The Fragility of Flesh

"Ugh, my head..."

The Academy Annex Hospital had a designated rest area for patients. When the body falls ill, the mind follows; when the flesh is wounded, the spirit grows fragile. It was a modest but charming green garden, designed to soothe the weary minds and bodies of the hospitalized.

Sitting on a shaded bench, Siul, the assistant homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, let out a low groan. Her head, which had been pecked by the hard beak of a high-ranking monster—a griffin—was still throbbing painfully. They said her skull was fractured. If she hadn't bent space to block the blow, her head would have undoubtedly split wide open.

"...You did well, Siul."

Sitting across from her, Angelica, who was chewing listlessly on an unlit cigarette, spoke with a bitter smile. Though usually stingy with praise, this time she did not hold back her compliments and encouragement. If Siul hadn't been at the scene, a truly catastrophic disaster would have unfolded.

"No, it was nothing. The kids went through much worse than I did."

Even now, the memory made her dizzy. What Siul had witnessed at the site where the Rift in Space opened was the students of Class 1-A locked in a desperate, bloody struggle against high-ranking monsters.

If her parents hadn't forced her to go on that blind date. Or if she hadn't gotten fed up and walked out on it. And if she hadn't happened to pass by the national park in District 4 by pure chance... She shuddered to think what kind of tragedy would have occurred.

"I suppose that's true."

"Wait, what happened to my praise? Give it back."

"You said it yourself. The kids had it worse."

"That was just lip service! I suffered too, you know! My head got pecked by a griffin! I almost died!"

"Hmph. Allowing a mere griffin to strike a vital spot is proof of insufficient training. Report to the training room starting tomorrow. I'll personally oversee your conditioning."

"Spare me, please!"

Senior Angelica has absolutely no middle ground! I'm not even a student, so she won't go easy on me at all! I don't want to dive into bubbling magma ever again!

Siul trembled violently, screaming inwardly. How had she mastered the technique of bending the space right above her skin to block external attacks? Only the two of them knew the answer. For the record, Siul still had panic attacks whenever she heard the word 'lava.'

"I'm joking. You look so utterly repulsed that it's actually making me feel self-conscious."

Though she often seemed unreliable, this incident proved that Siul was an adult who stepped up when it mattered. She was more than capable of holding her own.

"Ah, really? Whew, you scared me... I thought I'd have to write another will..."

"Haha, you exaggerate. Anyone listening would think I was pushing you to your death."

"But you were."

Becoming an academy teacher and dealing with students had softened her senior's personality significantly. In the past, she was... Ugh, Siul didn't even want to think about it.

"You're still recovering, so keep resting."

Angelica spat out the chewed cigarette and pulled out a fresh one. She desperately wanted to light it, but the hospital was a strict no-smoking zone. Settling for chewing on it like gum, Angelica rose from the bench.

"Where are you going?"

"To check on the kids."

"I'll come with you."

"Are you sure? You must be exhausted."

"I'm still Class 1-A's assistant teacher, aren't I?"

"I suppose so. Very well."

Angelica had rushed to the hospital immediately after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hearing that her Class 1-A students were caught in the District 4 disaster. Though she had arrived a while ago, she had spent the time gathering details about the scene from Siul and hadn't visited the wards yet. Although she knew none of their injuries were life-threatening, she wanted to see them with her own eyes.

"Teacher?"

But before Angelica could seek out the students, one of them found her first. Angelica turned her gaze toward the voice. A boy wearing a blue hospital gown instead of his familiar school uniform was looking at her.

"Yujin."

"So this is where you both were."

Having been coldly rejected by Aris (Frey) and unable to see Lucia, Yujin had stepped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out for a walk to clear his head. He wanted to soothe his gloomy thoughts with a breath of fresh air. That was when he happened to spot Angelica and Siul and approached them.

While the students had been rushed to the hospital immediately after Cheonmyeongdae arrived, Siul had remained at the scene to assist the heroes with the aftermath. Thanks to that, Yujin had heard from Arin that Assistant Teacher Siul had helped them, but this was his first time seeing her face-to-face. And it wasn't just Siul; his homeroom teacher, Angelica, was here too. Yujin realized this was the perfect opportunity to consult them about the dilemma that had been weighing heavily on his mind.

"I heard what happened. I'm glad you're safe."

"I was just lucky."

It wasn't false modesty. He had truly been incredibly lucky. Defeating the Black Knight was only possible because of Lucia and Aris. And the only reason he hadn't been slaughtered by the girl in the Red Fox Mask was her own whim.

Recalling the devastating shockwaves from the clash between the Captain and that girl, Yujin remembered his own past words.

I won't go down easily.

Yujin had boldly declared that to her. How incredibly arrogant that had been. Had a tiny taste of power made him lose all sense of reality? To the girl in the Red Fox Mask, Yujin was absolutely nothing. If she had wished it, it wouldn't have even been a fight; he would have been unilaterally slaughtered.

"There's something I need to discuss with you both."

Originally, he had planned to tell the heroes of Cheonmyeongdae directly. But the situation had been too chaotic, and being rushed straight to the hospital made him miss his chance. As a result, Yujin had kept the secret of their true identities—which he had discovered by pure chance—to himself.

"It's about Astaroth."

That she is not human.

"Blegh..."

The marble floor was stained crimson. Tossing aside her bent parasol, Astaroth collapsed to one knee and coughed up a torrent of dark, thick blood. The metallic, sticky taste of blood coated her mouth. Every breath she exhaled reeked of iron. Her broken ribs stabbed outward, threatening to pierce through her skin.

"Ah... aha, ahaha..."

Ah, seriously. That was so much fun. How long had it been since she was injured like this? Even when she challenged Agares, it hadn't been this bad.

She had intentionally exposed her openings and let herself be hit. She had acted boldly, fully expecting to take a significant amount of damage. Thanks to that, she had successfully escaped before her 'active time' ran out... but as anyone could see, she was in a wretched state.

The sheer impact had ruptured her insides, causing her organs to herniate or fail completely. Her lungs were shredded, making it difficult to breathe, and her heart seemed to be failing, growing increasingly stiff. Multiple organ failure. Left untreated, she would undoubtedly die with no hope of resuscitation.

"A 'human' body... is just way too fragile..."

Having returned to the penthouse she used as a hideout, Astaroth blinked her dimming eyes and looked around. There was no sign of life. A luxurious yet empty landscape filled her vision. Only her occasional coughing shattered the silence that hung over the room like a heavy shroud.

Has Regina not returned yet? What a shame. I was planning to get some help from her. There's no one better suited than her to make me forget this pain.

Stumbling forward, Astaroth collapsed onto a leather sofa. It was soft and comfortable. Probably quite expensive. Not that she cared. Watching the sofa slowly stain with her blood, the girl in the Red Fox Mask let out a soft chuckle.

"Actually, no. It's probably for the best that Regina isn't here."

If she had been, Astaroth would have chased her away anyway. She was a human Astaroth had finally taken a liking to, after all. She couldn't let her die in vain.

Astaroth raised her blood-soaked hand. It was once a slender, pale, and beautiful hand. But now, crushed from the aftermath of the battle, it was a hideous sight. Even though merely moving it must have caused agonizing pain, Astaroth clenched it into a fist without hesitation.

A crimson mist gathered at her fingertips. A gloomy, ominous energy capable of corroding anything it touched. A musty stench, like that of a rotting corpse, assaulted her nose. Her fingernails began to turn a dead, rotting black. It was a dense death energy that could corrode even the body of a Demon. It carried the scent of corpses and the lamentations of the dead.

"I see... So you hid something like this inside your armor...?"

It was a good thing she had taken precautions. A chess piece of this caliber wasn't easy to come by. Though currently only at the level of a named monster, depending on its growth, it could aim even higher.

Her spilled blood defied gravity, rising into the air. As she slightly unclenched her fist, the droplets of blood seeped back into the gaps of her hand. It felt hot enough to evaporate instantly, yet her palm was freezing cold.

Astaroth's fist warped before bursting with a wet pop. It didn't stop with her hand. Her wrist, and then her entire forearm, dissolved into a pool of blood. At that exact moment, an immense wave of death energy surged explosively.

The interior of the penthouse rotted away in an instant. Furniture crumbled to ash, and the walls began to decay. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling shattered into countless pieces. Had there been a living soul in the room, they wouldn't have survived. Their flesh would have melted, and their bones would have ground into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fine dust.

Only Astaroth, listening to the whispers of ruin, smiled as if thoroughly enjoying herself.

Astaroth's mangled flesh and blood condensed, taking the shape of a small bead. A sinister crimson light, matching the fresh blood she had just spilled, cast dark shadows across her face.

"Perfect. That takes care of the core containing the soul."

Now, all that was left was a 'vessel' to house the core. Unfortunately, while she could make a core, crafting a physical 'body' was outside Astaroth's area of expertise. If she placed it in a shoddy vessel, it would undoubtedly shatter, unable to withstand the dense death energy. She had considered killing the 2nd Division Captain and using his corpse as a vessel, but the sudden appearance of three Captains had ruined that plan.

"Since I have some business to attend to anyway... hehe, maybe I should pay him a visit."

Just wait, Black Knight. I'll prepare a wonderful vessel for you.