Theo focused his gaze straight ahead, deep in thought.
'I need to use Rok and Piel well to solve this.'
His strategy was simple and direct.
Using [Magic Nullification], Theo would break the barrier surrounding this space, and everyone would ambush Oswald's gang.
Speed was crucial here.
A misstep could mean death for all the hostages.
'Can Piel handle it?'
At this moment, Piel's power wasn't enough to overpower even the instructors.
However, Rok and Piel have seen what he was capable of many times.
Even if it's a demanding and hard-to-believe request, they would follow without question.
'...And perhaps, Piel's bloodline ability [Gambler] might activate. It's a long shot, but possible.'
'How can I deceive Oswald and communicate my plan to the both of them?'
Oswald, rambling before him, seemed insane but was actually quite sharp.
He would notice any obvious scheming.
'I'll have to speak directly to Rok, who's under scrutiny, and for Piel... I'll use body language instead of voice.'
Having made up his mind, Theo, maintaining his composure, placed his hand on Piel's back, who was sitting next to him.
Piel shuddered as his hand touched her.
Theo then tapped her back gently and began writing a message with his index finger.
"...Uh!"
Piel twisted uncomfortably under the touch.
'Stay still!'
Theo pressed his palm against her back to steady her, then quickly wrote a message.
The content was straightforward.
'As soon as I charge at Oswald, rush the armed group and protect the hostages. Cough lightly if you understand.'
"Um."
Piel, echoing Theo's finger movements, coughed lightly.
Satisfied, Theo stood up and approached Rok.
Rok asked,
"What's the matter, Theo?"
"I wish to be counted as one of the 32."
The instructors beside Rok wore expressions of disbelief.
Despite Theo's recent rise, his statement was utterly baffling.
All instructors in the Hero Department were active heroes, and there's a vast gap in skills between them and the academy students.
Theo's rapid growth and potential are acknowledged, but for now, he's just a student.
Unfazed by the numerous gazes from the instructors, Theo boldly placed his hand on Rok's shoulder.
Rok, unable to hide his surprise, stared back at Theo.
A mere student had dared to touch the body of Rok, a senior professor and someone who could be even considered the head of the professors.
He wasn't old-fashioned, but Rok found this act completely unprecedented.
Disregarding this, Theo met Rok's eyes and then stared at the sky for a long time before shaking his head.
Such behavior was odd for Theo, who always strictly adhered to proper conduct in public.
Rok quickly tried to decipher Theo's hidden intentions.
'The barrier in the sky. He looked at it for quite some time and then shook his head...'
Rok recalled past incidents involving Theo.
The most memorable was when Theo dispelled all of Ralph's enhancement buffs during a duel and emerged victorious.
Rok, having witnessed this shocking twist firsthand, remembered it vividly.
He also recalled hearing about Theo instantly nullifying Andrew's magic.
'Then, Theo's plan must be to dispel the purple barrier enveloping the space.'
Whether dispelling such a vast barrier was possible, he wasn't sure, but if it was, resolving the current crisis would become much easier.
'His deliberate rudeness must be to convey his plan without alerting them.'
Rok then spoke up.
"Yes, Theo. The sky being purple is indeed unusual. I'm not quite used to it either."
He subtly asked if he had interpreted the message correctly.
Theo nodded in affirmation.
"That's right. I don't know how such a purple sky came to be. It will disappear eventually, but I wish to exact bloody revenge on its creator."
"I look forward to that day as well."
Rok glared at Oswald on stage.
Oswald smirked down at them.
─Hahaha~ What are the bald old man and our silver-haired boy whispering about? Is our handsome silver-haired boy joining the death match too? Then welcome~
Seeing the handsome ones distort their faces in agony was quite amusing.
Oswald's eyes sparkled with greed.
"······Huh."
Theo looked at him with scorn and let out a brief sigh.
Seeing this, Oswald laughed bizarrely.
─Hehehe, you look even better now. Be sure to join the 32 contenders. I've seen many handsome guys in the north, but none quite like you. I hope you maintain that expression until death. After killing you, I'll cut off your head and preserve it as a trophy in my room!
Instead of responding, Theo continued to look at Oswald with a contemptuous expression.
"I have no desire to speak with such a repulsive being, so be quiet."
Theo raised his right hand upward and spread it towards the sky.
Immediately after, the sky returned to its natural color, no longer purple.
As soon as the purple barrier enveloping the space vanished, Theo charged at Oswald like a bolt of lightning.
Rok, the instructors from the Hero Department, and Piel followed closely behind.
Oswald's eyes widened in disbelief.
'That barrier... How could it vanish so suddenly?'
It was a large-scale barrier, created by extracting all the mana from ten mages he had brought, each a minimum of a 5th circle mage.
The magic formula of the now-dissolved purple barrier was crafted by a mage at the pinnacle of the 7th circle.
And yet, it vanished in a flash.
As soon as the silver-haired youth extended his hand towards the sky, the barrier dissipated into nothingness.
Oswald couldn't believe the scene unfolding before him.
"Did you do this? What, what exactly did you do?"
"Stop barking. It's noisy."
Theo lashed out at Oswald with both fists and feet.
In a daze, Oswald instinctively dodged Theo's attacks.
"I've changed my mind. I won't kill you. Instead, I'll make you beg to be killed every day."
"Do all the dogs from the north yap this much? Quite the barkers."
"You really know how to get under someone's skin. Fine, let's see if you can bite, dog!"
Oswald clenched his axe with both hands, channeling all his strength, and swung it fiercely.
The axe blade, bathed in the blue moonlight, gleamed ominously.
Swoosh──
Theo narrowly ducked, avoiding the axe.
The wind pressure from the axe passing overhead sent shivers down his spine.
"······!"
His body screamed in protest.
Faced with Oswald's unexpectedly rapid attacks, Theo had no choice but to use [Overload].
'Rok and Piel need to get to my side quickly.'
Their voices nearby suggested they were engaged in a standoff.
'Damn it.'
There was no time to look away.
A moment's distraction could mean losing his head.
Oswald possessed strength comparable to a mid to upper-tier active hero.
Even if Theo were in perfect condition, this was a formidable opponent he couldn't handle.
It was his first time facing such a direct confrontation with an enemy of this caliber.
─All these thoughts occurred in 0.3 seconds.
Oswald's relentless axe swings began.
Theo continued to dodge one attack after another.
His body, which had only just begun to recover, was again ravaged by the toll of [Overload].
'······I need to hold on a little longer.'
Theo looked at Oswald with a forced calm expression.
Oswald's eyes sparkled with ferocity.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. This is entertaining, truly entertaining. You dodged all my swings, even though I wasn't holding back?"
"······."
Watching Theo's stoic gaze, Oswald clicked his tongue in frustration.
"No choice then. It's truly regrettable, so regrettable. I didn't want to kill you."
Oswald exclaimed as he pressed a button attached to the left side of his top.
"Authorize full power release!"
"“““Yes!”””"
The armed group responded in unison and similarly pressed buttons on their tops.
Immediately after, an intense energy burst forth from the group.
The energy was so powerful that everyone nearby could feel it.
Ssssssssh───!
Oswald immediately swung his axe at Theo with a speed far surpassing anything before.
Theo realized instantly.
'...I can't see it.'
He knew he couldn't dodge that attack.
Crack──!
The axe struck Theo's left shoulder.
The blade tore through his uniform and embedded itself in his left shoulder.
