Traitor (5)
“This way!”
Kwaaang—!
The flames hit her face.
It was a brilliant performance.
The fox was pushing herself to her limits, surpassing even the average professor.
After all, growth is amplified in proportion to the crisis at hand.
Irene quickly swept across the battlefield.
Of course…
Kiyaaaak—!!
…that was only a few feints.
She couldn't avoid the eyes of a higher species.
In the end, the fox’s movements were read. The dragon’s swinging tail struck her slender body.
The girl was flung away without a chance to resist.
Thud—!!
She barely managed to block with the flat of her sword, but it wasn't enough to maintain her stance.
The fox collapsed onto the floor far away.
She groaned in pain, as if all the bones in her body were breaking.
“Ugh…!”
Her lips trembled.
Her stamina had long since depleted, and the sword she was holding was broken.
The shadow of death was approaching.
Even for a moment, she was overwhelmed by helplessness.
Teeth that looked as if they would devour her at any moment.
Irene forced her broken body up.
“Uuuh… Ugh…”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
Each breath was precarious.
Even in this situation, the reason she couldn't collapse was a single wish embedded deep within her heart.
A blind devotion, a vow to dedicate her entire life.
She uttered her prayer.
‘I want to be of help.’
The girl gripped her broken sword.
Her eyes were still clear.
With the thought of dedicating her final moments, she mustered her strength.
Flames surged with a few sparks.
The light that had stolen even the heat of the underground gradually compressed into a single line.
Pressed, pressed, pressed, the flame, having achieved perfect balance at its tip, was reborn as an infinitely sharp straight line.
A sword tempered by crimson flames.
Fwoosh—!
The broken hilt.
Above it, only the brilliant blade gleamed.
The fox swung the flame.
“Hah…”
Swoosh—!
A scarlet afterimage grazed the dragon's face.
A clean line was drawn.
For the first time, a scratch appeared on the tough hide.
Although it was a shallow wound, far from fatal, the mark completely crossed its left eye.
She had exploited a weak point where the scales were relatively less dense.
Irene collapsed on the spot.
Thump—
The crimson flames that had enveloped her dissipated.
Her crimson hair gradually returned to its original orange.
The shadow of death still loomed before her.
Demonic energy spread ominously.
Krrrl—
The dragon opened its mouth, revealing rotten flesh.
As if mocking her. As if asking, is this all you've got?
The fox merely scoffed.
"Hah… You've been played for a fool."
She calmly raised her middle finger.
Before death could even register her defiance, Irene shouted.
"Now!"
In that instant.
The dragon’s left field of vision, momentarily blocked by the previous attack, created a blind spot.
Someone darted into that opening.
"You've worked hard."
Golden hair fluttered.
The serpent, having reached the dragon's nose, revealed an intense presence.
Brilliant lights, including jet black, shimmered around him.
His previously closed eyelids were now fully open.
"I call upon thee."
The boy moved his tongue.
Jet black gathered at his fingertips.
-Ding!
[Remaining Output: 61.7%]
A blue screen shimmered in his vision.
He felt it was slightly insufficient, but he had no choice but to make it work.
The serpent unfolded his lie.
'Monster.'
What stood before him was a monster in the truest sense of the word.
Its power and strength were on par with a star.
Ordinary attacks wouldn't reach it.
Because it was a being that transcended natural law.
In that case…
The boy simply had to transcend natural law as well.
Authority is inherently unreasonable.
"Stars."
The serpent imitated the stars.
Consuming all his output, stamina, mental strength… and finally, even his life force, he transcended his limits.
Recalling the stars he had encountered, he sought the true source.
This wasn't simply a process of becoming equal.
It was grasping the structure of power, reconstructing it, and cloaking himself in a higher order than even the stars in the night sky.
The power, interpreted in real time, distorted the surrounding dimensions.
Kugugugugu—!
The temple and the underground shook violently.
Light swirled around the boy.
A breathtakingly dazzling afterimage, the likes of which people had never seen.
A pure white curtain fluttered behind him.
The shimmering heat haze, like a cloak, revealed the [Order] of his being.
The sword he held also emitted a pure white light.
It was omnipotence.
"Devour."
For a brief moment.
The boy took a step closer to the source of authority, the night sky filled with stars.
The sword he swung lightly tore a rift in the air.
Clang—!
Cracks appeared as if a mirror had shattered.
The world crumbled into pieces.
Beyond the fissures, only nothingness shimmered.
An error that occurred in the process of dimensional distortion.
Thud—!
The boy thrust the pure white sword into the dragon's heart.
A surprise attack that left no time to react.
He whispered a barely audible farewell.
"Then, goodbye."
Immediately after.
The body, made of death, shattered into countless fragments.
Broken, broken, broken… it decomposed to a point where it was no longer visible to the naked eye.
It was erased without a trace.
The concept of nothingness devoured existence, leaving only a blank white space behind.
Like erasing graphite from a notebook with an eraser.
Swoosh—
Soon, as the output ran out, the underground scenery returned to normal.
Except for the devoured dragon, there were no other abnormalities.
The serpent muttered.
"It's… over."
His legs gave way.
He knelt on the floor.
It had been close, but in the end, he had succeeded in stopping the disaster.
News worthy of celebration and joy.
A wave of relief washed over him.
Even that afterglow of victory couldn’t be enjoyed for long.
He had to pay the price for overusing his ability.
As he briefly massaged his aching limbs, blood suddenly gushed from his throat.
A scarlet stain spread.
"Cough…!"
And that wasn't all.
Blood also flowed from his eyes, as if they were overloaded.
An agonizing pain, as if his bones were being crushed, spread throughout his body.
The price of excessive use of life force.
A familiar mechanical sound echoed in his ears.
-Ding!
[Excessive life force consumption detected.]
[Further consumption of life force may affect remaining lifespan.]
A natural consequence.
That blow was a sword that far surpassed natural order… a sword that aspired to the realm of gods.
Perhaps he should be relieved that his lifespan hadn't been shortened.
Since life force could be recovered with sufficient rest, it didn't mean that a fundamental defect had been left in his body.
The serpent wiped the blood from his mouth and muttered.
"I haven't been this overheated… since the War of succession."
He took a deep breath and suppressed the pain.
As he briefly regained his composure, the girls rushed over and helped him up.
They looked worried, having seen him coughing up blood.
"Are you alright? You seem to have pushed yourself too hard…"
"I'm fine."
Perhaps because they had experienced this a few times before.
Irene expressed worry and concern, but she didn't ask any questions or do anything that would tire the boy further.
She simply hugged the serpent with sorrowful eyes.
"J-Judas… Don't die."
On the other hand, the princess was shedding tears.
Charlotte, who usually had subdued emotions compared to the other children, seemed shaken by the possibility of her benefactor's death.
The boy stroked her platinum hair as if to reassure her.
He whispered in her ear.
"I won't die. This level of internal injury will heal quickly."
"…Really?"
"How could I lie to Your Highness? Please believe me."
"Sniff… Okay. I believe you. Because it's you, Judas."
"Splendid."
The tense atmosphere gradually subsided.
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's finally over."
"Good work."
"You two did the hard work. I merely laid a hand on the table."
"Let's just say we all worked hard."
"That sounds good too."
Tranquility returned.
Supported by the two girls, the boy walked through the underground temple.
As they were about to head back to the surface…
"Not so fast."
A voice came from behind.
In their field of vision were… figures cloaked in crimson robes.
Villains who had appeared without a trace.
The children froze in place.
'No way.'
They had clearly seen them melt away without a trace.
Where did these troops come from?
The same thought crossed everyone's minds.
'Reinforcements…?'
As if to confirm their assumptions, the figures spoke.
They had already formed a siege, with over 100 people surrounding them.
“The Puppeteer’s signal went dead, so we rushed in as backup… but we just witnessed something we couldn’t ignore.”
The situation was dire.
The serpent, the fox, and the princess… all were exhausted.
And in this state, they had encountered enemy reinforcements.
The unit included numerous chimeras, sorcerers, executives, and even a Catastrophe-level being like the Puppeteer.
The children, on the verge of collapse, couldn't respond.
Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
“To think you’d single-handedly subdue the Calamity.”
There was no way out.
Under normal circumstances, the serpent would have stepped up, but he didn't even have the strength to walk on his own.
Furthermore, pushing himself any further would risk his lifespan.
"…"
The boy remained silent.
The enemies were closing in.
“It’s a shame our plans went awry, but we still have some gains. Leaving such power within the Academy would be a major obstacle.”
The girls beside him also darkened their expressions.
As if to protect the serpent, they hid him behind their backs.
A futile struggle, but still.
The figure scoffed and delivered the sentence.
“We can’t miss this opportunity.”
The cultists prepared to attack in unison.
The air pulsed with a dense wave of demonic energy.
“We’ll eliminate you here.”
Immediately after.
The shadows lunged towards the children.
But did the figures know?
That the entire situation…
Was within the serpent's grasp.
"Hmph."
The boy smirked from beneath his lowered head.
As if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
The next moment.
"…?!"
Crackle—!
A sound like something short-circuiting rang out.
Simultaneously, a shadow blocked the figures' path.
An empty right sleeve fluttered, proving its presence.
Standing against the faint light was…
"Hmm."
…a white-haired old man.
“Those cultists still carry a foul stench, don’t they? Utterly repulsive.”
With an elegant gesture, he covered his nose with a handkerchief.
An oppressive, murderous aura filled the air.
The old man calmly looked around and, upon spotting the boy, smiled.
A mature smile, as always.
"Well, well. Looks like someone missed this old man."
"Ha."
The old man's name was the King.
A figure known as the King of the Underworld.
The serpent responded casually to the greeting.
"You're late."
"Tsk, tsk… Indeed."
Disconcerted expressions appeared on the faces of the figures who had formed the encirclement.
The boy simply smiled nonchalantly.
"Since you called for reinforcements, it's only fair that we do the same, wouldn't you agree?"
The tables had turned in an instant.
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Irene's Blade Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with the Regia's Wings Tier ($18)!
Join our discord server for latest release updates and novel discussions.
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones.
Happy reading!