The battle began.
Leon was a skilled swordsman—he had a strong physique, well-suited to becoming a powerful blade wielder.
More importantly, he was Leon Albrecht.
Leon analyzed his opponent briefly. He didn't know what kind of ability this Dwarf had, but one thing was certain: he had to be cautious.
Dwarves were physically stronger than humans.
'But… they're slow.'
Leon was fast. He could use his speed to dodge the Dwarf's attacks.
With his stance ready, Leon raised his sword. Without glancing back, he said:
"Hestia, can you help me restrain its movements?"
Hestia nodded. She was a support-type mage—perfect for a knight like Leon.
"And Argen, protect Hestia while I take on the Dwarf."
Argen nodded.
He wasn't strong in battle, but he was smart when it came to analyzing enemies. Of course, he didn't say any of that to Leon—he simply kept quiet.
Gaaahh—!!
The Dwarf opened its mouth, letting out a low, menacing growl.
Leon didn't waste time. Gripping his sword tightly, he planted his feet.
"Huff…!"
Wooshh—!!!!
His body dashed forward, arriving before the Dwarf in a blink. Leon's sword swung, aiming straight for the Dwarf's neck before it could react.
At that moment, the Dwarf's neck hardened. Its skin transformed into solid iron, stunning Leon.
Clank—!!!!
The clash of steel echoed as Leon's sword struck the Dwarf's iron neck. Just as he snapped out of his surprise, he realized—the Dwarf had already raised its hammer.
Leon gritted his teeth and ducked just as the hammer came down to crush his head.
Wouhh—!!!
The air roared above him as the hammer missed. Taking advantage of the moment, Leon retreated slightly, re-adjusting his stance.
Just then, glowing pink chains burst from the ground, wrapping around the Dwarf and restraining it.
The sound of scraping metal rang out, and Leon dashed forward once more, striking again at the Dwarf's neck.
Klang—!!!!
No use.
Leon switched tactics. Behind the Dwarf, he plunged his sword toward its back.
But once again, the Dwarf's skin transformed into iron, deflecting the attack.
"What the hell?!"
Leon didn't understand completely, but he had a guess.
He kept attacking different parts of the Dwarf's body. But wherever he struck, that area instantly turned to iron.
It had to be the Dwarf's Ability.
"What a pain…"
The Dwarf's ability clearly reacted to the direction of incoming attacks, immediately hardening its skin like armor.
At this rate, it was practically invincible.
Maybe an overwhelmingly powerful attack could break through?
Leon shook his head.
'What about a two-way attack?'
Krangg—!!!
"Leon! I can't hold it much longer!"
Hestia's voice rang out.
The chains binding the Dwarf were breaking one by one. Leon inhaled deeply and said:
"Hestia, I have a plan…"
***
From afar, I watched Leon's team battle.
To the other students, the creature they were fighting must've seemed absurdly powerful.
Since each group faced different monsters, Leon's team could be considered unlucky—forced to fight an enemy with both high defense and high attack power.
Many thought Leon's team would fail.
But unfortunately for them, that wouldn't happen.
Because Leon and his team weren't struggling in the slightest.
It was exactly as it played out in the game.
I smiled.
Hestia released the chains binding the creature, then summoned new ones from multiple directions. Instead of restraining it like before, they came with the intent to destroy.
The creature swung its hammer and shattered chain after chain.
But just before that—
A single chain slipped into its blind spot and struck toward the back of its neck.
While the creature was occupied breaking the chains in front of it, the one behind targeted its nape.
Of course, its ability picked it up.
The chain clashed against the creature's iron skin.
Clang—!!!
And at that exact moment—
Wush—
Leon drove his sword into the Dwarf's side, then tore it upward in a powerful motion, slicing open the monster's body.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and that fierce blow ended the corrupted Dwarf.
'It's over.'
The Dwarf's ability worked by detecting inescapable attacks and hardening its skin in response.
Leon's strategy was simple.
He tricked the ability.
The Dwarf's skill locked onto Hestia's chains, prioritizing them as the main threat due to their unseen angle.
While the Dwarf focused there, it failed to register Leon.
It might've seen him in its field of vision, but Leon was simply too fast.
And so, the battle ended.
"Good."
Professor Balkan's voice echoed—not quite the tone of genuine praise.
The other groups took their turns.
Since we were the last group, of course we'd be going last.
Time passed quickly, and eventually… it was our turn.
"Last group. Your turn."
Professor Balkan's voice came lazily. He glanced at us briefly before covering his face with a book and lying down on the bench to sleep.
I watched as Sierin stepped forward first, followed by Sylph.
I moved after them.
"Are you ready?"
The necromancer girl's voice sounded weary.
Summoning corrupted creatures back-to-back seemed to be draining her.
Sweat dripped down her face—she was completely drenched.
I felt sorry for her… but who am I to sympathize?
Haha.
I nodded.
Alright, let's finish this quickly.
Sierin and Sylph also nodded in response.
The necromancer began another summoning, tears welling in her eyes.
And then, I felt pressure crushing down on me.
"Gah…!"
Something emerged from the summoning circle, and I knew this one was powerful.
I clenched my jaw.
Seeing Sierin unfazed just made me lose more nerve.
I was still too weak.
This… this was a real battlefield.
And if this already felt overwhelming, what about a real battlefield—without any overseers standing by to save us?
How crushed would I be then?
I bit my lip.
A knight in black armor emerged, dragging a massive black sword along the ground behind him.
The earth was scratched beneath the blade.
I stared at the knight, my expression stiff.
'Damn it. That's a corrupted human.'
Humans were greedy.
They often trespassed into territories once inhabited by extinct races—lands rich with ancient treasures.
But that pursuit was dangerous.
Many entered. Few ever left.
Those lands were deemed forbidden by the Empire and surrounding kingdoms.
In the game, a forum once mentioned that the beings found in those areas were beyond corruption.
Regardless of whether they were human or not—they were no longer sane.
Now, one of them stood before me.
I looked toward Sierin, about to call her, but suddenly—
I froze. Something was coming toward me.
I had to move.
It came too fast.
Clang—!!!
Waaassssshhhhh—!!!!!!!!!!
I gasped, my body frozen in place. That just now…?
'Sierin?'
I turned beside me—where Sierin was clashing blades with the dark knight.
The ground trembled as she was forced back by his strike.
Then, flames of gold burst from Sierin's blade.
Gripping her now-flaming sword, her face remained composed as she dashed forward once again.
***
Farley stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
He felt powerless, crushed by the weight of the battle.
Beside him, Sylph hadn't moved an inch.
The two of them… were nothing but dead weight in this fight.
On the other side—
Sierin had already locked blades with the dark knight.
Golden flames radiated from her, bright and fierce, while her expression remained calm—cold even—and yet, she still looked stunning, mesmerizing in the heat of battle.
The dark knight took blow after blow from her blade.
Each slash deepened by the flames that licked across his wounds.
Then, at that moment, Sierin's golden flame twisted—lengthening and shaping into a sword of fire.
She raised it toward the sky and spoke:
"Perish."
Wuuushh—!!!!
The flame surged downward, following the arc of Sierin's descending sword.
The dark knight raised his own blade in response, thick darkness gathering around it.
The two elements collided.
Winds howled, erupting outward from the clash.
Dust and sand exploded in all directions as everyone watching stared in awe.
"W-what's happening?"
"Who won?"
Whispers filled the air—shock, suspense, disbelief.
Everyone held their breath, eyes wide, trying to glimpse through the dense curtain of dust.
No one could see clearly. Not yet.
And then… as the dust finally began to clear, hearts across the field pounded.
Sierin's flames had vanished.
The dark knight lay on the ground—his body split clean in two.
Just like that, Sierin had ended the battle.
Alone.
She had defeated a corrupted warrior—one so powerful that even Leon, the game's protagonist, would have struggled to survive against him.
That was who she truly was.
Beneath the graceful beauty, behind the seemingly delicate figure—
She was a monster among monsters.
A genius among geniuses.
Sierin Ciavallas.
The world knew her as the Goddess of War.