First, quickly assess the situation.
The most critical concern is Sarah's condition... She's fine—severely depleted, but not a scratch on her. As long as she focuses on defense, she shouldn't be easy to take down, so at least there's that relief.
Next, Clyde's condition. His expression—surprised yet still completely confident in his superiority—is infuriating, but I'll leave that be for now. What warrants attention are the tool he's carrying and the Monsters obeying his commands.
The crystal ball-like object in his right hand. That's the Magical tool—likely something that "sends" magic power or spells. He's been using it to deploy those black walls as well; perhaps it also serves to supplement his magic power.
As for the Monsters, two are present here. The first is a small bat-like creature I'd occasionally spotted on the battlefield. Without being able to see through the barrier, he's probably using that Monster to monitor the situation outside.
The second Monster is a Dragon species radiating absurd levels of magic power. Even compared to the Monsters outside or the ones attacking the academy, it towers over them by a head or more—this must be his trump card.
...Given Clyde's personality, he'd never willingly let his strongest card out of arm's reach. If anything, that's a blessing—that thing attacking the academy directly would have been far more troublesome.
The priority is the Dragon species. Having confirmed that, Ermes stepped forward and stood before Sarah.
"Rest assured—the academy's barrier is intact. ...You held out remarkably well."
"!"
From the looks of it, she'd been receiving some manner of proposition from the obsessive Clyde right here. She refused, and in response he flew into a rage and attacked her—that's the sequence of events I can piece together now, and in a way, it's disheartening to have become the kind of person who can read situations like this.
At the same time, I'm certain of this: despite being assaulted by a Dragon species of that caliber—an unmistakable life-threatening danger—she never once attempted to dispel the academy's barrier, all the way to the end.
I renew my deep respect for her. ...And my hostility toward the man before me who tried to mercilessly brutalize her out of personal grudge is equally fierce.
Before Ermes, whose fighting spirit quietly surged, Clyde recovered his composure and declared.
"Ermes...! What is this—how did someone like you deal with the Monsters outside, how did you break through the barrier? Answer me!"
"I have no obligation to answer you... but can't you see for yourself? Nothing special—I simply cut through everything as usual, and smashed it apart with brute force as usual."
"That's impossible!"
Had Clyde not witnessed anything since Ermes joined the battle? Judging from context, he'd been busy kidnapping Sarah during that entire time.
...No.
Ermes wondered whether Clyde's claim would have been any different, even if he had witnessed it.
What one does not want
to acknowledge
,
one will absolutely
never
acknowledge.
This was the dark side of this country that Ermes had seen far too much of. The instinct of those who had been blessed with too much from birth — an instinct shared by Aster.
Clyde had gone on and on about how he was different from Aster, but it seemed that at his core, not a single thing had changed.
As Ermes thought this, Clyde thrust a finger at him and declared.
"Hmph, I don't know what trick you used, but since you've gone out of your way to appear before me, this works out perfectly!"
"..."
"Enough is enough — I'll tear off that false skin you've been using to fool everyone! With my full-power magic! — Go!"
The moment he gave the order, the earth dragon roared and lunged forward.
I see — a fitting display of power and intimidation for the apex among tangible monsters. Clyde's magic, which could command a Monster of this caliber, was undoubtedly extraordinary, and among the many Bloodline Magic abilities, it could certainly be called a threat—
But so what?
Ermes' response was simple.
He pulled back his left foot and twisted his body. With the greatsword of purple flames held in his right hand leading the way, he channeled the power he had gathered through his entire body, using his right foot as the fulcrum, and unleashed it—
"—!"
An upward diagonal slash.
What he visualized was the most beautiful sword he had ever known. He traced her movements to their utmost limit—her movements, which he had encountered alongside the greatest impact this academy had ever produced, and which he had honed through countless repetitions. Over the razor-sharpness of that blade flash, he overlaid the full destructive power of his own finest magical creation.
And what would be the result?
The earth dragon was, quite literally—
Split clean in two.
"…Wha?"
The stunned voice came from Clyde at the same moment.
With a sickening slide, the trump card Clyde had been wielding shifted diagonally from the center of its body. Its upper half crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom. A beat later, both halves ignited, and within moments they were reduced to ash with no possibility of regeneration.
A single strike.
That was the result of the strongest Monster Clyde could command colliding with the most powerful magic Ermes possessed.
The spectacle was, without question, a symbol of the absolute gulf between the two of them.
"…One correction, if you may."
Before Clyde, who could not possibly accept the scene before his eyes, Ermes spoke with perfect composure.
His tone was flat, as if to say, *This outcome was entirely natural.*
"You stated moments ago that this Monster was 'not inferior to a Phantom Species'… but that was far too reckless an assessment. Phantom Species are— at least, *he* was— nothing at all like this."
As memories of their past battle to the death resurfaced, Ermes resumed walking toward Clyde.
"This is a personal request, but I would appreciate it if you could retract that statement. If you do— I might be able to hold back, even if only slightly."
"Hkk—"
Only now did Clyde's recognition of reality finally catch up. At the same time, remembering Ermes's earlier declaration, he let out a feeble cry.
But even now, he refused to accept what was right in front of him, and desperately searched for grounds to deny it— Ermes continued speaking toward him.
To break his spirit, once and for all.
"……Ms. Katia told me once, you know. That you have a tendency to treat yourself as special, no matter what."
"Wh-what"
"You've convinced yourself that borrowing authority and resorting to any means necessary is a privilege only you're allowed. And—this is just my speculation, but... isn't that also what you thought?"
Ermes delivered those words without hesitation to Clyde, who had begun to falter.
"—If only I could use Bloodline Magic.
If I got
serious,
I'd
be the
strongest.
That's what
you believed."
"!"
"I'm not as skilled at reading people as Ms. Katia, so I can't claim complete certainty... but when I consider that that's what you believed, everything falls into place. The reason you carried yourself with such confidence at the academy, the way you looked down on everyone no matter what Bloodline Magic you saw, never once doubting that you were above them—"
"Wh-what—what is this insult!"
"Actually, I found it quite convincing."
He cut off Clyde's words, this time with a tone that was almost praising.
"Bloodline Magic that controls Monsters. I knew of it in theory, but I never imagined the scale was anything like this. And while you did have some assistance, the skill required to wield it to this degree, the output to subjugate even a Dragon species—your magical talent may be the finest I've ever seen."
He offered those words of unmistakable praise... but then, immediately, his tone shifted to one of denial.
"
Talent.
That is what you used
solely for hiding.
No matter what magic you encountered, you convinced yourself it was "weaker than you," looked down on it, and used it only as a plaything to revel in your own superiority—content that those around you feared the potential you kept buried."
Setting aside Nyyna, who was a special case of her own, Ermes and Clyde just so happened to be two people attending the academy while concealing power far beyond what they showed.
And yet, even within that shared circumstance, there was a gulf. Ermes, who—even while his abilities were restricted—continued to absorb and refine his skills because he believed that restrictions themselves held lessons to teach. And Clyde, who did nothing but revel in his hidden strength.
That difference had surely manifested, at least in part, as the clear gap in ability they faced now.
In truth, that Dragon species was a formidable opponent, even if not quite on the level of a Phantom Species. Had Ermes just enrolled at the academy, he likely would have struggled far more.
But he had learned. He had studied the countless spells this academy was overflowing with, further refined what was already his masterpiece magic, learned the strength of a girl who possessed terrifying power without even relying on magic, and learned how to channel the destructive force that the form of a sword could unleash.
Everything he had poured into that—was the strike he had just delivered.
Realizing this all over again, Ermes delivered his final verdict.
"You grew complacent with what you were given, never once bothering to refine yourself, obsessed only with ranking yourself against those around you. You are the very embodiment of the 'typical noble' I have seen time and again... and if that is the case, then I find no further worth in you whatsoever."
"W-... Don't mess with me! I am a Reformer! I won't listen to such baseless drivel—!"
Finally driven to fury, Clyde charged in from across the field, swinging.
Watching him, Ermes lightly tossed the greatsword of purple flame upward, dropped his stance right where he stood—
"If I'm wrong, I apologize. But if I'm right—"
He didn't merely dodge the wild, telegraphed punch—he read its trajectory and drove straight through, converting Clyde's own momentum into a devastating cross counter that smashed into the bridge of his nose.
A terrifyingly satisfying crack rang out.
"—
I'm glad."
"Indeed."
"
He had not stripped him of consciousness. Fully aware that this was precisely why the excruciating pain would tear through Clyde, Ermes declared with utter indifference.
"Now you've learned, haven't you? — That your best effort is ultimately nothing more than this."
Honestly, he hadn't wanted to say that either... but learning was what school was for. That opportunity should be given equally to everyone.
Beyond that, whether Clyde would acknowledge himself and change, as he'd seen in B-Class, or remain unchanged and continue cursing everyone but himself — that was entirely up to him.
But — to be blunt, he could no longer imagine Clyde being anything other than the latter.
As this thought crossed his mind, Ermes gazed down at Clyde, who writhed in agony, with complete indifference.
That was just one hit.
Next time, the story might move forward. Stay tuned!