The moment the barrier vanished, everyone present saw that grotesque, hideous demon.
Panicked screams, broken sobs, hopeless wails, countless waves of negative emotion swept through the academy in an instant.
A few reckless reporters, desperate for achievement, were still using their magic record stones to capture everything happening around them.
———
Duke Levi received word from the magus beside him. He waved a hand, and one of the magi stepped forward, handing him a crystal magic stone.
The transparent stone flickered uncontrollably, barely able to contain the energy within the image it held, it looked ready to explode at any moment.
Levi took it, smiled faintly, placed it on the table, and said to Lady Cassandra, "Madam, I won't waste words."
"See for yourself."
As soon as he spoke, the stone began to glow faintly, and an image appeared from within.
The most eye-catching thing was that enormous demon blotting out the sun. Beneath it lay Professor Devon, imprisoned.
And to still be alive so close to that demon, it was hard not to suspect that Professor Devon had colluded with it.
He looked like a man seeking his final protection under the demon's shadow. Around the creature stood fully armed knights and magi,
Including that cloaked figure.
Viktor Clavenna.
Lady Cassandra's lips trembled as she tried to speak, but Duke Levi interrupted her, "Lady Cassandra, this is a live broadcast."
"If you're interested, you can go into the city right now. Any newspaper office you walk into should already be showing this scene, it's spread across the capital."
Lady Cassandra bit down hard on her lip, glaring at Levi.
"What do you mean? You're finally letting me into the city now?"
"Of course."
Levi rose and gave her a courteous bow.
"The capital is in peril. As a duke, it is my duty to go and lend my aid."
After speaking, he nodded to her and was about to leave when Lady Cassandra called out to stop him.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.
"Devon… he really can't be saved?"
On the surface, Duke Levi smiled, but in his heart, he sighed.
She was wavering.
And once Lady Cassandra hesitated, that meant she was beginning to think, was it really worth it for House Lesser to pay too high a price for one man like Devon?
Sacrifice the pawn to protect the king. Cut off a limb to save the body.
After all, Devon Lesser was never an important figure in the Lesser family.
In truth, he was a useless parasite.
Otherwise, Lady Cassandra wouldn't have gone out of her way to send him to the Royal Academy to "earn a bit of prestige."
So, Levi calmly laid out the advantages and consequences for her.
"Lady Cassandra, please think carefully. Your noble son colluding with a demon, this is no small matter."
"I imagine His Majesty's fondness for House Lesser is not enough to erase the crime of treason through demonic alliance."
"Think carefully, Madam."
With that, he turned and waved his hand toward her.
The magus beside him raised his staff, and a swirl of starlight rose into the air. Blue light wrapped around the entire group of magi and Duke Levi.
In the blink of an eye, they were gone, vanished without a trace.
The knights sheathed their weapons, lowered their visors, and mounted their horses. The rhythmic pounding of hooves slowly faded into the distance.
Lady Cassandra collapsed onto the sofa, clutching her forehead, tears streaming down her face, as if wrestling with an impossible decision.
———
The demon slowly opened one eye.
Its eye was set in the middle of its forehead, the only means it had to observe the world around it.
A massive azure magic circle began to rise under its feet. That irritating glow made it feel deeply uncomfortable.
A streak of yellow lightning suddenly shot forth, striking the demon with a loud bang, but it barely did any damage.
A mage's attempt had failed, but it succeeded in angering the demon.
It flew into a rage, extended its tongue, and swallowed the mage whole.
"Crunch, crunch…"
The sounds of chewing and bones shattering mixed together for a long while before the demon finally gulped the man down with a wet gulp.
The mages had never seen such cruelty before, many screamed in terror.
Even the so-called "righteous" knights could barely hold onto their weapons and shields.
Cries of fear filled the air as people shouted in panic.
"What the hell is that thing!?"
No one could answer.
They all knew it was a demon, but now that they saw one with their own eyes, they didn't dare believe it.
Because this thing didn't match their imagination of a demon at all.
It looked more like a god of destruction come to end the world.
A third-tier mage stepped forward and shouted, "Don't panic! Stand on the magic circle! Our power is slowly returning!"
"With so many of us here, we can defeat this evil demon!"
His shout steadied the noise, but none of the mages moved. Their morale and actions didn't change in the slightest.
The demon looked at their trembling figures and burst out laughing.
"Cowardly humans!"
"You dare speak of defeating me!?"
Suddenly, a figure shot into the air like a streak of light.
Everyone's attention turned toward that silhouette.
Compared to the demon, she looked incredibly small, but her presence sparked a faint flame of courage in countless hearts.
"That's... Commander Gwen!?"
Some recognized her and cried out in surprise.
The silver sword in Gwen's hand seemed to awaken some inner power, white light burst from it, dazzling and sharp as a mountain-cleaving blade.
She swung down hard, leaving a brilliant white gash across the demon's massive body.
The demon howled in pain, its gaze locking onto Gwen.
"Good. Very good!"
It spoke harshly, as if recognizing her.
"Just moments ago, I dealt with someone very similar to you."
"Looks like you're just as irritating!"
Landing back on the ground, Gwen's expression shifted drastically. Instinctively, she thought the demon was talking about Kefra. Rage flooded her body, consuming all reason.
The next second, the demon's enormous hand came crashing down toward her.
But Gwen didn't dodge. She swung her blade, now a radiant holy sword dozens of meters long, and struck back.
BOOM!
The demon swatted her aside like an insect.
She was smashed into the ground, losing consciousness instantly, completely powerless to resist.
"Commander Gwen!"
Many knights cried out in alarm, even Viktor, who had been maintaining the magic circle, frowned deeply.
The demon's laughter echoed again.
"It seems you're much weaker than her."
"You're not even as good as a fly."
But Gwen's reckless charge had bought the mages precious time.
Not everyone was paralyzed by fear.
Whirr~ Whirr~ Whirr~ Whirr~
Countless magic circles began to rise into the air, forming one after another, their colors and runes shining brilliantly.
A commanding voice shouted, "Just like we practiced at the academy!"
"Everyone, fire!!"
With that, a barrage of magical arrows of every element shot toward the demon, crackling like fireworks.
But the demon merely extended its tentacles and blocked every spell.
Not even a scratch appeared on its hide.
The mages stared, stunned, the demon's thick skin was too tough.
The first volley failed completely, and despair crept into their hearts.
But then, a deeper, more commanding voice rang out from above.
"Everyone, prepare for the first volley!"
Everyone turned, and there was Duke Levi, arriving with his Magus Corps.
His magi spread out in every direction, surrounding the demon completely. The crystal orbs in their hands gleamed with terrifying magical light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Even stronger spells turned into elemental cannonballs, exploding from the crystals, and this time the demon struggled to defend itself.
"Switch formations, second volley, fire!"
Almost without pause, a second team replaced the first, unleashing another coordinated bombardment before the demon could counterattack.
"It's Duke Levi! Duke Levi and his Magus Corps are here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
In an instant, everyone's morale soared.
More and more mages arrived from every corner of the capital, rushing to reinforce the fight.
Magic circles filled the sky, growing in number and power.
The relentless bombardment left the demon barely able to move.
For a moment, everyone believed Viktory was in sight.
But all they were really doing, was exhausting the demon's patience.
Thump… thump…
A deep, resonant heartbeat thundered through the air, like a colossal drum echoing to the heavens.
The demon opened its massive mouth, as though to swallow everyone whole.
A storm-like suction force erupted, pulling nearby knights and mages straight into its maw.
They screamed in terror, helpless to fight back or even run.
The demon's jaws worked like a meat grinder, mangling flesh and bone, splattering crimson gore across the ground, like a starving ghoul devouring everything in reach.
Once again, terror swallowed every shred of hope.
"It's over! Our attacks are useless!"
"It's too strong, so this is a demon!?"
"Help us! Where's the Headmaster?! Someone do something!"
"Who can stop this thing!?"
Many mages and students spiraled into despair, some curling up on the ground in tears.
Then, a few third-tier mages suddenly froze. They looked at each other, confused and anxious.
"Where's Viktor!? Where did Professor Viktor go!?"
They all knew Viktor's power. If a fourth-tier mage joined the fight directly, the tide could change.
But Viktor had vanished, disappeared without a trace.
Hopelessness deepened.
Until suddenly...
"What's that!?"
"Is that… Professor Viktor!?"
As several students pointed to the sky in shock, everyone turned to look up.
At some point, Viktor had appeared in midair.
The cloak behind him fluttered wildly, blazing with a deep crimson light.
Flames burned across half the sky, igniting the filthy black mist that clouded it.
The heavens lit up, like Viktor himself had set the sky ablaze and draped it across his shoulders.
The temperature throughout the city soared rapidly, scorching hot.
As everyone stared, they froze, eyes wide, exclaiming, "Holy shit! What is that!?"
Now everyone could see it clearly, a blazing, crimson meteor was plummeting from the heavens, straight toward the demon's massive open jaws.
Target, the demon's mouth.
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