Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Even Celian, who knew more than anyone, looked flustered by the story she was hearing for the first time.

It was fortunate that she only looked flustered; I was grateful that she didn’t show disgust.

“They don’t know, so it doesn’t matter! Since we’ve returned to the past, it’s as if it never happened…!”

“How can you say it never happened? I can still vividly feel the sensation of stabbing their hearts… And… Celian, can you really erase the past lives and memories we shared as if they never happened?”

Just as I cherished my memories with her, she also cherished her memories with me, which silenced her.

Crackle

The crumbling barrier, which had been cracking, gradually accelerated its collapse, and just as my confession ended, it completely turned to dust and scattered. As it was a barrier made of magic, it likely returned to mana.

Since the barrier had tampered with the timeline, I had to wait for it to disappear naturally, lest any unforeseen events occur. Even after dealing with Eden, the situation remained urgent.

The leisurely conversation with Celian was over. From now on, every word spoken could mean someone’s life was on the line.

The goblins and monsters rampaging everywhere were the lesser of the problems. The academy students and staff, along with a few tourists who knew how to wield a sword, were holding them off.

However, the demons were different. Especially demons of intermediate or higher rank.

In fact, low-ranking demons were only slightly superior to top-tier monsters in terms of combat power, differing only in their ability to think.

The slight difference at that level was literally just a slight difference. In many cases, one could die to an inferior opponent, especially on a battlefield where blind swords, arrows, and magic were flying.

But it was different for intermediate demons.

By then, the difference was clear, creating a gap that lower-ranked individuals could never reach.

In terms of knights, it would be at least a Knight Commander level. A level that only those who encompassed both talent and effort could reach made even facing them with sheer numbers difficult.

Even then, to utilize numerical superiority, one would need sufficient time and personnel to gradually wear down their stamina, or it would absolutely require someone’s sacrifice.

Furthermore, with the need to protect and evacuate the city’s civilians, our forces were dispersed, making it impossible to utilize numerical superiority.

With my current strength, I could even face most high-ranking demons, but even intermediate demons were incredibly strong and certainly not to be underestimated.

I couldn’t even estimate how many of those creatures were rampaging within the city.

It went without saying that the demon fighting not far away, Erin and Stella, was a high-ranking demon.

Celian, who had pushed herself repeatedly while fighting Eden, was in a state where she could barely stand on her own. I couldn’t leave her, nor could I stand idly by.

However, as the barrier broke, I saw figures running towards us from afar.

Professor Ferrent and Professor Selene. And Mariel, whom they were protecting.

The hope of humanity that I had cast aside.

Although slow to match Mariel’s pace, she spotted me and Celian and was running straight towards us.

“Well then… goodbye…”

Once I confirmed we were at a suitable distance, I turned my back. Now that I had recovered all my memories, I had no idea what to say to Mariel. It would be better for both of us if I could avoid her.

Celian was also in no condition to easily get up, even with Mariel’s healing magic, so she wouldn’t be able to chase after me.

“Ah, no! Don’t go! Please…!”

As I pushed off the ground and kicked off the collapsing roofs, Celian’s desperate voice reached my ears from behind, but I deliberately ignored it and quickened my pace. I felt that if I stopped, it would be even harder to leave.

***

“Tch…! You tenacious bitches! Stop resisting and just die already!”

Beatrix, the demon responsible for dropping the meteor on the city, was quite annoyed.

First, her pride was hurt because Eden, a human, had obtained a demon’s body and was giving her orders.

Yes. She could tolerate that much. After all, Eden had become a demon, and demons operated by the law of the jungle.

However, the fact that the meteor she had spent so much time preparing and dropping was blocked by a hastily constructed defensive magic completely crushed her remaining pride.

It was impossible for the opponent to have known her magic beforehand and prepared a defensive spell, so she must have quickly devised a defensive formation in the blink of an eye to block the falling meteor.

This was proof that, regardless of their respective strengths, the mage’s capabilities were simply inferior.

She was filled with the desire to find and tear apart that mage immediately, but the two people blocking her made it impossible to act on it.

“Come on…! Hurry up, Team Leader!”

Stella shouted as she deflected another fireball aimed at Erin.

On both her hands, she wore gauntlets of an unusual shape and size that were not just crude but utterly monstrous.

“……”

However, there was no answer from Erin. Long, thorn-like objects were floating around, forming a circle, and in the center stood Erin, her eyes closed, her mouth and hands working diligently.

Although the battle had begun a while ago, the incantation that had continued from the very beginning showed no signs of ending.

Even with the explosions roaring beside her, she seemed not to hear them at all, showing no hesitation.

Normally, if a mage were to chant like this during combat, even the most brutish opponent would instinctively target the mage first.

However, Erin, who had been chanting for a long time, had not a single scratch on her, not even a thread of her clothes disturbed. She looked as if she were completely detached from this battlefield.

While Erin maintained a pristine appearance, Stella’s situation was a complete mess.

Her clothes were torn in various places, revealing not only her underwear but also her bare skin. Her face, arms, and legs were all injured.

She deflected and blocked all attacks directed at Erin with the gauntlets on her hands, and when that wasn’t enough, she blocked them with her body. Erin’s unharmed state was all thanks to Stella.