Chapter 36

Chapter 36. Last Words (5)

“How…?”

Ashtaroth stared in disbelief at the gray-haired candidate.

As mentioned before.

The ‘Dreaming Veil’ covering this area was a barrier that even all the professors from the Magic Department couldn’t easily dispel.

It wasn’t because the professors of the Hero School were incompetent.

It was because the sacrifices Ashtaroth poured into creating this barrier were absurd.

‘A barrier created by sacrificing the lives of 200 demons.’

A barrier that, just by being near it, would trap you in endless illusions and hallucinations. How could someone break through it so easily?

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? Illusions don’t work on me.”

“……”

Ashtaroth recalled the class from a few weeks ago.

The illusion magic that vanished like a wad of paper thrown into a raging fire.

It was true that he had held back during the class since it wasn’t a real battle, but even considering that, the illusion had been dispelled too easily.

Yes.

It was as if…

‘As if it was imbued with the divine power of the Saint’s ‘Seven Eyes’.’

The thought that flashed through his mind made Ashtaroth let out an involuntary chuckle.

‘That can’t be.’

There’s no way a mere candidate, one who had been at the bottom of the class for two years since enrollment, could possess divine power.

“Indeed… I can’t figure out the reason, but it seems illusions don’t work on you at all.”

If even the Dreaming Veil, created by sacrificing 200 demons, could be broken through so easily, it was right to assume he had immunity to illusions.

“Must be inconvenient for you, huh?”

“Oh? You speak as if you know me well.”

“I do.”

I spoke in a deep voice, uttering the name of the demon before me.

“Grand Archbishop of Dreaming, Ashtaroth.”

“……!”

“Wha—what did you say, Dale?”

Iris exclaimed in shock, her eyes wide.

That Professor Morpheus was a demon was something they could have guessed when he spread the purple veil and knocked out Camila and the children with illusion magic.

But they never imagined he was one of the six Grand Archbishops standing at the pinnacle of the demons.

“Hmm? Oh, I see.”

Ashtaroth, who had been lost in thought, nodded as if he had just realized something.

“So it was you? The troublemaker who ruined my plans.”

“Well, all I did was deal with a few idiots who were nailing a perfectly good cave wall.”

“Haha. Isn’t it a bit shameless to massacre someone’s precious subordinates and then act like this?”

“Precious subordinates, huh?”

What nonsense.

“They weren’t precious subordinates, but tools to pour curses into the ley lines.”

“Oh? You knew about that too?”

Ashtaroth’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“You’re not just a candidate, are you?”

“You’re not just a professor either, so let’s call it even.”

“Hahaha. Alright. It’s more fun when unexpected variables like you show up.”

The plan wasn’t perfect from the start.

Releasing monsters during the festival to create chaos and seize the ‘Seven Eyes.’

Compared to the plans prepared over the past few years, it was overly bold and reckless.

He had expected things wouldn’t go as planned.

He had been prepared to shoulder this level of risk from the beginning.

‘Though I never imagined the risk would be a candidate, not a professor.’

Anyway.

In the end, the Dreaming Veil was breached, and a variable appeared.

A variable that could be called the ‘natural enemy’ of Ashtaroth, who relied on illusions and mental magic as his main weapons.

“An opponent immune to illusions… This is quite troublesome.”

Ashtaroth sighed deeply and shook his head.

A battle against an opponent immune to illusions.

It was like telling a swordsman who had trained with a sword all his life to put it down and fight bare-handed.

“But.”

A deep smile formed on Ashtaroth’s lips.

The Devil God’s Holy Mark engraved on his left chest glowed, and a gloomy purple aura spread out like wings.

“That doesn’t mean the outcome will change.”

Even if his main weapon, illusions, was sealed.

He was still the ‘Grand Archbishop’ reigning over tens of thousands of demons.

Whoooosh!

The widely spread purple aura vibrated fiercely.

The waves of purple aura surged toward Dale.

“Hold on tight.”

“Huh? Kyah!”

Dale grabbed Iris’s hand, pulling her into his arms, and urgently moved his feet.

‘Berald Martial Arts.’

Wind Step.

Magic power spread throughout his body, making it as light as a feather.

In that state, if he forcefully expelled magic power from the soles of his feet…

Whoosh!

As if stepping on air, his body slightly floated and moved.

Crash!

The spot where he had just been standing was swept away by the purple aura, and the ground twisted as if pressed hard from both sides.

‘Just magic power expulsion has this much power.’

I clicked my tongue while looking at the twisted ground.

The attack Ashtaroth had just used wasn’t even a spell—it was just simple magic power expulsion.

Infusing magic power with physical force and shooting it out.

Even first-year candidates at the Magic Department could perform this simple spell, but the vast magic power—no, the demonic energy—Ashtaroth possessed turned even this simple spell into something rivaling siege weaponry.

“Stay here.”

“W-wait, Dale! You’re not planning to fight the Grand Archbishop, are you?”

“What if I don’t fight?”

“W-well… call the professors or something.”

“Even if we call them, they won’t be able to get through that veil.”

While I could easily break through the Dreaming Veil because illusions didn’t work on me, the other professors were different.

‘It’s impossible to escape the veil with Iris.’

Ashtaroth wouldn’t just let us escape, and I couldn’t leave Camila and the orphanage children here unconscious.

That left only one option.

I had to defeat Ashtaroth here.

“I’ll handle him, so set up a barrier to protect Camila and the kids from getting caught up in this.”

“B-but…”

Iris tried to argue but, seeing Camila and the children lying unconscious with dazed eyes, she bit her lip.

“…Please, Dale.”

“Leave it to me.”

I took a step toward Ashtaroth.

Ashtaroth, who had been watching with his arms crossed, smirked.

“Done playing hero?”

“Done playing.”

I pulled out a blue liquid-filled vial from my pocket and gulped it down.

My heart thumped as if it were broken, and fierce magic power surged through my body.

Clink.

The sound of the empty vial shattering on the ground.

“Now it begins.”

Boom!

A deafening explosion.

I felt as if the surroundings were being pulled in, and my body shot forward.

“Ugh…!”

Ashtaroth hastily stepped back at the sudden increase in speed.

I chased after him, swinging my sword fiercely.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Purple energy spread out like a spider’s web, blocking his front.

Boom!

The sword, enveloped in a white aura, clashed with the purple energy, shaking the ground with a loud roar.

‘The sheer amount of magic power is on a different level.’

Unlike the half-baked Holy Mark Amplifier used at the demons’ hideout, the Holy Mark Amplifier made from starwort infused with magic power was on a completely different level in terms of power.

‘I wish I had more reserves.’

Unfortunately, the only Holy Mark Amplifier I had was the one I just drank.

‘No choice.’

The Holy Mark Amplifier lasts for 5 minutes.

I had to defeat Ashtaroth within that time.

‘Sun Sword 6th Form.’

White Light.

Whoooosh!

A white aura burst from the sword, splitting the purple energy.

“Ugh!”

The white aura shot through the purple energy, grazing Ashtaroth’s cheek.

Blood dripped from the torn flesh.

“…Hah.”

Ashtaroth touched his bleeding cheek and let out a low chuckle.

“So, you had a hidden card.”

After drinking the blue liquid in the vial, Dale’s magic power, which had been a mere handful, exploded.

“This might be more fun than I thought.”

Ashtaroth smiled deeply and raised his demonic energy.

The purple aura emanating from the Holy Mark surged fiercely toward Dale.

“Huff!”

Boom! Crash! Rumble!

The clash of sword and magic.

The white and purple auras intertwined, creating a massive shockwave.

“Ugh…!”

Iris hurriedly created a barrier to protect Camila and the children from the shockwave.

“Dale!”

The battle was so fast that it was impossible to follow with the eyes.

In this overwhelming fight, Dale was fiercely battling the ‘Grand Archbishop’ without being pushed back.

‘He’s amazing.’

I knew Dale was strong, but I never imagined he could fight the Grand Archbishop without being overwhelmed.

‘Maybe Dale…’

I thought he might actually be able to defeat the Grand Archbishop.

Crash!

A horrifying tearing sound, and a hole the size of a human head appeared in Dale’s chest.

“…Huh?”

Blood poured from the hole in his chest.

As if time had stopped.

The image of Dale falling like a puppet with its strings cut was burned into my retina.

“D-Dale…?”

I stammered, calling his name, but there was no way someone with a hole the size of a head in their chest could answer.

“Ah, uh. No…”

Iris’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Nooooooooooo!!!”

A chilling scream filled the veil as she saw Dale’s lifeless body fall.

“Haa, haa. This is beyond my expectations, really.”

Ashtaroth panted, wiping the blood from his lips.

From the moment he first saw him, he knew this candidate wasn’t ordinary, but he never expected him to be strong enough to wound him.

‘A candidate who could make most professors look like amateurs.’

At this point, he might as well have been fighting a bloodthirsty hunting dog or the descendant of a great sage.

“Hoo. But I managed to take him down.”

The plan to seize the ‘Seven Eyes.’

Though the unexpected variable had strayed far from the original plan, the destination remained the same.

“Now, then.”

He turned his head toward Iris, who was sitting and sobbing.

“Shall we taste the sweet fruits of victory?”

Every time he saw Iris’s tear-filled eyes, a strong desire to seize the ‘Seven Eyes’ as quickly as possible surged within him.

As he took a step forward, surrendering to that desire.

“Hmm?”

From somewhere, gray ash brushed past his cheek and scattered.