Battlefield

Kwaaaaaang—!

Having killed countless Cult Leaders, Ross realized he couldn’t stall any longer with the fluctuating runes on his wrist, and wore a regretful expression.

“Tch, is this it?”

Still, thinking he had done his part, Ross withdrew the magic he had spread around. Thanks to this, the Cult Leader, whose physical reconstruction had been hindered, was able to fully recover his body.

Feeling the opponent’s momentum fading, the Cult Leader twisted one corner of his mouth.

“Heh heh, so the meaningless stalling is over, I see.”

“Wow, to act like you won after dying that much, that’s quite a talent. Turns out you’re Ross of mental victories?”

“…Fuck off, you ghost. In our next encounter, I will obliterate you without leaving a single piece of flesh, along with your world.”

Having already intervened to his limit, Ross glared at the Cult Leader before having no choice but to return to his original world using the runes. The Cult Leader, who had been staring blankly at the spot where Ross disappeared, turned his body and followed the traces of Ross he had been chasing.

The passage leading to the 10th floor of the labyrinth showed nothing to the Cult Leader, unlike it had for Ross and Ellie. This was because he was free from mental interference due to the influence of chaos. Thanks to this, the Cult Leader quickly broke through the passage and was able to arrive at the 10th floor right away.

“…I’ve escaped the labyrinth.”

The Cult Leader immediately knew that the place he had arrived at was not the 10th floor of the labyrinth, but the former Headmaster’s warehouse hidden in the Academy, having escaped the labyrinth. Feeling the overflowing power of chaos, the Cult Leader closed his eyes and was about to enter meditation to find the location of Ross, who had disappeared with the Holy Grail, when-

—!

The Cult Leader, who quickly turned his head and dodged the attack stabbing in from behind, reflexively created chakrams in both hands.

“To think you would consider ambushing me, I can only be thankful for your stupidity.”

Finishing his words, the Cult Leader sensed Ross’s location and swung the chakrams towards the closet. The closet shattered, and Ross, who floated into the air, twisted his entire body in mid-air and launched a shadow spear towards the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader did not dodge the spear flying in with terrifying momentum.

Kaang—!

The chakram and the shadow spear collided with each other in mid-air. Ross instantly recreated the shadow spear and, at the same time, created dimensional passages all over the room before landing.

“Hup-!”

With a short breath, Ross took a stance and unleashed a linear attack. It was a basic attack that focused only on speed and power, without any distance from the opponent or any unconventional movements.

However, it was different from the opponent’s perspective. The simple barrage transformed into the most unconventional attack when it met space magic. The Cult Leader parried, took with his body, and blocked with the power of chaos the blades emerging from the dozens of dimensional passages around him.

While doing so, he moved his steps towards Ross, who was focused on stopping his feet and unleashing the barrage. The Cult Leader did not give even a bit of leeway, as if cornering his prey. At the same time as swinging the chakram, the Cult Leader, who had been slightly bending his waist, deliberately allowed a fatal blow to the neck to create an opening, and was able to grab Ross’s left arm that he had extended forward.

“Got yo―”

However, the Cult Leader was unable to continue his next action right away. He realized something completely unexpected when he grabbed Ross’s arm. At the sight of the Cult Leader, who stopped for a moment with his eyes wide open as if surprised, Ross immediately cut off the Cult Leader’s arm that had grabbed his arm and stepped back.

“You….”

The Cult Leader, whose voice was cracked because of the spearhead stuck in his neck, frowned and took out the spearhead, throwing it carelessly on the floor, and continued speaking.

“You didn’t just kill Bella. Your body is now suitable to become a vessel of God.”

The vessel of God was a term referring to a human with a body that could withstand even the descent of a god. In this world, there were only two people. The Saintess, who was the apostle of God, and Bella, the continent’s emperor with the most noble blood, were the only two people with the setting of being vessels of God.

However, the Saintess was a tricky existence to use as a vessel. Because she possessed the nature of being an apostle of God, the side effects of forced descent were severe, and there was also a rejection reaction to chaos. Moreover, she always died first in situations where the Cult Leader could step forward. Whether by herself or by others.

That’s why the vessel the Cult Leader always chose when descending the God of Chaos was Bella. Even if Bella committed suicide or was killed by Roel or Ross, the Cult Leader could somehow absorb her power, which had not even left a corpse, using the power of chaos, and complete the conditions for descending the God of Chaos. As a result, countless worlds fell into an infinite cycle of eternal destruction.

The Cult Leader, who had been interested in Ross for using space magic, a special magic that had never existed in any world until now, couldn’t hide his joy when he even became a vessel of God. The Cult Leader, who flicked the spear that was rolling on the floor with his toe, smiled and said.

“Realizing belatedly that you can’t win against me, you prepared a gift while begging for mercy, it seems.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone who would give you a gift.”

Even at Ross’s sharp retort, the Cult Leader, with a smile on his face, leisurely raised the chakram and said.

“How foolish. But no matter how much I see your foolishness, I never get tired of it. Watching you struggle desperately in despair always pleases me.”

The Cult Leader, aiming the chakram at Ross, twisted one corner of his mouth.

“Because I can feel that my choice was not wrong after all.”

The power of chaos emitted from his palm created a wave and shot out the chakram. At the same time as bending his knees and tilting his waist to make the center of his body lean forward, Ross used the dimensional passage he had created on the floor to instantly move behind the Cult Leader.

At that moment, the heavy shockwave spewing out from the Cult Leader’s body completely erased the space magic that had filled the clubroom. Ross belatedly tried to stab with his spear in a hurry, but the Cult Leader, who had already anticipated that he would aim for his back, skillfully blocked the attack.

“Let’s stop this childish play now. Heh heh, if it’s not Roel, will I not even have a chance to show off my skills? If you drop your weapon and surrender now, I won’t use cruel methods. But if you defy my mood again with meaningless resistance―”

The Cult Leader deflected the spearhead with the power of chaos at Ross’s surprise attack that cut off his words.

“To deliberately choose a punishment, you are foolish as expected.”

The Cult Leader took out a bottle with a sealed entrance from somewhere. It was a bottle that popped out from a distorted space as if he had used space magic. There were no decorations, but the bottle itself was constantly moving as if it was made of liquid.

The Cult Leader, who had released the seal, tilted the bottle towards the floor and smiled.

“So, what kind of screams are you going to let me hear this time?”

Three worm-like bugs fell to the floor from the completely tilted bottle. The bugs, wriggling on the floor, pierced through the floor of the clubroom and entered the ground as soon as the Cult Leader gestured.

“…What did you do?”

At Ross’s question, the Cult Leader shrugged his shoulders with a bright smile.

“There’s something you naturally realize when you fight countless versions of me. Liars born from lies are always setting up bug-like plans to stab me in the back.”

The Cult Leader, who looked around the clubroom once, shook his index finger at Ross.

“The only being who can face me in this world is Roel. But I can’t see Roel anywhere here. The fact that the only weapon that can stab the enemy’s heart is not visible clearly means that the opponent is aiming for a gap in my carelessness and has secretly hidden it somewhere.”

Before Ross could even retort, a huge earth-shaking sound came. Ross, who felt the entire clubroom vibrating, looked at the Cult Leader with wide eyes.

“You must have learned it at the Academy too. The basics of combat are to choose an environment that is advantageous to you.”

The moment the Cult Leader finished speaking―

The earth roared.

――――――――――――――――――!!!

***

Outskirts of the Capital.

Ember, the Guild Master of the Modest Information Guild, was with General Ian for the final battle.

“Luna has arrived at the Frax family.”

“Good, according to plan.”

Ian, who nodded with a smile, turned his gaze towards the capital.

“Now we just have to pray that Eunice’s strategy works out.”

It was unsettling to trust Eunice, who was still just an Academy student, as a strategist, but it was the Emperor’s last order. As Ian scratched his beard and revealed his anxiety, Ember opened her mouth.

“Eunice is the only disciple taught by the mad strategist Raelan. The situation she has read will be accurate. The Emperor you are loyal to did not doubt Eunice’s abilities, did he?”

The moment Ian, who nodded with a serious face, was about to open his mouth, a huge earth-shaking sound came. Ian and Ember looked at each other. Before they could even feel relieved that Eunice’s prediction was correct, Ian gave a bitter smile at the destruction that the prediction would bring.

“It’s true.”

Along with a huge roar that shook the heavens and the earth, a giant bug began to overturn the entire capital from underground. Ian muttered in lament at the earth’s wailing screams.

“A giant bug that devours the city has really appeared.”

“It’s okay. We were prepared.”

Ian, who came to his senses at Ember’s words, left the barracks with a bitter smile and shouted.

“All knights, soldiers, and golems, advance towards the capital!”

Ian continued, aiming his hammer at the chaotic bug soaring towards the sky.

“Our goal is to exterminate the bugs.”