Chapter 161: What the rabbit from the sky says (2)

Back in the days when he lived in the Demon Realm, Sien had to face countless battles to climb his way up.

That was just the fundamental rule of demon society.

And most of his opponents back then were among the strongest of the strong—warriors that Sien had no chance of defeating in a fair fight.

In extreme cases, the gap between them was as vast as the one between Dorothy and Sion now.

Yet, in the end, Sien managed to defeat every single one of those formidable foes and seize the throne at the top.

How?

The method was simple.

If a head-on fight seemed unwinnable, he would drag the battle into the realm of underhanded tactics.

Poisoning in secret. Arranging surprise attacks to inflict injuries. Instigating betrayal. Exploiting weaknesses. Forming stronger alliances. Deceiving opponents into misinterpreting crucial information.

In this way, Sien always used every possible means to bring his enemies down and bind their hands.

It didn’t matter how dirty or despicable the methods were.

Later, after becoming the Demon King—so powerful that no one could stand against him—he had little need for such petty tricks.

But even so, the experiences from that time remained deeply rooted in his soul.

If he was about to lose in a competition, he would erase the competition itself.

He would secretly turn the tables, throw everything into chaos, and then slip away unnoticed.

That was how Sien survived in demon society—and the principle he adhered to, no matter what.

This time was no exception.

-“That makes four down now. They lasted longer than I expected, which was a bit troublesome, but in the end, no mere human can endure advanced heat magic.

Too bad, Aine Sedor. If you must hold a grudge, blame those massive G-cup breasts of yours. Hahaha.”

-“……..”

Sion let out a low chuckle, a laugh so vile and devoid of warmth that it made anyone listening lose all remaining sympathy for her.

Exia, who had been watching her with a look of contempt, finally spoke.

-“…Did you deal with all the others like this too? The entire four who have fallen so far?”

-“Of course. The one who was carried away with appendicitis? I cast a curse on his internal organs to make them rot.

The one who sprained his ankle? I gave him a little telekinetic push while he was going down the stairs.

And the guy who got hit in the chin by a flying ball? I subtly altered its trajectory.

Marianne went into a frenzy at just the right moment, which was a stroke of luck.

Thanks to that, I could naturally take out one more. Hahaha!”

-“…….”

Exia was on the verge of snapping.

What if something had gone seriously wrong?! she wanted to shout, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to hold back.

There was no point in arguing.

She already knew what Sion’s response would be.

She’d claim she “made sure they wouldn’t get hurt too badly” and feign innocence.

Whether that was true or not no longer mattered.

At this point, there was no way to verify it anyway.

‘Haah… I must be insane. Acknowledging this woman as a hero…!’

For what must have been the hundredth time, Exia lamented her own choices.

Looking back, she regretted it deeply.

Falling for a momentary temptation had led her to commit the greatest mistake of her life.

She felt ashamed before her old master, who had remained righteous to the end, and before the goddess—her own mother—who had trusted her enough to send her to the human world.

-“You’d better make sure to compensate the victims later. Whether it’s by visiting them in the hospital or bringing them some gifts—do something.”

-“Hmm? Do I really have to? If I make unnecessary moves, I might leave a trail—”

-“Do. It.”

Exia spoke firmly, emphasizing each syllable.

Her stance was clear—if she refused, she wouldn’t hesitate to expose her.

Sion held up her hands in mock surrender.

-“Alright, alright. I’ll do it. So don’t get so worked up.”

-“You promise? If you lie, I will get mad. And this time, I mean it.”

-“I said I got it. Geez, you’re such a nag.”

-“Then stop giving me reasons to nag! Just handle things properly for once!”

Exia snapped.

Of course, Sion only half-listened, letting her words go in one ear and out the other.

Shameless as ever, both then and now.

‘That aside, I only need to deal with one or two more…’

Sion calmly assessed the remaining competitors.

If she wanted to secure first place with absolute certainty, she’d have to take down everyone except herself.

But if too many people collapsed while she remained perfectly fine, suspicion would inevitably fall on her.

Even if the students didn’t catch on, Mana definitely would.

And this time, a simple apology wouldn’t be enough—she might end up strung up in a tree for real.

Besides, there was no rule that everyone had to be eliminated.

While large breasts were a powerful factor in popularity, they weren’t everything.

As long as she held a clear advantage in other areas, she could still compensate for any lacking aspects.

For example, if someone had a big chest but an unremarkable face.

Or if they were clumsy at dancing. Or if their waist and hips were a bit thick.

Those competitors didn’t need to be eliminated—she could simply outshine them in other ways.

With her stunning looks and dazzling dance skills, victory was still within reach.

That’s why Sion decided to target only the true “aces”—those who had it all: beauty, curves, and talent.

And by that standard, only two targets remained.

‘Charlotte Leonard-Sinclair, the cheer captain, and Dorothy, the first-year.’

She had held off on eliminating Charlotte too soon, fearing it would disrupt the team’s chain of command.

And Dorothy, while possessing a great figure, had poor dance sense, so she had been a lower priority.

But their reprieve was over.

Before long, they too would fall victim to Sion’s overwhelming magic power.

They would be the fifth and sixth to go.

All for the sake of winning the title of Best Cheerleader.

“Alright. I’ll let you handle it, but don’t push yourself too hard. If things get tough, say so and step down, got it?”

“Don’t worry! That won’t happen!”

Just then, as if perfectly timed, Dorothy stepped onto the stage—replacing the fallen Aine.

It seemed she was the next substitute.

It worked out perfectly.

This is the perfect opportunity to take care of the thorn in my side one after another.

“Alright, the next song is Shine Upon You by Melody Princess. This is a song we practiced in the morning, so everyone remembers it, right?

Then, everyone, please take your positions and get ready… Music, cue!”

As Charlotte manipulated her magic tool to play the record, a sparkling, lively melody flowed from the speakers.

In time with the rhythm, Dorothy and Sion stood at the center, holding their cheering wands high in the air.

Before starting their movements, they both glanced at each other, which was an extra.

‘The music is perfect. This song’s choreography isn’t complicated, but the movements are big and there are a lot of jumps. It’s ideal for staging a “trip and fall” scene when landing.

So, I’ll use telekinesis to twist her ankle in mid-air. That will make her unable to dance anymore!’

Sion smirked at Dorothy while maintaining a normal exterior, performing the choreography smoothly.

Soon enough, the first jumping point came.

‘Now, right now!! Telekinesis!!’

Sion secretly snapped her fingers, activating her telekinetic powers.

With this, this blue-haired girl will be finished—

“—?!!”

It didn’t work.

In fact, due to a backlash, Sion almost lost her balance instead.

She barely managed to stabilize herself and return to her original movement. Her face contorted in confusion.

‘What, what the heck?! I twisted her ankle with telekinesis, but she didn’t budge at all?!

Even if I adjusted the output for humans, it should have been enough to trip an adult male! How is this possible?!’

Moreover, she had cast her magic while Dorothy was mid-air, away from any support that could act as a foothold.

For her to endure the demon lord’s telekinesis in that state—how strong must her ankles be?

Is this the strength of someone who almost won the hunting competition by their own power?

‘Ugh, no! Now’s not the time for analysis! I need to prepare for the second opportunity!’

Sion gathered more magical power in anticipation of the second jump.

This time, she would raise the output limiter even higher.

From the level that could move an adult man, to the strength needed to push a giant boulder.

This was the maximum limit at which she could cast the spell without being detected by magic detection.

‘Alright, I’m going full force this time! Telekinesis!’

Sion glared and twisted the space, targeting Dorothy’s ankle once more.

However…

Surprisingly, she endured even this! She just slightly grimaced and pushed against it in the opposite direction.

With just that, the telekinetic force that had been wrapped around her ankle loosened like a loose thread and dispersed into the air.

The second attempt failed as well.

‘This is insane!! She’s withstanding this too?! I used enough force to make an ogre lose balance!?

What kind of body does she have, like a dragon?!’

Sion looked even more stunned.

This couldn’t be.

Telekinesis was one of her most practiced and strongest spells.

Even if she couldn’t use it at full power, there was no way it could be blocked by a mere human girl.

That went against the laws of the world.

The law must be corrected. It cannot be left as is.

A strong sense of frustration glinted in Sion’s eyes.

‘Alright. I don’t know the principle, but her body must have a strong resistance to physical forces, right?

Then I’ll change the direction and make her insides explode!’

With that thought, Sion cast a new spell, targeting Dorothy’s insides.

‘Bestow Curse!’

This was the curse magic Sion had used earlier to disguise her first victim’s death as appendicitis.

Dark, poisonous energy secretly surrounded Dorothy’s abdomen, burrowing into her flesh…

Pop!

The next moment, it completely disintegrated and disappeared without a trace.

With the third attempt failing as well, Sion’s expression was utterly blank.

‘This… doesn’t work either? Neither physical force nor curses? What’s going on with her body?!’

If the curse didn’t work at all, there could only be one of two possibilities.

Either she had a body blessed by the gods, like Lier, or she had a strong resistance to magic, like the ancient dragons.

However, Dorothy didn’t appear to fit either description.

Her appearance was that of a completely normal girl. Just a girl in a bunny-girl outfit, dancing.

But if she were really such an extraordinary being, there’s no way she would be shaking her hips in such a vulgar outfit, without any legitimate reason.

At least, that was Sion’s judgment.

She completely overlooked the fact that she was in the exact same situation.

‘Damn, using magic continuously like this is too risky… The mana might catch on to something strange.

There’s no choice. I’ll have to give up on eliminating her.’

In the end, Sion lowered her head in resignation.

With things this way, there was only one method left. To face her directly in a 1v1 battle and defeat her.

The only good thing was that, in terms of the dance’s perfection and sophistication, Sion was far superior to her.

Her natural sense was something that couldn’t be matched in just two weeks of intense practice.

Of course, Dorothy’s huge advantage in rhythm could offset all of that.

‘I can’t lose! For my smooth school life, I must crush her here and now!’

Sion muttered to herself, gritting her teeth.

Her gaze unintentionally drifted toward Dorothy’s swaying chest.

Meanwhile, Dorothy also felt a sense of crisis.

Human nature makes us always think that the other’s grass is greener.

Dorothy couldn’t focus on her overwhelming advantages. Instead, she only saw Sion’s technical superiority.

‘If this goes on, I’ll lose. There’s no doubt about it.

I need to trust the rhythm more. I need to reach the ultimate state where the dance and I become one!

This time, I won’t lose!!’

At this point, it was a battle of pride. She couldn’t back down for the honor of the dragon!

Dorothy glared at Sion, her eyes burning with determination.

Their gazes collided in the air, and sparks seemed to fly.

The dragon and the demon lord.

Two figures that in history books or stories were depicted as the rulers of the world and symbols of terror.

They were beings with such overwhelming charisma that just looking at them made one’s limbs tremble.

Yet now, they were no more than cute teenage girls with silver and blue hair, respectively, shaking their bunny ears and joyfully having a dance battle.

And it wasn’t for show—they were both 100% sincere and giving it their all.

The world really is always like this.