Chapter 226
Just in case, let me tell you in advance, the academy students are by no means weak.
The academy itself is closer to a military school, and naturally, the individual combat power of the students is strong.
Moreover, nobles, for instance, often undergo various training from a young age, making them stronger than most knights.
In this era, knights are akin to tanks on Earth. Especially if they can ride horses, they are literally tanks.
So, even if I beat them up recklessly, it doesn't mean they're weak. It just means I'm ridiculously strong.
It might be considered arrogance of some sort. But if you have the skills to back it up, it's not arrogance but confidence.
Arrogance was abandoned in the forest long ago. I've nearly died several times from being beaten up by Porori, so I had no choice but to let it go.
It's not just Porori. Even small snakes or insects possess powerful venom, putting my life on the line several times.
So, let's not let our guard down and face them properly. Even lions do their best when hunting.
Although this isn't a hunt but more of a brawl, you can think of it as a similar concept.
"Aaaah!"
It was when I subdued the guy standing in the center with a single punch. A loud battle cry that broke the heavy silence entered my ears.
As felt from the cry, it was more like a desperate attempt to overcome fear. And that became a catalyst, influencing those around.
Starting with one person's cry, other students rushed in droves. Naturally, I ended up being surrounded.
These are clearly from different teams. Yet, they united just to deal with me alone.
Crack!
"Ack!"
So, I don't know what they expect me to do. Even if sheep gather, they're still just sheep.
I punched the guy who had cried out first. Judging by how he spun around and flew away, I must've hit his face.
Considering I felt a bit of force in my fist, I might've dislocated his jaw. Anyway, I'm not sorry since I'll never see his face again.
'You shouldn't have been discriminatory in the first place.'
I have no intention of holding back. From the moment discriminatory remarks entered my ears, it was over.
If they had attacked Kara to restrain her, I might've let it slide as rational. But that wasn't the case either.
'...Actually, it is rational.'
Smack!
I aimed a low kick at the student dancing with a sword in front of me. The body collapsed under the whip-like kick.
Even while being distracted, I had enough leeway to attack. Their attacks were slow, way too slow.
Maybe it's a side effect of only sparring with Rod all this time. My standards have become too high.
'Kara must've drawn attention because she stands out.'
One burly student, spreading his arms, charged at me as if to tackle. Judging by his stance, he seems to be a martial artist.
But I easily sidestepped. Then, I delivered a refreshing kick to his sturdy buttocks.
"Aaaah!!"
He flew far away as if I had kicked a soccer ball. Thinking he'd be heavy, I kicked hard, but I might've overdone it.
After that, it was repetition after repetition. Even if they surrounded me front and back, I dealt with each one cleanly.
On the other hand, the students couldn't even land an effective hit on me. Of course, it's not like I didn't get hit at all.
No matter how sharp my instincts are, when surrounded, I'm bound to get hit by stray arrows.
Ting!
"The arrow, it doesn't work!"
"What is he?! Why is he so tough?!"
But thanks to the Iron King, it's meaningless. The Iron King's trait renders most attacks ineffective.
'But this bastard infused mana into it.'
Even though it's a non-lethal arrow, an ordinary person would feel the pain of being struck by a hammer.
I frowned and glared at the guy who shot the arrow. When the startled student met my gaze, he panicked even more.
He tried to draw another arrow to shoot, but it was already too late. I picked up a stone lying on the ground.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Using a snap of my wrist, I precisely hit his forehead. The archer fainted, rolling his eyes back.
My throwing is stronger than a lousy bow. After all, one of the skills I honed to the extreme in the forest was throwing.
Honestly, I could take down all the students here just with throwing. But that wouldn't be fun.
Additionally, there are parts I want to test, so I'm dealing with them one by one.
"Everyone, get back!"
"Stay away from him!"
Was it because they realized close combat was futile? A male student shouted after a female student.
At the same time, I felt mana behind me. It was a familiar sensation.
As I turned around, I heard an unfamiliar language in my ears.
"Wave of flames, engulf that man!"
Though it was my first time hearing the language, it was automatically translated. It seemed like they were using fire magic.
It looked like they told everyone to stay back because it was a powerful spell. If I got hit by that, it'd be bothersome.
No, more than bothersome, it'd be embarrassing. While I'm sturdy, my clothes are not.
'They're really determined to use it.'
Roar!!
As soon as I thought that, a wave of flames surged toward me.
It was more like a stream of fire than a wave. Most fire magic is like that.
However, judging by the speed and the aesthetically pleasing(?) shape, it seemed to be a fairly skilled individual.
'I'll need a shield.'
Conveniently, there were shields lying around nearby. I subtly moved my legs.
As I moved, the flames followed me. It seemed to operate on a principle where it persisted as long as mana was maintained.
It's similar to a breath attack. People who use fire-based magic often favor breath attacks.
Anyway, I had to respond. Dodging the breath, I suddenly leaped forward.
The increased speed momentarily confused the breath's trajectory. I seized the opportunity.
Grab!
"Huh?"
Did you think you'd be safe from far away? As soon as the breath was fired, I grabbed the arm of the student who had been far away.
The mage noticed me and redirected the breath toward me, but this was where it began.
"It's coming! Everyone, move!"
"Let go! Let me go! I said, let go!!"
As the breath approached, the students fled in panic, except for the one I held.
Feeling the warm breath approaching, I said to the student.
"No."
"You, you crazy bastard...! Huh?"
Then, I forcibly positioned him in front of me. Specifically, in the direction of the incoming breath.
The so-called human shield. Even the mage hurriedly stopped the breath upon seeing this, but it was too late.
Roar!!
The flames had already been released. Naturally, I wasn't hurt in the slightest.
Only the student I used as a shield was engulfed in flames. Just in case, I didn't aim his face toward it.
Crackle! Sizzle!
Why is he burning like this? Did he oil himself or something? The flames covered him entirely.
"Ack! Aaack! Ack!"
The student rolled on the ground, letting out bizarre screams, trying to extinguish the flames.
Watching the student roll around, I nonchalantly lifted him up.
"Don't do this here."
"Ack!!"
I forcibly curled the struggling student's body into a ball. Like a soccer ball.
He was struggling too much, so I knocked him out by striking the back of his neck. It's easier to throw when it's neatly curled.
Then, I threw him cleanly in that state. Where did I throw him?
Where else? I threw him at the mage who fired the breath.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
"W-Water! Mage! Get water quickly!"
It was chaos. The mage fainted after colliding with the flame-covered student.
Others were urgently taking measures to extinguish the fire. The troublesome matter was dealt with.
"T-That vicious...!"
"The rumors were true. That guy is really insane..."
Was it because of the human shield and the throwing technique utilizing it? They were starting to find me unsettling.
From my perspective, it was just an appropriate response, but to others, it must have looked vicious.
Objectively speaking, it was indeed vicious. The problem started with using a human shield to block the breath attack.
'They wouldn't make an issue out of this, would they? It worked well in the Soul World.'
In a brawl, using a human shield is a common occurrence. If they make an issue out of this, it's the Academy's problem.
Of course, from Rod's perspective, it must be giving him a headache. But since they were the ones in the wrong first, I planned to act confidently.
Beeeep!
After playing around for a while, it seemed like it was time for the next participants to enter.
Maybe because I was taking it easy, I had only managed to reduce half of them. Honestly, it wouldn't matter even if more reinforcements came.
'Our team... They're unfamiliar faces.'
Our team consisted of students I didn't know. Even if there were familiar faces, I had no personal connections with them.
So I thought I'd just continue as I had been when suddenly, I heard cheers near my ears.
"Oh, she's here! The Priest has arrived!"
"We've won! We can beat that crazy monster now!!"
"?"
The students suddenly started cheering. Of course, only a few students were raising their arms and cheering.
Which meant that even the other teams were looking puzzled, trying to grasp the situation. I was no different.
'No way?'
With a feeling of disbelief, I glanced toward the entrance. From afar, a color stood out conspicuously.
A woman, seemingly high-ranked and alone like me, Erica. Her pink hair was truly eye-catching.
"Priest! Please grant us the power to deal with that monster!"
"We beg you! We're completely outmatched!"
As the situation briefly calmed, students ran toward Erica, even kneeling as they pleaded.
Unable to grasp the situation, I could only watch blankly. Meanwhile, Erica turned her head and made eye contact with me.
"... ..."
"... ..."
A subtle exchange of glances followed. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.
Erica stared at me for a while before smiling faintly. Then she spoke to the kneeling students.
"It seems you've been struggling a lot. Just how strong is Mr. Sivar?"
"Incredibly strong! He's not human; he's a beast, a beast!"
"And how vicious he is...! Please, grant us a blessing so we can deliver judgment!"
While everything they said was true, I couldn't help but feel wronged.
I scratched my head, showing an awkward reaction. I had nothing to say.
Above all, I was curious about how Erica would respond. Seeing them plead like that, she must have something planned.
'But didn't she say she would only provide support and not intervene directly?'
That question hadn't even been fully answered yet.
"Hup!"
Boom!
Erica suddenly made a sound as if exerting force, and a small explosion occurred.
With the explosion, a thick smoke rose up. As soon as I saw the situation, I had a bad feeling.
Even though it was on a smaller scale, it was the same situation as with Rize. I hoped it wouldn't be the same, but...
"Understood."
"... ..."
"I will lend you my strength, even if just a little."
As always, ominous premonitions tend to come true. A muscular giant emerged from the smoke.
Though shorter and less muscular than Rize, his physique was still better than most martial artists.
Even his face had transformed into something... JoJo-esque or Baki-esque, I'd say.
'What the...'
Both Rize and Erica—why do their beautiful faces end up looking like that?
At this point, I seriously doubted Chaos's preferences. Their appearances perfectly suited Chaos.
'Is the world really going to end?'
In the original history, Erica wasn't like this. She was just a normally beautiful cleric with a twisted belief.
However, after meeting Rize, her beliefs were corrected. Conversely, her body seemed to have gone astray.
While I was lost in confusion, unable to act, Erica took action.
"Oh God of Chaos. To these poor lambs..."
She looked at the student kneeling at the very front.
"Grant your blessing!"
Smack!!
With a hand as large as a pot lid, she gave a resounding slap to the cheek.
...Wait a second. What did I just witness?
"Uoooooh! I feel power surging!!"
"...What?"
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't speak.
That's supposed to be a blessing? Isn't it just violence disguised as a blessing?
Smack! Slap!
Even in this incomprehensible situation, Erica's antics continued.
She was diligently slapping the cheeks of the kneeling students. Surprisingly, the students seemed very satisfied.
When one person goes crazy, it seems the whole group follows. Just when I was thinking that...
"Iraaaaa!!"
The student who had been slapped first charged at me. I was slightly startled by the unexpectedly fast speed.
The student raised a war hammer high and attempted to strike downward. I crossed my arms diagonally and easily blocked it.
Just in case, I had fortified them with mana, so there was no chance of injury.
Boom!
However, the impact that reached me was greater than I expected.
Even though it was a hammer, the shock was enough to make me feel a throbbing pain. And that wasn't all.
Crackle-
My firmly planted feet slid back slightly.
"......?"
Wait a second.
Did I just get pushed back?