I Became The Only Healer In The Academy [EN]: Chapter 296

296

The master of dimensions, a being who had existed for countless eons.

A being who had always reigned supreme over all others, governing everything.

A being with godlike power and authority, yet this was a first.

A mere human was showing him their… vulgarities.

Beyond simple unpleasantness, this was an unholy act that should never have been committed, could never be committed.

“…You’ve gone too far.”

How long had it been since he felt such rage?

Perhaps the last time was when he failed to fully seize the First Dimension that day, falling into eternal slumber with its master?

But now, he was feeling rage at the words and actions of a mere human.

This meant the master of the Second Dimension was not yet perfect.

It could be seen as incomplete because he had not absorbed the Saint who had been given his power, but that was not the only reason.

The master knew this best.

He wasn’t so ignorant as to not know his own condition.

It was truly time to absorb the power of the vessel.

The little bit of power that had been lacking from the earlier incident had now fully recovered, so the time had come to see the end.

The master’s magic began to flow again, and the Saint prepared to respond with an even more tense expression than before.

He couldn’t even stop the master when he was alone, and with those bastards waiting beside him, moving first was as good as suicide.

Besides, those he had to protect were already positioned around the Saint.

“Kim. Shouldn’t we stop that bastard?”

Padron flinched, sensing the ominousness, but didn’t move first.

This was partly because the Saint wasn’t moving, and partly because he had a feeling that he couldn’t even touch that being with his fingertips.

“First, let’s assess the situation…”

Before the Saint could finish his reply.

To be precise, a situation arose where the Saint’s reply couldn’t be heard.

A transparent barrier had formed between Padron and the Saint.

“This is…”

Similar to the barrier that had tried to trap the Saint earlier.

However, rather than feeling like it was trying to completely confine him like before, it felt like a space merely divided for convenience.

“Isn’t this appropriate?”

“What are you talking about?”

“A stage.”

A stage.

Could it be that he meant the word in the way they knew it?

Seeing Padron’s gaze fixed directly on him as he tapped on the wall, it seemed like they could see inside from the outside.

“Padron! Can you hear…”

Before he could finish speaking, a black sword flew and pierced the ground next to the Saint.

As if to say he wouldn’t allow him to divert his attention any further, the master was staring at the Saint with a hardened expression.

“…Alright. Let’s end this.”

The Saint also readjusted his stance, all his attention focused solely on the master.

Padron and Lich were outside the barrier, unable to do anything but knock on the wall.

They tried pouring magic into it, but it only became more solid, with no other changes.

“Kugh…”

Besides, for some reason, the other magical beasts weren’t moving either.

As if Padron, Lich, and the other hunters weren’t even in their eyes, everyone’s gaze was fixed on the two inside the barrier.

“Lich! How can we break this barrier?”

“This… it’s impossible. It’s not something we can interfere with.”

“Kugh… what the hell is that bastard up to?”

“More importantly, don’t take your eyes off those magical beasts. We don’t know when they’ll turn on us.”

“…Alright.”

Padron, Lich, and the other hunters turned their gaze from the barrier to the magical beasts, but soon turned back to the barrier.

The battle between the master and the Saint had truly begun.

Just what was the identity of that magical beast?

What was it that allowed it to stand against someone like the Saint?

Each movement was at a speed that even Padron couldn’t properly follow.

If it were Padron himself inside instead of the Saint?

‘…I’d be dead.’

He would have died pathetically after taking a few attacks.

“Padron.”

“Ah, right.”

As if noticing Padron’s thoughts, Lich softly called his name.

The battle inside the barrier was on a scale and power that defied imagination, making it difficult to see it as a battle between individuals.

“Is that… Kim’s full power?”

A continuous series of truly unbelievable sights.

From the start, the movements were too fast to follow with the eyes, so the only way to grasp the direction of the battle was at the moment the attacks collided.

The sight visible in that fleeting moment, and the shockwaves generated by the collision of attacks.

Those shockwaves alone were enough to create vibrations in the barrier that didn’t even react when Padron struck it with all his might.

‘Incredible.’

Forgetting that his opponent was a magical beast, and forgetting that other magical beasts outside the barrier were watching for an opportunity, Padron stared blankly at the battle inside the barrier, which was a work of art in itself.

Lich was no different, and neither were the other hunters.

Just as they were marveling, so were the magical beasts.

“Was the vessel… this strong?”

“Hmph… amazing, isn’t it?”

“I told you, right? It’s not that we couldn’t do it, you know?”

“That’s right. It’s just that the vessel came to where we were.”

The conversation didn’t continue after that.

It was only natural, as they were witnessing a battle unfolding before their eyes that they hadn’t seen since that day.

————————

‘Annoying.’

Even though he was merely a vessel, a mere human, the reason he was annoying was simple.

He was relentlessly targeting only his weaknesses.

Clearly, the initiative was with the master.

The master had the right to choose everything, from attacking first to deciding where to attack.

However, the Saint answered all those choices, constantly giving the wrong answers and overcoming the situation.

What could be the cause?

Clearly, the master knew everything about the Saint’s abilities, but there was one thing he didn’t know, or rather, had forgotten.

The only ability unrelated to the master.

The only ability the Saint had before his regression [reincarnation].

Weakness Detection.

The master also knew of the existence of this ability, but it was such a minor ability that he couldn’t remember it until he recognized its presence.

In the first place, the master’s weak points were automatically defended by his status. If the Saint’s ability directly damaged the opponent’s weak points, it would have been rendered useless by the status.

However, the Saint’s Weakness Detection simply revealed the weak points.

And the master’s weak point was not his head or his heart, but his pelvis.

Originally, the master had no weaknesses or weak points.

The only beings who could destroy or put the master to eternal sleep were other masters.

Only the existence of another master was a weakness, and there were no specific weak points.

But this time, it was different.

It wasn’t because he hadn’t absorbed the Saint’s power, but simply because it was an Achilles’ heel [a fatal weakness] that had emerged since that day.

In the battle with the master of the First Dimension, the master of the Second Dimension had his upper and lower body separated and transferred his power to the Saint.

The scar from that day had become his current weak point.

“I have nothing to say but that you’re amazing.”

“Hoo…”

The Saint’s slightly labored breathing.

On the other hand, the master’s consistently calm breathing, despite being slightly annoyed, represented the results of the exchanges that had taken place so far.

The master was literally perfection itself.

If there was a god of war, it would be the master of the Second Dimension, overwhelming everything in battle.

He was trying his best not to be dragged in the direction the master wanted, but he was gradually starting to struggle.

The master displayed a battle that felt like he had already decided the outcome and was forcibly adjusting the process.

Before the Saint’s thoughts could end, the master’s attack resumed.

The earth-colored swords were not simply flying to pierce the Saint’s body.

They were accurately piercing and obstructing the Saint’s next path and actions.

Moreover, the moment he touched the swords, he felt the pain of his body burning and his magic scattering, making each situation critical.

As the battle continued, earth-colored swords began to be planted on the floor, and the first sword planted on the floor was seeping in as if melting into the earth, foreshadowing another change.

Not intentional.

The terrible magic that corroded the surroundings simply by existing in this place.

The Saint’s body was no exception, and the energy was spreading beyond the barrier.

“What, what is this!”

The voices of the hunters outside the barrier suddenly rang out.

With all their minds focused inside the barrier, they hadn’t even noticed the presence of the black energy approaching from under their feet.

The first voice was just a surprised one, but the next voice that followed was closer to a scream than a voice.

“Kuaaagh!!”

“Kkeueok…!!”

It wasn’t the voice of someone dying.

It was the sound of trying to escape death.

And for a very brief moment, the Saint’s attention turned to them.

It wasn’t an attention he had intentionally sent.

A considerable number of those he had faith in were already gathered, and they felt pain close to death, so it was only natural that it would be conveyed to the Saint.

Signals stimulating the Saint’s mind began to come in from outside the barrier without any warning, so if you were a person, or rather, a being with life, you couldn’t help but be aware of it.

The Saint didn’t turn his attention, but merely recognized that they were feeling pain outside.

That process of recognizing external stimuli.

It wasn’t even a gap, but the master didn’t miss it.

“A moment is like an eternity to me.”

The master appeared behind the Saint in an instant.

Just as the Saint had Descent [teleportation], the master also had that ability, but the master’s Descent had one more power in addition to the Saint’s ability.

That was to switch the position of the sword and himself.

Some of the swords planted on the floor had seeped into the earth, and some remained, and the master switched positions with the sword closest to the Saint.

A very brief moment of scattered concentration.

The price was excessively terrible.

“Keuheok…!”

Padron and Lich, who were blocking the unidentified magic flowing out from the floor outside the barrier, turned to look inside at the ominous groan coming from within.

“…Kim?”

“Saint!”

A red light that didn’t originally exist inside the barrier.

A liquid that was too red to be the blood of a magical beast was gushing out, and at the same time, an unbelievable sight was unfolding.

“I can feel it. The lost powers of mine contained within this.”

How long had he been waiting for this?

The ecstasy of having already conquered all dimensions was evident on his face.

In the hand of the magical beast that had pierced through the Saint’s back, a heart pulsing at a constant rhythm was held, spewing blood with each beat.