Chapter 78.1: Part 1
Bonus chapter thanks to '@Marve' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.
A massive hammer swung through the air.
Thwack-.
At the same time, the body of a student standing before Samuel exploded.
The hammer swing alone had ripped the student's torso apart.
Thud, thud, thud.
The Demon student's blood and entrails splattered everywhere.
Fron's pupils began to tremble as she watched.
"W-what is that thing?"
The moment Fron let out a fear-filled gasp.
Haah-.
White breath puffed out from her lips.
The cold air seeping from Terias' body had lowered the temperature of the area to below freezing.
That was when.
Crackle-.
The organs of the student whose body had exploded began to freeze.
The cold air Terias was emitting continued to grow denser.
Creak-.
Crackle-.
With each step Terias took, frost formed on the ground.
He passed by the corpses of the humans and approached Sylvia.
And then.
Thwack-.
Terias swung his hammer and shattered the prison made of Samuel's gluttony in one blow.
Relief washed over Sylvia's face as she watched.
It was the trust she placed in Terias.
"Can you stand?"
"......I can stand on my own."
Terias offered Sylvia his hand with a gentle tone, but.
Sylvia turned her head away and tried to stand up on her own.
However.
Totter-.
Sylvia's legs gave out and she collapsed.
Clench.
Terias grabbed Sylvia's wrist and brought his face close to hers.
"What's the situation?"
His demeanor was unusually serious.
Sylvia swallowed hard at the sight of Terias' changed expression, which she had never seen before, and opened her mouth to speak.
"A total of eight are dead. Many other students were injured, and the surviving students have all returned to the Imperial Academy, but......"
Sylvia trailed off.
Her gaze lingered on the human students who had become cold, lifeless corpses.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Rustle, rustle-.
Terias stroked Sylvia's head, who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
A loving gesture.
Sylvia's cheeks flushed red at this.
Terias, a faint smile on his lips, handed her a piece of paper.
It was a Return Scroll.
"No."
But Sylvia slapped Terias' hand away.
She understood his intention.
"I will stay and fight with you."
"Sylvia."
"I know I will be a burden, but I will fight with you."
"......Yes, that's what my lover should be like."
"Th, that's!"
The two of them seemed to have forgotten that they were in the middle of a battle, laughing and blushing at each other.
A Demon student, heated by their display, stepped forward.
"The human pups have finally gone mad......"
Flap-.
However, the Demon student was unable to finish his sentence and collapsed.
There was no 'neck' on the Demon student's body.
Terias had swung his hammer at an untraceable speed, killing the Demon student in one blow.
Only then did the students of Sytan realize.
Terias was not being careless.
It was just that the students of Sytan had not approached him threateningly.
Like a spider that does not feel threatened even if dozens of one-day-old flies swarm around it.
A true predator.
The students of Sytan felt a sense of fear as they realized this.
Soon after.
Puck-.
An iceberg suddenly rose from the ground.
The huge block of ice crushed the bodies of two Demon students.
Flap-.
And then it exploded them.
It was the work of Terias, who had the talent to handle ice and hammers freely.
Even Samuel, the best in the world, gritted his teeth as he glared at Terias.
Defeat.
Samuel, who realized this fact, shouted to his students.
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
Samuel showed his Fangs of Gluttony, which he could summon, at their maximum.
But that alone was not enough.
Puck, puck-.
The sound of Terias's hammer smashing through the thorns echoed through the air, his advance unstoppable.
"Fron, take the students and escape through the secret passage! Go to the Demon Realm with him and wait for the gate to open!"
'Him' referred to Adel.
Even in this dire situation, Samuel cared for Adel's safety.
The operation had already failed.
With the variable called Terias appearing, they would not be able to avoid annihilation if they continued to fight.
At Samuel's instruction, Fron asked in a sunken voice.
"Then what will you do? Doesn't that mean you're the only one staying here?"
"It's the best option we have. If we all stay, we'll all die."
Samuel's words were reasonable.
Even with the remaining Sytan cadets, Fron, Samuel, and Adel.
It was difficult to guarantee victory against that monster.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to die for nothing. I'll follow you after you all evacuate."
"Is that possible?"
Samuel frowned as Fron asked in a doubtful tone.
"Do you not trust me?"
Perhaps she saw a spark of determination in his eyes.
Sigh..
Fron nodded after letting out a sigh.
"Students, it's time to retreat! Samuel will buy us time, so everyone, run!"
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