Episode 265. We Agreed to Dance (3)

Holjjak-

Swish-

Grind-grind-

Liliana’s eyes widened at the girl’s butterfly-like movements as she covered Nam Dahee’s eyes.

Nam Daeun, who effortlessly sliced the approaching monsters in two, was protecting Liliana and Nam Dahee.

Nam Daeun’s swordsmanship, combining talent with effort, had long surpassed the level of a cadet.

“… Li, Liliana unnie. What if my sister gets hurt?”

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you.”

After stroking the back of the trembling Nam Dahee, Liliana took her hand, helped her up, and approached Nam Daeun, who was wiping blood off her sword.

“Let’s get out of here for now.”

“… Yes.”

“Oh, Unnie….”

Nam Daeun hugged Nam Dahee tightly and fled the party hall immediately.

Although she couldn’t help but deal with monsters in front of Nam Dahee, it was too soon to show such horrors to a child.

A corner of Nam Daeun’s heart felt uneasy as she left the party hall behind.

‘He probably hasn’t gotten out yet.’

Even as she left the party hall with Nam Dahee, Nam Daeun kept looking back.

Rationally, she understood perfectly well that Lee Hoyeon, who was stronger than her, was unlikely to get hurt.

She ‘understood’.

Pressing down-

But the anxious trembling she felt from Nam Dahee’s right hand.

Because Nam Dahee was there, she couldn’t go to Lee Hoyeon.

“Hoo….”

Right.

It’ll be fine.

Hoyeon is strong.

Stronger than her, even stronger than S-class monsters.

So it was strange to worry… but even knowing that, she couldn’t stop herself from subconsciously looking for Lee Hoyeon.

Because a girl in love’s feelings try to leak out no matter how much you try to block them.

Just then, Liliana, who had been running outside the party hall, stopped.

“Liliana-ssi?”

Startled, Nam Daeun stopped abruptly and found Nam Dahee already cradled in Liliana’s arms.

Because Liliana stopped, Nam Dahee stopped too.

“… Nam Daeun.”

“Y-yes. Liliana-ssi.”

“I’ll take care of Dahee. You go save Hoyeon.”

Liliana smiled faintly and patted Nam Dahee’s back.

It seemed she had probably used sleep magic.

“What? No. I should take Dahee somewhere safe first….”

“What if you’re too late then?”

“….”

Indeed, that was true.

The Nam sisters and Liliana, who were at the back of the party hall, didn’t know the exact scale of the terror.

The level of the monsters Nam Daeun dealt with wasn’t that high.

If other monsters were at this level, they would have been suppressed quickly, but the fact that the terror was dragging on meant something special must have happened at the front of the party hall.

“Stop hesitating and go quickly.”

“… But.”

Nam Daeun looked into Liliana’s eyes.

Because she knew all too well how much Liliana liked Lee Hoyeon.

“I’ll take care of Dahee. Why don’t Liliana-ssi…”

“I said go.”

Liliana, as if refusing to say more, hugged Nam Dahee and slowly walked past Nam Daeun.

“Li, Liliana-ssi.”

“You’re stronger than me. You have to go.”

“… Please take care of Dahee.”

Faced with Liliana’s firm stance, Nam Daeun finally bowed her head.

Feeling deep gratitude towards Liliana, she clenched her fists and quickly ran back towards the party hall.

To confirm Lee Hoyeon’s safety.

“… Sigh.”

Left alone with Nam Dahee, Liliana hurried her steps while holding her close.

Actually, it was the right thing for Nam Daeun to take care of Nam Dahee.

Because Nam Dahee was her blood relative.

Moreover, Nam Daeun’s ability was purely combat-focused, while Liliana had many auxiliary magic skills besides combat power.

In a way, Liliana might have been more helpful.

The problem was that her barrier could be broken in places with many people and strong mages.

She might end up causing bigger problems while trying to save Lee Hoyeon.

“I wanted to go save Lee Hoyeon too….”

Liliana, just like Nam Daeun, kept looking around the surroundings the entire time she was leaving the party hall.

Hoping maybe she’d see Lee Hoyeon.

Because it would hurt her heart if he got hurt.

Sniffle.

Feeling her eyes getting wet, Liliana blinked her eyes open and shut unnecessarily, trying to hold back tears.

Why am I crying over this?

Blink, blink.

Today, she felt regretful about inheriting the proud blood of a succubus.

*

The front of the party hall.

The struggle between the monsters trying to invade inside and the guarding forces trying to block them continued.

CRACK-!

A blind fireball decapitated a monster next to Reinhardt.

“… Hngh!”

Although he simultaneously crushed the head of a human in front of him, Reinhardt was extremely dissatisfied with the situation.

For now, the Pandemic side had the upper hand, but reinforcements would arrive soon from Victoria Academy.

Perhaps in as little as 10 minutes, or at most 30 minutes, the professors would arrive.

They had to break through this defense line and enter the Academy before then.

Even if they couldn’t win head-on, having monsters infiltrate various parts of the Academy would be incredibly frustrating for the enemy.

Reinhardt, a Pandemic executive and the commander of this operation, surveyed the monsters.

But no matter how much he checked, they weren’t there.

The reason they could launch such an overt frontal assault wasn’t because Reinhardt was ignorant.

The initial plan was a pincer movement from the inside and outside.

One S-class monster, who would enter faster than anyone once the heavily fortified defenses were suddenly opened by a monster infiltrated into the security team.

He was the core of this operation.

A reliable reinforcement provided by Maestro-nim.

The plan was to execute a pincer attack with him and quickly break through the guard wall…

But as soon as the operation began, both the monster infiltrated into the security team and the S-class monster disappeared.

‘These sons of bitches….’

What angered Reinhardt wasn’t that they acted individually without participating in the operation.

It was that they ignored Maestro-nim’s orders.

• Kill them! Damn monsters-!

Reinhardt exuded a menacing killing intent towards the humans looking at the monsters as if wanting to kill them.

If there’s no help, then without it.

For Maestro-nim.

WHAM!

Immense magic power gathered in Reinhardt’s arm, and he plunged back into the midst of the humans.

*

“Kuhh….”

Fuck.

The situation is really fucked.

That’s the only way I can properly describe it.

This space felt alien.

I don’t know the principle behind it, but it seemed to have completely erased the concept of magic power.

Maybe if I could see it from the outside, I could understand… but I can’t right now.

Still, the fortunate thing, in a way, is that my [Combat Sense] is still alive.

Since there’s no magic power, I can’t use any skills or magic, including [Magic Sense], but the special abilities remained.

Although not perfect because I don’t have ‘Awakening’, my reaction speed and movements are decent.

It’s close combat technique I’ve barely practiced, but true to its nature as a special ability, it technically overwhelms the opponent.

I can’t check my strength and agility stats, but thanks to the quest, they aren’t low either.

Looking at it like this, you might think it’s not bad… but even with all this, there was an insurmountable wall.

Thump- Thump-

That physique making eerie sounds with every step.

Even after shedding its tentacles, I couldn’t overcome that heavy, hard bulk.

Shin Dongmin and I repeated the same actions.

Whoosh-

Dodging the fast-approaching fist and countering.

Seeing the remaining hand coming to grab me, I immediately retreated.

It was a damn unfair fight.

I must have hit him at least ten times, but just one hit from him would be the end for me.

Regardless of regeneration or anything else, without magic power, I wouldn’t be able to escape his grasp.

Because the difference in power is extreme.

‘I should have practiced physical combat too.’

Anyway, whether a mage or a swordsman, the danger is the same.

I regretted it belatedly, but it was too late.

“Haa, haa….”

My breath started to run out.

“I’ll kill you. Painfully. As painfully as possible….”

Shin Dongmin, whose eyes had rolled back, wasn’t even looking at me.

He didn’t show any signs of exhaustion either.

Of course. I repeated the ‘fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ dozens of times, but that crazy bastard just walks up and throws punches.

My stamina was depleted much more.

Tatter-tat-!

Shin Dongmin kicked off the ground and slammed his fist down at me.

WHAM!

I slightly deflected the fist’s path with my palm and moved closer.

Even slightly grazing it felt like my skin was peeling off.

However, taking advantage of Shin Dongmin’s destabilized stance from the attack that hit the floor, I stomped my foot onto a joint.

Thwack-

The result was as expected.

Even though it was an attack loaded with my entire body weight, Shin Dongmin took no damage.

As soon as I realized the attack didn’t work, I jumped back and retreated out of range.

Shin Dongmin still looked full of power.

“… Fine. Let’s see who wins.”

I gritted my teeth.

If possible, I want to smash that face directly… but if not, I just have to endure.

Time is on my side.

*

Moon Surin, arriving at the front, quickly assessed the situation.

Monsters and guarding forces were gathered, fighting bloody battles.

Among them, a few professors and cadets who happened to be nearby could be seen.

The tide was slightly unfavorable, less than even.

‘But, we can hold out long enough.’

We won’t collapse from this.

Holding out until reinforcements arrive is sufficient.

“Keep the right flank from being undermanned!”

CRACKLE-!

A monster broke through the gap in the forces.

Moon Surin used telekinesis to lift a nearby statue and threw it at the monster.

“SCREEECH-!”

“… It’s alive.”

The monster staggered even after being hit directly by the giant statue and entered the party hall.

Moon Surin hesitated for a moment, then pursued the monster.

“… I’ll be back after dealing with it quickly.”

“Y-yes! President!”

Since there were no reserve troops, she thought she could just deal with it quickly and return.

It was a judgment call that someone in command should never make, but she decided a brief lapse would be acceptable since the guard captain was present.

“G-gurgle. Gurgle!”

CRACK-!

She caught the fleeing monster quickly.

Just then. A strange man appeared before Moon Surin as she tried to quickly return to her post.

He was an unidentified man, completely wrapped in robes.

“… Who are you.”

The opponent was hiding his magic power, but Moon Surin sensed the foul, monster-like magical aura from the man before her.

Moreover, if the leaking magic power was this much, his original magic power must be even greater.

If such a force had joined the monsters head-on, the Academy would already be in chaos.

Gulp-

Moon Surin tensed up, observing the opponent, a powerful monster that had suddenly appeared.

“Surin-ah.”

“…?”

And then, she tilted her head at the gentle voice she heard.

It sounded like a voice she had heard somewhere… a kind voice.

The man pushed the hood of his robe back.

“It’s been a while.”

Upon confirming the face of the man before her, Moon Surin’s eyes widened.

A face she couldn’t forget no matter how hard she tried, etched in her heart.

An unbreakable bond.

It was her blood relative.

“… Father?”

“You’ve grown strong. My daughter.”

The man smiled generously.

It was the smile of her father, unforgettable even after 10 years.

The only difference was the purple spots, traces of demonic energy, appearing all over his face.

“… H-how.”

Moon Surin’s mind filled with despair.

The truth she faced after 10 years was the appearance of her father, transformed into a monster.