"So what if I am?"
I asked, putting a smile onto my face even as a cold sweat beaded on my brow. I tightened my grip on [Nyx] and [Emmeranne], holding both weapons ready in each hand.
-That means I just need to kill you, and the others will fall not long after!
Then, without a single heartbeat of warning, the demonic majin appeared directly in front of me. She spat those words out with venomous intent as she coiled her body to swing her jagged claws!
She was incredibly fast— far faster than she had been just minutes ago. But even so, it wasn't at a speed that I couldn't at least try to keep up with— TIIING--!!!
I swung my sword down in a heavy vertical arc, intercepting her claw before she could even fully initiate the attack. I poured every ounce of force I could gather into the strike, but the impact felt like hitting a mountain; it barely made her flinch.
Still, I didn't back down. I stared the demonic majin straight in her black, soulless eyes.
"Make me fall if you can then."
I provoked her, forcing my smile to stay wide even though my muscles were screaming under the pressure of the struggle.
TAAANG--!!!
The majin didn't even seem to care that my sword was pressing down on her left claws. She simply swung her arm upward with such absurd, raw strength that she sent my right arm flying into the air, taking [Emmeranne] along with it!
-YOU'RE REALLY ANNOYING!!!
SWOOSH!
The demonic majin screamed in frustration as she violently lashed out at me with her right claws.
TAAANK--!
"Ugh...!"
I didn't have time to move my arms back into position, so I used [Celestria] instead. The artifact, currently shaped like wings on my back, snapped forward to block the strike. The impact was so heavy that even though the wings completely absorbed the physical blow, the sheer force sent a massive shockwave through my entire body.
But I couldn't afford to focus on the pain. With [Emmeranne] already positioned high in the air from her previous move—
"[CRUEL SLASH!]"
I brought the blade down with every bit of strength I had left!
ZOOSH--!!!
The blade of my weapon crackled with intense, chaotic lightning as it zipped through the air toward the majin's head.
She reacted instantly, raising both of her arms— which were now coated in a thick, dense layer of demonic energy— above her head to form a guard.
TIIIIIING--!!!
She successfully blocked my attack, resulting in a loud, high-pitched ringing sound that echoed through the entire room. I wasn't discouraged, though; I had already expected her to block it.
That was perfectly fine, because I didn't need to cut her— I just needed to make contact.
BZZZZSSSHT--!!!
From the edge of my sword, a powerful surge of electricity flowed outward, striking the majin like a literal bolt of lightning!
A genuine expression of pain finally flickered across her monstrous face.
BAM!
I immediately kicked off her chest and jumped backward to put some distance between us, and the second I was clear— SWOOSH!
An arrow made of pure, compressed mana whistled through the air toward the majin. It wasn't just a normal mana arrow either— it was heavily coated in a surging water spell!
It was a perfectly timed combo from Aoi and Adelle.
PHUCK!
The arrow slammed into the majin, and while it didn't manage to pierce her tough hide, it didn't need to.
SPLASH!
The arrow suddenly exploded upon impact, releasing a massive amount of water that swirled around the majin, trapping her inside a large, shimmering sphere of liquid!
BZZZZT--!
The electric current I had left on her body earlier surged with even greater intensity now that she was submerged in water. However, she didn't stay trapped for long— SWAAAHHH!!!
The majin let out a violent burst of demonic aura, and the sheer pressure of it caused the water and the electricity to dissipate into nothingness. She snapped her head toward the entrance of the room, where Aoi and Adelle were standing.
An incredibly annoyed look crossed her face.
-Die...!
FWOOOSH--!!!
She shouted the command and launched five [Fire Lances] directly at them! These weren't like the ones she had used before; these lances were significantly larger, sharper, and moved at a much more lethal speed!
"Adelle!"
I shouted, my heart sinking as I looked toward the two of them. Adelle reacted instantly, grabbing Aoi by the arm and pulling her into a tight embrace— SWISH!
A sturdy, glowing barrier of mana manifested around them, forming a protective dome. This was Adelle's specialized skill, [Cocoon], and it was several times more durable than any standard mana barrier.
BOOM!
The five lances slammed into the dome and exploded with a deafening roar; the force of the blast was enough to make the floor beneath them tremble. A thick cloud of debris and dust filled the air, and as it slowly settled, I could see Aoi and Adelle kneeling on the ground. They weren't fatally injured, but they were definitely wounded and shaken.
-KAHAHAHAHA!!!
A few steps away from me, the majin began to laugh like a complete maniac. It looked like the side effects of her demonic transformation were finally catching up to her— she was clearly starting to lose her grip on her sanity.
The proof was in the way she fought; despite being a mage, she had switched entirely to close-quarters combat after transforming. It was technically a good thing for us that she wasn't spamming high-level spells, but the problem was that her physical capabilities had shot up to terrifying levels during the change.
As it stood, only me, Eve, Alec, and Blake were still uninjured enough to fight properly.
What made the situation even worse was the fact that none of us had water-attributed mana to counter her fire and demonic energy effectively.
'Alec hasn't fully manifested his light attribute yet, either. If he had, he could have at least suppressed that disgusting demonic energy of hers.'
I grumbled internally, feeling the weight of the situation.
-Hmm...?
Suddenly, the majin stopped laughing and started looking around. She eyed the four of us as we moved to surround her. But even though we had her circled, it was definitely us who felt like we were the ones cornered.
I could see the visible frowns on Alec's and Blake's faces, and when I glanced at Eve, she had the exact same expression of dread. I couldn't blame them; the pressure was suffocating.
-I have adjusted to my power.
The majin said, her voice sounding distorted. She turned her gaze to me and smiled in a way that made my skin crawl. And then...
"GHK?!"
The next thing I knew, her hand was clamped firmly around my neck. There was no sound, no movement I could track— she was just suddenly there!
BOOM!
"KEUK...?!"
The majin slammed me into the floor with bone-breaking force and mounted me. I felt the concrete beneath my back shatter and crack from the sheer impact.
I saw her left claws already raised high in the air— SWOOSH!
She swung them down toward my throat with terrifying speed, but luckily, [Sariel] was already on it. He activated [Thought Acceleration] to its absolute limit, causing time to slow down to a crawl in my perception!
TWHACK!
I jerked my head to the side just in time. The majin's claws dug deep into the concrete right beside my ear; if that had hit me, I would have been dead instantly.
WHOOSH--!
Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a spear hurling toward the majin's head— FWIPP! But she didn't even flinch; she reached out and caught the weapon with her bare hand, grabbing the shaft just as the tip was about to make contact!
She turned her head slightly and saw Eve, and with a look of pure boredom— BOOM!
She threw Eve across the room like a ragdoll, sending her slamming into a wall along with her spear!
"RAAAAHH!!!"
Blake came charging in then, desperate to get the majin off me. He was using [Shield Bash], rushing forward with the momentum of a runaway freight train. The majin didn't even move; she just glanced at him and raised her right hand, pointing a single finger at his chest.
-Get lost.
BOOM!
She spoke those words just as a laser-like beam of black flame erupted from her fingertip, blasting Blake backward with a massive explosion!
"GURGH?!"
Blake seemed to be mostly fine, but I could see that his thick shield had been punctured clean through.
SWISH~
This time it was Alec who tried to save me. Using [Teleportation], he appeared instantly in the majin's blind spot. His sword was already mid-swing, aimed directly at the side of her neck.
However...
-You're annoying as well.
FWIP- BAM!
The majin ripped her left hand out of the floor and swatted Alec away as if he were nothing more than a common housefly!
"...!"
My eyes widened in genuine shock. I knew that winning against someone who had reached [S-] rank through a demonic transformation was supposed to be impossible, but this level of power was just too much.
"You..."
Then, the realization hit me. This woman in front of me... she was spending even more of her own lifespan right now just to push her strength even higher!
-KAHAHAHAHAHA--!
-This power is mine.
The crazed majin laughed as she spoke, and then, she looked back down at me with a murderous glint.
I tried to aim [Nyx] at her chest— PAT! But she just casually slapped the gun out of my hand.
"Urgh..."
I winced as a sharp pain flared through my arm. That simple, careless swat from her had been enough to break my wrist.
The majin's smile widened as she saw the pain on my face. Her right hand reached out and gripped my face tightly, and then she parted her lips—
-Just as I promised, I will be killing you first.
She declared.
I could feel a massive amount of mana and demonic energy gathering within her. I glanced around the room, and everything seemed to move in slow motion for me;
I saw Alec struggling to stand back up, looking at me with wide eyes. It looked like he was shouting something, but I couldn't hear him.
Eve had managed to get back up too, and she was running toward me with her spear held low.
Blake had thrown his ruined shield aside and was sprinting toward me barehanded. What an idiot he really is; what does he think he can do without his shield?
Aoi and Adelle were desperately trying to prep another attack, but I seriously doubted it would reach me in time to save my life.
'Ah... is this what people experience right before they die?'
I asked myself internally. A massive wave of regret washed over me. I hadn't done nearly enough. I still had so many things I needed to do.
Images of Keara, Ruby, and Yuki flashed through my mind... then my parents and Nisha as well. I had even promised them that I would come visit after this field trip was over.
'Fuck.'
I cursed myself. I couldn't even open my mouth to say anything because this bitch was crushing my entire face with her filthy hand.
-Die.
The majin whispered with a twisted smile.
Then, immediately after that...
--B A M--
A metal fist, easily as large as a bowling ball, crashed directly into the side of her face!
B O O O M--!!!
The majin was sent flying through the air like a baseball hit by a professional, slamming into a distant wall with such force that the entire structure was utterly leveled!
"...!"
I didn't fully comprehend what had just happened... but I was still alive. I looked up from where I was lying on the floor, and there he was.
"I apologize for being late. I was assisting Miss Ruby on her end."
I saw Professor Kendy standing there. He wasn't looking at me; his eyes were fixed on the pile of rubble where the majin had been sent flying.
He looked completely serious, a expression that was entirely unlike his usual, easy-going self.
Then, he glanced back at me and the others.
"Thank you for saving the other students. You all did good work holding out this long."
He declared, adjusting the heavy metal gauntlet on his hand— his personal weapon.
The demonic majin had jumped from [A-] Rank to [S-] Rank after her transformation, and then by sacrificing even more of her life force, she had become as strong as an [S] rank like Ruby.
But Professor here, Kendy Nasah... he was on a level above even that. He was an [S+] rank.
That meant—
'We're saved... we succeeded in buying enough time.'
