Ch. 252
Chapter 252: Walpurgis Night (10)
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What was expelled from Delphir’s mouth was a black, orb-shaped seed that had been lodged near his chest.
Carefully examining it, Carl realized that the energy of the seed resembled that of the monsters found in the base of the Powers of the Demon Realm.
“So you finally completed it.”
Though he didn’t know how, it seemed the organizers preparing the Walpurgis Night Festival had secretly planted the Seeds of Demonization.
That meant all the monsters now roaming nearby and attacking people had originally been the same humans.
“…What is this, even.”
Delphir stared at the seed he had vomited, his face turning pale.
–Ugh...
Meanwhile, the mangled Black Drake writhed on the ground.
It appeared to be trying to recover and move again, but Carl stepped forward and stomped on its head.
“Don’t you think it’s about time you opened your mouth?”
–…Haha.
The drake’s body gradually began to shrink.
The writhing demonic energy dissipated like air escaping from a balloon, and the creature reverted to its pitiful human form.
Of course, it was still crushed beneath Carl’s foot.
“I don’t like the way you look down on me. You— you always think you’re in control, don’t you? Like— like everything is always under your control?”
“Hm.”
Carl stroked his chin and looked down at the man.
The stuttering, angry manner suggested he wasn’t in his right mind.
It didn’t seem like a proper conversation would be possible—there was only one method left.
Ssshhk.
He lightly stretched out his hand and grasped the man’s Crown Point.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Soul-Seizing Technique.
It was the most useful martial art he had employed since coming to this world, and it activated.
“…”
The man’s name was Vertuas.
He was a magician expelled from the Magic Tower for conducting illegal experiments combining human and monster bodies.
What followed was predictable.
Wandering the wilderness, he came into contact with the Powers of the Demon Realm and made a contract with a devil to realize his dream, leading to his current state.
“Hmph.”
Carl furrowed his brows.
The grotesque scenes within Vertuas’s memories were one thing, but due to his unstable mind, there was considerable noise.
Even the Soul-Seizing Technique, which had reached the Transcendent Peak, couldn’t extract a clean trace, indicating just how deteriorated his condition was.
Pop—
In the end, he failed to withstand the strain and his head exploded.
Still, Carl had managed to briefly skim through his recent memories, giving him a rough grasp of the situation.
“For now, let’s deal with the remaining monsters.”
A pale-blue aura imbued the slowly drawn Heavenly Thunder Sword.
Aura Blade—an ability reserved for Sword Masters.
At its vivid glow, the cadets inhaled sharply and opened their eyes wide.
Shhhrrraak—!
The trajectory of the blade’s swing sliced through every monster in the vicinity.
There were no exceptions.
Only a difference in speed.
All the monsters the cadets had desperately been fighting turned into docile lambs, meeting their deaths.
Clack.
Returning the sword to its sheath, Carl walked lightly toward the cadets and said,
“This isn’t the time to lose your senses.”
“…Ah.”
“So, what should we do from here?”
“Wouldn’t the outside have caught on by now?”
“If they were going to act, they would’ve done so already. When we first crossed the Teleport Gate, we were told the other academies hadn’t arrived yet.”
“Then it’s possible they’re still wandering the forest or other areas.”
The cadets, who had just been dazed by Carl’s divine display, quickly regained their composure and began calmly assessing the situation.
It seemed they were now trying to formulate a strategy for how to proceed.
In the midst of this, Carl strode over to Yuria, who had been drinking a mana potion.
“Yuria, come here for a moment.”
“Okay.”
“Me too...”
“Laysis, stay on alert in case something happens. I need to check if we can break the barrier currently surrounding this place.”
“Understood.”
Assigning Laysis a separate task, Carl distanced himself from the others and asked Yuria,
“Yuria, was there anything like this in the game?”
“…There was some kind of terrorism during the event, like you mentioned before, but not to this extent.”
Yuria shook her head.
At most, it would be something like an explosive device found in an inn or a few cadets getting kidnapped during the event.
But people turning into monsters before the event had even begun, or the entire situation unraveling like this—she had never seen anything of the sort either.
“Then it means our involvement has twisted the original flow.”
“That’s the only conclusion we can draw. You were checking that demon human’s memories earlier—did you find anything?”
In response to Yuria’s question, Carl lightly nodded.
“I don’t know the details, but they seem to consider this place some kind of ‘stage.’”
“Stage? As in, they’re putting on a show?”
“I’m not sure. He was mentally unstable. It could be metaphorical or conceptual. Either way, what’s certain is that escaping won’t be easy.”
Carl let out a short sigh.
Could he get all 64 cadets of Bayern out alive?
Turning his gaze to Yuria, who was biting her lips anxiously, he spoke in a subdued voice.
“Yuria, if it ever comes to the worst-case scenario where there’s no other way, use any means necessary to get to me.”
“…So, it really won’t be possible to save everyone?”
Carl nodded.
He appreciated this side of Yuria—unhesitating in such matters.
If she had been someone caught up in shallow friendship or a sense of duty, she might’ve insisted they couldn’t abandon anyone, wasting precious time with such talk.
“The weight of a life isn’t equal. If I’m forced to choose, I’ll have no choice but to make a biased decision.”
“I get what you’re saying. That’s why you left Laysis behind, isn’t it?”
“Laysis isn’t naive. She’ll understand eventually. And we couldn’t talk about the flow of events in front of her.”
Laysis still didn’t know that Carl and Yuria were from another world.
Yuria had strongly opposed revealing it—partly from guilt over deceiving her all this time, and partly out of fear that her perception of them might change.
Even though she knew it probably wouldn’t.
“…Right. Let’s head back. Everyone’s glancing this way. I assume you’ve thought of a plan to get us out of this?”
“I’ll explain once we’re with them.”
Carl and Yuria rejoined the representative team.
The cadets looked curious about what they had talked about, but remained silent, still shaken by Carl’s overwhelming display of power earlier.
“Carl, do you have a plan?”
Darius was no different.
The image of the vivid blue Aura Blade filling his vision remained fresh in his mind.
He had been quite shocked, but considering it was Carl, it somehow made sense.
‘Honestly, at this point, nothing he does would surprise me anymore.’
A Sword Master at the age of twenty.
Only Ancient Heroes had likely reached such a level.
After glancing around for a moment, Carl clapped his hands lightly to draw everyone’s attention.
“Given the situation, I’ll speak plainly. As you saw, it seems the Powers of the Demon Realm have targeted the Walpurgis Night Festival and are enacting some sort of ritual. Most likely, they’re trying to summon the Demon King or create a gate connecting the Middle Realm and the Demon Realm.”
“…”
The cadets fell silent at the calmly delivered, shocking revelation.
While it was known that the Powers of the Demon Realm had been engaging in terrorism recently, the idea of summoning the Demon King or creating a gate was something they had never heard before.
“Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? The situation is serious, sure, but what would they want with a festival site…”
One of the senior cadets raised his hand and spoke cautiously.
Seeing a few others nod in agreement, Carl responded lightly.
“This is something even His Highness, Crown Prince Yulian, has been preparing for. I didn’t expect them to move so boldly, though.”
Not wanting to explain further, Carl borrowed the authority of Crown Prince Yulian’s name.
As soon as the prince was mentioned, everyone’s expression stiffened.
“Carl, who exactly are you…”
Second-year representative Eriksen asked, full of suspicion.
For a moment, Carl hesitated, then drew the Heavenly Thunder Sword from his waist to instill hope in them.
Clang—!
Once again, a vivid blue Aura Blade surged along the straight edge of the sword.
As all the cadets held their breath, Carl replied in a calm voice.
“I can’t claim to be a hero, but I’ve inherited the name of ‘Justice,’ if only a sliver. This sword is proof of that.”
He wouldn’t have time to answer their questions one by one in the future.
So while he had the chance, he wanted to solidify his position.
“From here on out, I can’t make any promises. Take care of your own lives. If anyone falls behind, there’s nothing I can do.”
“…”
Everyone nodded solemnly.
It seemed invoking the Crown Prince’s name and claiming the name of ‘Justice’ had worked well.
“Then, for now…”
“We should head to the Teleport Gate. If teleportation is possible, then that area is likely the outer boundary of the barrier surrounding this place.”
“Agreed.”
Darius nodded and addressed the cadets.
“We’ll maintain the current representative team formation. Each representative should support from the rear. Carl and I will take the lead.”
“Understood!”
Among the cadets who responded loudly, Darius patted Carl on the shoulder and said,
“I’ll take care of these kids somehow. You just focus on clearing the path.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Seeing his brother take on the troublesome task, Carl grinned and nodded.
Soon, the Bayern representative team, having completed a short rest, sprinted across the devastated land toward the Teleport Gate they had arrived through.
Shhhrrrk!
At the front, Carl and Darius swung their swords relentlessly, cutting down every monster they encountered.
A mistake could lead to being overwhelmed by monsters again—or worse, running into the Demonic Race could corner them.
‘The best outcome would be getting at least the cadets out safely.’
Carl had no intention of escaping this place himself.
Rather, he planned to stay inside the barrier until the end and thwart their plans.
Whatever they were plotting, it was bound to be something troublesome.
“…There it is!”
How far had they come?
Soon, they spotted the Teleport Gate, looking almost unchanged from before.
If it still worked, they could use it to escape to another region; if not, they could search beyond it for a weak point in the barrier.
‘I’ll check the gate first…’
Just as they approached to inspect it—
Vmmmm—!
A brilliant white light burst from the Teleport Gate, and someone began teleporting in.