Reincarnation Of The Legendary Sword Saint-Chapter 86: Demon’s Orchestration

"I want to see what you are truly capable of."

He walked over to the board and drew a large circle, dividing it into sections.

"This represents the hierarchy of swordsmanship," he explained, sketching labels inside each section: Sword Skill, Sword God, Sword Lord, Sword Saint, and Sword Master.

Then, just as the teacher was about to begin, it happened.

"Everyone, students on campus, stay in your classes! Teachers, swordmasters, all of you, come outside immediately!" a voice boomed across the school.

Confused, the students hurried out of their classrooms. Rowan froze. That aura, he remembered it. The same aura he had felt yesterday, the Flame King, Kosan.

"What the hell? I thought I defeated him, but this aura," Rowan muttered to himself, standing from his seat.

He started moving toward the door, but a student blocked him. "Hey! Where do you think you’re going?"

Valkira also rose to her feet. "Where are you going? I’m coming too!"

"Hey, what are you talking about? No one leaves this class!" Daryl snapped, standing up as well. "Didn’t you hear the instructions?"

Rowan shrugged. "Fine, I’ll go back," he said, returning to his seat. Valkira followed silently, sitting beside him and glaring.

"What the hell do you want? Tell me. What’s going on? Why me out of everyone?" she demanded.

Rowan ignored her. Daryl huffed, clearly annoyed.

Outside, chaos had erupted. Other students pressed against the windows, watching in shock. A massive flame moved through the campus, its heat scorching everything in its path. Teachers, some with the blessings of Sword Lords and Sword Gods, drew their swords and engaged, trying to contain the inferno.

"What the hell is this? What’s going on?" one teacher shouted, raising his sword as another humanoid flame erupted from the ground.

"I don’t know," another replied, eyes wide, voice trembling. "The worst part, every time we destroy one, another appears. It’s endless!"

"This is serious," a third teacher said, sensing the oppressive aura. "There’s another entity here, far stronger. It’s a demon. And it’s waiting, watching our every move."

The first teacher didn’t hesitate. With a sharp movement, he lunged at a humanoid flame form. His sword glowed with the blessing of a Sword God, and the strike hit the flame’s core dead-on. The fiery figure shattered in a burst of red-hot embers, scattering sparks across the forest floor.

Another teacher joined, slashing and striking at the cores of the approaching flame forms. Sparks and fire erupted with every strike, but the flames kept rising from the ground, relentless, as if they were multiplying on their own.

Rowan, standing at the edge of the chaos, watched silently. His eyes narrowed as the fire forms moved with unnatural coordination, like a single, sentient force. He could feel the heat even from a distance, and the scent of burning wood mixed with the faint, lingering essence of demons made his aura flare.

"Focus!" one teacher barked, rallying the others. "Strike together! Target the cores first!"

Flames twisted and curled around them, scorching the ground and the trees. Each time a sword struck, a flare of light would erupt, but the fire forms were unrelenting. One teacher was forced to leap back as a humanoid flame lunged at him from the side, its core glowing violently.

"Keep moving! Don’t let them surround you!" another shouted, slashing diagonally as the fiery limbs of the flames snapped like whips in the air.

The forest became a warzone. Sword blessings collided with hellfire, sparks raining like fireflies in the night. The teachers’ shouts mixed with the roar of the flames, and in the distance, Rowan sensed the demon pulling its strings, orchestrating the assault with terrifying precision.

Even from the outskirts, the pressure of the enemy aura pressed down on him like a physical weight. Rowan’s fingers tingled, the mana in his body coiling like a living thing, ready to be unleashed. He took a deep breath, assessing the battlefield.

"These flames aren’t ordinary," Rowan muttered to himself. "Someone, Kosan, sent them. And he’s watching."

The source of the chaos hadn’t shown itself. It moved in the shadows, intervening, diverting attacks, but never revealing its true form. Rowan could feel it, a lurking presence, but it stayed hidden, biding its time.

Still, there were Sword Gods here, powerful warriors with blessings unlike any ordinary human. Rowan’s father had once told him about such fighters, capable of feats that could rival even the most dangerous demons. If anyone could handle this, it would be them. Kosan, though formidable, wasn’t invincible. Rowan’s mind raced as he analyzed the battlefield.

Suddenly, a distant explosion rocked the campus. An empty building had been engulfed in flames, debris raining down as fire spread across the surrounding trees. Rowan’s instincts kicked in, and he sprinted toward the main school building to prevent further disaster.

Teachers and students were scattered, some frozen in shock. Rowan’s eyes caught a teacher caught off guard as one of the fire blasts barreled straight for him. Without hesitation, Rowan dashed forward and grabbed the teacher’s arm, pulling him clear of the explosion.

The blast hit just as Rowan let go, consuming the space where the teacher had stood mere seconds ago. Smoke and fire roared, leaving a scorched crater in its wake. Rowan glanced at the teacher. His hand was badly burned, almost blown apart.

Thinking quickly, Rowan raised his sword and, with a precise strike, severed the damaged portion of the teacher’s hand before it could cause further injury. Blood sprayed, but the teacher’s life was saved. A healer among the teachers immediately rushed forward, placing hands over the wound and weaving a spell to mend the injury.

"Stay with me!" the healer urged, their aura shimmering as they worked.

Rowan stepped back, assessing the battlefield. Flames were erupting everywhere, smoke choking the air, but the Sword Gods and blessed teachers were holding the line, countering the demonic fire forms with precision and skill. Even so, it was clear. The source of this attack, the one who orchestrated it, hadn’t finished.

Repetition:

"What is going on?" Jenny whispered, staring through the shattered window. Her voice trembled. "That teacher, he just lost his hand. And the flames are still spreading inside."

"This is bad," another student muttered. "Shouldn’t we go help them?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Are you stupid?" a boy snapped back. "Can’t you see what’s happening? They’re struggling, and those teachers are elites. We’re the weakest class."

He pointed outside, where senior students in gold-trimmed uniforms were already engaging the flaming entities, their auras blazing as they clashed. "Those are the top classes. Even they are having trouble. If we go out there, we’ll just get in the way."

The room fell silent.

"He’s right," Rowan said quietly, his gaze fixed outside. "Some teachers are already sacrificing themselves to protect us. If we rush out blindly, we’ll only make things worse."

"But still," Velqira muttered, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword. "I’m strong enough to fight."

Before anyone could stop her, her aura erupted.

A sharp, radiant pressure exploded outward as her Sword God skill activated. Pure sword intent surged from her body, bending the air itself. The classroom windows rattled violently.

"Velqira!" someone shouted.

Too late.

She kicked off the floor, smashed through the open window, and landed heavily outside, cracking the ground beneath her boots.

"HEY!" a teacher shouted as he turned. "Student! Go back inside, now!"

Then he froze.

"Princess Velqira?" Zari said in disbelief, recognizing her instantly.

Velqira straightened, sword humming with restrained power. "Yes. And I’m not going back."

She looked around at the burning buildings, the wounded teachers, and the endless demonic flames crawling out of the ground. "You need help. And I’m here to give it."

Zari clenched his teeth. "You don’t understand. These aren’t ordinary flames. They’re demonic constructs, and there’s a demon controlling them. If something happens to you, what do you think the king will—"

"I know exactly what I’m risking," Velqira interrupted calmly.

Her sword aura sharpened, slicing a nearby flame creature cleanly in half without her even moving.

"They keep coming," she said. "Which means standing back won’t save anyone."

"Well, like I said," Zari continued firmly, stepping in front of her, "anything that happens to us is still better than you getting injured. You are a princess. Your father entrusted you to this academy and to us. So please, I beg you. Don’t step in."

Velqira stared at him for a long moment.

Then she nodded.

"Fine," she said calmly. "But if anything goes wrong, if I see even one of you about to die, I will step in."

She drew her sword halfway from its sheath. A faint, razor-sharp pressure leaked out before she restrained it again.

Zari exhaled in relief. "That’s enough. We can handle this. Trust us."

He looked toward the battlefield, eyes hardening. "There are Sword Gods and Sword Saints here. These flames will not overwhelm us so easily."

Velqira slowly suppressed her aura completely.