Dennis had already taken several bullets from the Head. Blood was gushing from his abdomen, drip drip.
“..But you’re not as good as you used to be.”
“My calculations are never wrong! Dennis!!”
To take down the Demon King, the other Ten Heroes needed to gather. However, without Dennis, it was easy to fall prey to the Head’s ignorance, and both Emperor Rock and the Northern Duke, known for their might, were absent. The situation was different from the war, and moreover, he had something to protect.
“Look at you now. No allies and so many things to protect!”
The students behind the blue-haired professor were protected by a rotating 3D Magic Circle. It spun like a gyroscope, creating a barrier to save lives.
“Professor, you’re hurt! Kai, what do we do..?”
“I thought about going out to help, but that’s impossible.”
As Kainel touched the 3D Magic Circle, it blocked him like hitting a fierce waterfall. He hadn’t fully matured as the Hero of Light yet.
He couldn’t dispel the Ten Heroes’ magic circle and leap outside, and if he tried to help the professor, he could become a burden.
“..Moreover, this is different from the Magic Hat incident.”
Watching the situation outside, he felt a sense of alienation. The previous Demon King treated them like toys for fun, but,
“Dennis, I can’t kill you yet. You must survive the prophecies ahead and save as many lives as you can!”
This wasn’t a game. As Licht had said before, it wasn’t an avatar or a fake; the Demon King was fighting strictly according to his own plans.
“You spoke as if you knew the future. But if that’s the case, why did you fall..?”
To shake him up, Dennis smiled and provoked. Surprisingly, the Head was someone whose emotions were easy to read.
“A dullard who doesn’t know his own future..!! How dare you..!”
Thump, the veins in the Head’s temple bulged. The trigger was pulled immediately, and the gunfire rang out several times. Staggering, Professor Dennis summoned a magic circle with both hands,
“You’re not being rational, Head.”
He overlapped a gold and blue magic circle before him to block the bullets. The 3D Magic Circle was already being used to protect the students from the Head’s tricks.
“But winning is just a matter of time. That hero named Licht won’t be able to get up!!”
If he recklessly used teleportation, the all-knowing Demon King would reverse-calculate the spatial coordinates, potentially suffering greatly. Just moments ago, he had dispelled the magic circle of the Holy Sword.
Looking at the red revolver, he thought, ‘What if the Dragon Killer’s moves could work?’
“..Are you waiting for the Drake?!”
“Of course, the Demon King of All Knowledge has seen through it.”
It was then. The Demon King spoke to the man with a dazzling white aura, as if he could read his innermost thoughts.
“The Dragon Killer won’t be coming to this battle, Dennis!!”
As the Head’s suit ripped and his skin was scratched, he twisted into a smile. He had already intentionally avoided ignorance to focus on saving lives.
“Do you think everything is in your hands? Head.”
Having mastered the Ultimate Move, the Ten Heroes would ensure no students died in the Academy, but,
“Yes, I’ve tried a lot already! I make the right choices!”
As a consequence, he couldn’t come to help Dennis. The warrior cutting down the cultists around him was lacking in many ways to use magic and come here.
“..This world flows according to my prophecy. Destiny cannot change!!”
He spread his arms wide and cheered. Although it was slightly different from what he knew, there was no mishap with Emperor Rock or Asha Aureus arriving here.
“Head. What is this prophecy you’ve been talking about?”
“Do you really think I’d tell you? If you tried to understand with your foolish head, it would surely explode!”
The monocle sparkled as it reflected light. The Demon King of All Knowledge faintly smiled. He continued to aim his gun at the blue-haired man while keeping the students safe behind him.
“..Isn’t this a bit cowardly? Demon King.”
While blocking the bullets flying at him, Dennis prepared another move. The water pressure was strong enough to cut through diamonds.
When pushed to the limit, soft water could slice through solid minerals.
“‘Screw Driver.’ Why don’t you take a hit too?”
As he chanted the incantation, several magic circles appeared behind the Head. The water streams spun like drills, all aimed at the heart of the Demon King and fired.
A giant-sized magic was difficult to evade. Under normal circumstances, an enemy wouldn’t recognize this and would be gravely injured.
But the opponent was the shifty Demon King of All Knowledge.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know this?”
The Head turned right away and quickly shot several rounds to dispel the approaching technique. The Screw Driver vanished like snow melting as it hit the bullets.
Through the All-Knowing ability, he could know all information and predict what techniques would be used in the future, allowing him to maintain dominance in information warfare.
“There are no gaps in my abilities!! Dennis!”
On top of that, he also wielded the power of ignorance, making him a powerful foe. No matter how favorable Dennis’s matchup was against the Head,
“Is this not working either?”
He was alone. Unlike during the war, the other Ten Heroes were not gathered to fight together. Decades had passed since the end of the war.
Almost 20 years had gone by. Some had died, some forgotten, and others had taken on responsibilities.
Even using numerous magic circles, he felt despair as they were neutralized by the revolver. Was the concept not enough to cover what seemed superior?
“Cough…!”
“Finally, I hit you. Yes, it’s about time.”
Dennis was hit by another bullet. With his arm twisted painfully, this time the Head had rendered his right arm unusable to prevent him from using the magic circles.
“You won’t die, Dennis. Your lifespan written in the Death Register is still long.”
Seeing the man clutching one arm in pain, the Head finally showed a relaxed demeanor.
He pulled out a book from his pocket and examined the writing.
“..It seems this ‘Licht’ is indeed a person I’ve never seen before. Or rather, I guess it’s Lee Soo-hyun, so should I refer to him that way?”
He spoke to himself, looking at the student lying behind the professor, wearing a Black Knight helmet.
“While Dennis mastered the 3D Magic Circle, Nex made it possible for that girl to use the Phoenix’s Nest right away. Furthermore….”
Right beside them, Rock’s daughter, Pina Grancia, was desperately praying while holding Licht’s hand.
“I’ve perceived all of my ignorance and knowledge, and the ability to dispel can only be done by a Hero.”
As far as the Head knew, there was no such future. The princess originally was to play a key role in the prophecy the Demon King sought.
He had checked it several times and contemplated it, but he never dreamed of such an unexpected action.
“..My mind has changed. I must definitely kill.”
No matter how powerful a Hero was, this kind of anomaly was unprecedented.
Partial resistance made sense, but the information seen through the All-Knowing couldn’t be wrong.
Right now, he was unable to know what fight she was having with Licht due to the Magic Hat’s lies.
A complete ability, an entity close to perfection, a bundle of variables.
Even now, the trauma left by the Arbiter of Gluttony could be escaped from. This judgment came from the Demon King.
“Those who go against the prophecy must be punished accordingly.”
The Head took a step forward. Dennis, using his remaining arm, activated the magic circle to stand in his way.
“Leave my.. students.. alone.. Head..!”
The Ultimate Move, the 3D Magic Circle, was already in use to protect the students.
He could no longer use teleportation magic, and with the corridor destroyed, Dennis the professor had no moves left.
“Are you still resisting? Then I’ll blow off a leg. Dennis.”
But his will was burning. Having been summoned by the God of Wisdom, Akasha, to fill the void left by the fallen Hero, yet, at this moment, he was more than anyone.
“‘Screw Driver.’”
“Are you using the same tactic again? How many times do I have to say it doesn’t work….”
“It’s different, Head.”
He was sacrificing himself like a Hero. This time, not behind the Head, but behind himself.
“Dennis, are you trying to break through with me as your companion?”
“Yes, I said, ‘I won’t die.’ With this..!”
The last decision he made to protect the students.
“..That’s futile. It was unexpected, but…”
The Demon King seemed to have anticipated that as well, unfazed, and fired at Dennis’s leg. At that moment, the magic circle turned into droplets and vanished.
“Ugh..!”
“Finally, it’s getting quiet…”
Thud. As the blue-haired man’s balance faltered and he collapsed on the floor, the Head clicked his tongue, looking at him pityingly.
“The power of ignorance strengthens when bullets are fired; just now, it erased the records of your incantation.”
Shuffle, shuffle. The sound of sand stepping closer to the students watching the fight from the 3D Magic Circle was growing.
“Demon King!! I knew the former Demon King would win─.”
When Dennis collapsed, the toad-like man’s restraints were removed. The Arbiter of Gluttony sobbed, deeply moved that someone had come to save him.
“Silence, Metus.”
What returned was the sound of a single gunshot. The Arbiter, with a hole in his head, fell to the floor, bleeding, much like Dennis.
“Cough…?”
His last breath was short-lived. The Head didn’t care whether his subordinate was dead or not.
All of the graduates of the Hero Church who had arrived here were souls destined to be consumed to fulfill the prophecy.
“Now, the Hero named Licht has been dealt with.”
While being trapped by trauma, the truth that if the caster died, the affected would die together was known to the Head. After all, he was the Demon King of All Knowledge.
“..Finally, let’s see if I can neutralize Pina Grancia.”
The sound of the trigger pulled from the Demon King’s hand echoed, bang.
“If she loses her memories and rampages with power, it’ll be dangerous; the opportunity is now.”
A bullet from the revolver was fired towards the heart of the Glass Knight, who still seemed to be kneeling and praying.
