Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 409: Episode

’Whoosh! Whiff!’

The duel should have ended the moment Hector’s barrier was shattered, but he showed no signs of stopping. He unleashed a merciless onslaught against Simon.

“What the hell?” Dick, the referee, sputtered in disbelief. “He’s the one who suggested a fair duel evaluation, so what’s with this? Hey! Stop!”

Dick ran to intervene, but one of Hector’s scales flew straight for his head. He flailed wildly and managed to dodge it.

“Dick! Are you okay?”

“Whoa, look at his eyes! He’s completely lost it!” Dick muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat from his position on the ground.

“D-Dad! Please, stop the fight!” Kamibarez cried out.

“What are you doing? Dad!” Meirin added urgently.

They desperately called out to their fathers, but the men merely watched the battle with grim faces. Richard was no different.

“If Simon wanted to forfeit, he would have done so himself,” Richard stated calmly.

“What?”

“Simon intends to see this through to the end. We have no right to interfere.”

’Smack!’

Meanwhile, Simon was lost in thought as he parried Hector’s ferocious attacks.

’So this is the power of Chaos.’

He was a little surprised himself. He had never imagined it would have such an effect during practice. It seemed Hector’s mind had been temporarily corrupted by Chaos, stripping him of his reason. It was the same state the Chaos Reaper had been in when it attacked Simon, its own caster.

’Normally, it’s easy to subdue an opponent who has lost their senses. But...’

Hector was different. Every single movement, every step, was too flawless for someone who had supposedly lost his mind. His combat instincts were completely ingrained in his body. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’Incredible.’

His current movements were purely the product of relentless effort. In that moment, Simon truly found Hector amazing and worthy of respect.

’Swoosh!’

Just then, Hector’s fist was enveloped in jet-black.

’That’s Blade Infusion!’

Simon calculated the punch’s trajectory and quickly ducked, but—

His body was suddenly yanked toward Hector as if caught by a hook. It wasn’t Blade Infusion.

<Hector Original – Pulling Grasp>

Hector’s subsequent headbutt slammed into Simon, shattering his barrier as well.

’An original technique, here of all times!’

With both their barriers gone, they were now fighting bare-bodied. Since it was a duel evaluation, the protective functions of their uniforms were also deactivated.

Simon staggered, the back of his head reeling from the impact.

’Tch! My consciousness...!’

As his vision swam, Hector, his pupils dyed violet, charged with a brutish laugh.

“I will win, no matter what! Simon Polent—!”

Hector’s nose broke as blood sprayed through the air. A lightning-fast kick from Simon had landed squarely on his face.

“Whoa!” the Hayward brothers roared. “Simon’s not getting pushed back at all!”

Simon immediately scrambled onto Hector’s shoulder and wrapped his legs around his neck.

’I’ll choke him out like this...!’

However, Hector’s arms slipped between Simon’s legs and began to push at the backs of his knees. Simon was stunned. Hector knew exactly how to break the technique.

’He even learned ground techniques?’

During a previous BMAT, Hector had struggled against Simon’s ground game. He must have reflected on that failure and prepared countermeasures.

Simon rolled off Hector’s back.

“Kuhap!” Hector bellowed.

His rock-like fist immediately came rushing in.

’Thwack!’

Ducking his head to avoid it, Simon closed the distance and countered with an uppercut to Hector’s chin.

’Smack!’

Almost simultaneously, Hector’s low kick slammed into Simon’s leg.

Their fists smashed into each other’s faces. Blood flew, and both of them staggered back.

“Kuuugh!” Hector groaned.

“Hah!” Simon gasped.

It was now a battle of wills. The area fell silent as everyone watched the two, their jet-black exhausted, facing each other with nothing but their bare fists. Every spectator was on the edge of their seat, palms sweating, completely engrossed in the match.

And then...

“...This is a truly insane fight.”

Despite broken noses and split lips dripping blood, both boys were smiling.

With a brutal series of impacts, the air shook every time their fists collided, and sand flew with every step they took.

“H-Who has the advantage now, Dick?” the second brother, Dan Hayward, asked.

“Hector, obviously. The size difference is too great,” Dick replied, crossing his arms.

Just as he said, Simon was sent flying like a ball after guarding Hector’s kick, collapsing to the ground. Blood poured from one of his nostrils, and his joints creaked in protest.

’There has to be a way... Ah!’

Just then, he saw a single Chaos Spear lying on the sand. It must have had a long duration, as it hadn’t been dispelled yet.

’Creating variables! This is why I love Chaos!’

Simon scrambled toward the spear, and Hector, seeing this, glared and gave chase. Even in his clouded state, he instinctively knew that Chaos was dangerous.

Simon bent down and snatched the fallen spear.

“Tch!”

He had been too hasty. As his foot slipped on the sand and he staggered, Hector rushed in. Simon gritted his teeth and twisted his torso.

“Keuhap!”

’WHOOSH!’

He threw it. But perhaps he had been too rushed; Hector easily dodged it by tilting his head.

’CRACK!’

A kick sent Simon’s body tumbling across the ground, leaving him covered in blood and sand. Hector roared as he closed in and mounted him.

“Get out of there, Simon!” his Group 7 members yelled.

“Finish him, Hector!” the faction students screamed.

The shouts from both sides clashed. Hector raised his fist.

’Squeeze!’

Simon momentarily tensed his legs, arching his body. The move threw Hector’s upper body off balance, forcing his elbow to touch the sand.

Simon’s hands immediately locked onto Hector’s waist, his legs wrapping around Hector’s body like a snake before flipping him over to the side.

“This technique again!!” Hector’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Simon, having secured a dominant position, tried to counterattack immediately, but—

Hector grabbed both of Simon’s fists and, despite being caught in the hold, began to stand up with sheer brute force. The muscles in his legs trembled as if they were about to burst.

’He’s so damn tough!’

Having no other choice, Simon kicked Hector in the face and slipped away. Blood burst from Hector’s mouth and he staggered, but he didn’t fall. Simon, on the other hand, had used up all his strength with that last kick. He collapsed to the ground, his body giving out.

“It’s over!!” Hector roared, sensing victory as he raised his arm.

“...Did you forget?” Simon managed a weary smile. “A Chaos Spear’s final point of impact can be designated.”

At the very last moment, Hector’s reason returned.

’Don’t tell me, that spear from before...!’

’CRACK!’

The violet spear struck him from behind, and Hector’s charging body bent sharply.

’KABOOOOOM!’

The Chaos Spear erupted in a violent, violet explosion. Hector was sent flying, tumbling across the dirt ground.

“Whoa!”

“That was a direct hit!”

As cheers and stunned silence rippled through the crowd, Simon stood up and turned around.

Hector was no longer moving. A great sense of relief washed over him.

“The winner!!” Dick let out a cry of joy. “In the end, it’s Simon Polentia again!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Simon raised a clenched fist in victory. His group members and the Hayward brothers ran over as if they had been waiting, while the faction students rushed to Hector.

’Thud!’

The moment his fist was in the air, Simon lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Simon!!”

“Oh, you dummy! You just got out of the hospital yesterday! Why are you pushing yourself so hard!” Kamibarez’s urgent voice was followed by Meirin’s nagging.

“That was a razor-thin margin,” Dick said with a hollow laugh, looking back and forth between the unconscious Simon and Hector.

Soon after, Richard walked over and stood before Simon. ’Did you get it out of your system, Simon?’

Just then, he sensed a presence. The large figure of Darkos Moore approached. The moment Richard tensed to react, Darkos extended his hand instead of attacking.

“Huh?”

It was an offer for a handshake.

“...You have a talented son. You must be proud,” Darkos said, the slight smile on his face resembling Hector’s.

Richard, who had been on guard, let out an embarrassed laugh and took his hand. “Your son’s talent was also incredible.”

He then added, “And he’s my nephew, not my son.”

“We’ll just leave it at that,” Darkos replied, turning toward the fallen Hector.

Richard let out a light sigh and looked at Simon. It was just as he’d said. Richard felt like he would burst with pride for his son.

’I want to brag to the whole world,’ he thought, tilting his head back. ’That this boy is my son.’

The Vampire Lord Dietrich healed Simon and Hector’s wounds with blood-flow magic. As Meirin watched the collapsed Simon with concern, Daniela approached her.

“Meirin.”

“Dad?”

Daniela’s gaze wouldn’t leave Simon. He finally looked at his daughter and smiled.

“That hair of yours.”

“Huh?”

“It’s beautiful. You should definitely keep growing it out.”

“Huh??” Meirin looked at him, completely baffled.

Meanwhile, Dietrich, having finished the treatment, stepped back and gently placed a hand on Kamibarez’s shoulder.

“My daughter, Kamibarez.”

“Ah, yes.”

“As a daughter of Ursula, I was determined to marry you to a vampire, but I’ve had a change of heart.” Glancing toward Daniela as if to keep him in check, he gave a thumbs-up. “In skill, and in love, do not lose to a mere human!”

Kamibarez’s face flushed bright red. “W-What are you talking about! All of a sudden!”

---

By the time Simon opened his eyes, it was evening.

’Ugh!’

It was the same infirmary he had spent some time in before. As he shot up, he saw Richard sitting beside him with his legs crossed, reading a book while wearing glasses.

“Are you awake, Simon?”

Simon quickly gathered his wits. “Ah, Father! Where are the others?”

“They’ve already gone home.” Richard closed his book with a snap. “They were all disappointed they couldn’t say goodbye.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the side of the bed. On a piece of paper were farewell messages left by the members of Group 7 and the Hayward brothers. He could tell who wrote what just by the handwriting: Dick’s messy, hard-to-read script, Meirin’s neat and elegant noble-like penmanship, and Kamibarez’s cute handwriting complete with emoticons. The Hayward brothers had also left a few words each.

Simon read the messages with a happy smile.

“Did you have fun at Kizen?” Richard asked.

“Yes!” Simon answered without a moment’s hesitation. “It’s the best. My life has changed like a dream since I came to school!”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Richard smiled with satisfaction and stood up. “The infirmary doctor said you can be discharged. Rest for another hour, and then let’s return to Leshill.”

“Yes!”

---

Simon had a few plans for the vacation. First, there was something he had to do right away.

’The exclusive dungeon clear rights I won before.’

He still had the dungeon clear rights he had won in a duel against the third prince, Andre, during the Langstein Kingdom’s banquet. This was the ‘White Grave Dungeon,’ where an Ancient Undead was rumored to be hiding. Pier, the only one who knew how to enter, had decided to lead the expedition himself.

[Mwahaha! I shall return with good news!]

Simon had also assigned Prince, Erzebet, and Akemus to assist Pier. He only needed Herseva by his side, so that was enough. He had planned to rest a bit in Leshill and then join them, but his injuries were a concern. More importantly, Pier had insisted that the dungeon was highly toxic, so a human would be of no help.

The Ancient Undead he was searching for this time was related to poison.

So, while his Ancient Undead conquered the dungeon, Simon would take Herseva and return to Leshill with Richard.

There was one problem: the threat of an attack from the hostile Legion Commander, Magnus, during the vacation. Of course, as long as Richard was around, he would be safe in Leshill, but Simon didn’t want to bring harm to the territory and its people because of his own problems. He planned to rest at home for a few days and then slip out of Leshill with a suitable excuse.

And so, using a teleportation circle, Simon became the last of the Kizen second-years to leave Lok Island.

“I’m back!”

Leshill, the place where he was born and raised. A village so deep in the mountains that the biggest news was the neighbor’s cow giving birth. Even the air tasted delicious. Simon took a deep breath.

“Does it feel good to be back after so long?”

“Of course!”

Walking along the familiar path he had frequented before Kizen, Simon and Richard chatted leisurely. It wasn’t long before they reached home. His face alight with excitement at the thought of seeing his mother, Simon ran up and knocked on the door.

“Mom! It’s me!”

As he opened the door and stepped inside, a delicious aroma wafted out, along with the clatter of someone busily preparing a meal.

“Simon! You’re back?” Anna’s voice called from the kitchen.

But besides Anna, someone else was sitting at the table. A woman with sea-blue hair, her eyes calmly closed. She set down her teacup and spoke.

“It’s been a while.”

It was a person he had never imagined seeing here.

“My nephew, Simon.”

The powerhouse of the Holy Federation’s moderate faction, a being known as the ‘Saintess of the Divine Sea.’ Not only had she helped him in the Holy Federation, but she was also the benefactor who had procured the materials for Anna’s surgery.

“Lady Israphel!!”

The Saintess Israphel was here, in the Dark Alliance.