Chapter 292: Gate of Ascension [1]

Chapter 291

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Episode 77 - Gate of Ascension [1]

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From the very beginning of the Academic Exchange, the cadets of Holy Academy and Elvenheims Academy had placed their bets on their respective princesses.

On one side, the cadets of Holy Academy firmly believed that Princess Clana was stronger than Very’Daal.

The same was true for the cadets of Elvenheims Academy.

Now, at the center of the Arena, the final match, which would finally bring the Academic Exchange to an end, was about to begin.

The two princesses stared directly at each other.

Very’Daal seemed to find the situation more amusing than exciting, even though she had waited for an entire hour for the chance to finally fight.

On the other hand, Clana, considered the third-strongest cadet of Holy Academy, maintained a confident expression.

However, she wasn’t arrogant, much less did she rely solely on her confidence.

’Well, well... I’m actually the second strongest. That guy isn’t at the Academy anymore.’

Remembering that Adel was no longer at the Academy, Clana quickly came to the conclusion that she now held second place.

Not long ago, she had challenged Lumina for Rank 1.

However, she had lost in less than a second.

After that defeat, she realized that Lumina had reached Six Stars, while Clana was only at Five Stars, Advanced Stage.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the professor in charge of the matches appeared and shouted:

"Begin!"

The Mana of the Light Attribute enveloped Clana’s body before extending into her sword.

A slender white blade appeared in her hands, radiating an intense glow from the Mana coursing through it.

On the other hand, Very’Daal kept her hands behind her back.

With a simple thought, blood surged from the ground.

It then rose into the air and took the shape of dozens of crosses with razor-sharp edges, resembling blades.

Very’Daal was an Elementalist, meaning that each of her abilities belonged to her Spirits and Elementals.

Physically, she was no different from a Mage like Rinna. Therefore, under normal circumstances, her reaction speed and senses would be far too slow to directly face a close-combat specialist.

However, one of her Spirits possessed both defensive and offensive abilities.

Immediately, blood covered her body, forming a kind of armor that left only her eyes and hair visible.

At the same time, multiple crosses appeared around her, prepared to both attack and defend.

Whoosh!

Clana’s figure disappeared in a flash of light and, in the blink of an eye, closed the distance between herself and the crosses.

Clank! Clank!

The crosses moved through the air at blinding speeds, leaving afterimages in their wake.

Clana swung her sword.

The light surrounding the blade shone brilliantly as it cut through the air at terrifying speed.

Boom!

Her sword shattered the blood crosses as her figure constantly changed direction, attacking from every angle.

Meanwhile, Very’Daal used her thoughts to manipulate her Attribute and Mana, gradually increasing the speed of the crosses.

Even so, Clana, enveloped in a veil of light, moved with incredible agility as she dodged every one of Very’Daal’s attacks.

Whoosh!

Moving in a zigzag pattern with extraordinary agility, she reached Very’Daal and swung her sword in a wide arc of light aimed at her shoulder.

The blade of light tore through the space between them.

Just as it was about to strike...

Whoosh!

"......!"

Very’Daal disappeared and reappeared a dozen meters away.

Then, she raised one hand and snapped her fingers.

The next second...

The crosses surrounding Clana exploded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless explosions engulfed Clana.

At the last second, her body became enveloped in an intense radiance of light, forming a dome around her.

However, the explosions of the crosses were far from simple.

As they disintegrated, they left behind numerous droplets of blood that crystallized in midair, forming tiny needles.

Then, the needles shot directly toward the dome Clana had created.

Crack! Boom!

Upon striking the barrier, the blood needles managed to crack the dome of light, creating numerous fractures that spread across its entire surface.

Then...

Boom!

The dome shattered.

Immediately afterward, the remaining needles moved at the same time as the last crosses exploded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clana gritted her teeth and muttered:

"Sovereign Imperial Sword Art, Third Form, Sovereign Light Tomb."

".....!"

Very’Daal’s expression changed for an instant.

Then, in the next second...

Whoosh!

All the needles and the remaining crosses were shattered, sliced into tiny fragments that turned into dust.

Before Very’Daal could react, Clana’s figure appeared in front of her.

Very’Daal immediately employed another one of her abilities.

The entire Arena was filled with blood.

Blood surged from the ground, and countless sharp pillars immediately emerged from every direction, heading straight toward Clana.

However, the crosses surrounding Very’Daal also changed shape.

They transformed into arrows, spears, and spiked spheres.

Then, a rain of attacks simultaneously descended upon Clana.

Boom!

Clana disappeared from her original position and reappeared far away from Very’Daal.

However, Very’Daal stopped her attacks in mid-motion.

With a simple gesture of her hand, she redirected every single one of them toward Clana’s new position.

"...!"

Clana gritted her teeth and immediately changed her stance.

"Sovereign Imperial Sword Art, First Form, Heavens of the Sovereign Monarch."

Her sword became covered in a brilliant light.

The next second, the sword’s trajectory changed again and again as Clana wielded it with one hand.

Every attack from Very’Daal was completely deflected and countered.

Seeing this, Very’Daal stopped the bleeding with a simple thought.

Clana looked at her and immediately understood.

Without wasting any time, Very’Daal murmured:

"Ancient Spiritual Art, Ancient Spiritual Realm."

".....!?"

The world around Clana distorted and changed in the blink of an eye.

She looked around, her expression turning grim.

Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of blood clusters had appeared throughout the Arena.

She immediately changed her stance.

"Sovereign Imperial Sword Art, Fifth Form, Sovereign Imperial Light."

A dazzling light engulfed the entire Arena as Clana’s figure blurred amid countless streaks of radiance.

On the other hand, Very’Daal immediately snapped her fingers.

The blood clusters floating like crimson constellations shot toward the burst of light.

In the next instant, light and blood collided.

Boom!

The air exploded as gravity and space throughout the entire Arena began to distort.

Clana swung her sword again and again, using all her Mana as she endured the relentless assault.

Very’Daal, meanwhile, remained calm, almost expressionless, watching the spectacle unfolding before her.

The seconds passed.

The battle continued for several more moments until, finally, all of ’The Arena’ fell completely silent.

The blood disappeared.

The light faded as well.

Then, with a simple wave of Very’Daal’s hand, the dust covering the Arena dispersed.

And there she was.

Clana’s figure appeared through the cloud of dust, covered in countless wounds.

Blood dripped onto the ground as her breathing became increasingly ragged.

She had lost an arm and could barely hold onto her sword.

Her entire body was covered in blood, which dripped onto the sand and stained it crimson.

Clap! Clap!

".......?"

Clana raised her gaze in confusion.

Very’Daal was applauding again and again as the blood armor covering her body began to disappear.

Then, she slowly walked toward Clana and said:

"Wow, you’re actually stronger than I thought. You forced me to use one of my strongest abilities."

It was praise that hardly any cadet would ever receive—a genuine acknowledgment of her strength.

However, Clana didn’t take it as a compliment.

"Even though I used 70% of my total strength against you, you managed to hold out for quite a while. How long have we been fighting...? Mhm, I think it’s been ten minutes or a little longer."

Very’Daal shrugged as she extended a hand toward Clana.

"Well, it doesn’t matter. Let’s end this here. Honestly, it would’ve been great if that Lumina girl had participated. In any case, I win."

Clana gritted her teeth as she felt the strength slowly leaving her body.

She was tired.

Extremely tired.

Using the Fifth Form of her Sword Art had consumed nearly all of her Mana.

Even if she wanted to continue, she could no longer fight without relying solely on her physical abilities.

She was physically strong, but she had lost an arm, and blood continued to flow from her body every second, gradually weakening her.

’Damn it... My only goal was to become this generation’s Golden Star... If only I had been twice as strong, maybe I could have won.’

Becoming the new Golden Star would have granted her immense rewards and privileges.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to achieve it.

And she wouldn’t have another opportunity at the next Academic Exchange.

By then, she would already be in her Third Year, right before graduation.

Third-Year cadets never participated in the Academic Exchange. Only First- and Second-Year cadets were allowed to participate.

Clana raised her gaze and looked at Very’Daal.

Very’Daal clenched her fist.

Blood began gathering around her hand, forming an increasingly dense layer as she prepared a punch meant to knock Clana unconscious.

Then, she swung her fist.

However, just as it was about to strike...

Her body froze.

Her fist stopped mere inches from Clana’s face.

"....?"

At the same time, the expressions of everyone present froze.

Then, all of ’The Arena’ began to shake violently.

Rumble! Rumble!

It was as if an earthquake measuring more than magnitude 10 had suddenly erupted beneath their feet.

The cadets lost their balance as they looked around in confusion.

Then, almost simultaneously, everyone raised their gaze toward the sky.

Crack!

The next second, a crack appeared across the firmament.

An endless darkness began seeping through from within.

And a moment later...

Boom!

The crack opened completely.

The Power of Chaos surged from within like an infinite ocean, covering the sky with a terrifying presence.

Creatures of all shapes and sizes began emerging from the enormous opening.

The crack stretched for kilometers, while an overwhelming darkness covered the sky and completely obscured the sunlight.

The creatures began pouring out in masses.

Suddenly, countless eyes, tentacles, and elongated limbs began emerging from the crack.

Masses of eyes accompanied by countless mouths.

Colossal creatures with slender limbs covered in mouths filled with fangs.

Gigantic tentacles writhed as they forced their way out from within the crack.

The scene was completely incomprehensible.

However, everyone present tensed instantly.

They didn’t need to ask what was happening.

Everyone recognized the crack in the sky.