Advent of the Three Calamities

266  Understanding [5]

"Ah!?" Everyone stood in shock as their eyes set on Julien who stood in the middle with blood pooling around him. Drip! Drip! Besides the gentle dripping sound that echoed through the air, no other sound was heard. "....."

Within that silence, Leon stared at Julien with open eyes. 'How...?' He could hardly find any words to describe what he had seen. The others, not even the vice-chancellor, may not have understood what had happened, but he did. Of course, he did. How could he not when, '....That's my footwork.' No, it was different. It was the same, but different at the same time. "But, how?" Leon found himself unable to tear his gaze away from Julien. The shock he was currently experiencing was hard to describe.

The footwork that Julien currently displayed was something that he had been trying to figure out for a very long time. He had been planning on teaching him but never had the time to, considering how things turned out. And yet... "He did it." It was still incomplete, but he had taken a step closer than he had. ....And it was at this moment that Leon's lips pulled up slightly. "I knew it." Rather than jealousy, or anger, Leon felt a different emotion. It wasn't a negative emotion, and it was also an ironic one. But... 'I knew that he was talented in this aspect.' He was happy. For himself, and for Julien. ....Leon finally found someone who could help him grow stronger in the aspect he struggled so much to improve on. But only if he knew... If he knew that this was the furthest thing from the truth. It wasn't that Julien was talented in this aspect. He was to some degree, but the truth was different. This was the result of an endless amount of deaths and torture. The desperation that the forty-eight cycle brought was what forced him to throw everything he had aside and recreate something that he had only managed to catch glimpses of in the past. A maddening cycle that lasted far longer than he could remember, and a cycle that made him forget the meaning of death. Drip! As blood dripped down from the wounds covering his body, Julien stared ahead. 'I'm glad it worked.' Julien clenched his teeth.

The muscles on his body were screaming, and his joints were creaking.

This had been the first time that he had performed this move, and it proved effective, but at the same time, the strain it had on his body was quite large. But things were far from over. There were two more attacks to go. He wasn't done yet. "....You're doing better than I thought." The Vice-Chancellor stared at the cadet in front of him in satisfaction. At the same time, he was also confused. 'Those were movement techniques that I saw.'

Something that usually only belonged to those of the [Body] type. Was it possible that the cadet in front of him was talented in that aspect as well?

'A [Mind] and [Body] user?' An interesting combination. Especially the last movements. They were quite straightforward, but he had a hard time figuring them out. While the [Body] category was outside of his expertise, he was somewhat familiar with a lot of different movement techniques. It was the first time he had seen something so unique. 'Maybe he didn't lie...'

No. The Vice-Chancellor already understood that the cadet in front of him hadn't lied about beating the other cadet. Since he already knew, why continue? He could just stop things now, and be done with the test. The cadet had done more than enough to prove him wrong. But...

'More... I want to see more.'

The Vice-Chancellor knew that there was more he could squeeze out from the cadet in front of him. That he had only glimpsed at the tip of the iceberg. "I'll start the fourth attempt." Julien forced himself back up as he ignored the pain coming all over his body. He was feeling a little light-headed from the blood loss, but his focus remained firm. Through numerous cycles, he was able to keep himself focused until the very end. Even as his bones shattered, and all the blood left his body. Until his last breath, he planned on remaining focused. "Go." "Mhm." The Vice-Chancellor's expression shifted. It was even more serious than before. Extending his hand forward, a single magic circle appeared. It was smaller than the previous ones, and the mana it let out was also significantly smaller. It didn't look like anything great, and yet, the entire atmosphere turned tense. "Just one?" Julien's eyes narrowed at the sight of the magic circle, his body trembling as every part of his body screamed 'danger'. ".....Observe carefully. If you're not careful, you'll die." With a warning, the magic circle in front of him condensed. Upon seeing the change, Julien's face turned stiff. The attack was formidable. The density of the mana surrounding the magic circle was something he couldn't find the words to describe.

It was unlike anything that had been gathered at him before, and every muscle on his body stiffened. But,

'…I've experienced worse.'

Twentieth cycle, fifty-fifth cycle, seventy-eight cycle, and ninety-first cycle.

Each and every one of those cycles had put him in a worse position.

Julien's gaze remained calm. He couldn't erase all emotions, but he managed to erase the fear from his mind. He could think clearly.

That was all that mattered.

Julien wasn't the only one concentrating. The Vice-Chancellor was in the same position. The attack wasn't an easy one, and he needed to put in a lot of concentration.

It wasn't so much that the attack was extremely strong, but the Vice-Chancellor had to finely control the attack so that it wouldn't affect those around them.

This was, after all, just a test.

'It's coming.'

"I'm ready."

The magic circle pulsed.

The very air around the magic circle compressed as it hummed ominously, and with a gentle 'pop', the attack shot. It was a single ice shard with an incredibly sharp tip that was aimed in Julien's direction.

Wooom—!

Unlike the first few attacks, it wasn't fast. Everyone could trace the attack with their eyes, and yet, none felt like they could dodge it at all.

No, was it even possible to dodge it in the first place?

Leon didn't think so.

Nor did everyone that was spectating the fight. As if the attack had some sort of magnetic effect, it dulled everyone's minds, making it hard for them to think properly. Just what sort of…?

Xiuuu—!

The air grew tense as the attack neared Julien. The more Julien looked, the more he felt helpless.

He tried to move his feet, but they refused to move. As if they were glued to the pavement, he could only watch the incoming attack.

Julien stood on his spot without moving.

How could he handle this?

Wooom—!

It was at that moment that something unexpected occurred. The ice shard stopped right a few meters ahead of Julien and hovered on the spot. ….It was an odd sight that the others couldn't explain.

For a moment, everyone thought that something had gone wrong, but how could that be the case? In the few seconds of silence that took over right after the shard stopped, the air vibrated with even more force and cracks formed around the shard.

Then…

Bang!

With an explosion, the shard shattered into thousands of ice crystals. All of a sudden, a single shard turned into a thousand little ones, encircling Julien in all directions.

It was at that moment that Julien came to an understanding.

'I can't dodge that.'

It was impossible to dodge.

Even if he used everything he had in his arsenal, it was impossible for him to dodge it.

So what could he do now?

'…It's not complicated.'

Julien's mind remained calm. Never before had his mind been clearer. He had several hundred different experiences he could sort through in his mind. They were memories he had once sealed, but now had no trouble looking into and reliving again. Helpless circumstances weren't things he couldn't handle anymore.

Tak—

He took a step forward. 'That footwork…?'

The Vice-Chancellor looked at the strange step Julien was performing before shaking his head.

'It's impossible to dodge.'

And even if he did…

The Vice-Chancellor looked down and shook his head again.

08:01

Tak—

Julien took another step forward. At the same time he did, all the crystals had formed and with multiple 'popping' sounds, they shot in his direction.

Xiuuuu—!

The air around Julien stirred. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

A chain formed and coiled around his left arm. As if it had a mind of its own, it moved around his arm before falling into his grasp.

Clank—!

With a 'clank', Julien stood still as the crystals appeared to surround him.

They were now only a few centimeters away from him.

Swoosh!

He swung the chain forward.

His hand turned bloody the moment he swung the chain forward. The eyes of this watching widened, and just behind him, more shards appeared, seemingly close to getting to his back.

Still, a path had opened up. This was all Julien had been waiting for.

Until the very last moment, he stood calmly and waited for this moment.

Even as his hand was no longer usable, he pressed his foot forward and shot in the Vice-Chancellor's direction.

"Hmm?"

The Vice-Chancellor stared at the scene in surprise and bafflement. Waiting until the very last moment when the attack was just about to hit to move… '….Does he not know fear?'

The more he tested the cadet, the more surprised he was.

He really did remind him of her. His heart raced slightly at the thought. But…

"A pity."

The Vice-Chancellor stared at the bloodied figure that was approaching him. He was coming fast, and despite his bloody appearance, his momentum was high.

The Vice-Chancellor could see the cadet pushing himself to his limit as he broke through the attack. He shook his head and lowered his head to stare at the hidden magic circle. Waving his hand, he muttered.

"…Fifth attempt."

And the last attempt.

Xiu!

A magic circle formed right behind Julien as he rushed forward. Before he even had the time to react, the attack formed and penetrated him from the back.

Thump!

With a thump, his body fell face flat against the floor. ***

Update : I'm practically back to normal now. Normal chapter schedule will return from tomorrow. Thank you!