Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 325

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 325

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 325

Elf (5)

Snowflakes danced across the ground.

The sight was visible even from the highest levels of the Alliance.

Soon, avian humanoids with sharp eyes stepped forward to confirm, and everyone recognized what they truly were. The snow scattered across that vast area was entirely composed of Riders.

And at their head.

A massive Rider, wielding a bow far larger than any adult man could handle, led the charge, slowly advancing.

Neigh!

The horse neighed, its breath coming out in ragged bursts.

Both the horse and the knight it carried were pure white.

However, the horse’s eyes were not entirely white.

Its eyes were a bleak, dark red, like hardened blood.

That gaze evoked hardened blood, and soon, it evoked the grim future of the Alliance.

“…We’re all finished.”

Seeing the white knight on horseback, the upper echelons lost their will to fight.

No one spoke anymore.

Those who saw the horse and knight simply closed their eyes in resignation.

They closed their eyes tightly, like prophets who had foreseen their own deaths.

The moment they closed their eyes, their past flashed before them.

Whirr!

The world was burning.

That horrific scene always featured four knights on horseback. Before Riders were called Riders.

Back then, when they didn’t even know that their true identities were corrupted spirits, the four knights led their horses and commanded the entire world.

Knights on horseback, spreading destruction across the land.

It was from this image that the name ‘Rider’ originated.

The term ‘Rider’ was originally meant only for those four.

However, after the elves realized that their true identities were originally spirits—specifically, the four Spirit Kings in charge of the cycle of nature—and saw spirits transforming into armored monsters following their kings, the term ‘Rider’ expanded to refer to all corrupted spirits.

Conversely, a new term was needed to specifically identify the four knights.

People began to call them knights, drawing inspiration from the colors of their armor, as they had once been Spirit Kings.

The pure white White Knight.

The crimson Red Knight.

The jet-black Black Knight.

The pale Blue Knight.

Thus, these four names became established.

As the spirits corrupted, their home, the Mother Tree, also turned black.

In truth, no one knows the cause and effect.

Whether the spirits corrupted and the tree turned black, or the tree turned black and the spirits were tainted by evil.

Even the elves, who were called friends of the spirits, did not understand.

All the Alliance knew were the abilities of the knights.

“…In the end, she claimed victory with the horse.”

“It’s not a crown, it’s a laurel wreath.”

“That laurel wreath signifies the king of beasts, but what difference does it make whether it’s a laurel wreath or a crown? She is merely a conqueror.”

“Moreover, a conqueror who also spreads pestilence.”

“…If we were going to resist, we should have done so sooner.”

“…Until she raised her bow, there was still a glimmer of hope. But now that she rides the horse, the symbol of the knight, and wears the laurel wreath, we have no chance.”

The upper echelons knew more about the knights than anyone else in the Alliance.

They knew it all too well.

They knew that they could not win with their current forces.

The executives of the upper echelons chose to give up and comply rather than confront the knights.

The pure white White Knight. The white-haired, translucent woman who was originally called the Wind Spirit King wore a golden laurel wreath on her head, a symbol of being the king of all land beasts, in addition to the power of wind she had possessed since the beginning.

Land beasts.

Not referring to wild animals like boars or bears.

The land beasts here refer to the creatures that live in the ground.

Insects.

“…She’s coming.”

Weeeeeee.

Even in an area devoid of insects.

The sound of tiny insects flapping their wings could be heard.

The increasingly numerous insects gathered like an army, moving with the Riders who had landed like snowflakes in the distance.

Black and white.

Black insects and white Riders.

There seemed to be nothing in common between these colorless, ephemeral beings, but the reason why insects and Riders worked together to annihilate people was not due to external reasons.

It was solely due to loyalty in their hearts.

Because they served the same king, insects and Riders.

Despite the differences in species, appearance, intelligence, and skill.

They joined forces.

“…Wasn’t this supposed to be safe? The elves swore! As spirits, the Riders could never invade because of the ancient pact!”

“S, save me! I don’t want to die in a place like this! I don’t want to die!!!”

The soldiers deployed at the front lines screamed.

They hadn’t screamed even when they first discovered hundreds of thousands of Riders.

Well, the truth is, they didn’t scream because they were too shocked to even scream, but until then, they were so detached from reality that everyone, soldiers and officers alike, lost their minds.

They never regained their lost minds.

The swarming insects bit and burrowed into people’s flesh.

That much could easily be blocked by defending the body with magic, but the soldiers and officers who were exhausted from guarding all night and the slow-reacting soldiers were too late.

“One has burrowed into my skin!”

“Don’t run away, fight back! Burn them to death with magic!”

“I, it’s already too late. Ah! Ah…!!!!”

“There’s an insect in my wound. An insect. Ah.”

Screams echoed from all directions.

At this, the minds of the soldiers who were well-protected by magic wavered slightly, revealing a slight opening. The insects, not missing this opportunity, rushed in, disregarding their own deaths, and stubbornly bit at their flesh.

In the case of soldiers who were mentally stable and had enough magic, the insects rubbed their bodies against them, forcibly clinging on until their magic ran out. Thousands of them exploded in the process, but the biggest advantage of insects was their overwhelming numbers.

If it doesn’t work, keep trying until it does.

From ordinary insects to insects with magic, to insects that were almost monsters.

Insects from all over the area began to ravage the Alliance.

“There are so many damn insects. Every time I wave my hand while covered in magic, about 200 of them die.”

“Hey. I heard your people eat insects. You’re going to have a feast today?”

Of course, it was impossible to annihilate the Alliance’s trained warriors with that alone.

The only ones who could be killed in that way were the weak ordinary soldiers. They repelled the insects by any means necessary.

In particular, the 2-meter-tall ants, which were close to monsters, were surprisingly difficult enemies, but if their antennae and eyes were destroyed, they were no different from stuffed insects.

“You crazy bastard. We only eat plump larvae.”

“But when I think about it, aren’t these all protein? It’s protein. Right?”

“Why, are you going to eat them?”

“The Alliance’s diet has been lacking in protein lately, so it would be good to have more protein. Especially those big ants. How much protein would they give if we caught them?”

“No, you crazy! Are you catching that to eat it now?!”

“Why, should I give you some too?”

“Get lost.”

They were slowly able to deal with the insects.

After all, insects are just insects.

They explode and die easily when stepped on.

But the real problem was the Riders holding swords and spears alongside the insects.

“We’ve killed almost all the insects! But where is the White Knight?!”

“There he is! There! He’s in a place where everything is clearly visible!”

And their king, the White Knight.

Wearing a laurel wreath on his helmet and riding a horse while shooting a bow, his opponent was…

Swish!

A swordsman who cut through the arrows of wind fired by the White Knight with a single sword.

It was Seungwoo.

Clatter, clatter!

The White Knight’s horse galloped across the plain.

As his massive figure on horseback became visible up close, one could realize just how enormous he was.

The White Knight himself was a giant of about 3 meters [~10 feet].

Such a being shoots a bow larger than three adult men and rides a 5-meter-tall [~16 feet] horse. It was not easy to even confront him, let alone fight him.

“He’s coming! The White Knight is coming!”

“I, I can’t do it! I can’t!”

The warriors, already frightened, began to flee as soon as they saw the White Knight’s helmet. Deserters were appearing everywhere on the battlefield.

“You stupid bastards!”

Baek Seungwoo shouted at those soldiers.

“Don’t you know that running away now creates a perfect opportunity to cut off our forces, which only increases the probability of dying!”

Although the momentum is unfavorable for the Alliance.

This is clearly Alliance territory.

Originally, war is more advantageous for the defending side.

However, if there are many soldiers deserting the front lines from the front and back, even that minimal advantage is lost.

Moreover, that guy is a monster who wields a bow and controls the wind.

He is a sharpshooter who can not only hit every shot but also control the wind to hit dozens of people’s heads with a single arrow.

Running away with your back to a sharpshooter is suicide.

As if affirming Seungwoo’s thoughts.

Whooooosh!

The wind in the area fluctuated, forming an arrow.

It was the largest arrow of wind he had ever seen.

‘See! I knew this would happen!’

The arrow placed on the bow was fired.

The arrow flew towards the place where many soldiers were running away.

Seungwoo stared straight at the arrow and ran without the slightest hesitation.

The arrow was fired immediately.

───────!!!!

It became a storm aiming in a straight line.

A huge storm.

Seungwoo, standing in front of it, raised his sword.

Whoosh!

He slashed from top to bottom.

Thus, the sword cut through the wind.

The sword entered as smoothly as cutting tofu.

The swordsmanship that had reached its peak lightly cut through even the storm that turned people into dough.

However, the storm that was cut in half did not completely disappear.

Thud! Thud!

Thud! Thud!

The wind split in two and brushed past Seungwoo.

From the beginning, the White Knight’s target was not the group with the most fleeing soldiers.

After all, there would be a strong person who could stop the White Knight’s storm in the direction where the most soldiers were fleeing. The White Knight played a little trick on the storm’s path here.

“Run away!”

This was the White Knight’s trick.

Seungwoo, who quickly realized this, shouted loudly.

Thud!

The tornado, colliding with buildings and people, caused a huge shockwave.

In front of that overwhelming sound, Seungwoo’s shout was futilely buried.

The storm was stained with blood, causing numerous casualties.

It was a terrible sight, but no one screamed or cared about it anymore.

Those who did had already died.

Those who remained silently picked up their weapons and resisted.

* * *

Deaths continued in the ongoing battle.

The large-scale massacre that had just occurred was already a thing of the past.

Still, the warriors who had been severely burned by the storm wielded by the White Knight were now watching the White Knight’s every move.

But the problem was that there were not enough troops to deal with the Riders as a result.

‘The biggest problem right now is the legions.’

The knights wearing white armor.

The sight of hundreds of thousands of knights wearing pure white armor and roaming the battlefield with their respective weapons gives people the thought that they are cool on the one hand.

‘Damn bastards.’

On the other hand, it makes you think about when you will kill all those guys.

In a world where magic exists, war is sometimes tilted by one strong person with overwhelming power.

But there is no such being in this world.

‘It’s the end of the world. It’s the end of the world.’

The only one who can play that role as similarly as possible.

It was just me.

‘It’s really the end of the world.’

How do I really win this?

No, even if I take care of the White Knight alone.

I don’t think the remaining troops can win against the remaining 90,000 Riders of the enemy.