The Demon Beast Descends
Black Shadow — Shuuuuaaaaak…!!!
The moment I spotted the massive black silhouette in the sky, an overwhelming gust of wind slammed into us. It was hurtling straight toward our position.
—Flap! Flap! Flap!
The wind wasn’t coming from nowhere. A pair of enormous black wings filled my vision—long, familiar in shape, yet impossibly vast. Thick, heavy wings without a single feather, eerily reminiscent of a dragon’s.
‘It’s not just the wings. That thing looks exactly like a dragon!’
Short arms and legs, a crescent-shaped horn jutting from its forehead—everything about it screamed dragon. For a split second I thought it was one of them. Sofia, Raylin, or Derke. But as the distance closed, the difference became unmistakable.
The creature was wrapped in a suffocating veil of pure darkness. Even under the bright midday sun, its body remained an inky, oppressive black.
“W-what is that…?”
It wasn’t just a shadow. It looked as though it had been born from the abyss itself.
“Breeder, sir! Get down—!!!”
The moment the black monstrosity charged without hesitation, Sonya lunged forward and threw her arms around me.
—Thud!
She yanked me aside just as the creature crashed into the ground.
—KU-KWA-KWA-KA-BOOM!!!!
A thunderous impact shook the earth, sending tremors through the soil. If Sonya hadn’t moved me, I would have been flattened on the spot.
“Hauuugh…? W-what’s all this racket? Why is it so loud all of a sudden?”
Eros, who had been staring blankly until now, finally snapped out of it and looked around in confusion.
“Eros! Wake up! It’s a demon beast—! Get ready to fight…!”
“S-Sonya? Did you just say demon beast?!”
I couldn’t hide my shock. Demon beasts were supposed to appear only on the Drango Continent. At the very least, the academy grounds were meant to be safe.
「Kyaooooooo────!!!!」
Instead of an answer, the creature’s piercing roar tore through the air. The sound alone made my body tense up—it was like a chorus of screams and despair.
“…This is my first time seeing one in person, but it matches exactly what we learned in class! Look over there!”
—Thud!
Sonya pointed at the ground where the demon beast had landed. A crater-like depression had formed, and from the spot where its feet touched, an inky darkness was slowly spreading across the soil. Just looking at it made my skin crawl.
“Huh? That’s the same thing we saw at the first outpost earlier…”
“Exactly! This creature is definitely responsible for that as well!”
“How is that possible? How did a demon beast get this far?”
“It moves by the impure power of Detronos…! Please stay right behind me!”
Sonya positioned herself in front of me, activating her frigid gauntlets with a sharp click.
“Kyaaah—! It’s huge and vicious…! That really is a demon beast?!”
“Eros? Finally coming to your senses?”
“Yeah! What do you take Lady Eros for? I just had a sudden bout of post-meal drowsiness, that’s all~!”
Eros quickly joined us, gripping her mace of punishment with both hands. Despite her small frame, she stepped forward like a tank, striking a battle-ready pose.
With Sonya and Eros shielding me, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of security. Who would’ve thought the two second-years who always acted so cold would feel this reliable? All that favorability I’d built up while serving them was finally paying off.
「Grrrrrr……!」
The demon beast slowly rose, letting out a low growl. Its crimson eyes glowed beneath the black silhouette, and dark vapor continuously seeped from its body like black flames. The pressure it radiated was suffocating.
The standoff lasted for several tense seconds. Then—
「Kyahaaaaaa…!!!」
The creature fixed its blood-red gaze on me and suddenly opened its massive jaws. A swirling mass of darkness began to gather inside its mouth.
—Vwoooom…!
Black energy coalesced into a growing sphere. It looked exactly like a dragon’s breath attack.
“M-Magic bullet—! Watch out, Eros!”
“I know! Leave it to me!”
Even in this critical moment, Sonya and Eros remained calm. Eros lowered her mace slightly, preparing to intercept.
—Kiiiiiing…!
—BOOM!!!!
The instant they braced themselves, the demon beast fired the black projectile. It hurtled toward us like a cannonball.
“Impure power like this is nothing…!!!”
—Whoosh!
Eros swung her mace upward with tremendous force, meeting the incoming bullet head-on.
—Bwoooong!!
With a clean, powerful strike, she sent the black sphere flying high into the sky like a home-run ball.
“I may not like theory or written exams, but real combat gets my heart racing—in a good way~!”
Eros puffed out her chest proudly, then immediately dropped back into a low stance, preparing to charge.
“Sonya? Same as always…! You know what to do, right?!”
“Of course. Just don’t get hurt!”
“Hehe, you still think I’m a first-year? Just hold it down for me~!”
—Leap!
With a confident shout, Eros launched herself into the air. At the same moment, Sonya released a wave of freezing energy from her palm. The crystal on her gauntlet glowed brightly.
“Freeze beneath the extreme cold—!!!”
—Crackle…!
Countless ice crystals erupted from the ground, instantly encasing the demon beast’s legs in solid ice.
“Perfect! Now it’s my turn~!!!”
While the creature was immobilized, Eros descended like a meteor, her mace aimed straight at its head.
“In the name of love, I deliver punishment…!!!”
「Die─────!!!」
—KUOOOOOONG!!!
The mace slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and grass.
“Cough, cough…!”
When the dust finally began to settle, only Eros remained standing in a heroic pose. The demon beast had vanished without a trace.
“Eros?! Why are you the only one there…?”
Sonya’s confused voice rang out. But from where I stood, I could already see what had happened.
“Ladies?! Look up! Above you…!!!”