The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 404

The ruins beneath the Snow Country, in a room entirely melted away by the breath of the Red Dragon, were filled with thick, black magic.

[That was close to death. This is why becoming a Demon is such a hassle.]

The charred and melted remains crawled out from the rubble of the collapsed ruins.

The source of the magic was Satan, who had become a Demon.

Though the place was a mess due to McKinto’s breath, which brimmed with Holy Power and anti-demonic energy, he was still alive.

After all, this body was merely borrowed; it wasn’t his true form, so even with substantial wounds, Satan didn’t fret too much.

However, since it wasn’t his own body, he felt a sense of alienation when using his powers, and that nagged at him.

[… Has that guy died?]

Just as Atlas did not witness Satan’s end, Satan too did not see Atlas’s conclusion.

It felt like he had fled as the small ruins began to crumble, but Satan was far too curious about Atlas’s fate.

He would have to be dead.

He cannot be alive.

-Thump Thump

Satan felt his heart beating in a strange rhythm.

He thought perhaps the high temperature had damaged it, but if another Great Demon were nearby, he would have said something like this.

Was he really so afraid of a mere human?

[… but I’m ready, so it’s fine. The process doesn’t matter. In the end, I will win.]

Having never felt such emotions before, Satan didn’t recognize the nature of what he was feeling and buried it deep within his chest.

He picked out a chunk from among the charred and melted pieces, pointing at one spot as if performing surgery and extracting what was hidden inside.

He destroyed all the impurities at once, believing he needed only the essentials.

In the very center of that gigantic cylindrical artifact, there was a small machine that remained intact and looked new despite all other parts having melted and burned away.

Holding it up, Satan smiled faintly.

[Having the power to bridge two worlds… means I can strengthen the connection between the two worlds.]

Satan exhaled magic to conceal himself.

In the ruins where no one remained, only the traces of fierce battles were left behind.

—————————

Atlas had not yet returned.

He had mentioned he would be back soon, but he had ventured into uncharted territory.

Naturally, no one expected him to return that night.

‘It would be better if he came back quickly. Why has he never returned on time?’

It was regrettable, but it seemed understandable.

If he were to consider only his feelings, he’d want to complain incessantly, but the weight of the responsibilities on his shoulders was too heavy.

As the day dawned and River went about the Academy’s routine, he acted as if nothing was wrong.

He promised to return soon, so surely he would be back today.

It felt slightly better knowing he wasn’t alone, as many others were waiting too.

So, surely, nothing significant would happen.

.

.

.

That day too, everything was normal.

Everyone attended lectures, gathered to socialize until the next class, participated in club activities or enjoyed a typical day at the Academy, which seemed increasingly rare lately.

Although the purification of the nearby sea had not yet been completed, the holy knights were reassuring to see, and the barriers protecting the Academy had returned, making everyone feel safe and secure in their daily lives.

“Hey, hey, hey! Again, again!!”

As night began to fall, someone dashed into the main building, shouting.

What now? The students focused on him.

“That guy has invaded again!”

“That guy?”

“Fake Atlas!”

He announced that the fake Atlas, the culprit who had previously caused chaos in the Academy, had intruded through the port once more.

He said the holy knights and professors were rushing to subdue him as he was causing yet another ruckus.

River thought, how relentless, and grabbed his sword.

“By fake, you mean that one, right? Having died and come back, they’re fearless.”

“This time, I’ll show them how it’s done!”

Casey, who was with him, also grabbed her sword, while Gemma prepared to join.

Three with top-tier expert skills were prepared to face this situation.

Given Atlas was absent, everyone thought this must end quickly.

“… Huh?”

As Amy was about to step forward with her sword, chills ran down her spine, causing her to shiver.

Something must be happening; an indescribable void tormented River.

He felt as if a giant hole had burst in his chest, yet upon checking, there was no apparent issue.

That pain felt as if there were truly a gap in him, making him tremble.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you hurt?”

As his legs suddenly gave way, his two companions turned back, sensing something was off with River.

Tears began to stream down his face.

“Ah… No, it can’t be.”

River did not want to acknowledge the identity of the emptiness swirling in his mind.

.

.

.

The port, once broken and then restored, faced troubles again.

“Quit bothering me and get lost!!”

-Ka-boom!!!

“Hang in there!!!”

“Ugh, what is this power?!”

The holy knights were knocked back in droves as they tried to block the staff wielded by the fake Atlas.

He felt that he had become stronger compared to before.

Previously, he had only seemingly contracted with a mid-grade Demon, but now it felt like he was facing something more powerful.

“Is he hiding again? How can he keep slipping through the barriers?!”

“Let’s make sure he can’t escape this time.”

The barrier protecting the Academy had several functions, but the most crucial was preventing dangerous entities from passing through.

Regular Demons could hardly pass through the barriers, often employing tricks, but this fake Atlas had already ignored the Academy’s defenses twice.

“Did he change the Demons he contracted with? Before, he seemed to excel at hiding.”

“Still, it won’t matter. Let’s take him down quickly.”

Before, his contracted Demon had a talent for hiding, but now it didn’t seem to be the case.

He wondered how he pulled it off, but what mattered now was not to miss capturing that imposter.

“Take this!!!”

-Ka-thunk!!

A golden lightning bolt, infused with the power of the Gold Dragon, struck down toward the fake Atlas.

“What are you guys doing?!”

The bolt definitely hit the fake Atlas, yet the magic emanating from his body pushed the lightning back.

The fake Atlas, looking annoyed, scanned his surroundings and locked eyes with Gemma, who had launched the bolt.

“Gold Dragon! A significant figure has appeared.”

Whether he was pleased that the Gold Dragon had come to confront him, the fake Atlas smiled.

It was strange that he showed no damage despite being hit by the Gold Dragon’s lightning, which was effective against Demons.

“Still, it’s not enough. I still haven’t rampaged completely. I thought the Principal and professors would come too, yet they’re still just watching. Or… are they trying to resolve the loss of communication with the outside?”

“What?”

A ripple of unease spread among the holy knights at the fake Atlas’s words.

If the principal hadn’t come due to losing contact with the outside?

That statement confirmed that this Academy was entirely isolated.

Given the ocean was polluted, external relations had already diminished. For communications to be cut off entirely meant that no one would know if anything went wrong inside, and they would have no hope for external aid.

“Did you come here to get beaten up by Atlas again? This time, I won’t let you slip away.”

River shouted at the fake Atlas.

He had previously invaded the Academy only to be thoroughly beaten and barely escaped with his life.

Surely, he still carried fear in his heart about that incident.

“Ah… right. That did happen.”

Yet the fake Atlas responded nonchalantly.

“But what of it? That guy is dead. His heart was crushed by Satan’s power yesterday, and he died.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Yeah. The idea of Atlas being dead is absurd!”

Casey and Gemma scoffed at his words.

They knew very well where Atlas was, thinking the fake had to be lying.

“Believing is free, but… doesn’t it feel like that guy knows something?”

The fake Atlas said this while pointing at someone.

“River?”

“… what do you know?”

Both sets of eyes were now focused on River.

“No way. That can’t be true.”

The emptiness that had been swirling in his chest began to crystallize.

He had been avoiding drawing conclusions, but as others pointed it out, the emptiness in his chest grew stronger.

“Ah… fine, I get it. Enough with the jokes?”

The fake Atlas, tossing around the topic in confusion, suddenly began to talk to someone invisible.

“Okay, let’s do that,”

-Thunk!

He then pulled out a dagger from somewhere and stabbed it into his heart.

“What?!”

As his heart was pierced, blood spurted out like a fountain from the wound.

Yet there wasn’t a trace of astonishment on the fake Atlas’s face.

He maintained an extraordinarily calm demeanor.

“I offer my heart, transcending worlds and fate, and I give this tribute—descend upon me.”

Saying this, the fake Atlas produced two gemstones from his robe.

As the two strangely powerful gemstones floated into the air, Gemma gasped in surprise.

“Isn’t that a Dragon Heart?!”

Two crystallized Dragon Hearts and a human body began to form a massive magic circle.

“Asmodeus.”