Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Hell Gate
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The battlefield racing toward escalation, with the sunset at our backs.
Puffs of white smoke rose here and there, and cascading spells churned up the road, still busily leveling the earth.
The heretical mages, unable to track the exchanges happening at eye-blurring speeds, scattered bullet hell barrages indiscriminately—not to hit directly, but to restrict movement.
Dust kicked up into the sky began to settle.
And beneath it, Bielle's black claws clashed against my rapier, filling the air with an ear-piercing, eerie metallic screech.
Kikikik!
Her claws, slashing in every direction, exuded demonic energy that scattered tiny particles.
They clung to my aura-coated blade, disrupting mana condensation.
Each clash corroded the blade ever so slightly.
At the same time, in the blink of an eye, ten strikes rained down on me in sequence.
Black energy waves split left and right to form an encirclement, while stake-like demonic energy surged straight at the center.
Kagagang!
My rapier swept horizontally, batting away the incoming attacks.
The energy waves crumbled before closing the distance, and the black fragments that had formed the stake shattered like mud baked in fire.
Those pulverized black particles swirled around me, glimmering.
‘…Tch.’
The black demonic energy blatantly scattered in the air interfered with the flow of aura and mana, restricting my movements.
Demonic energy, being the antithesis of mana, could impair mana flow just by sprinkling these tiny specks everywhere.
But such fine control wasn’t something a mindless demon could mimic.
This method of use was practically the demons’ exclusive domain.
‘But she won’t think I’d be affected by this much…’
Aiden was a master.
He wasn’t so frail as to whimper over petty disruptions.
So she must have some other goal.
Most likely…
‘Misleading my spatial perception.’
Humans only had two eyes.
For mages mapping spatial coordinates in their minds, or knights engaging in close-quarters distance games, relying on visual input alone was too slow.
That’s why they scattered mana in all directions first to sense it.
Instinctively gauging the opponent’s speed, inherent power, and other estimates, then internalizing them for response.
Moreover, a demon’s magic prowess was unmatched.
‘Acceleration, transfer, coordinate jumps.’
She’d laid down pathways through the scattered demonic energy for instant relocation if needed.
For unavoidable strikes or ambushes.
Transfer was top-tier magic, like a beast tamer warping hordes of beasts via spatial coordinates—a supreme escape tool…
Yet she was chaining them in seconds, popping up behind, then above, and so on.
‘How the hell is she spamming top-tier magic like that?’
Even chaining one would overload most minds, but she was splitting transfers into five per second.
In trade-off, perhaps, her other top-tier spells were limited; her attacks weren’t that potent.
Bielle whistled in astonishment.
“How are you keeping up with all that? Got eyes on your back and head or what?”
“Your senses are just slow.”
She gathered the airborne particles, forming a massive spear out of thin air.
Unlike the sloppy probing shots she’d tossed earlier, this one was densely compressed, nearly impervious to damage.
Typically, demonic energy was recovered as particles after launch.
But fixing it into form made it persist far longer.
At the cost of terrifying power.
The immense energy pouring from the black spear spread thin, slashing horizontally.
The ground erupted like an explosion, dust surging upward to convey its might.
“Getting annoying.”
I shook off the heavy feedback in my hand and sank into thought.
While most chose either magic or swordsmanship, demons had no lifespan limit.
Having honed their skills over eons, they were all expert mages and swordsmen.
In adaptability alone, they ranked in the top ten.
“Such a hassle.”
I clicked my tongue and glared at the ground.
Even if Bielle was a top-class demon, she shouldn’t drag this out this long.
Naturally, my gaze drifted downward.
As if to rob me of footing, an earth dragon burst from underground, lunging to devour me.
No choice but to leap and kick it away like before.
But Bielle had transferred there first, waiting where I’d land.
In my collapsing stance, I swung the rapier.
Black lines clashed with white feathers.
A sharp clang rang out as I severed Bielle’s black spear.
Surprised her prized weapon was cut, she recoiled.
Seizing the gap, the earth dragon spat molten rock.
Chiiik.
The once-solidified lava melted again, spewing a foul stench.
I swept the rapier to dismantle the molten rock piece by piece, only for another combo to follow.
‘Beast tamer!’
If my eyes flicked that way, shards from the shattered black spear stabbed from behind.
“Wow, gotta be eyes on your back, right?”
Ignoring Bielle’s cheeky tone, I pursued her shadow.
Bielle wasn’t supposed to appear here yet, so no reason for her to go this far.
‘Why is Bielle moving?’
Or rather, why she had no choice but to.
Nothing in the academy could pressure a demon like her into revealing herself.
Her existence was on another level from the other professors.
Even the Holy See, hypersensitive to demons, hadn’t detected her.
Meaning her power was immeasurable anywhere in human society.
If she wanted, she could infiltrate and blend into any corner of it.
‘Yet she revealed herself in a hurry.’
Nothing explained it but some kind of pressure.
The frustrating part: I didn’t know what.
Even as director, Bielle’s background was shrouded in mystery to me.
‘More like a setting gap than a veil, really.’
I’d slotted her in, but hadn’t fleshed out her backstory.
She was just there, so she is.
How the world filled that gap…
‘But…’
I could infer why she felt pressured.
“You thought I’d uncovered your identity.”
Nothing else would make Bielle feel threatened.
I hadn’t expected her to be wary of me over Professor Prezel.
Bielle was a sheep beastkin, the reason the Crusaders once marched—and their victim…
But knowing the truth, some were innocent, yet demons had disguised themselves that way too.
Sheep and goats were sacred to demons.
Reasons to impersonate them abounded.
When the Holy See drew the sword of the Crusaders, demons cleverly played the weak, appealing to beastkin with tears instead of hostility.
That sparked the Beastkin War.
Right after, sheep and goat beastkin claimed victimhood, begging sympathy.
Plenty fell for the demons’ lures.
‘Part of the main scenario, after all.’
Resolving Holy See-beastkin tensions—a prerequisite before the great war.
My brow furrowed, and sparks flew with a kakak.
Bielle’s claws met my rapier.
The eerie screech pushed her back, overpowered.
Bielle cackled.
“Identity uncovered, huh… haha, yep! Every time you visited Professor Prezel’s lab, hiding some scheme, I thought, ‘Ah, this dumb bitch slipped a clue somewhere?’”
“Turning Professor Prezel into a demon to silence her?”
“Wow, figuring that out from so far? Aiden was nosing around, so yeah. How’s that? Feel some guilt?”
Guilt?
I racked my brain.
‘Toward the one who botched the practical?’
Just hoping she gave the protagonists decent XP.
Seeing my sour face, Bielle smirked like she knew.
“You’re looking more appealing by the minute, Professor. No need to pity enemies, especially not with their sob stories.”
“I’d rather not receive affection from a demon, so politely decline.”
“Wow, shot down?”
A black stake whistled past my head.
Even without Bielle’s fondness, I had overflowing love from the Demon Lord.
Demon attention? Overkill.
The sky darkened amid battle.
No way to clock out at 6 PM sharp; overtime was locked in.
I’d played plenty already.
Spawned beasts had dwindled sharply.
Now I could focus solely on the beast tamer, earth dragon, and Bielle; the stage was set.
“Wish I could just kill the hassle and clean up the rest.”
I advanced on Bielle, step by step.
The tamer’s beasts had hit their limit ages ago.
Easier without them, even with her joining.
I trod over cooled, hardened black lava.
Unsolidified pools glowed in place of a streetlamp felled in the fray.
Darkness fallen, the lava’s glow stood out starkly.
Against the night sky, the yellowish ground seemed ironically apt, but I lost interest.
As my feathers flared, the sunset died completely.
Murky night.
Encroaching darkness.
White feathers spread around me.
Their pure radiant glow lit the night.
Slowly, quietly, an illusion blanketed the area.
Yet seductive darkness coiled above, suppressing the illusion.
Bielle spread her arms wide in midair, eyes contracting like she’d waited for this.
Countless stars glittered across the night sky.
Freed from the grating sunlight squeezing her, she exaggerated her gestures excitedly.
“Hahaha! Yeah?! Ready to end it? Tired of dancing tango with me?”
Bielle grinned and wagged her head.
“Nope. First fun in ages; too soon to wrap up. Ah, too easy for you, Professor? Oops… should’ve kept the dress code fresh for me.”
She drooped her eyelids apologetically, as if truly sorry.
Impossible to match her pace.
“But I gotta find Elise like the old man, and now exposed, we’re fully pulling out.”
Rambling, then she gestured grabbing at empty air.
“So…”
A long arc curved her lips.
A clownishly beaming smile plastered her face.
I stiffened, face hardening.
‘No way?’
“For you, Professor—who found it too easy till now—I’ll stir up a storm before I go.”
The night sky warped slowly, splitting into a crimson maw.
“Hell Gate?”
Seeing my grimace, Bielle beamed delightedly.
“Phase 2, Professor Aiden. In place of the tamer’s beasts… my guests…”
Countless demonic spawn rained from the Hell Gate.
“I’ll invite them to you.”
Hoping my hospitality keeps you entertained.
The demon realm temporarily descended on the academy.
A lurid red moon rose in the night sky.