[translator - night]

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    chapter 97: my specialty is self-destruction

    swimming through shadows.

    i had undertaken such an absurd feat.

    perhaps that’s why a look of bewilderment flashed across solvas’ face beyond the shadows.

    it was only natural.

    shadows aren’t like water.

    if i had to describe it, they feel more like paint.

    but how was i swimming through shadows?

    the answer was simple.

    magic engraving: wind.

    i could create buoyancy with the wind magic attached to my arms and legs.

    it wasn’t enough to let me soar through the air, but it allowed me to float within the shadows.

    thanks to that, i could swim even in the shadows.

    splash, splash, splash!

    the distance between solvas and me closed in an instant.

    for what it’s worth, swimming is my specialty.

    it’s an excellent exercise for building stamina without injuries, so there was a time i swam every day.

    “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

    even solvas, who never expected this, showed his astonishment.

    he quickly dashed across the wave of shadows, forming a shadow bow in his grasp.

    fwip!

    as he released the drawn bowstring, a shadow arrow shot forth.

    the arrow split into countless fragments, multiplying into hundreds in the blink of an eye.

    a rain of arrows poured down from the sky.

    i immediately dove into the shadows.

    the shadow arrows pierced through the shadow waves but missed me as i swam nimbly inside.

    the sheer force of the waves rendered the arrows less effective.

    beyond the shadows, solvas’ face twisted.

    it seemed he realized his shadow wave had backfired.

    shadows are inherently devoured by other shadows.

    within the shadow wave, even solvas’ shadows were losing their edge.

    meanwhile, i kept closing the distance to solvas.

    splash, splash, splash!

    as i approached with incredible speed using the butterfly stroke, solvas flinched.

    if you’re going to look at me like i’m some sort of monster, it hurts, you know.

    no choice but to swim even harder.

    thanks to that, i swam faster than solvas, who was running on the shadow waves.

    “what the—? how aren’t you slowing down? don’t you get tired?!”

    of course not.

    you think something like this would wear me out?

    i’ve been training in hellish conditions with aisha, and the intensity had only increased in preparation for today.

    stamina is power.

    right now, i’m a wrecking machine forged from endurance.

    solvas unleashed a torrent of shadow weapons.

    but i trusted in my ability to evade and the resilience of my body, pushing forward without hesitation.

    even fleeing has its limits.

    eventually, the distance between solvas and me closed.

    my eyes gleamed.

    this was my chance.

    the magic engravings on my soles lit up all at once.

    boom!

    in an instant, i surged upward, still in my swimming stance, propelled by the explosion of the magic engravings.

    caught off guard, solvas looked up at me in stunned disbelief.

    you didn’t see this coming—your mistake.

    i grabbed solvas’ shoulder, pushing him down forcefully.

    solvas dug in with both legs to resist.

    “ugh!”

    but while he was a genius with shadows, when it came to raw strength, i had the upper hand.

    sploosh!

    overpowered, solvas was plunged into the shadow wave.

    both of us were dragged beneath the surface in no time.

    with a grimace, solvas glared fiercely.

    “this... was a mistake.”

    that’s what his lips said.

    rumble!

    the shadow wave began to churn violently.

    what i saw next was a massive vortex forming within the shadow wave, sweeping everything into its spiraling force.

    as expected of a six-star.

    the scale is insane.

    but solvas didn’t realize one crucial fact.

    my legs were tightly coiled around his waist, and my arms were locked firmly around his neck.

    in this form, hannon, i’m much smaller than solvas.

    burying my face in a man’s chest is revolting, but it’s the best position for holding on tight.

    something sticky and soft cushioned me, sparing me from face-planting into the ground.

    when i regained my senses and looked around, i saw shadows enveloping me.

    “wangnon!”

    from afar, card was running over, waving his hand.

    thanks to card’s shadow magic, i’d avoided the crash.

    i slid down off the shadow.

    “hahaha! that was art!”

    at that moment, grantoni emerged from the forest, clapping his hands and praising the explosion as a masterpiece.

    “you’re still as reckless as ever.”

    card gave a wry chuckle as he watched me descend from the shadow.

    when solvas used the outlaw’s wave, card must have been watching from this side.

    that meant he’d seen exactly how i fought.

    “i had no choice but to be reckless. it was the only way to win.”

    if solvas had maintained his distance better, the fight would have been even tougher for me.

    i have my own trump card, but i couldn’t reveal it here.

    “so, where’s solvas?”

    “he crashed over that way. i was thinking of finishing him off, but i’m sure his real allies are gathered there.”

    in other words, his elimination wasn’t certain.

    i had hoped to knock him out during the preliminaries, but going further would be overdoing it.

    i’d pushed myself quite hard in this fight; my body was sore.

    and besides...

    i sensed eerie presences all around the forest.

    we’d caused quite a commotion.

    the preliminaries were set in a jungle—a place filled with beasts obsessively determined to pass the qualifiers.

    before reaching solvas, i’d need to get through them first.

    “so, what did you think?”

    as i loosened up my body, i asked card.

    he was silent for a moment before patting my shoulder.

    “it was the most satisfying day of my life.”

    card, who had successfully outplayed a loathsome boss, looked more relieved than anyone.

    “great. then let’s get to work, now that you’re satisfied.”

    rustle—

    from between the trees, hyena-like figures emerged.

    just as we’d teamed up, they too had formed alliances.

    among them were students from our own academy’s department of magic.

    “card, i’ll make you regret ever kicking me.”

    that one seemed to have a personal grudge.

    as i glared at card, who had clearly racked up his own share of enemies, he simply shrugged.

    anyway—

    “let’s make it through the qualifiers.”

    it was time to become a wrecking ball.

    * * *

    the sanctuary of wolfram.

    within the arena building, a situation room was bustling with activity.

    here, gathered were professors from each academy.

    “this generation truly has so much talent,”

    said one professor, marveling at the unfolding preliminaries.

    indeed, this generation had produced an extraordinary number of gifted individuals.

    these were the heroes humanity relied on to protect the magical palace.

    as the professor watched with satisfaction, he noticed the unusual silence around him.

    realizing the other professors were all fixated on one screen, he turned to see what had captured their attention.

    on the screen, a boy was swimming through a sea of black waves.

    what was that?

    was he swimming in a river?

    as he stared blankly at the screen, a realization slowly dawned upon him.

    “...isn’t that solvas umbra’s shadow?”

    the shadow of solvas umbra, a member of the six stars.

    there was no doubt about it.

    “that’s insane.”

    another professor exclaimed in disbelief, reacting to the absurdity of someone swimming through shadows.

    but on the screen, the boy managed to reach solvas, pull him out, and engage in a desperate battle that ended in a self-detonation.

    the professors were stunned.

    “he doesn’t hold anything back.”

    “it looks like he’s wearing something special, but...”

    “it’s hard to tell from this angle. what’s that kid’s name?”

    as murmurs filled the room, one professor finally spoke.

    “hanon irey.”

    the voice belonged to a female professor in an ill-fitting suit, faintly exuding the scent of alcohol.

    the professors all recognized her.

    she was none other than vega mercia, one of the main figures of the azure generation.

    vega was grinning from ear to ear.

    “he’s my student.”

    a proud teacher boasting about her own student.

    [translator - night]

    [proofreader - gun]

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