A few moments earlier…
As the Wastelanders were nearing Sayuri's location, a certain individual detached from her formation and drove towards Nomadian.
"Oh, Silvie. What is it?"
"Would it be possible to tell me more about the bird monster from earlier?"
"Well… I'm not sure there's much to tell. Let's turn this around. How about you ask me questions, and then I'll answer them to the best of my ability."
"Thank you very much. In that case, how would you kill the bird if it were to appear? Hypothetically."
"That's a very brave hypothesis. But if it did happen, I would focus first on bringing the beast down to the ground. As you know, I'm a close-range fighter, so I can't do much unless I'm right in front of my enemy."
"And then, after that, I'd pull its wings apart. Particularly, the feathers."
"The feathers…? Why?"
"Simple. I said earlier that every time the bird flapped its wings, huge storms would occur, yeah? Well, that's not all. The "returner" ability I told you guys about also occurred from the same action."
"So you believe the bird's feathers are what allows it to go back in time."
"Yep. And if I manage to get a hold of it, I think I'll be able to devise a way for us to finally upgrade the Motherlode. Or, rather, Cassandra will."
***
"It seems some insects have managed to worm their way into the domain."
"I knew this human's mana control was lacking. Can't even keep a few mongrels away."
"Should I take them on? Hmm, hmm?"
"No, not now. Let's just purge the human and bring back Kano. His Majesty won't like it if we take too long."
"Very well. Then, Petal Girl, it is time for you to die. Consider it an honor."
One of the masked generals raised their hand in preparation to strike Sayuri down.
"Farewel–!"
The demon raised its eye in surprise. Its arm was stopped by an immovable shield.
"Hmm…?" The demon turned, and was shocked to find Nomadian directly in front of him!
And what's more, he was able to stop an attack from a General without moving so much as an inch.
"Right, sorry about that. You see, the Hero Association sent me here to retrieve this lady. So if you don't mind, I'll be taking her back."
"You–"
The demon was left completely stunned and was unable to react in time before it was flung away backward like a helpless animal. Nomad didn't see it, but all eleven Generals had their mouths agape in shock.
He took advantage of this opportunity and yelled at his subordinates,
"Now! Fire!"
And simultaneously, the Wastelanders with ranged weapons fired multiple bursts of fire at the demons.
*bang* *bang*
After a few sets, the entire field was covered in smoke. Even the sakura petals found it hard to shine in the foggy mess that had taken shape
"Over there!"
A Wastelander pointed to the body that had been thrown out of the smoke. And to everyone's surprise, it was Sayuri.
"What a plan. Did the Boss really suggest this?"
It actually was a strategy brought up by Nomad himself. He proposed charging towards the demons by himself in order to draw their attention, allowing the Wastelanders to open fire.
However, such a reckless plan wouldn't pass by Nomad's subordinates unless their leader had something to back up his bravery.
This, of course, revealed itself the moment the smoke dissipated.
"You guys are a tough bunch. Not a single scratch from all those bullets?"
"Hmph. You would be wise to retreat, human. If you do not wish to disappear from this world.
From the Wastelanders' view earlier, Sayuri was surrounded by the twelve demons.
But now? The one in the middle was Nomadian.
And he wasn't planning on retreating.
"Retreat? Are you joking? This is the one opportunity I get to show off in front of my subordinates, and you want me to waste it?"
"Nah. For now, you twelve will serve as stepping stones to make me look good."
And at that very moment, a mana signature erupted upon the domain.
It was dense. So dense, that even the generals were left dismayed at the sight of it.
"This power level… It's even higher than Cendria Macador?!" One of the demons screamed.
"To think that we would find someone stronger than even the strongest hero… Alright, we'll play with you."
""Yeah! Play, play~""
***
The situation had taken an immediate turn for the worst. In just a few seconds, Varnier had shut down their entire attack with a single quake of the earth.
Dignitas was running out of options. All of his cards had been played. His chances of winning now were next to none.
"Who am I kidding, it was never even possible to win in the first place. Why was I so optimistic…"
Everyone had collapsed on the floor, with the exception of John, who somehow managed to keep himself upright with just pure willpower.
Dignitas looked around for his teammates. Rokas had been flipped over and was trapped under a pile of rubble, the Eri siblings were both unconscious and unresponsive, and Wang Jin was nowhere to be found.
"Professor Shib… where is he?" Dignitas mustered as much strength as he could and turned his head to look for him.
"Shit, I can't find him either. Is this really the end?"
At the moment, Varnier was watching John. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of a human being able to withstand his attacks, much less a C- rank.
However, the threat of death was still very much present in the room. With the help from Percivale's magic no longer pushing them up, everybody was left helpless under the might of Varnier's sheer pressure.
"No, this shouldn't be it. I have way too much to do here. If only I could rewrite…rewrite this situation somehow…"
"Rewrite? Rewrite! Yes, that's it…"
Dignitas frantically chanted the name of the skill. It was his last hope and his final stand.
"Log Of The Academy's Regressor."
And instantly, a thick book appeared in Dignitas' hands. He immediately flipped through it, somehow landing on the page where he last left off.
"I've been so caught up in the past events that I was never really able to fully comprehend the changes."
"Here. I was right. The entire arc was changed. From a simple entrance exam to a hellish invasion by demonic forces…"
"And so, if my theory is correct… then their content should've changed too!"
"Hah… I was right!"
///
John stood tall, despite the attack. Even he himself did not understand how he was able to do so. Perhaps it was the thought of saving people from the demon that kept him going.
However, his physical state wasn't in the best of sorts. Injuries were spread out from all across his body. Not a single organ was spared from the excruciating pain he was enduring.
There was no more mana left in his body. The little number of particles he was naturally breathing in was not the least bit efficient in restoring his health.
///
"This is it! The thing I need to rewrite!"
"From having a bad physical state to being in tip-top shape, from having multiple injuries to not being harmed at all, and from having no mana to bursting with it, just like tha–"
Dignitas was not able to finish his words before he passed out. The consequences for performing such a feat required more than he could handle.
***
"Well, this is probably it… my third run was a lot shorter than I expected it would be."
"I just wish I knew what caused it all to go wrong."
"Who am I kidding… if I were to know that, then I'd be able to fix all my mistakes."
"But it seems I'm cursed to continue this cycle of life and death."
"But I swear, my fourth will be my las–"
John's words were stopped by Varnier, who had flicked a rock onto his forehead.
"What are you doing? Prey does not give up this easily."
"I have lost all anger towards you, demon. You are free to do what you want."
"...pathetic. Then so be it. I will end this facade."
Varnier gathered a small but potent amount of mana into his fingers and formed a small rock bullet.
"You have shown me a good time, human. But in the end, the predator will always beat the prey. Goodbye."
*ftwoop*
"Wait."
"Wha–?!"
Varnier was surprised to find John had not died. He had grabbed the bullet and stopped its trajectory with a mere grasp.
"This power… it's flowing into my body! I can feel myself rejuvenating!" John quickly stood up.
At that very moment, Varnier's existence had faded from his head. Power was circulating through his veins!
However, the demon was the farthest from happy.
"This is how you repay me for wanting to grant you an honorable death?! But it doesn't matter. Prey that keeps on struggling only makes the final reward more worth it!"
"Come, human! I want to see this power you're talking about!"