OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 471: True Menace II

Aiming his staff forward, it glowed for a moment, and then a tiny arrow of air shot out.

It stopped just short of Phoenix, hovering in place before rapidly expanding into a swirling sphere.

The sphere began to draw in the surrounding air with incredible force, growing dense and distorting everything around it.

Phoenix could feel herself being pulled towards it, her movements sluggish as all her Wind Blades went astray.

Then, in the next moment, the sphere detonated.

Its walls of compressed air shot out in all directions.

The sheer force behind the violent gusts of wind caused the platform beneath them to groan as its steel supports bent under the strain.

"Finally some fight."

An excited Phoenix quickly realized she'd be seriously hurt if the attack reached her. frёeωebɳovel.com

She had no choice but to retreat, halting her pursuit as she shot off backwards to avoid the blast's aftermath.

Meanwhile, as the priest expected, a breeze had reached the spectators, but instead of getting angry or acting in any similar way, they all smiled, enjoying the cool air.

Noticing their unordinary reaction, desperation set in for him as he made his decision.

It didn't matter whether this was a time thing or not.

He had to go all out, and if they changed their minds later, so be it.

Large area-of-effect abilities were the only way he could win this fight.

It was the only way he could reign in Phoenix's movement.

"WIND STORM!"

His chant echoed, summoning a chaotic storm at the center of their little arena.

Torn metal tracks from the ground were uprooted and swept into the spiraling vortex, alongside loose debris and anything not bolted down.

Phoenix quickly pulled back before she was swept in and responded with a focused Wind Blade, its edges glowing red-hot with fire, slicing through the heart of the storm.

The two forces clashed, unleashing a thunderous explosion that sent debris, wind, and fire, flying in every direction.

The resulting shockwave rattled their entire section of the station, destroying the remaining steel.

It was a pretty but dangerous sight.

While those nearby wouldn't think that way, too busy trying to kill their opponent, the spectators certainly did.

Wafts of air continuously reached them, and most of them smiled even further, enjoying the makeshift weather system they had going on.

"She's got flair~. Kakaka!"

Southern Cross glanced at Kalahari, who lazily stretched her arms overhead as if all the destruction around them was no more than a passing breeze.

"Hm-... But she's dragging it out."

Red Dragon chuckled under his breath.

"She's trying her best. Not everyone plays with their food."

She giggled at his not-so-subtle jab.

"Can't say anything to that."

Kremlin, still holding his arms crossed, simply grunted.

"It's boring now. If she doesn't end it soon, I'll do it for her."

Just as Iron Reich was about to open his mouth to speak, unable to stop himself from commenting, Aquila's terminal buzzed, grabbing his attention.

He frowned and watched as his leader raised a finger to his temple, glancing away from the fight.

[Maharajah.]

The name echoed in their minds for a moment, gone in the next when a slightly higher- pitched voice replied.

[It's me.]

Hearing that, the others paused as well, their attention shifting from the duel in front of them to Aquila.

They knew what happened.

Maharajah had been tasked with protecting another set of VVVIP students, and the fact that he was calling now meant only one thing.

[Finally done?]

***

After more than thirty minutes into the fight, the passageway Maharajah fought in was nearly unrecognizable.

Jagged rocks jutted out of the ground, flames licked at the scorched earth, and smoldering debris littered the floor.

Before him was Wit, undoubtedly dead.

His blood leaked into the spears of earth that had pierced through his body from all directions, the sharp points bursting through his chest, limbs, and back.

Maharajah got closer to him, his expression unreadable as he looked up.

With a sigh, he looked away and began walking in the opposite direction.

Soon after, the earth around them disappeared and cracked while the spears retracted back

into the ground, leaving Wit's lifeless form crumpled on the stone floor.

"It's done."

He spoke quietly, his words barely more than a whisper to the wind.

Shaking his head, he repeated his words on the comm channel:

***

[Yeah, it's done. I've killed the lying bastard. He's no fucking priest!]

Aquila's lips curved into a rare smile.

[I know. And good. Head to the station; we're almost done here.]

[On my way now.]

Chuckling, Aquila's eyes returned to Phoenix's fight.

[Took you long enough. You're missing real entertainment here.]

Maharajah chuckled too, masking the frustration that simmered beneath.

Being sent alone was irritating enough, but he couldn't shake how much he actually wanted to

see her.

[Tell her not to finish without me. Should be there in a few.]

Shinobi's eyes gleamed with interest, but he stayed silent, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Not caring for that reaction, Aquila turned to the others.

"As you've heard, Maharajah's on his way. He's killed his guy, so we're almost done here."

Kalahari giggled softly.

"Good for him; I was starting to think he forgot how to kill."

The others joined her in laughter, but not for long as their attention returned to the battle, seriousness adorning their faces.

Phoenix had grown visibly tired, her movements losing their earlier precision, but she still

didn't relent.

And despite the brutal chase, her opponent was still holding on, though barely, body drenched in sweat and blood.

She dodged another one of his Wind Blades, this time launching herself into the air and crashing down with a fiery Wind Blade that cleaved through the priest's defenses, sending

him stumbling back.

"Looks like she's really cornering him now."

Iron Reich muttered, adjusting his posture as he leaned on a jagged piece of metal debris.

"Yeah, but he's pulling out everything he's got."

Red Dragon added, squinting through the chaotic winds.

"Too bad it's not going to save him..."

Kremlin lightly chuckled.

"...The guy is giving her a run for her money. But at this rate, it's just a matter of time before

he burns out."

There was no doubt; the priest only delayed the inevitable.

His weakening defense couldn't keep up.

But the HG leaders had seen enough.

Aquila stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he spoke.

"Shall we finish this?"

Kalahari twisted her head.

"What about Maharajah?"

Southern Cross grinned.

"Who cares?! Let's kill him!"

He, as usual, was one of the first to move.

Not one to be outshined, Kalahari shrugged her shoulders and disappeared into the shadows

before reappearing behind the priest.

"No-!"

Her daggers sliced through the air, shutting him up and forcing him to raise an Air Wall in

defense.

At that moment, Kremlin, Iron Reich, Red Dragon, Shinobi, Aquila, and Southern Cross all

launched their respective attacks, elemental abilities, and bullets, which all converged

towards the priest.

There was no escape, no time to react.

In less than a second, his body was torn apart, engulfed by the onslaught of their combined

power.

"A^^^^^^^^^^AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His scream was swallowed by the chaos, and then... silence.

It was over.

The storm, which was the first major disaster, passed.

Every priest and leader of the Liberation Army lay dead.

The last of those with true capability had been destroyed.

Only scattered stragglers, the weak and the lost, remained, while mindless constructs

continued to block the exit, fighting the students till their last circuit.

What killed many in the 'novel' hadn't killed any at all.

It seemed that fate could be defied somewhat, no matter how little.

"Clean work... now we only need to wipe-"

Or so they thought.

Without warning, a figure appeared between them-a masked man wearing a white cloak,

standing in the center of the wreckage with an aura of calm arrogance.

"We've got company!"

Before Aquila's roar could even echo, all eight HG leaders had already turned to face the new

threat, their weapons and abilities ready.

To face all of them at once was a death sentence for most. Especially when they were perfectly

ready, Emir knew that firsthand.

But the man didn't even flinch.

He just stood there, scanning each of their faces, a smile at the corner of his lips.

They didn't know why, but they all instinctively felt it.

Something was seriously off with him.

The man before them gave off a feeling of absolute dread.

He was unlike any opponent they had faced before.

A true menace.

It was as though the carnage that had just unfolded was nothing but a minor skirmish, a

warm-up for what was yet to come.

"Who the hell are you?"

Aquila's eyes were narrowed as can be, locked on the masked man.

"Can't say, and well..."

The man's smirk widened, though it couldn't be seen.

"You'll find out soon enough. It's finally time for things to get serious."

His almost familiar voice dripped with hubris.

And before they could react, he uttered two words that sent a chill through the air:

"Game Start."

In response, a bright light exploded into existence, blinding and swallowing them all at once.