If we let them get the child...This war might be as good as over.
Though the sound-shattering speed of the lance, it still proved laughably slow for Chalybe.
He effortlessly sidestepped the weapon and tapped it with a finger, freezing it mid-air.
Whoa, Izobel whispered.
There it is, Caesar smirked.
The weapon wasn't physically encased in ice, but suspended in time and locked in space, stripped of motion, and its existence paused.
Undeterred, the knight drew out ten daggers, gaze still locked on Chalybe. Before he could unleash the blades, Caesar suddenly appeared before him.
Hello there, Caesar tilted his head.
White hot flames engulfed his forearm as he delivered a blow to the knight's helm, knocking him back to the 2nd row.
As the sinister soldier struggled to balance itself, an oversized warhammer slammed into its chest, hoisted by a student, sending him to collide with the chalkboard.
Bullseye! the female student roared triumphantly.
Martha Chaste Hope, a noble-born human, daughter of Tennant Jones Hope, an eminent figure in the blacksmithing and weapon trade across Zion.
She had brilliant orange ponytails, eyes as dark and gentle as dusk, and a devilish grin that cemented her presence.
Get up, peasant, Martha pointed at the knight. There is more where that came from...
The knight unexpectedly threw a dagger at Martha, almost skewering her.
Before the dagger could impale her, a strong arm carried her from the weapons.
What a shame, princess. A male voice spoke elegantly. Don't want a beauty like you to be harmed. That would be awful
The boy pointed his finger at the knight, and an invincible force pushed it deeper into the wall.
E-escanor? Martha said.
Escanor Adelard de La Rochefoucauld, future head astronomer, at your service. Escanor smirked. Am I still the hottest sun spirit you have ever seen, Martha?
Escanor had gloyden shoulder-length hair, with white and red streaks. His eyes are bright red, with a faint yellow flame floating on his head.
Mr. Shawn conjured a cloud, the same multi-colored cloud from his private dimension, and used it to ensnare the knight. The cloud twisted and solidified, pulsating with iridescent hues, each shimmer searing pain into the knight's soul.
Who are you? Mr. Shawn thundered, fury crackling in his voice. No one storms into my class to commit murder. Why are you here to kill Prince Chalybe?
The knight's armor began to tremble, the helmet loosening.
GET DOWN!!! Caesar screamed.
In a violent burst, the entire suit disintegrated into a frenzied flock of ravens, each bird honing in on a student with bloodthirsty precision. But the students swiftly dispatched the flock.
Izobel's stomach somersaulted as she felt something sinister slither into his senses. Her skin crawled, not in fear, but in confusion.
Leo, astonishingly swift, ripped her table from its hinges and flung it at a glass panel.
Oh no, you don't, she shouted.
But it was too late.
An explosion shattered the panels and blasted through the barrier of desks. The shockwave shook the entire classroom, with Scorching heat ionizing the air.
Students were thrown through the chaos, fragments of glass and splinters of wood embedding into their skin.
Caesar caught Izobel midair and cradled her descent to the ground.
A violent storm of ravens burst into the room, their slaver-forged beaks ripping through flesh and bone, tearing blood vessels as screams echoed.
Izobel's rose-colored eyes flared with luminescence. From her back emerged a large, purple avatar of a centipede. A force field burst forth, shielding Caesar from eight oncoming ravens as the avatar shrieked.
Caesa!!! A voice cried out.
Caesar looked over and saw Zeus on his knees, his clothes torn, but seemingly unharmed. Thunderbolt! Now!!!
A smirk danced across Caesar's lips. This guy.
He soared toward the roof as Chalybe unleashed a hail of arrows to cover Caesar.
The weapon, electric blue and adorned with glowing cyan runes, matched his eyes. Though it appeared broken in half, a string bound it, and as Chalybe pulled, a radiant sphere of divine light formed. Each shot froze ravens mid-flight, locking them in time and space.
A pentagram halo appeared behind Caesar as Zeus raised his hands to the sky. Above them, a violent tempest emerged, expanding to cover the entire classroom.
Caesar leapt through a hole in the ceiling as Zeus's hand came. A searing arc of a red lightning bolt struck Caesar's feet. But instead of burning him, the energy was absorbed.
Spinning like a cyclone, more lightning clothed Caesar as he channeled it into his descent.
Please don't burn me, please don't burn. Caesar thought
THUNDERBOLT!!! Zeus and Caesar roared in unison.
Caesar crashed into a raven, unleashing arcs of lightning that danced through the air, striking every last bird, reducing them to smoldering ash.
Nailed it, Caesar said.
The classroom fell silent for a breathless moment. The students stared, awestruck by the flawless synchrony between the Prodigy and the Genius.
But a raven suddenly stopped, studying him with intelligent eyes. Caesar returned the gaze, his memory flashing back to the early morning.
You, Caesar asked. You studied me this morning. Who are you? What are you?
The raven responded immediately. It cawed loudly and flew back outside. Other birds followed it outside, as their sounds were lost to the wind.
Silence fell on the class.
Is it over, already? Martha sounded disappointed.
Another wall fell, and another abomination emerged.
A monstrous creature stumbled into the class, towering Caesar with hulking limbs that ended in jagged talons and wings spread like blackened thunderclouds. Its slaver beak glistened, and its spine was armored with metallic spikes.
Okay, Caesar, Izobel said calmly, brushing dust from her skirt. You've had your fun.
She turned to Chalybe.
Butterfly Endgame. Now.
Chalybe's smile was obvious—he wanted to surpass Caesar. If Prodigies and Geniuses made a flame, two Prodigies would make a firestorm.
Izobel's eyes glowed brighter, and behind her, an enormous butterfly avatar materialized —glowing pink and the size of an automobile bus. The radiant construct charged straight at Chalybe.
Chalybe's right fist lit up with a menacing dark-blue hue. The butterfly avatar latched onto his back, gifting him a pair of shimmering pink wings. The beast responded by hurling shelves, debris, and jagged talons—but Chalybe blurred between them, too fast to hit. In a blink, he was face-to-face with the creature.
He drew back his glowing fist—and drove it into the beast with impossible force. Shockwaves tore through the classroom.
"BUTTERFLY ENDGAME!!!"
The beast convulsed violently, its form fracturing at the seams. Chalybe's blow froze it in time, preventing it from healing or retaliating. He launched it skyward, as it erupted in a brilliant pink flash, leaving a butterfly-shaped hole in the clouds above.
A wave of relief washed over the room. Laughter broke out—nervous, euphoric, disbelieving. Mr. Shawn dabbed sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. But the worst was still to come.
Caesar rushed over to Chalybe with joy, as Chalybe's wings faded.
See, Caesar. Chalybe mused. You are not the only one who can...
The air whistled as a crow flew through his chest.
It impaled him cleanly.
Caesar's vision blurred as he saw his best companion fall with a gaping wound where his heart once beat. Izobel's eye shimmered with tears running down her face. Zeus stared in disbelief.
Escanor's flames burned brighter. Martha's smile melted. Leo dropped down on her knees.
Chalybe, the boy fast enough to run with light itself, was killed instantly.
How fast had that crow moved?
Subarchi, kinomurta, yeppa kenkai geetei.
A deep voice spoke from the ruins of the classroom wall. There stood a man.
His skin was pale, but cruelly handsome, with a red streak of blood under his swamp-green eyes. He wore feathery pure black robes adorned with bones and slaver instruments. A helmet shaped like a raven's slaver-beak sat on his head, more a crown than armor. His hands were gloved with talons, with an unkindness of ravens circling him like a living aura.
All that delay, he said. Just to be killed by a single raven?