The World After the Bad Ending - Chapter 97



Swimming Class

Solvas Umbra.

I never imagined I would face him from the very start of the international individual preliminaries.

‘If you’re going to arrange it, at least do it properly.’

Well, in this narrow forest, how much could they really arrange?

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful.

“Your name was Hanon, right?”

Solvas continued talking.

He speaks as if he knows not only my name but also everyone who attended the meeting.

“It’s a coincidence that we ended up in the same group so close together. How about we team up?

As long as we make it into the top 16 in the preliminaries, teaming up should be fine.”

Solvas smiled warmly.

Liar.

All he thinks about is stabbing me in the back.

“Really? If I could be on the same team as you, Solvas, I’d be delighted.”

But that goes for me too.

Solvas and I smiled at each other.

Solvas is never an easy person to deal with.

His true intentions have never been revealed until now.

But he wouldn’t know.

That the person in front of him is the only one who can see through him.

“Great. There are some people I’ve already recruited in our group.

If we join them, we should be able to clear it safely.”

The ones Solvas claimed to have recruited are dummies.

He must have real allies in this group 2.

‘The dummies will stick together and eliminate people, and when they get tired.’

Solvas will call in his real allies to eliminate them.

‘This method was really used from the very start of the international individual preliminaries.’

It was safe to say it was certain.

“Good strategy. It seems like we can get through the preliminaries without wasting energy.”

“Haha, is that so?”

At that moment, a sound echoed from the bracelets we were wearing.

It meant that all the students had returned to their places.

【 3 】

The countdown to the start of the preliminaries began.

【 2 】

Solvas and I smiled as we made eye contact.

【 1 】

And then we immediately leaned forward.

【 Preliminaries Start 】

Whoosh!

A shadow blade brushed past the tree next to my head.

I stomped deeply into the ground and simultaneously activated the magic sigil beneath my feet.

Boom!

My body shot forward like a cannonball, rushing towards Solvas in an instant.

Solvas’s eyes curved into a smile as they met mine.

It was proof that they hadn’t trusted me from the beginning.

If they had investigated me, they would know I was a dangerous person.

Of course, they wouldn’t let me fall in the early stages, nor would they take me to the dummy team.

Thud!

Solvas stomped their foot down.

Then, a shadow rose like ink right in front of my nose.

My vision was momentarily obscured.

But my hand blade extended towards the shadow without hesitation.

Clang!

My sword clashed with the sword that sprang from within the shadow.

There stood Solvas, holding the shadow sword.

As soon as we collided, we moved away from each other.

“You didn’t trust me from the beginning, did you?”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

Before I knew it, my tone had changed.

Solvas drew a deep smile with his eyes.

“I have a good eye for people. So I can tell when someone is suspicious.”

“I don’t have long conversations with fortune tellers.”

Despite my provocation, Solvas didn’t flinch and just smiled.

Instead, the shadow at his feet wriggled.

In the Umbra Count family, there is a special technique that has been passed down through generations.

The name of the technique is.

Night Shadow

The foundation of the Night Shadow comes from the mystery that has been worshipped by the Count family for generations.

Mystery

Lily Shadow

From noble mtl dot com

It involves partially cutting the shadow of a lily and manipulating it to transform into any shape.

This is the secret technique of the Umbra Count family.

The succession rank in the Umbra Count family depends on how well one can handle this Night Shadow.

Handling the Night Shadow is as harsh as dealing with a body part that one does not possess.

Therefore, even among the descendants of the Umbra Count family, most cannot handle it properly.

But in the current generation, there is only one.

Solvas is different.

He has a natural talent for the Night Shadow.

The shadow he handles moves freely and transforms into anything according to his will.

Therefore, Solvas’s combat style is extremely unconventional.

Even if you capture him, you cannot capture the shadow.

The shadow is everywhere and can appear anywhere.

So you have to stay on high alert, not knowing where the attack will come from.

Those who have fought Solvas all feel exhausted from the constant tension.

Solvas knows this and actively uses his unpredictability.

He tires his opponents and strikes at the gaps that appear.

It was a tactic Solvas often used.

Sure enough, a shadow formed beneath my feet.

Just before the shadow surged, I pulled my body back.

Then, shadows shaped like awls grazed past my chin in unison.

I didn’t stop there and pulled my hind legs back, then thrust them forward.

This time, short awls surged and disappeared where my feet had been.

Solvas, who was watching me, quietly twitched his eyebrows.

Once again, his shadow moved, targeting me.

It was a completely blindside attack.

My body naturally evaded the surging shadows.

Solvas looked at me with peculiar eyes.

It was only natural.

It must have been an unbelievable sight for him to see me evade all the attacks from the blindside.

“……How does Hannon perceive my night shadows?”

“How do you think shadows are perceived?”

I laughed shamelessly.

Then Solvas twitched his eyebrows once more.

“Indeed. I’m curious how you did it.”

The guy who usually didn’t show his emotions looked extremely displeased.

Solvas takes great pride in his night shadows.

It was only natural for him to react this way when all his night shadows were seen through.

The reason I could sense Solvas’s night shadows was simple.

‘It’s because the body of steel is the same mystery.’

Mysteries tend to react instinctively to each other.

Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to sense these mysterious reactions.

But the body of steel is my very own body.

To ordinary people, Solvas’s shadows are completely blindside attacks.

But I could sense where Solvas’s night shadows were moving.

‘What to do.’

Your moves don’t work on me.

I revealed a smile full of blatant provocation.

“Alright.”

At my provocation, Solvas instead shook off his irritation and followed me with a smile.

“Then, even if you recognize it, you won’t be able to avoid it.”

In an instant, a chilling energy spread from Solvas’s body into the forest.

Sensing this, my feet came to an abrupt halt.

Boom-

Soon, I began to hear sounds that shouldn’t reach my ears.

Thump, thump, thump-

The steel body that made up my form reacted violently.

My gaze creaked.

In response, an even more malicious smile spread across Solvas’s lips.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Soon, behind Solvas.

A wave of shadows rose, filling the forest.

“Ahhh!?”

“What, what is this!”

“Groan, s-save me.”

The children nearby were swept away by Solvas’s wave of shadows and were instantly retired.

Is this how it feels to face a tsunami?

Before I knew it, I had become a mere human facing a natural disaster.

Solvas spread his arms towards me.

“Try avoiding this too.”

Night shadow

Outlaw of the wave

A rogue without business ethics.

As soon as I judged that I was in danger, he made his strongest move.

This, I can’t avoid.

The moment the wave that swallowed the trees and surrounding terrain approached right in front of me.

I was swallowed whole by the wave of shadows.

＊＊＊

Above the wave of shadows.

The boy with ash-gray hair in a wolf-cut style stood leisurely.

Solvas Umbra.

The son of the shadow, one of the six stars.

He had mastered the secret technique of the night shadow.

The outlaw of the waves.

This technique, which creates a colossal shadow wave, consumes an enormous amount of power.

But it possesses overwhelming power.

Originally, he had no intention of using it according to the plan.

But the moment he saw Hanon in person, he changed his mind.

He was someone who had become famous within just half a year at Jerion Academy.

On his first day transferring to Jerion Academy, he cursed, mentioning the disaster that had occurred earlier.

Indeed, that action was close to madness.

But his subsequent actions showed what he meant.

People from other countries had not yet properly encountered his exploits.

However, Solvas had planted spies within Jerion Academy.

He had heard all about his exploits.

‘The revealed exploits can’t be just this much.’

There were several oddly unaligned gaps in his actions.

It was clear evidence that he had done something secretly.

‘The activities shown at Jerion Academy must have some intention.’

The academy is not a completely peaceful place.

Having an intention means.

There are countless people who hide their true selves.

Solvas had heard of Hanon’s exploits and had investigated them to some extent, so he was convinced.

And today.

Seeing Hanon in person, he made a judgment.

There was not a hint of hesitation in his eyes as he faced him.

That meant he either had the arrogance of believing in his own skills.

Or he had prepared a strategy to counter him.

And Hanon was the latter.

This type is dangerous if not taken down early.

Solvas does not easily underestimate people.

Even after reaching the six stars, he constantly doubts his opponent, throws moves, and sometimes makes bold moves.

He judged that he had to make a bold move against Hanon.

“If new sprouts have grown like bamboo shoots after the rain, you must surely crush them.”

If the opponent tries to think of the next move, you must break them before they can think.

Although the original plan had changed, he decided to sweep away all the students as the outlaw of the wave.

It was at that moment Solvas thought so.

Splash-

He heard something in his ear.

The sound was reminiscent of swimming.

Solvas looked around, thinking he had misheard.

Around him, only the black waves of shadows were crashing.

Splash, splash-

But soon, he heard the sound again.

A bad premonition passed by.

Solvas hurriedly examined the inside of the shadow wave.

Soon, he felt something moving forward in the wave.

Startled, he quickly turned his head in the direction where he felt the presence.

Splash!

Solvas discovered someone swimming at an incredible speed through the shadow wave.

It was the butterfly stroke.

That was, indeed, the butterfly stroke.

In the shadow wave.

Bright red eyes flickered.

“…Are you sane?”

Solvas muttered with a dazed expression as he saw the scene.

Well, it’s only natural.

Who in the world would think of swimming through the shadow wave?

But there was someone doing it.

Splash splash splash splash splash!

It was astonishingly fast.

Hanon Airei.

Hanon, who had been swept away by the shadow waves, was there.

Solvas muttered his name, clenching his fists tightly.

And then he realized.

Hanon was a far more dangerous madman.