Chapter 310 : The Shield That Protects
Chapter 310: The Shield That Protects
“......We have to kill every one of them.”
“A-Are you crazy!? What are you talking about!?”
At the muttered words of one male student, all the others recoiled in shock.
Under their accusing stares, the male student snapped back in irritation.
“Y-You think I want to say this!? W-We don't have a choice!”
“What do you mean we don't have a choice!?”
“Are you asking because you don't know what'll happen if we leave them alone!? Or is it because you didn't see those damn Demons charging over here!?”
“But......!”
Including Airi, none of the other students could bring themselves to refute his words.
At Trinity Academy, the subject of [Mystic Behavior Studies] was one of the major courses, and among its many topics, the Demon race was considered one of the most important.
Demons.
Born from humanity's hatred and malice, they were regarded as the most vicious among all Mystics in existence.
From the highest-ranking species to the lowest, every one of them possessed intelligence comparable to humans and delighted in the negative emotions of living beings.
They deceived, tormented, mocked, humiliated, killed, and toyed with their victims......
They attacked all life by employing every means imaginable in the most vile, filthy, and abhorrent ways possible.
Furthermore, while Demons generally acted alone, whenever they formed armies to attack humans or demi-humans, they followed a set pattern.
First, they sent lower-ranking Demons as the vanguard to assault their targets.
However, instead of killing them immediately, they implanted Parasitic Bombs or diseases with incubation periods.
Sometimes they even consumed the flesh, skinned the victims, and impersonated humans themselves.
Afterward, before the main force arrived in earnest, they disrupted the enemy's formation.
They spread false rumors and killed a handful of people as examples, utterly crushing morale.
Since Demons understood the concepts of soldiers and civilians, they sometimes deliberately manipulated civilians into seeking the protection of the military.
Then, once the timing was right, they detonated all the bombs, spells, and plagues they had planted in advance at once.
They understood that using civilians as human bombs was far more effective than merely slaughtering a handful of them.
Therefore, those civilians now pouring through the breach in the wall were dangerous as well.
There was a very high probability that they had already been brainwashed by Demons or were carrying something deadly inside their bodies.
Yet the people themselves knew nothing.
All they could think about was surviving, so they blindly rushed into the city.
“We don't have a choice! Besides, we're the only ones here! If we don't do something, not just this place—even the entire city could be completely fucked!”
“But even so, killing all those people......!”
“To be honest.”
Another male student cut in.
“We don't need to save them.”
At that moment.
Airi stopped breathing.
“What...... did you...... say?”
“H-Hey......!”
A female student, remembering that the Student Council President was from the Fallen District, hurriedly tried to stop him.
But he continued speaking as though this wasn't the time to hold back.
“Do you even know what percentage of the crimes committed in this city are committed by people from the Fallen District? Even if those bastards survive, they're only going to keep causing trouble in the city. Drugs, crime, illegal trafficking, murder, human trafficking......”
Crunch.
Her teeth ground together.
Airi barely suppressed the urge to seize the male student by the collar.
If this had been the old days, she would've punched him in the face without a second thought.
But now, she couldn't.
Now she had things to protect.
Her position and honor as Student Council President.
The title of the Stingray Special Class.
And many precious people besides.
If she threw a punch without thinking, she'd only prove every prejudice attached to being from the Fallen District.
This wasn't a situation where violence would win.
She had to win with reason.
Yet even Airi herself couldn't bring herself to deny his words outright.
In truth, nine out of ten people from the Fallen District inevitably became involved in crime in one way or another.
The only reason she had managed to avoid the mafia and gangs was because of her brother's devotion.
And yet...
Wasn't even that brother originally from a gang?
If it hadn't been for him, perhaps she would've been spending carefree days around the university district like Serena.
She herself resented it.
Her brother.
Herself.
And above all...
The Fallen District itself.
However......
“No.”
Airi firmly shook her head.
She unfolded the folding shield strapped to her back and held it before her.
With her shotgun in her right hand, she chambered a round so she could fire at any moment.
Having prepared herself to fight immediately, she continued.
“They're still 'people.' We took up arms to protect this city from monsters, not to massacre defenseless people.”
At Airi's words, the male student who had argued that the people from the Fallen District should be killed let out a derisive snort.
Contempt filled his face.
“So even if you're the Student Council President, I guess someone from the Fallen District can't escape where they came from. Letting your emotions cloud your judgment... I guess I'm disappointed. Well... actually, I didn't really expect much in the first pla—”
“Shut up.”
Airi cut him off sharply.
The killing intent in her eyes made everyone else flinch.
“Let me make this perfectly clear one more time.”
“I was given this shield to 'protect.'”
“It has absolutely nothing to do with where I came from.”
“And let me warn you.”
“If you say one more word about my background, I'll deal with you first.”
“B-Both of you, calm down!”
“P-President......!”
A female student grabbed Airi from behind, trying to stop her.
“I understand how you feel. I don't want this either. B-But if we leave those people alone, the other districts will all be in danger too!”
“......”
Airi fell silent for a moment.
How could she save those people without killing them...
While also preventing the Demons and the other monsters from crossing the wall?
It didn't take long to reach an answer.
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one solution.
“Right.”
“Now isn't the time to argue.”
Click.
As Airi shifted slightly, the heavy sound of metal echoed.
“I'll stop the Demons.”
“W-What!?”
“The problem is that those people will become the Demons' vanguard, right? Then the solution is simple.”
“We just have to kill every Demon.”
If all the Demons were dead, it wouldn't matter what they had done to the civilians.
She only had to wipe out their army before it reached this place.
The students stared at her in disbelief.
“A-Are you out of your mind!?”
“You're saying four people are going to fight that many Demons!? I-I'll never do it! Do you even know what happens if Demons capture you!?”
Demons rarely killed humans quickly.
They preferred capturing prisoners, torturing them, violating them, and keeping them alive while inflicting unimaginable agony for as long as they continued breathing.
Because of that, the Academy even taught that if defeat against Demons became inevitable, it was better to commit suicide than be captured.
“T-That's not realistic!”
“And if it isn't?”
“Then what?”
“Are you saying we should kill innocent people just because it's easier? Fine. Let's say it's unavoidable. Let's say there's no other choice. But......”
Airi asked.
“How is that any different from being a Demon?”
“......!”
The students merely bit their lips.
None of them answered.
Yet none of them could agree with Airi either.
Their fear of death held them back.
‘They're... not going to fight alongside me.’
Airi shook her head inwardly.
Even if she somehow persuaded them, she wasn't sure she could properly fight with people who carried that kind of mindset.
Considering that Demons even turned human corpses into traps, it might actually be better not to bring them along.
Having made up her mind, Airi declared,
“Fine.”
“I'll handle it.”
“W-What!?”
“T-Then what about us!?”
“I'll stop the Demons from advancing.”
“You make sure those people don't do anything reckless, gather every last one of them in one place, and keep them under control.”
“And don't forget to request reinforcements.”
“W-Wait......!”
“For now, stay here.”
The next moment, Airi kicked off the ground and sprinted toward the wall.
People were pouring through the breach like a tidal wave.
-M-Move already!
-Aaaah! Please help me! My leg!
-Push! Hurry up and push!
With so many people trying to squeeze through such a narrow opening, accidents were inevitable.
Those in the back kept pushing.
The people in front fell over after being shoved and couldn't move forward.
The torrential rain only made the situation worse.
Airi drew in a deep breath.
The foul stench pouring in from the Fallen District almost made her cough, but she barely held it back.
Then she shouted with all her strength.
“Stop right there, everyoneeeee!!”
Boooom!
She deliberately slammed her shield against the wall as she shouted.
Thanks to that, she managed to draw everyone's attention, if only for a brief moment amidst the chaos.
Airi didn't waste that opportunity and continued shouting.
“From this point onward, the City Defense Force is taking control!”
“I repeat!”
“From this point onward, the City Defense Force will take charge!”
“Everyone, remain calm and evacuate in an orderly manner!”
-Who the hell are you to order us around!?
Bang! Bang!
A flash of light burst before Airi's eyes.
Instinctively, she raised her shield and successfully blocked the incoming bullets.
After casually defending against the attack, she immediately charged toward the man who had fired.
Leaping nearly thirty meters, she slammed him to the ground and pressed the muzzle of her shotgun against his head.
“You.”
“You're the one who fired that homemade gun at me.”
“H-Hiiik!? Y-You're an Adapter!?”
“Why did you shoot me?”
“Or are you a Demon wearing human skin?”
“Should I blow your head off and find out?”
“N-No! I'm not a Demon! I'm sorry! I'm sooooo sorry!!”
“So?”
Airi kicked the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Then she grabbed him by the collar, leaped onto higher ground, and held him up where everyone could see before making another declaration.
“From this moment onward, anyone who refuses orders and guidance will be designated a 'Demon' attempting to create chaos and will be shot on sight!”
“Understood!?”
After saying that, Airi gestured toward the students still standing blankly inside the wall.
Only then did they hurriedly rush over and begin controlling the crowd.
There were only three of them.
But they were still Adapters.
That should be enough to control this many civilians.
‘That takes care of this side.’
‘Next......’
At that moment, something caught Airi's attention.
Figures creeping toward the wall with bizarre, almost comical movements...
They were Demons.