Part Thirty

The battle between Queen Celeste and Gialo has reached a fever pitch. Amidst the turmoil of the sky, Gialo lands a forceful punch to Celeste's gut, creating a shockwave that ripples through the air. Frustration and disbelief cloud his thoughts, 'Dammit! Why!? Why can't I beat her!?' His punch, while powerful, seems insignificant against the might of the queen.

The fight between them escalates to an extraordinary level, with both combatants moving through the sky at incredible speeds. They clash against each other hundreds of times, each strike a testament to their prowess. Celeste, despite her dominance, can't help but acknowledge Gialo's strength. 'This old man managed to get this strong in only ten years? He's dangerous. If he had another 5 years to train, I don't think I could beat him,' she thinks, surprised by his rapid development.

With a burst of speed, Celeste slashes down at Gialo, her blade cutting through the air with lethal precision. Gialo raises his cane in defense, but the impact of Celeste's strike is too great. Her sword slashes through the cane, destroying the artifact and sending Gialo plummeting towards the ground.

As Gialo crashes into the earth, creating a massive crater, the Academy's emergency destruction prevention array springs into action. Sensing the immense power unleashed, the array activates, shielding the Academy from the devastating effects of their battle.

Lying in the crater, Gialo is consumed by despair and confusion. 'Why!? I don't understand! My lord, you said I could beat anyone with this power. Please talk to me, my lord... Did my lord abandon me?' His thoughts betray his sense of betrayal and abandonment.

Gialo's body, unable to withstand the impact, bursts into a swarm of maggots. The creatures squirm and writhe, desperately attempting to reform Gialo's body. However, their efforts are in vain.

Queen Celeste, unfazed by the grotesque display, lands next to the crater. She extends her hand, her fingers crackling with electricity. With a single, decisive motion, she unleashes a torrent of lightning, popping the maggots one by one. The electrical assault is precise and deadly, ensuring that not a single maggot survives.

Queen Celeste observes Gialo's remnants. Only his head remains, a grotesque sight as maggots run in and out of his wounds. "How disgusting," she comments, her voice laced with revulsion.

Gialo, trapped in his mutilated state, begins to laugh maniacally, his sanity slipping away. His eyes widen with madness as he glares at the queen. "Hahahahaha! You can't kill me!" he exclaims, his laughter echoing with a sense of deranged triumph.

Queen Celeste looks at him with disgust, responding calmly, "Is that so?" She raises her finger, aiming a bolt of lightning at his head. The electric surge distorts his head, causing the maggots to convulse violently, but surprisingly, they do not pop. As soon as the lightning ceases, Gialo's head reforms, and he proclaims, "I'm practically immortal. It's a skill blessed upon me by our great lord!"

Observing the situation intently, Queen Celeste enhances her eyesight to scrutinize Gialo's condition more closely. 'This is bothersome,' she thinks. 'The corrupted mana on him is out of his control; he's now insane. How am I supposed to kill him? I need someone with holy power to finish him off...'

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rubbing my neck, I exhale a long, tired breath. "Ugh... this has been a really frustrating day." I tap on my earpiece, connecting with Lysandra. "Have you arrived at the fountain yet?"

"Yeah, but um... Kael, there are a bunch of bugs here pretending to be a dragon," Lysandra's voice comes through, tinged with confusion.

I rub my temples, trying to process this latest complication. Looking up, I explain, "Listen, that dragon is fake. I'm sure it's bowing down to you. If it was anyone else, it would kill them, but it has a dragon heart. That's why it's bowing down; it can sense that you're a dragon. So do me a favor and tell it to kill itself. Once it does, burn all the maggots and grab the dragon's heart. I'm going to use it later."

I had thought Rose was going to kill it, but the old man must have sensed the magic circle I just used.

Sera, who's been quietly observing, finally speaks up. "Um... Kael. Just how strong are you?"

I glance up at her, considering her question. How strong am I? "Not that strong," I admit. I wish I were stronger. In reality, I'm just over-geared. Without everything I have, I'm as weak as a normal student.

Just then, Lysandra's voice crackles through the earpiece again, her tone mixed with surprise and amusement. "Oh! It literally killed itself, hahahaha! I can't believe it. Anyway, I have the dragon heart... It is—"

I interrupt her, wanting to keep the focus on the task at hand. "Don't think about it too much, just put it away and stay by the fountain."

Standing up, I adjust the mask on my face, making sure it's fitted just right. I tap on my TSI, and my suit morphs into a more casual black and white outfit. The mask transforms too, becoming a sleek, completely black mask marked with a single number, 0 with a couple white dashes around.

As I survey myself, I think, ''You know what they say... Fake it 'til you make it, dress it 'til you take it.' It's about making an impression, especially now. I need to appear as perfect as possible, to grab attention and manipulate the situation to my advantage.

Sera, watching me, can't hide her surprise. "Awesome... your clothes can change?" she blurts out.

I dust myself off nonchalantly and reply, "Something like that." It's better not to delve into details right now.

Her gaze falls on my mask. "Why are you wearing a mask... Isn't there security crystals around? I'm sure they got your face already," she points out.

Heh, does she think I wouldn't prepare for that? As soon as I arrived, I deactivated those crystals. "Don't worry about it, Sera," I assure her.

Slipping on the black glove for my baby, I transform Umbra to match its shade on my other hand. "Head to the auditorium. There are others there. Pretend to be one of them and wait," I instruct her.

She stands up, groaning slightly. "You know what's happening, right?... What exactly is going on?" she asks, just as we feel a large impact that shakes the ground.

I push back my hair, applying some black dye Eira gave me, turning it black and brown. "Sera, just go. I'll fix everything here, so chill out in the auditorium," I tell her, trying to reassure her.

Sighing in defeat, Sera walks up to me. Her warm smile is disarming, and before I know it, she wraps me in a hug. "Thank you for putting up with my stupidity. I'm not sure what you're planning on doing, but be careful," she says, her voice tinged with gratitude and concern.

As she runs off, I stand there for a moment, lost in thought. Tsk, what am I even thinking? I need to get moving, Rose is nearby I need to get moving. 

My footsteps echo on the ground, each step precise and perfect. Ilka, perched on my head, floats around me. "Oh ho~ Look at you trying to look all cool," she teases, her tone playful yet slightly mocking.

"So, what are you going to do?" she inquires, curiosity evident in her voice.

I choose to ignore her, focusing on the task at hand. Hmmm... everything is somehow still going my way. I lift my fingers and grab Ilka. "Listen, we're going to meet someone who senses spiritual pressure. If I need to raise my hand out to her, do me a favor and use your spiritual pressure," I instruct her, my tone serious.

Ilka taps her chin, grinning. "Look at you, telling your master what to do," she quips, her amusement clear.

I sigh, bracing myself for her usual antics. Here we go again with her bullshit. "If you do it, I'll... take you to your grave. You want to see your statue, right?" I offer, trying to entice her cooperation.

She rubs her chin, pondering my offer. "And???" she presses, clearly wanting more.

Tsk, she wants more? "I'll... increase my training hours," I concede, hoping that will satisfy her.

Ilka nods, her giggle ringing in my ears. "That's right," she declares, pointing at me. "I'll train you to death."

Yup, I don't doubt that statement for a second. Knowing her, she'll probably tell me to swim in a volcano or something equally insane.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Queen Celeste gazes down at the old man, her expression a mix of determination and distaste. 'I can't leave him here. I need to take him to a high-ranking priest,' she thinks, formulating her next steps. Extending her hand, she summons an electrical field that envelops the old man's head.

Gialo, despite his dire situation, continues to laugh maniacally. "Our lord will be free, everything is set up, there's no stopping it!" he exclaims, his voice echoing his deranged mindset.

With a flick of her fingers, Celeste manipulates the current, levitating the head off the ground. "Shut it, you old man," she retorts sharply, her patience wearing thin.

As she walks, Celeste's mind races with thoughts. 'Dammit, I need to check on that unknown person. They probably killed the fake dragon, but I need to confront them regarding the current situation. The professors and school officials can't do much today since the competition is a national event.' She ponders the strategy to maintain a façade of normalcy, to keep the chaos from spilling over and causing widespread panic.

The right choice, she concludes, is to pretend this attack is not happening, while the few professors available hold off these monsters for as long as possible.

Queen Celeste abruptly halts in her steps. She coats Gialo's head in mana, effectively masking its presence. Looking ahead, she notices a man confidently approaching. His attire is an intriguing blend of casual and elegant elements. Observing herself in the school uniform, she thinks, 'I should still be perceived as a student.'

The man stops in front of her, and despite her efforts, she can't discern any facial features. 'His mask is made of high-quality materials... I can't see his face,' she notes internally, enhancing her eyes with mana to try to get a better look.

Behind his mask, Kael grins, amused by her confusion. 'Hahaha, look at her, all bewildered. Tsk tsk tsk, come on, Rose, don't get confused just as I'm just getting started,' he thinks, his gaze fixed on her.

Queen Celeste, putting on an act, adopts the persona of a distressed student. "U-um, hello... please help me, t-there are monsters everywhere," she pleads, her voice trembling.

Kael, smirking behind his mask, silently critiques her performance. 'Come on, is that the best you've got? Trying to act in front of a pro like me with that?' he muses to himself.

He steps forward, not directly at her but past her, maintaining a deliberate distance. His mask alters his voice to a calm, cold timbre. "Queen Celeste, it's an honor to meet you," he says, his attention focused on the scene behind her, deliberately avoiding meeting her gaze.

Queen Celeste's eyes widen in shock, and she instinctively jumps back. 'He recognized me? No, that's not possible. With my current appearance, no one should be able to recognize me,' she ponders in disbelief, her hand gripping her sheathed sword.

Kael, thoroughly enjoying her reaction, thinks, 'Hahahaha, look at you, so surprised. This is fun~' He stands firmly, not turning back to face her, and advises in a cold, calm voice, "I suggest you keep it sheathed."

Queen Celeste, momentarily gripping her sheathed sword, quickly reassesses the situation. 'Starting another fight here would be stupid. He's likely the one who created the magic circle,' she reasons, her gaze fixated on the mysterious man's back. 'I can't see anything at all. Is he stronger than me, or does he have an artifact that blocks me from detecting his level?' These thoughts swirl in her mind as she contemplates her next move.

Taking a deep breath, she addresses him, "Who are you?" Her voice is steady, but the curiosity is unmistakable.

Kael, smirking behind his mask, continues to observe the scene. He turns around, walking confidently past her, and stops. "Who am I?" he echoes her question, his voice calm and collected. "I have no name," he declares, then turns his attention back to the monsters, adding, "The Great Empire has failed to keep it sealed." He chuckles inwardly, 'Hehehe, let's see how angry she gets~'

Queen Celeste's glare intensifies. "It hasn't escaped yet," she corrects him, her tone firm.

Kael, unfazed, turns around and steps closer to her. Although his eyes are hidden behind the mask, the intensity of his gaze is palpable. He casually pulls out his gun, his beloved artifact. 'Ah~ my baby, I've been wanting to try you out.'

Celeste's attention shifts to the gun in Kael's hand. 'What is that? Some kind of artifact?' she wonders, her curiosity piqued.

Kael smirks behind his mask. 'This is going to be her first time seeing one, so I'll go all out. This bullet costs 10 platinum coins; you better be surprised.' He aims the gun towards where the head is hidden, detecting an unusual mana pattern at a specific point. 'So there's the head,' he concludes, and fires a holy bullet engraved with holy energy.

The bullet, incredibly, doesn't make a sound as it's fired; it simply vanishes from sight, and in an instant, the head explodes. 'Seriously? That's all I get for so much fucking money!?' Kael thinks, slightly disappointed.

Queen Celeste's eyes widen in shock. 'What the hell... No, that attack was instant. That artifact is dangerous. Given the fact that he used it without preparing and without struggling, it's fair to say that attack is not the strongest attack. Just how much firepower does that thing have?'