"KEN! KEN PLEASE WAKE UP!" Coli was screaming at the top of his lungs but no matter what he did he couldn't seem to get Kendell to wake up from his comatose state. "Shit shit shit, what the hell am I going to do class is in less than five minutes and this asshole is dead. Do I tell the Headmaster? The Nurse? What the hell do I do? Shit shit shit." Coli muttered to himself, panic rising in his voice. He glanced at the clock; they were already late for class.
In a moment of desperation, Coli, fueled by the Form Demon 1 ritual, summoned his newfound strength and reluctantly delivered a powerful punch to Kendell. The impact jolted Kendell awake, confusion etched on his face as he slowly came to his senses.
"What happened?" Kendell groaned, trying to orient himself.
"You idiot! You were out cold! What were you thinking?" Coli exclaimed, a mix of relief and anger in his tone.
Kendell blinked, then his eyes widened in realization at the notification displayed before him.
[-----------------------------------]
[ Mastery enhancement success! ]
[ Devil Contracts - Binding Summon, Azmoth: Current Mastery | 3 ]
[-----------------------------------]
He felt the surge of energy within him and grinned oddly. "It worked...," he muttered, almost to himself.
"You're an insane masochist, you know that?" Coli retorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "Get up, we're already late for class. Let's go dumbass!"
Rushing to homeroom, they arrived to find Professor Falis waiting, his expression stern. "Since you're late, you'll assist in today's demonstration," he announced with a hint of mischief in his voice.
For the homeroom demonstration, Professor Falis had a more intense task planned. Drawing inspiration from previous ritual demonstrations, he set up a scenario involving advanced Devil Contracting techniques. Kendell and Coli, despite being late and somewhat unprepared, were thrust into a mock combat situation where they had to quickly fight a devil pulled from the seventh circle of hell by Professor Falis, a task requiring their Form Demon 1 if they wanted to live.
"This should show you all why devils are not to be taken lightly, I have called up the weakest devils in hell to fight these two sleepy heads," he said with a grin, "don't worry if you are in real danger I will intervene- but not until your very life is on the line... you have one minute. Begin!"
The arena was marked with complex ritual circles, forbidding anyone from getting in or out except the instructor. They would both have to use their wits and strength to beat the devils within these confines- or at least survive for a minute.
With a snap of their professor's fingers and the glow of a ritual circle on his upper arm, the devils materialized with a sinister aura- their forms shrouded in dark mists. Their eyes glowed a deep crimson, piercing the semi-darkness of the arena. They were of varying shapes and sizes, one with gnarled horns twisting from their foreheads, and the other with elongated, shadowy limbs that moved with an unnatural fluidity.
As the fight commenced, Kendell and Coli activated their Form Demon 1, hastily drawing their circles in the air, and their bodies slightly morphing to adapt to the enhanced physical capabilities the ritual bestowed upon them. The air crackled with tension as they faced the advancing devils, their fellow students watching with bated breath.
The devils attacked with an animal-like ferocity, their moves unpredictable and swift. Kendell and Coli, relying on their modified strength and agility, dodged and parried, trying to find an opening to counterattack. The clash was a spectacle of power and precision, with each side trying to outmaneuver the other.
The battle raged on, with Kendell and Coli gradually gaining the upper hand. They worked in tandem, Coli distracting the devils while Kendell struck. Despite the danger, they managed to hold their ground, their determination evident in every move.
However, even with their successful evasion and occasional attack, it was clear that they couldn't hold their Form Demon 1 state for too much longer. The devils seemed to be almost playing with them, just waiting for the moment their power would run out.
Then Coli began shifting back to his normal form, his concentration broken and the ritual energy left his body. The devils leaped at the opportunity, launching themselves so fast that the class didn't even have time to gasp before they were on him.
Professor Falis quickly intervened, and with a wave of his hand dispersed the devils back to their realm. The audience erupted in applause, impressed by the display of skill and courage. Kendell, exhausted but triumphant, picked up the trembling Coli and descended from the central platform to take their seats.
The professor gave them both a nod and acknowledged their combat prowess, "However, even though they did exceptionally well- the second they slipped up the devils were instantly on them, ready to rip them to shreds. This is the nature of devils and why we study how to make contracts, if you aren't careful a devil will always take advantage of your weakness."
After homeroom finished, they headed to their Sealing Rituals class, where they were to present their mastery of the ritual circle using their wands. They were called one by one to come down to the front of the room and demonstrate creating their ritual circle with the wands they had practiced within the study hall.
Kendell was called first and showcased his sealing ritual circle mastery, impressing the class with his precise control and understanding of the complex ritual. While not flawless and somewhat slow, he had successfully and efficiently completed the ritual earning a smile from the professor, all of the late nights working with Celia and Coli had paid off.
The majority of the class was able to shakily create their circle and get recognition from the professor. Coli, though less polished than most, managed to demonstrate a significant improvement in his techniques, earning him nods of approval from Professor Grent. Lastly went Celia.
As she stepped down the class sat silent waiting to see the prodigy's method for drawing the ritual. She pulled out the wand and began weaving the intricate pattern into the air, her moves graceful and elegant. There was no flaw or wavering in her performance as she showed complete and utter mastery over the sealing ritual.
The class was holding their breath, scared that if they looked away they'd miss it. As soon as she finished they erupted in applause, much to Celia's horror, as she rushed to sit back in her seat with her face glowing red.
"Wow, that was very impressive Celia, as expected of the class representative," Professor Grent praised, "Now everyone please try and learn from her example, while most of you were able to do this successfully- the time in which it took you would result in failure. When it matters most a sealing must be done efficiently and quickly to avoid the repercussions of a serious ritual."
She paused and looked around the room, "your next assignment is to do it again, but within 10 seconds," she grinned as the students all groaned. It had taken so much time to learn how to get it done within 30 seconds! 10 seemed impossible.
The professor spoke up again, "Don't worry, this isn't expected to be easy. You will all have three weeks to finish this assignment and have it ready. Until that point, we will continue to learn all the basic types of sealing rituals, but you are only expected to perfect the base sealing ritual for now."
As all the students began to leave a wave of excitement passed over them. They were finally going to be able to go to How to Create a Ritual Circle class! This is the one most of the students looked forward to as it would give them the tools needed to become stronger and learn higher-level rituals.
Professor Falis had said that this professor was on a special assignment from the academy so the buzz around this professor was immense, as students speculated about the new professor's expertise and the nature of their assignment.