Chapter 306 : Chapter 306
Chapter 306. There Is a Path in the Sword
‘Do not hold back.’
Estina’s mind whispered.
‘If not now, there will never be another chance.’
Shartea, who was gripping Estina’s arm, swung her staff.
‘See? You are slow.’
Estina’s pupils split vertically.
The world as seen through the eyes of a magical beast.
A world she could not see when she did not know her true power now unfolded before her eyes.
“Rage forth!”
In time with the spell Shartea chanted, Estina could see the mana in the air begin to vibrate.
She slowly licked her lips and muttered,
“Slow.”
Everything was slow.
The sweat droplets falling from Shartea.
The arc traced by the staff.
The shapes formed as magic power extended outward.
From far away, the shout of Professor Lillian, who had sensed something amiss.
“Stop the duel!”
SNAP!
Of course, Estina had no intention of stopping here.
Laughing as if she could not contain herself, she shouted,
“Slow, I said it is slow!”
At the same time, Estina’s fingernails grew long.
Without hesitation, she swung her hand.
SLASH!
A violent gust of wind erupted from her fingertips and swept over Shartea.
“With this, do you think you can become the Emperor?”
SLASH!
“Urgh!”
Shartea’s magic failed to complete and scattered into the air.
As she staggered from the backlash of the reversed magic power, Estina seized her by the neck.
CRUSH!
‘Look at this. Such a fragile sight!’
Estina turned her body, intending to show everyone the Shartea she had captured.
But what met her eyes were spectators trembling in fear.
Even Estina’s own followers stood frozen, speechless.
Why…?
“…Why are you not cheering?”
Estina muttered.
An Emperor had to be strong.
Then should it not be natural for them to cheer for someone as strong as she was?
“Student Estina, I told you to stop!”
At that moment, Professor Lillian shouted as she flew in on a broom.
“Why should I, Professor? The duel is not over yet.”
“This duel is void. You would do well to release her hand immediately.”
“What are you talking about? You have always favored life-and-death duels, Professor.”
“It seems you do not realize what state you are in right now.”
Professor Lillian swung her staff and chanted a spell.
“Fall away!”
THUD, THUD!
Enormous chunks of ice formed in midair and came crashing down toward Estina.
Estina scoffed and avoided the falling ice simply by shifting her body slightly.
Then she looked at Professor Lillian and spoke.
“You did not think I would just stand there and take it, did you?”
“Look behind you.”
What?
Thinking there might have been an attack she had missed, Estina quickly turned around.
But all that was there were chunks of ice embedded in the ground.
“There is nothing there, so what are you—?”
It was the moment she looked at the ice with a baffled expression.
Flash.
The transparent ice gleamed like a mirror.
And it reflected Estina.
Before she knew it, her shoulders were covered in purple scales.
TZZZZT!
It was the very form of the grotesque magical beast she had always feared.
“Aaaaargh!”
Estina’s scream echoed throughout the academy.
Shartea did not miss that opening.
While Estina was reeling from the shock of her own hideous appearance, Shartea activated her Ability without hesitation.
Power of the Colossus.
Monstrous strength beyond that of a human erupted from her body.
She grabbed the wrist of Estina, whose beastification was progressing.
CRACK!
The hand that had been gripping Shartea’s neck shattered instantly.
It was strength she would never normally use against a human.
But the Estina of now could hardly be called human.
Estina hastily swung her other hand, but Shartea knocked that one away as well in a single motion.
BANG!
“Ghh, Shartea…!”
A growling sound escaped from Estina’s mouth as her scale-covered face twisted.
Shartea shook out her left hand and put distance between herself and Estina.
‘It is certain. It feels similar to when I strike a magical beast.’
Estina no longer seemed to have any intention of using magic.
-Grrrr…!
Smoke rose from her mouth as she dropped to all fours.
CRUNCH.
Horns began to sprout from Estina’s head.
She was gradually transforming into a monstrous form.
Shartea knew what that meant.
An Ability rampage.
A curse suffered by imperial family members who failed to properly control their Abilities.
That was not all.
The ominous demonic energy she had been sensing from Estina for a while now.
It was undoubtedly an aura that disturbed the human mind.
‘So she became imperial royalty and sold her soul to a demon.’
Shartea’s expression hardened.
***
“Thea!”
Someone urgently pushed through the crowd.
It was the 2nd Prince, Arteo Kudente Cretian.
He had come to watch from among the spectators after hearing that Shartea and the 4th Princess would face each other in the finals.
But he could not keep watching any longer.
‘That foolish 4th Princess!’
The 4th Princess’s body was writhing as it changed.
It was an Ability rampage.
The thing imperial family members who manifested Abilities feared the most.
Being consumed by a power they could not properly control.
“To rampage here, of all places.”
Grinding his teeth, Arteo took out his staff.
As a member of the Imperial Magicians and as a member of the imperial family, he had more than enough authority to intervene.
“And she dares… touch Thea?”
Killing intent swirled in Arteo’s eyes.
The 4th Princess.
He knew her well, as well as her maternal family, the Mecure earldom.
The Mecure earldom carried out all manner of schemes behind the scenes, without regard for means or methods.
All for the sake of making Estina the Emperor.
They manipulated public opinion and aggressively gathered followers.
Eliminating obstructive figures whenever the opportunity arose was simply part of the process.
Even Arteo sometimes found himself clicking his tongue at how fierce the groundwork for the next succession truly was.
The Mecure earldom had promoted the 4th Princess extensively.
Estina’s beauty and outstanding ability.
And the greatness of her Ability.
They were the ones who spread the epithet, Shield of the Empire.
‘Shield of the Empire, my foot. Anyone can see it is just because they were conscious of Thea.’
When Shartea, who had shown talent with the sword since childhood, naturally gained the epithet Sword of the Empire, it was not long before the 4th Princess conveniently acquired the matching title of Shield of the Empire.
From the 2nd Prince’s perspective, it was nothing short of absurd.
Because he knew what the 4th Princess’s true Ability was.
But with no conclusive evidence, he had kept his mouth shut.
He had judged it was not yet the time to play that card.
And yet, to have it confirmed like this.
“You dare bring those disgusting hands near Thea? I will not let this stand.”
CRUNCH.
Arteo bared his teeth and raised his hand to swing his staff.
That was when it happened.
“Leave it.”
Someone grabbed Arteo’s shoulder.
It was a heavy grip.
Arteo turned to see who had seized him and his eyes widened.
“Grandfather…?”
Alexius Kudente.
A man who should not have been here.
“How did you come here… no, more importantly, what do you mean by leave it? Thea is in danger.”
“It is not over yet. Thea intends to keep fighting.”
The eyes of the seasoned swordsman gazed toward the stage.
Despite her broken right arm, Shartea stood upright.
“Grandfather, this is no longer a duel. The 4th Princess is trying to kill Thea!”
“It is Thea’s fight. Not yours.”
“Just look at her state. This is absurd.”
Arteo shook his head.
But Alexius did not back down.
“Arteo.”
The man who guarded the Empire’s borders looked steadily at his grandson.
“If you shield her from everything and bear everything for her, when will that child ever grow?”
Growth.
It was a word Arteo could not understand.
Why did Shartea need to grow through something like this?
She had Arteo behind her.
Why did his younger sister need to be struck, to be hurt?
There was no need for that.
Even as the two spoke, dense demonic energy continued to seep out across the arena.
The eyes of the nearby spectators were gradually growing unfocused.
It was proof they were being consumed by the demonic energy.
-Grrrr!
A bestial cry escaped from Estina’s mouth.
A pair of horns jutted from her head, and grotesque claws grew from her hands and feet.
Shrrrk.
Scales that had passed her shoulders climbed up her neck and covered her face.
Shrrrk!
Yet perhaps Estina’s last shred of consciousness was resisting.
The scales failed to fully cover her forehead, repeatedly rising and receding.
“Ghh, Shartea…!”
Midway through her transformation into a magical beast, Estina twisted her body and forced herself upright on two feet.
A horrific pain surged through her.
Voices echoed in her head, incessantly goading her.
‘Crush her.’
‘Show everyone your true power.’
‘Make it clear who must kneel before you.’
She could no longer remember what she had looked like.
A sweet voice whispered.
‘I have waited a long time.’
For whom?
‘For you.’
Why?
‘Because only your Ability can make me whole.’
Estina shook her head.
That could not be true.
No one wanted her Ability.
If she did not become the Emperor, if she did not hide the Ability that turned her into a magical beast, even her mother would abandon her.
As long as she possessed such a grotesque Ability, no one would ever take her hand.
‘I am not like that. I will not abandon you.’
The voice tempted her.
‘Do you not know my power? Have you not felt my power? I will grant you everything you have ever desired.’
Everything she desired?
‘That is right. My name is the Archdemon Leviathan.’
In the darkness, the form of Leviathan emerged.
He extended his hand toward Estina.
‘Give me your soul.’
-Grrrr!
Only a few seconds passed.
But it was more than enough time for Leviathan to steal a single soul.
Estina did not hesitate.
She grasped his hand.
SHRRRRK!
At last, all the scales covered Estina’s face.
She planted both feet firmly on the ground.
Then she lifted her head and looked toward where Shartea stood.
‘Kill that Princess and offer her to me as a sacrifice.’
Her master commanded.
But before Estina could even reach out her hand, Shartea’s left arm moved first.
Whoosh!
A bead of sweat slid down Shartea’s forehead.
The magic she was about to activate required pouring out every last drop of her magic power.
The chance of success was fifty-fifty.
Shartea briefly lifted her eyes and met the gaze of Professor Lillian, floating in the air.
Nod.
At Professor Lillian’s nod, Shartea’s staff completed the magic circle.
Flash!
“Unique magic.”
Shartea’s calm voice rang out.
It was the spell she had been preparing all this time.
Infusing her voice with magic power, she extended her staff.
“The Path of the Sword.”
With Shartea’s incantation, an enormous magic field spread outward.
Fwoooosh!
Seeing it, Arteo groaned.
“Unique magic…?”
As the name implied, it was magic that only a single person in the world could use.
Only the caster themselves could wield unique magic.
Magic that could only be completed by fully understanding oneself.
Many students graduated from the academy without ever reaching unique magic.
And yet Shartea had already completed it.
Arteo’s pupils trembled.
Flaaash!
“There is a path in the sword.”
As she finished the incantation, the sky opened.
RUMBLE!
And a gigantic sword revealed itself.
A dazzlingly radiant, pure white blade.
Light poured down from the sword, spilling through the clouds.
Whoosh!
Drawing forth all of her magic power, Shartea brought her hand down.
CRASH!
The colossal sword plummeted toward the ground.