Lisiar Brockway once taught all the A Class students, who study arcane theory, for two years straight but was replaced by a more experienced professor who came here from the Magic University. Just transferring from that University alone gives you a good resume since it's a renowned magic institution where all the geniuses go to.
While Lisiar was a graduate who showed promise throughout these two years, she definitely fumbled quite a lot. But due to her dedication to always succeed, she always fixed her mistakes. But this wasn't good enough for the board members. They wanted her in a C Class at first but transferring those teachers would've "disrupted the dynamic of the curriculum".
Of course, she's aware that this is just an excuse for them to place her in a class of misfits and delinquents. She didn't have any friends at school while the teacher who replaced her was a former colleague and classmate of most of the board members.
It frustrated her but she knew she wasn't good enough despite her excellent academic record.
When she arrived in front of her class, she noticed that it was unnaturally silent.
Normally this would please her greatly since it would demonstrate how well-behaved her class was but—
"—Good morning, Class." Lisiar entered the classroom, carrying her books and bags.
—Someone feared and well-known is in her class today.
Usually, she would find it normal for these delinquents to not greet her. But she noticed that all 29 of them were sweating bullets while looking at a particular person in the front row—
Arnold von Berkley.
"Good morning." Strangely enough, he was the only one to greet her back.
"Good morning, Miss Brockway!!" or not. It's as if they awaited permission to greet her.
This behavior didn't surprise her at all. After all, just earlier this morning, they witnessed him kill one of the most powerful beings on this continent, in one blow. But strangely it wasn't by sword but rather a peculiar spell none of them had seen before. Even right now, the clouds were still in the shape of a circle and refused to move, as if they were slowed down.
"Today will be a short school day as you've already heard." Regardless of what otherworldly things they witnessed earlier, the day must go on, "But I will give you a rundown of who will be your teachers this year depending on the subject. You are free to explore their classes once I—"
A blinding white-blue flash exploded outside the classroom.
The windows rattled. The air shimmered. A bolt of divine-looking lightning struck the academy courtyard—so close they could see the glow bleeding through the windows like firelight.
A figure clad in a blue energy approached the building. Lightning crackled as they walked.
"I knew he would come here." Arnold said in amusement before standing up, "Sorry but I need to go speak to my father."
"Eh? T-That's Duke Berkl—"
Arnold suddenly vanished while the class was bewildered by what he said.
◊◊
All the students and staff peered from behind stone walls and stair railings, watching the towering figure of Duke Marcus Berkley standing in the courtyard, lightning crawling across his shoulders like restless serpents. Small sparks of lightning scorched the ground under him, evident as to how powerful he was.
"BOY! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Father." Arnold appeared right in front of the enraged Marcus.
Marcus gritted his teeth but spoke calmly, the violent lightning bolt that struck his body, disappeared, leaving behind a faint blue glow.
"Threatening Arthur—what were you thinking!? Have you not grown up and realized that your actions have consequences!?"
"I know those consequences quite well. But what can they do to me?" Arnold answered calmly.
The duke has never shown this side of himself but there are rumors that when he does, even Arnold is like a meek little lamb in front of him.
Marcus clenched his fists, his fists trembling.
"Do not interrupt me when I am speaking, Boy!"
A crack of lightning struck the ground beside Arnold's feet, blackening the green grass. Yet Arnold didn't flinch.
"It is time you learn discipline if you are not ready to stand down! You were not raised to act like some arrogant god-child mouthing off to crowned heroes. You're a noble. You carry this house's name. If news of what you said reached across the empire and continent, every king will want you dead."
Arnold didn't reply.
"Power and talent are not the same as immunity. There is a cost to every word you say in this world, Arnold. You think they won't retaliate because you think you're strong? That is what children think."
"Father… I respect you and have no issue severing ties for your benefit since you gave me a city that will benefit me greatly in the future. But I will not let you stand in my way."
"…You will not back down?" the dim lightning around his body became bigger and stronger.
"No."
"Then…" Suddenly, three voices spoke in unison when three figures appeared around Arnold, "It is our duty to eliminate you."
The Four Great Nobles each had their weapons out, ready to strike Arnold down.
Behind the academy windows, everyone could only watch the exchange in stunned silence.
"[Spirit Dome]." The Fairy Millenium summoned an orb of light and let it fall to the ground. It expanded into a gigantic barrier.
The moment the barrier was complete, Marcus and Vance struck at Arnold.
Miraculously, their attacks went right through him. He was about to grab his father by the head but his hand went right through. Clicking his tongue, he vanished but several arrows assaulted him the moment he appeared nearby.
'What? I can't teleport outside?' he frowned after catching all those arrows.
'I see. This barrier must be interfering with space-time.' Feldina probably used space magic to disrupt teleportation. This is a barrier created with spirits so that shouldn't be so hard for her.
Maybe it was a bad idea to just blatantly show that he can teleport. Berating himself, he focused on the four Great Nobles.
"Why would you shoot normal arrows? Isn't that an insult to the bow your people gave you?" he threw the arrows aside while speaking to Ariane who was in the corner of the barrier.
"I didn't need to attack you with them. Only mark you." Her voice came from behind him.
"What the—" before he could react, a shadow appeared before him. Both Vance and Marcus appeared in front of him, their green and blue aura engulfing the barrier.
Ariane appeared behind him only for a brief second to pull his attention. Arnold noticed that there was a tattoo of a leaf on the hand he used to catch the arrows.
'She used a teleportation gimmick to pull these two towards me.'
And all her arrows needed to do was graze him. This is the kind of technique a hunter uses to pursue prey over a short distance. Since Arnold was in this barrier, he couldn't outrun her to make her ability useless.
She probably tagged Marcus and Vance as well to make it possible to teleport them in front of him.
"[Core Rejection]" Arnold's eyes turned a bloody red when his Draconic Halo activated. A strong force surrounded his body and sent Marcus and Vance flying back. Not giving them a chance to recover, he pursued Vance, who wasn't coated in a protective coat of lightning.
"Tch!" he couldn't fix his posture in time to take Arnold's blow head-on so he dodged to the side. A whirlwind of pure lightning came from the side, aiming right at Arnold. It seems his father recovered first.
His red eyes glowed when he pointed his hand at Vance.
"Wha!?" Vance's body suddenly flew toward Arnold.
Core Attraction.
An explosion boomed and Arnold jumped back but before he could focus on where the other three were, he saw an arrow aim straight for him. Of course, he knew it was a distraction so he didn't focus on it that long. Ariane was probably waiting for the right moment to use her real abilities.
His father appeared in front of him, replacing the arrow, spear thrust forward. A clank shook the surroundings when Luxtivin and his Lightning God Spear connected. Normally a spear user would keep their distance but Marcus was already about to unleash another thrust, something even Arnold couldn't see.
The ground beneath them shattered instantly but miraculously, it also repaired itself as well. It was as if the two never clashed.
Since Feldina created this barrier, she also trapped all the spirits inside so now they're working faster in a confined space than they would otherwise. Her ability cuts off teleportation (space affinity) and repairs the surroundings (nature affinity).
Usually using two affinities at once as a spirit user is impossible for the average person but Feldina is the champion of her people, Elves and Fairies alike, so it wasn't that surprising to Arnold. It's still troublesome though.
'Anyway, even though I have Speed of Sound, my father is still faster than me in that form of his.'
He could only go at 25% the Speed of Sound currently even with his Aether while his father's speed exceeded the sound barrier itself. Normally the Draconic Halo should help but he isn't that used to it yet to use its full potential.
And with his spear and lightning cloak, it served as the perfect defense and offense.
If possible, he wanted to make sure none of them die in this fight. It's essential that he shows the world his intention is only to fight Arthur and not threaten the lives of the entire kingdom.
Arnold could sense Elizabeth's killing intent while watching this fight but Ceru was making sure she understood that he doesn't need her help. Unlike him, Elizabeth will definitely kill them in cold blood. Reviving them is easy but it's best he doesn't place a target on her back as well…
Arnold and his father's blows shattered the ground into dust as their clash continued. From the side, Arnold sensed a searing hot energy but he managed to dodge in time. He didn't even get the chance to land before Vance attacked him with his sword covered in a dark green fire.
"Two at once, huh?"
"—We have no time to be surprised by your strength to keep up with us." His father said before striking him again.
"—Fighting you together gives us a greater chance to kill you." Vance replied.
He noticed that both of their eyes were on his free hand while he was wielding Luxtivin with his right hand to parry their blows. They probably thought he would use his new abilities "Core Rejection" and "Core Attraction" again. These abilities came with the visual technique he awakened after taming Tyrgavion.
He would rather not use them continuously since it leaves him open to attack and drains a lot of Aether. That doesn't mean he won't use them though.
"!?" Vance jumped to the side when Arnold pointed his hand at him, "Uack!?" but that was just a feint and the real attack was the ground itself.
Arnold used his foot to send Aether into the ground, changing its shape into pikes that attacked Vance in the side. But as expected of the Master Swordsman, he could withstand the blow no matter how fast it was.
Arnold sidestepped his father's attack and aimed a punch at his face. Marcus attempted to tank it with his forehead but he was suddenly slammed into the ground by "Core Rejection" when Arnold's hand was above his head.
"!?" he felt his body slow down a bit when he was about to charge at Feldina. Glancing at his arm, he noticed little lights sprinkling a white mist on him.
'Water spirits? Is that ice they're spraying on me?'
How is it having an effect that quickly?
Looks like he needs to take care of Feldina first since fighting his father at this state will be difficult.
Vance appeared in front of him and attempted to cut him but his intangibility was ready for that attack. But instead of striking him, Vance vanished and appeared above but then vanished again, this time appearing in front of him again then slashing.
'Tch, I'll have to dodge. Mian Xi's ability is hard to use against four opponents.'
He couldn't keep his mind clear in this fight since he had to fight smart to avoid killing them or getting injured himself.
He wanted to dodge Vance's blow but his father appeared behind him and kicked him forward.
"What the!?" but Vance suddenly slashed away from Arnold, narrowly missing his stomach.
Arnold's eyes began to burn, making him grunt. It seems using your opponent's lifeforce to control their body takes a lot out of you. He used Core Rejection to send his father and Vance flying back.
Using that opportunity, he charged at Feldina, while staying mindful of Ariane who was pulling back an arrow to the side.
Feldina attempted to cast a spell but Arnold's eyes glowed again, making her magic circle shatter.
A devilish smirk on his face, he thought.
'She's in range.'
"!?" before he could touch the calm Feldina, a powerful blow knocked him to the side.
His eyes moved around rapidly to detect what it was.
'A fairy?' he saw a small yellow light dancing around in the air, as if celebrating it succeeded in protecting Feldina.
Arnold wiped his mouth and stood up slowly. Marcus and Vance had already arrived nearby, waiting for any movements.
His eyes began to bleed when he released his Aether.
"That power… It can't be…"
"It's Aether…" Vance confirmed Marcus' suspicions, "I've heard tales that this power corrupts the mind, turning its users into mindless weapons that know only how to destroy. This made them useful in war."
He ignored their conversation and raised his arm. Lightning cracking above the clouds and on his fingertips.
"Attempting to destroy the barrier, are you?" Feldina chuckled.
He smirked.
Her carefree smile turned upside down and her face paled.
"Y-You wouldn't!" Marcus shouted when he realized Arnold's intentions.
That's right.
He knows he can't undo this barrier with force unless it's with the intent to kill.
But what if he destroyed the academy itself?
To hell with his education at this academy. He can always seek education elsewhere then get his certificate as a knight to show his competency to rule his city.
"I should have said this before so that that blabbermouth vice principal could relay it to you—whoever gets in my way of killing Arthur, who made me go through endless suffering during death, will get killed."
This must be something they weren't expecting. All of them stood petrified.
A gigantic dragon head peaked from above the clouds.
Lightning Descent: Named Ancestor.
A flash erupted, blinding all the onlookers.
If that kind of power descended, it would wipe out this entire city, killing the emperor along with it.