Chapter 81: The Angel Who Creates a Style (12)

Episode 81: The Angel Who Creates a Style (12)

The master of the lake, the queen of water.

And a being known as the spirit king.

Naiad.

Naiad slowly rose, showcasing her authority to the arena.

“Cowardly…”

Lou White muttered in a low voice.

She had already removed her gray witch’s hat, signifying her surrender.

“For someone who summoned the Purple Lord to call this cowardly…”

Leffrey said with a smile.

Lou White nodded.

“Still… this much is admirable.”

“What is?”

“The fact that you’re my little brother’s best friend…”

“Sister! Shut up and get over here!”

Jack White shouted from the stands.

Lou White muttered, “So shy. No wonder he has no friends,” then left the arena.

“Since Lou White, a second-year magical studies student… has been outside the arena for more than one minute…”

The student council referee shouted,

“The winner is Leffrey!”

Wow-wow- A roar of cheers filled the arena.

‘Good, I won without revealing most of my techniques. I have to keep them hidden until the match against the student council president.’

Leffrey bowed humbly, then looked at the student council executives standing in the center of the arena.

Yu Si-hyun, the student council president, made a strange expression. And Koo Sang-hyuk avoided Leffrey’s gaze.

Lastly, Yumari was there, with her usual blank face.

‘The only reason Mari could help me during the club fair… was because there were no orders from the Seocheon Yu.’

Honestly, from the Seocheon Yu family’s perspective, the club competition was really nothing special.

They weren’t even interested, to say the least. That’s why Yumari was able to help Leffrey back then.

‘But the club fair and this final exam are on different levels. The World Tree sapling…’

The World Tree sapling.

The Seocheon Yu, always seeking power, wouldn’t miss such a valuable elixir ingredient.

To the Seocheon scholarship students who were loyal to the family,

And to his two daughters, Yumari and Yu Si-hyun…

The head of the family would have given a direct order.

To secure the World Tree sapling at all costs.

That’s why Yumari couldn’t help Leffrey.

Leffrey understood.

Although it was a bit bitter.

‘Mari…’

Leffrey returned to his seat, where Hongwol and Soya were waiting.

Yumari simply watched the boy’s retreating figure.

The boy returning to his seat, talking happily with the other girls.

What would the boy think of her, who was standing beside Yu Si-hyun, beside the student council? That she betrayed him after he had helped her so much? Or would he be cursing her, calling her a heartless, evil dragon with no friends?

She knew he wasn’t like that.

Leffrey would understand her situation.

The fact that she was just a pet dragon raised by the Seocheon Yu.

The boy would understand.

“Leffrey…”

Crack-

A part of the wall Yumari was holding crumbled with a terrifying sound as she clenched her fist.

Yu Si-hyun, hearing that sound, raised her eyebrows and muttered.

“I really don’t understand…”

“Always saying you don’t understand. President, what’s wrong this time?”

Yu Si-hyun, with a face identical to Yumari’s, twirled her black hair and said.

“My little sister, since when did she regain those emotions?”

“…?”

Vice President Koo Sang-hyuk tilted his head.

“I’ve spent so much time taking away her emotions…”

Yu Si-hyun’s voice was cold.

“I don’t like it.”

Yu Si-hyun crossed her legs.

And with the coldest expression she had ever made, she looked at the boy smiling in the distance.

“Leffrey…”

* * *

The second part of the final exam was proceeding smoothly.

The boring early matches ended one by one, and the later matches, the ones that grabbed the students’ attention, began.

“This is really exciting.”

“Who’s in the next match?”

People always love “VS battles”.

From ‘VS’ between famous soccer players to eating habits, cartoon characters, and even countries.

People love to compare and compete.

And now, a fight between top students? A ‘VS game’ with the top students?

All the Central Academy students were focused on these matches.

“Now it’s time for the quarterfinals… Hongwol versus Koo Sang-hyuk.”

“Hongwol? Hongwol of the Mooncat Tribe?”

“And her opponent is Vice President Koo Sang-hyuk. Holy crap, this will be so much fun.”

One of the students fidgeted excitedly.

The other students were no different.

“Hey, hurry up and call the other guys. We have to fill these empty seats, or people will start giving us looks.”

“Okay, but these bastards aren’t reading my messages.”

Thus, as all eyes in the Central Academy were focused on the arena.

Some began to move.

Their goal was just one.

The World Tree sapling.

The daughter of the World Tree, the embodiment of life.

In this era where a single leaf of the World Tree is the ultimate elixir ingredient, just imagine the value of the World Tree’s daughter… How precious would it be?

Literally priceless.

Such an ingredient.

Perhaps it might even be… an ingredient powerful enough for a certain Fallen Angel to restore his burned wings.

While those who tried to put a price on the priceless were moving.

Lusa was about to leave the arena to stop them.

But an exam always needs someone to monitor it.

If Lusa, the only professor present, were to leave, then how would this exam proceed…?

‘Go ahead, Professor.’

At that moment, she saw a boy mouthing those words.

The boy was telling Lusa to go ahead.

Lusa, with a truly apologetic expression, bowed her head in gratitude.

Lusa, bowing to a student.

At that moment, cheers erupted from the students.

“Woah! Woah!”

“Holy crap, Hongwol. She dodged that?”

“Just how high is her Agility stat?”

It was true.

“Koo Sang-hyuk! Koo Sang-hyuk!”

“That’s our vice president! Targeting vital points with his strikes, a true assassin!”

“Both of them are dual dagger users… This is insane!”

Why does an exam need someone to monitor it?

“Wait, Hongwol… what is she doing?”

“She’s holding her sword in reverse grip?”

“…Reverse grip dagger technique?”

Naturally,

Because without someone to monitor them, an exam becomes a breeding ground for all sorts of foul play and corruption.

Yu Si-hyun, seeing Lusa’s seat empty, started stretching.

“Then now…”

Yu Si-hyun stepped into the arena.

“Let’s get that sapling and that angel.”

And then came the voice of the student council referee.

“The winner of the match… Hongwol, a first-year from the Swordsmanship Department!”

The moment victory was declared, Hongwol collapsed.

Yu Si-hyun, seeing Leffrey rushing towards her in surprise, subtly smiled.

* * *

The final exam was reaching its climax.

The only matches left were Soya vs Yumari. Hongwol had been knocked unconscious and eliminated from the tournament due to her battle with Koo Sang-hyuk, and the other student who was supposed to face Hongwol had also been eliminated in a similar fashion.

For the final match of the semi-finals, Yu Si-hyun vs Leffrey remained.

Yu Si-hyun, a girl who possessed an Ultimate Skill despite being a mere student, earning her the title of a future hero.

Leffrey, a beautiful boy who still had many secrets surrounding him.

Of course, the odds were overwhelmingly in Yu Si-hyun’s favor, but no one thought Leffrey would be easily defeated.

“Of course, he can’t defeat Yu Si-hyun.”

“That’s right. You can’t counter an Ultimate Skill without another Ultimate Skill.”

A student nodded in agreement.

“But…”

“It’ll still be an entertaining match.”

“Just look at what Leffrey’s done so far. He stood up to the student council, held another club fair, and even saved the kids from the Theology Department. So, against that monstrous student council president…”

The student, clasping his hands as if in prayer, looked at Leffrey and said,

“He’ll land a blow.”

There were many who were undoubtedly cheering for Leffrey.

“Leffrey? Nice to meet you. I’m Yu Si-hyun, the student council president. You’ve heard of me, right?”

Yu Si-hyun, with a pleasant smile, reached out to Leffrey.

Leffrey took her hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Leffrey, a first-year.”

“I heard you’re close to our Mari. As her older sister, I’m grateful.”

Our Mari?

From the entrance ceremony to the Blessing of the Spirits…

You tormented Yumari in various ways, and now you’re calling her “our Mari?”

Leffrey, hiding his anger, slowly opened his mouth,

“Our Mari? I don’t think Mari sees it that way.”

“Really?”

Yu Si-hyun’s expression suddenly turned cold.

This was why…

They really were sisters.

“I think… you’re overstepping your boundaries. You’re not even family.”

“…What does that…”

Squeeze- Yu Si-hyun, with a Strength stat far exceeding Leffrey’s, began to crush the boy’s hand.

“Don’t give Mari hope. Hope that she can live a different life.”

“You…!”

“If she just listens to me… she’ll become an even more famous hero than me, and she won’t be hurt by trivial emotions.”

Just what on earth was she talking about?

Leffrey, enduring the pain of his crushed hand, looked up at Yu Si-hyun.

Come to think of it, that’s how it was.

Unlike Soya and Hongwol, who would have fallen without Leffrey… Yumari would have become one of humanity’s greatest heroes even without Leffrey.

How could she do that?

Without an angel, a hero is ultimately doomed.

But how…

Yu Si-hyun muttered,

“Mari and I are fools. We can’t live a different life.”

Leffrey, looking at Yu Si-hyun, felt her dark and messy emotions. It wasn’t hatred.

It was a kind of… affection.

“Do you understand?”

“I don’t.”

Leffrey pushed Yu Si-hyun’s hand away.

Yu Si-hyun sighed as if it couldn’t be helped and clapped her hands.

“If you don’t understand, I’ll have to show you.”

As the student council president clapped, the arena began to transform with a rumbling sound.

“Leffrey, did you know? We invested a tremendous amount of budget into building each and every one of our training halls.”

“I’ve heard that…”

They say each one of these moderately-sized training halls cost more than an Olympic stadium.

Leffrey had heard such rumors.

“Since we spent so much money on these training halls, they come with various features.”

Yu Si-hyun said with a smile,

“And one of those features is this. Secret Sparring.”

A translucent barrier enveloped the arena, sealing it off from the outside.

“What on earth…”

“You, the only angel remaining on Earth. Come with me to the Seocheon Yu.”

“You can try.”

Yu Si-hyun smiled brightly.

“It’s possible. Lusa, the only one who can see through this Secret Sparring… isn’t here, is she? It’s an exam without someone to monitor it. No matter how stupid I am, I have to use this opportunity.”

Yu Si-hyun drew her sword.

She cast a spell on her body and took the stance of the Seocheon Yu’s martial arts.

‘Yu Si-hyun, a monster who has a triple major in Swordsmanship, Magical Studies, and Martial Arts.’

Besides, Yu Si-hyun was overwhelmingly superior in terms of stats and abilities.

Leffrey had no chance of winning.

“Angel-nim, I will escort you to the Seocheon Yu.”

“No.”

Swoosh- The two warriors charged, shattering the arena’s stone floor. Sword against sword, magic against magic, and martial arts against martial arts.

Naturally, in a battle like this, Yu Si-hyun, trained as a weapon of war, would inevitably win.

Crash- Crash-

Magical reactions engulfed the air, a brutal battle where an ordinary person wouldn’t even last a second continued.

“…You said you didn’t know any other way, right?”

It was a war.

And the one who had the upper hand was naturally…

The heir to the Seocheon Yu, Yu Si-hyun.

But Leffrey, even in front of such a monster, didn’t back down.

“I’ll show you another way.”

Leffrey equipped his right hand with Sanctus, the Heavenly Gloves.

“The power of friendship.”