Chapter 366 : Aqua Judgement

Back on the first floor of the academy's central building.

"CHLOEEE!!" Charles screamed in shock as he saw Chloe—her chest pierced right through from front to back by Duke Remy’s elongated left hand.

Duke Remy’s elongated left hand retracted to its normal size. Once the hand withdrew, Chloe—who had just been impaled—collapsed and lay motionless on the floor.

"CHLOEEEE!!!" Charles screamed again.

He shouted while struggling to break free from the grip of Duke Remy’s right hand, which was choking him.

"You bastard, Lord Remy. How dare you hurt and wound Chloe? I won't forgive you! I am absolutely going to kill you!" Charles declared, his face twisted in rage.

Duke Remy laughed upon hearing Charles's words.

"Hahaha, you keep saying you’ll kill me, yet you still haven't managed to do it, Prince. How do you expect to kill me now when you can't even break free from my chokehold?" Duke Remy said.

With that, Duke Remy tightened his grip on Charles's throat. Charles desperately tried to pry the hand away with both of his own, but he couldn't break the hold. Even so, he refused to give up. A moment later, Charles muttered something under his breath.

~San Fulgen Art - Water Technique: Rain Swords~

Suddenly, several swords made of water magic materialized around Charles, hovering in the air. As soon as they appeared, the water swords struck Duke Remy’s right hand—the one choking Charles. The attack severed the hand completely, finally freeing Charles from Duke Remy's grasp. Duke Remy, whose right hand had just been severed, watched as the limb—which had previously elongated—retracted to its original size; instantly, the hand restored itself to its pre-severed state. Meanwhile, just as Duke Remy was recovering his hand, Charles was seen raising his sword overhead with both hands. As he lifted the weapon, the water blades surrounding him surged toward it.

~San Fulgen Art - Water Technique: Giant Water Sword~

The water swords merged with the sword Charles held aloft, causing the weapon to gradually expand in size. It was now enveloped in water magic. Duke Remy simply stood motionless, watching Charles wield the rapidly enlarging sword.

"Does he intend to attack me with that massive sword? If that sword strikes me, it could be a dire situation," Duke Remy thought.

Duke Remy intended to move from his current position. However, it was unclear whether he meant to attack Charles—who was in the midst of raising his sword—or retreat, because just as he attempted to move, he suddenly found himself unable to budge.

"I can't move my body?" Duke Remy thought.

He was momentarily startled by this realization. He struggled to move, but his body refused to obey.

"What on earth is happening?" Duke Remy wondered.

He scanned his surroundings, searching for the cause of his immobility, but initially found nothing. Finally, his gaze fell upon Queen Kayana, who was lying on the ground. Although she was lying down, she was pointing her right hand toward Duke Remy. She said nothing as she did so, yet a smile played upon her lips.

"So, it was Her Majesty who immobilized me. She’s used her gravity magic to pin me in place. This is a dire situation," Duke Remy thought.

While Duke Remy was contemplating this, Charles finished merging the water swords that had been circling him into his own sword. His sword had grown to an immense size; its tip nearly brushed the ceiling above. Duke Remy looked up at the massive weapon, a look of shock crossing his face.

"This really is a critical situation," Duke Remy thought.

Then, Charles began to move the colossal sword.

"I shall strike you down with this sword, Lord Remy," Charles declared.

With that, Charles swung his sword vertically downward toward Duke Remy. The massive sword hurtled down, poised to crush him.

~Aqua Judgement~

The greatsword Charles swung vertically downward struck Duke Remy. He took the hit head-on, unable to dodge due to the effects of Queen Kayana's gravity magic. The massive sword slammed into Duke Remy, shattering the floor beneath him. The impact sent him plummeting straight down into the academy library below. The blow didn't just destroy the floor he had been standing on; it also demolished the surrounding flooring and the levels beneath the point of impact. The floors crumbled instantly, sending debris raining down into the library. That debris began to crash down upon Duke Remy, who had already fallen into the library.

-

At Rid, Irene, Miss Violetta, and Miss Karina's place.

I was shocked to hear that Noa and the others were critically injured.

"Let's go heal them right away, Rid," Irene said.

I fell silent, mulling over Irene's words. My mind was occupied with a few thoughts.

"I want to heal Noa and the others, but at the same time, I need to go after Charles and Chloe. If they're currently fighting Lord Remy, they might be struggling. I have to help them immediately," I thought.

Irene looked puzzled as she watched Rid fall silent after hearing her words.

"Rid?" Irene said.

Rid still didn't respond to her.

A few seconds later, while I was still lost in thought, someone suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder. Startled from my silence, I turned to see who it was. It was Miss Violetta.

"Miss Violetta?" I asked.

"It seems you're torn, Rid. You want to heal your other friends, but at the same time, you also want to hurry and join Prince Charles and Princess Chloe—who are your friends as well," said Miss Violetta.

Miss Violetta knew exactly what I was thinking. Yet, I wasn't surprised to hear her voice those thoughts.

"You're right, Miss. I am indeed torn because I've been thinking about that," I replied.

"So, it's true, then. In that case, I have a suggestion to help you stop wavering," said Miss Violetta.

"What is that suggestion, Miss?" I asked.

"You should go ahead and heal your friends. I will be the one to go and catch up with Prince Charles and Princess Chloe," said Miss Violetta.

"Will it be alright for you to go there alone, Miss?" I asked.

"It will be fine. You don't need to worry; just go and heal your friends," said Miss Violetta.

I fell silent after hearing Lady Violetta's words. While I was silent, Miss Karina suddenly asked something.

"Why do you need to catch up with Charles and Chloe, Rid? Did something happen?" asked Miss Karina.

I immediately responded to Lady Karina's question.

"Charles and Chloe had already gone ahead to the central building—where Lord Remy is, Miss. Before that, after defeating and killing King Albert—who had transformed into a demon—Charles and Chloe suddenly came to see me. I explained to them that their father had turned into a demon. I told them that the person who likely turned their father into a demon was Lord Remy. You suspected the same thing earlier, didn't you, Miss?" I asked Lady Karina.

"Yes. I see... so Charles and Chloe rushed straight to the central building after learning that Lord Remy was likely the one who had transformed their father," said Miss Karina.

"Yes, Miss. I want to catch up with them right away because I'm worried something untoward might happen to them," I said.

"Hmm, I see," said Miss Karina.

Miss Karina fell silent for a moment, then began speaking again.

"In that case, I will go with Violetta to catch up with Charles and Chloe," said Miss Karina.

I was slightly surprised to hear Lady Karina say that.

"You're the one going, Miss? Is it really alright for you to go?" I asked.

"It's fine. Besides, my injuries have fully healed thanks to you. You don't need to worry, Rid. And rest assured, I won't let anything untoward happen to Charles and Chloe," Miss Karina said.

"If Miss Karina is coming with me, you really shouldn't worry, Rid. The two of us are more than capable of protecting Prince Charles and Princess Chloe should anything happen to them," Miss Violetta said.

"Yes, you're right, Miss. In that case, I'll leave it to the two of you to catch up with Charles and Chloe immediately. Meanwhile, Irene and I will go to heal my friends," I said.

"Yes, just leave it to us," Miss Karina said.

After that, we prepared to head to our respective destinations. But before we left, I had something to ask Miss Karina and Miss Violetta.

"Miss Violetta, Miss Karina... if Lord Remy is where Charles and Chloe are right now, and it turns out he is the mastermind behind all of this, what will you do? Will you kill him on the spot?" I asked.

Miss Karina and Miss Violetta answered my question immediately.

"Of course I would kill him. As the principal of this academy, what he has done is unforgivable," Miss Karina said.

"I would kill him too, just as I said before, Rid," Miss Violetta said.

"I see. So, the two of you intend to kill Lord Remy if he truly is the mastermind behind all this. But what will you do if, despite your intentions, you find yourselves unable to kill him? It is possible that Lord Remy has transformed into an incredibly powerful demon, making him difficult to defeat. If he can turn others into demons, he could certainly transform himself into one as well," I said.

Miss Karina and Miss Violetta fell silent after hearing my words. They remained quiet for quite some time. Seeing that they were still silent, I decided to speak up.

"Miss Violetta, Miss Karina—if the two of you cannot kill Duke Remy despite trying every technique, spell, and method at your disposal, I ask that you simply keep him contained. Once I have healed my friends, I will immediately come to join you. If you are unable to kill Lord Remy, then I will be the one to do it. After all, I have a promise I must keep," I said.

-

Meanwhile, at Elaina's place.

Elaina was currently in an area serving as a gathering point for students, knights, academy staff, and others. Several of the wounded were resting there; Noa, Kotaro, Julie, and Lillian lay unconscious, their bodies covered in injuries. Nearby, Leandra and Lily stood guard, though they too bore wounds on various parts of their bodies. Duchess Arlet also lay unconscious in the area, surrounded by knights keeping watch.

Those lying wounded were being tended to by individuals who were either uninjured or only slightly hurt. They stood guard because the location was under attack by a massive horde of demons. While some of the uninjured guarded the wounded, others were directly engaging the demons assaulting the site. Among those fighting the demons were Elaina and Duke Louis. Both bore numerous wounds, though Duke Louis’s injuries appeared more severe than Elaina’s; the wounds he had sustained earlier while fighting Duke Remy had not fully healed and had now reopened.

"Lord Duke, you really ought to rest; let me handle them," Elaina said, concerned by Duke Louis's condition.

"There is no need; I am still capable of fighting. I must also protect you—Sir Oliver's daughter. Your father saved me once, so now it is my turn to repay that debt by guarding and assisting you," Duke Louis replied.

"Very well, if you insist, Lord Duke. In that case, can you hold out until Senior Rid and Senior Irene arrive?" Elaina asked.

"Of course. I will hold the line," Duke Louis said.

"Alright. If we can hold out until the two of them arrive, the situation here will turn in our favor," said Elaina.

-To be continued