There were three major areas plagued by an insufferable amount of Shadow Demons.
One was the General Library
The other two were Restricted Zones accessible only to the Staff of Ainzlark–and even then, only those with the appropriate clearance were permitted within.
Kuzon alone was assigned to the General Library on his own. Ciara was given charge over the second toughest spot, while a good amount of the Rankers handled the last saturated area.
Many would have viewed Jared’s actions to be that of a madman–assigning two students individual tasks and sending them to the heart of the enemy’s forces–or at least close.
However, since the people in question held no complaint on the matter, no one could say anything. Jared explained that his decision was fair, and that he simply gave everyone the roles he felt they could handle.
This sent a message to everyone present; that Ciara and Kuzon as individuals were stronger than a bunch of Rankers. Usually, it would be considered insulting, if not downright conceited, however... no one said anything.
If someone as brilliant and powerful as Jared Leonard deemed it so, that was what it had to be. After all he had shown, there was no room for doubt in the hearts of most. Besides, they were also partially grateful that they weren’t the ones undertaking the more difficult mission.
With that in mind, everyone charged toward their appointed destination. Their formation was impeccable, their goals unchanged, and their expressions displayed a firm resolve.
They were going to take back their Academy!N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
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Kuzon floated through the air, staring at his surroundings with his golden eyes. They shone brightly in the dark thanks to him pouring mana into them.
The fact that he glided so easily in midair would tell anyone he was used to this activity, but Kuzon was simply relying on muscle memory and wasn’t even paying much mind to his flight activities.
His eyes took in everything around him while his mind ruminated on several things.
In the quiet embrace of the night, it was the perfect time to think. Still, with all the chaos around, the golden-haired boy picked the wrong time to delve deep into thought.
“This is incredibly suspicious...”
He considered all Jared had said in their meeting, and he could tell that the boy was withholding some information. Whether he was doing it for the greater good or not was something Kuzon didn’t know yet.
‘It’s clear we have a mole, but... it couldn’t possibly be Jared, right?’
Ultimately, he simply had to mow them down. His Original Magic, while not perfect yet, utilized pure Mana. As a result, it could deal direct damage to the creatures.
At this rate, all he had to do was expend quite a sum of Mana to maintain it. That was also not a problem, though, thanks to his necklace.
“Now, then...” Kuzon smiled, watching so many Shadow Demons creep up on him.
The rest were most likely sorting through what they wanted to obtain within the Library. After he was done with the ones surrounding him, his next goal had to be the Library building itself.
Not even a single one was to get out alive.
“Come!”
VWOOOSSHHH!!!
The Shadows charged at Kuzon. However, they all shared the same fate.
Kuzon’s fingers snapped... and then... an eruption of blinding lightning erupted and consumed the area.
“Shock...” He whispered.
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!
While ensuring his immediate vicinity was protected, everything for a large distance was consumed by the explosive blue lightning that flashed.
The Shadow Demons were weaker to Light, but since the Lightning element was closely linked, it also served the same purpose. In essence... it was their weakness as well.
SHUUUUUUUU...
Once the smoke began hissing and the cool wind of night cooled the charred surface around him, Kuzon deemed his job to be done.
‘I should head to the Library, then...’ He nonchalantly shrugged.
Once again elevating himself from his lower estate, the boy began moving in the direction of the large building. However–
“That was one impressive display.”
–A voice called out to him.
Instantly, Kuzon felt a chill completely different from earlier. Instinct took over, and the casual air around him vanished. The sudden appearance of something even he hadn’t sensed startled him.
‘This is...?!’