༺ Thunderbird Subjugation (2)༻
Thunderbird Galia flashed a red glare from its eyes while wrapping purple lighting mana around its massive wings.
It was trying to cast a barrier. There was no doubt that the Thunderbird had exchanged spells with Dorothy just moments ago. Dorothy must have strategically retreated with the students.
In an instant, a thunderstorm condensed around Galia.
Then, when the large amount of lightning mana had gathered, it formed a dense mass that was incredibly small.
──────── [───────!!!!!]
Lightning mana erupted with the roar of the Thunderbird, and swept across the old Märchen Academy grounds in the blink of an eye.
「Thunder God’s Barrier (Lightning Element, ★7 )」
Kaaaaaahhhhh──────!!!
Pajijijijijijik──────!!
“Uwak!”
A violent gust of wind blew me away, which caused me to roll down the hill. For a brief moment, I felt a tingling sensation spread throughout my entire body.
Some buildings were smashed to pieces, and trees were uprooted and toppled.
Lightning strikes flashed countless times. The lightning mana spread out by the Thunderbird had transformed into a wide barrier.
With a jolt, a powerful purple barrier was formed from a large amount of lightning mana. This generated a large amount of high-voltage currents.
[Thunder God’s Barrier].
The stage was set for the final part of the first semester of the first year of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱「Act 3, Chapter 4, Thunderbird Subjugation」.
Booom────!!
Booom────!!
Booom────!!
At the same time, countless lightning bolts struck multiple places across the grounds of the old Märchen Academy, and the Thunderbird’s minions, the ‘Lightning Harpies’, emerged from them.
A particularly intense lightning bolt struck the side of Carly Hall, and a large number of Lighting Harpies were concentrated there – this was because Vera the Summoner had marked Carly Hall.
“Argh…!”
How many times have I rolled today? Seriously.
I grumbled and quickly rose from the ground, resuming my run up the hill.
The [Thunder God’s Barrier] was impenetrable. This was due to the effect of [Nest], a unique trait of Thunderbird Galia, which caused a large amount of lightning mana to form a dense and solid barrier.
If I had to estimate the level of the spell itself, I would say it was around level 190.
So even if all of the academy’s staff, including Dorothy, fired spells at it all at once, it wouldn’t produce any meaningful results. They would come to realize this later when they tested their spells against the barrier together.
───[Kiaaaaaahhhh─────!!]
The entrance to the palace-like Carly Hall was shattered, and Lightning Harpies busted out. Lightning Harpies were winged humanoid creatures whose entire bodies were composed of lightning mana.
[Lightning Harpy] Lv: 85
Race: (Demon)
Elements: Lightning
Danger: Medium
Psychology: [Wants to kill humans.]
I arrived at Carly Hall just in time.
‘Thank you for opening the door, my sweet EXP!’
[The demons have been recognized as enemies.] [The unique trait [Hunter] is activated!] [The level and stats are temporarily greatly enhanced!] [The skill tree temporarily becomes +10!] 「Frostfire (Ice Element, ★4)」
Hwaaaaaaaaak───────!!
My entire body became as light as a feather. My exhausted body went beyond being recovered and started to overflow with power. I felt as if I could shatter a building with a single punch. The flow of the mana within my mana circuit accelerated and the quality of my mana fundamentally changed.
The unique trait [Hunter] had activated.
I slaughtered the Lightning Harpies with a blast of cold blue flames of unparalleled power as I continued briskly moving my feet.
After I entered Carly Hall, I found myself in a wide central corridor. A swarm of Lightning Harpies glared at me in unison.
The top floor of this building was where Vera the Summoner would bring Luce.
Therefore, that was my destination as well.
Kiaaaaaaahhh!!!─────!!
“Yeah, mobs.”
I ran up the central stairs three steps at a time and burnt the Lightning Harpies with [Frostfire].
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 58!] [You have gained an additional 2 stat points!]
The Lightning Harpies were a good source of EXP. I’m sorry Ian, but the Carly Hall free EXP is mine.1T/N: Originally the word was honey pot, which is used in a way to mean ‘this is so easy’ or ‘this is so free’.
“Phew…”
I finally made it to the top floor, which was lined with statues of wizards and knights. Although they showed signs of aging, their designs were still magnificent.
At the end of a red-carpeted room stood a grand altar.
With its high ceilings, the view from the top floor of Carly Hall was magnificent, the scenery was even comparable to that of a breathtaking cathedral.
I wiped the beads of sweat that trickled down my forehead and cast a glance out the window.
The Thunderbird flapped its wings in a spectacle of overwhelming power. It slowly made its way towards my location, accompanied by Luce and Vera the Summoner.
They would soon destroy the top floor’s roof and come in. Luckily enough, they wouldn’t go out of their way to look for the traces of the Lightning Harpies I killed.
I fought cautiously because I didn’t want them to find any traces of magic outside Carly Hall.
“Eden.”
As light brown mana gathered in front of me, it took the form of Eden, my small golem familiar.
[Kyuuu!]
“Run away.”
[Kyuu…?]
Vera the Summoner could steal her opponent’s Familiar at will. However, I could avoid the disaster of Eden being taken away from me by getting rid of him ahead of time.
Eden tilted his head in confusion, perhaps wondering about my intentions. After I urged him to quickly leave Carly Hall, Eden nodded his head with a puzzled expression and trudged out.
This simple action ensured that Vera wouldn’t be able to steal my Familiar, a fate that had befallen many because they were unaware of this tactic.
Now, I just had to hide according to my plan.
Tap, tap, tap─
Fortunately, I knew the perfect place to hide. I started knocking on several places behind the walls of the altar.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, once the Thunderbird Subjugation was over, one would be able to enter a secret location within Carly Hall. My plan was to hide in that secret location.
The game depicted it as something that could be found when one knocked on a certain place along the wall.
I must be close to it by now…
Tap, tap, tap─
Thud, thud.
‘It’s here.’
It sounded hollow on the inside. I checked the pattern on the wall and found the location of the handle.
I put my right hand near the handle and faintly channeled my mana through it.
Then, it slowly absorbed mana from my hand to the inside of the wall. It felt like being on the shore of a calm lake.
And just like that, I was inside the wall.
The first thing I noticed inside the inner room were the luminescent stones that lined the walls, emitting a faint light.
My gaze was immediately drawn towards a cramped and run-down study. It was filled with bookshelves stacked high with books. It was a cramped, stuffy space.
At the far end of the room stood a miniature-sized desk with a dusty book on top of it.
It was nothing special, just a book with a setting from ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. It contained hints related to the Archwizards of each element. There was nothing worth reading. To begin with, I didn’t even have enough time to look.
[A demon has been detected nearby.]
Huiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii─
[Demon Detection] had activated. Vera the Summoner was nearby.
I felt an intense aura from beyond the wall.
[Vera the Summoner] Lv: 125
Race: Demon
Elements: Darkness, Lightning
Danger: High
Psychology: [Rejoicing at the thought of having obtained the strongest familiar.]
I put my ear against the wall to understand the situation.
─────Kwaaaaang──!!
I heard the ceiling collapse. The outer walls and ceiling had been shattered to accommodate the Thunderbird’s gigantic body.
By now, the Thunderbird Subjugation party should have been formed with Ian Fairytale, a light element wielder who could deliver a devastating blow to the Thunderbird and the strongest powerhouse of Märchen Academy, Dorothy Heartnova, at its core.
For reference, the Thunderbird Subjugation party wasn’t easy to create. The main reason for that was because the ‘Let’s wait for the academy’s administration’ camp and the ‘Let’s go on the offensive’ camp were at odds with one another.
As a result, the first-year students stepped forward to fight, in a scene straight out of a shounen manga, and so the Thunderbird Subjugation team was formed. I remember feeling a rush of excitement as I watched that scene.
‘If there’s a variable, it’s the honor students.’
Originally, it was normal for the honor students to have passed the end-of-semester evaluation before the Thunderbird Subjugation took place.
For example, in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱. After Kaya got her 3rd Fell Card, she managed to get a feel for mana perception, which allowed her to easily find the 2 other Fell Cards.
Since she passed her exam like that, she didn’t play much of a role in the Thunderbird Subjugation. The same went for other Class A students and the Class B honor students.
But this time, it was different.
Due to Luce’s rampage and me being the focus of a fierce battle, the Class A students and the top ranked honor students from Class B couldn’t pass the exam before the Thunderbird appeared.
It was a fact that could be inferred by the scoreboard as one climbed up the hill.
As a result, it was highly likely that they were organised as a full-scale subjugation party. This was because the injured students joined the subjugation party after being healed by the shelter’s healing wizards. However, it should be noted that only those who wanted to join the subjugation team actually participated.
At the very least, Class A’s Kaya and Lisetta would participate unconditionally. Kaya had a sense of justice to protect people, and Lisetta had a courageous desire to fight against the Lightning Harpies and the Thunderbird.
‘I guess you could say this is a favorable variable for me.’
It was safe to say that the subjugation party’s stability had slightly increased. The support from the helpers would be even stronger than in the original scenario.
The mission of the Thunderbird Subjugation party was simple. Defeat the Lightning Harpies and storm Carly Hall.
When the Thunderbird appeared, Dorothy focused on protecting people, while Ian focused on striking the Thunderbird with a sword attack enveloped with a light spell.
Lastly, go to Carly Hall and defeat Vera the Summoner. After that, the mission would be over.
They argued amongst themselves and said that the plan was absurd. At that moment, Mateo exclaimed, “There is no other way…” and I witnessed the students’ resolve grow as they said their lines one by one. This was also one of my favourite scenes.
Of course, only the main lines of the plan were easy to understand, but the subjugation party still moved systematically after pre-determining their formation and route. They must have worked together to implement the strategy in a timely manner in order to minimize casualties.
‘Dorothy is there too, so don’t you dare recklessly charge in and faint, Ian.’
I’ll quickly get rid of the crazy bitch and put an end to this situation.
…I should start preparing soon.
I took out the ‘Magic Cloak of Disguise – Berserker’ from my magic bag and began to put it on. It was just in case I was ever in a situation where my identity could be revealed.
* * *
[Kyahoooooooooooooooo!!]
On the top floor of Carly Hall, beyond the wall where Isaac was hiding. Even though the sky was not visible due to the Thunderbird’s barrier, it was a gloomy evening.
Vera the Summoner, a gray-skinned demon with a height of 3m, twirled around in circles with her arms outstretched to her sides. Despite the sloppiness of her dress, her movements were reminiscent of an actress on a stage.
[Ah, the best, the best, ah~. To have the best Familiar in my hands, I, Vera the Summoner, am very lucky. Ahhh, it’s so cute, cute, cute!!!!!]
The ceiling and one of the outer walls were blown in half as the Thunderbird’s huge body filled the top floor of Carly Hall.
Vera screamed with affection as she stroked Galia. Her eyes were bloodshot with bulging veins, her voice was raspy, and blood spurted from her mouth.
[Kyaaaahhhhh, so cute, so cute! My familiar is so cute, I’m going crazy…]
Afterwards, Vera the Summoner scratched her frizzy brown hair like a dog and hit the horn on her forehead.
She scratched and rubbed the Thunderbird’s cheek with her nails and palms, which were covered with scraped skin and blood.
The darkness mana that coursed through Thunderbird Galia’s body made it unable to resist Vera, and it merely shivered. Vera’s absolute domination familiar-limited magic was so powerful that not even the powerful Thunderbird could resist.
[This black bird belongs to me, Vera. My new son~. It’s such a waste for someone like you ahhh~]
Vera the Summoner hummed her own impromptu song as she gazed up at Thunderbird Galia’s original master floating above the altar.
A female student with rose gold hair was restrained in a standing position within a powerful lightning shield made of the Thunderbird’s mana, she was like a stuffed doll.
She couldn’t move. All of her mana was drained by the Thunderbird, and all her strength left her body.
She didn’t even have the strength to open her eyes properly, and she laid limp like a corpse.
[It’s a wasteeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!]
Vera the Summoner screamed with her fists clenched, then bared her sharp teeth and giggled.
[Heheheheheheheheheh!!! Oh no, the humans are on their way! They’re coming to save you! They’re coming to save you, to save you, to save you! But what can they do? My familiar, my black bird, will kill all of your friends, keeeeekkkk!]
Within the lightning shield, no answer came out of Luce’s mouth. She drifted along the far sides of consciousness and reality.
[Ah, here they come, here they come—!!]
Vera the Summoner shouted as she looked out of the window.
The subjugation party was charging towards Carly Hall, while enveloped in a translucent protective shield made of colorful starlight – it was a group of professors, proctors, and students in their school uniforms.
They had already begun climbing the hill that led to Carly Hall.
[They’re here, they’re here!! Even the Child of Light! They’re already marching towards the underworld on their own!!]
Vera, who had been laughing manically while splattering blood, suddenly stopped and glanced at Thunderbird Galia. There was a change in the atmosphere, as if she had a sudden change of heart.
Vera’s waist bent grotesquely to the side, and then she commanded solemnly.
[Kill them all.]
Suddenly, the darkness mana that enveloped the Thunderbird surged even thicker.
The Thunderbird screamed in agony and flashed his red eyes. He spread his massive wings and soared above the already collapsed ceiling.
──────── [────Kiyaahhhhhhhhhhhh───!!!!!]
Booooom boom boom boom─────!!!
The lightning barrier responded to the Thunderbird’s roar. With a single flap of his wings, menacing purple thunderbolts struck in several directions.
The Thunderbird Subjugation party stopped in their tracks and gasped at the sight of its imposing presence. A murderous tension settled heavily in the air.
With a bolt of lightning, the Thunderbird arrived in front of the subjugation party.
The battle had begun.
[Hehehehehehe! Oh, everyone’s going to die, they’re going to die, die, die!]
Vera the Summoner laughed with an excited voice, stretched her arms out to the sides, and began to spin around again.
[Oh, you foolish creatures, you’ve made a stupid choice by trying to save that ugly woman! Kiyahhhhhhhhh!]
「Frost Explosion (Ice Element, ★5)」
Kwaaaahhhhhhh─────!!
While Vera the Summoner frantically screamed, she felt a sense of danger from behind and quickly threw her body to the side.
However, her left arm had already been completely blown off from a brief blast of ice.
Her frozen arm brought her excruciating pain, causing her to let out a ear-piercing scream.
「Ice Wall (Ice Element, ★4)」
At the same time, the [Ice Wall] draped over the shattered outer wall.
Vera instinctively felt danger and quickly bent her knees, then leapt over the broken outer wall with incredible speed.
Before the [Ice Wall] could be fully erected, she barely landed on top of the building.
[Owaaaahh…!! What are youuu?!!]
The ice mass created by the [Frost Explosion] and the [Ice Wall] that failed to encapsulate Vera turned into light blue powder that scattered and disappeared.
A monster appeared in front of Vera’s eyes as it stood before the altar. It had an unruly appearance with a navy blue hood tightly pulled over its head. The razor-sharp teeth that were tightly packed in its mouth were more menacing than those of any beast, and its skin was as pitch black as ink.
Above the altar was a female student with rose gold hair, protected by a lightning shield. The monster turned its back on the altar and glared at Vera the Summoner as if to protect the student.
「Cold Divergence (Ice Element, ★1)」
The black monster was emitting a pale, chilly aura from its entire body.
His large, round red eyes glowed with a murderous intent.
────────── [Gahahaahahahaha!!!]
The monster’s roar shook Carly Hall.
Magic Cloak of Disguise – Berserker. To others, it looked and sounded like that, regardless of the will of the one who wore it.
Heavy mana flowed like the wind and brushed against Vera’s skin.
When Vera realised what was happening, she shut her loud mouth.
The mana she felt from it surpassed her very own.
[Hmm.]
Vera smiled. She had thought of something fun.
* * *
Chaeeeeeeng─────!!
Kuwaaaaaaaaaa─────!!
──────── [Kiiiaaaaaahhhhh!!!]
A multicolored beam of starlight pierced through the Thunderbird’s shoulder. The light exerted a gravitational force on the parts it touched, tearing off the flesh and pulling the bones, before exerting a repulsive force that crushed the Thunderbird’s shoulder.
The power of starlight magic mercilessly tore apart its opponent with irregular physical force.
The Thunderbird let out a scream and unleashed a barrage of lightning. The purple magic circle carved in the sky rained down countless lightning strikes towards the subjugation party.
It was a wide-range attack that could cause fatal injuries with just a graze.
The Proctor, Dorothy Heartnova, hastily deployed a Starlight Shield to protect the subjugation party. As soon as the Thunderbirds’s lightning bolt touched the shield, it was distorted and neutralized.
“Ah, that electric chicken!”
Dorothy was frustrated by her inability to launch a powerful attack at the Thunderbird. She could have used high-powered spells to her heart’s content if there was no one in the barrier, but she now had to prioritize protection.
In the end, Dorothy had no choice but to quickly use Starlight Shield to protect the subjugation party.
The Thunderbird subjugation party was engaged in a fierce battle against Thunderbird Galia.
Their goal was to “win while preserving everyone’s lives”.
They were able to set such an absurd goal even with an 8-star magic beast as their enemy because there were two beings who could deal effective damage to the Thunderbird, and one of them could even create a powerful Starlight Shield.
However.
“When did he pass out again?! Someone wake him up!”
“Iann!!”
Amy Holloway, the healing wizard of the subjugation party, cried out in desperation.
Ian Fairytale, a key force capable of using light magic that could counter the Thunderbird.
At some point, he had passed out with his back leaning against a pile of rubble.
Footnotes:
1T/N: Originally the word was honey pot, which is used in a way to mean ‘this is so easy’ or ‘this is so free’.
