CHAPTER 41: WEAK

"Damn it!" Russel growled, slamming her fist against the barrier.

Inside the dome, the Mad Scholar had created a separate barrier, trapping Kevin and his group within.

They had been trying to break through for a while now, but nothing worked. Every physical and magical attack they launched was simply absorbed, making the barrier even stronger.

’This is bad...’ Russel clicked her tongue. This was the second time the Mad Scholar had managed to trap the students while she failed to stop him.

The last time, he had drawn all the instructors away and isolated himself with a few students. Thankfully, Kevin and Emma had handled the danger then.

But this time... it was different.

The lunatic had created something else—a monster that shared the same property as this barrier. No weapon or spell could harm it.

"What should we do, Instructor?" a man behind her asked, his voice uneasy.

Russel clenched her jaw, frustration building, when a sudden gust of wind brushed past her. Lancelot appeared beside her, his calm eyes scanning the dome.

"Hmm..." he murmured, running his hand along the surface of the barrier.

Russel’s eyes lit up as an idea struck her. "Your treasured technique—Particle Divider... you can use it on this, right?"

It was a technique known across the world, a skill only the Sword Saint had ever perfected before passing it down to Lancelot.

Particle Divider.

A form of swordsmanship so precise and absolute that it could slice through any material.

If anyone could cut through this barrier, it was him.

But Lancelot shook his head slightly. "If I use it here, the barrier will erupt."

Russel frowned. "How can you tell?"

"I’ve seen this type before," he said quietly. "More than fifty of my comrades were trapped inside one. The enemy left them there... so that with the intention of saving them, I end up murdering them. And surely, I did exactly what the enemy wanted."

Russel’s breath caught in her throat. Such cruelty...

Lancelot’s expression hardened, his voice low and cold. "If the barrier’s chanter is still alive, I’ll find them."

Before Russel could say a word, he vanished—gone in a flash.

She could tell that he was furious, and she couldn’t blame him. He had every reason to be.

But until he found the one behind this barrier...

The students are going to be trapped inside.

....

"Guhh..." Emma groaned, clutching her side. Her face twisted in pain, but she refused to fall, forcing her trembling legs to hold firm.

She couldn’t collapse now—if she did, they’d all go down with her.

Natalie was barely holding onto her shield, blood running from her mouth as she struggled to rise.

Joseph lay unconscious, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle, his face scorched and blackened.

Kevin was on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, his broken sword resting beside him like a lost hope.

Emma had taken her share of wounds too. She’d already healed her broken ribs, torn leg, and shattered collarbone, but the pain still pulsed through every nerve, raw and unbearable.

It had taken only a few minutes for the monster to destroy them all—and it was still standing tall, its once-damaged eye now fully restored.

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

"It’s saddening to see you reaching your limit, Valkyrie," Talobo said, shaking his head as if truly disappointed.

Emma didn’t answer. Even speaking felt like a waste of strength. She needed to conserve every drop of energy she had left.

The Mad Scholar sighed, his tone dripping with mock pity. "Human lives are so fragile. That’s why I got rid of my own children. They were weak, pathetic failures. Just like you all are now."

Kevin, despite the blood staining his chin, let out a dry laugh. "Hiding... behind that monster... and calling *us* weaklings?" His voice was hoarse but sharp enough to pierce the air.

Talobo’s eyes narrowed. "Knowledge is power. And that being," he said, gesturing toward the creature, "is the result of my brilliance."

Kevin’s hands tightened around the broken blade. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his body shaking but his eyes burning.

"You needed help... help from Emma," he said through gritted teeth. "If not for her blood... you’d be the one lying here... helpless... begging for mercy... just like last time."

Talobo’s smile vanished instantly.

The memory hit him like a spear to the chest. That day still haunted him—the moment Emma had nearly ended his life.

If not for Kevin’s interference, the Mad Scholar would already be dead.

"Wendigo... heed my command and crush that creature."

Light burst from Kevin’s body like a divine flare. His hair lifted with the surge of energy, his battered form glowing with an otherworldly brilliance. The air trembled, trees bent, and for the first time, even the Mad Scholar’s grin faltered.

Natalie and Emma exchanged a single glance—wordless, but enough.

In the next heartbeat, both shot forward.

Natalie ignored the stabbing pain in her stomach, leaping with all her strength and hurling her shield high into the air. The metal disc spun like a golden comet.

Emma followed, using a low branch as a springboard. She soared upward, chasing the glinting shield—her hair streaming behind her like fire in motion.

The golem’s pale eye tracked her instantly, its giant hand rising to swat her from the air. But that was exactly what they wanted.

Because Emma... wasn’t the real attack.

*THUMP!*

The forest shook as Natalie crashed bodily into the golem’s massive frame. The impact cracked the earth beneath their feet. The creature staggered, its arm faltering mid-swing.

Emma, now above it, twisted midair and hurled her shield down like a spinning blade.

*THUM!*

It struck true—smashing into the golem’s head with such force that its faceplate dented inward, light flickering in its core.

The creature reeled back, momentarily blinded.

And when it looked up again—

there was a sun hanging above it.

Kevin hovered there, radiating light so intense that the shadows themselves recoiled. His broken sword gleamed white, its edge lengthened and reforged by pure energy.

The wind stilled. Even the flames burning in the distance dimmed in his presence.

"Wendigo! Above you!" Talobo’s voice cracked in panic.

The golem reacted instantly, roaring as it swung its massive arm upward—its fist blotting out the light.

But Kevin was gone.

A flash of brilliance sliced through the air—like a comet passing too fast for the eye to follow.

And then... silence.

Kevin landed behind the golem, his sword lowered, light fading slowly from his body.

The forest stood frozen.

*KRIEK...*

A fine, glowing line cut across the golem’s chest—

and a second later, its upper body slid away, collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash.

The dust rose. The glow died.

And in that stillness, Kevin’s voice, calm and cold, broke through the silence—

"You should’ve never called me weak."

Talobo stared at the scene with his left eye twitching.

The illumination had faded, leaving a gasping Kevin behind.

His vision blurred...but he knew he had done his work. The rest...Emma would handle it.

However—what none of them expected,

"Well, the first version is always full of flaws."

Suddenly, Talobo pulled a handful of similar cubes from his pocket and with a wicked grin, he announced,

"It’s raining death!!"

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.