The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 401

I’m not just charging in blindly without knowing anything.

When I went to consult with Hoenheim, I got clear information on what to look for.

“You said you guys went down to the fourth basement? That info is probably on the sixth floor. And there’s a definite record of a failed execution of the plan, so it should still exist within the structures.”

I was about to ask how she knew that, but it seemed Hoenheim anticipated my question and pulled out an artifact to show me.

It was an old, torn piece of paper.

It had been pieced together using magic after being completely disintegrated, and judging by the content, it appeared to be a newspaper.

The newspaper contained an article with the information Hoenheim had mentioned, and I felt like I remembered this one line.

The structure of the Snow Country’s ruins would have been called a city with a futuristic design in my previous life.

Above ground, there were skyscrapers that reached the unending sky and a monorail running across the city, while below ground, a subway system so convoluted it resembled a spider’s web and an “underground city” were built.

Of course, the towering skyscrapers had long been eroded by the harsh blizzards and vanished into nothingness, existing only in records. I learned from that newspaper that the so-called first floor, which is considered underground, is being protected by a roof that activates for the city’s defense.

The upper parts are just residential areas, hence the lower security, while as you go deeper, the facilities become more important, increasing security.

“About the meals provided by the Academy, isn’t it too overpriced for transfer students?”

“Considering the quality, it’s cheap, but it is quite expensive.”

“Still, I think they should at least offer one option. There are kids who self-sustain and make a living.”

As we meandered through the ruins, we remained vigilant against doppelgangers while watching our surroundings as we descended further underground.

“From the fifth floor down, security gets really tight, so I didn’t go down there.”

“Is it that dangerous?”

“I might’ve managed alone. But back then, there were many of us. It’s not like I could handle things solo.”

The Snow Country Exploration Team had halted at the fourth floor, but from there, it was the place where the main facilities existed, guarded by combat golems.

There were golems capable of unleashing attack magic around the level of 6 circles, and since the fifth floor likely contained even more critical facilities, the defenses must be formidable.

Not relaxing our guard, we continued down together.

.

.

.

As we chatted in the vast ruins, various topics began to pop up.

Things we wouldn’t normally talk about, but since the conversation shouldn’t halt, we ended up discussing meaningless grievances about the Academy, the Empire, and even talked honestly about what we thought of a particular person.

I realized that while Amy didn’t outwardly show much displeasure, she internally had quite a blacklist prepared.

“Atlas, is your goal in life to grow taller?”

“Well, that’s one thing. But there’s more.”

“I don’t know. It’s not like you just set one definitive goal for life, right? A world where we no longer worry about demons would be nice too. Growing taller has to be on the list, right?”

As we blabbed and eliminated any invisible sensors or other traps, we quickly arrived at the sixth floor.

The sixth floor felt distinctly like a full-fledged facility rather than just space.

It seemed much more cramped.

“Is this it?”

As we pressed on, I finally laid eyes on the artifact I was searching for.

It matched the description from the article in the old newspaper.

An artifact that looked like a giant astronomical telescope, this was the very item that Master Hoenheim was seeking.

“Can we take it even though it’s connected below?”

“Maybe. It might need to be summoned here directly.”

The artifact wasn’t just left out in the open; it was connected to a pillar that rose up from below.

The pillar was connected to several pipes, and I felt that recklessly detaching it might damage it.

As I contemplated how to bring it with me, I sensed a presence approaching.

“Over there!!”

There shouldn’t be anyone else here besides Amy and me.

Feeling it out, it was probably a doppelganger, and having never let my squirette out of my hands since coming down, I directed a strike toward the presence I felt directly ahead.

“Is it still okay to do this here?!”

“?!”

It struck me only after Amy pointed it out.

After swinging my sword, I suddenly thought that if I accidentally destroyed the facilities here, it could be dangerous, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

-Whoosh!!

Assuming I had hit something, someone else was severed again.

It wasn’t a sensation of slicing through something solid.

It felt strange, like I had cleaved through smoke without hitting flesh or even solid metal; a feeling most people would never experience in their lives but was remarkably familiar to me.

“Demon?”

What I had cut was indeed a demon.

Why on earth is a demon present here?

Since it had no physical form, it didn’t seem like a fallen human but truly appeared as a demon with no contractor.

“… Just a wanderer?”

It wouldn’t be unusual for a demon to appear in a desolate place.

The holes connecting Hell to this world can open up in completely unexpected places.

Such low-tier demonic beings could show up anywhere, like ghosts.

It might feel suspicious, but it could also be nothing at all.

Could it be that among the defense systems, there was a mechanism for summoning demons?

Since demons can’t typically be dealt with through conventional means, that thought crossed my mind.

“No, it’s someone who summoned a demon just now! There’s a fragment that was used as a sacrifice over there!”

As I relaxed my guard, Amy caught on to something I had missed and drew her gun.

If someone just summoned that, it meant the one who summoned it was nearby.

Still holding onto my squirette, I suddenly felt a dark magical essence enveloping the area.

“Atlas’s artifact!!”

Even in darkness, it was hard to see through the dense magic that spread out, but on our side, the Master’s Aura Blade pierced through the magical gloom.

As soon as the magic dispersed, we saw a man in a black robe trying to snatch the artifact.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

-Swish!!

It was a satisfying feeling.

Since the artifact was being held, the space to cleave was limited, but my strike easily severed the man’s forearm.

The man, having lost his arm, stepped back to avoid further attacks, and dark magic was billowing from the severed end.

“You’re Rex, huh? What business do you have with this?”

I instantly recognized him when I saw the severed arm.

Seeing me, Rex seemed incredulous, pulling back his hood to reveal a face and voice that resembled Cronos, which only added to my displeasure.

“That’s what I want to ask you! What are you doing here?”

While it could be a disguise, from what he just said, it didn’t seem like he was here to hinder me.

What could this artifact possibly be for Rex to come here himself?

I didn’t know, but I couldn’t just let that guy take it away.

“Get the hell out of here right now, and I might spare your life.”

To be honest, I had no intention of letting him live regardless of what I did.

But I was concerned about the artifact getting damaged if he went wild here, so this time, I decided to threaten him.

Rex knew better than anyone how much stronger I was based on the number of times he had been defeated.

And yet, Rex stubbornly refused to back down.

“Fine… just back off quietly. But I’m taking that with me.”

“Try to move even one step, and I’ll slice you into three pieces, so look forward to that.”

As I gripped my squirette tightly, the Aura Blade emitted a fearsome sound like the tearing of air.

Having been sliced apart by this more times than he could count, Rex gulped nervously.

“Well then, I guess this must be fate. That’s how I believe it.”

Even knowing he couldn’t win, Rex charged at the artifact.

To prove that my words weren’t simply a threat, I made two slashes at Rex as he took a step forward.

-Swish!!

“Guh…!!!”

One slash landed on Rex’s right shoulder, cleaving off his arm, while the other was aimed at his left shoulder.

With one arm already severed, Rex made a pained expression as he reached out toward me instead of the artifact.

What the hell was he thinking? Without hesitation, I aimed to sever his remaining arm too.

‘… Why the hell isn’t he running away?’

Something felt off.

My instincts as a Master were ringing alarm bells.

Whatever Rex was up to, it posed a grave danger.

In the past, he’d have run for his life upon seeing me, but now he charged without any fear of death?

I didn’t know what he was attempting, but I wasn’t going to let him carry it out.

‘He must be eliminated here.’

Due to the angle, I had intended to just remove his arms and finish it, but that wouldn’t do.

Twisting my sword’s trajectory, I aimed for his head instead of his shoulder.

While limbs can possibly regrow, I was curious to see if his head could revert back after being severed.

-Swish!!

And I was faster.

Whatever he was attempting, the Aura Blade cleaved through Rex’s head alongside his heart.

Rex’s horrifyingly slack face got split in two, a sight that would be unsuitable for children to see.

Since I sliced through both his heart and head at once, I thought he would be dead.

“Not… yet.”

Though severed in two, words inexplicably escaped the mouths of Rex’s two halves.

His energy still advancing, Rex’s fingertips brushed the surface of the artifact.

As I considered that it would be best to retreat, the presence I felt from Rex completely changed.

“This is… you… Satan?!”

In that moment of bewilderment, an unseen, intangible force pierced through my chest.