Turnabout (8)
From outside, the order rang out once more to hold the collapsing building fast. That meant they had properly spotted our signal.
Though sending that signal in the first place was only possible because these kids fought like hell.
Once they steeled their resolve and banded together, the time it took to breach the second floor dropped noticeably. Thanks to that, we were able to buy a little more time by signaling outside. Now, clearing the magical beasts on the second floor was finally nearing its end.
"We're almost done...!"
"That's the last one! Just take him down!"
"Keep your breathing steady! Don't assume anything—more could pop up!"
"Right, sorry. Focusing now."
It wasn't as if there were no slip-ups. Some struggled to keep a poker face, wavering under pressure, and in the beginning, a few had frozen in sheer terror. Yet despite all that, none of them cowered; they picked themselves back up. Covering for each other's weaknesses, they kept the formation rock-solid and successfully eradicated the magical beasts on the second floor.
It looked like smooth sailing, but another problem reared its head immediately.
"Hold here. We take a breather."
"A... breather? Here?"
"Yeah. From the next floor up, things get out of hand. We need to be fully prepared."
With the building burning and collapsing around us—and with the risk of the splash-out spreading even further—taking a break sounded utterly insane. It might have seemed incomprehensible to them, but starting from the third floor, the rules changed completely.
No matter how berserk these beasts were, they were still strictly Normal-rank. Even if Normal-rank monsters possessed special traits, none were terribly threatening. Any shortcomings could easily be overcome with sheer numbers. However, what would pour out from the third floor couldn't be dealt with by just blindly rushing in.
"What's this?"
"Something you have to wear if you want to survive up there."
"...A rag like this is supposed to keep us alive?"
It wasn't that they distrusted Junon, but their reactions were largely the same. They couldn't fathom how a measly scrap of cloth could be of any use on the third floor. Yet why it was useful was something the people fighting outside Dubhe Hall were learning to their bitter regret.
"Urgh...?! Wh-What is this?! My attacks...!"
The man's blade strikes barely registered. An amorphous entity resembling a muddy, murky flame surged forward, threatening to swallow him whole. At that critical moment, Goden stepped in, plunging his sword into the creature and injecting mana to detonate it from within. Only then did it disperse into nothingness.
"Fall back," Goden barked. "Doesn't look like you've ever dealt with spirits before."
"I can still fight! You said they're spirits, right? Just tell me how to kill them—"
"Look here. The skin on your neck is already showing signs of demonic energy poisoning. Go neutralize it right now."
"Huh...?"
"To take down a tainted spirit, you have to destroy its core—the source of its demonic energy, not mana. Doing so unleashes an immediate tempest of demonic energy. Since you've already inhaled some, you need to purify it at once."
"...Damn. So that's how it is."
Entities that had climbed not just to the third floor but all the way to the rooftop began plummeting down the exterior of the building one by one.
"Spirits... and contaminated ones at that," Goden muttered.
These beings were spirits, commanded by spirit summoners—a discipline nearly as rare as healers. Living creatures that attacked humans were called magical beasts. Conversely, there were entities that cooperated with humans to eliminate those beasts—beings that, while not strictly alive, were very close to it. The prime example of such beings were spirits.
Yet the only real difference lay in whether they possessed intellect; in origin, they differed little from magical beasts. The margin between them was paper-thin. In other words, spirits overrun by demonic energy were practically indistinguishable from magical beasts.
Spirits keep emerging until the host's demonic energy is utterly exhausted or complete beastification occurs. They must be dealing with them inside as well...
Yet, as if someone in there knew exactly how to target the core, black smoke generated by crumbling spirits billowed steadily from the third-floor windows. It meant someone in that group possessed detailed knowledge about contaminated spirits—something even trained knights often lacked.
What was more, whoever was leading them clearly understood the hazards of dealing with spirits, as their subjugation speed never faltered. They knew the black smoke produced upon a spirit's death was pure demonic energy, and had taken steps to minimize its impact on their respiratory systems.
I don't need to worry about Senia.
With his comrade's safety assured, Goden grew curious about who inside possessed such profound expertise. Whoever it was, recruiting them into the team would make an incredible asset.
Back inside the building.
Their Magic Armaments flickering out one after another, the students scraped together whatever they had left to fight, ultimately succeeding in rescuing the spirit summoners on the third floor. All that remained was to head to the designated escape point and slip out one by one at the signal. Outside, the rescue team had already set up sturdy preparations to ensure students could leap from the building safely.
However, Junon still had unfinished business here.
"Junon? Where are you going?"
"Downstairs. Come to think of it, you guys used beast blood to craft artificial magic stones, but you never disposed of the residue properly."
"Uh... did we?"
"My memory's a blur... I was so out of it from all the fighting."
"Ugh, if we leave it alone, a chain explosion could cause serious trouble..."
The rescue team below had reported that the building could hold out for plenty of time, and since no more spirits were spawning, all efforts outside were focused purely on structural reinforcement. Heading down briefly to neutralize the hazard wasn't impossible.
Still, with escape from this dreadful building right in front of their eyes, nobody in their right mind wanted to hike all the way back down to the first floor. Their faces were practically pale with reluctance. Yet Junon effortlessly lifted that weight right off their shoulders.
"I was planning to double-check it anyway," Junon said. "I'll go dispose of it. You guys get down first."
"...Are you sure? I know we shouldn't let you..."
"It feels like we're dumping everything on you..."
"The spirit summoners are already down, and the girls are heading out next, so what's the problem? By the time everyone's evacuated, I'll be back up."
Naturally, he was only human. He had not the slightest desire to linger in this place any longer than necessary. Having witnessed the collapse of Dubhe Hall firsthand in his past life, he wanted nothing more than to leave immediately.
However, Junon had noticed something.
Back on the first floor, when they crafted the artificial magic stones and manifested their Magic Armament to exit the laboratory, the placement of the rubble had been subtly off. It was indisputable proof that someone had intentionally blocked the exits from the outside to trap them within. And the place where whoever pulled that stunt would be hiding was all too obvious.
In truth, he had disposed of the beast blood long ago. With every step he took descending the stairs, the sound of his footsteps seemed to ring out louder and heavier.
"*Yaaawn*... Why is it taking so long to collapse?"
"I'm bored to tears. Wish it would just crumble already."
For a building known to be hazardous, it was only natural to have at least one emergency refuge. This was the only place that could truly be called a safe haven in Dubhe Hall—the underground Shelter. Of course, after sealing every entrance and exit, it had become a sanctuary accessible to no one but themselves.
Being cooped up here for hours, however, was boring beyond measure for the young nobles.
"Wonder what happened to those bastards by now?"
"Who knows? If you're that curious, why don't you step outside the Shelter and check?"
"Get lost, asshole! There are things you say and things you don't. You're basically telling me to go out and die!"
"Heh-heh. Just kidding, just kidding. Did you really think I was serious? The only ones dying out there are those commoner scumbags."
As one could see, they were utterly relaxed. Safely ensconced within the Shelter, they neither knew nor cared what was happening upstairs. Their sole interest lay in gloating over the desperate struggles and despair of those insolent lowborns who dared step out of line. Bragging about it as if it were some heroic conquest, they merely chatted idly, waiting for the building to collapse.
Yes. This is it. Exactly this.
Having successfully concocted a narrative, Kayden's cheekbones twitched with smug satisfaction. Beneath a collapsed building, the noble students had merely sought refuge in the Shelter, while the blame for the disaster would fall entirely on those who had manufactured the magic stones. At last, he could properly answer the demands of high-ranking nobles who had long complained about the commoners getting too big for their britches.
Imagining what lavish rewards awaited him once he returned to his family's estate, his smile widened uncontrollably.
That was, until a shadow fell across the room.
CRASH!
WHEEEEEE—!
The fortified door of the Shelter splintered open, and alarms wailed. The nobles turned their heads in confusion, the smiles vanishing from their faces in an instant.
"Looks like you bastards were having a grand old time lounging around in here."
"Junon...!"
The mere sight of the man stepping through the ruined doorway struck fear into their hearts. Naturally, the one who reacted most violently was Kayden.
Why was that bastard here in Dubhe Hall? No, had he been in Dubhe Hall this entire time? And if so, how on earth did he reach the Shelter, a place frontliners and support roles alone should never have been able to breach?
Still, it didn't matter. What difference did it make if he knew the Shelter existed? Even if an unforeseen variable had appeared, there was no way the guy had any idea what was really going on down here.
Junon shattered that delusion without mercy.
"You pulled quite a stunt, didn't you? So I figure I'll pull one of my own."
Something crumbled from Junon's mana-infused hand, scattering across the floor with a dry rustle. It sounded like something had shattered, but the nobles hadn't pieced it together yet.
"Pfft, and what is that supposed to be?"
"There are dozens of rooms running on mana in Dubhe Hall. If you think you can intimidate us with some parlor trick, you've got another thing coming."
"Mana circulates through half the labs here. We've spent far more time in Dubhe Hall than you ever have—did you think we wouldn't know that?"
"You think we're actually scared of that crap?"
They assumed that, at most, he had smashed some fixture with his mana just to frighten them. Besides, if he dared lay a hand on them, they could simply use it as leverage to destroy him after being rescued from the Shelter. They held all the cards.
And yet, a cold unease began to creep in.
"It's about to start," Junon said. "Maybe that'll jog your memory."
"...What?"
He had always been an unhinged, reckless bastard, but his composure right now was unnervingly absolute. Despite their dismissive jeers, his promise that something was coming drew their eyes downward in spite of themselves. It wasn't because they couldn't tell what had broken; it was the gnawing anxiety that he had truly pulled off something catastrophic.
And that anxiety became reality.
Rumble, crash—!
"Uh, wh-what...?"
"Is that... collapsing? It can't be... right?"
"It's caving in! Move, you idiot!"
Quite literally, a section of the wall and ceiling caved inward. Yet this was the Shelter—an emergency bunker designed to guarantee human survival, a sanctuary where such structural failures were supposed to be impossible. And yet, the moment Junon arrived, a corner of the Shelter collapsed as if on cue. Their eyes darted toward the floor in horror.
"Holy shit...!"
"The mana circulation device...! That's what he smashed?!"
"What?! Then this place isn't a Shelter anymore—"
The mana circulation device.
Installed in every critical facility, it only activated upon sensing danger, serving to maintain a minimal safety perimeter for humans. The Shelter could only function as a Shelter so long as that device was operational. And now that it had been destroyed right before their eyes, sheer panic set in as the realization dawned that the entire ceiling could come crashing down on them at any second.
"W-We can't stay here... Run—urk!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
I delivered a brutal front kick to the noble attempting to flee, sending him skidding back into the room. At that very instant, flames caught on the collapsed corner, and fire began to sweep across the Shelter.
"You bastard...!"
Puffing in fury, the kicked noble unleashed a spell. Naturally, my Magic Armament was still active, so parrying his magic was child's play. Only, this time, I didn't deflect the spell with my armament.
Whoosh!
The cloth bundle I tossed caught the magical flames and ignited fiercely. Yes. That was all I needed. Having only just realized what the shattered circulation device meant, the nobles now stared bug-eyed at the burning bundle I had thrown into their midst.
Their confusion didn't last long.
Hiss—
"Aaaagh!"
"Inside... were those magic stones?!"
"P-Poison... we'll get poisoned! Close the door...! Wait..."
"There's no door left on the Shelter, you fool!"
As thick black smoke began billowing from the burning bundle, utter mayhem broke out.
That was right. Inside that bundle, I had packed artificial magic stones alongside reagent vials of magical beast blood. By destroying the Shelter's mana circulation device, I had recreated the exact same conditions as the laboratory upstairs: a splash-out, and raging fire.
Thanks to that, a storm of demonic energy—infinitely more concentrated than the one in the lab—erupted within the cramped confines of the Shelter. In such a tight space, beneath demonic energy of this density, if anyone so much as channeled a trace of mana to cast a spell, they would all suffer collective, catastrophic destruction.
To make matters worse, the black smoke had nowhere to vent through the ceiling, relentlessly pouring straight into their lungs. Everyone's, that was, except mine—safely shielded beneath my hood and cloth mask.
"Y-You insane bastard...! Do you have any idea what you've done?!!"
"If you stay exposed to the splash-out, you'll die too! Are you trying to drag all of us down into mutual destruction?!"
"Mutual destruction? Me? Hardly," I replied evenly. "What kind of person aims to die?"
"Then get out of the way, you lunatic!! Everyone in here is going to die at this rate!!"
Even while screaming those words, they desperately pleaded for their own lives. They truly were revolting to the bone.
"Did you stop when the people in the lab begged you to?"
"...!"
The debris hadn't caved in naturally; there were clear signs someone had deliberately barricaded the exits from the outside to ensure no one could escape. Blocking both entrances of that laboratory was, without a shadow of a doubt, the work of these bottom-feeders.
"Besides," I continued, "if you didn't give a damn whether we died up there, you should've been prepared to face the exact same thing."
"What... what are you doing—"
The final condition: isolation. I would forge it with my own hands.
CRASH!!
I demolished the structural wall framing the doorway. Rubble rained down in a violent cascade as the compromised overhead foundation gave way, completely burying what used to be the exit.
Trapped in what used to be a Shelter, suffocating in demonic splash-out and scorching flames, they would suffer the exact same fate they had planned for the lab. Let them taste their own medicine.
Heh... Heheheh, ahaha...!
Just as I turned to make my own exit from the building, a chilling laugh echoed from the ruins of the Shelter. While everyone else shrieked in mindless terror, one person alone was laughing. Kayden.
"Once I get out of here... Junon, I swear on everything I possess that I'll pay you back a hundredfold! Even if I have to mobilize every last resource!!!!"
If there was one defining trait of a Shelter, it was that as the sturdiest refuge in the building, they wouldn't actually lose their lives. That was why he believed he could always stage a comeback. Too bad for him, I wouldn't ever have to cross paths with him again.
"Looks like you think a little demonic poisoning in your limbs can just be cleansed away," I said through the barricade. "And since only one corner caved in, you figure you'll easily survive if they dig you out quickly. But it seems you don't actually understand why a splash-out is so terrifying."
"Ha! A mere demonic tempest like this? Even if I breathe it for a few dozen minutes, as long as it doesn't exceed an hour, it means nothing! As long as I pay the price, I can hire as many high-ranking healers as I want to—"
"It won't do you any good. Not even with a healer."
"Wh... what?"
"It takes about an hour for a splash-out to become lethal, just as you said. But after a mere fifteen minutes of exposure, the acute poisoning completely burns out your mana circuits beyond repair. And at this density? Ten minutes will be more than enough."
"D-Don't talk nonsense! I've never heard of such a—!"
"Think carefully about why I covered my face in the first place. Actually, never mind that—shouldn't you be worrying about what kind of career you're going to pursue now that you'll never cast magic again?"
I could state with absolute certainty that excavating the collapsed Shelter would take far longer than fifteen minutes.
Sure, they would keep their lives. But they were about to lose something far more precious to them than mere breath, courtesy of the splash-out. That tiny room filled to the brim with demonic fallout would permanently strip away their pride and identity—their mana circuits.
Consumed by sheer terror, Kayden finally began frantically clawing at the blocked doorway with his bare hands.
"I-I'll give you whatever you want! Money? As much as you need!! Anything, just... h-help me! Open this up and get me out of here!!!!"
Dumb bastard.
Would you?