Chapter 55

EP.55 Prologue (5)

“AAAAAAH!!!!!”

Save me!!

“Nyahaha!!! The President is so funny!!”

Dorothy burst into laughter, completely ignoring my desperate situation.

We were floating on the starlight mana in a state of weightlessness, hurtling through the air at breakneck speed toward the Bartos Hall.

Struggling to keep my wits about me as I was on the verge of fainting, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Before I knew it, we had reached the Bartos Hall from that distant cliff in just three minutes.

BOOM──!

Without hesitation, Dorothy kicked the door, shattering it with her starlight mana.

I was finally able to feel the happiness of touching the ground as I broke free from the weightlessness.

“Ugh…”

I had to brace myself against the wall and retch.

Meanwhile, Dorothy, clutching her stomach, laughed at me, which was quite annoying.

The Trump soldiers began to take combat stances, perhaps sensing the magic. Their movements were precise.

Their spears were all pointed at me and Dorothy.

“Who are you pointing your spears at?”

Dorothy said in a haughty tone, casually waving her starlight mana-enshrouded hand.

────── 「Minor Star Explosion (Starlight Attribute, ★4)」

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The heads of the Level 130 Trump soldiers exploded in a shocking display.

Alice Carroll, the student council president with an elegant appearance, had already dodged to the side, avoiding Dorothy’s magic. However, it seemed she couldn’t prevent a part of her cheek from being torn.

Dorothy’s starlight magic manipulates various physical forces in complex ways, leading to pure destructive power.

Alice must have realized long ago that using defensive magic against Dorothy’s magic would be futile. Dodging was a wise choice.

“H-Hey, you bitch….”

Alice, touching her injured cheek, smiled viciously. The cross-shaped veins on her forehead revealed her anger.

Good, no problem. Now Alice can be stopped by Dorothy.

Before I knew it, the strange cat, Cheshire, had joined Alice, looking serious. It seemed she had no time to worry about me with Dorothy Heartnova in front of her.

Dorothy, who is a genius blessed by the heavens and expected to reach the level of a grand mage in no time, would not find it difficult to face Alice and her 8-star familiar, Cheshire.

SQUEAK────!!

BOOM───!!!

ROAR───!!

The fight between Dorothy and Alice continued.

Dorothy, perhaps thinking the fighting area was too narrow, broke a large part of the building’s exterior and lured Alice outside.

The building and the ground shook. Dust kept pouring down from the ceiling.

My body had become quite sluggish due to the frost from the Frost Scythe, but I couldn’t slow down. I gritted my teeth and kept running.

Suddenly, I saw Dorothy and Alice battling in the sky beyond the half-destroyed exterior.

It was spectacular. Countless star clusters and vivid magic arrays dominated the area. Beams of light rained down, and brilliant starlight explosions followed one after another.

No one in this Merhen Academy can defeat Dorothy. She is a genius who is expected to reach the level of a grand mage in no time, blessed by the heavens.

BOOM─────!!

SQUEAK─────!!

BOOM───!!

A black rabbit, a white rabbit, and Trump soldiers riding winged white horses were summoned en masse. Each of them was overwhelmingly stronger than me.

However, Dorothy easily dispelled Alice’s minions with a single gesture, emitting starlight mana.

The sky was filled with the brilliant starlight and the ashen color. Magic arrays were continuously unfolding.

The battle between Dorothy and Alice was growing in scale, echoing with tremendous sounds.

Finally, I reached the rooftop.

“Haa, haa….”

I caught my breath and surveyed the grand rooftop. The luxurious design matched the exterior of the Bartos Hall. The beautiful structures extending from the perimeter were shining brightly with the magic stones embedded in them.

And the massive magic array covering the rooftop.

A bizarre shape with many curved lines, it was emitting a vivid red light. It was a sign of the evil deity Nephid’s resurrection.

In the center of the magic array stood a rectangular stele emitting an alien yellowish light. It was the [Eternal Stele]. The area around the rooftop was enveloped in a time acceleration barrier.

Suddenly, I felt a sensation as if my body was floating, and I looked down at my right hand.

Crackle, noise was gradually building up. It seemed to be a phenomenon caused by entering the [Eternal Stele]’s domain.

However, since the evil deity would soon be resurrected, my time would be accelerated for only a brief moment.

“Phew.”

I caught my breath and wiped the sweat beads from my forehead. It was time to decide the outcome.

I ran toward the [Eternal Stele]. As expected, a golden pocket watch was floating in front of the stele, emitting mana. It was the ‘Illusion Clock,’ a catalyst for time magic.

Now, if I just grab this clock…!

BOOM────────!!!

“Gah!!”

The magic array emitted a strong light, and the [Eternal Stele] was activated.

A massive pillar of mana, emitting a terrifying red light, shot endlessly into the sky.

The impact sent me flying, and I crashed into the railing.

A sharp pain shot through the back of my head. I almost fainted….

“Ugh…. Hah.”

But a groan and a laugh escaped me.

I was holding the Illusion Clock in my hand.

“Done…!”

It wasn’t too late. I had succeeded!

Soon, the sky where Dorothy and Alice were fighting was filled with a red aurora. Dorothy looked surprised.

Above them, a giant eye began to look down on the world, large enough to cover the sky. Angra Mainyu, the servant of the evil deity.

Then, the dragon of destruction, Az Dahaka, emerged from the red pillar, soaring through the sky with a bizarre roar.

The ornate structures decorating the Bartos Hall’s rooftop began to be devoured by wriggling, pitch-black maggots. These massive worms replaced the structures.

I stood up, holding onto the railing.

“……!”

The heavy mana suppressed the atmosphere. The pressure felt like it would crush my body. It was only after that I realized the darkness of the abyss filled the entire rooftop.

Many eyes, submerged in the darkness beneath my feet, floated upward. They were eerie eyes with red pupils and black irises.

When I shifted my gaze to the center of the rooftop, a faint shadow of a woman began to appear within the red pillar.

The darkness covering the rooftop reached the hem of the woman’s black dress. Her attire was darkness itself.

[Detected a powerful demon!!]

[The level difference with the enemy is extreme!!]

[※ Run immediately!]

[※ Run immediately!]

[※ Run immediately…….

[ The Evil Deity of Destruction, Nephid ]

Lv : ■■■

Race : Demon

Attribute : Darkness, Fire, Void

Danger Level : Extreme■

Mental State : [ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ ]

“Nephid….”

As I dismissed the warning window and closely observed the evil deity, my survival instinct began to rage. If not for the effect of [Bingjie], I would have collapsed on the spot.

I have no idea how strong I need to become to take her down. I don’t even know if it’s possible.

But I will definitely defeat this final boss. I won’t entertain any weak thoughts.

So, to reaffirm my resolve in this moment,

I took a deep breath and shouted the name of a woman.

“Dorothy!!!”

She turned to look at me, and her gaze also shifted to me.

She had already thrown off her witch’s hat, her light purple hair fluttering. Her expression was unusually serious.

Facing the star of the witch, who was shining brightly with a multicolored star cluster against the backdrop of the end of the world,

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Why did you train so hard?!!! The world is going to be destroyed by the evil deity!!! That’s why!!!”

I was possessed by the weakest character in the game’s hell mode.

“I!!! Will stop!!! The destruction of this world!!!”

I wanted to live, but the protagonist’s condition was severe.

“I will save!!! This world, you, and me!!! All of us!!!”

What else could I do?

“So I!!!”

I.

“Will defeat!!!”

The only way to prevent a bad ending.

“The evil deity…!!”

Dorothy’s stiff face broke into a smile.

She stretched out her arm toward me, forming a V with her index and middle fingers, and smiled innocently. It was a sign that she understood.

Her characteristic ‘Nihih’ laugh also seemed to echo in my ears.

Black flames rained down on the battlefield. The evil deity Nephid, inside the red pillar, was slowly rising into the air.

The hem of Nephid’s dark dress was gradually rising, enveloping my body.

Five pairs of black wings unfolded, causing a fierce storm.

From within the red pillar, a dark shadow looked down at me.

The evil deity.

As I took in her intimidating presence, I pressed the reverse button on the Illusion Clock.

────────Click.

For a moment, time stopped─.

Tick, tick, tick━─━─━─━─━─━─━─━─.

With the regular ticking of the clock, everything around me was bathed in a brilliant golden light.

As if rewinding a video, the evil deity and her minions began to be sucked back into the magic array. Nephid’s dark dress, which had been enveloping me, also began to recede like a tide.

Suddenly, I felt a floating sensation. Everything within the [Eternal Stele]’s domain, even a speck of dust, had to experience a time reversal equivalent to the accelerated time.

I would normally have to suffer the side effects, but since I prevented the premature resurrection of the evil deity, this must count as clearing the trial. Now, I just need to return to the trial cave.

As I felt my brain twisting, I couldn’t think any more. My consciousness gradually drifted away.

●

When I opened my eyes,

I was still in the middle of the trial.