The Angel Creating a Club (3)

Refri thought to himself as he left the Archery Department.

'Hexi...'

Hexi had many flaws. Not just the mental instability from the side effects of being an artificial hero, but she was also the only professor colluding with outside forces.

And those outside forces were none other than...

'The Seocheon Yu family. They definitely supplied her with addictive drugs in secret and used them to control her. That fact came out later.'

The world's top superhuman clan, the Seocheon Yu family, always kept a wary eye on the Central Academy professors, who were equals in strength.

'So they targeted the most unstable professor, Hexi.'

By now, Hexi was practically a Seocheon Yu family spy.

'...Actually, it's for the best. If she'd agreed to advise the club and then betrayed us on the Seocheon Yu family's orders later, that would've been a real problem.'

Refri swallowed his bitterness and walked further away from the Archery Department's territory.

At that moment, voices called from behind.

"Professor!"

"Professor Hexi...!"

The silent Archery Department suddenly grew frantic.

"What's going on...?"

Refri turned back toward the Archery Department. Even to him, who didn't know much, it was clear something was wrong.

He didn't know the details, but Hexi was collapsed, gasping for breath, while the other students flailed about in confusion.

"I don't know what it is, but it feels like a job for an angel..."

This wasn't the kind of thing Refri could ignore. Saving future heroes gave so much angel power—how much would saving a current hero yield?

Refri shook his head.

"...No, it's not about the angel power."

Countless status windows popped up suddenly. The boy looked back at the Archery Department once more. Hexi clutching her chest on the ground, the students at a loss, and some even fleeing.

"No way... no way...?"

The boy clearly remembered Hexi's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠final moments. The battle where the artificial hero Hexi fully rampaged and took out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings in mutual destruction. The aftermath had obliterated an entire small American city.

'And the Central Academy is about the size of a small city, right?'

Refri had no choice but to run.

"Urk."

Hexi curled up, fighting the sudden surge of pain. With clumsy hands, she swallowed one pill from the bottle.

'Please...'

But a body that had begun to rampage wouldn't calm from something like this.

"Run...!"

Hexi squeezed out the words through ragged breaths, muttering again.

"Professor!"

"Professor..."

But most of the students, eyes glistening with tears, couldn't leave her side.

"Hic, hic."

Some were even crying. This emotion went beyond mere teacher-student bonds—it was deeply affectionate.

As explained earlier, most Archery Department students were nobles from the otherworld empire. And when that empire fell to the Demon King's army, Hexi had rampaged her body to save these children.

Of course, the cost of that rampage was losing all her comrades, family, and friends by her own hand.

Maybe Hexi took the pills not just to suppress the rampage, but to forget that fact.

Hexi wanted to tell the fleeing students it was okay, with an apologetic expression. The aura pouring from a rampaging hero was truly terrifying and fearsome.

Besides, Hexi's rampages were infamous for their cruelty. So fleeing was natural.

But some students stayed. They had already resolved themselves—to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠share Hexi's final moments.

A fake hero made with dirty necromancy. No, to be with their true hero.

"Sorry."

Seeing them, Hexi muttered.

Even if her body had been brainwashed and modified as a child without knowing anything...

She was still a body called a "hero" by someone.

Then she had to fulfill a hero's duty.

"I don't want to lose anyone else..."

Pfuk—

She tried to end it with an arrowhead. But what snapped was the adamantium arrowhead.

...It was already too late.

"Kek."

Hexi laughed maniacally.

"Ah... this world abandoned by heaven... this hellish world without angels..."

Her vision gradually turned red. Along with it...

"Just all go to ruin. Kekekeke."

The hero's aura overflowed across the entire academy. Hexi's hand moved as if out of control, slowly reaching toward the students.

Hexi screamed internally. Please stop me.

With a flick of her hand, abandoned buildings crumbled. Hidden inside were devices to seal the artificial hero's madness.

The moment they collapsed, Hexi was instantly freed.

But ignoring such screams, the rampaging Hexi approached the students with a cruel smile.

"Hexi! What the hell...?!"

Park Jinho and the other professors realized too late.

In that gap of time, Hexi grinned wickedly.

"Kekeke... If I kill you all... will an angel come down to judge me?"

With one gesture, she tried to turn her trusting disciple into mincemeat... but couldn't.

Because a boy blocked her path.

"No."

"...?"

Hexi tilted her head. In front of a monster who could obliterate a small city and mutual-destruct with a Four Heavenly King.

Refri declared boldly.

"I won't judge you."

Why did the artificial hero rampage?

Refri had pondered this long and hard (actually three minutes).

First, what was a rampage? A state where a magical creature loses reason and goes berserk beyond its limits due to a specific trigger...

That's called a rampage.

'That's what I learned in magical biology class. Especially, rampages often occur in intricately designed biological devices when facing danger without essential vital essence.'

In simple terms, vampires rampage to drink blood without their essential blood for survival... and werewolves rampage because they can only reproduce in that state.

Thus, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rampages were sophisticated biological mechanisms.

'So why does the ultimate magical lifeform, the artificial hero, rampage?'

Refri pondered two more minutes. And cautiously concluded.

'Probably, the artificial hero has a similar rampage mechanism to vampires. But while vampires rampage for blood, the artificial hero rampages for angel power.'

Thus, supplying angel power should stop Hexi's rampage.

So Refri ran. Only he could stop Hexi's rampage.

'These rampages calm easily if you supply the needed element... I have to stop it before it gets worse!'

But the Archery Department students, unaware of Refri's thinking, muttered as they saw him charge ahead.

'That freshman... is he insane?'

With Professor Hexi's rampage starting, running forward instead of away looked like a suicidal maniac.

"Hey, freshman! What are you doing?"

One couldn't stand it and grabbed Refri's arm.

"I can stop it."

"What?"

"I can stop this rampage."

His expression overflowed with a sense of mission. The Archery Department senior suddenly felt ashamed of his own fleeing.

Of course, Refri was rushing because he judged it the safest method, but the students didn't know that.

To them, the boy looked ready to sacrifice himself.

"Don't talk nonsense. Only the other professors can stop Professor's rampage!"

"No time."

"You..."

"Someone has to stop it...! I have a way!"

The fleeing Archery students exchanged confused glances.

Finally, the one holding Refri spoke in a trembling voice.

"Please..."

He was crying.

"Please save the professor."

At that moment, most Archery Department students watched the foolish boy charging at the rampaging Hexi.

No, they were cheering him on.

Kekekeke—

The rampaging Hexi's laughter echoed across the entire department grounds.

"Kekeke... If I kill you all... will an angel come to judge me...?"

As she moved to harm the innocent students.

One boy said without fear.

"No."

The boy spread his arms wide as if he were an angel himself...

And hugged Hexi.

"I won't judge you."

Refri hugged her warmly and emitted his own gentle angel power.

The warm angel power from the boy hugging her—Hexi muttered in disbelief.

"Wh-what are you to say that...?"

Refri said in an angelic voice, still holding her.

"I'm late, aren't I?"

"No way...?"

"Hexi, I'm your guardian angel."

Refri stood on tiptoe to barely pat her head.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Angel..."

Sob—

Sob—

"Angel..."

Hexi began to cry.

Her body collapsed like crumbling, pulling Refri tight as she knelt.

"I... waited so long. Really..."

Snore—

Hexi fell asleep with those words.

'Phew... it worked...'

Seeing her peacefully asleep, Refri whispered softly.

"...Good."

With more sincerity than anyone, Refri wished her peaceful sleep.

"Refri!"

A familiar voice rang out. Now so familiar it was annoying—Park Jinho's.

"You stopped Professor Hexi's rampage. I thank you first."

Park Jinho continued quickly.

"But how on earth did you calm her so easily...? Even if all the professors rushed in, it's a struggle."

"Ah, that was..."

Refri kept his angelic smile and boldly lied to Park Jinho.

"Professor Hexi kept mentioning angels... so I lied and said I was actually an angel."

"...Hm, so you acted like an angel to calm Professor Hexi?"

"Yes. Embarrassing to say myself, but... I look like an angel, and I'm confident in my holy power."

Park Jinho asked incredulously.

"Does that even make sense?"

And he stared right at Refri.

Honestly, he looked like an angel—admitted. Holy power was tremendous—admitted.

"No, perhaps..."

There were no angels left in this world to bless heroes.

But if even this crude lie could calm Hexi...

"If we can control Hexi this way... humanity's hand grows much stronger... Hexi's rampage is a card essential to catch the Demon King... If Refri can control it..."

Park Jinho continued.

"No helping it."

And unbefitting his iron-blooded image, with regret on his face, he spoke.

"Refri, I must ask you a sorry favor."