Chapter 354
Devilborn (4)
One of the students raised his nunchucks and swung as hard as he could into the head of the mid spawnling that was already on its deathbed in front of him.
A large squeal of terror and pain erupted from it as the blow landed, its body twitching violently. He had to strike it three more times before it finally began to dissipate, its form breaking apart into nothing.
He took a deep breath.
The battle had barely even started.
He could feel his companions around him, moving quickly, urging and warning each other as they fought. He adjusted his footing, forcing himself to stay within the rhythm of the formation that had been set up by that IAM guy…
Who had even made him leader?
Wasn't he supposed to be a coward from the Hold or something?
It didn't matter.
None of it mattered.
All he could focus on was surviving this battle—using the tactics given to him as best as he could.
He moved in rhythm, stepping forward with others as they coordinated an attack on another creature before quickly falling back into position.
Then—
Not too far away—
He heard it.
An ominous vibrating sound.
From the corner of his eye, he saw it.
At least six low spawnlings—
Exploded.
Torn apart into pieces without warning.
His body involuntarily shuddered.
And for a brief moment…
He wondered.
Who should he be more afraid of?
The creatures…
Or his own fellow human?
The academy was supposed to be a place for the epitome of all geniuses in Hope. A place where anyone within it could carry themselves with pride and confidence.
But this…
This shattered that image completely.
Because as he looked ahead, he saw them.
The three figures.
About to engage a devilborn.
As novices.
How?
How were they so much more powerful?
Why did they feel so far away from everyone else?
No one here could even begin to claim they would last more than a few seconds against any of them. They felt like a different breed entirely… making the rest of them seem average—when that was far from the truth.
But why?
What made them so—
"duck!!"
The shout from one of the twins barely reached his ears before his body reacted on instinct, dropping to his knees just in time.
A massive claw tore through the space where he had just been, the force of it ripping through the air with terrifying speed. If that attack had landed—
He would have died.
Instantly.
Before he could process anything further, someone grabbed him and yanked him back up, their voice snapping at him.
"what the fuck are you doing!? stop thinking and fight!"
He snapped out of it.
They were right.
This was not the time.
They might not be as overwhelmingly powerful as those three…
But they were still important.
They could still influence this battle.
Just as much.
With an invigorated shout, filled with raw determination, he threw himself back into the fight once more.
Many little scenes like this could be seen as the battle progressed, but the one that was the most critical was the one just about to occur. The three figures came to a stop—Natsuki, who was now recalling her sword; Yohan, who had a guarded expression; and Reuel, who had a slight grin on his face.
For the first and definitely not the last time in their lives, they came to face a devilborn.
There was an air of caution surrounding them. It was not just their own tension, but something shared—something mutual. The creature had positioned itself near the back on purpose, as if it had already decided where it wanted to be. It had felt them coming, sensed the three novices making a direct path towards it, and instead of reacting, it waited.
That waiting alone made it worse.
This was now the stage where deadline creatures began to exhibit cunningness and intelligence. It was no longer a matter of brute force or simple reactions. There was intent behind its placement. That alone made this the hardest fight they had ever faced. It would not be straightforward. It would not be easy.
The creature itself was disturbing the longer it was looked at. It had a humanoid form, but that description only held at a glance. It stood at four metres tall, towering over them, its proportions stretched just enough to feel unnatural. Its front was split open completely, as though its body had been forced apart and left that way, spread wide in a grotesque display. Within that opening were green eyes with black sclera, each one twitching slightly, reacting to the air, shifting in small, erratic movements that made it impossible to tell where its attention truly lay while creating a constant, unsettling movement within its body.
At its back were multiple spikes, clustered closely together, resembling that of a hedgehog—but there was nothing blue or lovable about it. These were dark green, each marked with black dots, uneven in size and placement, giving its silhouette a jagged, hostile outline.
Its hands were round and flat, like plates, with a clear indentation in the centre of each one. They hung motionless as if waiting. Everything about it suggested patience.
It wasn't going to move first.
Natsuki spoke firmly, her voice cutting through the tension without hesitation. "We cannot let it even have a chance to exhibit any of its abilities! Attack swiftly!"
Her eyes began to glow that ancient indigo as her sword was quickly approached, her intent being to probe.
Eyes of Truth was activated!
Her partially glowing eyes stared at the enemy in front of her as the sword that was hers shot forward, cutting through the space between them in a single, decisive motion before driving straight into its opened chest with a wet, sickening squelch.
There was no resistance!
The blade sunk deep as though the inside of its body offered no structure to stop it. A thick, dark fluid burst out around the point of entry, spilling over the metal and dripping heavily to the ground in uneven strands. The exposed interior reacted immediately—the cluster of green eyes with black sclera twitching violently, some snapping shut while others rolled erratically, their movements frantic and uncontrolled. It was like something inside it had been disturbed rather than damaged.
Her attack had actually gone through! But instead of relaxing, her guard went up exponentially as she said shocking words...
"It has... no weaknesses ..."
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