Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 346: Episode

"Hah! Hah!"

Dick and Meirin sprinted up the sloping city stairs at full speed.

"I still don’t get it!" Dick yelled between gasps, his face a mask of disbelief. "How did the Guardian Stone get broken? And what’s Hector doing on the Siege Team?!"

"Stop whining and just run," Meirin snapped back.

The order from their commander-in-chief, Simon, had been simple: all Kizen students were to assemble at the royal palace. He had judged that any further defense was pointless.

"By the way, who’s defending the palace?" Meirin asked.

"Goul and Pengel."

Dick’s answer was met with a blank stare from Meirin.

"Goul is just an average hemomancer," he elaborated. "And Pengel is mid-to-high tier, but neither of them will last long against Hector. Unless, by some miracle, Pengel manages to land her Banshee’s Embrace on him."

"...Banshee’s what?"

"It’s a thing," Dick said, glancing up. "Ah, come on! I hope someone got there fast...!"

---

In the open ground before the royal palace—the final stage before the ‘king’—Hector and Simon stood facing each other.

"...You."

Hector’s expression, which should have been ecstatic, was twisted into a fearsome scowl.

"What happened to you?"

Anyone could see that Simon had just come from a grueling fight. His clothes and hair were caked with dirt, his face was pale, and he was panting heavily.

Hector’s mind raced. There was only one other person on the Siege Team who could have pushed Simon this hard.

"...Were you the one who defeated Jule?"

"That’s right."

Simon tried to sound composed, but his ragged breathing betrayed him. Hector’s face crumpled.

’I told her I wanted to fight Simon Polentia at his best!’

He remembered his conversation with Elisa.

"If you just do as I say, you can win the game and fight Simon."

"I don’t need your help, worm. I’ll act on my own."

"If you do that, you’ll never get the fight you want. Simon is the commander-in-chief. Do you really think the Defense Team will just let their boss fight you one-on-one?"

She had a point. As Hector considered it, Elisa had pressed her advantage.

"Just trust me. I’ll set the perfect stage for you."

Her plan had been to capture the outer castle, begin the siege on the inner one, and then use a trick to destroy the Guardian Stone. The moment it fell, Hector was to transform into a Corpse Dragon and fly to the royal palace. Elisa had assured him with absolute conviction that if he fought the defenders there, Simon would be the first to come running.

She had been right about Simon arriving, but he was already battered and worn.

"Let me ask you one thing," Hector growled, his eyes like daggers. "Was fighting Jule your decision?"

Simon hesitated, but decided the truth wouldn’t cause any harm. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"No. Jule was the one who relentlessly came after me."

Hector’s nose twitched in fury. He threw his head back and roared, his voice shaking the very stones of the castle.

"ELISA SELIIIIIIIN!!!!"

’Rooooar!’

Simon clapped his hands over his ears.

’...Is that Dragon Fear?’

It was a sound-based curse on a completely different level from the one the werewolf student had used. Dick had claimed Hector couldn’t use it yet, but from the looks of it, perfecting the technique wouldn’t take him long.

"...When this is over, I’m coming for that woman," Hector seethed, turning his glare back to Simon.

’Damn it.’

It was infuriating. Simon had just taken down Special Admission No. 5. There was no glory for Hector in defeating an exhausted opponent. Elisa might have thought she was ensuring victory, but all he felt was profound disgust.

’But...’

This exam was too important to let his pride get in the way. And even if the circumstances were less than ideal, this was still the battle with Simon Polentia he had been waiting for.

"Bring out your Royal Guard," Hector commanded. "I’ll at least wait for that."

"Sorry, but I don’t have enough strength left to summon them."

A vein bulged on Hector’s neck. "So you went all out against that swordsman, but you think you can beat me without your Royal Guard?!"

’How could he possibly interpret it that way?’ Simon sighed and raised his arm. A subspace opened, and five skeleton mages descended behind him. Summoning the Royal Guard again was out of the question. This was a hastily devised technique, but he had no other choice.

Simon traced a magic circle in the air.

The skulls of the five skeleton mages detached and floated into the air. A turquoise cloud flowed from Simon’s body, enveloping the skulls until each floated at the center of a swirling, emerald vortex.

’Simon Original – Skulldrone’

The skulls began to slowly rotate around Simon. Hector scowled.

"You intend to face me with that? A cheap imitation of your Royal Guard?"

The dragon wings on his back spread wide.

"Don’t regret this, Simon Polentia!!"

"What do you mean, imitation?"

Simon grinned, lowering his stance. "This is my trump card."

Without another word, Hector charged. Simultaneously, the jawbones of the floating Skulldrones opened, and a dark blue flame flickered to life within each one.

’Dark Blaze’

As the fireballs shot forward, the charging Hector’s eyes widened.

’Magic, directly from the skulls? Without staves or bodies?’

He hastily changed direction to dodge, and the fireballs slammed into the ground in a series of fiery explosions.

While Hector was distracted, Simon launched his own counter-charge and threw a punch.

’Hongfeng Original – Chwita’

’Baaam!’

Hector blocked the blow, but the force sent him skidding back with a grunt. A few of the loose scales on his body clattered to the ground.

This time, Hector advanced, his fist raised.

’Booooom!’

Suddenly, an explosion erupted behind him. He staggered, his eyes darting back to see the Skulldrones hovering ominously in the air.

"You son of a—!"

’Whack!’ A roundhouse kick from Simon caught him squarely in the face.

’It’s working!’

Simon’s new fighting style was fluid and dynamic, a deadly dance between close combat and ranged assault. He engaged Hector directly while the Skulldrones provided cover fire from all directions. If Hector focused on the fireballs, Simon struck; if he focused on Simon, the fireballs found their mark. Assailed from six directions at once, Hector was forced completely onto the defensive.

"You bastard!"

A demonic glint flared in Hector’s eyes. He threw his arms out, and the scales on his body flew like shrapnel, peppering the Skulldrones’ skulls.

’Thwack! Thud!’

Simon, connected to the drones, flinched from the feedback. Hector seized the opening, rushing in to drive his fist into Simon’s abdomen.

’Booooom!’

Simon barely managed to block it, but a smirk spread across Hector’s face.

"So, that’s how I have to fight."

Hector retreated and swung his arm. The bone fragments scattered on the ground rose and reformed into Bone Spears.

"Go!"

He launched the spears at the Skulldrones while he himself charged at Simon.

"Move!"

Simon commanded the drones to dodge the spears as he met Hector’s charge.

’Tap! Pow! Wham!’

The two boys exchanged a furious volley of blows before simultaneously leaping back. Hector tried to form more Bone Spears, but—

’Dark Blaze’

’Dark Blaze’

’Dark Blaze’

—the Skulldrones were faster. Hector was forced into a defensive stance, shielding himself with his dragon wings as the fireballs exploded against them.

"Heok! Huu!"

Simon panted, resetting his stance. Hector wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and grinned.

"Good. Good. ’Good!"

This was it. It wasn’t the full-power duel he craved, but this was the feeling he had been chasing. This boy was on a completely different level from the other students. He was a worthy rival to crush.

Hector’s body began to bulge and expand. The Moore family’s Dragon Form. Before, the dragon parts had seemed loosely attached, but now his body was nearly forty percent transformed. The scales settled into place, and his wings moved with a new, natural grace.

"I’ll kill you!"

Hector launched himself into the air, diving toward Simon’s Skulldrones.

’Pierce of Blizzard’

A sudden gale erupted. A fierce blizzard of whipping wind and ice shards forced Hector to abort his attack and land. He touched down in what had become a sticky, viscous puddle.

"Meirin, nice!"

Dick, who had appeared out of nowhere, grinned and swung his arms.

’Venom Whip’

A whip made of pure poison lashed out at Hector. He blasted it apart with a weak breath of fire, tore his feet free from the puddle with sheer force, and took to the air again.

"Dick! Meirin!" Simon shouted, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Were you waiting, Mr. Commander-in-Chief?" Meirin said with a wink.

She and Dick moved to stand in front of Simon, forming a protective line. Hector’s face contorted in a deep scowl.

"Worms! Don’t interfere with my duel!"

"Are you insane?" Dick shot back. "The palace is about to be overrun, and you’re worried about a duel?"

In an instant, the fight had become three against one.

"Simon!"

"We’re here to help!"

More students from the Defense Team, having heard Simon’s call, were arriving. The numbers swelled from three against one to nine against one.

"Don’t let that guy get away," Dick said, pulling a net from his subspace. "If we take down Hector, we can turn this whole battle around."

"Alright, fine." Hector’s Dragon Form progressed even further, his features becoming more distinctly draconic. "Come at me, all of you. I’ll take you on alone—!"

’Booooom-! Boooooooom!’

Before he could finish, the roar of cannons echoed from above, and cannonballs rained down. The Defense Team students scrambled back as someone shouted in dismay.

"I-It’s Elisa’s ghost ships!"

In the distance, three transparent ghost ships hovered in the air. One by one, students from the Siege Team dropped down, assembling behind Hector. The numbers were instantly evened out.

"Hector! We’re here to help!"

"Haha! Perfect timing, wasn’t it?"

’Damn it!’

His allies were completely oblivious to his frustration. Hector bit his lip. Just when he was about to have a proper fight with Simon, it had turned into a chaotic group battle. He turned to his allies, a savage look on his face.

"Simon Polentia is mine. Touch him, and you’ll answer to me first."

"O-Okay."

The two groups of students took their battle stances.

"Let’s go!"

Then, as if moved by a single mind, the students of the Siege Team and the Defense Team charged.