Chapter 133
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Chapter 133
In other words, the cadets, including her, had simply failed to recognize the true depth of strength that Leon Cascadia possessed.
Leon had not sheathed his weapon because he had given up.
The overwhelming torrent of power emanating from his entire body made her tremble uncontrollably.
As she once again felt fear, the power of Faker Voice grew stronger, but Leon paid it no mind.
"You must have been scared, but you endured well."
With those words, Leon ignored the undead that had pushed to within one or two meters of him and mimed the motion of gripping a massive scythe.
"Your Highness."
"Y-Yes!"
"May I completely wipe out a part of the Black Forest?"
Had it been any other time, she would have laughed in disbelief, thinking he was insane.
But she didn't.
She simply nodded.
"Yes!"
"Then I’ll trust Your Highness."
At that moment, something strange and barely visible, shrouded in black light, appeared in the palm of his hand.
What is that?
It was a sensation she had never felt before—an eerie chill, an indescribable feeling.
Simply looking at it filled her mind with an overwhelming concept.
[Death]
If death could take form, would it feel like that?
The sun had already set, and the sky above the Black Forest was dark, scattered with starlight.
Leon took a stance as if preparing to swing a gigantic scythe, his aura intensifying further.
"This one takes quite a bit of energy..."
At the same time, a purple mist flickered behind him, and something massive spun once in the air before revealing itself.
Something far larger than even the giant trees that blocked the Black Forest’s sky.
A ragged black robe.
A colossal scythe that dwarfed the one Leon wielded.
A skeletal face.
It was the very image of the Grim Reaper, as commonly depicted.
Regardless, Leon spoke as if addressing someone.
"I don’t have time to search. I need to wipe everything out so the academy never dares to hold an exam in a demonic realm again."
His sky-blue eyes turned even colder, glimmering with a chilling light.
"Thanatos."
With that single name uttered, both the massive reaper and Leon's scythe moved as one, slicing through the air.
The undead that had reached out with their claws right in front of Leon.
The unstable mana filling the forest.
The chilling atmosphere.
Everything ceased to exist in less than a second.
As if the entire area—hundreds of meters in radius—had simply died.
* * *
At the entrance to the Black Forest.
The academy had immediately dispatched reinforcements after hearing of the forest’s rampage.
Even from outside the boundary, the state of the forest was visibly abnormal.
"What are you all waiting for? Enter at once!"
"We can’t. The space inside is completely distorted. If we enter, we might get swept away by the disturbance."
"Explain it in simpler terms!"
"Ugh, this guy! If we go in now, we could be teleported to the middle of the forest!!"
The professors were shouting at each other in frustration.
If this were just an ordinary problem with the Black Forest, the argument for immediate entry wouldn’t be so strong.
But the situation was anything but ordinary.
Of all people, Princess Eilena was trapped inside.
All the other cadets had managed to escape.
There were various injuries, but thanks to Luna, Isna, and Leon’s leadership, they had all made it out before a major disaster occurred.
According to the cadets, the forest was no longer a place where minor threats like goblins appeared.
Unfamiliar undead.
Creatures so dangerous that even the most skilled Expert-level cadets said their swords barely left a scratch.
And now, the very space inside was twisted—making the situation utterly dire.
Moreover, the cadets were visibly terrified.
The demonic realm was dangerous.
Was it really right to hold exams in such a place?
Professor Rommel recalled the voice of the boy who had questioned him before the test began.
For over a decade, there had been almost no incidents in the Black Forest.
Even when something did happen, it was never significant.
Yet today, of all days, a disaster had struck.
Would things have turned out differently if he had listened to Leon’s warning?
The fact that it was Princess Eilena who was stranded only made matters worse, throwing the entire academy into a state of emergency.
"Damn it! If no one else will go, I’ll go in myself!"
A large-built professor adjusted his gauntlets and began walking toward the forest.
That was when—
"You can’t."
"Who are you?"
"I’m a temporary instructor. Leon told me not to let anyone through."
"Ridiculous. Do you think an assistant has the authority to stop me? Step aside at once."
"If you go in now, you’ll die."
The figure wore a mask, making their expression unreadable, but their stance was unwavering.
The muscular professor scowled.
"You don’t get to decide that. Move."
"No. It’s too dangerous to enter now."
"Hah. If words won’t work..."
With that, an explosion of aura erupted from the professor's body.
Though he looked like just another brawny man, the sheer force he radiated was proof of his status—an upper-tier Expert.
"Professor Musr! Please calm down! The kid’s warning isn’t entirely baseless—"
"There’s no time for this! Her Highness is still inside!"
With that, Professor Musr shot forward like a flash of light, reaching out to grab Luna by the collar.
At that moment, Luna simply let go of the battle hammer she had been holding.
Thunk!
And then—
What happened next left not only the cadets but the entire academy faculty in utter shock.
“Huh?”
Professor Musr, who had collapsed on the ground with a dazed expression, widened his eyes.
“If you go in, it’s dangerous. If you get swept up, I won’t be able to heal you.”
Her words were spoken calmly, devoid of contempt, scorn, or even urgency.
It was simply a statement of truth.
However, perhaps due to his wounded pride at being subdued by a girl barely at a cadet’s level, Professor Musr sprang to his feet.
“You use interesting techniques. I must admit, I’m surprised. I apologize for underestimating you because you are a woman.”
With that brief remark, he suddenly kicked off the ground, closing the distance between himself and Luna.
His fist became infused with immense fist aura.
This attack, containing compressed shockwaves, was something an ordinary person could never withstand.
But he held no hesitation.
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Because he knew very well—Luna was no weakling.
However, despite his attack, Luna simply watched him calmly without even releasing her aura.
Instead, she reached out her hand.
Tap!
Astonishingly, his punch was effortlessly deflected by her delicate movement.
“You need to build more than just strength. Just increasing muscle doesn’t mean increasing destructive power.”
With a short remark, her hand moved again.
This wasn’t just a matter of being physically strong.
Professor Musr found himself unable to properly resist, as if being swept away by an unseen wall, forced into a passive stance under Luna’s control.
It was an overwhelming difference in technique.
And yet, it wasn’t as if she was simply overpowering him with sheer strength.
No—more precisely, even when he threw a punch packed with immense power, she effortlessly diverted and nullified it with far less force.
Paang!!
In the next moment, Luna casually hooked his leg, breaking his balance, then lightly tapped his solar plexus with the back of her hand as he floated midair.
“Guhh?!”
His body crashed violently into the ground, a ragged breath escaping him.
“Ugh… Cough… Just… who are you…?”
“You lack too much in other areas compared to your strength.”
This scene left everyone else utterly dumbfounded.
Of course, the cadets who had received her help in the forest seemed unsurprised, but to everyone else, it was nothing short of shocking.
That was how far beyond common sense her combat skills were.
No one had said much before since she usually trained with Leon, but ever since she awakened in the Sanctuary of Judgment, her power had been growing exponentially.
Professor Musr was a battle-hardened veteran, one of the most formidable among the academy’s faculty in terms of combat ability.
And yet, such a renowned fighter had been subdued in an instant by such a slender woman.
At that moment, Luna slowly reached for her mask.
And as she removed it—
The first thing revealed was her snow-white skin.
Then, as she gradually opened her eyes, everyone who saw the galaxy-like depth within them inhaled sharply.
She was young.
Much younger than expected.
She appeared to be around the same age as the cadets, or perhaps even younger.
But more than that, her beauty was simply breathtaking.
Some cadets, seeing her face for the first time, stared in a daze, their expressions blank with awe.
“Miss Luna, you need to explain the situation. Do you understand how dangerous this is—”
Just as someone was about to speak,
Luna slightly turned her head toward the forest and raised a pale, slender hand, pointing.
“Look over there.”
And in that instant—
Beyond the dense trees marking the forest’s boundary, a colossal reaper, dozens of meters tall, slowly emerged in a spiraling motion.
Even though it was night and visibility should have been poor, it was somehow unnervingly clear.
The moment they saw it, the faculty members’ faces instantly turned pale, and they reflexively assumed defensive stances.
Kwaaaaaah!
The massive reaper took a stance and swung its enormous scythe.
At the same time, those who had been about to enter the forest saw it.
From the point where the reaper stood, across the sky, trees, and earth—something had begun to consume everything.
Not long after, a faint vibration resonated through the air, and the violently trembling flow of mana around the forest’s outskirts fell into complete silence.
The trees at the boundary lost their color as if drained of life.
Some couldn’t withstand it and crumbled into black dust, scattering in the wind.
“That is beyond my ability to heal.”
At Luna’s words, the faculty members broke into cold sweats.
Had they ignored her warning and entered, they would have been caught within that range as well.
Could they have stopped it?
Honestly, they weren’t sure.
The sheer dread it exuded was undeniable, but its nature was so strange that even the professors struggled to understand what it was.
However, one thing was certain.
Had they ignored Luna’s warning and entered, they too would have been instantly consumed, meeting a terrible fate.
As the reaper finally dissipated into nothingness, the testing ground’s earth cracked and dried up.
A land of death.
That was the only way to describe it.
Afterward, Luna placed a hand on the fallen Professor Musr.
And in the next moment, a healing power so miraculous that it left everyone speechless enveloped his body.
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