Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Descent of Thanatos
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In other words, the cadets—including her—simply hadn't realized just how profound a powerhouse Leon Cascadia truly was.
Leon hadn't sheathed his weapon because he'd given up. Her entire body shuddered uncontrollably from the colossal torrent of power surging from every inch of him.
As she felt that fear grip her once more, she sensed the power of her Faker Voice intensifying alongside it, but Leon ignored it completely.
"You must have been terrified, but you held up well."
With those words, Leon ignored the undead that had closed in to within one or two meters and made a gesture as if gripping a massive scythe.
"Princess."
"Y-Yes... yes!"
"Even if I completely obliterate part of the Black Forest, is that alright with you?"
If this had been any other time, she would have scoffed, calling him insane and insisting there was no way that could be possible.
But not this time.
She simply nodded.
"Yes!"
"Then I'll trust you, Princess."
At that moment, a faint, blackish scythe of bizarre energy materialized above his palm, barely visible to the eye.
What is that? It was a chill and sensation she'd never felt before in her life. Hard to put into words, but for some reason, just looking at it flooded her mind with a single, overpowering concept.
[Death]
Is this what death would feel like if given form?
The sky above the Black Forest had already darkened as if night had fallen, filled with starlight.
Leon's aura intensified further as he assumed a stance like he was about to swing a gigantic scythe.
"This one's a bit draining, though..."
Suddenly, a purple mist rippled behind him, and something enormous spun into view from thin air.
Something even bigger than the massive trees blocking the sky over the Black Forest.
A tattered black robe like ragged cloth. A scythe dwarfing the one in Leon's hand.
A skull-like face.
It was the classic image of the Grim Reaper everyone knew.
Regardless, Leon opened his mouth as if conversing with someone.
"Where's the time to search? Just wipe it all out, and the Academy won't dare hold exams in the Demon Realm again."
His sky-blue eyes grew even colder, their gleam flickering sharply.
"Thanatos."
A short voice escaped Leon's lips, calling out to someone.
At that, the colossal Reaper—tens of meters tall—and Leon's own scythe moved in unison, slicing through the air.
The undead that had thrust their claws right up to Leon's body.
The unstable mana filling the forest.
The frigid atmosphere.
Everything came to a halt in less than a second.
As if...
...the entire area for hundreds of meters had died outright.
At the entrance to the Black Forest.
The Academy had received word of the forest's rampage and dispatched additional support immediately.
Even from outside the perimeter, the forest's state looked unnaturally unstable.
"What are you waiting for? Get in there now!"
"We can't. The space inside is completely warped. Entering now means we could get caught in the distortion."
"Explain it plainly!"
"Argh, you idiot! Going in now could teleport us deep into the Black Forest!"
The professors were arguing heatedly, voices raised.
If it were just the Black Forest acting up, the side pushing for immediate entry might not hold sway.
But the situation was far from light. Princess Eirena was stranded inside, of all people.
All the other cadets had managed to evacuate outside.
There were injuries of varying severity, but thanks to Luna, Isis, and Leon's guidance, they'd escaped before any major disaster struck.
According to the cadets' testimonies, the forest's danger level was no longer that of low-tier monsters like goblins.
Undead they'd never seen before.
Even genius cadets at the Expert level said their swords barely pierced them—it had become extremely hazardous.
With space itself twisting on top of that, the situation was a nightmare.
And for some reason, the cadets were utterly terrified.
The Demon Realm is dangerous. I'm not sure holding exams here is right.
Professor Rommel recalled the words of the boy who'd said that to him before the exam began.
In over a decade, incidents in the Black Forest had been rare.
And even when they happened, they were minor.
But on exam day of all days, this massive event unfolded.
If he'd listened to Leon back then, could they have avoided this crisis?
With Princess Eirena in peril, the Academy was on high alert.
"Damn it! I'll go in myself!"
One burly professor adjusted his gauntlets and started toward the forest.
That was when it happened.
"No."
"And who are you?"
"Temporary assistant instructor. Leon said no one enters."
"Ridiculous. Does a mere assistant think they have the authority? Step aside."
"Enter now, you die."
Her masked face hid her expression, but her voice held unshakable certainty.
The muscular professor scowled fiercely.
"That's not for you to decide. Move."
"No. Enter now, dangerous."
"Hah. Words won't cut it, then. Professor Rommel, your eye for people seems lacking."
As he spoke, aura exploded from the professor's body like a blast.
He looked like a simple brute, but his presence was unmistakably peak Expert level.
"Professor Musur! Calm down a bit! That kid's words aren't entirely wrong..."
"This isn't the time! Her Highness the Princess is inside!"
With that, Professor Musur shot forward like lightning, reaching to grab Luna's collar.
At the same moment, Luna dropped the battle hammer in her hand with a clunk and extended her palm.
Bam! Bam! Bam!!!
What followed left not just the cadets but every professor in stunned shock.
"Huh?"
Professor Musur lay on the ground, eyes wide in a daze.
"Enter, dangerous. Get swept up, I can't heal you."
Her calm words carried no contempt, no pleading—just the weight of plain truth.
But perhaps his pride stung at being subdued by a girl no older than a cadet, because Professor Musur sprang back up.
"Impressive technique. I'll admit, you surprised me. I apologize for underestimating you as a woman."
With that curt remark, he kicked off the ground in an instant, lunging at Luna.
Immense Fist Aura infused his punch.
A strike loaded with compressed shockwaves no ordinary person could withstand, but he held no hesitation.
He knew Luna wasn't some weakling.
Yet even against that attack, Luna didn't ignite her aura. She simply watched him coolly and extended her hand.
Thud!
Incredibly, his fist twisted off course from her slender gesture.
"Build more strength. Raw muscle doesn't equal destructive power."
Her hand moved with those brief words.
It wasn't just brute force.
Professor Musur, caught off guard by an immovable wall of technique, couldn't resist properly and was dragged along passively in Luna's rhythm.
An overwhelming gap in skill.
And he couldn't overpower her with raw specs either.
No—precisely, even as he unleashed devastating power through his fist, she deflected and neutralized it all with far less force.
Bam!!
Luna casually hooked his leg to throw off his balance, then rapped his floating solar plexus with the back of her hand like a knock.
"Guhk?!"
His body slammed hard into the ground, expelling a ragged breath.
"Grrk... guh. What... are you... exactly...?"
"Your power's fine, but everything else is lacking."
This scene shocked everyone else present.
Of course, the cadets who'd been helped by her in the forest seemed to already know, but to the rest, it was unbelievable.
Her combat prowess defied common sense.
She only sparred lightly with Leon to warm up, so no one had said much, but since opening her eyes in the Sanctuary of Judgment, her strength had grown exponentially.
Who was Professor Musur, the veteran warrior? Among the Academy staff, he ranked in the top tier for combat ability.
Yet this frail-looking woman had subdued him in seconds.
Luna slowly reached for her mask.
And slipped it off.
The first thing visible was her snow-white skin.
Then, as she slowly opened her eyes halfway, people caught sight of the galaxy swirling in her gaze and drew sharp breaths.
She's young.
Younger than expected.
Around the cadets' age, or even a bit younger.
But beyond that, her beauty was breathtaking.
A few cadets stared blankly, entranced by her face for the first time.
"Miss Luna, we need an explanation to understand. The situation is incredibly dan—"
Before he could finish.
Luna turned her head slightly toward the forest and pointed with her pale, slender finger.
"Look there."
And at that exact moment.
Beyond the dense trees marking the forest's edge, a colossal Grim Reaper tens of meters tall wheeled into view against the open sky.
It should have been hard to see under the night sky, yet somehow it was perfectly clear.
The professors' faces drained of color in an instant, and they reflexively dropped into defensive stances.
Rooooar!!!!
The Reaper, poised in position, swung its enormous scythe.
And everyone about to enter the forest witnessed it.
From the Reaper's position outward—sky, trees, earth—everything began to be devoured by something.
Moments later, a faint tremor rippled out, and the violently churning mana flows at the Black Forest's outskirts fell utterly silent.
The trees along the boundary lost their color as if drained of life.
Some couldn't even withstand that and crumbled to weathered black dust, scattering in the wind.
"That's beyond what I can heal."
At her words, the professors broke out in cold sweats.
As Luna said, ignoring her and charging in would have included them in that radius.
Could they have blocked it?
Honestly, they had no confidence.
It felt eerie, but even the professors couldn't guess what it was—it was that alien.
One thing was clear, though.
Ignoring Luna and going in would have ensnared them too, leading to disaster in an instant.
Soon, the silent Reaper dissolved into mist, and shortly after, the exam grounds' earth cracked into dry, powdery fissures.
Land of death.
There was no other way to describe it. Afterward, Luna placed her hand on the fallen Professor Musur's body.
At once, a healing power that shocked everyone enveloped him.