— Tok. Tok. Tok.
A young man with silver hair tapped the luxurious handle of his chair, looking sowhat annoyed.
His appearance was undoubtedly handso, exuding an air of nobility. However, the overwhelming presence typically associated with soone of his stature was absent.
Simply put, the person before him, bowing low, possessed a trendous aura.
The one kneeling began to speak, as though giving a report.
“With respect, Cult Leader, it appears Evan’s execution has failed.”
The silver-haired man responded with a calm voice.
“That seems to be the case.”
“My apologies.”
“There’s no need for that. By the way, Izonwi.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“Relax a little when you’re in my presence. I’m not about to eat you, after all. Don’t you think it makes the atmosphere heavy?”
Though his lips barely moved, it felt as though a light breeze swept through the room.
The aura radiating from the kneeling man dissipated entirely, carried away like the wind.
Leaning back comfortably in the high-backed chair, the silver-haired man—the Cult Leader—spoke leisurely.
“So, continue.”
“The reaction from the Blood Formation has ceased. I estimate about a third of the Academy could have been effectively eradicated.”
“That’s fine. It’s sothing we can recover in due ti.”
“…But, are you certain it’s alright to proceed without the Elixir of the Saplings?”
Elixir—more specifically, Danwan—was what he referred to.
It was a substance crafted by dissecting people, compressing their essence, and extracting pure vitality.
The Danwan in question this ti was made from none other than the Saplings.
Even for soone of the Bloodstone Cult Leader’s caliber, its effects would have been significant.
This was a crucial matter.
The Cult Leader was on the brink of ascending to the next realm.
He was close to becoming an Absolute Being.
In other words, the revival of the Bloodstone Cult was just within reach.
All mbers of the Bloodstone Cult desperately wished for their leader to reach the next level.
The Danwan needed to be completed.
But Evan had failed.
He was a rather trustworthy individual—or so they thought.
Izonwi lifted his head, gazing at the Cult Leader.
The Cult Leader’s eyes were deep, not the kind that pierced through a person but rather devoured everything in sight.
A trace of regret flickered across those eyes before vanishing.
It was a rare sight, and Izonwi shuddered instinctively.
“There are ways to signal our people. We could manage to restart the Blood Formation.”
“That won’t be necessary. Just retrieve the Fifth Disciple.”
“Understood.”
“The price of failure must be paid with one’s body, after all.”
Clap.
The Cult Leader clapped lightly, not in a dramatic or ominous way, just casually.
Izonwi bowed deeply.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
The Cult Master scratched his chin as he continued.
“Yes, I’ll follow your orders.”
“Bring Ian. See to it when the ti is right. It might be difficult for now.”
“Ian… Ian Blackangers, you an?”
Hearing this, the Cult Leader grinned.
The perfectly restrained aura he had been holding back montarily leaked out—a dark, crimson, ominous force.
The Cult Leader chuckled softly.
“The talented child from beyond… He’s quite special.”
◆
Only darkness surrounded her.
Danya was gradually losing her sense of self.
Or perhaps she was losing her very existence.
Her body had already transford into that of a cat, and her mind was slowly adapting to the change.
The consciousness she almost reclaid with Ian’s help was now slipping away again.
But then—
— Grrk!
It was Ian’s agonized groan that jolted Danya back to her senses.
The heavy, guttural cry resonated deep within her soul, so harrowing that it instinctively brought her back to reality.
She had to save Ian sohow.
– Blink, Blink.
As her eyelids fluttered open, Danya saw the ground tilted at an odd angle.
Was she lying down?
Or had she fainted?
Around her were patterns that seed to be drawn in blood.
Perhaps they were part of a magic circle.
Danya raised her feline body—a cat’s body—and surveyed her surroundings.
What she saw was shocking beyond belief.
Ian stood in front of a man.
— Drip, drip, drip!
Blood was pouring from Ian’s arm in torrents.
…And.
‘H-his hand…!’
Where his hand should have been, there was nothing but exposed bone and flesh dangling loosely.
The sight was horrifying.
Danya’s lips quivered as she finally understood the reason behind Ian’s anguished screams.
‘Ian…’
— Nyah.
A soft cry escaped her lips instead of words.
She wanted to save Ian, who was held captive by Evan.
She had to save him.
But no plan ca to mind.
She did have one thing, though.
Fruits she had gathered during brief monts of lucidity. Ian had taught her about their special properties, and among them, she had collected those with a peculiar scent. 𝙍
And beyond, she caught sight of her comrades.
Elena, Silvia, and Lina.
They threw sothing, and black smoke billowed up.
As the smoke cleared, Ian was in their hands.
Relief washed over her.
But the tide of battle remained unchanged.
Danya waited for the right mont.
Even as Ian suffered, she knew rational judgnt was vital here.
It was sothing Ian had drilled into her endlessly.
‘Whatever the situation, there’s always one chance. Wait for it. And when it cos, seize it.’
One strike.
The mont arrived.
Evan, too, was disoriented by the effects of the pepper fruit.
Danya exchanged glances with Ian.
Though she was in a cat’s body, she was sure Ian understood.
They had shared countless monts, locked in each other’s gaze.
Trusting Ian, Danya leaped.
◆
A yellow cat darted through the air with precision.
A barrage of fruits rained down on Evan.
I shouted swiftly to Lina.
“Fire, Lina!”
Lina’s flas struck directly.
— Boom!
An explosion erupted, setting off the fruits in a chaotic chain reaction.
Crackle, Snap, Pop…
The sound of mutating fruits detonating filled the air.
‘Could those be cursed fruits?’
In the Academy’s sewer system, such fruits occasionally grew.
They were far stronger and more potent than ordinary fruits—practically single-use weapons.
But since they were indistinguishable from regular fruits, most avoided collecting them.
The fruits Danya had just scattered, however, were clearly far from ordinary.
The interaction between the fruits intensified, and Evan’s body began to dissolve before our eyes.
But there was no ti to watch idly.
Thud, Thud.
Danya had been thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion.
I rushed to her side imdiately.
“…Danya!”
Using my arm in place of a hand, I slipped it under her belly, hoisted her up, and rolled across the ground with her.
— Kwaaaaaaaang!
A second explosion detonated, perfectly tid.
The nurous fruits continued to explode, creating a dangerous chain reaction.
There was no ti to cast protective magic.
I simply held Danya tightly and rolled away.
— Thud, Thud, Thud!
Countless shards of stone rained down on my back, pricking painfully.
No fatal injuries—good enough.
“Brother Ian!”
Elena, who had been shielding us from Evan, ran over in haste, casting a protective barrier.
By now, Evan’s form was nearly unrecognizable.
Groooaaarr!
A guttural, inhuman sound escaped his lips, while ominous shadows writhed beneath him.
“For now, let’s retreat, Elena.”
“Yes!”
There was nothing more we could do up close.
We quickly regrouped with Silvia and Lina.
— Rumble, Rumble, Rumble!
The underground chamber began to tremble.
“Elena, grab one of the fruits from my pouch.”
“This one? A large stick…”
“No, not that—yeah, that one.”
Elena picked up a green fruit. I gestured toward the magic circle where the cats were lying.
“The fruit with the sharp scent. Toss it there. The cats will scatter on their own.”
“Understood!”
The awakened cats fled like an ebbing tide, each finding their own way to safety.
“Good! Let’s get out of here too! There’s nothing more to gain!”
Evan was already on the verge of destruction.
There was no point in finishing him off completely.
Our goal from the start had been to rescue Danya.
That was enough.
As we prepared to retreat—
— Nyaaaaaaah!
Blackie grabbed my pants.
“…You didn’t run away? What’s up with you now?”
The little guy pressed his paws firmly into the ground.
Clearly, this ant sothing.
I stomped on the ground as hard as I could.
A pattern erged beneath the surface.
Silvia, observing from the side, muttered under her breath.
“…A detonation magic circle?”
The magic circle originated from Evan.
He was sinking his shadow into the ground.
“Guhehehehe…”
Evan, with most of his flesh lted away, grinned at .
“Return to hell… Or take everything here with …”
That lunatic.
Well, it’s not surprising—the Bloodstone Cult’s executives were never in their right minds.
But still, a self-destruct attack from the Fifth Disciple of the Cult?
“…It’s beyond what we can evade. Can we survive this, Elena?”
Silvia grimaced as she spoke.
“I… I’m not sure. Ian’s condition isn’t good either.”
I had just gained a new insight from fighting Evan.
Undoing a magic circle like this…
‘It might not be impossible.’
But the problem was, I couldn’t use magic in my current state.
Which ant I couldn’t contribute directly.
We’d have to rely on Elena’s protective barrier to withstand it.
“…”
I stared blankly at my comrades.
So of them were bound to suffer serious injuries.
‘…Helpless.’
How long had it been since I felt this kind of helplessness?
No, think.
There must be a way.
Then—
— Nyaaaaaaah!
Blackie pressed against my foot, pawing at my shoe.
“You want to take it off?”
— Nyaaaa!
What in the world?
I decided to follow his lead.
Ouch!
The mont I took off my shoe, Blackie bit my foot.
A small droplet of blood ford.
“…You’re telling to use magic through my foot?”
— Nyaaaa!
Blackie nodded emphatically.
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