The Malevolent Fiend
His blood began to churn violently. Aaron thought Skadi had come, but he shook his head. This reaction was clearly different. What kind of reaction was it?
A being that was not human was in the academy. Unless it was an exception like Skadi, the possibility of an intrusion was the highest. First, he had to determine what the anomaly was.
Just in case there was going to be a battle, he opened the door to the corridor with his gloves on. When he opened the door, sharp fangs lunged toward Aaron's head. Despite the crisis, Aaron's expression didn't change. What surprised him was only that there was a monster here.
He simply grabbed the monster's head with his gloved hand and crushed it. Considering the monster's body was tougher than a normal beast, it wasn't at the level of a mage's grip strength.
“Monster.”
Seeing something that shouldn't be in the academy, Aaron expressed his disbelief. But it didn't last long. What mattered was that the enemy was here, and the foul stench now was not just one monster. It was a wave-level stench.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, raising his tension and concentration. What he did first was to secure the lead in the corridor.
The corridor was narrow enough for only six adult men to pass through at most. As long as his stamina held, no matter how many there were, there wouldn't be any issue in the battle. Theoretically speaking.
“Two runes left.”
With the mana circuits broken, only five rune magic spells could be used per day. Of those, three had already been used in today's spar with Renya. The fact that only two remained was an unsettling factor, but...
—Clang! Clang!
The door on the opposite side shook violently. The door that had been barely holding back collapsed under the monster's strength. When the obstructing view disappeared, Aaron could see clearly.
Beyond the corridor, there was nothing but monsters. The academy's proud decorations were shattered, and the items left by graduates were hidden behind the monsters. It seemed like there was no end beyond that, and Aaron was facing something on that scale.
It was a sight that even someone confident in their strength would feel a sense of impending death. Moreover, he wasn't in normal condition. Still, the man named Aaron Patrick straightened his clothes with ease.
“It seems you've warmed up well.”
He could use two rune magic spells, but he had no intention of using spell formulas at all. Showing off rune magic to something like this monster didn't diminish its value much. Also, the last two were bound to have a proper place to be used.
A monster in beast form bared its claws that could easily crush human flesh. Aaron's brows furrowed at the ignorant beast.
“A monster, and just a mutated beast that dares to bare its claws at humans. How audacious.”
Aaron didn't avoid the steel-like claws and threw a punch instead. The bear-shaped monster didn't dodge. In a pure power struggle, it wouldn't lose to a human who didn't even use mana.
The monster's confidence led to a miscalculation. Aaron's fist crushed the claws and pierced the heart. He did something that even a regular knight couldn't.
The one who actually did it was the party himself, who was checking his wrist, enjoying a proper fight after a long time.
“It's a pity about the broken circuits, but it's good to have a young body. It's not bad even without them.”
More monsters rushed in, but Aaron's expression showed no sign of crisis. He had always been cold-tempered, but what was the use of a little runt? That was his thought.
Arrogant. But he was proving in the present continuous that he had the right to be.
Although his main job was a mage, he was flawless in both fists and kicks. His footwork and balance, the most important things in martial arts, were better than those of a regular knight, and his skill had trampled the monsters.
A scale that was not an exaggeration came charging toward Aaron.
There was no option to block. If he blocked, the monster's steel-like fangs and claws would definitely take his body. So, he had to kill it before it reached him.
—Grrrr!
Despite hundreds rushing in, Aaron didn't get even a single scratch. Even fighting thousands, his breathing didn't quicken.
They were just monsters, but for them, it was a shocking situation. Where was the opportunity to find victory?
Overwhelming numbers? It was a space where he couldn't fully utilize that advantage. On the other hand, the sight of a man eating away at stamina didn't seem like an illusion.
None. The monster's instinct was telling him there was no way to win.
A legion of tens of thousands of monsters was frightened by a single human. Aaron, who didn't know that, let out a laugh.
“A being without eyes is frightened? How amusing. If you can't even challenge a mage who doesn't use magic, you wonder if it's even worth calling it a monster. Rather, it would be better to call it a pet.”
If the monster could speak, it would surely say this.
How could you call a mage someone tearing apart thousands of monsters without using mana and showing a steady breath?
It was absurd. The monster wanted to say that, but since it was in the form of a mere beast, it couldn't vent its grievance.
Due to Aaron Patrick’s inexhaustible stamina, the monsters began to retreat. The frightened beasts were no different from sheep. It seemed like the situation would be easily resolved before a criminal appeared.
When the criminal appeared, Aaron stroked his chin, looking interested.
“Is this the mastermind behind the plan? The face doesn't match something like that.”
As Aaron said, the criminal's appearance couldn't be called good. Compared to Aaron, who gave off a neat feeling despite the blood, the criminal's clothes were wrinkled here and there and covered in dust.
Even as a criminal, there was an excuse. No, more accurately, it was the fact that he was here that was unfair. Because of his personality, if the plan went even slightly wrong, he was the type to run away. So, he was the type who lived long as a demon. Still, the reason he came out was...
“At least make my professor's record good.”
“...Is there no choice but to run away like this?”
“Try it. I'm curious how it will turn out, right?”
He didn't answer specifically, but if it were that crazy woman, she would definitely have burst his head. Because of this situation, even though he wasn't a combat expert, he had to appear in front of Aaron.
The only good news was what the crazy woman said. The criminal received a hint that if he defeated the man in front of him, he wouldn't be caught even if he ran away.
Anyway, being cornered like this. Even to feed the crazy woman, he would kill Aaron Patrick. Although it was outside the assumption that the monsters were frightened by him, it was fine. His specialty was turning even these incompetent monsters into elites.
“Why is a demon here? Well, it doesn't matter. Killing it is the same as a corpse anyway.”
“...You punk, you young punk, you think you're hot shit. You don't know why you're dying, professor. You just got carried away.”
“You don't know? How interesting. Do you know that, demon? Age has no meaning in winning or losing.”
“Do you know that?”
When the demon built a spell formula, the momentum of the monsters that had become useless from fear changed. It wasn't just overcoming fear. Aaron Patrick, who understood the structure of the spell formula, could know the effect.
“Can you double the body reinforcement on this scale? It looks usable despite appearances.”
“Usable level? Hah, look at this and see if you can be so relaxed. Gather.”
Following the demon's instructions, the monsters moved in unison. The monsters began to gather around one, and there the criminal inserted a magic circle.
The gathered monsters and magic circle began to resonate. With the resonance sound, the monsters began to transform from many into one entity. Aaron just watched the entire process.
The revenge became an entity, and the transformed monster became a giant. Like patching a torn doll, there were traces of seams on the giant's limbs. It wasn't a transcendent giant, but rather like a rag doll.
“How is it! Over a thousand monsters have entered there! With this amount, even a sword master couldn't catch it! Go ahead, cry. Kneel and beg. After all, humans are beings that must bend to demons. I'll allow it!”
The reason the monsters were pushed back was simply because each one's power was weak. If they became one army, they wouldn't lose.
Aaron Patrick sighed at the demon's imposing figure.
“What did you do after all that? What are you trying to do by making something that can't even be done?”
His hand moved with ease. It wasn't a fist. It wasn't building a spell formula either. At this moment, as a mage, he was looking at the opponent's spell formula.
There was no need to use the circuit. If he had perfectly understood the opponent's magic circle, it was enough to just distribute it.
“Scatter.”
One word.
With Aaron's shout, the giant of the monsters began to collapse regardless of the creator's will. It was a command to stop functioning, so the scattered monsters couldn't move.
“...Demons believe only in talent and build magic. I hope you strive as scholars.”
“Absurd! How!”
It was different from the daughter of the Demon King. If she dismantled magic just by looking, regardless of the level difference, the man in front was clearly looking down on himself due to the difference in academic knowledge.
Now, the man in the red imperial uniform that had lost its original color slowly approached the criminal.
“What's important in the middle of this?”
How pitiful.
Aaron Patrick's hand reached the criminal. The criminal, in an unbelievable situation, just laughed helplessly. He shouldn't have come here in the first place. There were two unbelievable monsters here.
It wasn't his fault. It was the fault of those who collected false information.
The eyes of the criminal and Aaron Patrick met. There seemed to be no malice there.
“Do you have any last words, demon?”
Only then did the criminal remember the crazy woman's words.
“There is a proverb for demons. Avoid meeting the malevolent fiend.”
Ah, so that's it.
He should have run away the moment he faced him.
The sound of a demon's head bursting rang out.