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Billian Disipulus's eyes flickered.
"Davian Naone... He's someone we should never have underestimated."
He had conducted a considerable amount of research on Davian.
The numerous incidents Davian had stirred up and resolved in the past.
As a professor, Billian had easy access to all the reports on those events.
The fact he deduced as a result... no, the fact he was certain of was:
Davian never summoned Glacies unless his life was in danger.
Even for matters that could be easily resolved with Glacies.
He either handled them alone.
Or he only summoned her when it was absolutely necessary.
He examined and re-examined whether there were any exceptions.
He even succeeded in persuading his stubborn master, who had become a lich.
He made up a ridiculous story about it being the first offering after awakening, but that actually worked.
Now, the only ones to worry about were President Hugo Molton, Dean of Magic Sirims Andrian, and Dean of Swordsmanship Leo Martian.
And Dean of Magic Sirims Andrian happened to be summoned to the royal palace.
That left Hugo Molton and Leo Martian.
Both were formidable figures, but if he could put just one of them under mind control, he would have a good chance of winning.
Of course, it would be even better if both were affected.
That way.
If he could just buy time until his master fully awakened.
He believed he would have nothing to fear after that.
However.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Davian Naone was trading magic equally with Grady Butler as if they were playing a game.
And his master, the lich, was not even able to properly respond to Glacies's attacks.
Of course, due to the nature of a lich, he wouldn't be easily destroyed.
But in that state, he couldn't do anything.
The rest of the people under mind control were all trapped inside Davian's absurd barrier of fire.
That included Billian Disipulus.
"The key to success and failure was not President Hugo or Dean of Swordsmanship Leo Martian... I should have been more wary of Davian Naone."
He never imagined he would walk in side by side with Glacies.
Then what was Davian's behavior all this time?
It was as if.
'He was responding as if he had already experienced this.'
Normally, he would have brought all his friends to interfere with the lich's plan.
That was Davian Naone's way.
But as if he knew how things would turn out.
He thoroughly excluded any hindering factors and appeared from the beginning with the final boss.
As if he already knew that this was the only solution.
It was Davian Naone, not Billian Disipulus, who had a thorough plan that did not allow for any failures.
'But. Foolishly, they are overestimating their own power.'
Billian Disipulus looked back and forth between Davian and Glacies.
Davian was engrossed in the magic duel with his senior, Grady,
and Glacies was overwhelming the lich with her power, but she couldn't completely destroy him.
'Even as this is happening, the thoughts of those affected by mind control are gathering.'
The lich's body was already torn and exploded like a rag,
but the thoughts were still gathering.
Soon, the lich would awaken.
Then, no matter how powerful Glacies was, she wouldn't be able to overwhelm him as she was now.
'And if Hugo Molton or Leo Martian appeared and one of them fell under mind control...'
The odds would shift back to the master and Billian's side.
"Davian Naone. I don't know what you did to come up with such a perfect strategy. But your only mistake is your arrogance."
At that moment.
Hehehe. Hehehehe.
A chilling laughter filled the space.
Billian let out a short scream without realizing it.
"It's done!"
The lich's voice echoed.
—Foolish spirit. You should have destroyed me when you had the chance.
Whoosh!
A powerful aura burst from the lich's body.
At the same time.
The ice rain swirling around the lich scattered in all directions.
—I, Britain Marius. Now, after two molts, I have been reborn as a complete being.
The body that had been torn and exploded by Glacies disappeared and a new form was revealed.
A new body enveloped in a faint golden light.
It had the form of a human body, but the aura emanating from it was not human.
The awakened Lich Britain Marius looked down at the ground.
He reached out his hand toward the ground and waved it once.
Davian's living fire barrier began to recede.
While the lich's aura and the living fire barrier were in a power struggle.
Splash.
A stream of water gushed out from the lich's other hand.
The stream of water, which had a deep sea-like blue hue, pressed down on the fire barrier.
Davian's fire barrier did not go out and managed to withstand it.
It only managed to maintain the flames with a bit of effort.
—Go, my limbs. Go and eliminate that arrogant spirit and human.
The golden light surrounding the lich's body spread to the ground and touched the bodies of the people under mind control.
Joy was ignited in Billian Disipulus's eyes as he watched this.
'This is... this is my master, completely awakened! This is it!'
Glacies looked back at Davian and asked.
"Davian, is he gold now?"
"Looks like he awakened."
"Awakened?"
"Yeah. Last time, I kept trying to delay his awakening, but this time, I was careless because you were here, Glacies, and he succeeded in awakening like that."
"What happens when he awakens? Besides his body sparkling gold."
"I don't know. I heard he becomes incredibly strong."
Davian hadn't seen the lich awaken either.
In the previous timeline, he had poured everything into preventing the awakening.
In the end, the lich was dealt with by Hugo Molton and Leo Martian without awakening.
The quest was also just about holding out until Hugo Molton and Leo Martian arrived.
"Really? Then I should have taken him out sooner."
Davian smacked Glacies on the head.
"Tsk tsk."
"Hey, why!"
"I told you to take out the lich quickly if we met him here, Davian."
"You were the one having a magic duel with that guy over there! If you had gone and cut him with your sword, you could have ended him as soon as that fire barrier came out, right?"
"That's true."
Davian launched a large fireball.
Not to be outdone, Grady Butler also launched a fireball.
Tada.
Davian's right foot lightly pushed off the ground.
Kwaaang!
While the two fireballs collided.
Davian arrived behind Grady Butler.
"It was fun, Senior."
Thwack!
He struck Grady on the back of the neck and knocked him out.
Whirr!
A huge pillar of fire spewed out towards the place where Davian and Grady were standing.
It was a 7th-year dormitory professor who was under mind control.
Davian hugged Grady Butler's unconscious body and rolled away to avoid the magic attack.
"Shall we begin in earnest... Shadow Assimilation."
Davian's movements became twice as fast.
At least among the people gathered here.
There was no one who could keep up with the movements of a 7-star swordsman whose movements had doubled.
Thwack! Thwack!
While Davian was going around hitting people on the back of the neck.
Glacies raised both arms high into the sky.
"Goodbye, golden lich."
Guooooooo.
Momentarily.
An indescribable aura dominated the night sky.
The panicked lich raised his head to look at the sky.
Cold sweat broke out on Professor Billian Disipulus's back.
Woong.
With a heavy sound.
From the sky.
A huge ice pillar fell.
It seemed to be 20 meters in diameter.
And its height was such that its end could not be seen.
"Master!"
—...!
Before the lich could react.
Kuuuung!
The ice pillar crashed down on the lich and hit the ground.
Kugugugu!
With a tremor that felt like the earth was shaking.
The ice pillar began to dig into the ground.
Kugugugu!
It didn't even take 5 seconds for the cylindrical pillar, which was tens of meters high, to completely dig into the ground.
Whoosh.
A single gust of empty night wind brushed past Billian Disipulus's cheek.
"Th-Th-This is... the Ice Spirit Glacies..."
Ting.
An alarm that only Davian could hear.
Davian's hand, which was about to smack the back of an assistant's head, stopped.
=====
[Step-by-step Quest: Survive the Lich's Wide-Area Mind Magic Outbreak (3/3)]
—Phase 3 Completed.
—Reward: 25K Mana Points (x2)
=====
Davian looked back at Glacies.
The Ice Spirit Glacies.
He thought she would be able to handle the lich to some extent.
But he didn't think she would be able to take him down in one shot even after the lich awakened.
"You're pretty good, Glacies."
"It's all thanks to you, Davian."
"You haven't shown me everything, have you?"
Glacies smiled brightly.
"If your growth isn't everything, then neither is mine."
Davian nodded, smiling.
'Of course not.'
Davian's growth.
It's just beginning.
And.
He earned 126K mana points just from this step-by-step quest.
The path to becoming a 10-star mage was getting closer and closer.
The lich was dead.
And a circular lake with a diameter of 20 meters was created in front of the 7th-year dormitory.
After Glacies melted the huge ice pillar that was stuck in the ground and left.
Several professional divers from Fortus City had to be called in to retrieve the lich's body.
After several days of attempts, the divers managed to find the lich's corpse, which had been flattened like dried filefish, and attached a rope to it.
Professor Billian Disipulus was naturally referred to the Academy Tribunal.
He was stripped of his professorship and handed over to the Royal Court.
Although he was in a state of permanent mind control.
The fact that he volunteered to be under permanent mind control and that most of his activities were due to his own decisions was taken into account.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
There were 0 deaths among the 2nd-year students due to this incident.
17 deaths among the 1st-year students.
The ratio of deaths among the enrolled students increased as they went up the grades.
More than half of the 7th-year students died.
Davian received the President's Commendation again.
It was already the second time he had received the President's Commendation in the auditorium where all the students gathered.
That weekend.
Davian's accommodation.
"Davian is probably the only one who receives the President's Commendation once a year."
Liber replied.
"Davian is also the first to receive two President's Commendations while enrolled."
"Really? No one before him?"
"Yeah. Davian is the first."
"Davian is amazing, isn't he?"
Ding-dong.
"I'll go see who it is."
Bellus scampered to the front door and opened it.
A moment later.
"Liber, it's a guest for you?"
"What? Why would Liber's guest come to Davian's house?"
Liber, who had gone to the front door at Bellus's words, returned carrying a luxurious wooden box.
"What's that?"
"That's..."
Liber hesitated to answer, looking at Davian.
Davian asked.
"Is it related to the Union?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah."
"A token?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah."
"Let's tell the kids everything now. Liber. You're the strategist, so explain it yourself."
"Tell them everything?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem? They're our friends."
Liber slowly scanned his friends' faces and replied.
"I can trust them all."
"Exactly. It's time to tell them."
Bellum asked.
"What's a Union and what's a strategist? Liber is a strategist? Whoever's in that Union, I feel sorry for them..."
Liber sat on the sofa and looked around at his friends.
He lowered his back a lot.
He also lowered his voice.
"Guys, listen carefully. Davian is actually..."
While Liber was explaining to his friends about the Davian Union.
Davian opened the lid of the box that Liber had brought in.
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