(XXVII) Aftermath

George, harnessing the power of his unique aura, soared through the air. His aura, a manifestation of his inner strength, propelled him forward as he swung his massive blade towards the daemonic pope. A magical barrier materialized around the priest, thwarting the attack and sending the King hurtling away.

He stabilized himself in midair and dashed forward, conjuring a dozen spirit swords as large as his own and launching them toward his opponent, who maintained the barrier.

The swords crashed against the barrier, exploding in a shower of particles as they cracked it. This allowed George to swing his glowing sword against the barrier, shattering it and sending the daemonic pope crashing into the ground, kicking up a smokescreen of dust.

Suddenly, the dust rapidly dispersed as a beam of brilliant light erupted from the pope's hands, soaring rapidly toward the King. George raised his glowing blade in front of him, conjuring more spirit swords before it as they blocked the attack.

Unfortunately, the beam continuously shattered the swords before colliding against his aura. He tilted his sword, redirecting the beam before sending it back toward the pope.

The daemonic pope's eyes widened in shock as he disengaged the beam, leaping out of the way at the last moment, flapping his mighty wings, and flying into the air.

George was prepared and summoned thousands of spirit swords above him, launching them toward the rapidly ascending daemonic pope, each impaling the priest as they passed through his body.

"N-N-No..." The pope muttered as the King's sword emitted a powerful aura that blinded the entire battlefield as he raised it above his head.

"Good riddance!" George declared, his eyes glaring fiercely down toward the daemon. His aura erupted from his body, and he flew downward at a blinding speed, vanishing momentarily.

He reappeared on the ground with an explosion, the impact of his blade against the ground leaving a massive crater beneath him. He stood as the rain of spirit swords continued to rain around him, and his blade slowly dimmed.

He stared up at the daemonic priest as black lights began to emit from the hundreds of tiny holes piercing its body. A demonic wail filled the barrier and exploded, vanishing as black particles rained down.

George looked around at the carnage that surrounded him, thanks to the pope. Dead bodies were scattered throughout the ceremonial site. Unlike the daemonic beings that vanished when defeated, the NPCs remained behind.

Thanks to Alec's incomparable skill, the daemonic paladins did not hurt the nobles; they only shook them mentally at the prospect of their impending deaths.

Due to Franc's neglect of protecting the commoners, nearly everyone lost their lives, leaving George conflicted as he watched his son deal with one of the remaining daemonic paladins.

Because of the massive level difference between Leon and the paladins, his level jumped from one to eighteen, providing an enormous boost to his attributes.

In The World Online, the player's class determined what attributes they received upon leveling up, and their race would provide additional benefits, such as humans receiving one bonus attribute point per level up.

In his past life, many players min-maxed their characters by playing a particular race and class combination to reach astronomical attributes, while others did the opposite and used unique combinations to create well-rounded accounts.

Leon panted heavily. He was sitting on a large stone from a destroyed pillar, with Bella in his lap, while his companions sat behind him with their backs to one another.

"Leon!" Fran shouted, finally finding him after he had lost track of him during the battlefield's turmoil. He raised his hand and generated a dozen spirit arrows, pointing them at his younger brother.

"FRANCIS LEOPOLD ASTRAHART!" George's deep voice boomed, freezing the middle brother in his tracks as Alec appeared between his brothers.

"Yes... Father?" He replied, turning his head as he maintained the spirit arrows above him pointed at both of his brothers.

"Enough!" The King ordered, raising his sword momentarily before slamming it against the ground, releasing a powerful shockwave that dismissed the spirit arrows, "Too much blood has been spilled on our hallowed grounds this day."

"But Father!" Franc protested, turning as he stepped forward, "Did you not hear the pope? Leon is an abomination! The Forbidden Beast Mage was an experiment of the Vandine Empire!"

"Would you believe the lies spat by some daemon worshipper?" George asked, furrowing his brow as he glared down at his son, "He is your brother."

"He is a spy of The Empire!" he yelled, throwing his arm out. How can you not see it? He is not my or Alec's brother or your son!"

Franc pointed his finger at Sasha, who stood with the nobles, as he continued, "That wench was already pregnant when she seduced you! She's probably from The Empire as well!"

Suddenly, a spirit spear appeared, crashing into the ground before Franc. His eyes widened in shock, and he turned to see Leon, anger filling his eyes as he glared at him.

"You can insult me all you wish, but I will not allow you to speak ill of my mother before me!" He growled, stepping forward, but Alec stuck his arm out, holding his youngest brother back.

"Francis, you disappoint me beyond measure." George sighed, shaking his head before turning around and picking up the artifact produced by the deceased pope.

He smashed it, dispersing the barrier before ordering the rapidly approaching Kingsguard to detain everyone unrelated to him. The soldiers immediately jumped to complete their orders, directing the small number of survivors to the castle.

"Alec." The King said, staring up at the morning sun, "Take your youngest brother to The Academy; he's already late."

"Yes, Father." Alec bowed and turned to Leon, placing his hand around his shoulder as he helped him and his companions away from the ceremonial site.

"Francis..." George sighed once more, turning to face his son with a weathered look, "What am I going to do with you..?"

***

As Alec led Leon carrying Bella toward the Exvius Academy, the young man couldn't help but be awed by the sheer size of the institution. The academy was built on a sprawling campus that seemed to stretch on for miles, encompassing several different buildings and facilities.

The main building of the academy was a massive structure that towered high into the sky, its walls made of gleaming white marble that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

As they approached the main building, Alec pointed out the four differently colored towers at the far corners of the school grounds toward each cardinal direction. The towers were each a different color - black, blue, red, and white - and rose high into the sky, their tops lost in the clouds.

The red tower was the tallest of the four, reaching at least 100 meters. Its walls were made of deep vermillion stone that gleamed in the sunlight, and it was crowned with a fiery red orb that seemed to pulse with an inner light.

The blue tower was a close second in height, reaching around 80 meters. Its walls were a brilliant shade of azure, topped with a shimmering blue crystal that sparkled in the sunlight.

The black tower was the shortest of the four, standing only around 50 meters tall. Its walls were deep obsidian, topped with a verdant green tree that seemed to sway gently in the breeze.

The white tower was the most unique of the four, as it seemed to be made entirely of glowing light. It reached a height of around 70 meters, and its top was crowned with a dazzling white star that shone brightly in the sky.

As they walked through the academy grounds, Alec explained that each tower represented a different dormitory at Exvius, each protected by one of the Four Guardian Beasts and also serving as a seal for the Fifth Guardian.