"Hahaha, if I were facing the Yaksha Princess, even I wouldn't guarantee I could escape unscathed," the man sneered.
In the next moment, several skeletal remains suddenly crawled out of the dirt.
What was even more horrifying was that they were actually wielding light machine guns!
Beside the fallen Ikki, his sister Shizuku, the Yagure sisters, and the Student Council members, there stood a skeleton soldier holding a firearm.
They pressed the muzzles of their guns against the heads of the unconscious students.
If Sara ordered them to fire, everyone would be killed in the next second.
"You bastard!" Nene Saikyo radiated an astonishing killing intent.
Her magic disrupted the surrounding gravity, and dark gravitational energy spread around her like menacing, flailing hair.
Seeing that she still restrained herself from taking action despite her rage, the man grew even more certain.
He walked over to Ikki, raised his ridiculously large greatsword, and placed it against the boy's neck.
With just a bit of force, Ikki's head would instantly separate from his body!
"To prove our resolve, let's start by killing one to make you understand the positions of both sides." The man spoke as if he truly intended to act.
Nene gritted her teeth so hard they almost shattered.
It was rare for her to be this enraged, and even rarer for her to be threatened.
As for those very few who had dared to threaten her, without exception, they had all met tragic ends.
"STOP."
She forced herself to calm down and withdrew her terrifying aura.
At that moment, the man suddenly smiled eerily. He swung his greatsword, slashing horizontally toward Nene.
"Don't you dare defend this, or this kid dies!"
Nene wanted to dodge, but if she avoided it, Stella who was standing right behind her would be cut in half!
Her eyes widened, fixed on the man laughing maniacally before her.
"Bergseiden!"
The man unleashed a massive slash, cleaving straight through the Yaksha Princess's magical defenses.
Her petite body was sent flying like a broken doll, crashing to the ground and lying motionless.
Stella stared at her teacher, who had taken the opponent's Noble Art head-on to protect her and her eyes wide with shock.
"Sensei!"
Suddenly, she realized that the strange force restraining her had vanished. She quickly scrambled to her feet and rushed to Nene's side.
Her unique robes were torn apart, and her small body was nearly severed in two. In the massive wound, one could even see her still-beating heart.
Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, her face twisted in pain.
Her black hair was scattered, mingling with the blood, creating a horrifying sight.
"You dare..."
Stella's magic began to boil.
Even the temperature around her rose rapidly.
To avoid harming the critically injured Nene, she stood up, took a few steps forward, and approached the intruder.
"Amane."
The man casually gave an order, and Amane Shinomiya responded.
Stella raised Laevateinn, intending to unleash her Dragon Breath, but the flames on the blade ignited briefly before suddenly extinguishing.
"What? My flames?"
She couldn't understand why she couldn't use her ability normally.
Why? Her magic was clearly abundant, but why couldn't she produce any flames?
The man walked up to Stella.
Faced with this sudden situation, the girl couldn't help but show a look of panic on her face.
Bang!
With a ruthless punch, the man's fist slammed into Stella's abdomen.
"Ugh—"
The girl fell to her knees in pain.
"Heh heh, the others don't matter anymore. Taking this princess as a hostage will suffice. Oh, right, since the Yaksha Princess already revealed my identity, it's only proper for me to introduce myself."
"I am one of the Twelve Apostles of the Rebellion, the One-Armed Sword Saint, Wallenstein."
As he spoke, the man reached out toward Stella.
Wallenstein. The One-Armed Sword Saint. One of the Twelve Apostles.
This was the title of a heinous criminal, and she had heard of it before.
According to the League's standards, his strength was judged to be at least that of an A-Rank knight.
"Hey—"
Suddenly, a low whisper froze the man's expression and movements simultaneously.
Sensing danger, he immediately lifted his foot and kicked backward.
Noah jumped in place, smoothly avoiding his attack.
"Who?!"
In an instant, Wallenstein thrust his greatsword into the ground.
Under the influence of his magic, a strange change occurred in the connection between Noah's body and the earth.
The ground became sticky.
Wallenstein sneered coldly, waiting to see Noah crushed. However, after landing on his feet, Noah charged forward at an incredibly fast speed.
"What?!"
'How is that possible?'
Wallenstein stared at Noah, who remained completely unaffected by his ability, his face filled with astonishment.
But Noah didn't attack him.
Instead, he went to the girl's side, scooped her up, and retreated to the area where Nene lay.
"Noah?"
Stella looked at the boy in surprise.
She knew exactly how severely injured he was.
In such a condition, he should'nt be able to move.
It was physically impossible for anyone to stand up in that state, let alone move around like he just did.
Ouma Kurogane was also shocked.
It was extremely rare for him to break his silence and actively speak up.
"You... how can you still move?"
Fractures, splintered bones, muscle tears, internal organ damage, massive blood loss, and numerous blunt force injuries—even someone without a sense of pain couldn't just ignore such injuries and move normally.
Noah didn't answer him.
Sara, for some reason, grew excited!
Looking at Noah who was completely drenched in blood, her eyes filled with a fanatic gleam.
A faint glow subtly emanated from Noah's body.
Ouma noticed this, his eyes widening instantly as his pupils contracted. For the first time, his tone carried genuine surprise.
"Could it be... you aren't just moving, you're manipulating your own body?!"
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
Those who had learned about Noah's abilities beforehand were completely taken aback.
Then came utter disbelief.
Given his injuries, it was indeed impossible for him to move on his own.
But if he was using his magic—the ability to manipulate all elements—if he used that power to control every element within his own body, manipulating his bones, his blood, and even his muscles as if they were fire or flowing water...
Then it would make perfect sense that he could perform the movements he just did!
But could they really comprehend such a terrifying concept?
"You... can you really do that?"
It was impossible not to be incredulous.
The human body's structure is incredibly complex, precise, and fragile.
Using such a forceful method to manipulate one's own torn flesh wasn't just madness—it was a death wish!
And in the most excruciatingly painful way possible!
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