CHAPTER 184: CORNERED

"Kyaaah!"

"What are you suddenly doing!"

"Assistant Aron! Are you alright?"

Screams from assistants could be heard everywhere.

The moment he was hit in the head, Aron let out a hollow laugh.

No matter how much of an Armian Hyde was, he never thought he’d actually find demonic energy, and he didn’t expect fists to come flying without warning.

"...This is ridiculous. Professor, do you believe I’m a demon seed...?"

Chrrrrr-

Pure white coldness surged from all directions, freezing Aron’s entire body.

"...Ugh?"

Aron quickly chanted a spell and created flames. He shouted while resisting the coldness and backing away.

"What is this!"

"If I don’t believe? That child is a first-year academy student, but also of Armian blood."

"No matter how much that bloodline is the natural enemy of demons, I don’t think they can unconditionally find all demonic energy!"

"..."

"Moreover, we’ve been together for three years. Is your trust in me, Professor, only this much?"

Enough to attack me immediately?

Aron’s face hardened.

The coldness aimed for his arms and legs again. But this time, Aron didn’t let himself be easily caught either.

Thanks to anticipating it in advance, he quickly escaped from his position.

"It’s been three years with you, but my sponsor has supported me for the past six years. He guaranteed it."

"Three years and six years. Is that difference in time everything? I’ve done everything under you for the past three years, Professor!"

"I remember giving you compensation that wasn’t disappointing."

"Are you calling that words now...!"

The assistants showed confused expressions at the sudden clash that broke out in the laboratory.

"Professor! Even if it’s Hyde Armian’s words, saying Assistant Aron is a demon seed is a bit...!"

"That’s right, Professor! Please listen to me first...!"

Aron agreed with the assistants’ words. But Rosalia wasn’t shaken at all.

She simply manifested the grand magic she had been preparing.

───!

It was a storm that froze everything in the laboratory. In the terrible coldness, Aron’s flames were extinguished like candles.

Aron, with half his body frozen in an instant, collapsed to the floor.

"Really? You’re even using the ice crystal now?"

"Because you can’t catch demon seeds through ordinary means."

"If you use the incomplete ice crystal like that, it will definitely break!"

"That’s for me to bear."

At that calmness, Aron’s expression changed. The reddened complexion and the expression of rage all disappeared.

"...You think I’m definitely a demon seed?"

"Are you calling that an excuse at this point?"

Rosalia snorted.

"The fact that you made me use the ice crystal itself is proof that you’re a demon seed, Aron."

Wouldn’t an ordinary assistant never dare to resist me?

"...Certainly so. I was so flustered that I missed it unlike myself."

Hehehe, a frivolous laugh different from before burst out.

He was no longer pure or innocent like before. No, more precisely, he was no longer the ’Aron’ they knew.

"I thought I could use those idiots to escape, but it’s already ruined. I never thought you’d use the ice crystal right away...!"

Aron exhaled greatly. Black demonic energy spewed out like smoke, covering the laboratory.

Crack-

Right after, the thunderous sound of ice shattering was heard.

─!

"Where are you going!"

A sword of pure white light pushed back the darkness. Some of the demonic energy targeting the assistants was annihilated.

"Armian... Indeed troublesome."

Aron didn’t hesitate and exhaled again to replenish the dissipating fog.

Then he quickly made a judgment.

As expected, facing both Armian and Rosalia simultaneously was impossible. So temporarily avoiding them would be the best strategy.

’The window.’

The moment he secretly reached for the window in the darkness.

─────!

A massive repulsive force struck him.

Hidden magic circles emitted light and revealed themselves. They were densely drawn not only on the walls but also on the ceiling and floor.

"Ugh, when did you...?"

Click clack-

Sharp heel sounds quickly approached. It was Rosalia.

Every time she moved, the demonic energy was pushed back. As if it was voluntarily making way for her.

"When I went to the Tacklakan Desert recently, I met a demon seed who told me every detail of his plan. Do you know how I evaluated him?"

"Isn’t that exactly you right now, Professor?"

"No."

Professor Rosalia shook her head slightly.

"He simply opens his mouth because he’s dull."

And I.

"Have a plan, so I’m temporarily holding you here."

At that moment.

────!

The magical power inside the laboratory boiled.

"What is this...?"

When Aron realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Front, back, left, right, up, down. The transparent magic circles carved in six directions began to emit light as they accepted magical power.

Coldness, blocking, sealing, suppression, binding... The runic characters engraved in the magic circles indicated their purpose was entirely one.

Capturing Aron.

Cutting off the flow and preventing escape.

And completely freezing then sealing him.

The surging magical power was at a level that even Aron couldn’t easily handle.

This shouldn’t have been possible.

The reason he had been relaxed was because he really had confidence in escaping.

No matter how much Professor Rosalia, no matter how much Armian, even with several more assistants added.

But this...

"Don’t tell me there’s an ice crystal here too?"

He realized why magical power he couldn’t handle was binding him.

"Well, I wouldn’t have used the ice crystal just to freeze you a little. Everything was groundwork for this moment."

A perfect trap to capture Aron.

For that, Rosalia willingly consumed the ice crystal.

"I really hate it when someone takes my things. More precisely, I detest it."

Click, she stepped closer to Aron.

"The same goes for messing with my things."

"It would have been better to save the ice crystal and submit it."

"You can look forward to it. I’ll make you beg and beg again, saying it would have been better to die now, please let me die."

"I must escape no matter what."

Black energy crept up and covered Aron’s entire body. It was demonic energy.

"Showing your true colors."

"Hiding in this situation would be foolish."

───!

"Kyaaaah!"

"Take cover!"

For a brief moment, magical powers collided and an explosion occurred between them.

The assistants screamed and retreated, and through that gap, Hyde squeezed in.

Clang! Despite hand and sword colliding, it made the sound of metal clashing.

It’s a barrier!

There was a barrier surrounding his hand.

"Absolutely disgusting."

Aron’s face twisted viciously at the light he faced up close.

"Armian. Those cursed bastards."

"You’re the one who received the curse!"

Demonic energy surged thickly. The demonic energy released in an instant pushed Hyde back.

"I was a bit flustered, but you won’t be able to catch me. Then I’ll see you again next time if there’s a chance, Professor."

Then, the door burst open.

"Aron Praine! So it was you!"

It was Gerhard who had been waiting outside. He was surprised once at the frozen laboratory, and twice at Aron’s unfrozen appearance despite that.

But action was faster than emotion.

A staff was already in his hand, and a wall of rock blocked between the window and Aron.

"Well done, Gerhard!"

There was no special incantation. In the blink of an eye, about a hundred ice spears that filled the laboratory flew toward one target.

"Damn..."

Aron reached out. A barrier of black fire melted all the spears.

But through that momentary gap, the demons’ adversary squeezed in.

─!

Light and darkness collided.

Aron’s body collided with the rock wall. He spat the acidic blood he had in his mouth and pushed back Hyde who kept charging.

"Body-to-body combat isn’t my preference..."

He dipped his finger in the overflowing blood and scattered it in the air. A black magic circle summoned something.

It was monsters.

"Shades?"

8th-grade shadow monsters that mimic the appearance of other life forms. They identified the closest life forms and transformed.

Some became Hyde, some became Rosalia, some became Gerhard, and some became the assistants.

They charged.

"Useless tricks!"

Rosalia’s magic froze the Shades. Hyde’s light completely annihilated them.

It took only a few seconds for dozens of Shades to disappear.

But that was enough. Enough to find a new escape route.

Aron ran. Not to the window. The window under the influence of grand magic was not a life gate but a death gate.

The answer was the opposite. The door that Gerhard had opened.

A situation where everyone was advancing while looking at him, but no one was actually guarding the door.

"Block him!"

"The door! Close the door!"

"I can’t let that happen."

Gerhard raised sand to scratch him, but rather than resist, he accepted it as it was.

He also endured Hyde’s sword that immediately followed. He reached out his hand, giving up his hand, and scattered acidic blood from his wrist to stop Hyde.

At the same time, he manifested flames to surround the area around the open door. The assistants trying to close the door screamed and fell back.

At that sight, Gerhard gritted his teeth.

Although Rosalia’s laboratory was quite spacious, it wasn’t an environment where earth magic that changed terrain could be used carelessly.

Because the building might collapse.

The reason Rosalia only used magic at the level of freezing Aron or throwing ice spears was the same.

But when he confirmed Aron’s destination, Gerhard’s lips twisted.

"Foolish demon seed bastard. Moving exactly as I thought."

Originally, Gerhard had no intention of greatly changing the contents of the prophecy book.

The future was an asset.

Information about the future was currently Gerhard’s greatest weapon, and disrupting that future was the foolish act of discarding his own weapon.

So until now, he had changed things within a scope where the future wouldn’t change greatly. Except for one thing - his relationship with Luina.

This time was also different from other cases.

A direct trigger for downfall.

If Luina was the beginning of his downfall, this was the end.

If he didn’t stop it, if he didn’t change it, he would be ruined.

There could be no other choice. Even if the prophecy book became meaningless, it was a path he absolutely had to take.

He would definitely catch him. If he couldn’t catch him, he would kill him.

There were no choices other than those two.

"Laughing...?"

Aron reached right in front of the open door. But he soon stopped. He had no choice.

"Well, it’s just as brother said. This is the first time I’ve seen such a blatant demon seed with my own eyes. According to the great Dragon God’s will, I want to perform an exorcism ritual."

Because the Saint of humans was waiting outside the door.

"Sorry, but I’d like you to leave that as my share, Student Jayce."

"...Dean?"

No.

Because behind the Saint was a giant one could never resist.

"...Escaping immediately seems hopeless."

Indescribably massive magical power bound Aron’s body.

"Not immediately, but forever. Did you think you could escape safely after causing such a scene in my front yard? You piece of trash demon seed."

Hehehe, the Dean stood with his hands behind his back. No one here knew when he had arrived.

"You won’t be able to leave here or die easily."

"Are you confident?"

"If I’m not confident, shouldn’t I die? Becoming an old man with no ability who’s only gotten older uselessly."

Tap, the Dean lightly pressed Aron’s forehead with his finger. That alone made his form collapse.

"Professor Rosalia."

"Yes, Dean."

Professor Rosalia ran to his side.

"Freeze him. Your ability is better than mine for confining trash."

"Yes."

"I tore off everything protecting him, so it should be much easier."

Rosalia silently drew a magic circle. As she chanted spells and moved magical power, Aron’s body quickly froze.

The situation was settled for now.

"I heard the story roughly."

But it wasn’t over.