“Ah…!”
thump
Just a moment ago, Rin’s expression, which was coolly staring down the leader of the Tudogs, brightened.
‘What’s going on? The Earliest Apocalypse is making that face?’
I thought it might be some emergency reinforcement through Warp, but the presence I felt was only three people.
And one of them seemed to be of a different race, not human.
“What is this?”
While the leader of the Tudogs kept his eyes on Rin, he began to sense the beings who arrived through Warp.
For someone as outstanding as a Mage, it wasn’t too difficult.
One person started going elsewhere, while the other two were running toward us.
‘What speed…’
The speed was astonishing. They were approaching with a speed comparable to Horan, the most physically gifted among the Tudogs.
‘No, even more than that.’
One person couldn’t keep up and fell behind, but the one ahead continued approaching with relentless momentum.
‘I’ll kill her right away!’
After all, his goal was the “Earliest Apocalypse” right in front of him. Killing her would render all his past efforts useless.
But, oddly enough, that was what he wanted.
Giant hounds made of Mana, spewing black energy, flew toward Rin.
It was magic befitting the name “Tudogs,” not just a simple charge but truly viciously clinging to the enemy.
If that happened, the Mana would naturally flow into the bitten person’s wounds, and if the amount increased, the leader could unleash it.
It appeared to be a lightweight spell, but in reality, it was a Fatal Move that could certainly kill the opponent.
However, Rin’s black energy began to devour the hounds made of Mana instead.
“…!”
“Magic can be consumed too.”
Rin nodded, realizing it for the first time.
Tana and Eve, behind Rin, wanted to help somehow and were holding blunt items and pipes from May’s room, but they didn’t seem very helpful.
“I guess there’s no helping it.”
The leader began gathering Mana.
A massive force began to stir the air as if a storm was brewing.
A blue flower was drawn in the sky.
Realizing too late that it was a lightning strike descending toward the dormitory, I couldn’t help but feel the beauty of the scene.
“That’s an amount of magic I can’t handle.”
Just as he was about to unleash a Calamity.
“…!”
Something flew in from behind.
I was sure my neck would be sliced off without even turning.
A cold sword grazed my cheek, and a thin droplet of blood trickled down.
“Good reflexes.”
Daniel McLean landed right in the room where Rin was, blocking the two.
crash
‘That was close.’
If that lightning spell had been unleashed just a moment ago, the dormitory and everyone inside would have died.
If that had happened, the “Earliest Apocalypse” would have resurrected.
Having prevented the world’s end, I was relieved, but irritation began to rise toward these guys.
‘I felt an unsettling presence from the Academy, so I rushed over…’
What kind of situation is this?
After cleaning up one of the Tudogs’ bases that Keyalmirec informed me about, I returned to Elgrid at dawn, only to find such chaos unfolding.
“Daniel! You’re back!”
“Who are they?”
Rin squeaked excitedly.
With a bright smile that looked nothing like someone using the power given by the God of Death just moments ago.
Eve and Tana answered my question from behind.
“They’re Tudogs, it seems like we poked a beehive.”
“Actually, we kind of hit a nearby Tudog base and some minions after you left.”
“…!”
I hadn’t imagined they’d be doing such things.
I knew it was for me and sister Diana, but it was way too dangerous.
But there wasn’t much I could say right now; they did bring me some worthwhile reinforcements.
“Leave it to me now.”
“Got it.”
Rin nodded, turned, and left the room with Eve and Tana. The Mage was glaring at me, gathering her Mana.
“You’re Daniel McLean, the one Hare talked about.”
“Did she come too?”
I glanced down and saw her hiding behind the trembling boy beside her, waving my hand.
“Then you must know that I dealt with one of your executives, right?”
“…”
I smirked and rested my sword on my shoulder.
“She left you a message: There’s a monster living in Aios Academy, so you should never come.”
“…”
“Honestly, speaking as a student of Aios Academy, I’m not sure. What monster could possibly be at a place where students study?”
Just as I shrugged, her gathered lightning shot toward me.
Since I interfered in the middle, its power was considerably diminished, but it was still a formidable force.
But I was already leaping toward her.
“I’ve been waiting to see when you’d use that.”
Unable to handle even an extremely small amount of Mana, I had brainstormed multiple ways to deal with a Mage.
Provoking them into using magic like this is a basic yet effective method depending on the opponent.
With just a simple gesture to handle magic, I could read the trajectory of the attack easily.
Avoiding the lightning before it could pour down, I struck down hard at her neck with my sword.
“…!”
She hurriedly wrapped herself in magic, but a hastily made Protective Spell could easily be shattered by raw strength.
Not like the first strike that only produced a drop of blood, this time blood gushed out, soaking my hand.
As she began to descend to the ground, unable to hold her form, I climbed atop her, continuing to stab my sword deep into her.
“This bastard!”
A woman with tiger ears, who was beneath, rushed in and snatched the Mage away.
“Leader! Are you okay?”
“H-Horan! Just treat me first!”
The woman named Horan hugged the Mage, tearing up, while Hare rushed in, bringing a potion.
“Leader?”
While it was disappointing not to have killed such an outstanding Mage immediately, I had heard a more intriguing term.
She’s the leader?
“That guy is the captain of the Tudogs?”
Just as I approached, a man with a green glow appeared from his sleeve.
He was very thin and emaciated.
I could tell he was a Tudog too.
But the important thing was that glowing hand.
“Now I see why Mana cannot be used.”
I thought if the Dean or other exceptional professors were using magic, they could subdue this number of people. But why couldn’t they?
A flower that makes every Mage powerless.
One of the rarest treasures found in the Forest of the Demon Realm, containing numerous precious herbs and jewels.
“Arianne’s Flower?”
“…!”
How could he possess such a precious flower that drains Mana merely by existing? My lips curled into a grin without me realizing.
“It’s nice that I didn’t have to go through the trouble of getting it.”
One of the easiest and most common methods I had for hunting Mages was using Arianne’s Flower.
Mages who can’t handle Mana are essentially just stick-wielding weaklings.
It was something I used frequently.
‘But how does that guy have it?’
There shouldn’t be two blooming Arianne’s Flowers, and I’d only received mine after being recognized by “that guy.”
Well, regardless…
“Eris!”
As all eyes turned to me, I called her name, and Eris’s sword appeared from behind the man holding the flower, stabbing his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
“W-What?!”
I had asked her to prepare an ambush for when she arrived, and she executed it perfectly.
Dodging the confused Tudogs, I rushed toward the man with the flower as well.
If I could resolve this, the next battle would become much simpler.
I was waiting for numerous Mages, starting with the Dean, to solve this bizarre phenomenon where Mana disappeared like fire falling at their feet.
But—
“What the hell?”
The guy stabbed by Eris’s sword writhed in agony, revealing what had been hidden in his sleeve.
I had automatically assumed that he was holding Arianne’s Flower, but it was something completely different.
“Is that grafted onto his hand?”
His hand had entirely turned into a flower.
Of course, I didn’t hesitate to cut off that hand.
“AAAGH!”
Ignoring the writhing and rolling guy on the ground, I checked the hand’s flower.
“Was that what was draining the Mana?”
“Yeah, that’s true… but it’s a bust.”
“A bust?”
“Look, the stem is starting to die.”
It seemed that as soon as it fell from his body, it began to wither.
The Mana that had disappeared wouldn’t return immediately, but since I had plucked the flower, victory was only a matter of time.
I had so many questions.
How he managed to graft Arianne’s Flower to his hand, and how the leader could still use magic despite having this flower.
“If you’re lucky, you can explain it all inside your iron bars.”
As I approached them with a smile, the leader finally seemed to regain his senses and shouted.
“You foolish fool! Do you even understand what you are hiding!”
“The Earliest Apocalypse?”
Thinking I wouldn’t know, the leader was startled when I answered.
Since I had obtained information from the Witches of the Black Forest, I expected he’d notice Rin at a glance.
“I genuinely want to ask you something. What exactly do you know about Rin?”
From his attempt on her life, he seemed unaware that her death would trigger the world’s end, just like I knew.
At my question, the expression of the leader began to twist in fear, then his face transformed into that of a martyr preaching to the exasperated believers.
“I saw it! That girl will bring about incomprehensible horrors in ten years! Corpses will cover the world! The dead will rise again and kill the living! That living hell! Do you know what I mean?”
“…What?”
The shock felt like being hit with a hammer.
How does he know about this?
“What are you…?”
Just as I was about to step forward to ask him again, something descended between us.
A massive horn sprouted from her forehead, wide-open wings, and a tail dragging on the ground.
“Big Sis?”
Diana McLean.
My sister was growling like a beast, extending her claws toward me.
