The battle, no, the slaughter of hundreds of imps had just finished. The person responsible for it all?
An injured, bloodied, and crazed Dignitas Qwerdan.
Sayuri had watched. Watched as he effortlessly struck down each and every imp close to him with a single slash.
As quick as it might seem, Dignitas made sure that Dainsleif only touched the parts that held the most blood and the ones that would cause the most pain.
He never went for a swift kill, choosing to let the imps struggle to move.
Any retaliation was useless. Even if some hits were able to get through, Dignitas never seemed fazed, even by a little bit. He just kept on slashing until no one was left.
And thanks to that, the entire floor of the hallway was now covered in a pool of blood. The innards of every imp had been splattered on the walls and ceiling.
At the end of it all, Dignitas stood unmoving. Just like earlier, not a single muscle twitched, even by a bit. He took no step, made no leap.
Except for this time, he had really passed out while standing.
"Fascinating. Never did I think that his sword had a power like that. So it's a sacrificial blade…"
Throughout human history, religion was a very common thing.
People of all ages would pray to gods they never knew existed, but were convinced were.
Many of these people would eventually gather together to establish certain groups of people who all believed in the same god. They would later expand into even more groups by recruiting more willing believers.
These were how normal religions were formed.
And then, there come the cults.
Cults were basically religions, but their belief was on the extreme side. They too worshipped gods but were sometimes more "faithful" in their actions.
Blood was often seen as a sacred thing by many people. It was the very foundation of life, the essence of living.
So offering one's blood to their god could be seen as a holy sacrifice.
These acts of offerings were often accomplished through the means of inflicting a wound on oneself. Particularly through the use of a sacrificial blade.
Sacrificial blades were imbued with the power of the god it was associated with. The blood would then be used to power said god.
"But if it's true… then the blood should be used to power a god. I don't even sense a little of divine energy in him."
The act of inflicting damage to power oneself was considered heretical by many countries.
Thankfully, not in the Academy at least. It accepted people from all walks of life. Anybody was free to use any sort of magic, whether it be dark magic or necromancy.
Anything that was considered heretical on the outside was considered a powerful weapon on the inside.
So at least, for the next three years that Dignitas was here, the outside world wouldn't be able to harm him if they took notice of such a sword.
"But what will happen once he graduates, I wonder? I'm looking forward to seeing that."
Even now, Sayuri could barely contain her excitement. For the first time in the many years she had been mentoring, a disciple had managed to find their elegance.
This was something that would take as many as a hundred battles for them to find.
After all, finding one's elegance was basically the same as "finding oneself."
If you knew nothing about yourself, then you wouldn't find your elegance.
"His potential is astounding. I was beginning to regret taking him in as my disciple, but maybe the sword really did choose him, and not the other way around."
"Either way, we should get out of here. Maybe I'll look for Shib again~"
In the battle earlier, to enter his berserk state, Dignitas had to forcefully inflict a wound on himself via cutting his arm.
A big price to pay.
And considering how Dainsleif's ability to inflict wounds that never healed was still in effect, then Sayuri figured they would have to pay Professor Shib another visit.
***
"Curse that… woman. Since when was an S+ rank hero able to summon Death?"
In the middle of an uninhabited desert, a portal had opened. It was small, fragile, and looked like it would close at any moment.
However, just as it was about to seemingly shut off, a figure walked through.
The figure, at a close glance, was oddly human-like. It possessed a well-toned body and a reasonably tall height.
Long blonde hair would make anybody think it was a woman dragged down behind the figure.
But instead of the long, straight hair one would see in advertisements for women's hair products, the figure's hair was disheveled. Some strands were cut off in awkward places, and some were quite literally burnt off.
This was Kano Sanjiro. And by the skin of his teeth, he had managed to escape from Death himself.
"If her mana control wasn't lacking towards the end, I don't know if I would've lived to see another day. That presence… it still gives me the shivers."
Using every ounce of his mana, Kano quickly phased away from space. With the added advantage of being in his "mana-home", he was able to conjure a portal that sent him over twenty thousand kilometers away.
And even with all that help from space, he was still tired. He did not have time to choose where to go, so he just closed his eyes and prayed that he would be sent to an empty area.
His prayers were answered.
He had been sent to the one continent that had fallen to the scourge: the Beast Continent.
"I should be safe for now… I need to hurry up and regain my strength. And once I do so, I need to get back to the Academy."
"If even His Majesty was terrified of some D ranks, then they most likely will grow up to be powerful individuals capable of harming him."
"I need to take care of it now before the Academy's security increases again."
Without wasting a single moment, Kano got into a meditation posture and started working to regain his lost mana.
"Just wait. I'll show you that your Strongest Hero was nothing even against a demon like me."
***
Lorelai didn't notice it since she was focused on the battle, but Cendria had actually caught sight of her watching.
She instantly recognized the daughter of the Seraphs and knew that if they were to battle here, then Lorelai would most likely get caught in the destruction.
Thinking quickly, Cendria was able to devise a plan to bring Kano somewhere far away. Somewhere where he would not be able to harm the Academy if she was there.
"They're gone…right?"
LorelaI's head poked out from under a pile of concrete. Amidst the chaos, she had used her Wind Steps to escape the area.
It wasn't long before she felt a strangely powerful change in the air. Something was converging on Cendria and the demon's location.
And before she knew it, they had disappeared. They had quite literally teleported out of the Colosseum.
A gaping hole was left on the almost transparent barrier above the Academy like they just punched a hole through it.
Soon after, hundreds of heroes began pouring in from the hole in the barrier. Like moths to a lamp, they flocked inside and began exterminating any demon in sight.
"...they're finally here."
Even if she hadn't fought, Lorelai was out of breath. Perhaps the prospect of the entire Academy crumbling to a single demon invasion felt close to becoming real.
"Oh, right. I need to find my party members soon. If I remember correctly, Curie should be with John."
The events that had unfolded had derailed Lorelai away from her original objective of finding Dignitas.
It was only now that she finally snapped back to reality.
"Uncle Wesker and Makarov should be by the waiting rooms."
"Mark my words, Dignitas Qwerdan. I will find you after this."
No matter who it was, Lorelai never took insults to her loved ones lightly. She would make sure Dignitas would pay.