An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 29: The Angel Who Drew the Holy Sword (6)

The professors of the Central Academy. Excluding the demon army, they were indisputably the strongest group in both the other world and the current world.

Realizing that they couldn't defeat the demon king on their own, they created the academy to nurture heroes, and through that academy, they also became the masterminds manipulating the current world from the shadows.

Professor Klein asked,

"Vice Principal, isn't Hongwol one of your student? Although you haven't taught her for very long."

"Yes, but she's destined to become the demon king's pawn. It would be better for her if we end her life today."

Park Jin-ho sheathed his sword without a flicker of emotion, and Lusa tightened her gauntlets. With a mocking expression, she muttered,

"Honestly, we're not really suited to be professors."

"Well, you're right."

"Enough chatter! Time to do our duty."

"Is Hexi in position?"

"Professor Hexi has been in position for quite some time. I'm sure she has a lot of complaints, although she won't say anything."

"Hmm, you've all lost your minds. Anyway, make sure to relay this clearly. If even one person tries to escape, kill them."

"How many times do you have to repeat it? Can't you see how big my ears are? I'm going to get PTSD, so cut it out!"

Thwack- Lusa, who had been smacked on the head, muttered as she bit her lip.

"It f**king hurts..."

With that, Professors Klein, Lusa, and Park Jin-ho headed to the main building of the Central Academy to deal with the stray cats lurking in the basement…

Meanwhile, what kind of situation was unfolding in the basement of the Central Academy's main building? In short, it was chaos.

Several mooncats who tried to pull out the Holy Sword all fell victim to the divine punishment. And right now, another one is being burned by holy fire while attempting to pull it out.

"Arghh! Chief!"

"Damn it! Let go!"

Jeokwol, the chief of the Mooncat Tribe, hadn't anticipated this situation. The Mooncat Tribe were all masters of magic swords. And theoretically, the holy sword was just a magic sword imbued with white magic.

Heavenly mana or white magic, is thought by Jeokwol to be the most human-friendly magic, capable of healing, purifying corrupted lands, and repelling demons...

In fact, most superhumans have this misconception.

Think about it. Compared to the gray magic rising from the underworld, the red magic that burned everything in the world, and the yellow magic that was pure electricity, it would be natural to think it’d be a safe power, right?

And so they naturally assumed they could easily draw the holy sword imbued with heavenly mana. Why? Because they could handle magic swords imbued with other dangerous mana just fine.

"White magic... was it this dangerous?"

Therefore, Jeokwol made a wrong judgment.

The judgment that someone in her tribe could easily draw the holy sword and they could steal it.

"Chief, a decision."

There were only two options left for the Mooncats. To flee now and lose the last chance to use the holy sword, or for Jeokwol or Hongwol, the strongest among them, to challenge this sword.

However, if Jeokwol or Hongwol failed to draw the holy sword and were incapacitated like the other Mooncats, burned by divine punishment…

That would also spell the end for the Mooncat Tribe.

"D**n it..."

For them, they had too many enemies.

Ultimately, Chief Jeokwol had no choice.

"Retreat. It's much more likely to survive resisting the Demon Lord's curse than to draw that sword here and burn to death..."

"Chief... but!"

The gate maintained by Soya had gradually closed. And instead, a blue barrier is formed. Soya, at that moment overcome with fear, couldn't bring herself to look beyond it at the individuals that appeared.

"Long time no see. Stray cats."

The first to reveal himself was Professor Klein.

Jeokwol pretended to be calm as she greeted him.

"It's been a while. Klein Porphyrogennetos, chief mage of the demon king subjugation force."

"Oh? You stupid cats somehow managed to memorize my name."

Jeokwol immediately took a stance. The other Mooncats followed suit.

"We'll be leaving this time... so open the Gate."

"Hahaha. Have you ever seen such brazen thieves? I refuse."

As soon as Klein refused, Jeokwol leaped.

She lunged at Klein's neck, leaving sound in her wake. However…

"Park Jin-ho!"

"It's been a while, Jeokwol."

The white Moonlight Sword bestowed upon the chief of the Mooncat Tribe and the blue Cheongu Holy Sword bestowed upon the leader of the Cheongu Guild.

The two legendary swords clashed according to their owners' will.

"Jeokwol, didn't I tell you last time? There wouldn't be another chance."

"Ugh..."

The two swords separated, then clashed again and reformed through their masters' movements.

In a split second. Their superhuman senses expanded time to the extreme, preparing for the impending danger. Right now, they could perceive 1 second as more than 1 minute.

And that was just the level of a split second.

They went a step further.

It was a level that superhumans called 'a split second within a split second.' In a time so short that even other superhumans couldn't perceive it…

They clashed with their ultimate techniques.

'I... I'm being pushed back...!'

After 1 second passed, Jeokwol couldn't help but shout,

"Everyone, retreat!"

The Mooncats immediately tried to flee at her words. But there was an elf blocking their path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lusa wasn't leisurely walking towards them like she did when facing students or candidates; she was approaching them with meticulous steps like a professional fighter.

Silence fell.

Lusa was approaching while calmly swaying, but the atmosphere was undeniably unsettling.

And naturally, these steps weren't just to approach. Even though Lusa was simply stepping and moving, one by one, the Mooncats were struck by something invisible and fell down.

This was the most offensive footwork of the Fairy Martial Arts, Eden's Grace. It was a technique that could be translated as 'calm before the storm' in Korean.

Calm before the storm meant that a storm was about to break.

"Fairy Martial Arts, Chapter 1."

Hongwol abandoned her fear and charged towards Lusa. Hongwol, as always, was a warrior before she was a girl. And a warrior was one who fought for something greater than themselves.

Something greater than herself. Her tribe.

She had to buy time for her tribe to escape.

"Moonless Dawn."

And so, Hongwol and Lusa clashed.

Naturally, the battle was in Park Jin-ho's favor, and Lusa was even more dominant. Despair spread.

'Is this the end of the Mooncat Tribe?'

It was a thought that crossed everyone's mind at least once.

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Leffrey ran even when he’s out of breath. He ran until his lungs felt like they would burst and finally arrived at the main building of the Central Academy.

'Huff. Huff... I need to raise my Strength stat.'

His Strength stat, which governed his physical abilities, was 10. It was a superhuman level of lung capacity compared to other boys his age, but Leffrey still felt it was lacking.

'That's not important right now...'

What was important right now was to quickly stop the professors' massacre. If the Mooncats were slaughtered like this, the Old Citadel would immediately fall into the hands of the demon army.

Of course, if Hongwol died too, the Mooncat Tribe would be destroyed, so the Old Citadel wouldn't be that threatening…

Wouldn’t the Old Citadel no longer be a threat if the Mooncats all died here? Then wouldn't it be safer to turn a blind eye to the professors' massacre? Would the Mooncats cooperate with humanity even if the curse was lifted? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for humanity if Hongwol died here?

'No, Hongwol can't die.'

Why?

'Just because!'

A guardian angel had to protect someone. To show that there was at least one person in this world who believed in you without reason, that even if your prayers to the heavens were ignored, there was someone by your side who would listen to them…

Leffrey had to prove it as an angel.

'N-No, it's not just because. I'm not an idiot who runs around saving people without reason. First of all, if I save Hongwol and the Mooncats, I'll get a huge amount of Angelic Power, and I can leave a deep debt of gratitude with the Mooncats, who always repay favors and grudges. Moreover, the Mooncats are ultimately a group that hates the demon king. If they survive, they'll become enemies of the demon army.'

Leffrey suddenly came up with a bunch of excuses.

Well, let's just go with that.

"A barrier. It's probably a Klein-style barrier."

A blue barrier blocked Leffrey's path as he tried to go down to the basement. It was a physical separation barrier created with Klein-style Magic.

It would take ages for anyone who didn't use Klein-style Magic to dispel it.

[Klein-style Magic Lv.1 Activated]

However, Leffrey had a magic textbook containing the essence of Klein-style Magic. But even then…

"It's too high-level..."

It was a spell that was difficult to dispel.

Then...!

['Guardian Angel of the Genius Witch' title activated]

Having activated the title... Leffrey was now borrowing 20% of Soya’s talent, humanity's greatest magical genius.

By combining 'Klein-style Magic Lv.1 + Klein's core magic textbook + Guardian Angel of the Genius Witch'... he was barely able to create a hole large enough for a boy to pass through.

"Oh ho."

And naturally, there was no way Klein wouldn't notice this. The fact that Leffrey had created a small gap in the barrier using his magic.

"You've finally learned Klein-style Magic, Leffrey. And you've mastered it well enough to create a gap in my barrier."

Klein was smiling warmly for the first time in a long time. To think that he could smile like this... he was a little surprised himself.

"Hmm, this is why... so many heroes tried to raise disciples..."

It was truly delightful that this boy, brimming with talent, was skillfully using his magic. Even after he died, this boy would continue to hone his magical skills.

"I need to teach him more."

Klein stopped talking to himself. This was because the boy was coming down from the end of the stairs.

The boy ignored him and walked towards the fierce battlefield without hesitation.

Klein looked at him with a worried expression.

"Ugh."

Soya pulled down the brim of her hat and decided to stand still like a tree. She didn't think she could escape this place unscathed no matter what she did.

'S-Soya's not here...'

Then escapism was the answer, with her hat pulled down low. If she couldn't see, then the terrifying violence of the professors was as good as gone. No, she could interpret it as her being perfectly hidden in this darkness.

Soya's escapism was so severe that her thinking was almost at the level of an animal.

Sniff- Suddenly, she smelled a black magic-friendly scent.

Soya cautiously lifted the brim of her hat,

trying to find the source of the scent.

"Soya."

The boy was standing in front of her.

Leffrey, her only friend.

"L-Leffrey."

"I've created a gap in the barrier. Follow the gap and escape."

"...What about you? Where are you going?"

Leffrey smiled and said,

"I... have something I need to do."

And so, the boy left.

"...Then I can't go either."

Soya could only mutter those words as she watched the boy leave.

A fierce battle.

A bloody struggle for the survival of a tribe.

A deadly fight between the strongest of the human world.

Any description would fit. The battle unfolding here was a fight deserving of all those descriptions.

"Everyone stop!"

A boy shouted at the top of his lungs. A few people hesitated at his words.

'What an angelic voice, isn't it?'

It was a voice that even made Lusa, who had been immersed in battle, glance back.

"Everyone, stop fighting!!!"

The boy shouted until his throat was sore.

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