Ch.3636. Academy Conquest (3)

“Enough, get inside!”

Professor Karen, who had taken out his sword wrapped in bandages after a long time, shouted urgently while pushing students into the classroom.

The barrier had been deployed, and evil spirits were materializing and attacking directly.

The fortunate thing was that while they were numerous, they weren’t particularly powerful beings.

If anything, the students were too terrified by the intimidating appearance of these hideous creatures to respond properly.

“Professor Karen! This side has been mostly cleared!”

A professor who had been blocking evil spirits rushing in from the right corridor while firing spells shouted confidently, but Karen frowned deeply when he looked in that direction.

“Look over there! They’re coming back!”

“What?!”

The evil spirits that had just burned away moments ago were regaining their original forms and charging forward again.

The startled professor hurriedly tried to cast a spell, but his ankle was already caught.

Even as Karen desperately tried to help, he thought it was already over as he watched evil spirits rapidly pile on top of the fallen professor.

At that moment, a sword strike whirled through the corridor.

Like a violent whirlwind that devoured everything, it was both aggressive and explosively powerful.

KWAAANG!

The sword strikes that burst forth with tremendous wind instantly cut down all the evil spirits in the corridor.

It was a magical swordplay that skillfully cut down only the evil spirits while passing by the professors and students.

“P-Professor Deus Verdi.”

And at the point of origin stood Deus Verdi, holding an old black sword in his hand.

He approached calmly after extending his sword forward like a staff.

Other professors who were with him, like Erika and Gideon, began helping with the rescue of students.

Deus, accompanied by a scantily clad maid, reached Karen and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Just because the evil spirits have physical form doesn’t mean they’ve truly been resurrected.”

Understanding this meant they would keep coming back no matter how many times they were defeated, Karen exhaled as he thrust his sword into the corridor floor.

“Many students and professors have already been injured. You’re late, too late.”

With this level of disturbance, Robern Academy had no future.

Karen said this, but Deus shook his head.

“This is a barrier that blurs the boundary between life and death. It’s very unique and strange, but it’s not yet complete.”

“That means…”

“Trust me. No one at the academy has been injured yet.”

Ultimately, this meant the situation would be resolved if the barrier was lifted. Karen couldn’t help but be puzzled as he didn’t understand how the structure worked.

“For the dead to harm the living is not as easy as you think.”

After informing Karen that the academy was in an extremely unusual situation, Deus walked away.

Evil spirits rose again and rushed toward him, but when he extended his sword forward once, they were cut down helplessly.

That was now a staff in the shape of a sword. One that possessed a unique inherent magic.

“Take the students and leave the academy. The guards should have arrived by now, so it’s safe outside.”

Then he continued walking forward with his maid.

Into the deeper, darker parts of the academy.

*

The gymnasium was one of the places where entry was prohibited from the beginning.

It was one of the places with the most incidents, particularly known for overlapping eerie voices and poltergeist phenomena.

And before the headmaster left.

It was also a place handed over to the clergy.

“M-Merciful Justia! Grant us salvation! Protection!”

“J-Justia is with us! Souls that cannot close their eyes and continue to live in this world shall not dare touch us!”

Ten clergymen were kneeling in prayer at the center of the gymnasium.

They were clergymen who served Justia, the goddess of justice, summoned with what little money the headmaster could spare.

[Kyahahahaha!]

[Idiots! Keep praying! Idiots!]

[Will you still be able to call upon Justia when your legs are cut off, arms torn away, and eyes gouged out?]

“J-Justia!”

One of the clergymen shook a hammer-shaped rosary while keeping his eyes tightly shut, but.

[Kekekekekeke!]

[Keep going! Go ahead and keep trying! How high is that sky? Do you think your voice will reach the goddess?!]

[Hurry and call her! So we can devour the goddess too!]

As the evil spirits’ mockery grew louder with ridicule and pressure intensifying.

BANG!

The door shattered.

The gymnasium door, which hadn’t budged despite the clergymen shaking it, kicking it, and throwing their bodies against it, was now cut into pieces like tofu.

Findenai, the scantily clad maid carrying an axe, stepped aside after breaking down the door.

Deus entered the gymnasium with the sound of his shoes following the path she had cleared.

The evil spirits, who had been celebrating among themselves until just now, became bloodshot with rage.

[Deuuuuuus!]

[You’re still not dead! Cursed being! I’ll chew on your entrails!]

[Evil spirit! Monster without reverence or mercy for the dead!]

The evil spirits surrounding the clergymen flew toward Deus as if having a seizure.

They reached out as if to tear Deus apart immediately, but.

“Foolish ones. How shall I treat those who have no respect for the living?”

As his right hand rose and his sword pointed at the evil spirits.

With a swirling sword wind, the evil spirits were cut down without leaving a trace.

There was a strange anger inherent in the sword strike.

“Why are you using a sword like a staff?”

Ignoring Findenai who was grumbling beside him, Deus stood before the clergymen.

Looking down at them as they knelt pitifully in prayer, tears and snot running down their faces.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue and asked.

“Kneeling like that, did your god come?”

“…Ah.”

The clergymen could not answer. Days when they had been confident they would never deny their god in any situation flashed through their minds.

“I won’t deny the existence of what you call gods.”

Because this was clearly a world where gods existed.

“Setting aside whether they are omnipotent.”

Deus rebuked the clergymen with eyes mixed with disgust and revulsion.

“No one would want to lend power to fools who just kneel and shout.”

“…!”

The clergymen couldn’t help but react to those words.

As if he knew nothing about how hard they had worked to exorcise the evil spirits in this gymnasium.

“W-What do you know!”

“You say we didn’t try? That we just knelt and begged? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Ah, Lady Justia!”

They maintained their faith even while trembling.

They couldn’t tolerate insults toward Justia.

This was martyrdom.

This was their faith.

This was true belief in their god.

The clergymen of Justia shouted with such conviction, but.

Deus’s hand slowly rose to point at a corner of the gymnasium.

There were many trembling souls of young children.

“Those children are the true form of the evil spirits you cursed and insulted.”

“…What?”

The clergymen could only look dumbfounded. Despite all the evil spirits having disappeared, the frightened children couldn’t come toward them.

Their translucent eyes were fixed on the clergymen, and their emotion was fear.

“Until the barrier appeared and blurred the boundary between life and death, this place was just a playground for those children.”

The children of Setima who gathered in the gymnasium to play among themselves.

Deus slowly approached the children and thrust his sword into the ground before them.

The sword wailed, apologizing to them.

As the warrior apologized for being too incompetent to protect them, the children embraced him while crying.

They slowly closed their eyes and entered into rest.

After waiting for this brief farewell and send-off, Deus drew his sword again.

He walked toward the gymnasium entrance without giving the clergymen even a glance.

One of the clergymen who had been staring blankly at him suddenly stood up, overcome with emotion, and cried out in indignation.

“We didn’t know! We didn’t know that the evil spirits were children like that! If we had known, we wouldn’t have done that!”

Stop.

Deus paused his steps, slowly turned around, and answered him.

“If you want to make such excuses, then live like that for the rest of your life.”

“…”

“If you want to deny that incompetence is a sin when you’re in a position of responsibility, then do so.”

“…”

“Saying you didn’t know, that you acted that way because you didn’t know. That if you had known, you wouldn’t have done it.”

“…”

Deus’s calm eyes showed not even a hint of expectation toward the clergymen.

“Continue to make such pathetic excuses, comforting yourself and reassuring yourself as you live. Just like your tyrannical nature that refuses to even move unless donation money is disguised as a commission.”

Saying he didn’t want to look at them anymore, Deus turned around again and headed out of the gymnasium.

“And then someday, when you desperately call out to your god with your life on the line.”

Each of his softly muttered words struck their hearts with strange heaviness.

The cold outside wind felt like a stinging whip from God directed at them.

“Your god will also answer that He doesn’t know you.”

Deus left, but the clergymen couldn’t take a single step forward.

Only the warning Deus had left behind continued to echo in their ears along with the ominous sound of the wind.