The Power of the Absolute
Professor Ellie had six minutes left. She had to take down both the unidentified assailant who attacked her and Kerine within that time. Since Kerine had referred to "us," there were definitely two enemies. If there had been three, another attack would have come by now.
"You're the one who should surrender, Professor."
To survive, Professor Ellie kicked her brain into high gear. Something had assaulted her without a sound or sensation of pain. She needed to find it. But no matter how she scanned her surroundings, the only presence she felt was Kerine's.
That led to one conclusion. Her attacker was an assassin with invisibility. The focus on her vital points like the throat was proof. It must have struck while she was fully focused on battling Kerine, using its cloaking ability.
"So the tank Kerine holds the line while a single assassin strikes at me. A common tactic against monsters. And this assassin... uses poison, doesn't it?"
Judgment's buffs weren't just simple power-ups. They included healing, speed boosts, defense enhancements, magic resistance, and more. But the wounds on her neck and arm weren't healing quickly, which pointed to one thing.
The assassin had invisibility and poisoned weapons. The counter was clear. With five minutes left on the buff timer!
"Judgment! Hurry—render judgment!"
"Nemeia, you want to kill my master quickly and head to Room 304 in Building 102, don't you?"
"Room 304 in Building 102... Lur's room?"
Judgment might have phrased it as a negative assumption. But if the answer was "yes," then their target was Lur! Judgment randomly questions someone within a certain range, excluding the unconscious or dead. If they were asleep, the question would have cut off midway.
The fact that Judgment posed the question meant someone was nearby. That someone was surely the assassin. And the assassin's name was Nemeia!
"Nemeia, don't answer no matter what!"
Of course. Answering would reveal their position through sound. Judgment's flaw was applying buffs or debuffs equally to everyone who heard the question. It took time for the effects to kick in—only after Judgment verified truth or lie.
If they answered, she could rush toward the sound and strike. That's why Kerine was intervening. Smart for a tank. But they didn't know Judgment's hidden trick.
Ignoring the question triggered an automatic debuff. And that decided the battle.
"Nemeia ignored the question! Death sentence! Death sentence! Criminals have no right to silence!"
"Wha—...?"
Ignoring it meant an unconditional debuff. The masked figure, poised with a poison-laced spear to strike Professor Ellie, was hit. Its assassin abilities were massively nerfed, weakening its sound-muffling to the point where Ellie pinpointed Nemeia's location by presence alone.
"So that's where you were."
Three minutes left. No amount of pleading stopped the second hand. Reading the presence, Professor Ellie closed in on Nemeia at high speed.
"Damn it! Take this!"
Nemeia wildly swung the spear. But it felt like hoisting a massive boulder.
"Too slow."
Professor Ellie slapped Nemeia's face with her palm. The mask shattered, stripping away its invisibility buff. Nemeia's true form was revealed.
"Gahk..."
Nemeia crumpled to the ground from the blow. Like a cockroach, it stubbornly reached for the fallen spear. But Ellie got there first, stomped it, and unleashed a barrage.
-Thud thud thud thud thud!
Nemeia passed out without landing a single counter.
"One down."
While Professor Ellie dealt with the assassin, Kerine had abandoned her and fled toward the Academy exit. But debuffed foes couldn't escape far. No matter how fast a turtle ran, it couldn't outpace a trained sprinter.
"Here you are."
"Kyaaah! P-please... I was wrong! I won't come back to the Academy, I swear...!"
"We'll talk later."
Ellie knocked her out with a backhand to the throat.
"Haa... My summon really struggles against humans."
As the buff expired, the battle's backlash hit, and Professor Ellie collapsed on the spot. Monsters couldn't speak human words, so unconditional debuffs worked fine. But against humans, a correct answer could buff the enemy instead, strengthening them by accident.
This time, luck was on her side—the foes didn't know the ability, and their cautious style let her win. If they'd rushed before the buff, she'd be the one down.
"Room 304 in Building 102, Lur's room..."
The question aimed at Nemeia lingered. Buffs took five minutes, but student safety came first. Professor Ellie raced to Lur's room.
"Lur, are you oka—"
Lur was sleeping soundly, stroking her blanket like a pet dog.
"Haa... So the answer was 'no,' huh."
Worried about more intruders, Professor Ellie joined the search, combing the Academy thoroughly.
Now, let's see how much our friend here knows about the demon realm, shall we? It might sting a bit, so brace yourself~!
Do you know the location of the demon realm?
"I-I don't know the location. Th-that's why I wanted to find it, yes."
Why did you mistake those stray dogs for gods?
"I-I must have misunderstood. Haha..."
I'm the king there, got it?
"Yes! Of course I know! I-I was wrong, haha..."
What is this guy? I thought he was a lunatic, but he's surprisingly sensible?
Now repeat after me: Cerberus is the trash disposal unit that eats my leftovers.
"Ce-Cerberus is..."
Good—
"Cerberus is my god. How dare a lowly demon realm insect like you defile my master's name!!!"
Hahat! Looks like our friend hasn't been beaten enough yet. Can't he feel the aura radiating from me? No worries. An ant crawling on the floor has no idea how strong a dragon is. I'll teach him slowly.
For starters, shall I inject a bit of demon realm energy into his body? I've always wondered how long a human can last.
"Grrrrraaaargh!!!"
No, I haven't even started. If he's screaming from just a little, what then?
"Please spare me... G-g-gurk! Ugggh...! I was wrong! You're the king of the demon realm!"
Speaks quickly, doesn't he? Too late, punk. The moment you tried to kill my kind, lovable, cute, innocent, goddess-like master, your death was sealed.
You said Abyss Church. How many factions are there?
"I-I'm from the Cerberus faction. Th-there are others, m-many factions."
Tell me exactly how many.
"Kihiiiiiaaaah!!!"
How many?
"Fifty! About fifty!"
That's more like it. Let's see... Who in the demon realm is worthy of worship as a god? Hell, if they're worshipping street mutts, there's no limit.
Of course there's a place that worships me as a god, right? I'm the king of the demon realm.
"Probably not..."
Why the fuck not?
"Aaaaaah!!! Sorry! Sorry there's none! Please spare me!"
Instead of worshipping those mutts, you should've worshipped me. Haa... I'm really pissed now. Even guys with some fame in the demon realm sweat like they'd sat in a sauna for five hours and kneel before me. Why is there no one serving me?
"Agagagakakak!!!"
Even a little demon energy overwhelms a human body. So painful his hair fell out. Bald suits him, though. Looks way better, dude.
"Euuuh... Kkeheueung..."
Anyway, got all the info. Time to finish clean.
My power embodies the body and final moments of an absolute being from ancient demon realm history. The Black Eye is its eye. What binds Mantus is its hand and arm. The black healing flames are the fuel used to kill it, and the mist and smoke I emit come from those flames.
That absolute one? I could beat it easily now. Can't fight the extinct, though.
And this is...
Now, off you go.
"Th-thank you! Ugggh...! Truly thank you..."
The absolute one's mouth. An impossibly massive maw descended like a guillotine.
-Splurt! Mantus was instantly minced, splattering across the ground before slowly seeping into the shadows.
"There, sent you off."