The Worst Evil on the Continent
Shylaz Bisavar.
The Professor of Hemomancy for the first-year spring semester.
From Simon's perspective, he was the first Kizen professor he had ever met — the man who had carried him to Roc Island aboard the Underworld Whale on the day of the entrance ceremony — and so his memory of him was all the more vivid.
And now, that man's name.
Why would Professor Walter...?
A sense of dread crept slowly up on him.
"What did you do to Professor Shylaz?"
"What did I do, you ask?"
The corner of Walter's mouth lifted.
"I am Shylaz."
At the voice of a third man echoing out of Walter's throat, Simon's face went slack with disbelief.
"Professor Shylaz left on a mission, I know that much—"
"Yes, the mission forced him to leave Kizen."
The man, smiling faintly, looked to be enjoying this situation immensely.
"But for the sake of this 'Apostle's Birth' plan, I had to remain at Kizen by any means necessary. So I decided to send my disciple Walter to Kizen as my replacement, and then—"
Walter placed a hand on his chest and smiled.
"I ate him."
"......!!"
"And then I returned to Kizen in his body. How many times would I have to thank my dear disciple Walter before it ever be enough?"
Hit all at once by the explosive revelation of an enormous truth, Simon could barely keep his wits about him.
...I'm not sure exactly what 'eating' entails, but there's no doubt Shylaz has taken over Walter's body.
That explained why the handwriting analysis had confirmed a different person back then. Walter's signature, and the signature of Shylaz-turned-Walter, could never match.
The puzzle pieces that had lingered in his mind as questions began clicking into place.
From the Blood Sky Cult to the current advancement exam crisis. The mastermind behind it all had never been Walter.
It had been Shylaz — the very first professor Simon had ever met.
Simon's fist clenched tight.
"Why would you do something like this? Those are your students. Camibarez is one of them — a student you cherished!"
"I did cherish her. Camibarez, with her rare Ursula blood. You, too, with your SM-1 blood. But."
He smiled.
"For the purpose of the Apostle's descent, none of it means a thing. Every first-year, yourself included, will become sacrifices for a great achievement. We needed a large number of young, vibrant cores and hearts."
A chill ran up Simon's spine, and his face hardened like stone.
"Sacrifices?"
"The statues you saw outside are what a sacrifice looks like once prepared. They have completed their readiness to offer up their hearts."
The images of Meilin, frozen rigid — and of Toto and Hector — flashed through his mind.
The shock spreading through his skull froze both body and thought solid.
"Then you—!"
"You're a very astute student."
Walter — no. Shylaz, wearing Walter's face through some horrific dark magic — cut Simon off.
"Even bottling up that boiling rage of yours, just to buy time until the professors outside can get in?"
"......"
"It won't work."
His finger pointed to the Blood Ring unfurled across the sky.
"That Blood Ring is a masterpiece I spent centuries of research creating. As long as a being is alive, nothing can break through it. Not Bahil, not Jane — not even Nephthys herself."
Simon could tell his words were true.
The reason Nephthys had dispatched Shylaz, the foremost authority on hemomancy, was precisely to destroy that Blood Ring blocking the dungeon's entrance.
But as it happened, that Blood Ring had been created by Shylaz himself.
...More than that — he just said 'centuries of research.'
Simon continued, his eyes sweeping over Walter's body that Shylaz had claimed.
"How long have you been committing these horrifying acts?"
"A foolish question. Have you been counting how many meals you've eaten so far? I have existed for a very, very long time. A monster of the same caliber as Nephthys — the very idol you students worship."
He spread his palm open.
"My name is Shylaz Bisavar. An immortal necromancer in pursuit of truth, and—"
His eyes gleamed.
"The 'Archbishop' of the Blood Sky Cult."
Fwaaash!
Light rippled across the Blood Ring, and the red glow around them grew all the more intense. Simon desperately suppressed his boiling blood and gripped the greatsword tighter.
"This place is a separate space. Infiltration from outside is impossible. Every first-year student has become a 'sacrifice.' You are now the only hope there is."
Clang!
Simon raised the Doom Greatsword.
My opponent is a Kizen professor.
Faced with Shylaz, standing unmoved as he poured out his jet-black power, sweat trickled down the hand gripping the hilt.
He's the Archbishop of the Blood Sky Cult at the same time. Even wearing Pier, could I actually win?
A head-on fight was too dangerous.
There was only one way.
Simon's eyes shifted slightly to the side. There, the 'Dungeon Lord' hung limp, skewered by Shylaz's red spear.
So he hadn't killed it — he'd sealed it.
If I kill the Dungeon Lord, this dungeon is destroyed too. I can call the professors outside!
If he could summon either Jane or Bahil — even one of them — that would be ideal. Having settled on a plan, Simon put his strength into his right leg.
CRACK!
The floor beneath his foot split apart. He kicked off the ground with everything he had and charged.
Draw Shylaz's full attention with everything I've got!
But Shylaz simply stared back with an expressionless face. He didn't so much as move a hand, nor unfold a single magic circle.
What's he playing at?
Just as the question formed in Simon's mind —
He saw it. Tiny droplets of blood suspended in the air.
Without a moment's hesitation, Simon slammed on the brakes and hurled himself out of the spot.
BOOOOM!
The tiny blood droplet had swelled into a blood explosion large enough to swallow one or two people whole.
"Oh ho."
A flicker of interest crossed Shylaz's eyes.
"...You've countered this. So you've experienced this technique before."
There was no need to hide it.
Simon shouted as he swiftly circled around to a side clear of droplets.
"The Blood Sky Cult's attack on the Holy Express, in the Holy Federation!!"
The white greatsword came down toward Shylaz's back.
"I'm the one who took down a Blood Cult bishop there! Archbishop!"
Just then, the droplets floating in front of Shylaz whipped rapidly around behind him. The blood released from the first explosion drove Simon's greatsword aside.
"Clever. Holding my attention with strength and words while you—"
Shylaz's head turned.
"—had something like that waiting for me at my back."
[Ack!]
Herseba, who had been sneaking toward the sealed Dungeon Lord, made a face of pure alarm.
"Run, Herseba!"
Blood chains came surging in from every direction, reaching out to seize her. She shrieked and soared into the air.
KWA-AANG!
In the meantime, Simon's greatsword and Shylaz's blood droplets clashed once more. That hemomancy of simultaneous offense and defense remained as tricky as ever.
The blood explosions won't let me break through!
"That jet-black I sense from your Bone Armour. And strength that soars far beyond any student's level."
Shylaz let slip a leisurely smile.
"There is only one necromancer alive who can wield uncontrollable Ancient Undead as he pleases. Isn't that right, Traitor of the 7th Legion Commander?"
"......"
Simon let out a rough breath and grinned.
The Archbishop of the Blood Sky Cult, and the Traitor Legion Commander.
Now that each knew what the other was, the only destiny left between them was to kill one another, without question.
"If you're a Legion Commander, then I suppose I'll need to get a little more serious myself."
Snap!
Shylaz flicked his fingers. The sealed Dungeon Lord's body was drawn into the red spear piercing its chest. The spear soon transformed into the shape of a magic circle and anchored itself to the nearby rock wall.
"A seal that no one can break unless you kill me. And."
Shylaz spread his palm, elbow pressed against his side.
GU-RURURURU!
Over a thousand red droplets poured forth, dyeing everything around them crimson. Every single one of them carried the blood explosion effect.
As Shylaz swept his arm, the thousand droplets launched all at once.
GRRRCK!
The sound of teeth grinding apart echoed inside Simon's mouth.
Harder!
He stomped the ground with his right foot. At the same time, he adjusted the greatsword, turning it until the flat of the blade faced forward.
Not a sword strike — a sword gale!
Simon twisted his body with a shout of exertion.
He channeled the rotation born from that twist directly into the sword —
GUWAAAAAAAAAK—!
—and swung.
A violent gale of wind-pressure burst out along the path of the greatsword, blasting the oncoming droplets away in the opposite direction.
Shylaz responded instantly. The droplets swept up in the gale rushed together, merging until they became two colossal blood spheres ten meters across.
Two great masses — crimson at their cores, black rippling along their rims — came pouring down on Simon.
[Dodge, boy!]
Simon had stopped, caught in the recoil of swinging his greatsword, and Pier moved Simon's legs directly.
The moment Simon leapt, the blood spheres hit the ground and erupted in a massive explosion.
"...Agh!"
It was a flood of blood wrath that could have brought down mountains.
The ground split open and the air itself boiled. In the distance, an entire ridge collapsed under the impact.
"Kuh!"
Having escaped by the narrowest of margins, Simon staggered and dropped to one knee.
[Boy! One more is coming!]
FWOOSH!
The second sphere came down through the scarlet wind and toward the ground.
The whole space—
Recoil still clung to his body, but he had to throw everything into it. Simon clenched his teeth and whipped himself into a rotation.
The feeling of cleaving!!
SHWAAAAAAAAAANG!
The Doom Greatsword carved a long, straight scar across the sky, and the blood sphere within it split apart with a sharp crack! — then exploded.
He had split the sphere, but the outer shell — not its core — transformed back into small blood droplets that rained down on Simon.
The fragments—!
[Kid!!]
Herseba flew desperately in front of Simon. At the same moment —
FUBUBUBUBUBUBANG!
The droplets detonated in unison, swallowing Simon's body whole.
It was beyond anything that could be called an explosion made from human blood.
Shylaz watched the terrain-altering blood explosions with utter composure.
Before long, the dust settled, revealing golden architectural structures surrounding Simon's form, wrapped in the body of the Overlord.
The Overlord creaked and split apart, and through the gaps, Simon's two eyes emerged.
The Overlord had taken far too much damage. Simon, having recalled all of its blades, rose to his feet.
Thump.
Then he pulled out Herseba and held her in his left hand — the one left uncovered by Pier's Bone Armour. The instant he took hold of her, the form of the golden coat began spreading across Simon's body.
"Herseba."
Simon said gravely.
"I'm going to use your third authority. Is that alright?"
[Absolutely NOT alright!]
Herseba shrieked.
[I nearly got obliterated for good back at that Duel Evaluation thing! I never want to use it again! You said you'd seal it away for a while too!]
"But if this keeps up, the two of us are both done for."
[......Ugh.]
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Just then, the sound of applause rang out. Simon scrunched his face up and looked over to find Shylaz clapping with a smile on his lips.
"Splendid. No matter how many times I watch, it would be a waste to kill you."
He lowered his hand.
"I will erase everything you've done up to this point, as if it never happened. Come with me."
"...What?"
"Walter's position just happens to be vacant. Join me as my disciple — and as a bishop of the Blood Sky Cult. If you simply pretend not to have seen any of today's events, your life will be—"
Shylaz's words stopped.
Simon was laughing out loud.
It was closer to a hollow, strengthless laugh than anything else.
Then the laughter cut off cold, and Simon dropped his wrist.
"......You make me sick."
The crimes of the Blood Sky Cult that Simon knew of were already beyond counting.
They lured in Holy Federation residents with promises of the unstable Core-Opening procedure, then turned the failures into Blood Zombies after unspeakable experiments.
They had abducted the passengers of the Holy Express.
They were preparing to offer innocent Kizen students as sacrifices to dark magic.
They had shattered the peace between the Dark Alliance and the Holy Federation, seeking to ignite a great war that would drive countless more people to their deaths.
Saintess Flema, at least — the main instigator of the Saintess incident — had her own reasons, claiming loyalty to the Goddess and the Holy Federation.
But the Blood Sky Cult. Shylaz.
"I don't much care for black-and-white morality."
Clang.
Simon said it as he raised the Doom Greatsword and Herseba together.
"But you are the most horrific evil on this entire continent. Shylaz Bisavar."
Shylaz let out a twisted smile.
"I think so too."