Chapter 193: Good Times Interrupted by Angels
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[Third Person Point of View]
Lian and her group were supposed to leave right after meeting the Principal. The plan was to reach the battlefield, meet her younger brother, throw him into the carriage, and return home. However, quite a change appeared in the plan and she decided to leave the next day.
Tomorrow morning, as per the Principal's order, all the first-year students left for the battlefield. They rode large mundane carriages that carried their gloomy faces toward the faces of Demons. The Raiden Clan's large, royal carriage followed them.
The eye-patched professor leading the students this time didn't have any objection to this since having a powerful asset like Raiden Lian on these dangerous roads couldn't be a bad thing.
"I am Professor Thalindra, we will be in your care," the red-haired woman shook her hands and Lian showed a polite smile.
"Thalindra the Dragon Hunter? It's my pleasure to meet an extraordinary person such as you, SSS-rank hunter." Lian said, and Thalindra took the compliment with a nod. They withdrew their hands, and Lian asked, "By the way, do you by any chance know a pair of twin students? Blonde."
Professor Thalindra tilted her head, "Aquamarine and Ruby Hoshino, I presume you mean them. What of them?"
"Hm, Hoshino?" Lian raised an eyebrow. "They originate from Cania?"
"I am unsure. As far as I know, they're orphans. What piqued your interest?"
What picked her interest was that… sheer physical strength he displayed. The Mana she sensed from him was nothing much, even if impressive for a first year, so how did he bring out such incredible strength?
Yesterday, Lian stopped her subordinates who immediately tried to fight the boy for hurting Xia. When they didn't attack him, the boy didn't bother to engage with them either. He left with his sister, and Lian has been curious ever since.
If it's some secret technique or martial art that anyone can use, it'll help mankind a lot against the demons. I need to seek him out and ask him. She thought.
There was also the chance that it was his bloodline power. That would be a pity, but still better than nothing. If he made lots of children with other powerful women, and age-speed magic and potions were used on the children after that, they'd be ready to fight the demons in no time.
Such a plan may not be morally correct, Lian knew, but what would the use of morality be if the world was destroyed? Apocalypse was nearby, and she had to make sure at least Cania would survive.
It makes things easier if they're of Canian origin. Lian asked Thalindra about the two kids' location, and after explaining to the stubborn professor that she did not have any ulterior motive, she received what she wanted to know.
She approached one of the many carriages that were about to leave, and right there, in the back seats, she found the twins.
"Aquamarine," Raiden Lian put a hand on her waist and called. Bright aqua blue eyes turned to meet her dark blue ones. "Would you like a cup of Eastern herbal tea?"
He looked at her with an expressionless face, and she smiled in return.
"Of course, you can bring your sister too."
"No." Aqua turned his head away.
****
Lian felt a bit offended that her polite tea invitation was rejected so easily, but there was nothing that could be done. It's not as if she could force a student to come to her carriage in the name of tea, what would the people say?
I'll get to talk to him later, I'm sure. That was the plan. After all, they were going to the frontlines, he was going to fight there, and she would have a lot of opportunities there.
He didn't respect her Duke title. Probably because he didn't know who the Raiden Duchy was, in that case, she'd have to ease him up with her powers. He's just a student, so if she showed off her 7th Rank Samurai powers a little against demons, he would be impressed and ready to talk.
The Samurai Ranks were the same as the Knight Ranks, with just a different name. Just like how the Mages had 1st-Circle to 9th-Circle ranks, the Knights were ranked by 1st-Grade to 9th-Grade. This along with the Hunter Ranks were the three secondary ranking ways Pangeal went by.
However, the main ranking method came from the Gaia System.
[Levels]. With level 100 being Divinities, known as DemiGods. Although they were called DemiGods, it's not as if they're half Gods, the term demi was only used here because there could only be one true God in this realm; the Goddess. All the other Gods after her are titled DemiGod.
For reference to the level system, there were only a handful of 9th-ranked Mages in the entirety of Pangeal's history. And only one of them had ever crossed Level 95. That exact mage, the strongest 9th Mage to ever exist, Elf Sieran was at Level 99. She has been stuck at that number for hundreds of years now, unable to advance.
The only one in recent times who turned into a Demigod was Barolt, the mortal who rose to the ranks of divinity out of sheer willpower and spitefulness. He reached the Level 100 and ascended to the heavens. He's the only one in the last five hundred years to do that.
Compared to those big shots, Lian was at a measly Level 77. But for most people in Pangeal, that was a legendary number on its own.
Surely, that little boy will be impressed by her [Skills] when she shows off a little.
"Yawn," Rhea yawned near the campfire, breaking Lian out of her trance.
It's been half a day since they started their trip, and they've stopped to camp for the night. It was quite a large group since a total of 4 first-year classes were gathered here. From Class A to D, which was about 200 students and four professors.
Likewise, there were four campfires other than the Raiden Clan's own. In one of the other campfires, Professor Thalindra, who was in charge of Class B, was hanging out with her class, cooking food for them.
"Class B, eh," Xia murmured, frowning at that crowd while her left hand hung from her shoulder. It was broken and bandaged. "How is such a strong brat not in Class A? This is stupid."
"I advised you many times to never judge people by their appearance. You deserve to have your arm broken." Lian said in a sharp tone, making Xia flinch.
Lian and her other four henchwomen put food in the fire and ate, while Xia waited for Rhea to feed her. After they were done eating, she let out a sigh.
"Haah," Xia stood up. "I'll apologize to him, my lady. Maybe then he'll listen to your request."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Lian said. "After all, you stood up for me. I can't be too mad at you for that."
Xia smiled hearing that, "Still, I'd like to apologize if that will make him consider your invitation."
The other four exchanged glances, a little surprised that she was going to apologize just because of that. Lian shrugged and all five of them watched Xia walk towards the Class B campfire. They were the closest to Raiden's Camp, Lian made it that way, so they could have kept an eye on Aqua and thus receive a chance to talk to him.
Xia walked over to the twins, sitting a bit farther away from the rest of the group. As Lian had observed before, the sister was the more cheerful one out of the two, while the brother was quite cold. Though unlike yesterday, he was smiling and talking with his sister, even though his smile wasn't as wide and bright as hers.
They're cute. Lian was reminded a little of her own younger brother and her memories from the past. They didn't have any recent memories since he's been at this Academy for years, busy learning. That was why she was here, to take him to safety. She didn't want to lose her only remaining family after her father and mother passed away against those Demon Gods.
"H-hey… Aquamarine, right?" Xia said, almost stuttering. That made her other four colleagues snort in an attempt to hold back their laughter. Even Lian found it amusing.
The blonde boy looked up at her, and this time he didn't frown. "Who are you?"
"...." Xia blinked, her face going blank. This time even Lian laughed. He's clearly messing with her, but she didn't catch it. "I- well, my arm. You broke it yesterday."
"Oh right, you're that girl."
"Yes… I'm here to apologize," she said. A lot of other students, including Professor Thalindra, were looking at this. Naturally, they looked quite confused when they heard he had broken her arm and she was here to apologize for it. "I… I am sorry, I should have been more cool-headed. I-"
"Onii-chan."
"I noticed."
Aqua leaped up in a stupidly fast motion, his fist suddenly flying toward her face.
Lian's eyes widened, and she grabbed her sword, rushing to save her subordinate.
Aqua's fish hit the darkness beside Xia's face, right above her right shoulder. A loud impact filled the air, and a dark figure shot backward from right behind Xia. She was unharmed, and he quickly put her behind him.
"Stay behind me," he said.
"U-uh?"
"....!" Lian was stunned, while Xia froze on her spot behind him. All of them faced the creature that Aqua had just punched. Even I didn't notice, how did they- no, that's not important right now.
"Everyone!" Lian took a deep breath in and shouted. "Prepare for battle, enemies! We are under attack!"
It wasn't some goblins or orcs. No. The Demons were here.
****
"They say 'Demons', eh?" I rubbed the back of my head while all two hundred here trembled and got ready for battle.
These things weren't really a Demon, though. The creature I punched into oblivion was dead against the tree; it was a Nightkin, a sub-vampire, who looked like a gross humanoid bat. However, the others that surrounded us weren't exactly that.
Hovering effortlessly in the twilight sky, the people saw a vision of both awe and terror. The people could do nothing but hold their weapons and face the sky. All the enemies were aerial, and few here could fly. A few dozen of those Nightkins were floating overhead, but contrasting to their dark skin that seemed to merge in the night sky, the white-skinned bastard caught all of the attention.
"Oh no… oh no, what's that doing here?!" From the corner of my eyes, Professor Thalindra showed quite a strong reaction.
It made sense, because among the dozens of Nightkins, there were five white-skinned bastards, and at their center, there was a gray-skinned one. Those six were the real problem.
The five white-skinned ones were in a surreal, ethereal glow, casting long shadows across the ground below, the demonic-looking creature looking down at us with an eyeless face. Its figure was lean and sinewy, a grotesque parody of human form, with elongated limbs that tapered into razor-sharp talons.
Its skin had been an unnaturally pale, almost translucent white, stretched taut over a frame that seemed both emaciated and powerful. Veins and sinew rippled beneath the surface, giving it the appearance of barely contained power. Two pairs of wings jutted from its back, each feather seemingly sculpted from pure light, yet possessing an unsettling, almost jagged quality as if designed for more than just flight.
Its face was a haunting mask of malevolence, devoid of eyes, replaced by a smooth expanse that radiated a sinister light. Where a mouth should have been, there was a gaping maw filled with rows of needle-like teeth, an ever-present reminder of its predatory nature. The head was crowned with a halo that glowed with an unholy light, pulsing in rhythm with the creature's slow, deliberate movements.
It was an Angel; a mass-produced Lesser Demonic Angel. There were five of them.
[Image Here]
I wish that were the only thing to worry about. No, even though they were just subordinates here, the main culprit, the main danger was the one in the middle. The one who looked like the evolution of those Lesser Demonic Angels; with a better and anatomically more accurate humanoid form. It had four horns on its head, looking far more like a demon even though it had white wings.
[Image Here]
"Impressive senses, that one." The Higher-Demonic Angel said. Unlike the others, it had vocals and was clearly intelligent enough to use it. "I did not expect to come across this when I decided to patrol the area for fun, before heading to the near-sea battlefield as ordered."
As it descended a little, the air around it distorted, a whispering wind carrying with it the faint, anguished cries of lost souls. Its presence commanded an involuntary shudder, a primal fear that gripped the hearts of all who beheld it. This angel was not a messenger of hope, but a harbinger of despair, a twisted servant of an evil god.
"Sacrifice yourself," the creature told me, slowly flying down. "Submit yourself to the true God's messenger, and earn eternal life." Heh, he promised eternal life at a cost far greater than death. How infuriating.
"[Blade Dance of the Blade God's Descent]!" a shout filled the air and a blue figure blurred toward the descending Angel. It was that woman, Lian, who performed a Skill from the System.
The angel gently turned its head toward her, and one of the five lesser angels moved to block it from reaching its leader. Its wings acted as a shield.
"Keugh-!" Lian struggled against it until the Angel slapped her back to the ground.
Ah, shit. So she's not strong enough to match those five. Our four Professors should be similar to her level, if not a little weaker. Meaning the five strongest people here are no match for those five angels. Then there's the boss, too. I found this frustrating.
"But… hey, isn't that an angel? Why're we fighting it?" One of the Class D students asked, clearly he was so trashy that he didn't recognize the situation we were in.
"You fool! That's an Ahaiyute, Evil Gods' Angels! And from what it just said earlier, it was supposed to head to the battlefields where the other students are at! We need to defeat it, or else it will kill our other students!" The Class D professor explained the situation to the fool. Well, he kind of enlightened me as well as I didn't know these creatures went by Ahaiyute. I didn't want to disrespect proper angels by calling these bastards the same name.
"A-Ahaiyute?!"
"Ah…"
Dozens of students dropped their weapons, their bodies trembling. Some even fall to their knees, staring at the creatures with fearful eyes.
"O, Goddess, please, save me! Save us!" Some clasped their hands and began to beg.
"I'll repeat myself once," the Ahaiyute leader watched the scene with an uninterested face and said; this time he looked not just at me, but everyone here. "Submit yourself to the true God's messenger, and earn eternal life. You don't have to fight and die." Rather, he would like to transform us into those Nightkins behind him and make us kill the rest of the humans. What a great offer.
"Here I thought I'd get a clean way out once midnight hit," the plan was to flee the camps with Ruby when everyone was asleep.
"Well things rarely go as planned," Ruby patted my shoulder beside me.
"Professors, follow my lead! You girls, back us up!" Raiden Lian, slightly injured after the clash earlier, ordered as if she was the one in charge. The professors went and followed her still, they knew they had no choice but to fight. Lian's five subordinates rushed to support them from the back. Well not five, it's four since one of them was still behind me, arm broken.
"Foolish choice," Ahaiyute raised his hand, ordering his subordinates. "Kill them. If we kill them and eat them, their children will have no choice but to join us in fear."
Would you look at that, a beast using a brain? I crossed my arms and watched, as the five Lesser Ahaiyute rushed toward the four professors and Lian. A battle broke out.
…..
Lian and the four professors formed a line in front of the students, their auras flaring as they readied themselves. Her four subordinates spread out behind them, their own powers augmenting the front line's strength.
"[Wrath of the Blade God's Descent]!" Lian roared when a Lesser Ahaiyute rushed toward her, her blade moving with lightning speed as she clashed with it. This time, she wasn't pushed back, it was evenly matched. She was going all out.
One of the professors, a robust man with a fiery aura, shouted and conjured a torrent of flames that surged toward the demonic angel that targeted him. He seemed to be having fun, grinning as he punched the white-skinned bastard like a punching bag.
"[The Wild Dragon's Dance]!" Professor Thalindra, her one good eye blazing with determination, spun with her double-headed ax and chopped off parts of her enemy.
Another professor, a soft woman with glasses, slammed her staff into the ground, causing the sky to tremble with wind and disrupt the angels' formation.
"[Torrent of Arcane Energy]!" The final professor, an elderly mage with a long white beard, chanted an incantation that summoned a barrage of arcane missiles that homed in on the angels.
The four subordinates of Lian supported from the rear, their own Skills bolstering the efforts of the front line.
"[Enchanted Arrows]!"
"[Wind's Blessing]!"
"[Healing Light]!"
"[Stone Wall]!"
They cried to activate their skills, their abilities kept the angels at bay and also enhanced the main group's powers. Without them, it would have been harder for the main fighters to do as much damage as they were.
For a moment, it seemed like the humans might hold their ground.
The combined might of their skills and spells was impressive, pushing the Lesser Ahaiyutes back and preventing them from overwhelming the camp.
"[Heaven's Cleaver]!" Lian's blade glowed with a divine light as she struck her enemy, her blade cut through its defenses and drew black blood.
"How annoying." The leading Ahaiyutes raised its hand again. "Children, join them." And at this command, the dozens of Nightkin hovering above descended upon the battlefield.
The Nightkin swarmed towards the professors, their shrill cries adding to the chaos of the battle. Despite their efforts, the combined forces of Lian, the professors, and her subordinates began to falter under the relentless assault.
"[Inferno Burst]!" The professor with the fiery aura unleashed a desperate blast of flames from his fists, incinerating several Nightkin but barely making a dent in their numbers.
"[Gale Force Strike]!" The soft mage woman cast a spell that cut through the air, creating a powerful gust that knocked back some of the Nightkin, but the tide of enemies was unending.
They rushed toward Lian's henchwomen first, the poor women struggling against their number. And without the support from those four, the five at the front began to falter as well.
Two more minutes and many deaths will occur.
"...I honestly hoped they'd be able to take care of this on their own. How disappointing." I shook my head, glancing at Ruby, who nodded in agreement. "Looks like we're stepping in."
"About time," Ruby replied, a smile playing on her face. "I'll take care of the weak ones, you take on the leader. Be careful."
"Release your 2nd Seal, be at Gold," I told her as I spread my Qi around.
"No, I'll be fine as it is," Ruby said while casting spells.
"Do as I say, or I'll beat you up."
"Ugh, fine," she closed her eyes and did so. Her Ether energy leveled up instantly. "Happy now? How about you, you're not going to?"
I smiled, "I don't need to, they're small fries."
"Hah, sure thing. I'll be dealing with french fries then," she said a joke that was not at all funny and raised her hand. A hundred magic circles filled the air, while Nine Colored Qi bloomed out of her like a beacon of hope.
A hundred spells struck the enemies, as did her Qi, beading the power to destroy everything. The air grew hot and bright as she took charge of the fight in an instant.
"Good job," I watched her for a bit, smiling, until my smile dropped and I vanished from sight.
"What…?" The arrogant Ahaiyute Leader looked at the situation with a frown. "Who is that girl?!"
"Worry about yourself," my enraged voice caught him off guard, as he swiped an attack behind him without even looking. His swipe contained embers of a star; he left a trail of light on his swipe.
How lucky.
I blocked it with my left hand, burning with the light of darkness, and my right hand curled into a fist. I punched him in the chin, sending him flying upwards. By the time he regained his composure, I was above him. My kick landed on his chest and he plummeted down to the ground with a loud crash.
"...!" He spat saliva, groaning, and slowly stood up. I waited for him in the sky, my fist charging with Qi.
"You foolish human, how dare you?!" He shouted and leaped up toward me. Good.
My fist shone with the power of the Dark Sun, the bane for an incomplete light Angel like him. If his attributes were not Light or if he was all grown, I would have had to be more physical with him. I would have had to spend five minutes punching him into the sky and back to the ground, breaking his body down with sheer brute force.
But this made things easier.
I kicked the air with such force that it caused an explosion behind me, throwing me towards the Ahaiyute. He jumped up towards me at the same time, leaving broken trees and a small crater behind.
"Die," I all but ordered as I planted my Darkest Sun Qi into his face while dodging his claws. If my Sage's authority was here, he might have dropped dead from just my words. His horns cracked as did his skull from the impact. Instead of waiting for him to fall to the ground, I caught his head in my hand. My Dark Sun Qi invaded his body, and with each second I increased the amount of Qi inside of him. His body lit up.
"AGH-" his eyes widened and his mouth opened. "ARGHHHHH!" the Ahaiyute bastard shouted to his death, as Dark Sun Qi leaped out of his mouth and his body exploded into brilliant light.
Sparkles of light filled the sky, raining down, as all his subordinates looked up in shock. Their fear was visible.
I coated my forearms on Darkest Sun Qi, sharpening it around the edges, creating a sharp touch to it. Then, in an instant, I used the Path of the Darkest Sun's enforcer technique to fly through my enemies. In a few seconds, I had cut through dozens of Nightkins. In the darkness of the night, my enforcer technique was visible, making me a dark golden blur; like the eclipse sun that was dark all over yet had a bright outline.
Heads of cauterized bats fell to the ground, and I moved to the remaining two Lesser Ahaiyutes. The other two were taken care of by Ruby, and one of them was killed by Lian. I punched into the skull of the Ahaiyutes, and their head exploded the moment it reacted with my Darkest Sun Qi.
In under a minute, the six Ahaiyute and dozens of bats lay on the ground dead and buried.
I stopped beside Ruby, who panted a little, while her forehead was sweaty. I ruffled her hair, while all eyes were locked at us.
Shocked, injured students and professors looked at us in confusion. Lian and her subordinates were no different.
"Cast a Healing Spell," I told Ruby, who let out a sigh. She raised her hand in the sky, and a massive magic circle spun overhead. It was green, letting out a brilliant light, light that healed every human it touched. Wounds closed, tiredness vanished, and broken hands fixed the bones.
"There."
"Good job."
Lian watched her healed injuries in fascination for a bit and stepped forward, "Who are you?"
"You'll find out when it's time," I said and turned my head to look around to figure out the directions. "Ruby, let's go."
"W-wait!" Professor Thalindra shouted. "Where are you going?! I don't know how you two managed to gain such power, but you'll be a great help in the battlefields!"
"I apologize, but we're moving to find a more permanent solution than fighting sea demons, professor," I decided to spare a second to tell her that. "Please be safe in the frontlines."
"...When will we see each other again?" Lian asked and I scowled. That sounded too cliché, we weren't even that close.
"Someday," I said, grabbing Ruby by her waist, and jumping into the air. Without my ability to maneuver my willpower, gained in Underlord, I had to use my air-stepping powers to jump in the air, blitzing like lightning.
One moment, we were at the campsite, and moments later, we were kilometers away. The Elven Forest was not anywhere close, by Earth's standards it was a continent far.
[Image Here]
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Author Note: Another long chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying the start 🔥Vote stones if you're enjoying it. Goal is Top 5, if not, then next chapter is the day after tomorrow.
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