Academy’s Barbarian

Orhan, who had ambushed the immobilized Joshua and diverted Ha-shar-leur’s attention, used that moment to create distance with all his might and dashed toward the corner of the inner fortress where Ludwig was hiding.

Though it looked like he was fleeing with his back turned in an unsightly manner, it was the best choice he could make.

“Ludwig… that bastard must die…!”

It wasn’t just about satisfying his own thirst for revenge; the future of the Grassland People was at stake.

For decades, Ludwig had been the Empire’s barrier, always wary of Ka`har. He was a man who would annihilate every Grassland Person without hesitation for the sake of the Empire’s peace.

And now, Ludwig had the means—overwhelming military power—to make that a reality.

Ludwig and Ha-shar-leur. For the Grassland People, it was the worst combination. Even Orhan himself had been certain of defeat, unable to overcome the two together.

“Even for Ha-shar-leur… it’s the worst.”

Orhan realized.

To crush Ka`har’s future, Ludwig was a man who would stop at nothing. Just as he had sacrificed tens of thousands of lives as bait to trap them.

That’s why Ludwig had to die. Even for Ha-shar-leur’s sake.

Unlike Ha-shar-leur, who would stop once his revenge was achieved, Ludwig’s goal was to annihilate Ka`har to ensure they could never threaten the Empire.

To achieve this, he would rely on Ha-shar-leur’s power, ensuring Ha-shar-leur would never stop… in other words, he would keep Ka`har killing and killing, never finding the true culprit.

Until only ashes remained on a sea of blood.

“…I can’t let that happen.”

Ha-shar-leur becoming the Empire’s hero… well, that wasn’t what he wished for, but he could somehow accept it. Ai-mel-ra might have wanted that.

But as long as Ludwig lived, that child would not be a hero but a monster endlessly slaughtering under the hand of someone indirectly responsible for Ai-mel-ra’s death. Orhan thought so.

Though it was a biased and misunderstood assumption, given the stories he had heard and the experiences he had gone through, that was the only conclusion he could reach.

—

The time gained by ambushing Joshua was mere seconds, but it was enough for Orhan to crash into the half-collapsed inner fortress.

– Kwaaaaang!

With his Indestructible Body activated, Orhan shattered the inner fortress wall with his entire body and charged inside. Straight into the Imperial Army’s temporary command headquarters.

The headquarters was in utter chaos.

The debris from the collapsed wall swept through a corner of the headquarters, crushing the strategists and aides beneath, their organs completely mangled, killing them instantly.

Between the blood-soaked stones, an eyeball, forced out by the pressure, dangled from its optic nerve, swaying back and forth.

And now, Orhan, who had burst through the wall. The shattered fragments of the wall swept through the Imperials like cannon fire.

Knights in full armor suffered broken bones or bruises at worst, but those in academy uniforms had fist-sized holes punched through their bodies.

“Ugh, aaaaah!”

Those with torn limbs had no time to be grateful for their luck, clutching their severed limbs and screaming.

Corpses with shattered heads twitched and convulsed, their crushed brains oozing out, while those with holes in their abdomens desperately tried to stuff their spilled organs back in, as if they could live if they just put them back.

“Where are you, Ludwig?!”

Orhan paid them no mind, quickly scanning the area for the gray-haired middle-aged man who deserved to die.

“It’s him, Orhan, Orhan is here!!”

“Stop him! Do whatever it takes! We must buy time until Sir Median arrives!”

The Guard Knights, gritting their teeth, charged at him.

With the core forces all deployed in the city battle, the Guard Knights were not even at the level of masters, but they threw their lives away like leaves to block Orhan’s path.

It was a desperate yet valiant sight.

…Though it was meaningless.

“Get out of my way!”

A storm of destruction swept through. Orhan, not wasting a single second, swung his Slaughter Sword without hesitation, and everything in its path, whether living or not, was cut down.

“Guh!”

“Kyaaah!”

Broken swords, shattered shields, and dismembered bodies flew in all directions, turning the corridor into a scene from hell. The knights, far from stopping Orhan, couldn’t even hold his ankles, becoming nothing more than grotesque decorations.

A terribly meaningless death—no, in the end, it even helped Orhan.

Through the knights’ fierce resistance, Orhan realized Ludwig was still alive and could roughly guess his hiding spot.

“Ludwig!!”

The slaughtering tank, wielding the Reverse Scale of the Fire Dragon, charged through the Empire’s command headquarters.

“Orhan…!”

Finally, he faced the man he had been targeting.

—

Ludwig’s appearance was far from his usual self.

His dusty academy uniform, his disheveled gray hair. His left leg was twisted as if crushed, and his body trembled slightly from the pain.

Thanks to an aide sacrificing himself, Ludwig had narrowly avoided the collapse caused by Orhan’s throwing spear, but he had only barely survived.

One leg caught in the rubble was so damaged he couldn’t even stand, let alone walk.

“Here you are, Ludwig!”

Orhan roared fiercely. A mix of joy and rage flooded his mind, turning his vision red.

“Finally, finally, the moment has come. The moment to tear you apart, the culprit who brought our ruin!”

The Reverse Scale in his hand, brimming with Life Force Technique, let out a fierce roar. Orhan, grinning like a madman, approached Ludwig.

“Your Excellency, get back!”

Ludwig’s guards urgently stepped in front of him, charging at Orhan with shields and weapons emitting a pure white light.

Defensive Divine Artifacts gifted by the Elpinel Church Order.

The Pure White Divine Light spread like a barrier, blocking Orhan’s path, and a pillar of light erupted from his feet, piercing through the ceiling and shooting into the sky.

“Grrr…”

Orhan momentarily stopped, his entire body feeling as if it were being torn apart.

Though his Indestructible Body had no wounds, the light pillar from the Divine Artifact was attacking his senses directly.

“Is this all…!”

“Not yet!”

Dozens of Suppression Magic spells rained down on Orhan as he gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

His vision darkened, his ears deafened, his legs bound by chains, and a thousand-pound weight pressed on his shoulders.

Dozens of hands emerged from the shadows at his feet, grabbing and pulling him, while an invisible force from the front struck his body, trying to push him back.

‘So, you won’t let me die easily, huh…!’

Orhan burned with even greater killing intent, pouring strength into his entire body. His tendons bulged, his face turned crimson, and a trickle of blood flowed from his clenched teeth.

“Grrrr…!”

One step. The shadowy hands were severed, the mana chains shattered. Orhan, kneeling under the thousand-pound weight, moved forward.

“Kaaaah!”

The moment he escaped the light pillar, the pain subsided. Orhan swung his Slaughter Sword, now tangled with blood and organs, at the horrified magicians.

Even with his vision and hearing blocked, his senses could clearly detect the magicians’ positions through the tremors in the air and the smells.

A crimson afterimage swept through the room.

The Barrier of Divine Light shattered like glass, and the magicians, desperately trying to cast barrier spells, were reduced to chunks of flesh.

As the magicians died, the Suppression Magic holding Orhan’s body weakened and dissipated.

The world brightened again, and sound returned. The weight pressing on his body vanished like a mirage.

“I won’t let you go. I won’t! This place will be your grave, Ludwig!”

Orhan, now with clear vision, glared at Ludwig, who had managed to put some distance between them, and charged with a fierce roar.

The crimson arc drawn by the Reverse Scale flew toward Ludwig’s neck, an unavoidable death sentence.

And then.

“Finally, I’ve got youuuuuu!”

With a voice full of killing intent, an Ice Blade claw, layered with Life Force Technique’s lightning, pierced Orhan’s back like a spear.

Blood gushed out like a fountain.

---