Chapter 1423

<Chapter 1423> 1423. The Academy’s Savior

Clank! The blade shot out from the gauntlet.

I boosted the jetpack’s output and charged towards Yayo on the ground. The best way to deal with a mage is to never give them time to cast spells, relentlessly pressing the attack.

KWAANG!

A sturdy barrier blocked the blade. I poured more force into the blade, pushing harder against the barrier.

“Do you really think my barrier will break with such a mundane attack?”

Yayo smirked. That overconfident look was getting on my nerves.

“Does this look like a mundane attack to you?”

I generated lightning. The electricity coursed through the blade and flowed into the barrier. At first, nothing happened. But as I increased the output, the barrier began to waver. With that, I slammed the blade down on the barrier, causing cracks to appear.

The confident expression on Yayo’s face started to crack. He hastily raised his sword, a bright blue energy forming on the magic-infused blade.

-“I’ve added an ice attribute to my sword! Eugene, based on my amazing judgment, you might want to dodge this attack.”

“Amazing judgment my ass. The best policy is dodging any attack.”

I was currently standing on the barrier. If Yayo dispelled it, I’d lose my footing and be restricted in movement. There wasn’t enough time to dodge using the jetpack alone. That clearly looked like an AoE attack.

Yayo acted just as I expected. After preparing to swing his sword, he dispelled the barrier that was about to shatter. Losing my footing, I began to fall. But this was something I had already prepared for.

“Reverse Field.”

I created a reverse field in mid-air and used it to propel myself forward. However, I couldn’t avoid the attack completely. The cold emanating from his sword invaded my left arm. Thanks to Stormbreaker, I could feel the chill but not the pain.

-Eugene’s left arm has frozen instantly! Emergency! Initiating defrost by temporarily overloading the heat in the left arm!

I could see the flow of mana surrounding Yayo. And the mana behind me began reacting. I could easily predict what spell he was going to use.

Yayo’s body disappeared and reappeared behind me. This time, he swung a crimson glowing blade at me.

-Oh no, danger…!

No, this is an opportunity.

[Using Instant (刹那). Remaining stacks: 6]

I utilized the momentary acceleration to evade his attack by the thinnest margin.

[Using Instant (刹那). Remaining stacks: 5]

I regained my balance with another Instant.

[Using Instant (刹那). Remaining stacks: 4]

The third acceleration was used for the attack. My blade sliced through Yayo’s coat, starting from the right shoulder and cutting down to the left side.

‘I think I’ve cut into his internal organs. In most cases, this would be a fatal wound.’

But my opponent was a villain affiliated with Japan’s Main Union’s Magic Law Order – a spirit user.

“You damn thing…!”

Yayo stumbled back while retreating. The massive bleeding from the wound suddenly stopped.


“Hey there, demon power! Magic Power seeped into his body, spreading through every inch of him. His wounds vanished, replaced by grotesque mutations—his frame expanding, limbs bleaching white, and his skin hardening like steel. A small horn sprouted on his forehead, completing the demonic transformation.

『The Demon Hunter has detected a Spirit’s presence.』

『All stats temporarily enhanced.』

『Attack against Spirits boosted.』

A magic circle manifested around Yayo, now transformed into Mein. I took a cautious step back as pillars of fire erupted and icicles rained down where I’d just been standing. If I hadn’t moved, I’d be toast.

-Eugene… This one might be tough to capture alive…

‘I agree. Stronger than expected. Let’s scrap the capture plan and go full-out with extermination instead.’

Peeerrrrrt!

Clara’s flute sounded off nearby. She stood at a safe distance, watching the battle while playing her instrument. I didn’t want her involved in the fight, and Yayo had no intention of approaching either since she was part of the mission—to kidnap Clara safely for the client (even though said client was already dead). We could still collect payment from Hanson Hemingford later.

『Listening to the hymn…』

『All stats temporarily enhanced.』

『Health and mana regeneration increased.』

After hearing Clara’s music, my abilities surged.

-Huh? What is this? My body feels so light!

Clara’s terrifying talent lay in her ability to buff allies without any conditions. Even Makena, the spirit, seemed affected.

“Buff, huh? Annoying little pest.”

Yayo scowled at Clara but made no move to attack or disrupt her performance.

“Don’t think your buffs will save you from me. I’ve transcended humanity and am nearing true demonhood. Every breath fills me with overwhelming power. So… how should I kill you?”

I wanted to smash that arrogant face in. Should I use Heavenly Horse Fist Technique? Nah, let’s try Makena’s power for once.

‘Makena, remember that thing we practiced last time? Want to give it a shot?’

-N-No way! No more butt-kicking displays!

‘That’s not what I meant, idiot.’

-Oh! You mean THAT thing?! Sure thing! Let’s do it!

From my inventory, I summoned a small cube glowing faintly blue.

『Mana Cube

Rank: SS

Unleashes a mana field.』

This relic from the first round was the key to skyrocketing my mana rank.

Yayo’s eyes widened when he saw the Mana Cube in my hand, greed twisting his features.

“W-WHAT IS THAT?! Such treasures exist in THIS WORLD?! Give it to me NOW! Hand it over, and I’ll spare your life!”

He shrieked in excitement, immediately recognizing its value like any proper mage would. The Mana Cube wasn’t exactly divine-level power, but its versatility made it one of the top-tier artifacts in existence.

“Daydream much? You’ll never touch this.”

I pressed the cube against my chest, letting it merge into Stormbreaker. It began glowing an intense blue.

-Ah, ah! So much mana! Overflowing! Eugene, here we go! Initiating Overdrive!

“GIVE IT BACK! HAND IT OVER!”

Consumed by greed, Yayo charged at me, sword drawn. His emotions were clearly heightened by the Mein transformation.

-Plasma Barrier deployed!

A shimmering barrier formed around me, blocking Yayo’s assault. He pounded on it with his fists and slashed at it with his blade. Each strike scorched his skin, yet the barrier itself was crumbling faster than expected.

“Heaven—”


“Blades of the dog, arise!”

Yayo cast a spell, and hundreds of blades materialized in midair, striking against the plasma barrier. Crackling sounds filled the air as the barrier teetered on the brink of collapse.

– Ultra Gravity Grenade!

A white grenade appeared before me. Instinctively, I grabbed it. The usage method flashed into my mind.

I pressed the button with my thumb to disable the safety lock and hurled it at Yayo. With a clean slash of his sword, Yayo cut the grenade in half. What a foolish move! A powerful gravitational field erupted from the broken grenade.

While being dragged by the ultra gravity, Yayo prepared another spell. The problem was that the hundreds of blades he had summoned were also affected by the gravity. The blades pelted his skin, but not a single one pierced through—his skin was just too tough.

‘Still, the damage accumulates. He’s bleeding.

“Aaaaaargh! My magic isn’t working!”

Yayo screamed in despair, his voice filled with anguish.

– Of course it doesn’t work! The ultra gravity pulls in mana too! Now, since the effect is about to end, let’s finish this! Critical Burst Missile!

A futuristic-looking bazooka appeared. I hastily grabbed the white bazooka and aimed it at Yayo. Makina automatically handled the targeting; all I had to do was pull the trigger.

But I didn’t pull it right away. Moving beside Clara, I deployed a barrier to ensure she wouldn’t get caught in the explosion.

“Take this! Clitoris Missile!”

– It’s Critical Burst Missile!!

Click.

The trigger was pulled, and the missile shot toward Yayo, spewing flames.

“Just think you can beat me with something like that…?”

The ultra gravity effect ended. Yayo plunged his sword into the ground, and a magic circle quickly formed beneath him. His body vanished.

‘…He teleported away. Shit, I should’ve taken his sword first.’

Just as I began to feel anxious, the missile flying toward Yayo suddenly changed direction and ascended into the sky.

‘Why is this Clitoris Missile doing that?’

– Because it’s locked onto him! My scanning range covers more than half of Japan. Once he’s within range, there’s no way to evade the missile! And it’s Critical Burst Missile, not Clitoris Missile!

The missile soared upward and disappeared from sight.

‘Where is it going?’

– Kyoto.

“Damn it!”

Yayo cursed as he appeared inside a secret workshop in Kyoto, trying to recover from the mental shock. Even with Mind Transformation active, he hadn’t expected to have to flee.

‘That guy wasn’t supposed to be that strong. Yet for some reason, my attacks weren’t effective, while his were deadly.’

It must have started after activating Mind Transformation. He thought dealing with the opponent was easier before the transformation—even though without it, he would’ve bled out and died.

‘This mission has failed. It seemed easy, but unforeseen variables emerged… Still, since I escaped, I’m at an advantage. Now that I know his face, I’ll spread the word around the world. There’s a bounty on him, so he won’t be able to live peacefully anymore. When the time comes, I’ll seek revenge… Hm?’

Yayo tilted his head upward.

Something had triggered the barrier surrounding the workshop. It was hurtling toward him at incredible speed, getting faster by the second. Through a quick spell, Yayo identified it.

‘Mi, missile?! It followed me here?! C, chasing me… Damn it. Already so close…!’

Before he could cast another spell, the missile struck.

KABOOOOOM!!!

The explosion obliterated everything in the vicinity.