Appearance (3)
As Osprey had predicted, Constel's key personnel were currently facing off against devils, each on their own. This included both teachers and students.
Since most devils had a human-like appearance, they could approach to a certain extent without being noticed by other students. They only revealed their true identities when they engaged in combat with their intended targets.
However, unlike Osprey, others hadn't yet realized the devils' objective. Inevitably, they became cautious of the attacks from these unidentified enemies. Most assumed that enemies targeting Constel had simply appeared.
However, one person was the first to sense something amiss.
Swish!
"Huu, what are these things?"
After splitting a devil's body in two, Aster Evans looked around. Among all the personnel at Constel, Aster was the fastest at eliminating devils. Naturally, he began to notice the devils' strange behavior.
Having already killed several devils, he was certain of one thing: the devils were appearing one at a time, as if taking turns.
The devils he had faced so far were quite troublesome, requiring Aster to maintain a high level of focus while dealing with them.
That's why their actions seemed even more bizarre. With their level of skill, they couldn't be stupid.
It would be more difficult for Aster if they attacked all at once, but for some reason, the devils only appeared one at a time, blocking Aster's path as if they wanted to die.
"...Again."
And before he could walk much further, another one appeared.
'It's a hassle without Baldur.'
Unlike Frondier's 'Sixth Sense' or Elodie's 'Mana Detection,' Aster didn't possess such abilities. He generally relied on his divine power for such minor things.
Baldur didn't talk much to Aster, but he was helpful in various ways.
Now that he was gone, Aster had to start from scratch in several areas.
Detecting faint, distant presences was one of them. He was still in the early stages.
"...I am Bartranon. Heir of Wrath, without rank."
"Is that so."
The devil held a long spear and looked at Aster with a tense expression. The devils who had introduced themselves earlier had mostly boasted confidently, but this devil was quite polite.
Just a moment ago, two devils had spouted their introductions in a similar fashion and then immediately met their demise.
Of course, Aster had given his usual "here I go" signal beforehand, but it was unclear if they had heard it.
"Why do you all come out one at a time? That puts you at a disadvantage. Do you have some other motive?"
Aster had a rough idea of their intentions.
At the very least, he knew they were trying to buy time.
However, since he didn't know much about devils, he questioned whether this method of stalling would actually work.
'Whatever their purpose is, they're throwing their lives away just to buy a few minutes.'
Could that even be possible? Whether it was due to strong loyalty or succumbing to fear, could throwing away one's life be part of their strategy?
Devils, whose priority on life was lower than that of humans. Because he didn't know this fact, Aster could speculate but not fully comprehend.
The devil smirked at Aster's question.
"Like I'd tell you."
Watching him for a moment, Aster nodded.
"I suppose so."
"...What?"
"Here I go."
As always, Aster gave his signal. The devil tightened his grip on his spear.
The devil said,
"Come on then."
Swish!
And his head flew off.
While the devil's head fell through the air, Aster brushed the blood off his sword.
"I need to go to the Headmaster. He might know something."
Aster changed his direction. Until now, he had been wandering around, unsure when the devils might attack, but now that he knew the devils of Wrath would definitely introduce themselves and only attack one at a time, he changed his course.
Just then, another devil blocked his path.
"Stop!"
The devil shouted, and Aster tilted his head, observing him.
Unlike the devils he had encountered so far, this one already had his wings spread and was slightly out of breath. He had clearly flown here in a hurry.
'Unlike the devils who appeared in order, this one seems stronger.'
A clear change. The reason was undoubtedly Aster's change in direction.
Aster said,
"...Hello. But, Mr. Devil,"
"What!"
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"...! Ah, I am!"
"Ah, it's alright. You were in such a hurry to get here that you forgot, right? You noticed where I was going."
It seemed they didn't want him to meet with the Headmaster.
"But human psychology is such that the more you try to stop someone, the more they want to go. As a devil, you might not understand that."
Aster held his sword vertically. He tilted the tip of the sword, aligning it with his line of sight.
Middle stance.
'I should have brought Excalibur with me.'
The legendary sword Excalibur was currently being kept safe by Aster. It was a sword with excessively high performance for Constel, and its nature hardly contributed to Aster's aura development.
Therefore, he had asked his sister, Ellen, to keep it separately. She said she had entrusted it to the vault of a blacksmith she knew well, so he could rest assured for the time being.
Aster raised his sword. More than anyone else, the next move would be a vertical downward strike.
'Are devils of this caliber going to keep blocking my way to the Headmaster's office?'
But that's okay.
From here to the Headmaster's office,
The path is a 'straight line' for the time being.
──One Flash
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