Half of the shattered metal mask hit the dirt with a heavy clatter, rolling across the ground.
The observers stared in wide-eyed shock. Amidst the stunned silence, Simon—the one responsible for the damage—calmly straightened his clothes and reset his stance.
A heavy silence descended over the arena.
[’I see.’]
Slumped on the ground, Balak reached out with a thick hand and snatched up the broken half of his mask.
[’So you had a hidden card to rely on. Were you planning to collude with Aizel and keep your position as student council president with such petty tricks?’]
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Simon asked, his voice dropping to a cold murmur. "I fully intended to fight with my own strength. It’s true that Senior Aizel felt burdened by the presidency, but we had no intention of rigging the outcome."
His gaze turned icy. "You ruined everything by cutting in, Balak."
[’I have seen Aizel’s true nature.’]
Balak rose to his feet. Using a corrosive poison, he melted the jagged edge of the broken mask and fused it back onto the other half.
[’His life was a lie. His promise to me, and the blood and sweat we shed together—all of it was a lie.’]
A massive magic circle flared to life behind his back.
[’I should have done this from the start. Everything was delayed because I tried to save his face. Now, I will take over Kizen!’]
’Death Armor’
Deadly poison poured from the magic circle, rapidly encasing Balak’s body. Seeing this, Dick shouted from the sidelines.
"Simon! You have to strip off Senior Balak’s Death Armor! The more layers he stacks, the more his available dark magic changes...whoa!"
A fountain of toxic liquid suddenly erupted near him, forcing Dick to duck out of the way.
Wearing the boiling poison like a suit of armor, Balak marched toward Simon, his heavy footsteps echoing with dull thuds. Simon slowly shifted into a combat stance, his mind racing.
’My Jet-Black Martial Arts earlier was a surprise attack, and I had luck on my side. The same technique won’t work twice against Balak.’
Having made his judgment, Simon deployed his magic. The purple magic circle he had been preparing since Balak’s intrusion swiftly shifted around his body, steadily taking form.
’I’ll hold out as planned.’
[’You’ve suddenly become passive. Where did that spirit from earlier go?’]
Balak gestured with his hand. A chilling sensation washed over Simon, and he quickly glanced to the side.
’A pipe?’
Out of nowhere, the open end of a pipe protruded from thin air.
Simon instantly dropped low just as a violent torrent of poison blasted from the pipe.
"What the—!"
[’You saw it and dodged.’]
Balak cast his dark magic again. More pipes materialized all around them, viciously spewing toxic liquid. It was as if invisible faucets had been installed in midair, wrenched open to blast out their deadly contents.
’Balak’s Fulgor!’
It was a completely different type from Aizel’s Fulgor.
Simon dashed to the side, sparking electrical currents in both hands. The moment he sensed a new pipe forming, he thrust his arm in that direction.
’Cancel Spark’
A sphere of jet-black current shot forward, neutralizing the pipe right before it could fully materialize.
In the spots he couldn’t neutralize in time, more pipes burst open, forcing Simon to contort his body to dodge the toxic spray.
’Ugh!’
A few drops of the toxic liquid splashed onto him, but Simon pushed through the burning pain and readied a new dark magic. Bone fragments slipped from his body, linking together to form three spears that shot toward Balak.
’Bone Spear’
This was the best counterattack Simon could muster while simultaneously preparing his main spell, but Balak simply took the hit head-on.
The Bone Spears flew at terrifying speed, but only their tips managed to pierce the Death Armor before rapidly melting away. The ruined shafts clattered uselessly to the ground.
"Simon!" Kamibarez cried out, trying to run toward him, but an expanding swamp of poison blocked their path.
"Stop it, Balak! This is going too far!" a third-year observer shouted. The toxic sludge was already surging toward where the crowd stood.
"Are you out of your mind? There’s royalty here!"
"Damn it! Have you ever seen that bastard listen to reason when he’s on a rampage?"
A third-year extended an arm, jet-black swiftly taking the form of a curse. "If that’s how it is, we’ll just have to use force—whoa!"
The toxic liquid pooled on the floor erupted like a geyser with a violent splash.
Even deadly poison summons began rising from the toxic waterfall that formed the barrier.
The sludge gurgled and shifted as the creatures took shape.
"B-Block them!"
The third-years hastily threw up defensive magic to block the falling acid and repelled the poison summons lunging toward the underclassmen.
"Raise the ground, Grik!"
"Got it!"
A third-year slammed his hands onto the dirt. Using Jet-Black Earth magic, he forced the terrain beneath the observers to rise high into the air. The swamp of poison crashed against the newly formed cliff like violent waves, narrowly missing them.
"What are you doing over here, Senior Leonard?!" Meirin shouted after cleverly deploying an ice wall to block the toxic waves. "Please help Simon! You’re the strongest one here!"
"I’m sorry, but if I step in, Balak will kill Aizel." Leonard was currently channeling dark magic into the unconscious Aizel. "Aizel is infected with ’Black Death Poison.’ It spreads according to the caster’s commands. That bastard holds Aizel’s life in his hands."
"Ah."
Suddenly, someone collapsed with a heavy thud. It was Princess Molly. Kamibarez and the nearby third-years rushed over in a panic.
"Princess!"
"This is bad!"
Molly was still a first-year and hadn’t yet learned Resistance-type skills to withstand toxins. She was suffocating just from the deadly poison lingering in the air.
"Move, move! Specialist coming through!" Dick pushed his way to the front with a detoxification kit. Leonard gently set Aizel down and cast a dark magic spell on Molly to slow the poison’s progression.
"Simon." Meirin bit her lip tightly as she conjured black flames, evaporating the swarming poison summons. Far across the deadly swamp that separated them, she could see Simon and Balak locked in a fierce battle.
[’Is that all you’ve got, Student Council President?’]
Simon frantically dodged the toxic liquids blasting from the pipes. Meanwhile, Balak had already added two more layers of armor to his hulking frame.
’Balak Original - Death Armor Stage 3’
His body grew thick and bloated. It looked as if he were wearing a living creature rather than armor. When he raised his hand, the toxic liquid pouring from the pipes defied the laws of physics, pooling and compressing in his palm before firing directly at Simon like a cannonball.
Simon grunted, hastily materializing a piece of Bone Armor in midair and using it as a foothold to dodge. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
[’The longer this drags on, the lower your chances of winning.’]
Simon wiped the sweat dripping from his bangs and let out a cold laugh. "That’s what you think."
With a heavy thud, a giant dropped down next to Simon from a rift in the sky. It landed on one knee, gripping a massive greatsword in both hands.
It was Simon’s trump card: the Chaos Dullahan. From far away, Dick could be heard cheering, "It’s finally out!"
Simon immediately placed Manus’s skull onto the Chaos Dullahan, then moved behind it to attach the chaos magic circle.
At that moment, a massive surge of energy gathered beneath his feet. It was undoubtedly the sensation of Fulgor. For a fraction of a second, Simon hesitated, but his instincts screamed at him to step back.
A deafening roar shook the arena.
His judgment had been correct. A volcano of poison erupted directly beneath the Chaos Dullahan, swallowing the giant whole.
"Ah!"
"The Dullahan!"
The student council members watched in stunned horror. The toxic volcano had erupted without any warning signs, its force so immense that it pierced the sky and struck the ceiling of the barrier.
[’How predictable.’] Balak’s slow, mocking voice echoed from within his metal mask. [’I was wondering when you’d bring out that toy. I held back my own trump card just waiting for it.’]
"Balak!"
[’You should have noticed that I was pacing myself. You lack experience, Simon Polentia.’]
Balak had known about Simon’s Chaos Dullahan all along.
He prepared his dark magic once again. The surrounding toxic sludge gathered, coalescing into fresh layers for Balak’s armor.
’Balak Original - Death Armor Stage 5’
[’Despair at the difference in our power.’]
Skipping the fourth stage entirely, the fifth layer of armor materialized. The swamps of poison spread across the floor began to boil furiously in response.
Simon stared straight ahead. The Chaos Dullahan, buried under a mountain of poison, was completely immobilized.
"Senior Benya is going to chew me out when I ask for repairs." Simon let out a long sigh, but a sharp gleam returned to his eyes.
The Chaos Dullahan might have been ruined, but Manus’s skull was resting perfectly intact in his hand.
"Let’s pay him back," Simon muttered.
Manus’s empty eye sockets flared with light, as if in fierce agreement.
With a deep thrum of energy, Simon deployed every magic circle he had prepared into the air.
"Dragon Magic."
The magic circles converged, unleashing a draconic spell interpreted through chaos. A moment later, heavy drake bones spilled from his subspace, clattering against the floor.
"Control your new body, Manus."
Manus’s skull levitated to the center of the Dragon Magic, and the drake bones instantly shot toward it.
The bones began to interlock, taking the shape of armor. As Simon stepped forward, the skeletal plating seamlessly encased his body.
"He brought out a new summon!"
"Wasn’t the Dullahan his last one?"
As Simon channeled his dark magic, Aaron’s voice echoed in his memory.
’In the distant past, humanity fought against dragons. Ruling with Dragon Language and magic, they were the apex predators. But as time passed, individuals capable of resisting their power emerged.’
Finally, a helmet forged from the drake’s skull locked onto Simon’s head.
’They were warriors who clad their bodies in dragon bones and mimicked Dragon Magic. Out of deep respect, people gave them a title.’
Clad in the bones of a drake—a beast that had failed to become a true dragon—Simon’s eyes flashed with fierce light.
’Simon Original - Dragonian’
A high-pitched hum filled the air as jet-black aura surged across Simon’s entire body.
[’Pathetic! No matter what suit you wear, the result will not change!’]
Balak raised both arms, crossing them over his chest.
’Balak Original - Poison Fang’
It was the most powerful technique Balak could unleash while wearing his Stage 5 armor.
Simon felt Fulgor flashing from all directions. A split second later, toxic liquid swarmed from every angle, completely engulfing him without leaving a single gap.
The poison crashed down with a deafening roar. It was an attack impossible to dodge or defend against.
"Simon!"
The desperate cries of the student council members echoed through the arena. Shielding the underclassmen from the toxic waves, Leonard furrowed his brow and muttered.
"It’s okay. He’s still alive."
A human silhouette stood firm within the vortex of poison. Soon, the momentum of the toxic maelstrom weakened until it evaporated completely.
"Phew." Simon let out a long, steady breath. Alien, hexagonal purple scales flashing like rubies now hovered around him, forming a protective barrier.
It looked like a honeycomb-shaped shield. Seeing this, Balak’s face twisted in disbelief.
’How did he obliterate Poison Fang?’
Clad in the Dragonian armor, Simon raised his arm. As he did, a greatsword forged from the drake’s spine materialized in his grip.
He let the heavy blade hang low, dropping his stance before launching himself forward.
[’It’s useless.’]
Balak immediately channeled his dark magic. A massive rift—far larger than the pipes—tore open in the sky, and a meteor of pure poison plummeted toward Simon.
In response, Simon commanded the floating scales to converge, layering them tightly over his greatsword.
’Simon Original - Armor Blade’
’There’s no need to be nervous.’
The moment he gripped the hilt, Manus’s will resonated within him.
The sword was the domain of a Swordmaster. Trusting in that absolute truth, Simon swung the blade with all his might.
The heavy blade tore through the air. Though it was a simple swing from Simon, Manus’s lifetime of experience and karma elevated the strike, transforming it into the true pinnacle of swordsmanship.
The strike cleaved cleanly through the toxic meteor, and the glowing scales attached to the blade evaporated the poison on contact.
Balak froze in shock.
Simon closed the distance in a flash. Just as he let out a battle cry and prepared to swing his greatsword—
’Behind me!’
He felt the sudden spark of Fulgor at his back.
The greatest strength of Simon’s newly crafted weapon, the Dragonian, was its omnidirectional defense. He instantly shifted the scales from his sword to his back, effortlessly blocking the toxic liquid blasting from the hidden pipe.
However, in that brief opening, Balak’s poison-coated hand shot out and seized the drake greatsword.
[’Nothing can stop me!’]
The drake’s bone sword began to sizzle and melt. Completely unfazed, Simon let go of the hilt and dug into Balak’s guard barehanded.
The scales instantly shifted to his hand, shimmering with a violent purple light. Simon pulled his fist back with everything he had.
[’Physical attacks won’t work—’]
Simon unleashed a devastating punch.
With a single, earth-shattering blow, the impossibly thick Stage 5 Death Armor crumbled to pieces, allowing Simon’s fist to bury itself deep into Balak’s flesh.
Balak let out a choked gasp.
Blood gushed from beneath Balak’s metal mask.
The passionate, roaring cheers of the crowd erupted from all sides, echoing throughout the arena.
---

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