The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 243

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Chapter 243

After the aurora event, we all returned to the waiting area where the cadets were stationed.

Even the professors who weren’t with us couldn’t hide their dark expressions after hearing about the situation.

That’s how dangerous the Stampede Gate is.

Naturally, the odds of my proposal being accepted were slim.

“I don’t mean to say I don’t trust you, young lord. However, even if there’s a low probability, we cannot expose the cadets to danger so brazenly.”

“I made a promise—to let them reap the results of their hard work.”

“If even one person becomes a casualty, it’ll be too late. I understand your passion, but I ask that you consider reason.”

The professors' concerns were clear and reasonable.

I knew full well how absurd and illogical my request sounded.

So I made the best proposal I could.

“The Stampede is occurring three zones away from the examination site, correct?”

I pointed to the large 3D map set up inside the tent.

“Given the average speed of a Stampede, there’s a buffer before it reaches the cadet zone. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I pointed to the two zones between the cadet zone and the Stampede.

“There’s a first and second line of defense. Even if the first is breached, there should be some buffer time for retreat.”

At that, Professor Rommel spoke with a stern face.

“Young lord. This is not what you said during the Black Forest incident.”

And he was right—that contradiction was the most glaring flaw in my argument.

So I answered plainly.

“Yes, it’s different.”

“W-What are you saying…?”

“There are two crucial differences. The Demon Realm and the Stampede Gate. And whether or not there's someone to control them.”

The Demon Realm may appear calm, but one never knows what variables might arise.

But a Stampede, while massive in number, is straightforward.

“What do you mean…?”

“Fine. Let’s call off the test. But please, give me just 15 minutes.”

I pulled a sandglass from subspace and slammed it down.

“I’ll return before the last grain of sand falls.”

Fifteen minutes.

That much buffer still existed.

The artifacts here showed that the cadets had mobilized every means they had to take this exam.

“Young lord Leon… you…”

“My students worked hard for this. One of them is my own sister. I promised them they’d be able to take the test, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Hearing that, Saintess Nadia hesitated, then asked,

“Lady Luna. Do you think it’s possible?”

“If Leon says it’s possible, then it’s possible. Isn’t that enough?”

The headmaster, who had been deep in thought, closed his eyes and exhaled briefly.

Then he spoke.

“Fifteen minutes. No more. Beyond that, we won’t be able to evacuate the cadets safely.”

“That’s enough.”

“And also—if even a single monster crosses into Zone 1, all deals are off.”

“Thank you.”

Just then, one of the professors burst out in alarm.

“W-What are you saying, Headmaster?! This is a Stampede! And you’re sending him alone?! At least let me go with him! Sending one person is ridiculous—”

“Sorry, but we’ll go as a pair. When you’re about to flip a hot plate, it’s hard to control your strength if you have allies.”

The professor opened and closed his mouth, unable to respond.

The headmaster let out a long sigh.

“Well… the Academy does owe you, so we’ll trust you this once.”

With the headmaster’s permission, I flipped the hourglass and left the tent.

Then, I summoned necromantic mana.

And the shadows beneath my feet began to ripple.

“Baril.”

At my command, a massive draconic beast emerged from the shadows.

Saintess Nadia flinched upon seeing it, but said nothing.

She knew what Baril truly was.

The others, who didn’t, could not hide their surprise when a massive dragon appeared from my shadow.

WHOOOOOSH!!!

Luna and I climbed onto its back, and Nadia hurriedly followed me outside.

“Young lord!”

“Just in case, stay here, Saintess.”

“Understood, young lord. And Lady Luna… we’ll be waiting.”

Leaving them behind, we soared through the sky at high speed, piercing through the clouds.

Ahead of us stood a colossal wall of aurora, rising from the earth.

And from this aurora wall—dozens of meters in diameter—massive monsters were pouring out.

Forest Wendigos.

A quick glance confirmed hundreds of them.

A rare species of monster.

Their brute strength rivals that of ogres, and their tough hides put trolls’ regeneration to shame.

Still, I had expected this much.

“Baril. Let’s give them a welcome firework.”

I jumped off Baril’s back and gave the command.

While hovering in midair, Baril began to gather immense energy for his breath attack.

KWWWWWAAAAAAHHH!!!

A superheated, ultra-dense breath attack blasted from his mouth, carving a massive line into the ground directly below.

RIIIPPPP!!

Like thick cloth being torn apart, the breath instantly obliterated everything in its path—dozens of Forest Wendigos were incinerated in a flash.

Of course, the number was too great for one breath to wipe them all out.

The monsters were emerging across a wide area, so I didn’t plan to relax yet.

THUD!!

I landed beside Baril, and Luna called out to me.

“Leon.”

“Huh?”

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“Here.”

She handed me a glowing, golden fruit.

“You got the enhancement to work?”

“My hand slipped.”

……

"But the enhancement is perfect."

The thousand-year fruit obtained from the World Tree was now shining even more beautifully than before.

However, its size had shrunk considerably—now about the size of a small strawberry.

"You can swallow it in one bite."

"Can I eat this now?"

"Doesn't matter. It's already beyond the category of regular elixirs. Here, ah~"

Saying that, she held the fruit in her hand and offered it to me.

I took it and swallowed it in one bite.

At that moment, an overwhelming power surged through my entire body.

"Wow… This is beyond imagination."

With this level of potency, it would normally cause considerable damage and physical strain. But the fruit enhanced by Luna had none of those drawbacks.

It remained completely within my body, not dissipating, as if it were wrapping itself around me and urging me to absorb it slowly.

Strength erupted wildly throughout my entire being.

My already vast mana, aura, necromantic mana, and spiritual energy all spiked explosively and began amplifying.

Even in the Labyrinthos, I had never dealt with such quantities.

Whatever it was, good things are good.

Most importantly, my internal energy efficiency had improved significantly.

"Has all the potency manifested?"

"It’ll take a few days for complete absorption."

"That’s fine by me."

I glanced at the monsters surging from beyond and the aurora that was spitting them out.

Following the forest wendigos, enormous wyvern-type monsters were now taking flight.

If left unchecked, those monsters would scatter and inevitably advance toward the Academy.

Dealing with this kind of situation is simple in theory but difficult in execution.

Each individual monster wasn’t too threatening, but the sheer number made them dangerous.

"Let’s intercept them all."

I immediately cast a flying spell and took to the skies.

Then, after glancing at the enormous wall of aurora, I raised one hand.

Crackle… cracklecrack!!

A massive bolt of lightning began to gather on my palm.

Electricity has several properties, one of which is its tendency to flow in one direction.

I connected a specific polarity to the Stampede Gate and concentrated ultra-high-voltage electricity at my fingertips.

Even the mindless monsters from the rift—driven purely by destructive instincts—paused slightly in fear as a massive surge of lightning gathered.

With the increased efficiency and explosive mana levels, I didn’t hesitate to do something I normally wouldn’t due to its inefficiency.

"Okay, eyes over here."

As if to draw their attention, I slowly raised my hand.

Crackkk… CRACKLE!!!

The giant surge of electricity writhed violently as if trying to escape from my hand.

Then, like throwing a baseball, I hurled the mass of lightning at the monsters.

A tremendous shockwave followed as the orb of lightning split into hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of bolts, engulfing the entire region in a storm of electricity.

[Thanatos]

Into the lightning bolts I had unleashed, I imbued a divine authority.

The authority of death—Thanatos.

The air behind me tore open, and a grim reaper clad in a black tattered robe emerged, wielding a giant scythe.

When the reaper swung the scythe in the air, the bolts of lightning I had fired all turned black in an instant and swept across the entire area.

The charging forest wendigos were simultaneously charred and crumbled into ash, and the flying wyverns fell like flies struck down by a swatter.

Even after the sweeping electric wave had dissipated, black lightning bolts remained on the ground, writhing like solar flares.

"I made it into an area-of-effect spell. Not bad, right?"

"Only you, Leon, could use something like this."

Then, the Stampede Gate pulsed once again and spewed out more monsters.

But there was no longer any need to use such a wide-range spell.

The monsters were now being corrupted in real-time by the lingering authority of death embedded in the ground and began to collapse one by one, their life force drained.

Following that, the massive shadow dragon, Baril, began to rain down breath attacks without pause from the skies.

"Since we’re at it, let’s replenish some undead."

I looked over the completely charred monster corpses and slowly closed my eyes—then opened them again.

My Ghost Eyes awakened, and I could now see all the souls of the fallen.

I extracted all the rampaging souls and bound them within my domain.

Hundreds, thousands of forest wendigos and wyverns simultaneously turned into specter-type undead and began to move toward the newly emerging monsters from the rift.

Then, around the ten-minute mark of the promised fifteen minutes—

The enormous aurora wall cracked and collapsed with a crash.

"Gate neutralization complete. You haven’t started the evacuation yet, right?"

Watching the scene in silence, I slowly activated the communication artifact and reported the situation.

Chaotic noise echoed from the other end of the artifact.

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