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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The dungeon, now active, was in chaos.
The concrete reinforcements crumbled.
The weakening enchantments failing to contain the surging monsters.
The dungeon itself shifted and writhed, a living organism consuming its prey.
“Die!”
“Agh!”
Andy and I cut through the monsters, our movements swift and precise.
His Aura Blade, a vibrant display of power, tore through their ranks.
A veteran of the Royal Knights, he was in his element.
He had initially panicked, suggesting we retreat when I told him about the demon summoning.
‘What?! A greater demon is being summoned, and you want to run?! Have you been retired for ten years?! Get your act together, or I’ll kill you myself!’
After a… pointed conversation, he was now fighting alongside me.
We navigated the shifting corridors, rescuing trapped students, guiding them to safety.
I held a compass-like artifact, a life-detector I had prepared for this occasion.
The rescued students, their eyes wide with awe, followed us, struggling to keep pace.
“Wow… that’s a Royal Knight…”
“I… never saw the instructor like this…”
They stared at Andy, their faces filled with admiration.
His vibrant Aura Blade was a far more impressive display than my plain longsword, despite my effortless destruction of the concrete walls without using aura.
I suppose a tall, glowing knight was more visually appealing… damn it.
I sensed no more life signs nearby.
“Senior, is everyone accounted for?”
“No, Seymour’s still missing…!”
River.
I suddenly remembered the hidden chamber, the site of the earlier massacre.
If she was truly touched by the protagonist’s fate…
“I have a hunch. Get everyone out! I’ll find her!”
“Thank you! Let’s go, everyone!”
Andy, his Aura Blade carving a path through the collapsing walls, led the students towards the exit.
As I turned back towards the hidden chamber, a wave of demonic energy washed over the dungeon.
A powerful, oppressive presence.
“A greater demon… what the hell are they feeding it?!”
I saw it.
The sealed boss room, its entrance warped and distorted, consumed by a swirling black mist.
The boss room itself was being used as a sacrifice.
“They performed another ritual?! After I destroyed everything?!”
They had managed to perform another ritual in such a short time.
This was why I hated these cultists.
Like cockroaches, they kept appearing, no matter how many you killed.
I had to find River and Amy.
The entrance to the hidden chamber had shifted, but I found it easily.
It was directly below the boss room.
I dropped down.
I sensed a presence.
Amy.
Where’s River?
I had to focus on Amy.
Belphegor’s hand glowed with dark energy.
Amy didn’t move.
A black spike was embedded in her leg.
She was about to die.
“Hey! Hey, hey, hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She couldn’t die.
She might have shot at me, but she was the Devil Slayer, or at least, a version of him.
She might not be Hayden Parker, but she shared his narrative weight.
She was my canary in the coal mine, her presence a warning sign.
I had been drawn to her, to her Devil Slayer attire.
If I hadn’t seen her, I would have relaxed after clearing the cave.
I wouldn’t have been prepared.
She was my early warning system.
I couldn’t let her die, not like this.
She had to survive, to warn me of future dangers!
I tightened my grip on my sword.
It was useless against a greater demon.
I channeled aura into the blade, a faint glow enveloping the steel.
The glow intensified, until the metal itself became invisible, replaced by pure light.
A high-level Expert’s Aura Blade resembled flames.
Mine, however, looked like a blade of pure light, a silent storm of concentrated power.
I had thought it resembled a lightsaber from those old Earth movies.
I launched my Aura Blade like a ballista bolt, piercing Belphegor’s side.
-Thud!
“[Gaaaaaaaaah!!!]”
He screamed.
“What the hell did you do to my canary!!!!!!!!”
There were three ways to kill a demon, but only two were commonly known.
The third was too difficult, too rare.
Only a handful of individuals in the entire continent could achieve it.
A method that surpassed both divine power and pure substances.
Ultimate Aura Blade.
I retrieved my sword, landing before Amy.
Belphegor clutched his wound, black smoke seeping from the cauterized edges.
“[This… pain… unlike anything… I’ve felt… It burns… hotter than hellfire!!!]”
He screamed, his voice filled with… something akin to… excitement.
This pain was new to him.
“[I’ve heard… of you insects… who can harm us… You’re a Master!!!]”
Ultimate Aura Blade, a blade of pure light, was the mark of a Master.
“Yeah, gramps. Never seen a Master before?”
I was one of the three Masters in the Empire.
Ultimate Aura Blade warped reality.
Mastery wasn’t just about skill and strength.
It was about a state of mind that transcended the limitations of this world, a power akin to demons and gods.
It bypassed the rules of this world, making it a deadly weapon against extradimensional beings.
“Damn it, it broke again.”
My longsword, moments ago a blade of pure light, crumbled into ashes.
Ordinary steel couldn’t withstand the power of a Master’s aura.
I had already destroyed one today.
I could retrieve my sword from the Knights’ headquarters, but that would be suicide.
Fortunately, there was a mithril sword nearby.
I bent down to pick it up.
Amy, her face streaked with tears, looked up at me.
“Atlas… how…?”
“I saw River earlier. Where did she go?”
“…She should be… back in the dormitory…”
“Good.”
She had vanished, just like before.
I was relieved.
One less thing to worry about.
I picked up her greatsword.
“I’m borrowing this.”
The weight and balance were different from my longsword, but I could manage.
It was annoyingly large, but if Amy could wield it, so could I.
“But… how did you get here…?”
-Flick!
“Ow!”
I flicked her forehead.
She had almost died, despite my offer to help.
I wanted to yell at her, but I had to focus on the demon.
I condensed my frustration into a single sentence.
“Shut up. You’re in big trouble.”
She looked indignant, but I ignored her, turning back to Belphegor.
I wouldn’t lose to this old geezer.
I channeled my aura into the mithril greatsword, the blade glowing brightly. The immense weight and unfamiliar balance felt strange, but I adapted. Wielding a sword larger than myself was annoying, but if Amy could do it, so could I.
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ah feels like a short chap, thanks for the chapter