26 Havian Crush!

Much earlier during the fight between Linley and Roland. Within the personal room that Alicia was in. Ark had just arrived.

"Alicia, get on the bed. I would like to make this easy." Ark said calmly.

Alicia nodded and climbed onto the bed being anticipated for what is going to happen next. Roxy told her many things about the relationship between a man and a women.

"Alicia, do you trust me?" Ark asked.

"Yes." Alicia said.

"Alicia, do you love me?" Ark questioned.

"Yes..." Alicia spoke while her face was turning red when being confronted with her feelings.

It was wrong for a holy maiden who is supposed to be a virgin and pure. To fall in love with a knight was simply a betrayal of her belief and faith into the church itself.

Ark neared closer to Alicia. With a hand, Ark carefully caressed one of Alicia's cheek gently. Then Ark had unsheathe his sword in front of Alicia. Ark's sword immediately neared Alicia's waist with quick haste faster than the eye could see.

Stab!

"Ah?!" Alicia's eyes visibly widened in shock. Her heart was in turmoil. As she then coughed blood from her mouth as her stomach was pierced by Ark's sword.

Alicia may be ignorant and naive of many things in the world. She knew for sure this was not what it means for when a man to pierce a women in bed.

Ark's body and sword was then covered with his own Light Elemental Battle-Qi aura.

Alicia's injury may be severe at first, but Ark's special aura healed just enough to not be fatal and therefore the amount of damage and blood loss was to the minimum.

Ark pulled away his sword from Alicia's stomach. When the sword was lifted, Alicia's body seems to be stuck on the sword, but after a moment her body then flopped down from it.Then Ark thrust forward at Alicia...

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Ark stab and pulled away multiple times. Each stab was at least the same amount of pain nevertheless.

"Why?" Alicia could muttered a single word as she didn't expect to face such a betrayal. It had hurt her in both mind and body. Alicia had tears in her eyes.

The stabbings won't even kill her, because they were healing her as well due to the special properties of Ark's Elemental Battle-Qi Aura.

"Good, because I hate you. To the point where I envy you. Being so naive, so innocent, so stupid! Those would be nice to have." Ark vented out.

"Wha?" Alicia was confused by Ark's words.

To Alicia, Ark was always dependable and charming. The typical amazing knight hero one could easily imagine out of their fantasies. Ark even save Alicia's life on multiple occasions. Alicia couldn't even comprehend why Ark would ever do this to her.

Several repeat stabbings occurred in the same place. Ark felt this poor girl at least deserve a proper explanation for her approaching death. Ark stopped for a moment and gave Alicia time to breath from all this stabbings that made her vomit along with her multiple coughing of blood.

"Why am I doing this? It is not just because I hate you. I am not that petty. You knew already don't you. This is all for the benefit of my master." Ark spoke arrogantly.

Alicia was able to wipe some blood and vomit with her sleeve.

"I see. Is this will of Pope Orloff? Then I can understand at the very least. I'm glad to know that you are being forced-" Alicia was cut off.

Stab! Alicia was stabbed in the stomach once more.

"Don't misunderstand little girl. I do this because I wanted too as well." Ark retorted calmly

Alicia felt despair gripping her heart. Her love hated and wanted to kill her. How could anyone bear such a thing without feeling dreadful.

"Hey, Ark?" Alicia had to ask something. If she didn't, she would have this as her biggest regret. That's why she had gathered all of her strength and will power just to ask this next question.

"Were we ever friends?" Alicia speak weakly and softly.

"No. But if you want to believe we were. You sure can." Ark suggested to Alicia as he begin stabbing her again and again.

Alicia who wanted to cry but normal watery tears didn't appear. Instead because of all this stabbings. Tears of blood flowed down from her eyes and down her face and across the cheeks.

Alicia had eventually fainted due to severe heartache and physical pain.

As Ark was continuing his stabbing into this poor girl's stomach.

A knight clad in black armor entered this room as well stealthily and without notice. He had a black great sword behind his back. It was quite the contrast to Ark's shining white armor. The black knight begins applauding Ark for his actions.

"As expected and how fitting for a knight to obey the church without question. You are a true knight to the very end. Whether it's recusing or killing fairs maidens, knowing fully that many innocent lives are going to be lost today, and lastly you aiding your mast-" The black knight was interrupted.

"Shut up Link. If you continue those words any longer. We're going to fight regardless of what's going to happen next." Ark felt annoyed by this person.

Link shrugged his shoulders and give in to Ark's demands. Link wasn't just any person off the streets. Link was a dark elf and was from the territory of the Twilight Zone. Link was quite famous there, because he was a well-known hero there.

If anyone who read the documentary about Ark's subjugation of the Twilight Zone would clearly know these two figures and their history. Those readers would know that Link was supposedly evenly matched in a fight against Ark. That's right Link was protecting the Twilight Zone and the dark elf Queen Zelda from Ark's hands.

Seeing the two interact as if they were acquaintances or allies would shock these readers.

Because the truth of the matter is when Ark had finished subjugating the Twilight Zone. He had personally delivered the head of Queen Zelda as an offering to the King of Faulen Kingdom.

So most would believed that Link would at least have a grudge against Ark for doing such a damnable deed.

"To think the Church of Augusta would betray both the kingdom and this very academy. By planting lesser demon's eggs within the food they serve through the vendors. One must know lesser demon's eggs if consumed would explode at once when any greater demon's main body itself has been summoned in close enough proximity. How cruel and ambitious they are." Link spoke dramatically.

"Not only that, the famed knight of the church is performing a greater demon summoning ritual at the cost of their personal developed holy maiden who they had groomed. Truly the church is without a doubt evil and cruel." Link continued and commented.

"Even the true purpose of the subjugation of the Twilight Zone by Ark and the Church were to acquire the greater demon that was personally sealed there by the queen and her predecessors." Link finished his explanation.

Even though the explanation was actually meant for no one and was only spoken to pass the time. After all, Link was only there to watch and to make sure that Ark finished doing his task of finishing the ritual of summoning the greater demon.

This greater demon summoning ritual itself was actually simple. One must form the offering magical spell formation at first. Then offer a virgin young maiden under the age of 14 whose innocent womb has been stabbed for 987 times by a sharp object. Then call forth the demon's true name.

It was only a matter of time before Ark had finished his task. After all the required stabbings were done. Ark went near the exit of the room along with Link.

"I summon you. Come forth. Greater Demon Aragog." Ark spoke calmly.

A giant and long black pillar thrust out of Alicia's womb. It had pierced the ceiling of this rooms and all the rooms above it into the very open sky.

This was the very same black pillar that Linley saw from the arena. The truth was this was a mere leg of this greater demon's main body.

Ark and Link both knew the main body was about to appear out in full form. The size of such a being would smash and collapse all nearby rooms that was adjacent and near this room at the very least.

Ark and Link both separated to do their very own personal tasks at hand. Since the assault on this very Havian Academy is merely beginning.

In the special V.I.P. booth within the stands. The booth was specially tough and resilient and therefore none of the random explosions did much to damage it.

Doehring Cowart being the headmaster felt like he needed to do something about it, but he felt isn't that what the staff and security meant to do. Why does he have to take care of minor problems that others could handle?

As soon as Doehring had saw the giant black pillar that thrust out of the Academy's building itself. Doehring knew he had to do something about this at the very least.

"King Leylin, I'm sorry to leave. But this academy's headmaster need to deal with this newfound problem. I'm sorry for our Academy's incompetency." Doehring tried to excuse himself as then he flew away from the booth and into the sky.

Doehring needed at least to know what's he up against before confronting the threat. Knowledge can be the key to victory.

Supreme-level experts whether warriors or magicians could all learn how to fly at this level. Therefore they fought in quite the different perspective. Since airborne combat is quite different from land-based combat.

A few moments later. The very king himself, Leylin Faulen himself felt curious since he didn't know what was happening, even though he felt he should have.

As Leylin walked to the edge of the booth and was preparing to take a look at his surrounding. Haydson followed and ended up stopping behind him.

"For years, I have been waiting patiently and been meticulous preparing all of this. My good friend Leylin." Haydson smirked.

Haydson drew out his black great sword immediately. The sword had then open a red eye with a slit instead of a normal pupil. Veins starts appearing on the sword as if it just became alive. It looks like a demonic sword.

It looks to be the very same sword that the Baron Draco Arthur had.

The great sword in Haydson's hand immediately impaled Leylin's back and out through the front of his chest.

"Hmm?! Just what is going?! I never saw this one coming!" Leylin spoke with shock throughout his entire expression.

Haydson lifted the sword and thus lifted Leylin's body into the air. Haydson immediately leap off the ground and into the sky. Haydson flew as fast as he could into the sky. Leaving behind only a sonic boom at where they were once at.

Haydson kidnapped Leylin and then they left as if they were like a shooting star.

Roxy felt shock at the sight of this. Leylin's family felt shocked as well. Celine felt worry for her husband. The children were so shocked that they were scared. Dixie who admired Haydson as not only as their godfather but as a warrior he wants to grow up to be. Delia didn't know whether to cry or panic.

Soon moments later. The shock doesn't stop there. The floor seems to be collapsing beneath Roxy as a black-armored knight jumped through it. Smashing through and forming his own entrance.

This was Link who was mentioned from before and he was now charging through floor and at Roxy with a black great sword in hand.

Roxy could never had seen this one coming. Not only that but Link was terrifying fast. A Warrior typically surpasses a Magician in speed after all. Roxy immediately moved backwards as the black knight was closing in on her.

Roxy could only do nothing now but closed her eyes. For some reason, a specific nostalgic memory popped by in her head. She didn't know why she had such a memory right before her end.

It was back in her home tribal village. It was the day when king Leylin was touring around the Desolate Wilderness and came at this poor village. Leylin saw her and praised her for talent and potential. Leylin offered the village a wealthy sum of money just to take her away. She was helpless and could only accept her fate due to how troubled the villagers were in their poverty and famine.

"I will become strong... just wait. Roxy!" A blue-haired boy was crying at her departure. They were fellow friends. A pair of fellow orphans who lived together, play together, eat together, sleep together, and promised to be together forever.

'I'm sorry... that I broke our promise first Rolo. I hoped you moved on without me.' Roxy thought as she realized her end was coming. And this was only her regret in her life. She had entirely forgot about him and only remembered now about it. It was truly unforgivable on her part.

"Get away from my childhood friend!" A loud male scream rang throughout the booth.

Roxy opened her eyes and to her surprise. She had witnessed personally right in front of her. The white-haired half naked Roland doing a dropkick at the black knight.

The black knight who took the dropkick head on was then sent flying on to a wall. Web-like cracks immediately appeared on the wall as a result.

Roland then did a back flip as he then landed on his feet. Roxy stared at Roland who was standing in front of her now. Once she had seen him up close. At first it didn't seem familiar or nostalgic at all. But those feelings were slowly building up in her.

"Crybaby Rolo?" Roxy asked subconsciously. It was hard for her to imagine her childhood friend Rolo to be the contender Roland. Roxy easily bullied and teased Rolo in all those days when they were together. Rolo was like a undependable little brother figure who was a bit wimpy in her impression.

Compared to Roland who had a muscular physique and scars over his body along with his confident posture. It was quite the staggering difference.

"Of course. You waited and now I came." Roland flicked his nose with his thumb as he stood very arrogantly.

Even Dixie and Delia were quite surprised to see Roland here. Especially when they were originally cheering for Linley's side.

The black knight Link stood up from being smashed into the wall. His hand which was on his black great sword was now pointing at Roland.

"Against this tournament's contender. I need to at least go all out at the very least." Link spoke casually without any signs of fear or worries.

Link's black great sword transformed just like Haydson's and even took on the same appearance of the red eye and it's alive veins. Link's body then exerted out a black colored Battle-Qi aura soon covered his entire body. Not only that, the Battle-Qi aura soon even take shape and form as it transform around him into tendrils.

Roland knew from his experience that his opponent was at least a Grandmaster-level expert. Those who are that level can gave their Battle-Qi aura or magical energy shape and form. Allowing them to be creative and a lot more conservative in their energy usage. There was major advantage to this ability, it can severely reduce the energy cost for the moves of Battle Techniques and magic spells. Due to being able to do this ability to begin with, their energy is already extreme dense and thus their attacks and defenses are much more harder to beat.

Even though Roxy was a Grandmaster-level expert as well, she only had just entered this level very recently and thus haven't have the time to even master this major advantage of this level.

Roland may be strong at his level and for his peers. Defeating or even killing a Grandmaster-level expert was very hard and taxing even for him. He couldn't afford to waste too much energy in this hostile and volatile environment and situation.

The only reason he was here in this very booth was to get Roxy and get out of here. Now he had to face off against a powerful expert. He was confident in defending and preserving life against such an opponent. But protecting others even just Roxy in this next fight was too much.

'I wanted to be strong, but I'm still not strong enough! Damn!' Roland held his thoughts to himself since he didn't want make other worries.

Roxy looked at Roland his changed expression that was reminding her of the past. She then walked to him and then stood by his side.

"Rolo, we're together now. When we're together, I know for sure we can't lose." Roxy spoke softly to Roland as she lifted her staff in front of her.

"Heh!" Roland smiled and felt relieved at her words. Roland too held his sword in front of him.

They were standing side by side. With their weapons point at their common foe. The black knight link.

"Let's go, Roxy!" Roland shouted.

Back to Linley who was literally sent midair from a leg's attack smashing the arena.

Linley knew he can't fly. Nor he could survive a fall into the newly fresh abyss-like hole made out of this very arena.

As Linley was falling down, he was trying reach a tall building during his sky diving before he went splat on the ground.

'I think I can do this. I saw this in a manga once." Linley thought

Fortunately there was a tall building nearby, as Linley approached it. He had stabbed his sword into the stone-made building.

Screech!

Linley's sword that was stabbed into the building was still falling with Linley. As they were falling together, the sword left behind long gash into the very building itself. Eventually the speed of the fall decreased immediately, as the fall comes to a halt.

Linley was now left hanging holding onto his sword that was inside the wall of the building itself.

Roar!

Linley suddenly heard a loud roar coming from the direction where the giant black pillar seems to have originated from.

From Linley's eyes, he saw a giant flying spider monster getting hit by meteors in the sky. Then a giant made of stone appeared and was punching down the spider monster.

'Hmm. I don't want to be apart of that fight.' Linley thought since he knows for sure he can't beat giant monsters.

The fights of powerful existence way above him doesn't really matter towards Linley. Linley knew the best thing to do is to avoid the worst situation.

Linley had looked around at where he was at on this section of a wall of a building. He had noted there were windows around him. He was too far away from the ground to simply just jump down.

Linley unplugged his sword from the wall and then he started wall-running towards the nearest window. Linley then dropkick in the window itself. Shattering the well-made glass and making his entrance.

Linley knew he was lost in this building even though he was in a vacant hallway. He wanted to wait at first. But he knew time was ticking, therefore it was better to do something than to do nothing.

Linley begin running toward in a direction he just randomly chose. Naturally he didn't run at full speed. There was no point of wasting too much energy of getting even more lost.

After minutes of running, Linley soon find the stairs and immediately down. Linley knew if he went down he eventually would reach the ground floor. Reaching the ground floor means he can leave the building.

This building Linley was in now was actually main building of Havian Academy. The stadium with the arena and stands were just next to it.

Unknown to Linley, do not think Havian Academy is lacking this much in security. Whether it's through stairs, the elevators or even running around in this very building. There was magical spell formation covering up the internal layout of this building. It was a labyrinth type formation. Even if you go up and down you might end up on a different floor then intended.

This magical nature of this spell formation could make one easily lost. Even if one tries to wander around, starting from floor 1, then one might end up on floor 17, 50 or floor 100. It was even possible to go not just up and down, but even sideways as well with floor 45-B and floor 76-C.

How can there be side floors? Pocket dimensions. Magicians can create pocket dimensions.

The main building possess a lot of space to the point even students and teachers can get lost if they weren't paying attention.

Naturally if one wants to go where they intended to go without hindrance, one needed at least an approved magical badges from the staff Havian Academy to allow them to navigate through this special magical formation. Students and staff members usually carried their own badge affiliated with them.

Linley, of course, does not possess any of these badges.

Linley became extremely lost without him knowing as he believed he was heading down to the ground floor.

Eventually as he reached a floor's hallway he found a group of a hundred people dressed up in black outfits and over their faces they had black web-shaped masks crossing over everywhere but their eyes. And their eyes were glaring red. They were carrying swords, axes, spears, scimitars and even daggers.

"Kill!" "Kill! "Kill!"

All of them spoke the same word. But they seem to repeating it for some reason unknown to Linley.

Linley approached them because he had believed they were in his way. As soon as Linley draw near.

They all begin charging at him with their weapons drawn and ready. Linley first stood around and stare as they begin to surround him at first. Corning him down leaving without any exit in sight.

Of these were insignificant fodders whose only worth are to fund Linley some little amounts of EP. After all, they seem only to be a bunch of retarded Scholar-level expert who can't utilize their Battle-Qi aura at most.

Linley simply spun around with his sword in hand. Linley spiral in a fast rapid motion. Turning himself into a spinning top. As they kept running and trying to attack Linley in the center of their crowding.

It was different from grass headings towards the lawn mower. It was a very apt analogy. Except in this personal case it was a lot more bloody and gore-like.

Linley slashed through limbs, torso, necks and even faces of these minor foes.

In the end, Linley ended up killing most of these attackers.

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"

There were some still left alive only because Linley end up only cutting their limbs. They were either missing an arm, or a leg, or even all their limbs. They were bleeding out through their newfound holes. But the words they keep muttering were still the same.

"Kill!"

Linley didn't sigh, but he felt annoyed by getting attacked by people who clearly didn't felt any sense of pain at all. They lacked the need of pain tolerance unlike Linley.

Linley naturally didn't spare them even if they were the elderly or even children. People who dare to kill needs to know they can be killed as well.

Linley simply stabbed their heads and easily puncturing the brain. It was quick and efficient.

Linley continued on his intended path. He had believed he had remained on the same floor still.

Eventually he found similar people like who he faced before all speaking the same word as before. But instead of wandering around, they seems to stuck to a wall.

There were layers of spider webs covering their entire bodies. Across the hallway, one can see groups of these people captured for some reason.

Linley could have simply left them there, but instead he chose to kill them along his way out of here.

'Free EP is free EP after all." Linley thought.

As soon as Linley has chopping down some heads without hesitation. He suddenly felt something crawling on him.

Linley immediately looked at the source of that peculiar sensation. Looking at the back of his left hand. Linley saw a dot-size spider on his hand. It was transparent and ghost-like.

Linley immediately tried to slap it with his right hand. But it was too late, the dot-size spider bit Linley's left hand before the slap occurred. Linley jumped out of shock at being bitten.

"Why?!" Linley shouted.

Then Linley realized he didn't hear a splat. So as he lifted up his right hand, Linley saw there was nothing there on his left hand. As if no spider ever existed in the first place.

"Maybe I'm just paranoid cause of all these webs." Linley tried to relieve himself of his anxiety and fear at this moment.

Linley instinctively felt something was off as if something became wrong in his body.

Linley begin killing more and more of these captured victims in quick haste. Desiring to acquire as much EP he could as he then wanted to run away from here.

After a while of leaving a trail of blood in his path. Linley felt like his body was feeling sluggish and his senses were dulling.

Linley just assumed it was a combination of this and his fight with Roland that caused his current state.

Then all of a sudden when Linley dropped his guard, his sword of Kusanagi was hit by a web sling. It was then immediately pulled away from Linley's grasp.

It was flying in a direction far from Linley.

"Judging by your actions, I can tell I'm right. You're exactly as I expected." A new voice spoke from the ceiling.

Linley immediately turned his head and stared at the origin of this talking. The figure was sliding down on a different web sling that came from the ceiling.

This figure had a red and blue outfit. His spider's webbing design was over the outfit. His mask's lenses that were white and had a black outline.

Linley was in shock in astonishment. Anyone could recognize this outfit back from the modern world.

"Did you know, great power comes with great responsibility? Those are famous words after all." The figure quoted rather casually and fitting for his outfit.

It was Spiderman!