I got into school for nothing - Chapter 313
I got into school for nothing (313)
Lesson 61. The Innocent Criminal - 3
Though called a ship for convenience, the dimension ship was, in reality, no different from an independent dimension.
Unlike other dimensions with fixed coordinates, this dimension ship could move freely within the dimension wall, granting it access to countless other dimensions.
Even as Lilyth immediately tried to pull their dimension ship back, reacting to Shati and Mira's warnings and their intuition that something was terribly wrong, the dimension ship, having sensed their presence, instead breached the dimension wall and approached, trapping them inside.
‘Of course we can't get out, can we?’
[I'm sorry, Master...]
‘It's okay. What could we do if he was determined to deceive us? Even if we'd tried to go to Union, he probably would have found a way to approach us anyway.’
Zenon was always someone whose true intentions were inscrutable.
And that he was the master of the pseudo-space mimicking the Tower...
—Come out.
Zenon's icy voice echoed throughout the vast space.
Lilyth, as if believing the group was dragged here because of her, tried to resist by all means, but Ban Yuwon, thinking it would be better to go out rather than huddle together and rely on Lilyth's defense in such a cramped space, recalled her to his inventory and stepped out with his companions.
The dimension ship—the interior of the independent dimension—was filled with dense mana.
Boarding the dimension ship, having previously regarded it as nothing more than a slightly larger spaceship, now felt utterly foolish.
“Ah.”
As they lifted their heads, Zenon's figure, looking down on them from an impossibly high vantage point, became clearly visible.
Within his eyes, where even the whites were dyed black, bright yellow pupils gleamed.
Horns rising from his temples and wings sprouting from his back only now came into view.
“Could it be, you’re the First Demon King...?!”
Hadn't they just been discussing Annihilation Magic and the First Demon King of the Diabolo dimension?
Shati, it seemed, had long suspected Zenon's true identity.
However, at Shati's shocked murmur, Zenon, who had been quietly looking down at them, scoffed in response.
—I am not a demon. I merely stole the horns and wings of a demon to wield this power.
“What did you say?!”
Stole them?
Setting aside whether that was even possible, Shati bit her lip, horrified that Zenon had been hiding such a dreadful truth.
It was the moment it became clear that Zenon was their enemy.
He slowly descended, approaching them, and opened his mouth again.
—Do you know? Everyone. The Tower is connected to all dimensions, monitoring them, and continuously tears off parts of worlds, incorporating them into itself in real-time.
Ban Yuwon had already suspected as much.
He had, however, always assumed that the Tower only extracted parts of worlds—that is, ‘fragments’—from dimensions that had already perished, but listening to Zenon, it seemed that wasn't necessarily the case.
If so, many more things could be explained.
Especially why Dokgo Yeon's dimension, Murim, compulsively forbade contact with outside dimensions.
And why her dimension's unique martial arts had spread to other worlds...
—It is a natural process of unification. The Tower will rise even higher, and Union will grow stronger.
“Then what happens to the other dimensions?”
—...But.
Zenon, who momentarily frowned at Ban Yuwon's objection, continued as if he hadn't heard him.
—But you, whom the Chancellor dotes on, have begun to disrupt that perfect order.
“Hah, what order are you talking about...!”
Just as Ban Yuwon was about to retort again, Zenon's horns gleamed.
Then, something black plummeted from the sky.
Ban Yuwon realized it was targeting him, and cast a barrier imbued with [Vajra], but the barrier, upon contact with it, melted away as naturally as ice cream at room temperature—.
The next moment, it was caught in Shati's outstretched hand.
—Astonishing. Even someone infinitely stronger than you wouldn't be able to grasp that barehanded.
“Oh really? Wielding the same magic gives me this advantage, kyahaha.”
Shati chuckled quite cheerfully, but everyone knew she was furious.
Tightly clenching the mass of Annihilation Magic she had caught, she spoke.
“Professor Campanella, what happened to her?”
—She is not dead. She is safe. However, she... yes, she sustained some injuries because she went a little berserk. She is currently resting in a temporary barrack constructed within Union Academy.
“...You're not using her as a hostage, are you?”
—It seems there's a misunderstanding. Yes, it is indeed a situation prone to misunderstanding. But I am not wicked enough to take a fellow professor hostage.
His horns gleamed again.
This time, black raindrops formed astonishingly close, flying precisely at Ban Yuwon—and annihilated themselves with the blue lightning Rucell unleashed. rAN#0BЕS
—Nothing but astonishing individuals, it seems. To block annihilation, the bloodline of a Divine Beast is certainly not to be scoffed at.
“Thank you for the compliment. I'd be even more grateful if you'd let us out of this stifling place.”
Speaking with a sarcastic edge, Rucell leaned into a combat stance.
The lightning beasts residing in her hands and feet could be felt growling and spewing fury.
Even with her beastly instincts, she must have known how formidable an enemy Zenon was, yet to step forward without hesitation was nothing short of admirable.
—Ban Yuwon, you are indeed dangerous. All of them... before meeting you, they did not possess powers that defied order.
Shati and Rucell, both were individuals who had discovered latent possibilities through Ban Yuwon's conceptual manipulation.
And to go a step further, Asha, who escaped her fate and wielded the power of a True Dragon, was no different.
—But the Chancellor, unaware that you are trying to dismantle the Tower's order, has willingly acted as your servant. That should not be. He is mistaken. The Tower was perfect when only he and I were its administrators, but it is not so now.
As if everything until now had merely been a taste.
Annihilation began to surge from all directions.
From above, a crescent-shaped energy plummeted like a guillotine.
From below, an energy billowed like poisonous smoke, attempting to melt them from their legs up.
And in the form of spheres, an energy gathered, flying rapidly like pinballs, threatening to tear their bodies apart.
The party unleashed their respective abilities to block them, but they couldn't keep this up indefinitely.
—The Tower is best as it is. I do not like the variable that is you. And even the great Chancellor... If he continues to stray from the path, I will have to set him straight.
“What do you want?”
—The eternal rule of the Tower, as it is. Students who continuously climb the unscalable Tower, providing sustenance to it. And criminals who obediently manage dimensions, chained by their leashes.
Zenon's eyes flashed wide open, and he spread his arms.
The Annihilation Magic condensed at his fingertips instantly filled the surroundings, and, like Shati's authority, it was seen forming a single, massive magic circle.
‘Dangerous—!’
In an instant, the world was dyed pitch black, but the barrier Ban Yuwon created by borrowing the powers of [Rebellion], [Constellation's Stigma], [Crimson Flame], and [Sorcery] barely managed to block it before shattering.
“H-h-heuh....”
“Dangerous, that was truly dangerous...”
“Yuwon, are you okay? Yuwon!”
Within the independent dimension, which had returned to its original state, Zenon looked down at Ban Yuwon, who was gasping for breath from the overexertion of his authority, and bit his lip.
—It has only been one year. How am I supposed to view you, who have grown to a level capable of blocking my full-power attack in just one year?
Even though he spoke of full power, Zenon still seemed to have plenty of reserves, and Ban Yuwon felt as if his heart and brain were burning from having created a barrier by combining numerous language concepts in such a short time.
He finally understood.
Zenon was currently jealous of him.
The Vice-Chancellor of Union Academy, whose true intentions were inscrutable and whom everyone held in awe, was, in fact, such a child—it was truly laughable.
‘Now that I think about it, even in the first semester, when he saw me wielding power within the pseudo-space, Zenon had reacted uncharacteristically.’
He should have realized it then, but he never would have dreamed that someone as important as Union's Vice-Chancellor could be motivated by jealousy.
It probably wasn't just jealousy towards him.
Having blindly followed the Chancellor, he might not have been pleased by the Chancellor's attention shifting to Ban Yuwon... Especially the Chancellor's overtly changed attitude in the second semester might have spurred his impulsive actions.
—If I had my way, I'd hold you here for a long time and make you realize your true level, but I don't know how long Exodus can keep the Chancellor occupied... So, I suppose it's time to finish this.
“Says who?”
Rucell, Asha, Dokgo Yeon, Mira, Aire, and even Shati.
These women, who in a way could be said to have been caught in this situation because of Ban Yuwon, still stepped forward, as if to protect him, without backing down against Zenon, who exuded the dignity of an absolute being.
—I bear no personal grudge against you. Each of you possesses powers I find disagreeable, including the descendant of an insolent lizard... But since you alone cannot change the Tower, I will let you go.
“Hmph.”
Asha scoffed.
“Listening to you go on and on, you've been whining like a child this whole time, so what makes you think you're so great as to talk big?”
Ban Yuwon marveled at Asha's insight.
Or perhaps she recognized it immediately because she was also a child herself.
—As you may have heard earlier, I do not enjoy persecuting the innocent. Student Ban Yuwon, one person is enough. I will erase your memories and send you back unharmed. So...
“You shouldn't babble so carelessly just because you have a mouth, Professor Zenon. My fiancé and I are already one body, so any attack on Yuwon is considered an attack on me.”
“When did you two get engaged?”
“We already had the family meeting, didn't we?”
—You're still young and fearless, I see. Since time is short, I shall... humor you for a bit.
Zenon spread his wings wide, and an even greater pressure bore down on the group.
They truly couldn't continue like this.
Though they had experienced many things over the past year, and had achieved a near-rebirth level of growth through the experience gained from defeating numerous formidable foes and even constellations during this expedition, the gap between them and Zenon had not narrowed.
‘...Wait, why is this? There's no way it hasn't narrowed. I didn't feel this way even against the head of one of the Ten Great Families, or a constellation.’
Ban Yuwon desperately tried to search him, while simultaneously racking his brain.
Of course, if Zenon was simply stronger than the former head of Prominence and the constellation Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas, there was nothing to say, but even considering that, the gap was too vast.
Moreover, Ban Yuwon had grown significantly once after killing a family head, and again after killing a constellation.
For such a Ban Yuwon to be completely unable to resist Zenon, wasn't that excessively artificial?
As if it had been fabricated....
‘Wait. Fabricated?’
With that sudden thought, Ban Yuwon rapidly scanned his surroundings.
His All-Seeing Eyes and All-Hearing Ears, which had grown even further after seeing through constellations, mobilized and activated his Giwon Sword, which instantly dominated the area, and searched for what he sought.
If it had been a time when he knew nothing, perhaps, but now that he had figured out the cause—!
—Impossible.
Rain began to fall throughout the entire space.
It was the Rain of Annihilation, which they had seen before during a full-school special activity, a rain that melted away everything.
As Ban Yuwon's party were not monsters from lower dimensions, they were not easily defeated by it, but the tricky part was that it nullified all concepts within the area where the rain fell.
In other words, it even interfered with the Giwon Sword's search.
“Head of Planning, doing it all by yourself again, I see.”
“I was trying to finish it secretly and quickly, but that's out the window. Please cooperate. We need to stop the rain.”
“Alright, I'll try.”
“I suppose I should step forward too.”
Those who stepped forward were Shati, optimized for dealing with Annihilation Magic, and Dokgo Yeon.
The mass of Annihilation Magic that Shati had caught had, by now, transformed into a long, sharp spear. She manifested her authority into it, and chuckled, “Heh.”
“You know I can't hold out for long, right?”
“I'll try to do it as quickly as possible. Please, Yeon.”
“Leave it to me. Can I borrow a sword?”
The moment he heard that, Ban Yuwon was conflicted.
If he were as deeply connected to Dokgo Yeon as he was to Rucell, he could lend her Requiem.
Even if it was temporary, should he try something now?
Should he even kiss her?
No, should he waste the opportunity he had saved for the two of them until now for such a reason?
But still, rather than Yeon truly falling into danger...!
[There's no way that woman would be able to wield the Requiem, which is subjugated to you, with just a kiss.]
Lilyth's cold tackle brought Ban Yuwon back to his senses.
It seemed he, too, had lost his mind with the appearance of such a formidable foe as Zenon.
As he handed her the Executioner's Longsword, Dokgo Yeon took it and smiled faintly.
“It's your cherished sword, after all. Holding this, I feel like I can't lose.”
“I'm already nervous enough to die, so please don't say anything ominous, Yeon...”
The two, in battle stance, kicked off into the air.
Zenon scoffed, and attacked the two with masses of Annihilation Magic he created from all directions. However, the two, who could boldly be called the strongest among the party, neither dodged nor flinched, each swinging their weapons, and effortlessly annihilated them.
—I might truly kill you.
“There's nothing more ridiculous than someone who speaks lightly of death.”
—If that is your wish!
A black, grid-patterned energy mass simultaneously diffused and enveloped the two.
Tearing through it with sheer force, Shati and Dokgo Yeon surged towards Zenon once more.
“How about this, Professor?!”
—You think you can surpass me with that power?!
Just before the explosion from Shati's authority enveloped Zenon, his Annihilation Magic covered and suppressed it. Then, a casually outstretched arm repelled Dokgo Yeon, who was surging from behind him, sending her flying far away.
The more Zenon focused on dealing with the two of them, the thinner the rain became, and the more opportunities the Giwon Sword had to infiltrate.
—Annoying...!
Even amidst that, Zenon continued to divert power and attack Ban Yuwon, but the remaining companions by his side fended off his attacks.
Asha, using her True Dragon Sword, which had by now regained its light, swept away the Annihilation Magic, and chuckled, revealing her fangs, “Heh.”
“It works after all. It's not just Rucell and Dokgo Yeon who can do it!”
“Were you concerned about something like that again?”
“Haaaah!”
When black paint seemed to cover half of the vast space, the party erased it again with all their might.
Ban Yuwon extended his power into every area where the paint was erased, continuously searching—and finally found what he desired.
Zenon, perhaps sensing it too, and Dokgo Yeon, who had been bothering him,
“Eve—!”
Though, in truth, there was no need to voice it.
The moment Eve, whose small body had secretly traversed the space, bit and shattered the orb—that which was hidden within the vast space—.
The group found themselves inside the dimension ship.
“Hah.”
A rather familiar space.
It was spacious, of course, but it wasn't an empty, cosmic void like the space they had just been fighting in.
The mana that had been swirling around them was gone, and Zenon's horns and wings, which had sprouted from his head and back, had also vanished without a trace.
“Gah! What in the...?”
Shati, who had been sent flying far away to dispel the Annihilation Magic Zenon had unleashed, collided with a metallic wall that had suddenly appeared, grumbling in pain as she rubbed her back.
Only Dokgo Yeon, who had been clashing weapons with Zenon at close range, felt his momentum diminish, and, realizing what had happened, let out a hollow laugh.
“It was a pseudo-space, then?”
A space mimicking the Tower, created by the Chancellor and Zenon working together, manifested within a highly restricted area due to an orb.
Within it, Zenon became a god, and students granted authority could also freely enjoy the Tower's powers—.
That orb, which created such a miracle, was now being crushed inside the mouth of Eve, Ban Yuwon's familiar.
“I was a little flustered not knowing the orb could be moved, but I still believed there was no way the gap between us was that vast.”
“—Tsk.”
Zenon clicked his tongue, his face filled with annoyance.
“It was supposed to end in an instant, but.”
“Did you forget that I, in the pseudo-space you created, wielded power more naturally than you?”
“I did find it odd that the power output was strange, despite it being a space I created. Indeed, a remarkable ability. Though it has made things rather troublesome....”
Even though the orb that guaranteed his absolute victory had been destroyed, Zenon shook his head as if he had no regrets, and continued speaking, creating a writhing black mass in his hand.
“The pseudo-space was merely created to conceal my actions, and the gap between us is still vast. Now that I've discerned your authority, it is far better to fight here.”
That which was thrown vanished with a sword strike unleashed by Dokgo Yeon.
In exchange, the Executioner's Longsword also melted away. Zenon spread both hands, creating identical spheres of power, and attacked Dokgo Yeon again, twisting his lips into a smile.
“Before that, I must kill you, who possesses an authority superior to my magic.”
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