<891 – The Unqualified (14)>
Looking at the Undead Students emerging from the catacombs, Jezel was filled with deep regret.
“If we hadn’t pushed for the Breakthrough Operation, we could have easily stopped the many fourth-years left in the academy. The operation we prepared with Oknodie has backfired and put us in a tight spot.”
“Breakthrough Operation? Are they still doing that?”
Irene, focused on preparing for the Northern Demon Realm Expedition, had no interest in other matters.
How significant must an event be to catch the attention of this indifferent Northern Grand Duchess?
With a wry smile, Jezel replied.
“The [Companion Graduation Support System] is the core system of this student council. It’s the only means to suppress the existing fourth-years’ discontent regarding the homunculus-related policies. Naturally, we’ve been pushing it the hardest. Princess Yayoi, the third princess of the Empire, is leading it.”
An operation to expand human activity beyond the human limit region.
To obtain the hidden piece contained in Oknodie’s diary, the fourth-years gathered, fishing for one another while working on their graduation project raid team, completing their marching ceremony and leaving the academy.
With the number of fourth-years already dwindling, Jezel couldn’t expect much help from the student council’s friendly vice-president Velvet or the legendary masters like Seoguyeon who were hiding in the academy.
“There are countless ‘prospective graduates’ and ‘graduation failures’ in the academy, you know. Where do you think their restless spirits have gathered?”
-!!
“For that reason, we must stop the spirits congregating in front of the administrative office’s Death Zone. Do your best to block the minor ones, even if it’s tough.”
Velvet stood against a greater threat than the Undead Students emerging from the nearby catacombs, along with the legendary masters.
“I appreciate Senior Velvet’s hard work, but a display of goodwill can only happen when we reunite alive. The enemy we need to face is this way.”
Once, they prepared a comfort meeting for Oknodie to encourage her, who was getting increasingly miserable due to Oknodie’s clumsy imitation of Darknodi.
“How about a new menu festival? Everyone develops a new dish they want to feed each other.”
“Haha, I’m worried it might turn into a punishment game.”
“Uh-huh! It’d take a whole day of starving before it would taste good.”
The festival they worked hard to prepare ended in a mess before the dismal sight of Oknodie, the very person it was meant for.
“Professor Sadako, that crazy professor… Is she trying to bury the kid alive…?”
“I’m sorry. I ate too much dirt… cough cough. I can’t eat much, but I’ll try as hard as I can to eat at least one more… cough cough hack cough…”
“Don’t eat anymore, just go to the Medical Building!”
Seeing Oknodie, covered in dirt, coughing up soil every time, who would think of celebrating a festival!
The catacomb expedition team, furious at how the child was tormented while listening to Professor Sadako’s lecture and spewing dirt, stood up to protest against Professor Sadako.
The first expedition team, unable to get past a mere skeleton instructor, had gathered solid reinforcements.
Only after receiving help from transfer students like Astarot and seniors like Mandela Castera from Class 980, as well as the legendary masters Velvet and Seoguyeon, could they finally defeat the Undead.
And now, they had to stop them again without the seniors.
“This is our challenge. Can we break free from our previously powerless selves and truly become someone who can genuinely help Oknodie? A grown-up who can play their part. This pirate ship defense battle will prove it.”
“A chance to prove our abilities. I like it.”
Suppressing the tension, Jezel smiled, her confidence bringing a grin to Irene’s face as well.
At that time, Irene, who had also faced her limits while participating in the catacomb expedition team, recognized this as a chance for revenge.
An opportunity to settle the score for their previous defeat.
Whooooosh!
Bam Bam Bam!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
From the Undead approaching with distinctly different but clear colors of death for the first time, they felt the true terror of a ‘legion’.
The unruly Undead born in the Death Zone had met the right commander to lead them.
Undead receiving orders from a proper commander became exponentially more dangerous.
“Aha ha ha ha!”
The bright and clear laughter of a girl echoed, completely out of place on the battlefield.
Before Oknodie, three of the strongest students of Class 980; Cruel, who had been divided into one-third with the powerful Mandela Castera, and the third powerhouse, Sadi Chocolate.
A female student, with burns covering half her face and a glass eye, had returned to the ground.
Former rivals who had failed to stand in this spot either obstructed the Death Zone or vanished without a trace.
Mandela Castera, who used sonic waves to break mental conditioning and hypnotize with charisma.
Sadi Chocolate, who cunningly ruled with psychological weaknesses.
Cruel, who could directly dominate by poisoning with Dark Mana or naturally hypnotizing and conditioning.
The charisma of light.
The whispers of darkness.
The dominance of shadows.
The matches they had fought twice before, saw Sadi Chocolate standing without a rival, entering her era.
“Sadako Professor’s high-risk student preservation coffin has a notable function; even disintegrated souls can regenerate from the coffin and be restored again, you see?”
“It’s useless. Our Class 981’s mental power has already defended against your mental corruption in the catacomb expedition. If you think we, who have grown even stronger since then, will fall for your tricks, you’re mistaken.”
Confidently, Jezel opened the backpack named Backpack No. 3 she had made with Oknodie’s help.
Backpack No. 3, created after the prototype No. 1 and completed product No. 2 made by Oknodie, was a unique backpack designed to avoid collision risks with magical items usually stored in magical backpacks.
[Installed Mana Shielding]
[Sonic Barrier Mana Board]
[Designated Pattern Barrier Magic Additional]
With sufficient funds and technology, it is not a difficult task for one person to analyze all the magical components and formulas they witnessed in the past, installing a dedicated barrier.
Although massive funding was consumed during the compression process to fit into the size of Backpack No. 3, Jezel was determined to secure this countermeasure, even going so far as to pay huge compensation fees to draw out painful memories from the students.
“If there is a magic that can’t be blocked by money, it’s simply the illusion born from a lack of sufficient funds. I may not possess your brilliant intellect or genius, but I have wealth and assets that can more than overcome all those deficiencies.”
Jezel’s strategies against Sadi Chocolate were completely different from those against Mandela Castera or Shiina Cruel.
She thoroughly analyzed all of Sadi’s crafty voices and psychological spell patterns to block them.
The enormous barrier built on money acted as a sort of virus shield, protecting the area within a certain radius from Sadi Chocolate.
“Interesting concept. But you, haven’t you already ‘met eyes’ with me?”
Jezel was startled to realize that Sadi was attempting to deactivate the device she had set.
“How strange. It’s commonly said that Undead have only the skills they had in life and can achieve no further development. Yet… have you never considered this?”
Despite turning her gaze and plugging her ears with both hands, the sound of Sadi Chocolate’s voice whispering friendly beside her remained indefinable.
Could this woman actually do something like this just by wanting to?
A low, enchanting voice, filled with allure, whispered temptingly in Jezel’s ears, filling her with dread.
“That’s a ‘side effect’ resulting from a lower-level necromancer. Truly exceptional necromancers allow for continuous development in Undead.”
“!!”
“So here’s a question. Just how skilled of a necromancer is Professor Sadako? Can Sadi Chocolate’s abilities still grow, or can they not?”
It wasn’t just Jezel who had become stronger and developed.
That embodiment of evil, a being that plays with and ravages the human heart.
“How many of such ‘Undead Students’ might there be in the catacombs?”
“!!!”
“If I could freely glimpse into their hearts, how many students reinforced by my ‘help’ would there be?”
If Jezel was the student council president of the living, then Sadi Chocolate was the president of the dead.
The illusion imprinted in Jezel’s mind by the student council president of the dead made her chin clench and look down under the pirate ship.
“See well. Your student council and my student council. Which side is superior?”
Beneath Sadi Chocolate, laughing on the surface of the sea, a colossal monster burst through the waves.
“If I exceed the cost with a summoned monster and it blows my head apart, I just need to erase unnecessary memories… If I wipe out all the enjoyable memories and disliked memories, I can increase the cost as much as needed… Now I can summon as much as I want… Hee hee hee…”
The hulking monster army of senior Undead summoners, who had crossed the taboo they must not go beyond as summoners, began to rise one by one from the surface.
With each increasing monster, the number of high-risk Undead students who had succumbed to the heartfelt manipulations of the psychological sorceress grew above the monsters.
“I admit the limits of the 980 Undead. So then… can you show me the limits of ‘the rest’?”
The greatest crisis of the Jigoku Pirate Ship Defense Battle had begun.
