161. 2nd test (1)
Soft grass, unknown wild flowers blooming occasionally, tree branches swaying in the wind.
The scenery of the garden, which was peaceful enough to make you want to take a nap, has disappeared.
Instead, filth, stench, and demonic energy were encroaching on the spot.
The blood of the monster seeped into the traces that scratched the floor, and it was to the point that it was impossible to tell whether this place was an academy or a demonic realm.
There is a limit to the breathing that I have been holding on to.
The breath exhaled by Octar, the king of stench, is toxic. Because I tried hard not to drink this as much as possible throughout the battle, as soon as the battle was over, dizziness came up.
“Kuk.”
Aren touched his forehead and knelt down.
The winner was Aren, but the damage was great.
Since the king of stench is a monster that does not appear in Act 4, it is a target that can never be defeated with the skills of a cadet in the second semester of the second year.
The cost was beyond imagination.
Argon sent Octar to Aren in the first place because he calculated that he could barely win.
An opponent that can be defeated without dying only by using the power of the shadows. To Aren, Octar was just that much of an opponent.
On the surface, it was Argon’s success.
Aren didn’t die, and the fate of the demon cult had risen enough.
Name: Aren Blackfire
Gender: male
Age: 21
Personality: [gloomy] [aristocratic]
specialty
＞＞＞＞＞
[Dark Magic] ―― Intermediate
[Descendants of the Sword Saints] ―― 4 stars
[Destiny of Demon Cult] ―― Diamon 90%
└[Contract: Shadow Armor]
[Inner Eye Lv. 2]
[Insight Lv. 2]
[Magic Seal] ―― 50
＞＞＞＞＞
Stats: [Strength: 36] [Ag: 32} {Stamina: 33] [Luck: 1]
Power: [3/168]
Aren looked into the air, blood dripping.
“ha. finally.”
[Destiny of Demon Cult] ―― Diamon 90%
There were no options. He had to draw out the power of the Shadow Armor and defeat Octar. Thanks to this, Aren’s body has been changed to be more suitable for Diamon’s vessel.
It was Argon’s intention and Aren’s intention.
When Aren laughs, Argon laughs too. No one knows who will be the winner.
What matters now is that Octar was overpowered without anyone getting hurt.
Consciousness blurs. Even the objects in front of him could not be distinguished properly.
The shadow armor’s recoil hits hard, as always.
――!
The landscape changes.
The academy garden, which had been severely damaged, was back to its original state as if it had never been.
At the beginning of autumn, to the very garden that is starting to turn colorful.
In the first place, the academy garden in the real world has never been polluted. This is because Acheron’s authority creates a completely different world and temporarily turns it into an arena.
The time of the space that was affected by the authority flows again.
The moment consciousness returns, Ackerman and the others realize. The huge presence that consumed the area disappeared.
“What about the monster?”
none. The stench, the pollutants, and the gigantic monsters all disappeared without a trace.
Instead, there is only Aren, who is covered in blood and slowly falls forward.
“Areen—!”
Shiana, who immediately caught the figure, flew to Aren.
Siana catches Aren, who falls forward, with her whole body. Aren’s blood stained Cyana’s school uniform. Aren’s blood was also smeared on Cyana’s hands.
“… … ?”
I can’t feel Aren’s breathing. No mana, almost no life signs.
“Oh, Ren?”
just bleeding
… … Siana’s heart freezes.
The whole situation was already in Siana’s head.
A powerful monster appeared, and Aren used a certain power to fight the monster alone.
I managed to defeat the monster, but Aren himself suffered near-death damage.
As a result, Aren was brought to himself in a near-death situation.
Aren’s injured figure, which I didn’t want to see more than anything.
“I can’t forgive you.”
The person you love has become a super corpse. I tried so hard to prevent Aren’s death, and the result was this.
All culprits are demons and monsters.
Sianna’s little knuckles dry up.
Pajik-!
A bloody spark flew around Siana.
Parts!
Dark clouds gather. It was on the verge of an apocalyptic natural disaster. The whole area turned into a bleak landscape in an instant. Vicious life filled the academy campus.
“all… … I will kill them all.”
Tears ran down Sianna’s cheeks. Her red eyes bulge as if she hates everything in the world.
Quaang-!
A lightning strike hit the ground. Pieces of dirt and rock exploded in the air.
Her rage to destroy all the demons and monsters in this world is immediately realized.
Reason has long since flown. There is no way to tell the difference between friend and foe.
The switch to the bad ending that Aren was blocking was turned on.
The world will perish if Siana is left like this.
“Poem, Siana!”
Ackerman shouted urgently to stop her, but to no avail.
The lightning storm that swirls around her is impenetrable. Now, the only person who can stop Cyana is Aren.
Bang bang!
Trees split, rocks scatter.
At this rate, it is only a matter of time before the academy campus is destroyed.
It was not too far in the future that the blackened Shiana would sweep the kingdom.
“Everybody die… … .”
“Siana.”
At that time, a warm hand wrapped around Siana’s back.
The menacing mana that had been spreading like a stem stopped for an instant.
“I’m here. calm down.”
It took an instant for the volcano to stop just before erupting. It was almost like a miracle.
“Aren?”
* * *
“I’m afraid you’ll fall over there.”
“Is it useless to dry it?”
“Yes. I tried to stop him, but he stubbornly refused.”
“This is a big deal… … . It’s good that the saintess candidate is sincere, but you have to take care of your health.”
Archbishop Henry, who was hastily dispatched to the academy, narrowed his eyes as he watched Bell kneel down and pray with Julius.
This is the 5th day already.
Except for sleeping time, the saintess candidate does not go to class, only drinks water and prays.
The only time I sleep is 4 hours at most. No, maybe he is praying even while sleeping.
Bell was looking for God with a resolution he had never seen before.
“I am concerned about the health of the candidate saint.”
Her condition was so serious that even Henry, who was so strict that he hardly gave Belle time to rest, stuck out his tongue.
“Do you know why you are suddenly like that? Professor Julius?”
“no. I don’t know… … . Maybe it’s because the pressure of the great festival has gotten worse.”
It is Bell who suddenly canceled all her schedules from Sunday and knelt in front of the cross and started praying.
The conversation itself was blocked at the source, so I couldn’t even figure out the cause. I didn’t even have close friends around me, so it was impossible to even guess.
If there is one peculiarity, it is that cadet Aren Blackfire has been admitted to the hospital.
However, it was unclear whether that had anything to do with the saintess candidate praying with fervor and sincerity.
Julius’ intuition says it’s related, but there’s no reason to bring it up.
If it is true, it will be a private story. Julius was an adult who could do that level of consideration.
“For now, let’s watch until today. If even after another day, the candidate saint prays without saying anything, force her to eat and rest.”
Henry had no choice but to use extreme measures. I don’t really like it, but the stability of the saintess candidate comes first.
With the great festival just around the corner, it is more important than ever to manage the condition of a saintess candidate.
Praying to God is a natural thing for a saintess candidate, but nothing should be excessive. Moreover, if you suddenly have a change of heart and something like that, someone has to put the brakes on the side.
“… … All right.”
Julius looked at Bell’s back with a worried face.
Even at this moment, the saintess candidate was praying to the unanswered god of light.
‘God. I did the wrong thing, but why did Aren-senpai get hurt?’
Bell blamed himself.
I hated myself for being incompetent and useless.
Even at the moment Aren collapsed, he felt boundless hatred for his own existence, which he couldn’t even heal.
why… … .
did you choose me?
He said he wouldn’t give him any strength, but he didn’t even believe in God in the first place. why?
If she had continued to live as an ordinary nun, it would have been better if she hadn’t had to go through such a terrible thing.
To save himself, an innocent man almost died.
It is a bell with a good heart. The moment she witnessed left a deep trauma. It was as shocking as hearing the news of Sister Olivia’s death.
Still, the image of Aren, who was bleeding profusely and losing consciousness, cannot be erased from my mind.
so that,
‘please. Please save Aren senior. I’d rather take my life. So please.’
Bell Yirushi was desperate.
I didn’t care at all even if my body was broken right away.
He is incompetent and wants to save Aren rather than himself who deceives many believers… … . I prayed day and night like that.
Cramps came out all over my body, and I didn’t stop even though my back felt like it was about to break. My throat was dry, and even though the skin on my stomach stuck to my back, I didn’t feel any pain.
Despite growing resentment and hatred towards God, the only thing he could rely on at this moment was God.
It was irony itself.
‘Sister Olivia… … . What should I do?’
God doesn’t answer.
Even the dead did not speak.
Bell Yirushi was alone today as well. Still, Bell did not stop praying.
The prayer continued until Aren woke up.
And Bell finally found his own answer.
‘At any cost.’
to get a trophy
* * *
A fierce knife wind enveloped my flesh.
The torn hem fluttered as if it would fly away at any moment.
‘Here… … ?’
It was in ruins.
Ashes and remnants of fire were left everywhere. Smoke rises here and there creating a depressing atmosphere.
Turn your head and check your surroundings.
Everything was burnt out and there was nothing left. There were no people, no animals, no common street weeds.
It was literally ruins itself. I thought to myself, if there was a demonic realm, this would be the scene.
“What happened?”
Then something quite familiar caught my eye.
＜Warriors Pitzza＞
It was the sign of a burnt and dented pitzza shop.
One thing is certain about this.
“Academy… … .”
This is Warriors Academy. The entire academy was burned to death. It was a grim sight.
My heart sank. how did all this happen?
The last memory is of fighting Octar and appeasing Cyana. After that, the memory was lost.
then.
“no way.”
Did the bad ending come about because of the outrageous Siana?
His pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
I was injured and Shiana’s limit was lifted, and the world was destroyed because of that?
No, no. It can’t be. I try to deny it and foretell other possibilities.
Have you ever been invaded by monsters since then?
There was no wishful thinking whatsoever.
no.
It can’t end like this.
breathing becomes rough I started running in all directions, looking for signs of people.
whatever was good
Somebody stay alive.
I frantically cleared the rubble of collapsed buildings and dug the ground with my bare hands.
“… … !”
Then, a human hand appeared.
The rest of the body was buried in rubble. There were still residual fires left, but I didn’t care about burns or hurting my hands.
I cleared away the still-burning rubble and pulled out the man buried in the rubble.
“… … bell!?”
It was Bell who was buried. Her light purple hair was stained with soot and lost its beauty.
“bell! Open your eyes! please. please.”
“Um… … .”
thank god. Bell was alive. I let out a sigh of relief and lifted Bell up.
“Senior Aren… … ?”
“okay. It’s me! Are you okay?”
In an instant, Bell’s eyes widened.
Then he opens his eyes wide and spits shocking words.
“You killed them all.”
.
.
.
.
.
… … It is a familiar ceiling.
No, if this is familiar, isn’t there a little problem?
‘This is a hospital.’
I could feel sweat dripping down my entire body. My body was hot.
Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I fell into this world and ended up in a hospital.
No, this is not important right now.
‘It just… … .’
was it a dream
It was so vivid that I still had no idea what it was. Maybe I ran away as a dream again in a reality that was so terrible.
When I came to my senses a little more, I noticed a strange change in my body.
One is that someone is holding my left hand. It feels very soft.
I lowered my eyes slightly.
‘Siana?’
ah… … it’s cyana Sianna was holding my hand and was soundly asleep. Her soft silver hair covered my wrist.
ha. thank you god
If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up.
Seeing Sianna made me feel at ease. Slowly, a sense of reality began to return.
Yes, this is reality and the ruins I just saw were dreams. I took a deep breath in relief.
Next I checked the second change.
He raised his right hand and touched his forehead.
“uh… … ?”
weird. Originally, the horn had to be held in one hand, but that was not the case.
“Why are you so big?”
The horns were so big that they slightly protruded beyond the length of my palm. Both strength and thickness were considerable.
what is this!
I was momentarily startled and tried to stand up, but I felt a cold touch on my neck.
“Don’t move.”
It was a sharp blade, a sword fish.
“Cain… … ?”
Cain is pointing a knife at me.
“Who are you?”
Cain was wearing a hospital gown. However, his expression seemed to be full of fear and wary of me.
“It’s me. Aren.”
“no. Looking at your condition right now, I can’t see you as Aren.”
As I was about to ask what he was talking about, Cain abruptly held out a mirror.
My reflection in the mirror catches my eye. As soon as I looked in the mirror, I gulped.
“Even if you see this?”
“ah.”
long horns. Not the black pupils, but the red dots that formed in the pupils. Sharply grown nails.
what is this.
Anyone can see that it’s a demon?
I was grateful that Cain hadn’t stabbed me right away.
From my point of view, it wasn’t Aren Blackfire, it was more like a demon.
It seemed that no matter how much I made excuses for this, the seeds would not work.
feel a bit embarrassed
Cain, who was still kind, threw me one coin.
“Dae, answer me! If you are still Aren, you will know.”
“… … What?”
“Ooh, where is the place for our first kiss!”
uh, so… … .
“Your garden?”