Chapter 22: Chapter 20: The masked boy
[Luminare Academy]
[Courtyard]
Elizabeth Eudora frowned as she felt the ground shake and as she saw the imnse destruction of magic far away. A blinding light that even illuminated the night sky.
("That magic, it is similar to the headmasters, the princess mayhap?") She mused, but she was more focused on the third mana signature; the second belonged to Gregory, no doubt.
"It belongs to a Chaosmaw." A voice to her side supplied, and turning to it, Elizabeth spotted Professor Gregory approach her in the dark and destroyed courtyard.
"Professor Gregory." Elizabeth greeted. "I have found no students here, though the only few left that are unaccounted for would be the princess, your daughter, and..."
"Mikoto Yukio." Professor Gregory finished for her, all but spitting out the boy’s na as if it were venom.
("Tis understandable, Mister Yukio is quite the tardy student.") She ntally agreed as she spoke. "But you said that mana signature belonged to a Chaosmaw, correct?"
"Indeed, we can also assu that it was responsible for this little attack on the academy." Professor Gregory deduced as he continued. "And just when the headmaster is gone, this was clearly planned."
"You are quite right." The two professors heard a new voice enter the fray, as well as the sound of two bodies hitting the floor. Both turned to et the sight of Mirabella and Agatha’s damaged, torn, and unconscious forms on the ground. With a grinning Asmodai standing not far from them,
Professor Eudora’s eyes imdiately zeroed in on the two downed students, a frown evident on her face.
"Worry not, dear Professor. They still live, for now." Asmodai stated, his grin growing as Elizabeth glared at him. "They were quite powerful, but unfortunately not powerful enough."
"State what it is you ca here for, demon, or I shall dispose of you." Professor Gregory stated, his eyes still indifferent and cold despite the state of his daughter.
"We ca here for but one reason: spawn of Isadora." Asmodai started, his grin growing. "To take that which remains deep in the academy. And to announce our existence."
"Our?" Elizabeth asked. ("And could he an Nihil?")
"You shall soon see." He rely said that as he raised a palm at the two, they imdiately tensed their bodies as they awaited the attack. "But I suppose killing two professors might help spread the news."
"Hubris is unbecoming, demon." Professor Gregory spoke as he directed a glance towards Elizabeth. "Retrieve the girls; I shall dispose of this cur."
Elizabeth rely nodded her head as a purple hue enveloped the two girls. Asmodai did not seem to care as two people’s bodies were dragged her way. Quickly, she retreated with the two in tow, leaving Professor Gregory against Asmodai.
"Creation magic: Azure Wolf." Professor Gregory murmured.
A figure erged, a resplendent creation, born of pure magic. The enigmatic figure of a white wolf materialized before him. Standing as taller than a horse, its powerful presence emanated from it. There seed to be a chill in the air due to its presence. Its breath cold as well as its form.
The wolf’s piercing azure eyes glowed, gleaming with sothing that should not belong to an animal.
"Ah, the Gregory’s famous Creation Magic." Asmodai noted. "It is rather complex to use, if I recall correctly; hence, blueprints of creation are made and passed down." Professor Gregory said nothing about the man’s scarily accurate knowledge.
With a deft wave of his hand, Asmodai summoned his own magic, conjuring a translucent barrier before him.
The wolf, under Professor Gregory’s command, lunged forward with feral ferocity. Its form moved with a speed that defied its size. As it closed in on Asmodai, the wolf’s icy breath ford tendrils of frost, freezing the moisture-laden air around its maw.
With an impact that reverberated across the courtyard, the wolf slamd into the barrier. Mana rippled outward from the point of collision, with visible tendrils of light falling across the shield’s surface. The barrier groaned under the weight of the force, cracks spider webbing across its otherwise perfect integrity. Yet it held steadfast.
Asmodai, sensing the need for a change in strategy, swiftly dismissed his magical barrier with a simple gesture. The barrier dissipated, leaving him montarily vulnerable. With a savage grin fixed on Professor Gregory and the magnificent wolf, he unleashed another surge of mana.
Asmodai’s body levitated off the ground, ascending swiftly into the air. His form appeared weightless, suspended above the battlefield, the tattered ends of his cloak fluttering. A corona of swirling magic enveloped him.
Asmodai summoned forth his dark magic.Dozens of arrowheads, thick and imposing, materialized in the air around him. Each arrowhead was cast in a shadowy color, a darkness radiating from them.
Asmodai released his hold on the arrowheads, launching them towards Professor Gregory and the azure wolf. The air sang with their eerie whistle, as the spearheads cut through it.
The magical wolf sprang into action. Its lithe form contorted through the air, evading the onslaught of arrowheads.
The wolf’s ivory fangs and razor-sharp claws anwhile intercepted the arrowheads, shattering them into splinters before they could reach Professor Gregory.
With each arrowhead deflected and broken, the wolf ford a protective shield around Professor Gregory, preserving him from the relentless assault.
"Quite the impressive creation; this is no re wolf." Asmodai comnted with a smirk. "Though, unfortunately, it is not enough."
"What are you blabbering about, demon?" Professor Gregory’s gaze grew sharper.
"I suppose it would not hurt to inform you." The demon started. "You see, my comrade only identified a few potential threats: the headmaster himself and the spawn of Octavia. There are, of course, more, but those two stand out the most." Professor Gregory’s eyes rely narrowed upon hearing the information. "There is that woman, parading around," His tone seed to drop at the ntion of this woman.
"So you see, Professor..." His grin grew as he continued. "You are no threat."
The professor’s eyes widened as his body tensed, while Asmodai’s mana flared to increasing heights. He was preparing a spell—an extrely powerful one. One that he might not be able to defend against.
Asmodai, however, found himself suddenly torn away from the ruined courtyard. With an abrupt displacent, the desolate surroundings lted away, replaced by the dense forest. His senses were inundated with the scent of damp earth, the rustling whispers of leaves, and the ambiance woven within the trees.
As he collected himself in this new environnt, his eyes locked on a figure lurking just a few ters away. A masked figure erged from the shadows, clothed in an academy uniform adorned with a striking combination of black and gold. The mask, an eerie face with an impossibly wide grin etched upon his face, would unnerve most.
Asmodai, his instincts afla for the first ti, spoke with an authoritative tone. "Who are you, masked one, and why have you brought
to this place?"
Teleportation magic was involved, no doubt, but the wards he had placed should have prevented any kind of teleportation from taking place. Yet this teleportation was also so abbreviated and quick; all it took was a blink, and his surroundings had changed and he was back in the forest.
"Oh, I’m no one important." The mask boy spoke, his voice muffled and androgynous. "I just had a question."
"A question?" Asmodai was, for lack of better words, bemused. This child had torn him away from his battle for a re question. "Fine, what, pray tell is this question, boy?" Asmodai played along; he was a curious demon after all, so he would humor this boy.
"How’d you break the wards?" He questioned, and Asmodai raised his nonexistent brow.
It was quite the peculiar question after all.
"I am afraid I cannot answer that." He stated.
The masked boy heaved a sigh.
"I see. Well, bear with
as this is my first real fight." Confusion was quickly made evident, but suddenly the silence was shattered by a burst of speed. The masked boy vanished from his spot, his form becoming nothing but a blur as he closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Asmodai barely had ti to register the movent before he appeared before him, his hand gripping Asmodai’s face in a vice-like hold.
Asmodai’s muscles tensed, but before he could react, the boy unleashed a surge of absurd strength. It was as if the young boy were possessed by a supernatural force. Asmodai’s body was launched into the air, torn from the ground with astonishing power.
The forest seed to bend and sway with the force of his throw. Asmodai, a re projectile, sailed through the air. Trees shattered and snapped, their once-sturdy trunks splintering in protest as the airborne demon effortlessly ripped through their defense.
Asmodai’s body tumbled and twisted, an object subjected to the whims of the mask boy’s imasurable strength. His limbs flailed against the onslaught of the forest’s natural obstacles, his silhouette colliding with trunks and scraping against gnarled branches.
Finally, Asmodai’s body ca to a staggering halt, crashing into the forest floor with a ground-shaking impact. The once-verdant patch of ground now bore the markings of his violent descent. And yet, despite the rciless barrage and the extensive journey through the forest, Asmodai lay relatively unscathed physically.
Astonishnt and shock washed over Asmodai’s features, his mind reeling from both the shock of the unanticipated attack and the realization that he had, for the first ti, been rendered completely powerless. The sting of his pride being briefly tarnished lingered, his sense of invincibility shattered by this random boy’s display of brute force.
"I was rely caught off guard." Asmodai reasoned as he stood up from the ground.
"Co on, don’t be a sore loser." He heard the familiar voice of the masked boy, who had already made his way over to Asmodai despite the distance.
"It was a simple lack of attention that allowed you to throw
this way; it won’t be happening again." Asmodai’s gaze sharpened as he studied the eerie mask of the boy and waited for his response.
"Uh-huh, whatever you say." He rely uttered it.
Asmodai suddenly found himself annoyed.
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