An Angel Lives in the Academy
Chapter 75: The Angel Learns the Style (6)

Episode 75

If you asked ten students to name the strongest student among the first-year swordsmanship students, nine out of ten would answer like this.

"Well, it’s hard to say."

"It's probably Hong... no, never mind."

"I’m not really in a position to evaluate others."

They would hesitate, trying to avoid the question.

But when forced to, when they had no choice but to pick the strongest, all ten out of ten would say this.

"...Hongwol."

"Even though she’s a beast folk from the other world, but it's Hongwol."

Skills that made even the proud and honor-bound swordsmanship students acknowledge her, a beast folk and the daughter of a thief tribe.

"First of all, the fact that she wields two magic swords..."

When others struggled to handle even a single magic sword, she could skillfully wield two flame magic swords at once, blessed with an incredible mana affinity.

Moreover, her powerful physical abilities, befitting a member of the Mooncat Tribe.

And Hongwol's unique sixth sense.

"Ready?"

Hongwol, holding a pair of crimson daggers, looked at Leffrey as he took a stance, gripping Flabellum.

Her long, flowing pink hair, shimmering as she moved,

Her sharp, wild beauty, that had exuded a playful yet predatory aura.

Just walking around was enough for Hongwol to attract the attention of the male students, but she paid them no attention.

She only looked at Leffrey.

"Yes."

Leffrey also looked at Hongwol.

As Hongwol clapped her hands, the outside of the training hall became blurred.

"To ask me for a spar… Boy, you’ve created a new fighting style, haven't you?"

Hongwol's senses were exceptional.

Leffrey could only nod.

"And choosing this training hall means that you don’t want to show your new fighting style to others until the final exam."

This special training hall, surrounded by a unique barrier, was well known for being operated only by the Central Academy.

They say that the cost of building a single training hall like this was equivalent to building two massive stadiums.

Since it was such a high-spec training hall…

Secret sparring, magic duels, training in special environments…

Everything was possible.

“That’s right.”

“And you’re showing it to me?”

Hongwol smiled bashfully.

Leffrey nodded once again.

“Then.”

Hongwol lowered her stance.

Although Hongwol is 10 cm taller than Leffrey, but since she always maintained a lower stance when entering combat.

Her entire body seemed to cling to the ground, her two hands holding daggers almost touching the floor.

It didn't seem like a very threatening posture.

“Shall we begin?”

But…

Leffrey didn't let his guard down.

Crash- The training hall floor shattered, and Hongwol disappeared. And Leffrey took to the skies.

‘Float using Klein-style wind magic, and then gain momentum with explosion magic!’

Klein-style Magic Lv.3.

Plus, combined with an angel's talent?

‘I’m realizing it now… but angels have talent.’

It wasn’t just about a talent for magic. Talent for food, talent for sewing, and talent for combat.

Angels excel in all these talents.

They say that the angels who once descended to Earth, handled the tasks they had to do with ‘heavenly skill’.

One angel was employed at a shoe store and made better shoes than a craftsman who had worked there his entire life, and another angel imparted knowledge to a sage, making that sage eternally honored.

And Leffrey too, although he had lost his wings and his faith.

He still possessed heavenly talent.

And if that talent met the world's best professors...

He would be able to master Klein-style Magic as if it were his own body.

“Hmm.”

Hongwol, watching Leffrey take flight, casually took a dagger from her pocket.

“Cats are good at catching birds too. Not that I’m a cat!”

And she skillfully threw the dagger towards Leffrey. If Leffrey was only flying using magic, he would have been struck by the dagger.

However…

‘Fairy Martial Arts defensive technique! Flowing Rainwater!’

Flowing Rainwater.

A technique to slip through an opponent’s attacks like flowing water. It was the most useful technique for Leffrey, who was currently floating in the air.

And he uses Fairy Martial Arts to maintain his balance in the air, which is difficult with his current strength.

‘If magic is the engine, then Fairy Martial Arts are the wings.’

And for a plane to fly properly, the two had to be in harmony.

“Boy, you have a good flying technique.”

Hongwol continued to throw daggers as she spoke.

Leffrey continued to evade the daggers, maneuvering his body to avoid flying in the trajectory Hongwol wanted.

“But you can't win like this.”

At that moment, Leffrey readied himself.

The force of gravity pulling him down, the power of magic that allows him to fly,

And lastly, the power of swordsmanship that will be the spearhead of this attack.

Swoosh-

A familiar sonic boom echoed in his ears.

Hongwol smiled.

“Fast!”

Screeeeeech-

Crackle- Crackle-

Flabellum and the flame magic dagger clashed, each time spitting flames.

Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh-

Sonic booms continued to echo. Hongwol's pupils suddenly became vertical slits,

Transforming into the eyes of a feline predator.

“This is fun! Fun!”

The two superhumans clashed again.

Leffrey struck down, and Hongwol struck up.

‘I-I’m fighting on par with Wol.’

Leffrey, evading the rain of Hongwol’s daggers, took to the skies once again.

‘To be fighting so evenly against Hongwol, one of the strongest in the future…’

Leffrey had gotten stronger.

On par with Hongwol…

Or perhaps even stronger?

Screeeech-

Crackle- Crackle-

Hongwol crossed her two crimson daggers, blocking Flabellum. The daggers grabbed Flabellum tightly, like scissors, then...

‘I’m trapped!’

The moment Leffrey couldn't fly any higher, Hongwol instantly switched to close combat.

Leffrey couldn't help but be startled.

'Wait, she already adapted to my fighting style? As expected of Hongwol...'

Hongwol's long leg aimed for Leffrey's side, more specifically his liver.

If the liver is attacked and swells, it puts pressure on other organs, causing excruciating pain and putting them into a dazed, weakened state.

‘Crescent Moon Kick!’

Leffrey, using Fairy Martial Arts, aimed for the joints of her leg that was striking upwards.

Leffrey's leg aimed to strike Hongwol's joint, and…

Thud- Crash-

Crack crack crack-

With a terrifying sound, the two of them collapsed.

“Ughhhh…”

Leffrey, drooling, lay writhing on the ground, while Hongwol, limping, laughed.

“Hehehe, boy.”

“Wol, that’s enough…”

But Hongwol, her eyes consumed with thrill, had no intention of listening to Leffrey.

“Let’s continue…”

“Ugh.”

A pink aura enveloped Hongwol's shoulders. And her leg swelled up once again. Hongwol, her entire body clinging to the floor, her hips swaying towards the sky.

“Let’s see it.”

Hongwol leaped, and Leffrey took flight.

Leffrey, the moment he took flight, realized it instinctively.

‘I've been tricked!’

Hongwol wasn't aiming for Leffrey when she leaped.

‘She predicted that I would fly! I thought she’d be blinded by her fighting spirit and wouldn’t predict that… As expected of Hongwol, the next chief of the Mooncat?’

Hongwol had leaped towards the sky from the start, predicting that Leffrey would take flight.

‘It'll hurt a lot if I get hit by that… But I don't see a way to avoid it… I should surrender before…’

Leffrey, seeing Hongwol flying towards him, was about to shout "surrender" before he got hit.

It wasn't even a fight with anything at stake, and Hongwol was a precious comrade.

Unlike Hongwol, who had a strong fighting spirit, Leffrey wasn't that obsessed with winning.

Of course, Leffrey hated losing, but he wasn’t the type who prioritized victory over pain.

However,

‘Don’t give up so easily.’

‘Go and fulfill your mission.’

Why were these words echoing in his ears?

‘I don't have a mission. What even is a mission in the first place?’

Leffrey recalled a few words.

Mission.

A duty assigned to a messenger.

And angels are the messengers of Heaven.

And Leffrey had decided to live as an angel.

“Tsk.”

If he even gave up on a fight like this, how could he possibly fulfill his mission?

“Right… I should at least use this technique once… before the finals.”

The Fallen Angel used his hidden technique.

And at that moment, outside the training hall…

“Who won?”

The swordsmanship students, looking at the training hall where Hongwol and Leffrey had entered, pretended not to care when the two entered, but the moment they did, they immediately began gossiping.

“Hongwol, of course. Who could defeat that monster?”

“Leffrey’s strong too, but he can’t defeat Hongwol.”

Beep-

Swoosh- With that sound,

The barrier of the training hall began to dissipate.

And the interior of the training hall became visible.

“…Huh?”

The first-year swordsmanship students jaws dropped, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

The one standing on top of the training hall was Leffrey, and the one lying down was Hongwol.

“Huh?”

“W-Wow.”

“No way! Amazing!”

The swordsmanship students shouted.

“Leffrey defeated Hongwol!”

“Ahahaha.”

Thus, Leffrey’s name was cheered in the Swordsmanship Department.

* * *

No one can stop time.

Even if they close their eyes, lower their head, or even reverse the clock, time will still pass.

Even this time that Soya desperately wished wouldn't come, eventually arrived.

“Welcome, little brats.”

Lusa, standing on the platform, smiled broadly.

“I hope you all prepared well for the final exams.”

Leffrey, looking at Lusa's confident appearance, thought,

‘Based on the faint aura she's radiating and her attitude… Professor Lusa seems quite normal.’

But is she truly normal?

Or is she pretending?

Leffrey couldn’t tell.

“If you haven't prepared well, you'll regret it.”

Smirk- Lusa smiled wickedly.

Lusa was undeniably a beauty, even among elves, but the expressions she made were too scary sometimes.

Soya trembled slightly.

‘Heh, she's nothing special. Not even a bit scary compared to the dark mysteries of black magic.’

She muttered.

“And there’s a special gift for this exam.”

Lusa pointed at a girl sitting next to her.

“It’s a sapling of the World Tree. She has bestowed this sapling, hoping that it will be helpful to the hero who will protect this world in the future.”

Wooooooo-

The students cheered.

Even though they already knew about it,

Seeing it in person was different.

“What is it? It looks like a human?”

“That’s because she’s a dryad.”

“No, but they're treating something that looks human like an object?”

Of course, there were a few students who remained calm and acted normally.

But they were a minority.

“No need for long speeches. Anyone who doesn't know what the first test is? Try saying you don't know, I'll beat you up first.”

“A-A group spar with the professor!”

The martial arts students shouted loudly.

Lusa nodded.

“That's right. The first test for this final exam is to spar with me.”

Lusa continued to smile wickedly.

“I'm looking forward to it!”

What on earth was she looking forward to?

Leffrey carefully observed Lusa's expression.

‘If I run a measurement on her, her happiness level would probably be at 99%.’

Leffrey finally realized it.

Lusa was genuinely looking forward to beating up those students.

‘She’s probably targeting the students who are after the sapling, right?’

If so, Leffrey had to help Professor Lusa in another way.

“Then…”

Hop- Lusa leaped off the platform.

“Shall we begin?”

Thus, the Central Superhuman Academy's final exam began.