The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 75

Morgan is really, really a powerful wizard, but in the end, he’s just a wizard.

Wizards don’t have the means to kill demons.

They can create silver and such through alchemy, but that won’t have much effect against higher-level demons.

Since killing is impossible, you have to thoroughly destroy their bodies to immobilize them, but those demons even come prepared with countermeasures against magic, making them quite a nuisance.

-Ah… AAAAA!!! It hurts… It hurts!!!!!

Nothing penetrated his body; everything ricocheted off, yet it seems he’s still in pain.

He quickly followed up with an offensive.

“Bloom Hurricane!”

The swirling storm blew away the black mist protecting the demon.

“Gravity Press!!”

An invisible force pressed down on the demon.

“Stone Pillar! Stone Spike..!!”

Dozens of stone pillars rained down from above, forcing the demon to its knees, while sharp silver spikes erupted from the ground, piercing through its body.

I tried to suppress it with all kinds of mass and impale it with silver spikes, but it was merely a delay.

I knew elemental attacks had no effect on the demon, but to buy time, I thought even meaningless attacks had to be relentlessly unleashed.

-It hurts… It hurts!!!

Fortunately, the demon seemed to feel pain and screamed.

Margaret, the demon, showed a stronger reaction than before, kneeling and cursing at Morgan, who hovered above.

-Why… are you doing this to me…! I can’t… forgive you…!!!!

Upon closer inspection, the silver spike that had sprung up was embedded in the smooth abdomen of the demon, Margaret, causing blood to gush out.

In Margaret’s hands, a massive amount of magical energy began to gather, taking the shape of a sword.

It resembled a club burning with black flames, tailored to the 5-meter-tall demon, looking like it was at least 4 meters long.

“Ugh…?!”

At that moment, Morgan sensed a crisis.

He could see the stone pillars breaking and felt the Gravity Press weakening.

-You too!! Dieee!!!!!

The demon, Margaret, shattered the stone pillars that were suppressing her and swung the black Aura Blade.

From the trajectory of the swinging sword, a sword qi made of black magic surged forth, splitting the Special Arena in two.

Morgan avoided damage by blinking out of the way, but had he realized it even a moment later, he could have been in danger.

Margaret’s attack, which split the giant arena in two, was enough to bury several other demons that happened to be present.

“Talk about making my heart drop…!”

Margaret suddenly changed direction.

He could tell where she was headed.

Towards the Main Building where all the students had evacuated.

The Main Building had defensive magic activated, and the professors were repelling the demons from behind the magical barrier.

Up to now, the attacks had been manageable, but that black Aura Blade was dangerous.

“Don’t go there..!!”

He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out, but as the Principal, he had to stop her.

Demon Margaret raised her black, flaming Aura Blade high into the sky.

She intended to unleash the black sword qi that had previously split the Special Arena in two.

He had clearly seen the power of that attack.

If she struck down with it, even from a distance, the defenses of the Main Building would be undone.

“Don’t do it..!! Your opponent is me!!!”

Countless spells materialized around Morgan and shot toward Margaret.

Margaret expelled a thick aura of magic from her face, managing to defend against the spells without suffering significant damage.

-UAAAAH!!!

The black Aura Blade descended toward the Main Building, and the dark sword qi surged forth like ink-dark shadows.

Like when she split the arena, the sword qi obliterated everything in its path.

Such tremendous power.

He envisioned the gruesome scene of the protective magic of the Main Building failing and the students who took refuge inside dying.

At that moment, a luminous trail of light appeared in the sky.

– Shhkk!

A dazzlingly bright trail burst through the darkness and landed on the ground.

It was a knight clad in pitch-black armor.

The armor was covered with a powerful enchantment to obscure one’s identity.

Even standing right in front of it, he struggled to discern height or gender.

He couldn’t tell their face, body shape, or gender, but Morgan recognized who it was immediately.

“It’s you…!!”

In his hand was the miraculous light that proved his identity.

The one true miracle that slices through darkness.

“The Shadow of the Empire!!”

————————

As I led the Swordsmanship Research Club outside to evacuate while monitoring the situation, it was nothing short of hell.

The Church had also rushed in to vanquish demons, but with their numbers, it would only be a modest effort.

After confirming that students were gathering on the first floor of the Main Building, I sneakily left to find my friends, quickly heading to the dormitory to gather my equipment.

The black sword made of Adamantium, a rare metal, absorbed light, giving it an odd, graphic-like appearance.

I was grateful to the Commander for tossing me this sword when he arrived.

Since becoming a Master, I was given this sword; the Squirette had no special abilities besides being solid because of its Adamantium composition.

The sword lacked unique abilities, but its grip had an intriguing function: when infused with its owner’s magic, it would don an enchantment that obscured identity.

With so many eyes on me this time, I had no choice but to conceal my face.

Using the Aura Blade now would be like advertising my status as Master… I would no longer be a shadow.

“Ugh… This armor feels too burdensome…”

As the sword’s magic activated, black armor cloaked my body, and since it wasn’t just any metal, black smoke rose from the surface as if magic was seeping out.

This black smoke visually represented the enchantment obscuring my identity.

Now that I was equipped, it was time to ‘organize’ the situation properly.

The first place to head was the defensive line centered around the Main Building.

The Principal was tackling the strongest opponent, but… he’s strong so he would probably last the longest.

With my priorities set, things would be sorted quickly.

In fact, if this weren’t a demon but a typical terrorist situation, it would have been suppressed long ago.

Those demons continuously resurrect, making them a nuisance, but they aren’t exceptionally strong.

As I took a step from the dormitory, the scenery changed, and the Main Building came into view.

‘Walking through space’ that looked like space movement was something I could do naturally as a Master, like Linda’s ability to ‘levitate objects.’

Upon arriving, I saw professors fighting the demons behind their defensive magic.

I spotted senior Andy, who had detested sword training, now facing the demons with a sword imbued with Holy Power.

‘I told you to buy something more expensive, but you’re still just skimping on the options… making everything complicated.’

Aside from the priests dispatched by the Church, he was causing the most significant damage, but the Holy Power embedded in his sword was too weak to end the demons, and they kept resurrecting.

At this rate, the professors would eventually tire first and collapse.

The black sword of the Squirette, made of Adamantium, began to glow with an aura.

The aura did not blaze like flames above the sword but erupted violently from the cross-guard, producing a fierce sound as it shone like a brilliant flash.

“Where did you get this… Who… who are you???”

Feeling the current of aura surging like a torrent, senior Andy turned to look at me.

His bewildered voice infuriated me.

How could a person from the Royal Knight Order not recognize a Shadow?

Seriously, what is he—a new recruit? Ridiculous.

Despite Andy aiming the Aura Blade at me, I didn’t feel the need to respond.

With the Squirette making a terrifying noise, I surveyed the number of demons gathered near the Main Building’s entrance.

Although they were scattered around, there were well over 80 demons amassed at the front.

It appeared the rest were being dealt with by Amy.

The demons, who had lost their sanity, screamed in agony, looking utterly tormented.

If possible, I wished to save them all, the victims of the demons, but I did not know how.

That method wasn’t mentioned in the latest updates of the novel.

“Those who don’t want to die, get behind the defensive magic.”

At my intimidating words, the professors flinched and quickly stepped back.

They assumed I was on their side upon seeing me walking toward the Main Building.

As soon as it was confirmed, I charged forward, swinging the Squirette with all my strength.

– Vwooooom!!!

A white trajectory whisked through the air, blindingly bright, and the demons were bisected in unison.

Until now, every time a demon fell, a horrific amount of magic spread everywhere, but this time, magic was not dispersed.

The fallen demons no longer regenerated.

The severed remains of the demons crumbled like burnt wood and began to disintegrate into ashes, carried away by the wind.

The Master’s Aura Blade completely obliterated their essence, their magic.

“Who… are you exactly??”

Seeing the demons reduced to ashes in a single blow, senior Andy fell back, stuttering in disbelief.

I wanted to smack him upside the head, but then I’d have no reason to be wearing this armor, so I held back.

“Ha… Enough. I’ll go save the Principal. You keep the stragglers in check.”

“Y-Yes!!!”

The atmosphere at the arena didn’t look good either.

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.

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This time, I arrived in front of the arena in a single step.

The Special Arena, which had looked fine on the way there, was now split into two.

As I got closer, I felt the overwhelming surge of black magic from inside, and I burst in to catch a glimpse of the demon Margaret wielding the black Aura Blade, preparing to strike.

I had to stop her.

“Acting like a sword master after becoming a demon?”

As my strong resolve echoed, the Aura Blade glowed even brighter.

“Don’t do it..!! Your opponent is me!!!”

The Principal unleashed countless spells toward Margaret, who was about to swing her black Aura Blade, but as they reached Margaret’s aura, their power diminished, and they failed to inflict significant damage.

The spells that aimed to bind her hands and feet corroded and rotted away as they approached her thick aura.

As Margaret swung down the Aura Blade, I shot forward like a bullet.

The sun hadn’t even set yet, and the magical lights remained absent, but the light from the Aura Blade held its power beneath the sun, leaving a radiant white trail behind.

As my glowing white trail collided with Margaret’s black trail, the latter vanished without a trace.

-You…!!!

Realizing her attack had been erased, demon Margaret charged at me with her black Aura Blade.

There was nothing significantly different from the last time I saw her.

Margaret, with protrusions on her body, was shedding blood tears in extreme agony.

There was no way she wanted to change into this form.

“At least, I’ll send you off in one blow.”

Launching into the air, I previously nullified her attack, and instead of falling, I floated in midair.

No, saying I was floating is an odd expression.

I stood on nothingness, looking down at Margaret.

The phenomenon I became able to use naturally as a Master can be broadly categorized into two: but fundamentally it’s one.

I can manipulate the nothingness.

Standing on it looks like I’m hovering in midair, and bending it before running represents space movement.

Explaining how it’s possible is impossible, but I can explain why I can do this.

The fundamental issue of height was recognized as ‘distance’, and to overcome that, I painstakingly exerted effort, which bore this fruit.

As my feet touched the air, my figure became indistinct once again.

With speed so fast it’s hard for the eyes to follow, my body shot forward, leaving behind a white trail like a flare.

-You too… Dieee!!!!!

As Margaret witnessed the terrifying figure blasted toward her, she swung the black Aura Blade.

An attack powerful enough to carve through the fortress-like defenses protecting the Main Building, yet I had no intention of decreasing my momentum.

The white flash cleaved through the demon.

Demon Margaret was sliced in half from head to toe along with the black Aura Blade she was wielding.

-A… Aaaa…..

The bisected Margaret let out a meaningless death rattle as she turned to ashes from the severed point.

As I watched the demons blown away in the wind, I wondered if they wouldn’t resurrect and kept my eyes peeled, but nothing occurred.

It was a rather anticlimactic end for having turned the Academy upside down.

“It’s you… the Shadow of the Empire!!”

The Principal, Morgan, who had been hovering with floating magic, landed in front of me and grabbed my hand.

“Thank you… it’s been tough dealing with these demons alone. I’m really grateful… Oh, no, there are still many demons left… I need to save the students..!”

“I’ve already taken care of things on my way over.”

“Oh… as expected, there’s a reason why Linda cares for you so much… How did you get here? The communication disruption isn’t fixed yet…”

“… I had something to do nearby. I happened to discover it.”

“How fortuitous that this misfortune turned into good luck…! I will inform His Majesty the Emperor in detail about how significant your contribution is! Thank you, thank you…!”

Morgan was excessively grateful and kind.

He behaved in a way that made me hardly believe he was the grumpy old man I regularly saw, shaking my hand energetically with a cheerful face.

He must have been in quite a bind.

“Phew… If I can just find the Sword Master, everything will be settled…!”

“… Find the Sword Master?”

“Yeah… right before the incident broke out, he disappeared somewhere…!”

Morgan said that while looking outside, so I automatically thought they had suppressed the Sword Master already.

But rather, did it mean they just didn’t know where he was hiding???

‘I need to find him quickly…!!!’

In that moment, a tremendous explosion rang out near the Main Building.

“What?!!!”

An enormous amount of aura surged into the sky with tremendous force.

It felt like a pulse of aura different from the magic that exploded at the arena earlier.

————————

As I dashed out the moment I saw the aura rise in the sky, the situation had already ended.

Even using space movement, I had rushed over in a single leap but was still too late.

The labyrinthine garden behind the Main Building was structured in a way that made it incredibly difficult for people to find one another if they were having a secret meeting, but this time, there was no need to try to figure out the position of where the people were located.

There was a massive hole that cut straight through the neatly organized garden trees.

It seemed the aura that had surged into the sky had come down and struck the ground.

Following the sizable hole, I jumped inside, where various smells lingered.

The charred scent of wood ablaze from the aura, the fresh smell of crushed grass… and finally, the scent of human blood…

In the epicenter, a figure that looked human lay collapsed.

“…”

Had they taken that attack head-on? The person lying motionless displayed severe injuries.

Their entire body bore faint burns, and the line from their left shoulder to abdomen was a wound from a sword, from which blood gushed out.

Fragments of the severed sword rolled beneath, yet they clung to their sword tightly like an old tree.

Glancing at them, they looked almost dead, but upon checking their pulse, thankfully, they… no, it was a she, and she was barely hanging on to life.

It was hard to believe, so I feigned calmness and grasped her hand, which was clutching the sword.

“Lucia… what happened….”

The half-dead figure turned out to be Lucia Russell.

She was scorched, charred, and covered in blood, but there was no way I wouldn’t recognize her.

The helmet of the armor wrapped around her body fell off, lifting the enchantment that hid her identity.

Only then did Lucia look at me and speak.

“……Ah… Tlas.”

Lucia seemed to struggle just to open her mouth.

Every trembling word felt as if she were on the brink of death.

“Don’t talk. Save your strength.”

“I’m sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for…?”

There was no need to deeply speculate on what she had faced.

99% it was the Sword Master.

The aura that soared into the sky couldn’t have been conjured by a demon.

I placed a finger on her solar plexus and crown, channeling aura from my lower dantian into Lucia’s body.

As the aura flowed in like a gentle stream, I could see Lucia’s face gradually relaxing.

Given how badly she had been injured, if I infused too much at once like when reconstructing Prigia, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“… Don’t overdo it. I’ll get you to the hospital soon.”

“It’s not that… I need to tell you…”

Just as I was about to take Lucia with me, she suddenly grabbed my arm.

No matter how much life force I infused, it would surely be hard for her to even speak, yet Lucia continued to struggle to get the words out.

“Simoa… I’ve… lost it.”