In all fairness, before Erich transmigrated, had his body's original owner really committed so many evil deeds and offended so many people?
At least, when Erich combed through the original owner's memories, he found nothing of the sort. To put it bluntly, the original owner was, after all, the eldest son of Duke Edmond's family. As part of a massive, ancient noble house entrenched in the northern part of the empire, most of the people present—these guys surrounding and cursing him—would not have even had the right to meet the original owner, let alone harbor some blood feud against him.
The Edmond family's territory was vast beyond measure, with more major and minor nobles residing within their domain than there were classrooms in the academy. How could that arrogant young master, who held his head so high, ever condescend to deal with these filthy middle-class folks?
He had not even been bothered to bully them.
In the beginning, Erich had truly intended to properly clean up the mess left behind by the original owner.
As a law-abiding citizen from a modern society governed by law, even though he had transmigrated into a villain, Erich had originally thought that as long as he lowered his posture, communicated well with the parties involved, apologized where apologies were due, and clarified what needed to be clarified, wouldn't the problem be resolved? At the end of the day, they were all classmates. What was there that they couldn't talk through?
But the malice of the people exceeded Erich's imagination.
Or perhaps, the original owner's notorious reputation had exceeded Erich's imagination.
None of that mattered anymore.
What mattered was that as he stood in the center of this crowd's encirclement, stared down by gaze after gaze filled with hatred, he suddenly understood. They did not seem to care about the truth; they simply needed a target, a universally acknowledged "villain."
The original owner's notorious reputation had given them that target.
And he, Erich, had taken up that target.
Since they wanted a villain so badly, then he, Erich, would play the villain.
In the shadows, atop the roof of the teaching building.
Several teachers had already been standing there for a long time.
In principle, teachers were not allowed to interfere in the 【Hunting Festival】. However, if a situation arose that threatened a student's life, the teachers had to take action. Right now, the scene of everyone besieging Erich had faintly crossed that line.
“That's enough,” a middle-aged teacher in a gray robe said with a frown, looking down at the area being bombarded by dense spells. “If this goes on any longer, something bad will happen.”
Another female teacher nodded, her staff already gripped in her hand.
Just as they were preparing to cast spells to call a halt,
A streak of sword light shot straight into the sky from the place bombarded by countless spells.
That pure sword light, like a silver-white ribbon splitting the night sky in two, carried an unparalleled momentum as it slashed down toward the gathering place of the second-years.
If it struck, there would undoubtedly be heavy casualties.
Everyone's reaction changed at the exact same moment.
The several teachers who had originally intended to protect Erich instantly changed direction, their figures flickering as they appeared between the sword light and the second-years. The teachers cast a joint spell, unfurling a massive barrier above the crowd. Layer upon layer of magic circuits spread out like city walls, clashing head-on with the sword light that almost split heaven and earth.
Boom!!!
Every sound between heaven and earth was drowned out by the massive roar.
Whether it was the second-years protected beneath the barrier or the freshman procession surging in from the distance, everyone was so shocked by this unparalleled clash that they could not make a sound. It was a collision of power that far exceeded the level of students—a confrontation in the truest sense, capable of threatening life and death.
Cracks appeared on the barrier.
The teachers gritted their teeth and poured in more mana, but the power of the sword light was like a physical entity, pressing down on the barrier and causing it to emit a continuous, ear-piercing cracking sound. Atop the roof of the distant teaching building, several lights flared as more teachers rushed to reinforce them. Streams of mana were injected into the barrier, refilling the cracks.
Only to be slashed open once more.
And refilled again.
The clash persisted for a long time.
Under everyone's breathless gaze, the sword light finally began to dim, and the barrier had also become as thin as a cicada's wing. The final aftershock of the sword light and the barrier shattered at the same time, turning into a sky full of tiny, sparkling points of light that rained down over the entire battlefield.
A dead silence fell.
The cloud of dust that had continuously enveloped Erich finally dispersed.
His long silver hair fluttered without any wind. Erich stood there, his tattered clothes drifting to the side, revealing the bright red pattern on his abdomen. His sword was already sheathed, and he calmly met the gazes of the second-years behind the barrier.
Balin, Yser, and Ragg, who had already regained consciousness, silently walked up to stand behind Erich.
The four of them stood on the scorched earth that had been bombarded, like demon kings awaiting the final battle, scanning the "heroes" who had come to subjugate them.
The second-years behind the barrier were now completely silent. Cecily's face was deathly pale, and the staff in her hand shook uncontrollably.
The teachers were also stunned.
The middle-aged teacher in the gray robe opened his mouth, preparing to explain the situation.
Erich's hand gripped the hilt of his sword once more.
The sword left its sheath.
An unparalleled sword light gathered once again in the despairing eyes of the second-years. The silver-white brilliance reflected off everyone's faces, more blinding and solid than before.
“Wait!”
The teacher's shout was swallowed by the sword light.
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