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[Emergency Stop Activated!]
[As of now, a gate that can exit the illusion is being created.]
[During the creation of the gate, combat between students is prohibited!]
Ian confirmed the use of the emergency stop and put away the device.
Beside Ian, space began to ripple. It was a slight movement, but the gate was being formed.
Lilith chuckled at the sight.
"So, choosing to flee in the end? Well, as a mortal, enduring this much deserves praise. But did you think I would just watch you escape?"
"Escape, huh? If that's how you feel, then think that way."
"Whatever thoughts you're having, remember that it's all in vain."
Lilith smiled at Ian's bravado and once again lifted her scythe.
Honestly, even now she couldn't discern what he was thinking.
In the illusion, knowing one couldn't be killed, she didn't know if he was continuing the meaningless battle or not.
She didn't understand why he persisted in defiance even in a situation where escape was impossible.
The moment Lilith came to terms with incomprehensible thoughts was when she realized the human in front of her was just a mortal.
'He's not in his right mind.'
She was sure of it. The guy in front of her had already lost his mind.
Facing an insurmountable barrier, he had given up on rational judgment and begun to act recklessly.
"Haha…."
With such thoughts, a smirk crept onto her face.
"Why did the Demon King of Sloth… choose such a human?"
Though she was Asmodeus's closest confidant, she had respected Belphegor.
Without interfering, leading a carefree life, yet being someone no one could scoff at, how admirable was that?
That's why Lilith harbored respect for Belphegor.
But this time, his choice seemed wrong.
'He's undoubtedly a remarkable human… but he's just a mere mortal.'
She didn't know why such a human was worth attention. But anyway, it seemed Belphegor had shaken hands with him.
Thump!
With her scythe raised, Lilith licked her lips as she looked at Ian.
Though she wanted to refrain from harming Belphegor, her idol, she served the great Asmodeus.
She had to differentiate between personal and professional matters.
Ku-gwak-gwak!
Powerful magic began to surge through the earth.
Seemingly harmless at the moment, once Lilith commanded, those would become powerful weapons aimed at Ian.
In such a situation, Ian showed an unexpected move.
Swoosh!
"Oh…."
Unshielding his face guard, Ian faced her.
Lilith sneered at such a move from Ian. But Ian just calmly stared back.
'Does he think I've given up?'
Well, even if he thinks so, it's not really a strange situation.
Suddenly releasing the guard that hadn't been loosened at all would make it seem like she had given up.
But Ian had never given up. He just changed his stance.
'No guard.'
In boxing, there's something called no guard.
Lowering the guard that protects the head and standing. At first glance, it seems like a stance with no advantages whatsoever.
It had clear advantages that no other stance could imitate.
'Tricking the opponent into complacency and being able to throw punches from unexpected angles.'
There was a fatal flaw in not being able to defend.
But in the current situation where only one option was left, it wasn't a big problem.
'And from now on, the guard is meaningless.'
Moreover, in the current situation, each attack could be fatal.
Anyway, in this situation, it's better to abandon defense and invest everything in attack.
Having made his judgment, Ian moved straight ahead.
Aargh!
Black mana began to surge in Ian's hand. Lilith, anticipating an attack, prepared to retaliate.
But Ian didn't charge immediately. Instead, he plunged the mana into the ground.
Boom!
The explosion of mana caused dirt and dust to billow up, blocking the view. As Ian disappeared from sight in an instant, Lilith frowned.
'Did he use smoke as cover? Quite clever.'
He definitely dropped his guard.
So rather than coming in openly, he probably intended to come from an unexpected direction after concealing himself….
As if confirming Lilith's thoughts, Ian emerged from a completely unexpected position.
Swish!
Cutting through the thick smoke, Ian appeared. Approaching swiftly, Ian. Lilith raised her demonic magic, but…
"Lo Aias"
Clang!
"Argh! Same old tricks!"
The massive shield that appeared in front of Ian blocked all the demonic magic.
"Argh!"
An enraged Lilith continuously fired magic.
Honestly, she couldn't understand why he was rushing at her.
Even if he prepared powerful attacks to strike her weak points, she was invincible in illusions.
'Does he not think?'
If he's hit by her attack while his defense is down, he'll suffer fatal injuries in reality, won't he? What confidence is he coming at her with?
She couldn't understand it at all. She almost wanted to tear open his skull to check.
But there was one thing she could be sure of.
'There's something about him.'
Leaving him be would surely lead to trouble.
Though it was a brief moment, Lilith felt that Ian Volkanov was definitely not an idiot who made foolish choices.
That was why.
"Die!"
Boom!
Using all the magic she could muster, Lilith aimed for Ian's throat as the distance between Ian and her narrowed.
The surging magic filled the sky,
Gradually forming into huge chains and raining down on Ian like flowers.
"Lo Aias."
Crash!
The shield collapsed. However, the distance between Ian Volkanov and Lilith was less than ten paces.
Now it was time to prepare for the final blow.
Ian was the first to move.
With the giant hand materialized, Ian swung his fist directly, while Lilith swung her scythe.
The distance was completely closed. Fist and scythe collided.
But neither Ian nor Lilith backed down.
There was no evasion. Lilith, too, maintained her stance and swung her scythe.
Boom!
"Die, Ian Volkanov!"
Swish!
Lilith's scythe was slightly faster than Ian's fist.
Crack!
Screeee!
The scythe, imbued with plenty of magic, effortlessly sliced through the fist Ian had materialized, as if cutting through tofu.
Gradually, a giant gash appeared in Ian's upper body.
Losing vitality in his pupils, Ian's body gradually lost balance and fell backward. Watching him fall, Lilith raised the corners of her mouth.
"Ha… Ha!"
She had won… She was faster than him swinging his fist. That was the moment she thought so.
Aargh!
"What…!"
Ian's body began to emit light as it started to crumble.
Light emanated from the massive wound. Normally, there should have been blood coming out of the wound, but no matter how hard she squinted, Lilith's eyes seemed to see light emanating from Ian's body.
But that wasn't all.
'What's going on? Why does it feel unnatural?'
Due to the tense situation, she hadn't carefully examined it before, but now that she looked closely, something felt off.
Ian Volkanov was clearly in front of her, but fundamentally, she didn't feel his presence.
It was as if he were an intricately crafted doll.
'A puppet? Then where is Ian Volkanov?'
As the question arose, Lilith couldn't hide her confusion and turned her head slightly.
And she could see it.
"Now do you understand?"
"Yes, you!"
Preparing his fist on her left side was Ian Volkanov!
Wasn't she just facing Ian Volkanov? Then what on earth was happening?
Lilith's questions were answered when the Ether taking Ian's form returned to Ian's hand.
Once again, a giant hand materialized from Ian's hand. The pressure was different from before.
Even Lilith, a high-ranking demon, trembled.
It was only then that she realized.
'Ah. That…'
Ether. Ian had used it to create a dummy that looked just like himself.
'The explosion of mana to obscure the vision was also to prevent me from noticing the dummy.'
She had been completely deceived. Her mind was distracted by the enemy in front of her, unable to distinguish between the real body and the puppet.
Realizing her mistake, Lilith's body froze for a moment.
Unable to grasp the situation, she blankly stared at Ian's fist.
Boom!
She ended up allowing the blow.
"Cough!"
Ian's blow created a huge hole in Lilith's body.
Crimson blood erupted like a volcano.
"Kwaaaak!"
Despite the boiling pain, Lilith screamed, her hatred for Ian ablaze.
Ian casually watched her.
As expected, his will seemed to indicate that he would rush at her again after recovering.
But things didn't go as Lilith wanted.
"Why… isn't it healing…"
Lilith's eyes widened at the sluggish healing speed. She hesitated, momentarily stopping her attempts to use magic for healing.
"It's not healing…. Then… this is…"
It wasn't until after her body was pierced that she realized the boundary between reality and fantasy had collapsed.
Before she knew it, Lilith's body began to disintegrate into dust, dispersing into the air.
It was the end for her, who had believed in the illusion and been careless.
Gradually turning into dust, Lilith vanished completely, and a clear notification sound rang in her ears.
[Emergency quest completed!]
[Reward: Partial reveal of Ian's secret!]
As the status window appeared, Ian's vision began to blur.
To read all 300 fully translated chapters and the first 25 chapters for free, visit patreon (p(A)treon.com/Astrid02)