“N… now!”

“…!”

When Erika’s signal rang out, I pulled up the gas mask I had prepared in advance. At the same time, deep blue mana shot high into the sky, drawing a boundary line between us and the Academy bastards. Like a set of scales risen to the heavens, the light weighing the two divided groups soon erupted in a blinding flash, exploding violently.

And then, it began to spew the gas Rebecca had created in all directions.

“Uwaaaaaagh!”

“Wh… what…!”

At that moment, the world was once again divided into two groups: those who had prepared in advance, and those who had not. We naturally belonged to the former, while the Academy bastards helplessly fell into the latter. Having inhaled the gas as if by fate, they soon doubled over and began violently vomiting up the sins festering in their stomachs.

“Ugh…! Hack… cough…”

“What is… bwuegh!”

Although designed to be non-lethal, the gas demonstrated its effects without fail. In an instant, the countless bastards surrounding us were swiftly neutralized, and the few who barely retained their senses scrambled to flee deeper into the Academy. But even that proved impossible for them.

“Bwuegh… h… have to run…!”

“Don’t come here, you idiots! Th… the gas is coming in!”

“Duke… Roselia… please…!”

“Just go and attack them! That’s all you have to do!”

In this life-or-death crisis, Duke and Roselia fled inside faster than anyone else and locked the doors. Thanks to their stellar leadership, the vast majority of their followers were left isolated outside. There was only one place left for them to go.

“G… gas masks… gas masks!!!”

The first bastard to realize this charged right at us. He was far from normal due to the gas, but his momentum was impressive enough that he reached us in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately for him, the person he faced was Ms. Rebecca. She calmly stepped forward and clenched her gray fingers one by one. With a metallic clank, her loaded fist emitted a thin plume of smoke before shooting toward the charging victim’s shoulder.

And the next moment, his shoulder exploded, scattering a bloody mist in all directions.

“Aaaaaaaaagh!”

“Ah, dear.”

The instantly collapsed victim spewed blood everywhere, letting out a gruesome scream. Ms. Rebecca exhaled thick vapor through her gas mask while continuously letting out sighs. It seemed she was out of practice with her fists and had misjudged her strength.

“I didn’t mean to do that.”

“He’s going to die.”

“Stop worrying and go find Roselia. I’ll clean up here and catch up.”

“But…”

Before I could even ask if she would be alright alone, Ms. Rebecca exhaled vapor like cigarette smoke and shattered another bastard’s waist. Flesh and skin crushed once more, sending a spray of powdered bone into the air. I tried my best to avert my eyes from the destructive sight and turned my gaze toward the Academy.

Shrouded in gray smoke, the white building looked more precarious than ever. Swaying as if it might vanish at any moment like a desert mirage, it felt like a scene from a dream.

Of course, the time when I could dismiss all of this as a fleeting dream had long passed. The reality I quickly grasped soon translated into Erika’s trembling voice.

“Lope. Wh… what do we do now?”

“We go in. Just as planned.”

“Go in?”

“Yeah. You said you’d rescue the students inside while I look for Roselia. Right?”

“That’s true, but… I’m still a bit scared to go alone…”

Despite our prior agreement, Erika revealed her fear now that the moment to split up had arrived. It was all the more impossible for me to take her side now. Had someone not tapped my shoulder from behind, I would have charged in alone.

But surprisingly, it was Saya who took Erika’s side at the last moment. Having hidden at the back of the group with Haru all this time, she looked at us and spoke in a clear voice.

“Lope. Even after thinking it over, I think it’s right for you to go with Erika. I mentioned it back then too, but you know Erika can’t handle it alone. Haru and I will go find Roselia. You stay with her.”

“But… will you be okay? There might still be guys left in the Academy.”

“That’s exactly why Haru and I should go. You know we can handle it if it’s the two of us. Besides, I’m faster on my feet, so I’m better at finding people. Right?”

“What if Duke is with her?”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be that scared even then.”

Saya’s voice carried a level of arrogance beyond mere certainty, quite unlike her. But as Ms. Rebecca had said, worrying about an elf was like an ant fretting over a bear’s well-being.

Even so, I couldn’t shake my unease. I scrambled to find a way to argue back, eventually bringing up the one thing Ms. Rebecca had told me never to do.

“…Aim for the eyes. Or the solar plexus.”

“Okay.”

“The groin works too. It’s an easy spot to incapacitate anyone, male or female. And don’t overexert yourself. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“What? So I’m going with Saya? And is this gas mask supposed to be this suffocating? How am I supposed to know if I’m wearing it right?”

As always, it was Haru who put an end to the serious conversation. Hearing her playful voice only amplified my lingering anxiety. I lifted my head to try and dissuade Saya once more.

“Saya. We really should stick to my plan and…”

“We’re going then. Lope.”

“Wait. Are you really going just the two of you? What about my opinion… uwaagh!”

But before I could even stop her, she dashed forward with all her might. She had Haru clinging to her back, but since she was quite light, the elf’s strides were unhindered. All I could do was watch Saya’s retreating figure grow smaller in the distance in vain.

“Haa…”

“…Lope. So we’re going together, right?”

“…”

In the midst of all this, Erika clung to me oblivious to the mood. She had fulfilled her role as a variable right up until the very end. But what was done was done, so I looked at her bright, innocent face and asked.

“Yeah. Are you ready to be the Student Council President again?”

“O… of course! Yeah!”

“…Good. Let’s go.”

I had added it as a form of motivation, but it made me sigh at my own words. Still, seeing Erika react so enthusiastically made me feel inexplicably embarrassed. Before my spirits could float any higher, I grabbed Erika’s arm and ran after Saya.

“Lope! Hurry up!”

“Aaaagh!!!”

Behind me, vapor exploded and the sound of crushing bone and flesh reverberated all around. Amidst Ms. Rebecca’s battle cry, dirt swirled at my feet and the wind howled in my ears. The minute hand of fate ran alongside me, accelerating once more toward the final moment. In that fleeting hour of destruction, I threw myself into the maw of the grotesque Academy.

Crash!

The glass I crashed into with my entire body shattered outward in all directions like a virgin’s dam long held back. Using the recoil from the broken window, I rolled forward and headbutted the bastard right in front of me.

“Ughrk!”

“…!”

Along with a strange groan, the sound of breaking teeth pierced my scalp. Before that hot sensation could even fade, I drew my sword and brutally struck the bastard’s philtrum with the pommel. He collapsed to the floor without even a proper scream.

But that flashy entrance was enough to unsettle everyone nearby. Soon, screams erupted from here and there, and my presence was announced throughout the entire Academy.

“It… it’s that son of a bitch… it’s him!”

“Fucking hell, seriously!”

In an instant, two voices tore through the air, and before I could even identify their owners, I swung my sword toward the source of the sound. It was a blind strike, but at the end of that reckless trajectory, a severed wrist ironically shot up.

“Uwaaaaagh!”

“…Oh my god.”

“You son of a… aaaaaagh!”

Before I could even mock my own actions, I delivered another slash, and this time a severed forearm screamed. The routine of slaughter had seeped into me like a habit. Shuddering at the gruesome sensation, I forcefully kicked the classroom door where the bastards were standing.

“Kyaagh!”

“Ah…!”

Screams. Groans. And shrieks. The victims inside the classroom trembled with fear once more at the sight of the stranger appearing in the doorway. But as their gazes shifted to the severed wrist rolling on the floor, strangely, hope gathered in their eyes. It seemed Erika’s distorted rumors had birthed a blood-soaked hero.

And right on cue, Erika rushed to my side. She shouted at the terrified girls in an exaggerated voice.

“Everyone, now! Run. Hurry!”

“Uh…”

“I said run! There are people outside to help. Hurry!”

It was the moment they had so desperately longed for, but they couldn’t easily move their bodies. Their spirits must have been broken after being locked in a cage for so long. Having expected this to some extent, I didn’t despair; instead, I closely observed their faces.

The face of a girl I had passed by during my Academy days. A frail lowerclassman coughing violently, having inhaled the gas. A boy with strong will, trembling but trying to stand up again and again. Among them, Roselia’s face was nowhere to be seen. I had expected this too, but my heart sank all the same.

“Erika. Can you lead them out?”

“I’m not sure. Everyone still seems terrified. It might take some time…”

“Then at least gather them in one place. We need to find Roselia anyway.”

“But…”

“No time. Hurry!”

“Lope!”

I barked orders like a jockey wielding a whip and began sprinting down the hallway. Behind me, pitiful footsteps echoed with a thumping beat. Even in the midst of it all, a fierce battle cry announced my arrival and shook the entire Academy.

“Lope is inside!”

“Damn it… keugh… cough!”

“Out of the way!”

With every step I took, a new bastard blocked my path, and each time, I silenced them with a single slash. Most of them were in a vulnerable state due to the gas poisoning, so severed limbs shot up whenever they reached out. Wrists. Ankles. Eyes. Ears. As if representing the will of the dragons yet to come, the sinners’ body parts hung on the scales of hell.

Every time an obstacle disappeared, I kicked open a classroom door and searched for Roselia’s face inside. But among the many people, Roselia was nowhere to be seen. It seemed the proud wolf hadn’t even thought of hiding among them wearing a sheep’s skin.

Did she head upstairs after all? There was a possibility she was hiding in a place only she knew, but I had to leave that to Saya. My task right now was to follow the voices of the fleeing bastards and charge up the stairs.

Just as I stepped onto the first stair with those thoughts, a massive sound of footsteps echoed from behind. The footsteps that had once belonged to Erika alone had now turned into a march of many. I glanced back and saw Erika screaming at the top of her lungs in a high-pitched voice.

“Everyone, keep your heads down and get outside! Not the front door, use the side! And follow the woman with the prosthetic hand!”

“Ma… Madam President…”

“No time! Hurry!”

As the Student Council President’s leadership was finally demonstrated, the dead heart of the Academy began to beat with the footsteps of the students. The rules that had crumbled under despair were rebuilt for survival, and orderly steps headed out of the building. Without a moment to feel moved by the sight, I leaped up to the upper floor.

“Haa… haa…”

“Close the windows! Hurry!”

“Hurry over there too… fuck, why is that bastard here!”

“Haa… hoo…”

Don’t they ever get tired? A few more bastards blocked my path again, but their numbers were small. There were far more guys trying to run away than trying to fight. Half of them fell to the floor in fright before I even swung my sword.

Besides, the classroom doors were now beginning to open on their own. At the sound of the Academy’s heartbeat starting to race again, at the signal of escape tickling their feet, the dead organs opened their valves and spewed a bloodstream of hope. The sensation of life that flowed out was definitely thicker than blood.

“E… everyone… come out… hah… hah…”

In the meantime, Erika, who had rushed over late, barely managed to wave her hand. It seemed the situation downstairs had been somewhat resolved. Taking that as a signal, I shattered the teeth of the remaining bastards, and the victims’ chattering voices rained down even harder.

“Oh my god… is she really here? The Student Council President?”

“I guess we can go… I guess we can really go…”

“Hah… hahk… sis… where are you, sis? Sis!”

“Ed? I… I’m here… Ed!”

“Huu…”

The chirping of the finally freed larks felt hopeful, but this wasn’t the time to pay attention to such things. Even as everyone was whispering about the future, I listened more closely to the vulgar, phlegm-filled voices. Amid the voices of the women raining down from all directions, to the voices of those bastards whispering in hushed tones.

“Ca… can we really go out? There’s still smoke outside, isn’t there?”

“Everyone calm down and listen to me! If you follow my instructions, you’ll be safe!”

“Madam President…? Oh my god…”

“Lope. What do we do now? Now that…”

“Roselia, you fucking bitch!!!”

“…!”

At that moment, a familiar voice erupted in coarse profanity from somewhere. I had only heard it once, but the owner of that voice was self-evident. That instant, I shook off Erika’s question and began sprinting toward the source of the voice.

“Roselia! You fucking bitch…”

“…”

“Where did you go, Roselia! Damn it… hey!!!”

Soon, a large shadow began to appear from the other end of the hallway where he had hidden. The shadow, which had been running somewhere, looked back as if it had heard my footsteps.

“What’s that. Don’t tell me…”

“…”

“Uh… damn it!”

The bastard noticed my presence and tried to run, but I crashed into him at the exact speed I had been charging. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, and I was also bounced backward by the recoil. Suppressed screams crossed in the air as we flew toward each other.

“Uwaagh!”

“…!”

But I quickly regained my stance and picked up my sword, and the bastard scrambled to his feet as well. And finally, we met each other’s eyes.

“Fuck… damn it…”

“…”

The first words of this long-awaited reunion were, inevitably, profanity. But I didn’t waver, observing his actions before casually dropping a single line.

“…You’re Duke.”

“You son of a… bitch…”

The hatred I had harbored for so long boiled up like phlegm. I stared straight into his bloodshot eyes and, for the first time in a while, burned my suppressed heart with heat.

“Did you miss me that much?”