The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 157

The Master Hulan, representing the Beastmen, was born with a fate to rise to the position of the Great Chief unifying various Beastmen.

The existence of Dragon Beastmen was just that.

Though fewer in number, they stood apart from other Beastmen.

The Great Chief is chosen by the chiefs of each tribe.

It wasn’t a hereditary title like that of a king, but the Dragon Beastmen, with their distinct bloodline, were practically royalty for having held the position for the longest time.

Hulan, a promising talent, did not become the Great Chief.

There were various reasons, but the biggest one was that his talent was simply too overwhelming.

Among the Dragon Beastmen, he shone with remarkable achievements and became a Master at a young age.

This became the seed of discord, leading him to become embroiled in conflicts between various tribes, and weary of it all, Hulan resolved to become a vagabond instead.

Though he often found himself lost due to being directionally challenged, it was quite the amusing life.

He ventured beyond the company of Beastmen, seeing and learning many things.

Wandering without settling in one place, he finally arrived at the Academy.

He had only heard rumors about it here and there, but this was his first time stepping inside.

Wasn’t it said to be an institution nurturing promising young talents?

He had always been curious about what it was like.

Somehow, arriving at the Academy, while disappointing, wasn’t too bad of a place.

The students’ levels were quite high, and the facilities were luxurious.

Hulan, accompanied by a professor as the Principal desired, began touring various places in the Academy, followed by a wave of people gathered to see him.

The rare Dragon Beastman who was also a Master was immensely popular.

Though the Beastman exchange students disliked him.

That was something he was used to.

While wandering around checking out the classrooms, Hulan overheard a strange rumor.

“Did you hear? A demon’s body was found inside the Academy!”

“Yeah! It’s a good thing that the Master was here, or I can’t even imagine!”

It was said that a demon’s body was found in the dormitory, and a student staying there was taken away.

A person he met yesterday came to mind.

The small figure battling a massive Great Demon, who, despite having received some assistance, had pushed that formidable Great Demon to the brink of death.

Surely, he had regretted not being able to slay the Great Demon and kept a severed horn as a trophy.

‘… No way, right?’

He chuckled at the thought that the person who had almost defeated a Great Demon could be labeled a heretic the very next day, dismissing it as absurd.

But knowing that this world doesn’t operate on logic, Hulan couldn’t shake the oppressive feeling in his chest.

“Wha…?! The church… exploded!!!”

He learned just after that a significant explosion had wreaked havoc within the church.

————————

My head hurts.

I feel nauseous.

My body aches as if I’ve been beaten.

Wait, did I really get beaten?

Anyway, I just want to lie down and sleep on my bed, as if dead.

But I can’t just lie there.

There are guys looking down on me.

Insufferably casting their condescending gazes from above.

I can’t forgive that.

I can overlook everything else, but I can’t abide those who look down on me like that.

Everyone needs to be my height.

Then they won’t be able to look down at me like that.

I want to get up and smash them all, but my currently wrecked body feels like it would explode at the mere thought of using my Aura or Meridian.

Even if my anger reaches its peak, those feelings alone won’t heal my injured body.

I need a method to take them down without overexerting my body.

In this nearly defenseless state, where on earth could I find such a magical means?

‘What’s this?’

At that moment, a large energy within me stirred.

In the midst of my already wrecked Meridians, the sheer might of that energy flowing through me felt painfully overwhelming, but I understood the intent it wanted to convey.

That power was the Power of Polymorph granted to me by the Elixir of Transformation.

Polymorph is a magic that allows transformation into another being.

It’s a mysterious magic that enables one to move seamlessly while transforming from a person into a small rabbit or from a dragon into a human.

While such transformations can be done through magic, the name “power” adds something else to it.

The Power of Polymorph seems to allow for a broader range of transformations.

For instance… yes, it can likely ‘transform’ my wrecked Meridians back to normal.

Unlike when activating a powerful technique, this was not initiated through my body.

Simply using the power nestled within me made me feel my body begin to change.

My breathing became easier.

It’s time for the hunt.

——————————————-

The Red Feather Knights, directly tasked by the Church Country, take immense pride in their work.

Often, they’re considered primary compared to the Golden Lion Knights, who guard the Church Country, but the Red Feather Knights, specialists in dispatching, extend their hands first to the difficult places like a loving parent.

They venture to areas tormented by demons to root out heretics and rescue the suffering weak.

Always claiming that they were the true best, they held a sense of pride in that.

So when they were assigned to the Academy, which had recently been frequently attacked by demons, they all made heroic resolves.

As soon as the Commander confirmed their deployment to the Academy, he gathered the team members assigned with him and briefed them on the current situation at the Academy.

“Recently, whenever there’s an event at the Academy, incidents occur.

This means there are spies sending information from within. We must weed them out first.”

The Academy is an island.

Unless it’s a grave matter, it’s difficult for events occurring inside the Academy to reach the outside world.

Clearly, the spies from the Demon Church within the Academy were passing information to the outside.

Only by rooting them all out could the Academy be truly liberated from demons.

The Knights diligently captured heretics.

Just as they felt results were starting to become visible…

“Ugh… What… happened…?”

Bearing the aches of his whole body, a Knight slowly rose.

Though his vision was blurred, he could tell that he had collapsed.

As he squinted through the hazy dust, he saw the Commander rousing the other Knights.

However, most had no clue why they had collapsed or what was even happening.

They had certainly subdued the student suspected of being a heretic… and had pulled out the restraints to capture him…

But everything afterward was a blur.

Seeing the dazed Knights in shock, the Commander shouted in disappointment.

“Everyone, stand up!! ‘Lionheart!’”

As the warm light of Holy Power enveloped the Commander, his previously chaotic mind was calmed instantly.

Due to the spell of Lionheart, which settled fear and encouraged courage.

Looking around, he saw a few of his fellow Knights scattered around, also on the ground.

Only then could he see what had happened around him.

The church was in utter chaos, as if a bomb had exploded.

Tiles were shattered, and debris was billowing dust everywhere.

Glass windows were smashed, and doors were broken apart.

And standing in what appeared to be the epicenter of the explosion was someone, resembling a very small student, standing tall.

Though that was how they appeared, he couldn’t be sure.

They were partially obscured by dust, and considering the last image of the student in his mind, it was hard to believe they could be standing like that.

While he couldn’t be sure who it was, he heard the Commander’s voice beyond the dust.

“A monster is coming!! Get ready!!!”

Hearing the Commander’s order, the Knights, trained to respond, immediately lowered their stances and drew their weapons.

Though they didn’t fully comprehend the situation, their bodies moved instinctively, trained to follow commands.

Then the figure at the epicenter turned its head towards the Knights.

“What… what is that…??”

They were gazing in this direction, yet their face was hidden.

The shadow draped over their face made it seem to the Knights as if there were dark holes where their features should be.

No… it wasn’t that there were real holes.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from them created that illusion.

They wondered whether the figure before them could indeed be the same student who had just been near death.

“Is that student… really a demon?”

“Don’t be scared! They’re still just a human; I don’t sense any magic yet! They’re merely making a last-ditch effort with their wounded body, so hold on as long as you can!!”

The Knights thought to themselves that such a weak human couldn’t possibly achieve this.

Even with the courage granted by Lionheart, their hands trembled.

No matter how they considered it, it didn’t feel like they were facing a human.

An ominous killing intent froze them in place as if someone had a knife to their throat.

In the deafening silence, the first to speak up was the Commander.

“Surround them!!! Deploy the Barrier!!”

“‘Evil that crosses this threshold shall not pass!’”

They infused Holy Power into the Divine Barrier to erect a massive wall once more.

“Push forward!!!”

The Knights, all interconnected by Nehemiah’s Barrier, charged forward together.

Though their numbers weren’t large, they were up against a small human.

Five of them could easily encircle without any issue.

The firm belief turned into the unyielding Barrier should not falter.

It was supposed to hold.

—BANG!!!

“Ugh?!”

As it took just one step, the immense shock struck the wall hard enough to make it tremble.

The walls had withstood blows from ogres before, so to be pushed back so easily was absurd.

“Don’t waver!! Hold on with the power of unwavering belief!!”

They were shocked but still believed the barrier would hold strong.

Yes, their faith had not failed them.

The unbreakable barrier symbolized the bond between the Knights.

As long as this wall stood firm, the enemy couldn’t harm them.

If they could just hold out with the barrier, they would surely prevail.

Just as the Heretic Inquisitioner, who had been slightly late to the game, cast a buff to enhance the Knights’ strength.

The Nehemiah Barrier brushed against him.

Not being wrapped in the magic of the evil, he incurred little damage; nevertheless, the Nehemiah Barrier made a displeasing sound upon impact with the strong recoil.

As if irritated, the figure didn’t stomp the ground this time but aimed directly at the Barrier of the Knight in front.

—CRASH!!!

The Nehemiah Barrier shattered.

The Nehemiah Barrier, their testament to steadfast faith, broke as effortlessly as a glass.

As the barrier broke, the red anti-magic cloth which had been the focal point for their Holy Power was similarly torn apart.

As the Knight who was kicked into the air soared, the other Knights were sent flying behind like a string of sausages.

Now that the barrier connecting them had been destroyed, the once-tight formation collapsed, scattering them into the air.

And then Atlas raised his hand.

—THWACK!!

“Gyaaaak!!!!!”

A sound like some overripe fruit being squashed echoed as one Knight’s leg was severed.

No, it was more accurate to say he didn’t cut but rather tore it away with his hand.

Why he targeted that place so inefficiently was something the Knights couldn’t comprehend.

If he wanted to kill, he could just go for the heart with that hand; if he wanted to subdue, breaking the legs would’ve sufficed.

Yet Atlas was fixated on chopping off their legs.

Was he trying to create a right leg collection after cutting them all off?

Such a devilish mindset.

The Knights, unaware that this was a method of relieving a twisted complex, felt an overwhelming fear in the presence of something beyond their understanding.

Though they’d already scattered, they aimed their weapons to fight back as best they could, but it was no use.

At the moment the Nehemiah Barrier broke, no means of defense they possessed could stop him.

“Wooooo!!”

“Protect your comrades!!”

Even with the barrier shattered, they remained Knights.

Now, their only means of defense was the armor containing Rare Metal, but they faced him courageously.

Spells were broken, and armor crumpled.

He showed no intent to evade the Knights’ attacks.

With a crushing blow, he smashed through them and severed their legs.

“Don’t lay a finger on my comrades!!”

The strongest among them, the Knight Commander, swung his sword at Atlas, who was unarmed.

Displaying a high-level technique, the application of the Holy Sword with Aura Blade, showed the Commander’s prowess.

But at the moment of impact, victory or defeat had already been decided.

—BOOM!

Thinking the Commander stood in his way, Atlas kicked him, shattering all the defensive spells surrounding him.

Not just the defensive spells; with his series of blows, Atlas shattered the Commander’s armor, pinning him against the wall.

“You… demon!!!”

He didn’t lose consciousness from just that.

Emerging from the wall, the Commander aimed to attack Atlas again, only to find Atlas’s foot once again hover in front of him.

—KABOOM!!!

Once more, Atlas’s foot slammed into the Commander’s body.

This time, there were no defensive spells nor armor to protect him.

The sound of his body breaking echoed as he absorbed all the impact, shattering the thick church wall.

“..!!”

Bursting through the wall and embedding into the dirt below, the Commander couldn’t even scream.

The only sound was the rustling wind as his rigid body trembled.

And Atlas, the cause of that situation, still looked unsatisfied.

He grabbed the Commander’s leg and raised his hand once more.

“If you’re going to do it, do it thoroughly.”