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Chapter 45: Lightning Catcher

The Tenth Apostle.

Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird possesses three distinct traits:

[Miniaturization][Durability][High-Speed Movement]

With its small, sturdy body, it moves at an incredible speed, akin to the strike of thunder.

This defines justice delivered by the Thunderbird.

The moment the Thunderbird appeared, Sharin sacrificed her staff and cast a spell.

Sharin had witnessed the Thunderbird during the Iris team's battle.

Thus, determined to end it from the start, she unleashed a large-scale spell.

BOOOOOM!

White flames engulfed everything around, aiming to burn the Thunderbird to ash.

But the Thunderbird vanished.

BOOM!

Accompanied by thunder resounding in the ears, the Thunderbird appeared in front of Sharin.

It spun its body violently, attempting to pierce straight through her.

CRAAAAASH!

However, before it could reach her, a rising shadow blocked the Thunderbird’s attack.

The Thunderbird, elongating its shadow, stopped just shy of reaching Sharin’s nose.

The shadow that stopped the Thunderbird was Card’s shadow magic.

“Gotcha!”

Card twirled two staffs, one in each hand, as if performing a dance.

In that instant, the elasticity of the shadow rebounded the Thunderbird.

Sharin's face twisted in frustration.

She realized that even aiming her magic at the Thunderbird was nearly impossible due to its unimaginable speed.

The Thunderbird evaded at even the slightest sign of Sharin casting a spell.

No matter how powerful her magic was, it couldn't be hit if it dodged at the casting moment.

Moreover, the Thunderbird's durability granted it absurd defensive capabilities.

Even Iris's relentless attacks failed to bring it down after dozens of hits.

Sharin's magic needed to be precisely effective to take it down in one blow.

Tick-tock.

Time was slipping away.

The three minutes they initially had had dwindled to just under two.

“It’s too fast!”

Seron groaned as she chased the Thunderbird.

No matter how fiercely she swung her axe, she couldn’t land a single hit.

“Ugh!”

Instead, the Thunderbird struck her down, sending her rolling across the ground.

Had Grantoni not crafted a bone armor for her defense in time, she might have been knocked out with a single hit.

Everyone began to feel the pressure.

The Thunderbird was an opponent they could defeat as a team if given enough time.

But the time limit was making them all anxious.

Card raised his shadows.

Grantoni activated his soul magic.

Seron's axe brimmed with explosive power.

Sharin started drawing another spell.

But it wasn’t enough.

They couldn’t take down the Thunderbird within three minutes.

That’s why I prepared for this day.

I tilted my head toward the sky.

“Sharin, cast a defense spell with everyone.”

My quiet warning echoed.

Card sensed something and swung his shadow.

“Huh?!”

Seron was wrapped in shadows and pulled to the side of Card, Sharin, and Grantoni.

At the same time, Sharin’s defense spell activated.

The Thunderbird, sensing something amiss, zigzagged through the air with thunderous speed.

It moved so fast it became invisible.

In the midst of this battlefield, I raised my hands above my head.

In my hand was a single ring.

Tick-tock.

In the stillness of passing time, dark clouds began to gather in the sky.

One by one, those sensing something unusual looked up.

The sky was turning pitch-black, as if rain was imminent.

The Thunderbird was fast enough that even I couldn’t follow its movements.

But no matter how fast it was, the Thunderbird was a phantom created through the arena's magic.

Its wings were confined within the cage of the arena.

That meant it couldn’t escape the arena’s boundaries.

BOOM!

And this also meant—

BOOOOOM!

—if I swept the entire battlefield, it couldn’t escape.

This was my final move, prepared for this moment.

“Come forth.”

Divine Artifact: Lightning Caller

FLASH!

A blue flash engulfed everything in the arena.

In the burst of light, the defense magic surrounding us shattered, leaving the crowd in stunned disbelief.

Yet amidst their astonishment, one person remained watching with wide-open eyes.

A storm of blue electricity swept through the arena.

―――――――――――!

Everything around was bathed in azure.

The pressure of the electric currents flowing across my steel skin weighed heavily on me.

It felt like I might lose consciousness under this pressure.

Tick-tock.

But even now, the steadily ticking clock forced me to remain alert.

In this blue-tinted world, the electrified Thunderbird was visible.

Paralyzed by the lightning, it hung motionless in the air.

Despite its name, the Thunderbird possessed no lightning-related abilities.

Instead, it moved like thunder itself, requiring equivalent speed to capture it.

Iris subdued it with brute force.

But I relied on the power of the divine artifact.

Even so, the Thunderbird survived the lightning strike thanks to its durability.

THUD!

I stepped forward through the storm of electricity.

Across my steel skin, glowing letters began to radiate light.

Reaching above my head, I grabbed the electricity coursing over my body.

The blue current was forcibly drawn into my grasp.

In doing so, I formed a single blue lightning spear.

Magic Engraving: Lightning Catcher

The goddess’s blue lightning was in my hand.

To pierce through durability, two things were required:

An attack powerful enough to overcome durability.

Or piercing power that could bypass it entirely.

That’s why I prepared.

A supreme spear that could penetrate anything.

The currents violently surged across my steel skin.

The synergy between the divine artifact and the magic engraving further amplified the spear’s power.

THUD.

With a stomp, I planted my foot and tightened my waist.

CRACK!

Swinging the lightning spear twisted my shoulder in agony.

So, I resolved to pour even more strength into it.

The magic engraving etched on my elbow activated again.

BOOM!

With an explosion from my elbow, my arm swung with full force.

The blue flash left my grip, racing through the sky, striking the Thunderbird.

CRAAAAACK!

The lightning spear impaled the Thunderbird, launching it to the arena’s edge.

But at that moment, my eyes widened in shock.

The lightning spear had indeed struck the Thunderbird.

The Thunderbird would surely succumb to the spear’s power and meet its end.

Tick-tock!

But the clock showed barely five seconds remaining.

The lightning spread across the Thunderbird as it began to disintegrate.

However, it wasn’t fast enough to finish it completely.

I had no strength left in my body.

Nor did I have any other moves.

All I could do was hope that the Thunderbird perished swiftly.

Right in front of Thunderbird,

there stood someone holding an axe.

Amidst the blue lightning flashes,

a crimson braid fluttered.

The forehead revealed beneath the hair shone vividly.

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Seron Parmia.

She was there.

When had she even gotten to that spot?

Having broken out of Sharin's defensive magic,

Seron was cloaked in shadows and bones layered thickly on her body.

She had reached that place with the support of Card and Grantoni.

At this moment, it dawned on me—

I wasn't the only one who wanted to be first;

everyone did.

Her descending axe was wrapped in an explosion.

"Smash it to pieces!"

Watching this, everyone, myself included, cried out in our hearts.

And as if in response,

Seron's axe finally struck the crumbling Thunderbird.

KABOOOOOOM!

With the explosion, the streaks of lightning faded,

and smoke began to rise.

Collapsed in the stance of having swung my spear,

I gasped for breath.

Struck by lightning and even grabbing hold of it,

black smoke escaped my mouth and body.

Because the magic had been dispelled by the lightning,

I could see the VIPs and students outside.

But not one among them uttered a word.

A stillness hung over the arena.

Amid my hazy consciousness,

I was fixated on one place.

The smoke began to slowly clear.

Through the thinning haze,

Seron emerged, throwing down her axe and running over.

"Hannon!"

For the first time,

she called my name properly as she ran toward me and hugged me.

She clung to me, hopping up and down.

Realizing this,

I lifted my head.

31 minutes and 20 seconds.

Barely over a second remained.

I could see the stopped time in my eyes.

My eyes widened.

Seron's final axe, with everyone's support,

had ended the dying Thunderbird.

"Ha, haha."

Laughter spilled from my lips,

uncontrollably.

We had defeated Iris’s team.

"Kahaha, Hannon!"

"Hahaha, we did it."

"Phew, I really hate feeling anxious."

Card ran over and ruffled my hair wildly,

while Grantoni and Sharin walked toward us.

It was a victory we achieved because everyone was there.

My heart felt full of something.

"Heehee, more pocket money for me!"

Seeing Seron grinning foolishly, my excitement cooled again.

From afar, I spotted familiar faces.

The lazy genius Ban nodded with a face that said,

"Just as expected."

Isabel clenched her fists tightly, seemingly spurred by competition.

Aisha and Foara, first-years,

were celebrating our success.

And then, my eyes landed on Iris.

The Iris team members stared in disbelief,

but Iris herself

looked at me with unreadable eyes.

Finally,

I saw the living history of the empire, Whitewood,

standing abruptly from her seat.

We had shown all there was to show.

Now, it was up to them to respond.

"Team Hannon, 31 minutes and 20 seconds."

In that moment,

Professor Vega’s voice announcing the score echoed across the arena.

"Currently ranked first in the second year."

Our victory was confirmed.

Right after our team competition ended,

I collapsed immediately.

I didn't lose consciousness,

but my body had no strength left to move,

so I was forcibly taken to the infirmary.

Having fought fiercely before reaching the Seventh Apostle,

and then being struck by lightning afterward,

it was a miracle I could move at all.

Later, Isabel's team put up a good fight, but they only managed third place, behind the Iris team.

After that, no one overturned our score.

Thus, our team safely secured first place.

Lying on the infirmary bed, I quietly stared at the ceiling.

Not long ago,

Professor Vega had scolded me a little.

Even though it was a test, she said, I pushed myself too hard, just like last time.

But for me, every moment required my best.

There was no other way.

‘And yet, despite all the preparation, time was still so tight.’

With the intent to win outright,

I had poured all my knowledge into making a meticulous plan.

Yet, we still had barely over a second to spare.

This was due to the differences between the game and reality.

And because of those differences,

I received unexpected help from everyone.

‘I just need to prepare even more.’

The scenario was only now entering its mid-point.

With a long way still to go,

I had no choice but to achieve it in Lucas's absence.

I raised myself from the bed.

Because I thought the time had come.

Knock, knock.

Sure enough,

there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

At my response,

the door creaked open.

Standing there was a towering man wearing an eyepatch.

And behind him,

a woman with snow-white hair flowing behind her stepped inside.

Her curvaceous figure was so striking,

she could have been mistaken for being in her early twenties.

But in truth, she was an ancient relic

who had spent her life with the empire.

Thud!

She stood tall in the infirmary,

her cloak billowing.

"Nice to meet you, boy."

Whitewood.

Raksid Anubecia.

"I should let you know in advance."

With that, Whitewood's lips curled into a chilling smile.

The oppressive pressure she exuded filled the room.

Just standing face-to-face with her made my shoulders feel weighed down.

It felt as if my knees were being forced to kneel.

"Harboring mysteries is punishable by death under Article 253 of the Niflheim Empire's criminal code."

What?

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