The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 414

The hole created by Satan was quite an extraordinary sight.

It wasn’t formed from explosive physical energy but was merely widened by powers that turned everything it touched into ashes, resulting in a pit that looked as if someone had neatly carved it out with a cylindrical saw.

“Hey, Hulan, are you okay??”

“This damn little brat!! I won’t forgive you for leaving me behind!!”

Hulan, who was close to the epicenter, was looking up, buried under dirt but pondering how to escape.

Fortunately, he seemed to be in good health without any injuries.

“Seems like you’re fine, so let me explain quickly! Two Great Demons are fighting up there, and I don’t think it will last long. If Satan heads to the big city, a lot of horrific things will happen.”

“So, you’re saying it’s my turn to step up since this body doesn’t have a scratch from that damned Satan’s powers?”

Yeah, the Power of Destruction can’t pierce my Breath of Fire technique.

The Master’s laws that twist the world’s rules don’t get infringed upon by the powers of Great Demons.

Even if I brought another weapon, my Aura Blade would be useless against Satan, who can now destroy only the essence of the sword itself.

That’s why I need Hulan.

If Hulan had used conventional weapons like other Masters, not much would have changed.

But Hulan is a Dragon Beastman who can enhance his body directly like an Aura Blade and fight.

The invulnerable shield that blocks any attack also doubles as a sword.

Though there are constraints when using Breath of Fire, Satan’s powers aren’t activated constantly either.

There’s definitely a chance to win.

So while it seems there’s nothing for me to do, I do have one major task that’s mine.

“Looks like we can communicate well. You don’t intend to lose, do you? I’ll help!”

Unlike Satan, who can fly on his own, Hulan lacks flight abilities.

No matter how invulnerable the shield and sword might be, if Satan flies away into the sky, what can we do about it?

So I must help with that part.

“Are you planning to fight too? You’ve got your heart smashed by his powers, right? I don’t want to be clearing up corpses.”

“That was the old me. That guy broke through his limits, so I should do the same this time.”

Satan couldn’t break my Aura Blade before, but in a moment of crisis, he awakened and performed the trick of breaking it by distinguishing only the essence of the sword.

If that guy can do it, then I can break through my limits too.

There’s no way I can’t do what Satan did.

.

.

.

.

The battle between Lucifer and Satan had already tilted in Satan’s favor.

Lucifer, who was forcibly dragged out from an incomplete state, stood in stark contrast to the complete state Satan had descended in — a gap that was hard to bridge.

Had he been in a mere Demon state, he could just cut ties and return to Hell, but whether it’s because his pride wouldn’t allow it, Lucifer persistently clung to Satan.

[What a little bug! Always avoiding fights in Hell and then striking when in a favorable position!!]

[What a compliment. Thanks.]

From the conversation alone, it seemed emotions were quite involved.

“Ughhhh!!!”

It was Hulan who broke the balance between them.

He jumped right in and split them apart.

[Aura Blade?!]

Satan twisted his body to evade Hulan’s five slashes.

[You are a Master? Why are you helping me?]

Lucifer gazed at us with a stunned expression.

It seemed he thought we had intervened to help him.

“Who are you helping? Get lost, idiot! You’re just getting in the way!”

-BAM!

I kicked the expectant Lucifer down into the pit in an instant.

[Why… why??]

Exhausted, Lucifer glared at me as he fell below the pit.

I had no intention of helping a Great Demon, but letting Satan do good felt unpleasant, so I decided to get rid of him quickly.

[Isn’t it to your benefit if Lucifer dies? I don’t understand your reasons for interfering.]

“I just don’t like anything good for you.”

Let’s deal with Satan first before thinking about Lucifer.

Here, I can target weaknesses that wouldn’t work in Hell, making him a much more doable opponent compared to Satan.

“I guess it’s time for me to test something as well. I’m all registered, so let’s let go of this hand.”

“If you let go here, I’ll fall straight down. Are you really going to let go?”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you again, trust me.”

It was something I had never succeeded at even once, but I knew I could do it this time.

The reason I had never succeeded before was just that I hadn’t tried at all.

But Hulan had to trust me for me to succeed.

“Phew… I won’t die, so fine.”

Even if I fell, I would be caught again, and Hulan could use Breath of Fire to cushion the impact, so I fell without worry.

And I landed softly.

“Huh?”

Hulan didn’t fall at all.

It looked like he was levitating in the air, but this Dragon Beastman without wings wasn’t flying.

It only appeared as if he were.

“What the heck is this?”

“It’s a miracle that lets you fly. You’ll be able to soar for a while.”

This was something I couldn’t do just a moment ago.

No, it was something I couldn’t do because I hadn’t thought I needed it.

It had never been necessary before, so I hadn’t even tried—it was just applying my powers to others.

Though it was a gamble to attempt something I’d never practiced, the moment I began placing detailed rules within a new framework, my belief was naturally imposed upon the world.

“Ha… this is fun!!”

It was the first time I experienced the sensation of running on air, causing Hulan to hop around like a child seeing snow for the first time.

“Then… shall we get serious and fight?!!”

With that, he leaped towards Satan and began his attack.

Trusting the invisible foothold, Hulan launched into an animalistic assault on Satan.

Assuming there would naturally be stepping stones where he needed to tread, he dashed forth with reckless abandon.

It wasn’t simply that I was creating stepping stones for Hulan; I added a rule that for a brief moment, he could step wherever he wanted, just like I had done.

[Know your place, hybrid.]

“You’re half-human too, aren’t you…!!”

As Hulan began dashing through the nonexistent footholds in the air, perhaps realizing he could no longer evade it, Lucifer began expelling magical energy as he clashed with Hulan, reminiscent of their battle.

Among the laws used by Masters, the Breath of Fire boasts the highest defensive capability, but it only works if Hulan activates it.

While he would undoubtedly be an invincible superhuman if he always kept it activated, for reasons that were still not fully clear, it seemed impossible to sustain that state permanently.

It wasn’t because he looked exhausted; it must be a limitation understood solely by Hulan.

In the very short time Hulan had seen Satan, he drew upon the essential knowledge I had given him and crafted the most effective combat strategy against Satan.

With each step taken on the invulnerable footholds that would never be pushed back, Hulan shot forth like an arrow with his hands wrapped in Aura spread wide like that of a dragon.

[Ugh?!]

Seeing Hulan fly toward him like an arrow, Satan released magical energy instead of using his powers.

“Why are you using magic when you could be utilizing your powers? Are you scared, huh?”

The strongest attack Satan possesses is the Power of Destruction, but due to its nature to destroy anything it touches, the physical force it inherently carries is almost non-existent.

If he attacks using only his powers, he would have no countermeasures against Hulan leaping in with Breath of Fire, which is why he started using magical energy.

The magical energy shot forth by a fully descended Great Demon may appear inconsequential, but it holds enough power to topple castle walls in a single blow. Yet, Hulan effortlessly dashed through it and reached right in front of Satan.

“Shall we have a dogfight!!”

Face to face with Satan, Hulan launched fierce attacks.

Hulan showed no concern for the damage he might receive from the Power of Destruction, which likely annoyed Satan, who frowned deeply as he countered Hulan’s strikes.

-CHEENK!!!

Satan and Hulan’s dragon strikes clashed, sparking like chainmail hitting against each other.

Since he too had the form of a Dragon Beastman, his fighting skills were considerable.

“Nice joint locks. The attempt was good… huh!!”

[Ugh?!]

Realizing there was no way to land a solid blow on that robust body, Satan attempted to choke Hulan with a joint lock, but an enormous gap existed between them.

No matter what callbacks Satan tried, he couldn’t penetrate Hulan’s dragon defenses, while Hulan’s Aura Blade could easily rip apart Satan’s body.

As Hulan swept his hand, covered in Aura, around Satan’s arm choking him, Satan’s black dragon arm fell off like a plastic bag.

As Satan, now frightened, began to retreat, a glaring opening appeared as time kept dragging on.

It was an opportunity to sever Satan’s head — a chance I couldn’t hesitate to take.

Hulan decisively slashed down with his claws.

“HAH!!!”

-CRACK!!!

Hulan’s right hand smashed into Satan’s head, halfway through.

Satan, staring down at Hulan with his shattered half-head, spoke.

[About your rules. I thought they extended indefinitely, but it turns out there is a specific pattern. After roughly three minutes, it shuts off for about a second and then activates again.]

Just as Hulan’s hand obliterated half of Satan’s head, Satan’s right hand also touched Hulan’s side.

[Your dragon defenses are tough, so in a normal situation, a single second wouldn’t matter. But that’s not the case against me. You’ve been getting out of the line of fire three times, and… it seems you took the bait quite well this time.]

“Ugh…!”

As soon as he finished his attack, Hulan activated his Breath of Fire, but for a brief moment, the powers of Destruction struck Hulan’s side, piercing a huge hole there.

“Hulan!!”

“Ugh… sorry, I got a bit careless….”

Powerless, Hulan started to plummet.