Chapter 205

Chapter 205

I Became the Academy Mafia Chapter 205

-Finally, she appears! Once the strongest in the Academy, but now having yielded the title of strongest to Familia's president, Han Eugene! The former strongest! Heir to the Azure Sky Sword Clan and granddaughter of the Sword Saint! As the male students call her! The Academy's noble lily-of-the-valley!──Choi! Yeon!

Choi Yeon entered the sparring room holding a sword with a pure white blade.

-Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon!

Countless people were cheering as they watched her image displayed on the screen.

In a way, it was only natural. A beautiful powerhouse always attracted attention. She could only ever be an icon and an idol.

Even Instructor Pa Do-yoon, who had been speaking in a commentator's tone until now, was gripping the microphone with tremendous excitement.

-In fact, this match can be considered very different from the others! And that's because the opponent is none other than Choi Yeon of the Azure Sky Sword Clan!

The Academy students called her an aloof flower.

-Skill and beauty beyond anyone's reach! Especially when it comes to skill, she may already have surpassed active Heroes long ago!

No, to be precise, it had been quite a while since she surpassed them...

In the first place, she was practically the crystallization of the Azure Sky Sword Clan, having grown up receiving the Sword Saint's training.

-The opponent is the only club participating as a proper club in today's matches. The club ‘Paper Airplane’! The meaning of the name is... Ahh! It's because of the club president's ability!

The club ‘Paper Airplane.’

It was a club consisting of two front-liners and two rear-liners, and it was also one of the clubs we had to be most careful of today.‘If I remember correctly, the president's ability here was pretty annoying.’An ability called ‘Paper Master’ that allowed him to strengthen and control paper he had touched.

Depending on how it was combined with a class, it could become an extremely troublesome trait. Because of that, some players even tried to obtain it.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the main point of this match would be whether Choi Yeon could suppress ‘Paper Master’ or not.

-Even though the match hasn't started yet, the air in the arena is already thick with tension! I truly look forward to seeing what they'll show us the instant it begins. This time as well, we'll start the match with a countdown.

Now!3.2.1.

-Today's final club battle begins!

If there was one thing today's club battles had in common, it was that everyone started moving the instant the match began.

But.

-Ahh! Both sides! Neither is moving, and they're simply glaring at one another!

For some reason, neither side in this match even took a step, merely watching each other.

“Why is it so quiet?”

Apparently the sight looked strange to Se-ah too.

Se-ah, who had been watching the monitor, turned to me and asked.

“They're wary of each other.”

“...

Huh?”

“Think about it. From Choi Yeon's perspective, there are four opponents. Rather than attacking first, it's easier to defend once and look for an opening. And as for ‘Paper Airplane’... their opponent is Choi Yeon. Of course they're nervous.”

In other words, both sides were playing safely.

And one of the reasons for that was me... because I'd sealed the sword Choi Yeon made by mixing in Excalibur. Fantasy Holy Blade

.‘Eugene. Can I bring the sword I made with what you gave me?’‘Are you crazy?’‘I won't bring it.’For some reason, Choi Yeon had listened to me well ever since the Miner incident, so she followed my opinion exactly.

And that had been the right choice.

This wasn't just anyone watching, but a match the entire Academy was paying attention to. Imagine pulling out a holy sword here.

Forget the school, tomorrow the entertainment section of every Hero publication would explode.

And the President would also confirm that the people who robbed Vivian's Spring were on this side.

Things were already annoying enough, so give him one more justification?

That would be nothing but trouble.‘So it stays sealed for now. At least until we're independent enough not to get swept up in that kind of public opinion.’Of course, that didn't mean she brought just any sword. The sword Choi Yeon was holding now was by no means ordinary either.

-Huh? Something feels cold... Ahh! The source of the sudden chill! It's the sword Student Choi Yeon is holding! Choi Yeon's sword is emitting cold air right now!

Perhaps she was thinking, If you're not coming, I'll make you come.

Pale blue cold air spread from Choi Yeon's sword and began drastically lowering the surrounding temperature.

That was the special ability of the sword she was holding now. A sword I knew well because she had originally started using it from her second year onward.

Then the next move Choi Yeon would probably use was...

“Snow Anomaly.”

A ranged attack.

-Ahhh! The moment Choi Yeon swings her sword, blue energy is flying out! The match finally begins! Now then! Paper Airplane! How will they respond!

“Paper Shield.”

The moment the one who seemed to be the president opened his hand, papers poured from the bag on his back and formed an enormous shield.──Boom!

With a tremendous noise, Choi Yeon's attack shattered against it. But Choi Yeon's attack didn't end there.

-Choi Yeon's attack is completely blocked by the shield──or so I thought! The shattered blue energy is spreading through the surroundings! This is... snow? Snow! It's beginning to snow inside the sparring room!

A sword that created the weather phenomenon of snow.

Snow Woman Sword.

One of the Sword Saint's collection. A demonic blade that controlled the power of snow.

-Heavy snow is beginning to fall! Paper Airplane! Something is strange! Their movements are sluggish! Could it be! Could it be! Is this not ordinary snow!‘Of course it isn't.’Just as he said, the weather phenomenon created by that sword wasn't ordinary.

Its basic effect was a slowing effect. The snow created by the power of the demonic blade said to bring frost even in midsummer prevented anyone it touched from going ten li. It made it impossible to move at proper speed.

-So it's like, Go ahead and gather together! I'll crush you with an area attack! Is that it?! Choi Yeon's move worked perfectly! Ahh! Only after everyone has been hit with the debuff does Choi Yeon begin moving! Her appearance is truly that of a single snow leopard! Like watching a leopard!

Lowering her body, Choi Yeon began charging toward the enemies at tremendous speed.

At that, Paper Airplane's front-liners quickly raised their swords and prepared to defend.

“Sleet.”

Aura rose from Choi Yeon's body and met the ‘Snow Woman Sword,’ gaining the Ice

attribute and beginning to glow blue.

“I'll handle support, so block her!”

And at that moment, countless sheets of paper rose into the air.

Soon, following the bastard's hand gestures.

“Swarm her all at once!”

At that, the back line slowly moved backward to widen the distance, while the front line began exchanging sword blows with Choi Yeon.

-Truly overwhelming! Even while being attacked from both directions, Choi Yeon is blocking every attack with unbelievable movement and speed!

With an expressionless face, she blocked every attack and even counterattacked.

Of course, that didn't mean it was easy.

Because papers floating in the air were flying in and blocking her counterattacks.

A truly evenly matched exchange.

-It doesn't work! This is coordination! This is a true supporter! The front line is also showing the finest defense as mercenaries!

Waaaaaaaaah!!

I could feel the arena heating up.

There were no clean hits, but the continuing flashy exchange was dazzling to the eyes.

But it was obvious which side had the advantage.

“Wind Cutter!”

Clang───!!

She was effectively fighting four people at the same time right now. Every time the enemy exchanged one attack and defense, she had to move four more times.

It might not be obvious yet, but her stamina was steadily being shaved away without mercy.

And the opponents weren't without another card either.

“Hold out a little longer!”

While the front-liners endured Choi Yeon's powerful horizontal slash with expressions like they were about to die, something enormous was happening behind them.

The bag continued spewing out paper like a magician pulling cards from his mouth.

The papers gathering there began forming human shapes one by one, creating an enormous army.

-Th-that techniqueeee! The signature technique of Wang Jong, president of Paper Airplane, the man who made the current ‘Paper Airplane’ Club what it is! Paper Army!

Their numbers continued increasing until they literally began forming an army.

Armor made of paper, swords made of paper.

And soldiers made of paper.

“Ghk!”

“Kraaaagh!”

With the screams of the front-liners who had been holding Choi Yeon back, Choi Yeon's figure, which had been obscured by the two of them, appeared on the monitor.

“Haa... haa...”

Choi Yeon stared at the scene while breathing out white mist in the lowered temperature.

Her ragged breathing seemed to show her current stamina.

It was a side effect of using the demonic blade Snow Woman Sword.

The wide-area weather-changing technique, activated using the caster's stamina as a medium, consumed so much that an ordinary person would be reduced to skin and bones the instant they activated it.

Maintaining that condition while defeating two E-rank mercenaries was already enough for her to prove her ‘strength.’

However...

-Ahhh! Choi Yeon! A major crisis! Big pinch! Will the pure lily-of-the-valley finally be broken at laaaaaast!

What had appeared before her far surpassed that.

The Paper Army was famous for its efficiency compared to similar traits. Most players would pair that trait with an Onmyoji and use it as an attacker pouring fire from outside the opponent's range.

Engaging in a war of attrition against such a trait might have been reckless.

“Advance.”

At the command of Paper Airplane's president, Wang Jong, the Paper Army began advancing.─! ─! ─! ─! ─!

Beating paper drums, riding paper horses, lowering paper visors

, and lowering paper lances to point at Choi Yeon.

“Charge.”

And at the same time, the pure white wave began rushing toward Choi Yeon.

At that, she slightly furrowed her brow, looked at her sword, and took a deep breath.

“...

I don't want to get scolded.”

-The Paper Army is surging forward! An army assembled to bring down a single person! That means they've acknowledged Choi Yeon as a ‘One-Person Army,’ but! Choi Yeon is alone! A lone swordswoman who came to the battlefield by herself! Is this the moment it is proven that an individual cannot defeat an army!

“W-what do we do, Mr. Eugene?! Ms. Choi Yeon is going to lose at this rate!”

“Well, an individual can't beat an army.”

“What?!”

Se-ah covered her mouth in shock at my words.

“But a Hero is different.”

“...

Huh?”

“An individual cannot defeat an army. But when we speak of an individual capable of overcoming a situation like this, we call them this.”‘Hero.’At the same time, urgent commentary came through the speakers.

-Choi Yeon is running! She's charging straight ahead! The method she chose against the Paper Army is a head-on charge! At this rate, they're going to collide!

Looks like she decided she'd rather get scolded after all.

“Blizzard.”

Choi Yeon, who had been charging forward, raised her sword toward the sky and shouted.

At the same time, the pure white blade exploded, and blue energy spread throughout the surroundings.

Then Choi Yeon gripped the hilt from which the blade had disappeared.

The two Paper Airplane members looked puzzled by the sight, but.

-Th-the snowfall is getting heavier! The sparring room can't even be properly captured by the camera anymore! We can barely make out the contestants' figures!

The snow intensified more and more, and the papers began getting wet or freezing.

Blizzard.

The Snow Woman Sword's secret technique and finishing move.

A technique that exploded the blade and scattered all the cold condensed within it into the air.

A technique that could only be used by giving up the sword itself.‘Honestly, that sword almost feels like it was made specifically to use that technique.’Its other skills were good too, but that sword was worth owning for that technique alone...

Even if you couldn't use the sword for a while after using it, until the blade recovered.

-Switching the camera to mana-detection mode! Ah! We can finally see the inside! Wh-what... what is that?!!

At last, a bizarre scene began appearing on the internal screen.

The Paper Army stood frozen in place as though time had stopped.

And in the middle of it, Choi Yeon stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, holding her sword.

That's right.

A blade that should have disappeared was clearly attached to the hilt of her sword.

-Student Choi Yeon's sword is growing larger and larger! The amount of mana radiating from it is so great that even I can feel it from outside the sparring roommmmm!!

And it began absorbing the surrounding blizzard, increasing in size more and more.

She slowly raised the sword above her head.

Although the blizzard blocked the sound from inside, I knew what she would say.

She would probably bring the sword down and say this.

“Genesis Sword.”──Winter.──Was split in half.