"Haa..."
I took a deep breath, tensing my muscles. Lowering my stance as if lying flat on the ground, I swung my sword in a wide arc.
A clean, crimson line slashed through the air, slicing through the bodies of the demons.
"Thunderbolt."
A beat later, crimson lightning erupted in all directions, piercing into the demons' wounds. They shuddered silently before collapsing to the ground.
Demonic Beasts are said to have even more tenacious lifeforce than Monsters. Better make sure they're dead.
I stabbed each fallen demon through the neck before sprinting toward the Library. A few Eight-Armed Monkeys leaped out, but they were merely sacrifices to my blade.
Habis swung his staff. Four thick ice spears shot forward, piercing the heads of four Demonic Beasts.
"Professor Priscilla! Isn't there anything we can do?! Too many Demonic Beasts are pouring out! At this rate, the Academy will be in danger!"
Priscilla stood with her arms crossed, her blue eyes fixed on the Magic Stone Gate despite the hostility directed at her.
"Professor Priscilla!"
"...Quiet, Dean. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Busy with what?! You're just standing there doing nothing!"
"..."
Priscilla narrowed her eyes, staring at Habis.
Habis flinched under her gaze, stumbling backward. He suddenly remembered Priscilla's true identity, which he had forgotten in the urgency of the situation. She was the Ancient Blue Dragon, capable of obliterating an entire city with a mere thought. That was Priscilla.
"Dean, this is a rare opportunity."
"...Opportunity? What are you talking about? Could it be... related to that stone emitting Magic Power?"
"That's a Magic Stone Gate. We need to observe how it functions."
"...Could it be... you came to our Academy because of that?"
Priscilla nodded, her gaze returning to the Magic Stone Gate.
"That's right."
"What exactly is that thing?!"
"...Several months ago, it first appeared on Mlobod Island. The Red One discovered it, but it was too late."
"Too late? What do you mean?"
"The island was already undergoing Demonic Transformation. The Red One summoned us, and we decided to destroy the Magic Stone Gate rather than observe it. If we'd left it alone, High-Rank Demons would have emerged. We had no choice but to destroy it swiftly."
"Demonic Transformation...!"
"The problem is that a massive explosion occurred after we destroyed it. Half of Mlobod Island was reduced to sand."
"...I'm not familiar with Mlobod Island. How powerful was the explosion exactly?"
"Powerful enough to obliterate not just the Academy, but the entire city as well."
"This is insane!"
Habis turned his head sharply. There, floating in mid-air, was a professor attacking the Magic Stone Gate.
"If we destroy this stone, the Demonic Beasts will stop emerging!" he shouted, casting his magic.
"Professor Nerik! Stop immediately!" Habis yelled, veins bulging in his neck, but Professor Nerik's magic had already been unleashed.
Behind Professor Nerik, a colossal serpent of flame reared its head, its jaws agape in a ferocious roar.
Flame Snake. In terms of raw destructive power, it was a top-tier spell.
Habis's face paled. It was too late to react. The fiery serpent lunged toward the Magic Stone Gate.
BOOM!
The Flame Snake exploded, its shockwave radiating outward in all directions.
Yet the Magic Stone Gate remained unscathed, not a single crack marring its surface.
"I-it's still intact," Habis stammered.
"To shatter that thing, you'd need something like an Aura Blade or Hellfire-level magic," Professor Nerik explained.
In other words, they needed either an Aura Blade or magic wielded by an Archmage.
"If Professor Priscilla and I remain here, the Magic Stone Gate won't explode," Professor Nerik continued. "But the Demonic Beasts keep pouring out. Isn't there any way to stop them?"
"..."
There were countless ways to handle this.
They could destroy the Magic Stone Gate and contain the explosion with magic, destroy it in a location where the explosion wouldn't matter, or seal it with magic.
As the Grand Archmage Priscilla, she had many options.
"Professor Priscilla... say something!"
"I told you we need to observe it."
"Countless lives are at stake! I'll kneel if I have to can't you help us?"
"I have no interest in your old knees."
"Does the Magic Stone Gate really need to be observed right now?! Couldn't we temporarily seal it with a Barrier? And what about the Demon who left this thing here? Wouldn't capturing and interrogating him be faster than studying the Gate?"
"We lost him."
"...What?"
"I let my guard down. He summoned the Magic Stone Gate and fled immediately. That demon possesses spatial abilities, making it at least a high-grade demon."
"High-grade? Isn't that the worst kind?"
"The Contractor drew power through the demon."
"A demon Contractor was here?! Do you know who it was?"
"There's one professor missing."
Habis quickly scanned the room.
As Habis had said, one professor was indeed absent.
"P-Professor Bezel is gone... She was the demon Contractor all along..."
Habis felt an overwhelming urge to tear at his hair.
To him, Bezel had been a rather special female professor. They had secretly met two or three times a month, their bodies entwined in clandestine encounters. They had even stripped naked in the ancient Dean's office, lost in carnal pleasure.
"How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?"
Habis flinched, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He realized he had been quite rude to Priscilla. If she hadn't been a Blue Dragon the most rational and compassionate of her kind his head would have been severed instantly.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Enough. Don't speak to me again..."
"...What's wrong?"
"..."
Priscilla glared in the direction of the Library. She sensed the demonic energy that had vanished earlier, along with the arrogant aura of that silver-haired maid.
...So that's it. The Grimoire was their target.
Now that she knew, she couldn't let the Demon run free.
Priscilla reached out toward the Magic Stone Gate, muttering under her breath.
"Ten Directions Glacial Prison."
Ten blue magic circles materialized simultaneously around the Magic Stone Gate.
Habis swallowed hard. Even as an Archmage, he could only recognize fragments of this high-level sealing magic. Understanding it would require at least three years of dedicated study.
The Magic Gate Stone, which had been summoning Demonic Beasts and emitting an ominous aura, was now sealed. No more Demonic Beasts appeared, and the surrounding environment ceased to be corrupted.
"I'll be back shortly. Keep a close watch on the Magic Stone Gate. If you touch it, I'll kill you."
"Y-yes, I understand."
Upon arriving at the Library, I saw Yuria and Professor Bezel locked in combat.
Their battle raged so fiercely that one wall of the Library collapsed, sending torn pages fluttering into the air. Watching them clash, they seemed like beings from another world, utterly unlike me.
"Professor Bezel...! That bitch is the one who had sex in line at the burger joint!"
Her loose, light brown hair whipped in the wind, and the dark pupils of her sharp eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Bezel was nearly naked. Her torn top revealed her firm, C-cup breasts, while her lower body was ripped open enough to expose patches of light brown pubic hair. Though covered in minor cuts, none appeared life-threatening.
Yuria, Bezel's opponent, was also battered, her maid uniform torn in several places. Still, she was in far better condition than Bezel.
"Bezel, that magic circle on the sole of her foot..."
A white-glowing magic circle was etched into the sole of Bezel's left foot proof of her contract with a demon. Demon Contractors always bear a magic circle somewhere on their body as evidence of their pact.
"Haa~. This is exhausting~. Why is a woman like you doing maid work? Don't you have any pride?"
"..."
"Hmm, right. You don't have any reason to answer, do you?"
Bezel flicked her wrist. Three black magic circles instantly materialized, firing violet beams at Yuria.
Yuria's body sank into the shadow on the ground. The shadow surged forward at high speed, closing in on Bezel.
"Tch. That magic is so annoying!"
Bezel leaped into the air to evade the shadows. Yuria burst from the darkness, swinging her dagger at her.
The dagger grazed Bezel's thigh.
"Kyaa!"
It was a playful scream.
"That hurts~. My thigh's bleeding. If this leaves a scar, you're taking responsibility, right?"
"Yes. I'll take responsibility by burying you in the ground."
Yuria swung her dagger again. Crack! Sword qi crackling with Thunderlight shot toward Bezel. A translucent barrier materialized before Bezel, blocking the attack.
"Heh."
Bezel flicked her finger. Boom! An explosion erupted where Yuria had been standing. But instead of being deterred, Yuria used the blast as propulsion, leaping toward Bezel.
Boom! Bang! Kiiing!
Explosions, beams, sword qi, Lightning the battle was a chaotic dance of destruction.
This is beyond my level of involvement.
To be honest, without using Momentary, I doubt I could last even thirty seconds. Maybe the best way to help Yuria would be to just escape. Judging by the situation, Yuria seems to have the upper hand anyway.
Wait. Over there...
Where the bookshelf had collapsed, a gaping hole revealed an underground chamber. I could see more bookshelves beneath the floor.
Since it's open like this, the Barrier must be deactivated too. Should I sneak in and grab the Grimoire?
Bezel and Yuria were too focused on their fight to notice me, so it seemed possible.
I began to creep forward.
"Ugh, both the maid and the Master are so annoying~."
Bezel fired a beam at me. Startled, I used Momentary to dodge sideways.
"You knew I was here...!"
"Of course. I've been watching you two for quite some time now."
Yuria appeared behind Bezel and swung her dagger. Bezel vanished, reappearing behind me and grabbing my shoulder.
"Got you! Now this woman will be quiet too... Aaaah?!"
Crackling!
Azure thunderbolts erupted from my body, striking Bezel. Startled, she stumbled backward, creating distance.
"Master! Retreat immediately! This woman's Demon is no ordinary one!" Yuria warned.
I tried to flee at Yuria's urging, but my legs wouldn't move. Bezel must have done something to them.
Then, a new figure appeared in the Library: Priscilla, a tall, blue-haired beauty.
"Ha, I never imagined you'd actually be at the Academy. As a Dragon, this is humiliating. I'll purge this shame by killing you."
Dozens of magic circles materialized before Priscilla.
"Haa... This wasn't part of my original plan... Where did things go wrong?" Bezel sighed, waving her hand dismissively.
My body floated into the air and hurtled toward Priscilla. She didn't stop activating the magic circles. Sharp ice spikes gradually emerged from them, revealing her intent to attack Bezel even if it meant killing me.
That crazy bitch!
I changed my strategy. I would focus on avoiding vital points, feign death, and then seize an opportunity to use Complete Recovery to restore my body to normal and escape.
But a black hole suddenly appeared between Priscilla and me. Like a miniature black hole, it began pulling both of us toward it. My consciousness was being sucked into the void.
"Master!!"
Meow.
Behind Yuria's urgent cry, a cat's meow seemed to echo.
Huh?
"Master!!"
Yuria desperately reached out to Yujin, but missed him by a hair's breadth. Instead, her hand closed around the fabric of his robe.
Priscilla vanished as well, leaving behind only her robe. The dozens of magic circles she had deployed shattered and dissolved like snowflakes.
Meow.
Yuria bit her lip until it bled, glaring at Bezel.
Bezel stood there, dripping with cold sweat, yet still smiling. At her left foot sat a black cat with three eyes one on its forehead and two in their usual places its tail swaying gently.
Yuria sensed a dense demonic magic power emanating from the cat.
"Where did you send Master?"
Bezel flinched involuntarily at the sight of Yuria's piercing blue eyes.
"...Don't radiate such murderous intent. It's... truly suffocating, making it hard to even breathe."
Bezel rubbed her forearms with trembling hands, but the goosebumps on her skin refused to subside.
"Answer me."