chapter_0188

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
188

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
188

[Agra is watching you.]

A phrase I’ve seen countless
times since borrowing Lucy’s body.

A phrase that always
threatened my life when it appeared.

A phrase that left me with
trauma.

In other times, I would have
bitten my lip upon seeing it.

I would have blamed the
incompetence of that sloppy god and racked my brain desperately.

I would have been frantically
thinking of ways to survive it.

But not now. I know for
certain that no matter what variable comes up, I won’t get hurt. I
can be confident.

I could stare back at Karia’s
emotionless eyes.

Hey, you petty Evil God. You
got impatient, didn’t you?

You tried to ambush us because
you knew you couldn’t win if our party was fully prepared.

Isn’t that right?

You expected this situation
hoping to mess us up somehow, didn’t you?

But what will you do now?

A mere variable like this
won’t topple this party.

Puhaha! Well, you’re even
more of a piece of trash than that incompetent sloppy god who sealed
you away.

“It’s been a while,
Karia! How have you been?!”

Despite Benedict’s loud shout
echoing through the corridor, Karia did not react.

She only glared at me with
cold, stern eyes.

Her intention was clear.

Her goal was not victory. It
was to kill me, the Apostle of Armadi.

Ah, because she knew she
couldn’t win anyway, she wanted to at least spite that sloppy god she
hated so much?

Heh. It’s almost funny how
pathetic it is.

Whether they’re Armadi or the
Evil God, why are gods always so incompetent?

Still, if you dare call
yourself a god, shouldn’t you show something more impressive?

There’s no way you could, you
fool.

“Let’s proceed as
planned.”

It was Johan who signalled the
start of the battle.

At the moment his hand touched
the cross above, an immense amount of divine energy spread out from
Johan, consuming the corridor.

The warmth of Armadi’s divine
energy replaced Menestail’s heat, creating a new realm.

A place where a god has
dwelled.

One of the highest forms of
divine magic.

A debuff was cast on the
wicked presence while simultaneously buffing our party—a special
field effect.

Karia seemed to notice
something amiss and tried to step back hastily, but it was already
too late.

During that time, the Count
had already begun casting his magic.

Like a conductor standing in
the centre of an orchestra, he moved his hands, conjuring dozens of
magic circles around him.

Each magic circle varied in
shape, colour, and even the flow of magical energy.

For someone like me, who is
ignorant of magic, I couldn’t even control a single one of those
high-level spells.

Ha ha, it reminds me of the
days when players would curse at such displays.

The first trap was a prison
made of pure magical energy.

A wall appeared without any
warning, trapping Karia inside.

But the wall couldn’t
withstand Karia’s strength.

In less than a second, Karia
shattered the wall with her dagger.

However, the Count’s magic did
not end there.

The scorching ground, which
was as hot as lava, instantly froze and grabbed hold of Karia’s feet.

Unperturbed, Karia broke the
ice and attempted to leap upward, but by then, another of the Count’s
spells had reached her.

A rope that drains magical
energy.

Vines that endlessly chase and
entangle.

A mist filled with curses.

Karia, who had been carefully
observing him, subtly lowered her dagger.

Then, Karia’s form
disappeared.

If you can’t deflect it, avoid
it.

At the same time, launch an
attack.

A choice possible because of
Karia’s extraordinary speed.

However, Benedict, who stands
in her way, is not an opponent who can be easily underestimated.

The moment Benedict thrusts
his fist into the air, Karia seems to appear right in front of it, as
if they had synchronised their movements.

Karia’s body, struck by
Benedict, flies like a bullet and crashes into the wall made of
divine energy.

The wall doesn’t look
particularly solid, but it is actually composed of extremely
condensed divine energy.

To an Apostle of the Evil God,
it is no different from hellfire.

“Grr!”

Smoke rises from Karia’s body
as she touches the wall.

Desperately escaping from the
pain, she grips her dagger in a reverse grip.

Her gaze shifts to behind me.

It was where Johan was
chanting the Prayer of Purification.

Hey. Boss. Could you not steal
the aggro?

“Old hag♡ Maybe it’s
time to look up instead of down♡ You see, even old grandpas have
eyes, and there’s no way they’d want to see an ugly crone like you♡”

Your target is me alone.

It’s easier to predict your
movements that way.

As soon as Karia’s form
vanishes, [Iron Wall] warns of danger.

However, I did not move.
Before she could react, Benedict’s hand moved.

As he opened his palm, it was
as if Karia’s face was sucked into it, crashing onto his hand.

“You’ve been neglecting
your training! You’ve gotten slower!”

As Benedict exerted force into
his hand, a sickening sound, unnatural for a human body, echoed.

At that moment, flames erupted
from Karia’s chest, and her entire body transformed into fire.

One of the powers of the Evil
God of Fire.

The instant Karia, now
untouchable, slipped away from Benedict’s grip, vines spread across
the floor and entangled her legs as if waiting for this moment.

Though the vines should have
turned to ash upon touching Karia, they grew just as rapidly as they
burned, restraining her movements.

Following that, magical ropes
bound Karia’s arms and neck, securing her in place.

Standing in front of her,
Benedict readied his fist.

“Brace yourself. So you
don’t die, that is.”

The mana flowing within
Benedict’s body converged into his fist.

It wasn’t his full strength.

Yet, even a fraction of the
immense power he possessed was significant.

As Benedict threw his punch,
the mana burst forth, claiming its presence.

With a deafening roar that
could ring in the ears, the entire dungeon vibrated.

‘…Grandpa, do you think
Karia is still alive?’

As grandpa said, this strategy
was my idea.

As soon as we meet Karia, we
trap her in a spot blessed by God.

Then, capture her with the
Count’s magic.

Subdue her with Benedict’s
physical force.

And cleansed by Johan when she
loses consciousness.

If Karia’s pattern was just
an enhanced version of the game, this seemed like the best approach.
So, we assigned roles and discussed how to respond accordingly.

As a result, we easily subdued
Karia.

‘No matter how strong Karia
is, I doubt she can be fine after taking that punch.’

Benedict’s actions were
rougher than I anticipated.

For now, it seems like she’s
still breathing…

She should be okay, right? She
won’t end up in a vegetative state or anything, will she?

Well, since this is the world
of Soul Academy, there might still be a way to handle that too.

‘Right.’

“The Divine loves even
those who have strayed. May the grace of God reach you too.”

As Bishop Johan finished his
prayer, the divine energy that he spread earlier concentrated around
Karia as an anchor.

It was different from the
prayer for the dead that Phoebe used.

Instead of soothing the
deceased, it was magic to erase the wicked.

“AAAAAAAAAH!”

Black smoke rose from Karia’s
body, and she let out a scream.

Just listening to this voice
that conveyed pain caused goosebumps to rise.

The purification in reality
was different from the one in the game.

Of course, it was natural.

Purging evil couldn’t be
something as light as passing through a cutscene.

Get a grip. I can’t just stand
here doing nothing.

While Johan performed the
purification, I needed to prepare for the final step.

To completely remove the
influence of the Evil God from her body.

[Agra is watching you.]

[Agra curses Armadi’s
Apostle.]

[Agra wishes for your death.]

…What?

With Grandpa’s single
exclamation, the ground began to tremble.

This was different from the
impact caused by Benedict’s punch earlier.

It felt like something
colossal was stirring beneath us.

“Lucy!”

Did he sense the danger?

Benedict, who rushed over in a
hurry, grabbed me into his arms.

Johan had already stopped his
prayer of purification and was casting divine magic for protection,

And the Count had deployed
dozens of magic circles in preparation for whatever might happen. At
that moment, the ground cracked open, and searing heat surged from
the fissure.

The heat couldn’t simply be
described as hot or scorching.

It was an overwhelming flame
that felt like it could turn my entire body to ash the moment I
touched it.

No one had to tell me; I knew
exactly what that flame was.

I had to know. There could
only be two beings capable of wielding such a fire in this world.

And in this dungeon, there was
only one.

“A wretch loved by Armadi!
Did you think Vahda would remain asleep forever?!”

With a voice that echoed
throughout the entire dungeon, the floor collapsed beneath us.

Still cradled in Benedict’s
arms, I looked down.

From a crimson wall that had
just started to show cracks, white flames began to seep out.

Even though it was not fully
intact, its overwhelming presence dominated the space.

A sinister and unpleasant
smile aimed at me.

Those pitch-black, empty eyes.

Vahda.

The Evil God of Fire.

He had broken the seal and
partially manifested.

Come to think of it, Agra may
be petty, but he doesn’t hide himself.

He always announces his name
whenever he’s about to undertake something.

As if to court blame upon
himself.

However, in this dungeon, he
has always been silent. Regardless, I’ve faced numerous events.

Previously, I thought Agra had
changed his approach, but that wasn’t it.

It’s straightforward.

The one targeting me had
changed, so the method had as well.

I understand now.

The reason Armadi mentioned
Menestail before the first semester ended.

The reason he brought up
something that should have taken more time.

The one who attacked the seal
here is Karia.

Since she has grown stronger,
it’s natural the seal would break faster than it did in the game.

Armadi genuinely was
desperate, that’s why he summoned me here.

Ha. Damn it. Damn you, Sloppy
Lord.

Explain things properly, damn
it.

Why do you remain tight-lipped
like a god when it comes to important matters, but when you wag your
tongue so skillfully to mock me?

Shouldn’t it be the other way
around?!

Huh?!

Ding.

What is it?!

Why are you sending a message
now?!

[It’s a restriction.]

…Huh?

What?!

Hey! Sloppy Lord!

What is that supposed to
mean?!

[The Quest has been updated!]

[Savior of Menestail]

[Due to Agra’s hatred, part of
the seal within Menestail has been broken! You must stop him again!
To survive! To protect Menestail!]

[Reward: Miracle Reproduction
(Advance Payment), ???]

[Miracle Reproduction is now
activated! Searching for the nearest miracle to you!]

[Found! The miracle contained
within Ruel’s Mace, ‘Under this divine energy, all evil retreats’
is now activated!]

[Seal the Evil God!]

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