Chapter 31 - Viva! Apocalypse (3)
She couldn't understand what was happening. Wasn't this man supposed to be the genius professor of the academy?
He was supposedly so talented that everyone here adored him, and he should be able to handle a small shove without any problem. So she thoughtlessly gave him a light push.
Yet, he collapsed to the ground, his face as pale as a corpse.
Blood dripped from the corner of the man's mouth.
"What…? I didn't even push him that hard!"
This was the prestigious Imperial Academy. It made no sense that someone who couldn't even maintain basic magical reinforcement could work here as a professor.
So why had this happened? She wondered if he was under some kind of illusion spell, but there was no time to pinch her cheek and check.
She felt a chilling gaze from behind.
Turning around, she saw Sion, the Ancient Dragon.
With a soft thud, the package of cookies in Sion's hand fell to the ground. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Even the acting director, not particularly perceptive, could tell this wasn't a good sign.
Her mind raced.
Survival instincts kicked in, and within seconds, her mind suggested a way to navigate this situation.
"Yes, that's it! This has to be an act!"
The texture of the blood Lian coughed up seemed suspicious.
Besides, even if a fraction of the rumors about Lian were true, he was skilled enough to deal with demons. So it made no sense for him to be seriously injured from a small shove.
And of all times, Sion had arrived just as he coughed up blood. All these clues pointed to one conclusion.
"He must've planned this self-harm scheme in such a short time."
He probably sensed Sion's approach and prepared accordingly. His thoroughness was impressive.
She had wondered why he hadn't accepted her convenient truce offer. But now it was clear—he intended to escalate the situation by involving the academy's head to take her down, and even drag down the Iron Duke's faction.
"Well, if that's how he wants to play, I have my own methods."
The solution to countering such a wicked scheme was surprisingly simple.
If she could convince Sion that this was all Lian's plot and that she was merely being used, everything would be resolved.
Once she made up her mind, she didn't hesitate.
She kicked the collapsed Lian as hard as she could. If he was only pretending to be unconscious, this would make him flinch and expose his act.
But Lian didn't move, and instead, it looked as though she had attacked him right in front of Sion. The atmosphere became even more tense.
"…Huh?"
Dizziness washed over her.
She couldn't make sense of the situation at all.
Had he really been seriously injured from the beginning? Or had he fainted after she hit him with full force, thinking he was acting? Or could even this reaction be part of his plan?
Predicting anything felt impossible, but it didn't really matter which answer was correct.
Because Sion, the Ancient Dragon, was glaring down at her with fury in her eyes.
"You brought this end upon yourself."
The overwhelming presence made her legs tremble.
Just by looking into Sion's eyes, she realized the truth: this was a being she could never hope to defeat.
A creature beyond human limits. She was as insignificant as an ant to this being, who could crush her with a mere thought.
Just because it looked human, she had momentarily mistaken them as equals. What a foolish assumption—there was no way reasoning would work.
She had angered the dragon, and from that moment, everything was over.
Sion gently held Lian, caressing him with pity. As she healed him, she whispered into his ear, promising that the pain he endured would be repaid to the acting director a hundredfold.
"I will burn everything you love, every trace of your existence in this world."
Her voice was filled with unimaginable rage. The dragon made her deadly intentions clear.
"But even when you're broken and pleading for release, peace will never come. This is the only fate left to you."
Her tone promised no mercy, and the pressure that had been crushing her suddenly vanished.
Of course, she knew this wasn't some stroke of luck.
It was Sion's way of leaving her with a sliver of hope, only to shatter it later with even greater despair. Sion intended to break her spirit completely.
"But that doesn't mean I'll just lie down and die here!"
Tears streamed down her face as she cursed her bad luck and ran for her life.
She needed to find help.
But who would she turn to?
Everywhere she looked, there were only enemies.
As soon as people heard that Lian had fallen, everyone at the academy lost their minds. And the Ancient Dragon continued pursuing her without rest.
"Why hasn't he contacted me yet?!"
Her only hope, the Iron Duke.
She had reported the situation to him, and he had assured her he would find a way to fix things. But nothing had changed.
Since then, there had been no further contact, and the situation showed no signs of improvement.
"There she is! The demon is hiding here!"
A voice shouted nearby. She had already used every single self-defense tool she had and was running out of options.
Even if she managed to escape the angry students and professors by some miracle, there was no way she could evade the Ancient Dragon's watchful gaze. All her efforts were futile.
Delaying the inevitable horrific end by a mere fraction of time. There was no hope left.
Or at least, there shouldn't have been any hope left.
Footsteps echoed from the distance.
Armored knights approached, bearing the imperial crest. Seeing them, hope returned to her face.
"…What on earth is going on here?"
The white-haired princess leading the knights questioned her.
The chaos unfolding was obvious.
Sion was rampaging, unleashing destruction everywhere. Naturally, the imperial family would send someone to investigate what was going on.
In a situation where everyone else was an enemy, these knights seemed like a lifeline she desperately needed.
"I can't let this chance slip away."
This was the last thread of hope she had to hold on to, so failure was not an option. The acting director put everything into her performance.
"It's Lian! That new professor showed his true colors, tricking the Ancient Dragon and destroying the academy!"
The new professor, it turned out, was actually a demon.
The inexplicably high fame and the cult-like followers he had were all because of a demonic pact.
This scenario was plausible enough.
After all, it was more believable that he had bewitched everyone here in just a month through a demonic contract than without one.
"Everyone except me has been brainwashed. His goal must be to destroy the academy and seize the remains of the Demon Lord sleeping underground."
Revealing the academy's secret that she had learned as acting director, she presented a matter of national security.
Beneath this place lay a being as powerful as the Ancient Dragon, so powerful it could defy normal understanding, and there was a risk it could be resurrected.
If it fell into a demon's hands, the empire would be in grave danger.
"Please lend me your strength! Let us unite to stop the evil plans of Lian, the traitor to humanity!"
The acting director displayed a determined expression.
She extended her hand confidently toward the white-haired princess.
But her right arm was swiftly severed.
A blade of light appeared out of nowhere, turning the acting director into a one-armed woman. The fifth princess gave her a chilling smile.
"You sure have a lot to say for someone wishing for death."
And in that instant, twenty imperial knight divisions joined the ranks to capture her and ensure her punishment.
Where had it all gone wrong?
She hadn't made a single mistake.
This was her one chance at power, the kind that wouldn't come again. She had clung to her advantage, pushing for Lian's dismissal.
After her suspension, she had been one step closer than ever to victory.
So why was it ending like this again?
As she pondered, she realized it was all doomed from the start.
If things were going smoothly, she should have been worried, not relieved.
Maybe this time, it wasn't that she had been fortunate enough to avoid disasters, but that all her bad luck had been quietly accumulating for a massive blow.
"What the hell is going on here?"
The colossal dragon, burning everything in sight.
The academy's internal conflict with the Iron Duke's faction pushing for her dismissal, turned into a full-scale war. The empire's knights, rather than stopping the chaos, actively joining in the riots.
The Mohawked students laughing as they hurled firebombs at the administration building.
It felt like the end of the world.
Watching the academy in ruins, I let out a deep, heavy sigh.
…Things had spiraled out of control.