Chapter 90 — Punishment

1

The onslaught of the red-stained mask was overwhelming.

The power of the spells was such that they could barely withstand them even when using magic with all their might, gritting their teeth.

It was a flow of magic so fierce and violent that even Kael wouldn’t dare to attempt it.

‘At this rate, we won’t last much longer.’

Whoosh-!

Cutting through the intense flames with wind, Alano bit her lip.

Glancing to the side, she saw that everyone’s complexion had turned pale.

Anais, in particular, looked the most precarious, with her high mana consumption for each offensive spell.

What should they do?

She pondered.

There was still no sign of Manus waking up.

He had entrusted them with many things, but perhaps she and her companions still lacked the ability to carry the burden he had temporarily placed on them.

Just as self-doubt began to creep in, someone started to crumble.

“Aaaaargh-!”

Pearson’s mana seemed to have run out, and the defensive spell he had been desperately maintaining shattered.

A wave of scorching heat rushed in, and his skin, reddened as if burned, sizzled and smoked.

Pain.

Pain always accompanies battle, but it was too much for the young students to endure.

“Nngh… It hurts, it huuuurts!”

“Anais, cover for a moment.”

“Yes!”

They switched positions.

With the buffer gone, his life had become a burden.

Alano, the only one capable of using healing magic, poured recovery spells onto Pearson’s face.

Cold sweat trickled down involuntarily.

The remaining mana was now barely enough.

There was no strength left to go on the offensive, and even just defending and healing made her heart race as if it would burst.

If she, who had a relatively large mana pool, was struggling like this, how much worse must it be for the others?

She bit her lip.

‘I should have been stronger.’

The desire for strength.

It wasn’t a thought that Alano alone harbored.

All they had to do was remove the masks stuck to the Chimera, but it wasn’t easy.

Powerful spells kept coming one after another.

Every time they blocked them, they felt suffocated and their heads ached.

Losing concentration meant that they couldn’t function properly as mages.

‘If only I had been a little stronger-.’

Anais clenched her fist, as if blaming herself.

Their morale was plummeting to its worst.

The empowered Chimera relentlessly pushed them back without mercy.

[Grrrroooowl-!]

Crackle-!

A bolt of lightning flew towards Anais.

She desperately cast the [Aegis] spell with all her might.

The two flower petals she barely managed to conjure were mercilessly shattered by the Chimera’s magic, as if mocking her efforts.

The petals, charged with electricity, began to slowly burn away.

Watching this scene, Anais closed her eyes.

‘Still, it’s better if I, the weakest, die-.’

A brilliant flash of light pierced through her closed eyelids, creating a blinding white light.

She didn’t have the stamina to survive such a powerful spell.

Perhaps creating an opportunity for the others would be the most ideal scenario.

However, even after waiting for a while, there was no impact to lead her to death.

As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw five magnificent flower petals blocking her front.

Not her thin, shattered petals, but a sturdy defensive spell like a sunflower with large petals.

“-Ah.”

“Well done, Anais.”

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

The voice she had longed to hear came from behind.

A chilling sensation ran down her spine from behind.

The seniors had awakened.

2

A feeling of fullness.

It was the first time he had absorbed so many magic stones at once.

His mana was already abundant, but now it had reached a level where he could use 5th-Class magic without difficulty if he was at full strength.

It was to the point where he wondered if it was okay to become this strong in such a short time.

‘Everyone looks terrible.’

They all showed clear signs of exhaustion.

For some reason, the Chimera had gone berserk much faster than in the original story.

Mia, her face flushed red, was constantly shouting at the top of her lungs.

Something must have changed.

[Sanitas]

A 4th-Class wide-area healing spell.

The time he had spent reading related books in his spare time was paying off handsomely.

The battered bodies of his juniors and friends were completely healed.

A hero always appears at the most dramatic moment.

Right now, Manus was the very embodiment of a hero descended from the heavens for them.

Sighs of relief spread here and there.

Clank-.

Guillermo, his mana fully restored, stood in front with his dented shield.

“So this was the method. That’s why…”

This is cheating, isn’t it?

A smirk escaped his lips.

Here, becoming the best guardian might not be just a dream.

If he continues to grow like this, reaching the lofty realm of Guardian Master might not be impossible.

“You’ve created something that resembles you, old maid.”

“Shut uuuuup-! Crush those brats!”

Professor Mia seemed to have lost all reason, starting to throw a fit.

Manus checked the number of masks still stuck to the Chimera.

Six out of fifteen masks had fallen off.

It seemed they had figured out the strategy.

He felt oddly proud that they had managed this much even without him.

Originally, this boss was meant to be defeated based on Guillermo’s tanking ability.

‘To do this well without a specialized tank… Not bad at all.’

He was unaware of the self-blame the mages felt.

He had simply judged and evaluated on his own.

The Chimera created a massive ice spear.

Manus moved the still-glowing flower petals to create a huge wall.

“Looks like you’ve found the strategy.”

“Yes. But…”

“It’s alright.”

Did they intend to blame themselves for becoming so battered until he arrived?

Manus finally examined the look in the children’s eyes.

Eyes devoid of strength and motivation.

Eyes filled with fear from enduring pain.

Surely, events too harsh for teenagers to bear had unfolded.

Manus let out a small sigh.

‘It might be good to leave them be, but…’

If possible, he wanted to implant better memories.

He wondered if he was being too indulgent, but these children had already experienced pain and realized their limits.

Childhood wounds often remain as lifelong traumas.

Manus didn’t want these beautiful and vibrant children to carry such pain.

Even if it was inside a game, the place where he lived and breathed was reality.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to find the target for punishment and wield the iron hammer mercilessly.

“To have endured this much against such a formidable opponent means you’ve grown that much-.”

A bright light flared up.

Triple Casting.

The supreme realm that no genius had achieved at this age unfolded.

[Manubia]

A snake made of electricity writhed and raised its body.

[Pruna]

A massive ice crystal transformed into an enormous spear with a crackle-.

[Parum]

The angel that had previously punished the traveler descended, ready to deliver judgment.

Seeing this, Professor Mia was shocked.

4th-Class.

A level where one could hold an important position in an organization as a mage.

Casting three of them simultaneously was already far beyond the realm of human capability.

Imagine drawing 512 different line segments at the same time.

Manus, who had calmly performed this impossible feat, stretched out his hand.

[Grooooowl-!]

4th-Class.

Even just considering their power, these spells could deal significant damage to the Chimera.

It was just a single attack, but the Chimera was driven to the brink of death.

Masks fell off one after another, leaving only the black mask on its body.

He could have removed it with black magic, but it would be better to finish it off with sheer power rather than using black magic here.

Thinking that he should learn a few black magic spells on the way down, Manus turned to Kael and said,

“Kael.”

“Yes-.”

“I’ll show you the realm you should aim for.”

Strength returned to Kael’s eyes.

Someone might say, ‘Why are you favoring only Kael!’

Apologies, but for someone who grasps the core of the story, it’s natural to pour everything into them.

A skill that only she can use.

Magic that only she can unfold.

Manus spread three magic circles again.

“Magic isn’t limited to combining just two spells.”

[Triple Spread]

[Ensis] — [Parum] — [Ignis]

Throb-.

A headache struck.

Perhaps using Cadenza with 4th-Class spells was still too much.

He had planned to rest for a few days after this, but the backlash was stronger than expected.

Manus gritted his teeth.

Raising his concentration to the maximum, he completed his unique magic.

A special recipe made by selecting only the most destructive 4th-Class spells.

[Frango : Nephas]

A spell meaning to shatter monsters manifested.

Rumble-

The arena shook.

A white angel descended to deliver punishment.

He added substance with a 4th-Class physical spell and placed a sword of fire in the angel’s hand.

Like an archangel protecting paradise with a flaming sword, the angel struck down on the Chimera.

Boom!

A brilliant flash of white light erupted.

[Tutamen]

[Aegis]

Startled, Guillermo and Nia hurried to protect everyone.

A pillar of fire rose as if it would pierce the ceiling.

The heat wave hit the walls, making it hard to breathe.

The impact reached where Professor Mia was, slamming her against the wall.

Screaming as if in her death throes, she lost consciousness, and after the angel disappeared, nothing remained.

It seemed as if the angel of judgment, destroying everything, had descended and swept everything away.

“…”

No one could speak.

Was this what they had been enduring so tenaciously for?

Different thoughts bloomed in each of their hearts.

For some, a desire for improvement towards the next goal; for others, a sense of security stronger than anything else; and for yet others…

A budding sense of despair at the seemingly insurmountable gap-.

The battle ended in an instant.

“Phew-.”

Manus closed his eyes and checked his raging mana.

He still needed to calm his shaken interior, as the aftereffects hadn’t subsided yet.

[Hoing!]

Feeling a warm sensation, he slightly opened his eyes to see Albion diligently casting healing magic.

The little one, as a familiar, was taking good care of its master, which was quite adorable.

[High Restio] exerted its ability, calming his disturbed interior.

“Isn’t that too much?”

“What’s too much?”

Nia grumbled, and Manus asked.

Why did his nonchalant expression seem even more annoying?

“If you were going to end it in one shot like this, we could have just rested.”

“You blocked the aftermath well, didn’t you?”

“Geez. By the way… what are you going to do about that?”

Nia pointed upwards.

Everyone’s gaze turned towards the unconscious old maid, no, Professor Mia.

After pondering for a moment, Manus said firmly.

“We’ll kill her.”

A clean method that required no deliberation.

There was no need for everyone to feel guilty.

It would be enough for Manus himself, who originally didn’t exist in this world, to bear it.

He was prepared to receive resentment and criticism.

Cleaning up trash is something someone must do, and those who do such dirty work deserve praise.

But it was okay if those who didn’t know this fact yet didn’t understand.

As long as they could save the world and open the door to a new life.

–TL Notes–
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