One vs Two

As he walked at a relaxed pace, Leylin eyed the badge currently in his possession. Its coloring was simply white and gold, and it depicted the beautiful carving of a giant European-style castle. Obviously, Torash had belonged to the Whitewoods Castle Magic Academy.

The initially exquisite and polished badge was now covered with dust and it also had some residual putrid flesh on it.

[Just from a look, it seems that this acolyte must have been a genius in his academy. Unlike any badges you have collected thus far, this one has golden details on the carving, and it is also bigger than the rest. Torash's badge, at the very least, should be worth around 200 contribution points!] -Aralis sounded excited about her Master's achievement.

Leylin was still contemplating the badge when a playful sneer drew itself on his fake visage.

'So much for the genius of Whitewoods Castle. I was expecting him to entertain me for a while, to be honest.' -Leylin thought dejectedly.

[Well, he did cause you to deploy the Fallen Star Pendant. And he also withstood the deadly mist of your Flaming Cloud of Afterlife.]

'If by 'withstood' you mean 'almost died', then I guess he deserves my praise.' -Leylin smirked.

[So... are you going to destroy the badge?]

'Destroy it? You must be kidding. I would have to slay more than sixty level 3 acolytes to rank up as many contribution points as this badge would get me. Why would I get rid of it?'

[Because there must have been a mighty professor backing Torash... He would certainly seek revenge if you cash in the badge once the Bloodbath's over. I'm not saying it is unwise to keep it, I'm just suggesting it may be dangerous.]

Almost every badge was a generic item that merely represented a pre-defined number of contribution points, depending on one's acolyte level. More badges equaled more points earned, and it did not matter who had been the student killed over said item.

However, the badges of a few extraordinary acolytes from Abyssal Bone Forest as well as the opposing academies had been specially marked. Including Leylin's. And as long as he presented a special badge at the end of the Bloodbath, it would be equivalent to admitting that he was the murderer.

'I already made up my mind, Aralis. I have decided to attain the greatest rewards available to me in this excuse for a battle royale, and I won't allow anything to stand in my way. If some idiot thinks he can just hunt me down and kill me, then let him. He won't be the first and definitely not the last...'

'Besides, it's not as if Chairman Siley would just sit idly as I am targeted with impunity by his rivals. No, he will look after me, the only surviving champion of his precious graveyard academy. I will become a celebrity amongst my peers, and I will enjoy many benefits that will enhance my chances of breaking through to a Magus rank.'

[Will it not get harder to do your more delicate business when all eyes are on you?]

'Of course it will. Though I am not just any stupid young master to let myself be blinded by ambition. I am simply taking advantage of the situation at hand. When being the academy's little pet stops yielding the same dividends, I will change my plans accordingly. Until then, being an anonymous potioneer who garners wealth is no longer my top priority. It is arcane secrets I am in dire need of.'

"Speaking of academy champions..." -Leylin now said out loud, as he crouched right next to a certain someone.

He had taken a quick look earlier; Jayden had been knocked out at the border of the battlefield. Although he seemed to be in a miserable state, he managed to preserve his life, and there did not seem to be any life-threatening injuries.

"Are you quite well, friend?" -Leylin asked in a low voice, as he brought out a tiny vial with a pink liquid from his satchel.

"Who...?" -Jayden was about to ask for the fatty blonde's name, but a cold and damp feeling in his chest prevented him from uttering any word.

The feeling was pleasant. As if a calm breeze washed over him continuously, easing his pain and arranging his fractured bones.

"What you're experiencing right now is the main effect of my best healing elixir. It's my gift to you, Jayden." -The fatty blonde voiced warmly, causing Jayden to lower his guard and silently thank his savior.

"However... the secondary effect could turn out to be a little too much for a weakling such as yourself, who is not even at the Knight level..."

Leylin's kind expression shifted into one of pleasure. Jayden's brow furrowed and his mouth opened to speak but was interrupted.

"See, I am not the kind of man to offer one thing without expecting another in return. No, I am in fact a man of reason. A believer in the principle of equivalent exchange and whatnot..."

Leylin put his hand on Jayden's shoulder, and began tapping it gently.

"So, unless you surrender every magic artifact on your person at this moment, you will suffer from a great amount of pain once my elixir is metabolized by your cells. The backlash from having it overwhelm your pain receptors can be quite... strenuous..."

Jayden was seemingly looking for the best answer in his mind. He was pondering every factor and option, but unfortunately for him, his time ran out.

His injuries quickly began to erupt with pus, and his broken bones immediately fell out of place again. His condition had worsened significantly, and he was in so much pain he suddenly lost his voice, as a yell for mercy died in his throat.

Tears ran down his eyes, and his veins bulged on his forehead.

With his last efforts, he managed to bring forth a wooden emblem hidden inside the sleeve of his robe. It was the same magic artifact he had utilized aboard the blimp to subdue Kaliweir on that occasion.

"This? This is all you have? In three years, in spite of being Dorotte's personal apprentice, you did not acquire a single piece of gear better than your vine familiar emblem? No wonder you fell so easily on the battlefield." -Leylin said with disdain, strapping the artifact onto his belt.

He already knew all this, but he was enjoying Jayden's reaction to his mockery.

A confused Jayden promptly clawed at his feet as if begging for another dose of healing elixir.

"Oh well, I suppose that given your dire condition, there is but one cure fit to release you of your ailments." -Leylin stood up with a grin, all whilst taking a pebble from the ground.

"Let it not be said I am not considerate toward my fellow comrades."

He readied the rock between his fingers and tossed it.

The pebble was shot with enough force that it instantly bore a hole inside Jayden's skull. With Leylin's Grand Knight strength, it was like a bullet fired by a handgun.

"Ah, what a pleasant evening this is. It would appear that I am finished for today..."

Leylin stretched lightly, but then his face went back to his usual detached expression. Since he still wore his fatty blonde mask, it looked like he was a pouty child.

"However, there are still two annoying worms that I have to deal with."

Leylin looked at the shrubbery at the side and suddenly flung two fiery red explosive potions at it.

The two test tubes collided in midair, creating a large flame that seemed to blanket the area.

"Why don't you stop lurking in the shadows already? If your purpose was to keep your presence hidden from me, you've done a terrible job." -Leylin declared openly as he unsheathed his magic dagger and began caressing its edge.

At the moment when the flame engulfed the shrubbery, two black figures flew out from it, landing on an empty patch of ground.

One of them was a grey-robed girl. She had tan skin and a pair of blue braids falling on her shoulders. This female acolyte wore the uniform of Whitewoods Castle.

The other was a young man with white hair and orange eyes. He wore the insignia from Sage Gotham's Hut, and his right hand was silver in color throughout.

Both their expressions were grim.

"Torash, the Lightning Viper, actually died by this fellow's hands..." -Whispered the girl as if she was just voicing her inner thoughts.

Silver-Claw Saurun looked at the expressionless Leylin, his heart roaring wildly. Torash the Lightning Viper was a monster whose reputation was not beneath that of his silver claw. Yet today he actually perished by that fatty's hands... so what kind of strength did this mysterious acolyte wield?

"If I knew he was that powerful, I wouldn't have been this foolish to chase after him!" -Complained the girl.

'He detected us so easily...' -At this moment, the feeling of regret slowly engulfed Saurun's heart.

"What should be done, Lord Saurun?" -The female acolyte looked at Silver-Claw and cursed him inwardly when she saw that he was already of a mind to retreat.

Saurun waved his hands and bowed slightly to Leylin. "Respected acolyte who hails from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, your strength has convinced me of the difference in our standing. I, Silver-Claw Saurun of the venerable Sage Gotham's Hut Academy, will never hold any ill intents toward you in the future…"

Towards Saurun's gesture of succumbing, the female blue-haired acolyte pursed her lips but never spoke a word. After seeing Leylin's might and brutality, she was extremely afraid.

As for the revenge of their fellow acolytes? Although the death rate of Whitewoods Castle and Sage Gotham's Hut was not as high as Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, there were a few unlucky ones dying each month.

If Saurun and the female acolyte were to avenge every dead fellow acolyte, then they would definitely have to first massacre the acolytes within their academy.

The reason for following Leylin before was because they thought of him as worthy prey, and were prepared to play a good game with him only to finally strip him of his valuables and badge.

But now, Leylin's ability had far exceeded their expectations, and his actions were extremely meticulous, yet brutal, which made them rather fearful of him.

"Is that so?" -Leylin did not agree nor deny and kept the dagger in his hands. The blade suddenly glowed in a white tint, as it extended until it became a golden cross blade.

"A pity then. I do not hold nearly as much respect for you both. In fact, to me, you are merely a couple of badges waiting to be collected. But by all means, run away from me... Or not. Either way, I'm claiming your lives tonight."

Leylin growled softly and gave his cross blade a touch with his hand.

Its temperature suddenly dropped by a few degrees, and the frost continued to spread on the sword. In an instant, Leylin's cross blade turned into a transparent icy greatsword.

He managed to obtain this set of frost alchemy runes from Halius the half-beastman previously, who was a close associate of the enigmatic Alfonse. Once Leylin had stored it in Aralis' databanks she also did an analysis on it, bringing the formula of enchantment to perfection.

At this moment, under the effect of the frost alchemy runes, the power of the icy greatsword did not pale in comparison to a low-grade magic artifact.

"Pilis-Duwasha! Creature of the green! Hear my calls of summoning, and come out to the mortal world!" -After brandishing his greatsword in satisfaction, Leylin activated yet another magic artifact on his body.

It was of course Jayden's magic artifact. Leylin had effortlessly used the correct incantation thanks to having it recorded when he first witnessed it in use during their journey to South Coast from the Chernobyl Islands.

With the incantation, a layer of light emerged from the green emblem in Leylin's belt and a few brownish vines appeared from the ground. They quickly enveloped his whole body and solidified into the shape of a kingly medieval armor. Every few seconds, the armor shone with a faint green arcane effect, denoting its power.

Due to Aralis having optimized the summoning patterns, the resulting vine armor was much stronger than with Jayden. In Leylin's case, it was as if he had taken the magic artifact to complete mastery, despite it being the first time he used it.

At this moment, Leylin in his green-brown armor of solid vines, with an ice-covered sword, looked just like a Grand Knight from the fables.

[Under the effect of the frost runes, the estimated degree of attack with the enchanted cross blade is 3 to 5, also carrying the side effect of an ice attack. The Pilis-Duwasha Emblem is at half capacity thanks to Jayden having consumed so much energy in his duel against Torash, and it is depleting fast. It will run out in approximately 15 minutes, giving you protection for attacks of 8 degrees and lower.] -Aralis sounded in Leylin's head.

'More than enough.' -Leylin cocked his head as if challenging his prey to face him in a straight fight.

"We have no choice but to fight, Biol!" -Saurun exclaimed as he prepared himself.

He and the other female acolyte known as Biol stared each other in the eye and saw the determination reflected in their expressions.

Considering Leylin's ominous statement, it was obvious that he was not inclined to let them go. No matter how they pleaded, it would be meaningless.

Moreover, they were also geniuses with their own pride. They may not have fared better in a 1-on-1 fight against Torash, but in a 2-against-1 situation, even Torash would have had a headache from fighting them.

"I'll stall him first; you prepare your formidable spell!" -Saurun said to the female acolyte and immediately reached out with his right hand.

At this moment, the silver skin on his right hand shimmered and transformed into scales. His fingernails extended and curved downwards, the sharpness bringing a cold glint. His whole silvery human palm turned into a silvery beast claw.

A bloodthirsty tint emerged in Saurun's eyes as he stepped forward to shield the female blue-haired acolyte behind him.

As for Biol, she continuously drew out ingredients from her robes as she chanted, from time to time using a tiny dagger to cut her skin, dripping her fresh blood on the magic ingredients.

A strong magical energy wave gradually formed around the female acolyte.

"How interesting. A close-combat specialist with a ranged caster. This is indeed a good combination. Who knows, you might even prove to be a greater obstacle than your friend!" -Leylin laughed manically and charged forward after his taunt.

Silver-Claw Saurun used to pride himself on being the top Knight in Sage Gotham's Hut, and his method of doing battle reflected this. Nevertheless, against the effect of a Grand Knight's physical qualities, Saurun only saw a green blur and could only instinctively reach out with his razor claw.

The frost greatsword and the silver claw clashed. An icy, bone-chilling cold permeated to the silver claw, extending onto Saurun's body.

"So fast!" -Saurun retreated several steps and hid the silver claw behind his back.

Borrowing the concealment of his sleeves, there was a layer of frost that slowly climbed up his arm, until the point of his elbow.

"Hahaha, your arm did not fall off instantly! Great!" -Leylin reinforced his blade even further with magic, turning the shimmering ice edge into a bigger rock-solid formation.

Immediately, Saurun was forced to dodge a barrage of three consecutive energy waves in the form of a cross. One of them managed to cut his right ear off. The acolyte did not waste time in patching himself up using a potion, but the damage was done and his body part was lost.

Leylin appeared in front of Saurun wearing a sadistic smile, and he waited until his opponent was ready to meet his next move.

"Again!" -Leylin roared wildly, once again brandishing the greatsword and charging forward.

Sensing the faint aura about him, Saurun couldn't help but close his eyes, with a notion of wanting to submit to Leylin.

"Hybrid Technique: Greatsword Slash!" -Leylin hollered, and the frost greatsword drew a beautiful cross. What was different from the previous energy wave was that the Cross Blade Slash now had formed a layer of ice which was sent chopping directly at Saurun.

"Argh!" -Saurun's eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and raised the silver claw to defend his body. The scales on the silvery claw quickly extended and took on the form of a small shield to block the attack.

The greatsword made a huge dent in Saurun's silver defense. Not only was there white ice forming, the chilliness also permeated the area.

Saurun revoked his silver shield, but now, upon his silvery right hand, there were two deep wounds through which bones could be seen and a sheet of cold ice blocked this wound from bleeding.

The ice-cold sensation continuously spread within his body and Saurun was aghast upon having discovered that already his right hand was feeling numb as if it had lost all sensation and that his body movement had also become more and more restricted.

"And now you die, worm." -Leylin unhesitatingly brought the sword to Saurun's neck in order to behead him.

"FUCK!" -Bellowed Saurun, waving the stub of his left hand. His left hand had by now turned silver and the fingertips had a faint blackish tinge and he aimed a stab at Leylin's abdomen.

Within the academy, all the apprentices knew that Saurun's achievements in Transfiguration far exceeded that of other similar disciples and that his right hand could transform and become a sharp, incomparable killing machine.

However, all of the acolytes were deceived by Saurun. His left hand was the real trump card.

Not only could he use the spell Beast Transfiguration for his silver-claw attack with his left hand, but it also resonated with the Darkness element that Saurun had paid a high price for. He employed it in the form of a deadly poison originating from his claws.

As long as the poison were to be smeared onto the opponent's skin, even an official Magus would be in trouble if not sufficiently protected.