The Elemental Sword Demon King
Episode 84: Academy's Strongest Elementalist
He had brilliantly shiny blonde hair and piercing icy blue pupils. He was wearing a clean white coat on top of his uniform, it was a prestige coat that only the academy higher-ups could wear.
(The strongest Elementalist in the academy, Lucia Eva.) While muttering like that, something cold ran through Kaizo's backbone.
He, the person Kaizo faced in the arena at the Sword Style Festival three years ago, should not have this much sense of intimidation.
Lucia made a sound with her hard iron shoes and slowly walked over.
"Sister, why are you here?!"
"It looks like those pawns have been reduced in number as long as I'm not around."
"Sister! Did you say something just now?"
"I said the pawns are reduced. That's all."
Eve firmly raised her eyebrows at Lucia's rude remark. "Did you call the fellow Knights as pawns?!"
"Pawn is pawn. Moreover, they were useless sacrificial pawns. Even without being able to capture just one attacker, they were completely defeated otherwise."
"That's no problem for me. However, I want you to stop insulting those girls, who are well on their errands. Even if you're the former captain."
Lucia looked down on Eve, who was protesting, with her cold and piercing eyes, "I am a Veilmist knight, I never retract the words I have said."
"You!"
"Or, can you try to make me give up on violence, Captain?" Lucia's thin fingers hold Eve's chin.
Encompassed by her sharp gaze, Eve spontaneously averted her gaze. Lucia shook her head as if she was disappointed, "Eve, it was a mistake to entrust you with the Knights."
"Wait," Kaizo clasped Lucia's arm from the side.
He thought that he should not interfere in the matters of the Knights, but implicating Eve, as expected was something that he could not let go of.
"When Noah Alnest attacked the academy, Eve rushed there at the earliest and fought. You have no right to condemn Eve."
"Ka-kaizo?" Eve widened her eyes in surprise.
"Oh?" Lucia quickly removed her hand from Eve's chin.
"You are a male elementalist, who is said to have been accepted here with Miss Aidenwyth's recommendation, right?"
"Yes, so how?" Kaizo immediately glared at his icy blue eyes which were cold and piercing.
"The one who caught the assailant was you, right?"
"It's not just me. The reason I won was because I fought alongside my teammates."
"Don't be humble. I don't understand why you're hiding your powers, but...." Lucia's sharp shot through Kaizo.
(This guy, don't tell me he knows my true identity?) Cold sweat appeared on Kaizo's forehead.
(No, it's impossible. When I met him was three years ago.)
Kaizo's current appearance should have been very different from the time when she was an innocent child.
Lucia then smirked, "Your true strength is something I want to test at all costs."
"What?"
Suddenly, one of his hands was raised upwards. At that moment, an incredible shock was released radially. There was a rumbling sound as the entire cathedral shook. The surrounding girls were blown away by the shock and thrown into the wall.
There was a densely hanging cloud of dust and ruthlessly overturned marble tiles. It was a spirit magic of the earth attribute considering that its resistive time was almost zero, it was an incredible power.
All that could avoid shock was Eve and a few upperclassmen. Kaizo protects Nyx and has received spirit magic directly. As he reacted, he did not faint but his uniform was worn out.
"You, what are you doing?"
"Hmm, surprisingly, some remain standing."
Lucia calmly moved her hand to her chin, and looked around to glare at the girls. Then he pointed at the girls who were still able to stand up after receiving a bullying attack from him.
"You and you, then, you two." He nominated four knights, who stood without falling, one by one.
"Sister, what are you planning?!" Enraged, Eve approaches Lucia.
"I made my choice. The people I nominate will now be accepted into my team."
"Such selfish things are unacceptable!"
"I didn't mean to force them. It's up to their own will to decide."
"What?" Eve became surprised and looked at the four nominated upperclassmen.
The four of them exchanged glances in confusion, but they looked terrified and it was etched clearly on their faces.
"Y-Yeah!"
"It's an honor to be selected into Miss Lucia's team!"
"Please include me by all means."
"I-me too!"
They answered everything together.
Eve bit her lip, looking annoyed. He could not curse the girls.
Being included in the strongest elementalist team in the number one ranked academy, Lucia, was almost the same as getting a guaranteed ticket to the Sword Style Festival.
The temptation was too great, of course because they were the ones in power. Moreover, the girls were upperclassmen who were members of the Knights when Lucia was still the captain.
In that case, they might have started to be dissatisfied from the start since Eve was the captain just like Kaizo had imagined just now.
As expected, it might be awkward, so the girls did not try to see Eve's face.
Lucia faced Kaizo and said, "You surprised me, you have time to cover your contracted spirit with such a distance. How about you join my team as well. You seem to be at least able to become my outrider."
"I refuse. I'm with the hell Salamander team of the princesses." Kaizo glared at Lucia.
"«Team Salamander». The Disaster Queen's sister team that is currently sixth? Well, it's okay, if you don't become my pawn, then I just need to destroy you." Lucia averted her eyes as she lost interest.
He gestured to the girls he hunted from the Knights with his eyes. As he made the sound of steel shoes ringing, he left the headquarters building.
The only thing left was a ruthlessly overturned mountain of rubble, plus Eve and her comrades, in a stunned state and still in shock from the intimidation.
****
POV: Lucia Eva Veilmist
_____________________________________
(No matter what, it doesn't hurt.)
Lucia, who left the Hybrid Knight building, changed her expression in pain. His pulse is beating rapidly. «Hati» is pounding like going crazy very quickly.
(I think I'm used to this «Hati», but..).
He had yet to reach the point of completely controlling it. He could not resist the destructive impulses that pushed him from the depths of his body. Or, even his own consciousness might have already begun to corrode.
(However, it's okay. If it wasn't like that, it wouldn't mean anything.)
What matters is the unlimited divine power that «Hati» brings with it. As long as he had this «Hati», he could win against the girl, the Strongest Sword Style Holder (Rei Assar), who defeated him.
Suddenly, a dark flame lit up in Lucia's cold eyes.
(However, that male elementalist, Kirigaya Kaizo or so he was called?)
The black pupils that were directly glaring at Lucia. Inside those eyes, there was something familiar.
(They look similar.)
They were the same eyes as the girl three years ago. However, there is a definite part that is different. Kirigaya Kaizo turned her hostile gaze to Lucia.
(He's different. He didn't even look at me.)
He did not think of Lucia, who was his competitor. He saw something far more.
The Sword Style Festival will begin a few weeks later. Finally, a rematch with him, which was his dearest wish, would come true.
As Lucia felt the throbbing «Hati», she gritted her molars, "Just wait, Rei Assar!"
...
*Connected.....
*Note: This story is fictitious. If there is a similarity in the name of the character, the scene, or the story, it is a mere coincidence and there is no element of intentionality.