The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy - Chapter 270

Chapter 270: Aestrea Against The World (XLVII)

‘…How did she get so strong, though?’

Aestrea wondered slighly.

Even Lucas, the main protagonist of the novel he was inside of, didn’t reach the SSS-rank level… yet Christina did.

That made him confused as he activated his 『 Scan 』.

[Target: Christina Solara]

[Race: High Human]

[Rank: SSS]

[Talent: Godly]

[Affinities: Holy, ✦Light✦, ✯Divinity✯]

[Favorability: -100/90]

[Sexual Desire: 00]

[Thoughts: Why would Aestrea do something like that? There’s something suspicious about this…]

‘…Huh? Her favorability…? Aestrea frowned slighly.

Aside from that, nothing seemed abnormal. As for Divinity, it made sense; she was a Saintess, the one closest to the Goddess of Light herself.

[…If what really happened is true: her favorability towards you is -100; if not, it’s ninety.]

‘…Ninety? Isn’t that absurdly high?’

[Yes. But it seems she values the world above you.]

‘I see…’

He knew Christina well, she was the type who would sacrifice even her lover if it meant protecting humanity or the world.

“So… this is the so-called Moonlight Swordsman?” A handsome man with black hair stepped forward, his aura rising slighly as he confronted Aestrea.

But somehow… Aestrea totally ignored his comment as he continued staring at Christina, who also stared back at him

The black-haired man’s jaw tightened, his aura bursting like a storm.

FWOOOOOSH!

Countless spectral swords materialized in the air, each one trembling with killing intent, their tips all aimed directly at Aestrea.

“You dare ignore me?!” the man roared, his voice trembling with rage. “I’ll cut you into nothing but dust!”

The swords hovered, ready to strike, humming with sharp vibrations.

But Aestrea… didn’t even blink as his gaze never left Christina’s.

That cold indifference made the man’s face twist with fury.

“DIE!”

SHIIIIIING!

The thousand swords shot forward at once, yet, in that exact moment, Aestrea finally turned his head.

His eyes glowed a pure, blinding white.

The black-haired man’s body locked up instantly.

His breath hitched—

“W-what…?”

Then his knees buckled with a sickening crack.

THUD!

Blood spilled from his nose, his ears, and his eyes as he collapsed, trembling like a broken puppet.

“AAAGH—!!”

The swords he summoned shattered into fragments of light, dissolving in the air with a tsss hiss.

For a moment, silence remained in the air, until it was finally interrupted.

“Pathetic,” one of the SSS-rankers scoffed, a woman cloaked in violet flame. “To be brought down by just a look… shameful.”

“Heh,” another man chuckled, leaning lazily on his spear. “And this guy kept bragging about being the ‘Sword Emperor.'”

“More like the Knee Emperor now.”

“Pfft—!”

Several of them laughed openly, their voices dripping with mockery.

The black-haired man tried to glare at them, but his head drooped weakly, blood still dripping from his mouth.

“…Shut… up…” he croaked, before coughing violently.

Christina, however, didn’t laugh.

Her dim pink eyes remained fixed on Aestrea, her hands tightening around a golden sword that looked quite similar to the Excalibur itself from Lucas.

“…Is that Solara?” Aestrea asked Christina suddenly, his eyes glancing at the sword before going back to her eyes, “I remember you telling me about this heaven-defying sword…”

Christina’s grip loosened slightly, her brows furrowing. She searched his strange glowing eyes as though trying to confirm he wasn’t corrupted.

“…You aren’t possessed..” her lips parted slighly, looking troubled as she looked at Aestrea’s different eyes.

“Why would I be?” Aestrea smiled lightly.

“No one in this world could possess me.”

“Then why…?” Christina’s voice hardened as she straightened her stance, meeting his gaze directly. “Why would you take Hellheim’s source… and even provoke the Goddess of Light by shattering her statue?”

Aestrea met her gaze firmly.

“I didn’t steal Hellheim’s source. And I only destroyed the statue because that’s where they hid it.”

He directly told the truth.

But just as he said those words, one of the sss-rankers, the man who was lazily reclining on his spear, interrupted him.

“Tch. What a load of crap,” he said, clicking his tongue. “Everyone knows you’re working with the dark elves. Just admit it already.”

Aestrea ignored him completely, still looking at Christina’s eyes. Because for him, the only person he wanted to believe him, was her.

But that indifference lit the man’s fury., causing him to point his spear at him:

“Hey, don’t you fucking dare to igno—”

FWIP!

In a instant, Aestrea vanished, and in the blink of an eye, the man’s face was driven into the earth.

BOOOOM!

The ground ruptured, a five-meter crater spreading beneath the impact.

“Shut it.”

Aestrea’s cold voice lingered in the silence, sending a chill through everyone present.

“A-aagh…”

The man twitched under the crushing force, his fingers clawing at the dirt as he tried to raise his head.

“Y-You—!”

CRACK.

Aestrea’s boot pressed harder, snapping the ground beneath and silencing him instantly.

The man’s eyes rolled back, blood spilling from his lips before his body went limp, directly unconscious.

The crater deepened with the impact, dust still swirling in the air.

Aestrea slowly lifted his foot, shaking it slightly as though the entire matter had been no more than brushing dirt off his shoe.

Silence fell.

The other SSS-rankers, who just moments ago were smirking or sneering, suddenly found their throats dry.

No one stepped forward, no one mocked, no one spoke.

They hated each other, they despised Aestrea even more… yet in that moment, none of them dared to provoke him.

Rustle~

Aestrea finally moved his foot off the man’s head and straightened himself.

His hair shifted gently with the breeze as his attention returned to her alone.

“…Christina,” he said calmly, appearing right in front of her.

“I’m telling you the truth.”

Christina’s breath caught.

Her knuckles whitened as she clenched the sword tighter, her holy aura flickering faintly around her like threads of sunlight.

“…If that’s true…” she whispered, lips trembling as her eyes searched his face, “why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you explain before breaking it in front of us all?”

Aestrea shook his head slowly.

“You know how I am… I like taking action directly.”

Her lips parted, as if to answer, but then her gaze faltered. His eyes. Those strange glowing eyes. She wanted to trust him, yet doubt gnawed at her heart.

But just as the silence stretched thin between them…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

QUIVERRR!

A pillar of light erupted from the heavens themselves.

The clouds above split apart, torn open by divine brilliance.

Wind howled, whipping through the battlefield, carrying a pressure that forced even the SSS-rankers to kneel instinctively.

From within the light descended a figure.

An angel.

His presence alone burned like the sun.

Four radiant wings spread wide, feathers glowing with holy fire. His hair shone like molten silver, his armor crafted of pure light itself, and in his hand, a long spear that pulsed with sacred power.

Christina’s eyes widened, her lips breathless as she spoke a single name:

“…Sir Alen…”

The angel landed softly, his feet not even breaking the ground, yet the air around him warped with sheer force.

His sharp golden eyes locked immediately on Aestrea, his expression filled with calm certainty, as if he had already judged the man before a word was spoken.

“Saintess Christina,” his voice was deep, echoing like a hymn. “Do not be swayed by that man’s tongue. His words are nothing but lies.”

“…Lies?” Christina flinched.

Alen’s wings opened further, light scattering across the battlefield. He raised his voice so all could hear:

“He is cursed. His very soul bears the stain of evil. He will never change. No matter what mask he wears, no matter how gentle his smile… beneath it, he is darkness itself.”

Christina’s eyes darted back to Aestrea.

Her heart raced, torn between the man she once trusted and the angel she revered as a servant of her Goddess.

“Don’t listen to him,” Aestrea said firmly, stepping forward, still not gazing away from her dim pink eyes.

“Christina, you know me. You know what I’ve done, and what I haven’t. If I wanted to destroy this world, nothing would stand in my way. But I didn’t. I never did.”

“Then let the truth be shown.” Alen’s lips curved into a thin, pitying smile.

He raised one hand.

In an instant, the air rippled, and a projection appeared in the sky above them. A perfect illusion, or perhaps, a truth twisted into a weapon.

It was Aestrea.

But not the Aestrea standing there.

This projection was drenched in shadow, black aura leaking like smoke from his body, his glowing eyes filled not with a strange… killing intent.

At his chest clung Hellheim’s source, dark tendrils wrapping his torso like chains.

Gasps filled the air.

Even the proud SSS-rankers stepped back.

Christina’s heart dropped into her stomach.

“N…no… Aestrea…” Her lips trembled as she whispered.

[Christina Solara’s favorability has dropped to -100.]

A small text flickered in Aestrea’s vision. His heart froze, and his breath caught in his throat, his chest tightening painfully.

He had already lost Eleonora.

Now… Christina too.

For the first time, his hand shook faintly at his side.

“…So that’s how it is…”

“Christina!” Alen’s voice boomed like a command. “Raise your blade. Do your duty as the Saintess of Light!”

Her breathing quickened as her hand moved almost on its own.

FWIP!

The Solara Divine Sword gleamed as she pointed it directly at Aestrea, her eyes filled with sorrow but her voice unwavering:

“…Aestrea Moon.”

He looked at her, silent, his expression unreadable.

“I, Christina Solara, representative of the Holy Nation, under the orders of the Goddess of Light…” she swallowed hard, tears threatening to fall, but her voice only grew louder, “…declare you as a devil, one who must be killed!”

Her words cut through the air like lightning.

“I hereby sentence you as the enemy of the whole world!”

The heavens responded.

A giant decree carved itself into the sky, glowing letters spreading for all to see.

[ By the will of the Goddess of Light, Aestrea Moon is hereby declared as Heretic, Devil, and Enemy of the World. ]

Gasps instantly erupted as the SSS-rankers’ faces twisted in shock, then smug delight.

The decree burned itself into the sky until no one could deny it.

And there stood Aestrea, staring at Christina’s trembling figure, the sword aimed at his chest, and the words of the heavens branding him as the enemy of all.

His lips parted slightly.

“…I see.”

A strange silver energy started leaking out of his body.

“If even the heavens are against me…”

He looked directly towards the angel, and not to Christina. The angel’s power rank appeared in front of him.

[Rank: Semi-God]

“I shall bring down heavens themselves.”