first floor of the central building, where Queen Kayana and Duke Remy were.

Duke Remy remained sprawled on the floor, struggling against the crushing pressure of Queen Kayana's gravity magic. The cracks in the floor beneath him were steadily widening. Cracks were spreading across the entire floor—except for the area where Queen Kayana and Commander Oliver stood, as well as along the walls and ceiling. As Duke Remy lay there, his gaze remained fixed on Queen Kayana, who was still holding her magic staff with its tip touching the ground. Moments later, Duke Remy spoke to her.

"I did not expect you to employ magic of such magnitude and power, Your Majesty," Duke Remy said.

Queen Kayana immediately responded to his words.

"Shut up!" she commanded.

Upon her words, Duke Remy’s prone body began to sink deeper into the floor. This was because the pressure bearing down on him had suddenly intensified. This sudden increase in pressure affected not only Duke Remy but the entire academy grounds, as the whole area was currently under the influence of Queen Kayana’s magic. Cracks in the floor, walls, and ceiling of the central building's first floor continued to widen. If the cracks in the floors, walls, and ceilings continued to widen, it was only a matter of time before they collapsed. If the structures on the first floor of the central building gave way, the entire building would inevitably crumble, as the floors, walls, and ceilings on the other levels would surely suffer the same fate as those on the first.

-

Meanwhile, the students and knights trapped within the academy's tree-maze grew increasingly panicked as the crushing pressure bearing down on their bodies intensified. Their alarm mounted further when they noticed cracks appearing in the surrounding tree-walls—cracks that were rapidly spreading and widening.

"This is bad; if those cracks get any bigger, the walls will shatter and come crashing down on us. We need to get away from them immediately."

"But how? We can't even move right now because of this crushing pressure," they cried out.

Panic gripped them as they watched the fissures in the tree-walls expand. They struggled to move, but the immense pressure pinning them down rendered them helpless.

-

Back on the first floor of the academy's central building.

Duke Remy’s body was sinking deeper into the floor where he lay, causing the cracks beneath him to spread and widen further.

"It’s so heavy. This is dire; if I don't do something, my body might eventually be crushed by this pressure—even with this wooden armor on," Duke Remy thought.

He attempted to conjure tree trunks to attack and disrupt Queen Kayana, hoping to force her to halt her spell. Yet, not a single tree trunk emerged from the floor, walls, or ceiling.

"The pressure weighing down on this place is so immense that not a single one of the tree trunks I summoned has appeared. It seems I must try a different approach to halt Her Majesty's magic," Duke Remy thought.

He then attempted to speak to Queen Kayana while remaining prone, as he was still struggling against the crushing weight bearing down on him.

"Your Majesty, I do not know whether you are fully conscious while wielding this magic, but isn't it excessive? While the spell is centered on me—meaning I bear the brunt of the pressure—its effects extend to the entire building and, indeed, the whole academy grounds. Although the pressure felt elsewhere isn't as severe as what I am enduring, are you truly willing to let everyone here suffer the weight of your magic? Especially considering that Prince Charles and Princess Chloe—your own children are among them; do you really intend to subject them to such crushing pressure?" Duke Remy asked.

Upon hearing Duke Remy's words, Queen Kayana fell silent. Moments later, she slowly began to lift the magic staff that had previously been resting against the floor. Her expression betrayed a mix of sorrow and hesitation as she raised it. As she lifted the staff, the heavy pressure weighing upon the academy grounds gradually dissipated. Naturally, the crushing force pinning Duke Remy down also began to fade away. Once the pressure had vanished, Duke Remy slowly rose from the ground.

"Just as expected of you, Your Majesty. You certainly wouldn't let innocent people or your own children suffer the crushing pressure of your magic. You wouldn't do such a thing; you aren't a cruel dictator, but a benevolent ruler. But precisely because of that..." Duke Remy said.

Duke Remy suddenly lunged forward with incredible speed and thrust his sword straight at Queen Kayana. Caught off guard and hesitating, Queen Kayana had no time to react to the attack; the sword pierced the center of her chest, running clean through her body.

"...that is your weakness," Duke Remy said.

-

Back to Rid, Charles and Chloe's place.

With the sudden disappearance of the heavy pressure that had been weighing down the entire academy grounds, the three of us were finally able to move again.

"The crushing pressure affecting us is completely gone. Let's go check on Mother right away, Chloe. I'm even more worried about her now that the pressure has suddenly vanished," Charles said.

"Yes, I'm worried too, Brother. Come along, Rid," Chloe said, inviting me.

"Alright," I replied.

We hurried back along the path we had been traveling to reach Queen Kayana. After a few minutes, we arrived at a spacious area where three different paths branched off toward other locations. We paused to discuss which route to take. However, while we were deliberating, a massive mouth made of flames suddenly erupted from the ground beneath us, poised to devour us. But before it could snap us up, I quickly grabbed Charles and Chloe by the hand and flung them aside, saving them from being consumed by the fiery maw beneath our feet.

Charles and Chloe were startled when Rid suddenly flung them away from their previous spot. After being tossed aside, they immediately scrambled to their feet and looked toward Rid. They were shocked to see a dragon's head made of fire suddenly erupt from the ground where they had just been standing. The fire dragon opened its maw and swiftly devoured Rid, who was positioned right above it.

"Rid!!!!!," Charles and Chloe cried out in shock as they watched him get swallowed by the fire dragon.

After consuming Rid, the dragon continued to emerge from the ground. At first, only its head appeared, but moments later, its entire massive body rose up. Charles and Chloe stared at the creature in astonishment.

While they were still stunned, someone suddenly darted rapidly toward them, sword in hand, ready to strike. But before the attacker could reach them, a massive slash of water appeared out of nowhere, slamming the assailant against the wall of a tree. The attack had originated from within the fire dragon that had just appeared; the dragon itself was suddenly split in two, and moments later, it vanished completely. Once the dragon was gone, Rid was revealed, holding a sword imbued with water magic.

Meanwhile, having just destroyed the fire dragon that had swallowed me, I immediately dashed toward Charles and Chloe. As I drew near, the two of them rushed over to meet me.

"Rid, are you okay?" Chloe asked.

"I'm fine, even though I was just swallowed by that fire dragon," I replied.

"Thank goodness you're alright," said Chloe.

"More importantly, who was it that just attacked us?" Charles asked.

Three of us looked around; on one of the paths, we spotted Senior Vyn and Duchess Arnett standing there, gazing in our direction.

"Senior Vyn... and Lady Arnett?" Charles exclaimed in surprise.

It wasn't just Charles; Chloe was also startled to see them. After glancing at Senior Vyn and Duchess Arnett, we turned our attention to the person who had previously tried to attack Charles and Chloe—the individual who had now slammed into the wall of trees. Upon seeing him, we realized who the attacker was: Commander Dayne, the commander of Duke San Quentine’s knights. Charles and Chloe were shocked all over again when they saw Commander Dayne.

Meanwhile, after looking at Commander Dayne, I turned my gaze back to Senior Vyn and Duchess Arnett.

"Commander Dayne, Senior Vyn, and Lady Arnett—three of them are Lord Remy's closest associates. There is no doubt about it; it seems Lord Remy is indeed the one who caused all of this," I said.

-To be continued