The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 262

My head feels like it’s about to explode.

I have no idea what the hell is going on.

I thought Cronos was dead, but he’s alive, hanging out with the Demon Church, and on top of that, he’s back to being a Titan?

People swear they saw Cronos die, but when I opened the coffin, it was empty, and here he is, standing right in front of me.

“Father? I don’t have any children like you.”

When I heard that, I was certain.

This guy has the appearance of Cronos, but he is not Cronos.

Cronos doesn’t laugh like that.

He’s just a shell of Cronos with nothing inside but a totally different person.

Though he had a serious face, the way he spoke seemed very childlike.

Thinking about it that way made me feel much more at ease.

“That old dude never said this would happen. Always passing off annoying jobs to me.”

The man, wearing Cronos’ face, extended his severed wrist forward.

From the stump, a black magical energy burst forth, grasping the severed hand and fingers, and then reattaching them as if they had never been severed.

And just like that, the wounds healed as if they had never existed.

“Hey, if you just come along quietly, nobody has to get hurt. You’re getting your wish fulfilled, so what’s the problem?”

The man spoke to me, still in the same position with his hand outstretched.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like such a bad offer, but I already knew what would happen if I wished for something from a demon.

“I told you, it’s not something demons can handle.”

“Is that how you want to play it? I’ve got my own ideas.”

Right after that, an invisible, formless power began to coalesce in the man’s outstretched hand.

Not mana or magical energy… but certainly not a curse either.

But he was definitely preparing something.

The man with Cronos’ face said, “So you just have to be taken, right? He’s in good shape, so losing a leg or two shouldn’t matter.”

Immediately, the office where Metios and I were located was completely destroyed.

“???”

We weren’t destroyed, though.

Right after he said that, I used teleportation to move outside the mansion.

Metios, shocked, silently exclaimed as he witnessed the office that had stood for centuries get obliterated right before his eyes.

“O.. older brother, the office is gone…!!”

“I see it.”

In just a single moment, the office was destroyed.

The magical energy flowing from my body and the force that seemed to annihilate whatever it touched, looked just like the Demon Bishop I saw in the underground of the capital.

But… something felt off.

“I thought I had the dragon’s symbol back then, which led me to assume he was the Demon Bishop of Satan… but now that I think about it, there are a lot of strange things.”

If he’s Satan’s Demon Bishop, then he’s basically leading the Demon Church.

How could a Demon Bishop from such a powerful place talk like a punk?

I didn’t want to believe it.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but you should go somewhere else for a bit.”

Still having my hand on Metios’ shoulder, I used teleportation once more.

“Huh..?”

Right after that, my line of sight changed.

If it had been another Isolated Space, it wouldn’t have been possible, but I had just used teleportation several times in a row without running into any blocks, so I figured it was definitely possible.

“Where… where is this?”

“This is Shimoa’s mansion. I’ll handle this quickly and come back, so think about your mistakes facing the wall here. Casey will keep you safe.”

As I spoke to Metios, I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze.

Instead, I raised my hand to the sky, releasing an aura and shooting several sparkling lights into the heavens.

“Shimoa? That’s directly opposite the Blade Mountain… Older brother? Older brother???”

The moment I saw Casey leap down from the third floor at the signal I sent, I immediately used teleportation again without looking back.

I had a lot to discuss with Metios, but now wasn’t the time for that.

I had so many things I wanted to know from him, who was probably still at the mansion.

.

.

.

As soon as I placed Metios in a safe location and used teleportation again, the man wearing the serious face of Cronos appeared where I had just been standing, not in the office.

“Oh. Teleport… was that? I didn’t sense any magic power, but it’s interesting. How did you do that?”

“Name.”

“Name?”

When he abruptly asked for my name, the man tilted his head.

Seeing him behave like this while wearing Cronos’ face made me want to split him in half right then and there.

“…You’re not Cronos. What should I call you?”

“Are you curious about my name?”

Of course I was curious.

If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be talking casually like this; I’d have tossed my sword and split the unpleasant face of Cronos in half already.

Oh, I split him already; he just healed.

But before I could think about killing him, I was really curious about what he truly was.

“Yeah, I’m curious. But I’m about to kill you, so saying you killed Cronos seems… off, right?”

“Haha, what a ridiculous reason.”

The man laughed again with that careless expression.

Having Cronos’ face and voice but laughing like that was seriously infuriating.

It was incredibly upsetting; should I just kill him now?

With that determination, I tightly gripped my Squirette.

“You’re Atlas, the firstborn Titan, the son of Cronos and Metios.”

“Yeah.”

“I know your name, but it’s a bit embarrassing if you don’t know mine. So let me tell you, firstborn Titan Atlas, my name… call me Rex.”

The brief pause when he mentioned his name really bothered me.

“Sounds like you just made that up. Is that really your name?”

“It is! Am I just supposed to live fooled all my life? My name is Rex! Not some Cronos Titan!”

The way he stammered made it seem like he probably just decided on that name.

Repeating his name over and over, Rex grumbled.

“Hehe, I knew it! You filthy liars had the firstborn alive and hid it all this time?”

He laughed, doubled over while holding his stomach.

From the start, it was clear he wasn’t in a stable mental state.

“But at least I recognized you right away.”

“What?”

Suddenly, it sounded like Rex was wrapping up his thoughts and raised a finger.

“You’re really small. How is it you look exactly like the picture from ten years ago? I recognized you at a glance!”

While I was already suffering from a headache due to my Master’s Vision Swordsmanship, another vein throbbed on my forehead.

He is definitely not Cronos.

But hearing that guy, wearing Cronos’ face, talk like that only fueled my anger even more.

“Ugh… I was just trying to have a conversation… but you’re rushing me.”

As soon as I heard that, the black blade brimmed with aura and flared pure white.

I had to make him beg for his life.

———————-

In the unfamiliar place, Metios stretched out his hand toward the Atlas, who looked like he was about to take off any moment.

“No, older brother!!”

The hand that Metios reached out toward Atlas, who was just in front of him, only sliced through the air.

“Don’t… go…”

His powerless hand, which couldn’t grab anything, trembled.

Knowing it was useless, he desperately looked around, wondering if Atlas might be nearby, and plaintively shouted.

“Older brother, this isn’t funny!! If you’re hiding, please come out!!”

Naturally, no matter how much he looked around, he didn’t see Atlas.

He didn’t know exactly what method he used, but he certainly felt like he had gone back to the mansion for just a moment.

Though he had no idea how he managed it, he felt sure he had returned.

That left everything meaningless.

Should I have said it from the start?

He was definitely standing solidly on the ground, but his head was spinning more and more.

“Stop standing there and come inside.”

Standing behind Metios, swaying like a madman, was Casey, who had rushed over upon seeing the signal from Atlas.

She was there to ensure Metios’ safety.

Metios tremblingly gripped Casey’s hand.

“We need to stop older brother.”

“This is Shimoa. To get to the Blade Mountain from here will take at least a month.”

“Ugh…”

Even though Casey said that, she was worried about Metios’ actions.

It was the first time she had seen him so unsteady after just a few days, even if it was just briefly.

And the fact that the one they were worried about was Atlas weighed on her mind.

If he were truly in danger, there would be no one who could help him right now.