I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 695: The Chaotic Holy War (1)

The black waves spread in all directions.

Ambella Burke, who had been fighting against Priestess Sophia, clicked her tongue as she saw the wolves that had approached close enough to be within arm's reach.

When the stopped army of Cryptids rose again, she thought things had gotten better, but seeing them bare their teeth toward her side, that wasn't the case at all.

"When they were allies, they couldn't have been more reassuring, but facing them as enemies is much more terrifying."

Ambella swung her sword and cut down dozens of wolves in one stroke.

Sophia also shot countless spears of light, eliminating the wolves.

Due to the Cryptids that suddenly intruded, the two made an implicit agreement.

If we fight each other here, we'll both die, so let's deal with those things first.

However, Sophia soon turned her head to one side and flew far away with wings of light.

"Hey, you bastard! Are you going alone?!"

Ambella, left behind, shouted with one eye bulging, but her voice didn't reach the opponent who had already gone far away.

"Damn it."

Ambella swung her sword once greatly, creating a large clearing around herself.

Everything caught within it, whether wolves or whatever, was all cut down.

"This doesn't look like I'll be able to escape."

The Cryptids had already surrounded her.

Ambella knew that no matter how many of those things you killed, there would be no end to them.

Probably, she would be the one to die in an endless war of attrition like this.

Ambella took off the mask she wore on her face and then took out a cigar to put in her mouth.

She belatedly realized she had no means to light it and let out a sigh.

"Hah. I was hoping to smoke at least one on my last journey."

The wolves that had been warily watching Ambella suddenly rushed at her simultaneously as if they had signaled each other.

Damn it.

Ambella spat out the cigar in her mouth with a "ptooey" and gripped her sword with both hands.

"Come on, let's see what you've got!"

Surely she would be defeated. But knowing that didn't make her a fool who would give up the fight.

She was determined to struggle to the very end, and just then, flames burst among the pack of wolves and massive explosions occurred one after another.

"This is...a mana cannon?"

Blue meteors pouring from the sky swept through the wolf pack.

Ambella's gaze turned toward the sky.

From beyond the dark clouds, a large battleship revealed itself.

"We came to rescue you!"

On the ship were the Monarch Mercenary Group and the Dream School mages.

They anchored their ship above Ambella's head and dropped anchor.

-Charrrrrrk! Thud!

Ambella looked at the anchor that had fallen beside her and grumbled.

"I told you to abandon me if uncertain, but you came to rescue me after all."

Even though she said that, her face was full of a smile she couldn't hide.

The flames from the mana cannons swept through the Cryptids.

When Ambella climbed onto the anchor, the Golden Monarch confirmed this and raised the anchor chain.

Seeing the anchor being raised, the Cryptids, thinking they would lose their prey, rushed toward Ambella, breaking through the flames of the mana cannons.

Fortunately, the teeth of the wolves rushing in droves didn't reach the anchor.

Ambella looked down at the flames engulfing everything below and clicked her tongue.

"Damn. If there had been enough fire like this, I shouldn't have wasted my last one."

Having safely boarded the Golden Monarch, Ambella expressed her gratitude to those who had rescued her.

"Thanks. I survived because of you. By the way, where is your leader? That audacious little miss, I mean."

"The leader is currently fighting the enemy."

From the determination in the vice-leader's voice, Ambella realized that Caroline wasn't fighting an ordinary opponent.

"Is that so?"

Ambella naturally took a commanding position over the mercenary group and stood at the center of the ship.

"What are you doing? Not moving."

"Excuse me? What are you trying to...?"

"What am I trying to do, you ask."

Ambella replied as if they were asking something obvious.

"We have to go rescue your leader."

No one showed a negative reaction or surprise at those words.

Rather, as if someone had been hoping for such words, a subtle but distinct light appeared in their eyes.

It seemed Caroline's order not to interfere in the fight had been quite burdensome.

"You rascals. Don't worry. If that audacious little miss complains, I'll say I did it."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for what. I also owe a life debt, so I need to repay it with at least this much."

Ambella habitually tried to light a cigar but realized she had smoked them all.

Just then, the mercenary vice-leader approached her and offered a cigarette.

"Would you like one?"

Did he figure it out from her hand gestures?

At that perceptive behavior, Ambella chuckled and shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I'll try to quit while I'm at it."

-Kuguuuung!

Seeing the Galahad Fortress soar into the sky, Surna clicked his tongue.

"I didn't know it would be this spectacular."

"Since it's rising with the power of gods, it should at least do this much."

"That's true too."

Probably only Casey among those present wouldn't know how amazing the existence of gods was.

Surna had served gods and witnessed their power from the distant past as an apostle, Rudger had seen Noxana's power in Dreamland, and when fighting Patricio, he had even directly borrowed divine power.

With divine power, it wasn't strange that such a massive fortress could be lifted from the ground and made to float in the sky.

Above all, the divine power contained in the Relic wasn't just one.

Because the gods who contributed their power to create this world had joined forces to make it, even the fortress rising like this now was 'merely' a part of the power the Relic possessed.

Yes.

The Galahad Fortress soaring like this was only the beginning.

"What exactly are you planning to do with this castle?"

Casey couldn't help but ask.

What Rudger was planning to do was, no matter how positively you looked at it, on a completely different scale.

It was to the extent that you'd believe it even if he said he was going to destroy the world.

'Even though he's cold on the outside, he's soft on the inside, so he doesn't seem like he'd destroy the world.'

Casey didn't think Rudger was a demon lord who would destroy the world.

Rather, from her perspective, Salesin was closer to being a demon lord.

A man who brainwashed people at will, manipulated them according to his will, and covered the entire continent in war.

The fact that this was all for his own ambition and power was extremely vicious.

That's why she was even more curious about what Rudger was trying to do.

If he was trying to oppose Salesin, then considering how this fortress had risen and everything else, the scale was far from ordinary.

But Casey's contemplation couldn't continue for long.

-Kwaaaaang!

A massive impact that shook the entire Galahad Fortress.

This wasn't the kind of trembling that occurred as the fortress rose into the sky.

Rather, it was closer to something external striking the rising castle.

It was an impact powerful enough to shake such a massive castle.

"Who on earth would do such a thing..."

Casey couldn't finish her sentence.

Her coldly hardened expression clearly indicated who the opponent was.

Cold air came flying on the wind from far away.

It was a very familiar coldness.

"It's sister."

Casey could instinctively feel it.

Water and ice were ultimately just a hair's breadth apart.

Casey, who was sensitive to water, realized that what had pierced the castle was a massive iceberg.

"Sister has come."

Marias Selmore, who had been brainwashed by the Order, had finally reached the fortress.

Casey unconsciously started to ask Rudger what to do but stopped.

Fighting Marias was Casey's role.

Only she could stop Marias as she was now.

Marias was family that Casey both resented and loved.

"...I'll go."

"Casey! I'll go too!"

Casey stopped Betty, who was trying to follow.

"Betty. This fight is dangerous even for you."

"I'm Casey's assistant!"

"Right. An assistant. So you should stay here even more and help the others."

Casey's calmly spoken voice had none of her usual playfulness.

Betty seemed to feel this too and bit her lip tightly.

"...I understand. You have to come back safely, okay?"

"Of course."

Casey finally gave Rudger a farewell glance.

Well then.

Rudger gave a small nod toward Casey.

There was no encouraging cheer or lip service about fighting together.

But strangely, Casey felt her fear disappear with just that brief action.

"Well then, shall I go?"

"Hmm. Troublesome."

Having subdued Violetta and Vierano Dentis, Marias continued to move.

No one stood in the way of her, who was emanating cold air.

Even the plants that Sedina had carefully improved were frozen like beautiful sculptures in the places where Marias had passed.

As she moved like this, the sight of the Galahad Fortress floating in the sky came into Marias' view.

"It's higher than I thought."

Marias shook her head as if troubled.

But contrary to her voice, ice began to gather around her and started forming something.

The gathered ice eventually took the form of a massive spear.

Marias naturally climbed onto the spear.

"Well then, shall I go meet my cute little sister?"

When Marias flicked her finger, the spear was launched.

In terms of size, this was closer to cutting off a peak from the rugged northern mountain range than being called a spear.

A spear large enough to be called an iceberg was shot while ignoring the laws of physics and reached the Galahad Fortress.

"What?!"

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

The priests and holy knights of the Holy Kingdom who had been chasing the Galahad Fortress as it rose had to hastily retreat to avoid being caught in its trajectory.

Without anyone's interference, the iceberg pierced the fortress diagonally.

In an instant, Marias, who had entered the castle interior, slowly walked down from the ice.

Each time she stepped, ice platforms appeared and disappeared in mid-air.

Having descended into the interior of the Galahad Fortress, Marias pondered which direction to move, then quickly changed her mind.

Just as the other side had sensed her presence, Marias had also sensed the opponent's presence.

"Oh my."

A satisfied smile formed on her face.

Soon, a fresh water scent wafted as someone arrived at the scene, leading a massive wave.

"So we meet in such a place. Casey."

"Sister."

Casey looked at Marias with complex eyes.

More precisely, at the pure white ring floating above her head.

"At least you can still have a proper conversation. I thought that being brainwashed, you'd act exactly like a puppet."

"Brainwashed? Of course I know about it."

Marias answered as if it were nothing, saying she was aware of being brainwashed.

"What? You know about it?"

"It seems that for someone at the level of a Colour Mage, it's impossible to completely dominate their mind, no matter how much brainwashing is used."

"Then why..."

"The influence of domination is minimal, but that doesn't mean it's nonexistent. I'm in my right mind, but at the same time, I have no choice but to follow orders."

In other words, Marias was playing the role of a puppet while in her right mind.

Casey clenched her fists tightly.

No matter how much she didn't get along with her sister, she was still her family.

The fact that such a sister was being manipulated by Salesin’s hands filled Casey with endless rage.

"Even if I tell you to stop here, you won't stop, will you?"

"More precisely, it would be correct to say I can't."

Marias's voice was still full of leisure and gentleness.

She even seemed to feel proud emotions toward Casey who stood in her way.

But separate from such emotions, the action Marias had to take was simple.

"Casey. Let me warn you as your sister. You'll need to give it your all."

-Zzzzzzk.

Cold air gathered around Marias and everything began to freeze.

"I don't want to kill my little sister with my own hands."

"I didn't stand before you with the intention of dying either."

Massive waves rose around Casey and tried to swallow Marias.

"Yes. I'm relieved that you seem to have steeled your resolve."

Marias smiled with satisfaction at Casey's bold reply and instantly froze the waves.

The frozen waves stopped in place as if time had stopped.

Marias looked at the waves and flicked her finger.

-Krrrrrk.

The ice waves changed. Having turned completely to ice, they transformed into a massive giant.

In one hand, the giant held a huge halberd made of ice and charged toward Casey.

Water soldiers appeared around Casey to face such a giant.

However, the soldiers froze solid from the cold air as soon as they touched the giant's body.

It didn't take long for the water soldiers to turn to ice and redirect their hostility toward Casey.

Casey trapped the ice soldiers charging at her in water prisons and then crushed them with tremendous pressure.

The hexagonal molecular structure of ice turns back into water when great pressure is applied.

Using this principle, Casey tried to melt the soldiers back into water and substitute them to increase the amount of weapons she could control.

However, in the spreading cold air, water turning to ice was faster.

'It's really difficult!'

Casey blocked the flying ice spears with a water barrier.

The barrier where the ice spears had lodged froze, then in turn revealed thorns toward Casey.

Witnessing her own power being invaded by her opponent's in real time wasn't a pleasant feeling.

But she didn't feel like she would definitely lose.

Was it thanks to Rudger's advice? Her head tingled as if she might understand something.

But it didn't give her an answer right away. Casey needed time.

However, the brainwashed Marias didn't seem to have any intention of showing such mercy.

Icicles formed on the ceiling and fell toward Casey.

Casey, who had been momentarily distracted, tried to move her body, but her ankle was caught by ice.

'Oh no!'

She had let her guard down while absorbed in enlightenment. She shouldn't have done that, but it was already too late to realize.

At the moment of crisis, what Casey saw was red flames swallowing the icicles.

"What?!"

Casey turned around.

There stood a being made of flames, protecting Casey.

Fire spirit Pasca was something Rudger had secretly attached to her when he sent Casey off.

"Really. This is embarrassing."

Even as Casey muttered this, she grinned.

Since she was going to receive help anyway, she intended to do it properly.