Chapter 158
Heaven Island.
This mysterious island, floating thousands of meters above ground, was an impregnable fortress that had never once been conquered by outsiders in the continent's history. It currently served as the headquarters of Efnelle.
At the only entrance to Heaven Island, the "Gate of Heaven", countless people were gathered, murmuring as they looked down below the sky.
Kuuuuurururung!
Just ten minutes ago, the sky had been bright and clear, but now it had turned pitch black like night, and black lightning was striking continuously. Priests and students of Efnelle rolled their eyes in fear.
"W-what kind of demonic realm is this?"
"Could it be that the Goddess is angry?"
"...No."
A priest with hair so long it dragged on the floor appeared. Faculty members and students immediately bowed their heads.
It was Aigil, the professor of Defensive Arts at Efnelle.
"This is an ominous sign. Suspend all classes and evacuate all students immediately."
"Yes!"
At Aigil's command, Efnelle's faculty members quickly dispersed.
Right then—
Fwaaaaaaaash!
A brilliant flash flared up, and a massive pillar of light rose from the center of the Gate of Heaven.
This pillar pierced through the clouds of Heaven Island and extended endlessly upward.
Seeing the glowing bands of light fluttering around, Aigil immediately fell to his knees.
"Your Holiness!"
Everyone there lay flat on the ground.
The 15th Pontifex, Heresilia Efnelle.
As the pillar of light vanished, an elderly woman with white hair appeared.
She wore a voluminous white holy robe and held a staff in her hand. Her poised manner and benevolent smile were serene, but her towering frame, over six meters tall, gave off immense pressure to anyone who saw her.
"Y-Your Holiness! Why have you graced us with your presence in person?"
At Aigil's words, the Pontifex's eyes shifted.
"Plema caused an incident."
"...Ah."
"They're all so reckless. We're always the ones cleaning up the mess."
Hersilia stepped forward and clapped her hands together.
"This time, I may have to stake my life."
Kugugugugugung!
Black clouds surged into the sky like a tidal wave, converging and transforming into the shape of a colossal demon. Its eyes glowed blue, and its massive hands reached up to the ends of the heavens.
Murmur murmur murmur.
"A-a demon! It's a demon!"
"O Goddess, please protect us!"
Hersilia summoned Holiness. A blinding radiance exploded forth, as if a second sun had risen.
"Aigil. I entrust the evacuation to you."
"Yes, Your Holiness! Please, stay safe...!"
The priest named Aigil knew all too well that he could be of no help in this battle. He led everyone at the Gate of Heaven away to escape.
Then, as the Pontifex moved her arms, a massive divine barrier enveloped Efnelle and the entire Heaven Island.
"Neftis, must you go this far to quell your anger?"
No sooner had she spoken—
A massive arm of Darkness struck the barrier.
* * *
The onslaught of the Witch of Death, which had only ever been rumored before, continued for a full 48 hours.
Efnelle, protected by the Pontifex herself, remained unharmed, but her assault extended not only to Heaven Island but even to the ground below.
Three major cathedrals were destroyed, forty-seven small- and mid-sized monasteries were devastated, and the cities beneath Heaven Island were reduced to ruins.
Considering that all of this was caused by the debris and fragments that fell after the attack on Heaven Island, one could imagine just how horrific Neftis's offensive had been.
"Your Holiness! Your Holiness! Where are you?"
After the 48-hour-long attack by the Witch of Death ended, Aigil came running to the shattered entrance of Efnelle.
"Ah..."
The Gate of Heaven, Efnelle's pride, was a dreadful ruin, and the surrounding area was soaked in a sea of blood deep enough to reach one's knees.
Amidst it all, the Pontifex was sitting against a wall.
"Your Holiness!"
All that blood had come from her body. Aigil trembled and collapsed in tears into the bloody water.
"I will immediately summon the Six Saints to Efnelle! We will take bloody revenge on the Witch of Death and Keyzen...!"
"It ends here, Aigil."
The Pontifex spoke with her eyes closed.
"Focus on recovery and managing the aftermath."
Aigil's eyes widened.
"Y-Your Holiness! Are you planning to let this brutal, vicious act of terrorism by Keyzen slide? Every believer of the Holy Federation is ready to risk their lives to fight! If you just give the order...!"
Heh heh.
She laughed.
"There's no need to go that far. This is just Neftis throwing a tantrum in a fit of anger."
Aigil's expression went blank.
The highest leader was soaked in blood, multiple monasteries on the surface had been destroyed, and she calls that a tantrum?
"If she were truly serious, I wouldn't even be able to stand upright right now."
She rose to her feet and activated Holiness, quickly healing the wounds on her body.
"It's just a case of long-standing grudges exchanging a single blow. That's the end of the matter. Focus on managing the situation."
"..."
Aigil's expression hardened.
Did she even realize how desperate the militant groups within Efnelle were for war? Even Saint Plema had acted recklessly in defiance of the Pontifex's orders.
But the Pontifex's command was absolute. As long as she remained the leading force suppressing the radicals, there was no just cause to move.
Aigil sighed inwardly and bowed his head.
"I shall obey."
* * *
Three days later, Keyzen Infirmary.
"Phew, Lady Neftis' attack was devastating! Efnelle had to tuck its tail in!"
The entire Team 7 was gathered around Simon's hospital bed for a visit. Dick, as usual, was chattering away, and Simon nodded with a smile.
"Efnelle tucked its tail?"
"Totally! They saw Lady Neftis' power with their own two eyes! Talk of war probably vanished on the spot. As long as Lady Neftis is alive, the Holy Federation won't dare start a war first!"
"Pfft, you fool. You act all smart, but your take on diplomacy sucks."
Maelyn, who had also come to visit, was munching on Simon's fruit.
"Sure, Lady Neftis was amazing, and yes, she dished out dozens of times the damage we took, but it's hard to say Efnelle backed down. This was just the Pontifex taking responsibility for something she deserved to be hit for. Honestly, the ones who backed down were our Elders, right?"
"Ah, true that!"
Dick chuckled and nodded.
"Lady Neftis personally went this far, so how can we turn around and say she's still lacking! Not enough! Let's go to war! That would've been ridiculous. So now we're just riding the public opinion train—'Praise the Great Lady Neftis!' That kind of vibe."
At that moment, Kamibarez, who had been quietly slicing fruit, stabbed a piece with a fork and brought it over to Simon.
"Simon! Say ah~."
Simon opened his mouth, and Kamibarez fed him the fruit. Then she stared intently at him eating.
"...Kami."
"Yes! Simon."
"You're a patient too, how about you get some rest?"
Kamibarez was also in a hospital gown, with bandages wrapped around parts of her body. She smiled brightly and raised her thin arm.
"I'm fine! I'm stronger than Simon!"
From what he'd heard, it seemed she had overexerted herself using Haematology magic on the way to the Necropolis.
Of course, that's all Simon knew, but in truth, she had been in grave danger after unlocking Ursula's seal. Fortunately, she was saved when Sillage, the professor of Haematology, intervened immediately and resealed it.
Still, Kamibarez kept that part secret so her friends wouldn't worry.
At that moment, a knock was heard, and a servant working in the infirmary entered.
"Pardon the intrusion during your visit. How are you feeling, student?"
"Yes, I'm feeling much better."
"That's a relief. Would it be alright if I drew some blood for testing?"
"Of course."
The servant inserted a syringe into Simon's arm and began to draw blood. A brief silence followed.
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing echoed unusually loud.
Three pairs of eyes turned. Kamibarez was staring at the syringe with a flushed face.
"Kami, what's wrong?"
At Maelyn's question, Kamibarez flinched and flailed her hands.
"Ah, it-it's just! I was thinking about how scary needles are...! Just looking at them makes me tense up!"
"Ahaha!"
Maelyn walked over and gave Kamibarez a big hug.
"So cute~ Are you scared of shots? Kami is still a baby."
Maelyn patted her head affectionately. Kamibarez averted her eyes with a reddened face. Her gaze kept drifting to the sight of Simon's blood filling the syringe.
"All done."
"Thank you!"
"Since everything seems stable, you'll be able to discharge soon. I'll inform your teacher properly."
"Yes! Please do."
* * *
Two days later, Simon and Kamibarez also completed their discharge procedures safely.
At Keyzen, shortened classes continued.
Due to the Saint's terrorist attack, the atmosphere at the school was still shaken, and with many injured students, holding regular classes was difficult.
Normally, Keyzen upheld the principle that injuries sustained during class were the student's own responsibility, but this time, since the incident was a result of external terrorism, pushing through performance evaluations while ignoring the injured students would obviously cause backlash.
Thus, for nearly a week, only shortened classes were held.
Then one day—
During the Elementary Black Magic class, a major announcement came from Jane.
"Starting tomorrow, it's vacation."
The classroom erupted at Jane's shocking declaration. Simon already knew from Neftis' words, so he simply nodded along.
"Given the situation, we'll begin summer vacation a bit early. The remaining first-semester classes, the duel evaluation, and final exams will all be incorporated into the newly organized 'Unified Second Semester'."
The Unified Second Semester was a wartime-standard curriculum based on the existing second semester of first year, designed with potential conflict against the priests in mind. Though war hadn't broken out, this was a clear sign that Keyzen's headquarters viewed the current situation seriously.
"Of course, no one's thinking of just slacking off during break, right?"
As Jane gave a signal, the teaching assistants dropped thick stacks of paper in front of the students' desks. Realizing it was all vacation homework, the students' expressions froze.
"There are assignments for all nine subjects. Even if the professors aren't trying to torment you with homework, I hope you'll take this as a chance to build your skills for the Unified Second Semester. Any questions?"
Jaime shot her hand up.
"If the Unified Second Semester begins, what happens to our first-semester grades?"
"They'll be integrated into your second-semester records. You'll also continue using your current squad for the duel evaluations."
After Jaime, other students raised their hands with a flood of questions, and Jane answered them all smoothly as always.
"What happens if we don't complete the vacation homework? Are there penalties?"
"You'll enter permanent vacation. Next."
"How is the Unified Second Semester different from the usual second semester of first year?"
"We'll train you as if we're in a semi-wartime state. Written work will be less frequent, while practical training will increase significantly in both weight and intensity. Evaluations will include real combat ability against priests, and much more dangerous performance evaluations will appear. Next."
"Who's going to be the new Toxicology professor?"
"Whoever it is, they probably won't look kindly on your 40-point Toxicology grade. Next."
Then Kamibarez shyly raised her hand. Jane pointed to her and nodded.
"K-Kamibarez Ursula! I-it may be a bit inappropriate to ask something like this at such a serious moment..."
"Feel free to ask anything, Kamibarez."
"When the second semester begins... will our class members also change?"
A hush fell, and the students' focus sharpened instantly.
It was a simple yet very crucial question, something everyone had hoped someone would ask.
Normally, Keyzen shuffled classes between the first and second semesters. But this "Unified Second Semester" format, merging the tail end of first semester, was unprecedented.
Even Hector, sitting in the back with a disinterested expression and crossed legs, uncrossed them and leaned forward.
Jane replied with a soft smile.
"The second semester will continue with the current class assignments."
Waaah!
Cheers erupted everywhere, unable to hide their joy. Students hugged each other and exchanged high-fives. Simon also shared in the excitement with Dick, Maelyn, and Kamibarez.
"That's a relief, Simon!"
"Yeah."
Simon truly liked his current teammates, class composition, homeroom teacher Jane, and her assistant staff.
Though there was just one person… that he honestly wouldn't mind being placed in a different class.
Simon cast a side glance toward that person.
"Hey, Hector! You just smiled, didn't you?"
"...Shut up."
"Hector smiled!"
"Wahaha! Guess he was worried he'd be separated from us and now he's relieved!"
"I said shut up."
While Hector's crew burst into noisy laughter, Hector's gaze stayed fixed on Simon.
'In the second semester...!'
No matter what anyone said, vacation was the best chance to boost one's combat strength.
During these next two months, Hector was determined to widen the gap so much that Simon wouldn't even dare to look up at him. The Moore Family's training methods were that intense, and he had confidence he could endure them again.
Just as Hector resolved to return completely transformed, his eyes met Simon's.
But Simon just turned his head away without interest, and Hector's face turned red.
'That bastard! So I'm not even worth noticing anymore, huh?'
Gooooooo!
Suddenly, Hector radiated killing intent in the middle of the classroom, but no one paid it any mind as the students continued their lively conversations.
"Silence."
At Jane's word, Class A's attention returned to her.
"Now, I'll announce the most important assignment you must complete during vacation."