My Students Regret It After I Retired

64 – Power Awakens

Countless mana bombs rain from the sky.

The Order Knights and Shadow Unit members hastily deployed defensive magic. But their spells were insufficient. The shockwaves of the explosion pierced through layers of barriers, continuing to spread.

Then. Members of the Celestial Assembly, hidden amongst the knights, stepped forward.

“Taken! Use it!”

Brix, a member of the Assembly, shouted, and Taken, another member, immediately pulled a colorless artifact from his pouch. He shattered the artifact, and instantly, a powerful shield formed, protecting the surrounding area. Not a shield that merely absorbed the impact, but one that perfectly nullified it.

Watching the power of the mana bomb subside, Brix clicked his tongue.

“Damn, this wasn’t the place to use that. Taken, is Belin alright?”

“Yes, she is, Brix-nim.”

“Damn near killed Belin and Keltazar too, that little shit.”

“…It was close. The Celestial Lord told us to observe their actions as much as possible, but not let them die. I didn’t expect him to go this rogue. Physical injuries can be healed as long as the head remains attached, but if they had been hit directly, they would have surely vanished with their corpses.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“Brix-nim! Up front! He’s coming!”

Though they had blocked the bomb with the shield, Leos charged forward like a bull, smashing through everything. This time, Leos’s target was Keltazar.

With the unwavering determination to take him no matter what, Leos lunged, only to be intercepted by Brix and Taken on either side.

-TEEEE-ENG!

Leos swung his sword, but Taken and Brix simultaneously countered, pushing Leos back. Leos, now staggered, with unfocused eyes, whispered.

“You…you’re not ordinary knights?”

“…”

Brix and Taken faced Leos silently. Looking around, most of the knights had been blown away by the blast. Even though the barriers had absorbed and diffused the impact, they were still thrown off in the process.

“Leave Keltazar and Belin alone, and get lost.”

Brix said. Leos looked at him and asked.

“Celestial Assembly? You lot also sent by that crazy b*stard they call the Head of the Assembly?”

“…”

“What are you staring at like you’re surprised? You just blatantly used your power.”

Tacken looked around and pulled out an artifact that resembled a grenade from his pocket. He threw it to the ground, and it burst, filling the area with fog. The fog began to envelop the people within, as if forming a protective barrier.

There were about 30 people inside the space.

Keltazar was unconscious, and Belin was semi-comatose.

“Briggs, Tacken. What happened to you two? Where did you learn that barrier you just showed, and that swordsmanship you’re using now…”

A knight stepped forward to ask, but Briggs responded by cutting his throat. Starting with that, he took the lives of everyone within the fog barrier.

“Don’t you dare utter the name of the Celestial Assembly so carelessly. All who hear it will die like this.”

“What about Belin and Keltazar? They probably heard it too, right?”

“They can’t die yet. And you also, we can’t kill you yet. So go your way.”

Leos walked slowly, laughing hysterically.

“Why is it that all you deficient b*stards in that Celestial Assembly overestimate your own abilities? You kill a few dozen powerless insects and think you’ve got some great power? You make me sick. Like you think you’re special, swaggering around, and stomping on others like garbage.”

-Grind…

Briggs’ face contorted in anger, and Tacken hurriedly whispered.

“You can’t kill him. Didn’t the Head of the Assembly say he was coming?”

“I know…”

Briggs whispered, looking at Leos.

“The Head of the Assembly will be coming for you soon. Prepare yourself to greet him with respect. If you make him angry, not just you, but everyone will die.”

-Shick!

Leos flung his chain blade, and it tore across Brigs’ face. Brigs didn’t even wipe the blood, just stared at Leos as he spoke.

“You’re getting too cocky for someone whose life is only being prolonged by His favor. Leos, the moment His attention shifts from you, that will be the day your life ends.”

Brigs slammed his hand against the ground, and a black shockwave engulfed the area. It felt like being stabbed all over with knives, again and again, and Leos began to stagger from the pain.

“Never seen anything like this, have you? This is what’s called a talent. An ability only the chosen can awaken. It’s nothing like some artifact.”

Brigs walked towards Leos, marveling.

“You’re in terrible shape. You must have been fighting non-stop for days now, and then using mana bombs on top of that, no wonder you’re half-crippled.”

Brigs touched his torn face, then added,

“I wonder what it would’ve been like if you were in your normal state. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone I’d genuinely like to fight.”

“The Celestial Order… You b*stards… I will…”

Even with his body breaking down, Leos raised his sword. But Brigs just looked down at Leos and spoke low.

“Remember this. Your life is all thanks to His grace. And don’t be discouraged by today’s defeat. I assure you, among those without talents, there’s no one stronger than you. Not even in our Celestial Order. Well, that’s why Artan and Ferraton got taken out, I suppose.”

Leos’ vision began to fade, and shortly after he was forcibly ejected from the space.

“We will meet again soon. Don’t try to change things. Accept your fate, and just accept it. It’s the best you can do.”

Racart and Faron rushed to Leos, who collapsed.

“Faron! Use the anti-tracking artifact now!”

Faron flung the artifact around, and a mana-disrupting wave spread. Racart hoisted Leos up, then sprinted. Attacks began to rain down from behind, but he ignored them.

Knights haphazardly fired ranged attack artifacts, but Racart hid in the forest and ran like a madman. His body was torn and broken, but he kept running.

‘I can’t let him die.’

Racart was thinking of Leos’ life, more than his own. The only one who could revive the collapsing Peren Empire. That was Leos.

*

“Leos! What in the world happened to you!”

Herisia rushed towards Leos, who was covered in blood, and Hemina, from the makeshift tent, also dashed out.

Hemina saw Leos’ condition and trembled, looking at Rakart. Then, she glared fiercely and shouted.

“What were you doing, letting him get into this state?”

Rakart, looking exhausted, didn’t answer and sat down on the ground, and Paron answered instead.

“Leos got carried away and charged in. Rakart was only trying to save him.”

“…”

Hemina looked suspicious, but soon, she brought a wet cloth for Leos and began to treat his wounds. She took out a healing artifact and activated it, also retrieving various hidden potions, medicines, and supplies one by one.

“This… This isn’t working either…”

Hemina frantically rummaged through her backpack. Healing artifacts, potions, she used every method she could, but Leos still wouldn’t open his eyes.

Leos’ breathing began to grow more ragged.

Herisia also moved beside him, took Leos’ hand, and murmured.

“Leos… please… Please, open your eyes! Please!”

For over 24 hours, his companions stayed by his side, tending to him, but Leos’ condition showed no signs of improvement.

It wasn’t just a physical problem. His mind was worn and depleted, his spirit unwilling to allow his body to recover.

Having taken in too much information in an instant, or perhaps having released too much rage, Leos’ mind was gradually breaking down. The drive to kill someone, to hate, and everything he had pushed forward for, all in the single belief of destroying everything.

It was eroding and collapsing Leos’ spirit.

To live every single day hating and killing someone, was a process that was also depleting his lifespan.

About 36 hours had passed since Leos collapsed. Rakart spoke with a worried expression.

“Herisia, Hemina, both of you go rest somewhere else. You’ve been there for almost two days straight without even eating, and you’ll break down before Leos wakes up. Bendict went to the safe zone to look for a skilled healer, so let’s wait a little. Besides, there’s nothing more you can do even if you stay there.”

“I…I’ll handle it myself.”

“Me too… I’m just here because it’s comfortable.”

“Alright, you two figure it out.”

Lakart stepped out of Leo’s tent and sighed. He then turned to Paron and said,

“Paron, if Leo doesn’t join the fight, what are the chances of our rebellion succeeding?”

“Less than one in ten. We won’t be able to seal Redgate, and there’s no one who can handle the mutant monsters that are popping up everywhere as well as Lord Leo can.”

“This is a big problem… Let’s observe the situation for now. We can’t do anything until Leo wakes up.”

*

Roughly 48 hours passed, and everyone was asleep.

The Celestial Lord slowly moved toward Leo’s tent.

“Ritan, I’ll take it from here.”

“I’ll wait outside.”

“Right, but first I should get rid of these uninvited guests.”

The Celestial Lord’s figure disappeared for a moment and then appeared above Paron, who was hiding in a corner, watching. Paron tried to react, but the speed was too much for him to follow and he was completely taken off guard by the Celestial Lord’s attack.

– *Squeeze…*

The Celestial Lord began to tightly grip Paron’s head with one hand, making no sound. He then whispered to him,

“Stay quiet. If I had wanted to kill, everyone here would be dead. Can’t you feel it? That I have the power to do so.”

“L…Lord Leo…!”

As Paron tried to yell, the Celestial Lord struck his neck, knocking him unconscious.

“Ritan, take him away. If he looks like he’s going to die, heal him up. We can’t have this one die either. Leo needs him.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The Heavenly Lord finally entered the tent. And, looking at the girls on either side of Leos, her expression slightly soured.

As the Heavenly Lord raised her hand toward the girls, who were completely exhausted and passed out, they instantly floated slightly into the air and moved back.

Now finally alone with Leos, the Heavenly Lord looked down at him, a manic grin spreading across her face as she muttered.

“Finally, finally we’ve met, Leos. Charging at a member of the Heavenly Assembly with a body devoid of ability, it’s a miracle you’re even alive. Just wait, I’ll wake you up.”

As the Heavenly Lord placed her hand on Leos’s heart, a small green light flickered. And then, before long…

*WHOOSH*—!

An enormous light engulfed everything. The Heavenly Lord, her face consumed with rapture, whispered as she watched the light radiating from Leos.

“It’s absurd… as if he were truly chosen by a god, to take everything in the end.”

Startled by the light, Ritan rushed inside, speaking in a hushed voice.

“L-Lord Heavenly Lord! This light…!”

“Yes. It’s what you think it is. Leos has finally awakened his ability.”