episode_0019

[Just Before]

“Tch… to have to retreat like this… it makes a mockery of the Reaper’s name… how lamentable…”

The Reaper, grumbling while holding a fragment of her broken scythe, prepared to return to the Demonic Cult from the academy’s underground prison, a place where no one would ever come.

Even if she prepared, all she had to do was infuse mana into the stone engraved with warp magic, but she had too many lingering regrets about this place.

After grumbling for a while, she seemed to realize there was nothing she could do in her current state, so she pulled out the warp stone.

“Hmm…? Why do I hear someone approaching…?”

In that underground prison, where no one should have come, a familiar voice began to be heard.

So she hid near where she was preparing the warp and began to watch the two approaching people.

‘That person is the one who crushed Charon…!’

The moment Ray appeared in her sight, she gritted her teeth and thought.

‘But who is that woman…?’

Savior also came into her view, but only one person truly caught her attention right now.

Ray was tapping his staff as if searching for something directly ahead, only glancing her way occasionally, seemingly unaware of her presence.

‘If I go in from behind and strike now… even if Charon was destroyed… it’s possible…’

She gripped her completely shattered scythe, which only had a bit of its blade left at the end, and was about to move out, but—

“A yelp escaped her.”

She tripped over a pair of handcuffs in front of her.

For a moment, she looked at them, wondering if they had noticed her, but fortunately for her, they had already moved far away.

‘Right… I’m letting them live for now! Just you wait… I will punish you…!’

She finished her self-justification and pulled out the warp stone again, but she stopped infusing mana into it after seeing what Ray was doing.

He seemed to be infusing mana into the wall, and shortly after, a small hole appeared in it.

They looked at each other, then crawled through the hole in the wall.

After they disappeared, the Reaper approached the crack and gently put her hand into it.

“A piercing shriek echoed!”

The warp stone in her hand was cracking and on the verge of shattering, and she was high above an unknown location.

She landed with a soft series of thuds.

She, who had fallen insignificantly onto something soft, stared blankly at Ray, who was looking down at her with contempt.

***

[Growl….!]

[System Warning! The opponent’s stats are overwhelmingly higher than yours!]

[System Warning! The opponent’s stats are overwhelmingly higher than yours!]

……………………………

Numerous blue windows appeared beside me.

‘The first premise was not to fight this wolf… but I’ve been discovered, so I have no choice…’

On my left was a colossal sword forged from three Heart Swords, and on my right, two orcas danced, moving back and forth.

The more violently I swung my hand, the more massive waves of slashes the sea created.

[Roar!!!!!]

The werewolf tried to bring down its massive forepaw on me.

Flames roared!

But its forepaw was blocked by someone’s flames.

The monster seemed to not have anticipated the flames, as it stumbled back slightly and began to growl.

“Ray, are you alright?”

Savior was leaping towards me from the opposite side, wielding a sword of fire.

Still absorbed in the ocean’s performance and preparing to unleash maximum power, I spoke to her with difficulty.

“While I use this attack, my body is defenseless, so please… focus on defense…”

I was concentrating even the strength to speak on my mental power.

“No! I can fight, too…”

“Savior… now… please listen to me… and…”

I had no more energy to speak, so I merely nodded and pointed my chin towards the crumpled Reaper in the distance.

Perhaps hearing the cries of the slashes surging behind me due to my sharp words, she flinched for a moment, then dragged the crumpled Reaper from behind towards me and lit a fire beside me.

“Hoooooo…”

Behind me, the immense sea roared like a tiger, and two orcas clashed their slashes against each other, singing as if eager for battle right now.

[Roar!!!!]

The monster, seemingly in pain from the flames, enveloped its hand in red mana and raised its enormous forepaw towards me.

‘[Deneb Algenubi]’

I swung the ocean, which had grown massive beside me, at its forepaw.

As the sword carved a massive arc, the ocean followed its path, sending additional slashes.

CRASH!!!

As the two heavy attacks collided, I had no choice but to concentrate on the Heart Sword, which was in the form of a massive greatsword.

The sword and the werewolf’s massive forepaw were locked in a stalemate, and the ocean of slashes continued to damage the werewolf, but knowing full well that if I withdrew my power, the greatsword supporting its forepaw would disappear and I would die, I maintained the Heart Sword with all my might.

A ringing sound began in my ears.

A ringing sound slowly began in my ears, and my head felt hazy and dizzy, as if clouded by fog.

However, I did not stop concentrating on the sword.

As the werewolf’s mana and strength increased, my greatsword was pushed back further and further.

“Ugh……..”

I controlled the two orcas with my trembling left hand.

‘[Cetus Style, Second Form]’

The two orcas circled the werewolf a few times, then created massive pillars of water.

‘[Capajidma]!’

I clenched my fist and delivered a decisive strike, pouring all the power I had used for the greatsword into that slash.

The greatsword also transformed into three orcas.

Even a werewolf, when its full-power greatsword suddenly vanished and it was faced with the remaining wave slashes and five orcas pouring in from all directions, couldn’t help but lose its balance, and its forepaw began to fall in front of me as if collapsing.

“Ray!”

Savior, carrying the Reaper on her shoulder, pushed me aside, dodging the attack.

“Ah… I see… I’m indebted to you…”

I dabbed at the sweat on my forehead and, still collapsed, assessed my surroundings.

Fortunately, the werewolf was still battling my orca-shaped slashes and bleeding.

‘Fortunately, its body hasn’t turned red yet…’

What could be called fortunate was that the werewolf hadn’t yet entered its second phase, and the door to the boss stage was open.

‘Normally, if that monster tried to go this way, I would desperately block it… but now…’

Supported by Savior, I entered the boss stage.

There, a sight even more horrific than the waterfall of blood I had seen before entering this place unfolded.

Even without seeing ahead, it was red enough to know that the entire area was filled with blood.

And at its pinnacle, a throne sat high above.

‘Not yet… not yet… has it not awakened…?’

I looked at the dungeon’s ceiling; there was still a little time left before the full moon.

Exhausted from using all my mental energy on that attack, I recalled one of the orcas and walked towards the throne.

Savior looked at me with a worried expression, but she could only focus on holding the struggling Reaper.

‘[Cetus…..] Huh…?’

As my sword pointed towards the throne, and the shadow that had been cast over it vanished, I saw the sight I least wanted to see.

There was no one on the throne.

Only an empty seat greeted me.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, clapping sounds began to echo from the entrance we had come through, from where the werewolf was.

[Excellent. Among the humans I’ve seen recently, I haven’t encountered anyone with such refined technique…]

The being clapping revealed itself in the moonlight, allowing us to see her.

Her white hair was long and beautiful, reaching the floor, and her black-and-white inverted eyes, only seen in demons, instilled fear.

Yet, her face was so beautiful that one felt a coexistence of fear and admiration.

‘The Vampire Queen… No… I have to run… ‘that’ cannot be fought…!’

[Since a human directly challenged me, there’s no reason for me not to accept… Come on, try to entertain me.]

“Savior!!!”

The Vampire Queen, with a chilling smile, began to transform all the surrounding blood into the shapes of weapons.

“Run!!!”

Before my voice could even reach her, the vampire’s mana began to shatter the entire area.

Fragments collided with each other, creating new fragments, and the waves of blood displayed power strong enough to completely destroy one side of her dungeon.

“Cough… cough…”

A colossal full moon hung in the sky, and the surroundings were encircled by forest.

‘To think the dungeon is exposed outside like this… it shows confidence…’

[Is this all, human?]

As I was preparing my Heart Sword, her mana was suddenly detected in front of me.

Before the mana I had sent out could return, she reached me faster than mana itself and bound me with the surrounding weapons.

[Your talent is truly astonishing. I must make you part of my collection….]

[System Warning!]

[The System warns that you are in mortal danger!]

[The System is deliberating.]

‘Is this how it ends, so futile…?’

My neck was lifted by her, and my breath began to cut off.

[The System activates an authority outside its own restraints.]

[You can use the stored #$%@. Use? Yes/No]

[The System states this can only be used for about 10 seconds.]

[It warns that mental power will be permanently reduced afterwards.]

“If what I’m thinking is correct…..”

I pressed Yes without hesitation.

“Ten seconds is enough.”