I got into school for nothing - Chapter 315
I got into school for nothing (315)
Lesson 61. Innocent Sinner - 5
Ban Yuwon made one mistake.
The problem was allowing Eve to swallow the Orb whole.
The Orb, a rare and precious artifact that contained the essences of the Chancellor, Zenon, and even the Tower of Babel itself, had a frighteningly good compatibility with Eve, a mythical beast. Because of this, Eve had evolved to the next stage.
Eve herself seemed to realize it too late, but even she couldn't stop the flow. There was no choice but to retrieve Eve, who had coiled into an egg shape in mid-air, back into his inventory.
‘At least the virtual space is shattered. The rest should be fine without Eve.’
Eve was always like an insurance policy, reading Ban Yuwon's intentions and moving to diligently fill in his gaps.
A feeling of unease crept into a corner of his heart, but he shook it off, gripping Requiem.
Lilyth, invigorated by her rival's departure, exclaimed powerfully and clung to his back.
From the point where she clung, crackling, sparking wings of electricity unfurled beside Ban Yuwon's shoulders.
Not only that, but an alien sensation enveloped his entire body.
Ban Yuwon felt Lilyth's unique demonic power, the concepts of Space Transcendence, Breakthrough, and Acceleration begin to resonate more deeply with him, and he thought:
This one, finally...
"To think you actually imitated it."
[I'm a much more upgraded version! Abel doesn't have a compression function, but I can still be a specialized reinforced suit for my master, with wings, no less!]
She had been so envious after seeing the mech-dragon enveloping Asha's body that she finally came up with a way to transform into a reinforced suit using her Myriad Transformations ability.
There was no way to know the detailed mechanism, but Lilyth was a continually evolving demonic machine.
In other words, in areas related to machinery, she was undoubtedly more specialized than Ban Yuwon.
More than anything, she possessed a power source that surpassed her older sister, Eve—demonic power. Simply adding that to Ban Yuwon would increase his combat strength.
[Come to think of it, I don't know why I didn't think of this method sooner. Unless I'm supposed to carry Master on a bike or a fighter jet, combining is the best way.]
That was because even Ban Yuwon had lacked such an idea.
Of course, there was the drawback that if Lilyth's power was redirected to support Ban Yuwon, Abel could not be operated. But against Zenon, who was emitting a terrifying aura that annihilated anything it touched, Abel wouldn't be able to exert much power anyway, so it didn't matter.
—Bang, Ka-aang, Kagagagak!
Even as Ban Yuwon prepared for battle, Dokgo Yeon and Shatie clashed with Zenon above, a series of thunderous roars echoing repeatedly.
Before the virtual space shattered, Zenon had focused his attacks on Ban Yuwon, allowing the two of them to exploit some openings. But now, with the offensive concentrated on Dokgo Yeon, both Dokgo Yeon, who was under direct attack, and Shatie, who desperately intervened to protect her, were being pushed back by him.
"Let's go, too."
"I was ready, Master."
"I... won't lose either."
"Close combat will be tough, but I'll provide support from the rear."
Rucell, Asha, and even Mira responded, as if in competition.
Turning to Aire, the only one who hadn't replied, Ban Yuwon saw her looking up at Zenon with an expression he had never seen before.
An absurdly murderous smile.
"Aire?"
"...Ah."
At Ban Yuwon's call, Aire's expression returned to normal. She shook her head and approached him.
"Let's go together. That man is dangerous."
"Yes, thank you."
Perhaps hatred for Zenon's kind was etched into her very genes.
Ban Yuwon hoped the emotion he had momentarily read from her was fleeting, then pushed off the ground, leading his party.
[Let's finish this right away, Master!]
He pushed his speed to the extreme with Lilyth's concepts of [Breakthrough] and [Acceleration].
To counter the Annihilation Magic, he simultaneously imbued Requiem, which he held in his hand, with [Constellation's Stigma] and [Starlight].
As means to assist and enhance it, he added [Judgment], which amplified his power against evildoers; [Rebellion], which amplified his power against those stronger than him; and the Authority [Gap], torn from a Constellation to slightly boost his reaction speed.
‘With the resolve to end it in one strike.’
[Hwaaaaaap!]
All these concepts organically combined within his martial art, Giwon Sword, elevating Ban Yuwon's movements.
The next moment, after Lilyth's energy-formed wings swept once through the air, Ban Yuwon plunged directly in front of Zenon, who was rushing towards Dokgo Yeon.
[Penetration]
But just as he was about to thrust the sharply honed sword tip into the villain's glabella, he saw a smile spread across Zenon's lips.
—Kwaaaaaah—
Black magic, blooming from him, enveloped Ban Yuwon like retracting flower petals.
He had developed Giwon Sword to read his opponent's movements, but this damned transcendent being was erasing even the movements of the concepts that composed him with Annihilation Magic.
[Kyaak!]
"Ugh!"
A violent clash of energies occurred.
However, as he had thought before, Ban Yuwon's abilities were overwhelmingly at a disadvantage against Zenon.
Zenon indiscriminately destroyed everything, regardless of the meaning contained within it. Even if Ban Yuwon infused his sword with god-slaying power, it would only fade away meaninglessly.
In terms of elemental compatibility, it was a perfect hierarchy.
Ban Yuwon barely regained his footing, retreated, and bit his lip.
‘That's why I wanted to launch an even more perfect surprise attack...!’
Zenon had pretended to focus his attacks solely on Dokgo Yeon, but he had been constantly watching Ban Yuwon.
His ultimate goal was Ban Yuwon after all, and he had thoroughly hidden even that true intention.
[Master, Requiem!]
Lilyth shrieked, and Ban Yuwon, also turning his gaze to check his sword, sighed inwardly.
The power imbued in Requiem had been lost while resisting the Annihilation Magic.
It wasn't rendered unusable forever, but it would need several months to replenish its energy.
"Watch out!"
—Whirl, Kagagagak!
Dokgo Yeon, intervening from the side, blocked dozens of black whips that had pursued Ban Yuwon as he retreated.
Crack! It was the moment Executioner's Longsword, which had sustained Ban Yuwon through countless battlefields, cracked.
Feeling Dokgo Yeon's energy wavering and scattering, Ban Yuwon groaned.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but—"
Dokgo Yeon, shielding him, whispered.
Her complexion wasn't good due to expelling too much 'death' in a short period, yet her eyes still shone brightly.
The eyes of one who refused to give up the fight.
"Won, the longer we drag this out, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us."
Her gaze was fixed on the rest of the party, who were pressing Zenon, exploiting the opening created by Ban Yuwon enduring Zenon's assault. Even if they somehow managed to deflect Zenon's Annihilation Magic, only Shatie and Aire possessed the ability to directly wound him.
Rucell and Asha had excellent offensive capabilities but lacked means to defend against Annihilation Magic, making them susceptible to his attacks. Mira's complex curses or Changeling abilities were being erased by Zenon's magic without a chance to manifest, making her compatibility against him as unfavorable as Ban Yuwon's.
"Killing students is not something I relish, but if you insist on blocking me, I have no choice!"
"You're spouting utter nonsense, jealous of Yuwon and trying to kill him... Ugh!"
"As Light, you need a proper education."
"Get back!"
Zenon's murderous aura intensified even further.
The wide dimensional vessel contracted, and the walls on all sides turned pitch black.
With the Chancellor gone, Zenon held control over the dimensional vessel, and he was using it to manifest his Authority, even drawing upon the vessel's power source.
"That person will be angry, but— I must kill you now."
His creation of a virtual space within the dimensional vessel using the Orb was merely a means to deal with Ban Yuwon within his own capabilities and without the Chancellor discovering it.
If he were to attack, mobilizing everything he could without considering the consequences, he could easily overwhelm the party.
Dokgo Yeon surveyed the battlefield and spoke again, her voice filled with grim determination.
"I will kill him."
"But Yeon, you too..."
"Give me that."
Dokgo Yeon extended her hand, pointing at Ban Yuwon's chest.
He felt his body freeze for a moment.
"What?"
"I know. It's the energy I wield."
"...Yeon."
As this situation escalated, Ban Yuwon had been carrying a dagger the Chancellor had once given him.
He knew he wasn't capable of handling it yet, but he was certain it was better to wield it and fight desperately than for all his companions to be defeated by transcendents like Constellations or whatever they were.
But he had no intention of handing it over to Dokgo Yeon.
And for good reason...
"Yeon, you can't have this. It's dangerous."
Because even Dokgo Yeon, who wielded the energy of death, was not guaranteed to be able to properly handle this dagger.
"What kind of misconception are you under?"
But Dokgo Yeon, facing Ban Yuwon's worried expression, scoffed.
Then, she reached out and snatched the dagger from his embrace in one swift motion.
"It wasn't a suggestion, it was a declaration. Do you think we have time to hesitate right now?"
"You."
"Get a grip, Ban Yuwon. If you die, everyone here will die with you."
Dokgo Yeon, calling him by his full name for the first time in a long while, immediately plunged the black dagger in her hand into the crack in Executioner's Longsword.
As she had said, was she skillfully controlling it because it was an energy she had wielded from the beginning?
The dagger, melting fluidly, resolved all the cracks in Executioner's Longsword, then dyed the entire blade black.
Dokgo Yeon, gripping it with both hands, was about to rush towards Zenon but suddenly turned back to Ban Yuwon, mumbling as if she had something to say.
Even though she knew better than anyone how urgent the situation was.
"Yeon?"
"Ah."
Then, as he looked at her worriedly, she shook her head and smiled provocatively at him.
"There's not a single shred of energy to waste, so clear the path for me properly."
"Yeon, what you were just about to say—"
"You can do it, Won?"
"...Fine."
He bit his lip in helplessness, yet he had no choice but to nod.
He was worried about Dokgo Yeon trying to embrace and wield that vast energy, but since she had made up her mind, there was no way to stop her.
It would be better to support her so the battle would end quickly.
"Cellon, Lilyth!"
—We must win, no matter what.
[Ugh, I'm really going to kill that bastard! Definitely!]
He pulled out all the talismans containing Won-gi and Starlight from his inventory, activating them and drawing out all of Cellon's and Lilyth's energy.
He literally squeezed out everything he had left to unleash Starlight Magic.
"Still with that... Tsk!"
The moment Zenon reached out his hand, summoning destruction that would simultaneously pierce Ban Yuwon and Dokgo Yeon.
Dozens of light beams appeared, streaking across the air, intersecting over the darkness, and immediately shattering it.
If his power couldn't be detected until just before its manifestation, Ban Yuwon would pinpoint the exact moment it manifested and unleash a barrage of light beams.
Although it couldn't directly wound Zenon himself, it was enough to tear apart the Annihilation Magic he generated.
Ban Yuwon, his mind racing as if to burst, generated light beams and shouted.
"Everyone, support Yeon! Tie that bastard down!"
"Understood, Master!"
The party, who had been mercilessly battered by Zenon, finally caught their breath thanks to the continuous barrage of light beams fired by Ban Yuwon.
He even added spells, creating a defensive formation composed of Starlight on all sides and amplifying its effects.
With him fully dedicated to support, even the Annihilation Magic filling the dimensional vessel couldn't help but falter.
The ceiling and floor, which had been stained pitch black, flickered and lost their power.
Having poured all his remaining energy, its duration wouldn't be long, but it was an astonishing feat to suppress the abilities of Zenon, who dared to call himself second only to the Union itself.
"Annoying!"
"That's what I should be saying!"
Asha's thrusting spear intercepted the Annihilation Magic that was reaching for Ban Yuwon.
Behind it, Mira's rising arrows burst the black tendrils that writhed behind Zenon's back.
Explosions triggered by Shatie, aiming for openings, made Zenon falter for a moment.
Rucell unleashed nine fox-fires imbued with all her strength, which surged forward, sparking, and stripped away the Annihilation Magic that protected Zenon's body.
"Enemy of... the Dragon!"
"Khk?!"
Aire, whose every spell had been erased by Annihilation Magic, gritted her teeth and finally cast an ice spell that froze Zenon's feet, binding him immobile.
Zenon was confident he could grind up all the dimensional vessel's power sources to erase it, even if given just one more second, but before that, Dokgo Yeon, wielding the sword of death, was already closing in before his eyes.
"Die."
"Regrettably, that won't be enough—!"
Conical spikes erupted from Zenon's empty abdomen and clashed with the sword Dokgo Yeon held.
No, it seemed to clash, but it didn't.
"Hmph."
"K-ack!"
Dokgo Yeon and the sword she wielded passed right through the spikes as if they had no physical form—then cleanly bisected Zenon from head to toe.
A sudden silence descended.
The one who finally spoke was Zenon, already half a corpse.
"...Do you know what you've just done?"
"I couldn't cut you down otherwise."
"If you knew that, you should have avoided it even more."
Zenon, cleanly split in half, rolled his eyes and glared at Dokgo Yeon.
"How foolish. You are already dead then—"
"Ha."
As if she didn't want to hear another word, the sword blade swung, horizontally cleaving his neck this time.
Zenon's face, now split into two pieces and flung into the air, seemed strangely distorted.
The next moment, all the Annihilation Magic that had been fiercely clashing with Starlight vanished from the space.
The interior of the dimensional vessel, familiar to the party, was revealed.
—Clang—.
The sword fell and clattered on the floor.
Ban Yuwon, his mana depleted, desperately flapped Lilyth's limp wings to approach her.
"Yeon!"
"I'm fine."
Dokgo Yeon, kneeling on the floor, replied in a calm voice.
Ban Yuwon, who had reached her, tried to grasp her shoulder, but his hand passed through her as Zenon's attacks had done earlier.
Involuntarily drawing a deep breath—Ban Yuwon realized that what he saw was no illusion.
[Death]
It was clearly Dokgo Yeon before his eyes, yet to his sight, which read concepts, only [Death] was visible.
He wished he hadn't understood what that meant.
"I'm fine, Won. I'm fine..."
Dokgo Yeon whispered "I'm fine" to him repeatedly.
Her face was calm, as if she had already known this would happen.
Perhaps she was just pretending to be calm, but Ban Yuwon could no longer read her emotions.
"R-Right. Candy..."
"It's no use. I'm not in pain anywhere right now. This is sublimation. A human, transforming into death."
Dokgo Yeon shook her head, reached out her arm to Ban Yuwon to grasp his hand, but couldn't. She merely clutched at empty air and gave a bitter smile.
"To dare wield death with a human body—if one fails at that, there is no choice but for cause and effect to be reversed."
"Dokgo Yeon?!"
Asha, who had been gasping for breath after the fierce battle, finally noticed something was wrong with Dokgo Yeon. She screamed and started to run but was held back and stopped by Rucell.
With her mouth agape at Rucell silently shaking her head, she tried to say something, then slumped her shoulders and dropped her head.
"You... you knew this would happen..."
"If I had to choose between you and me, who should die, it would be me. So I simply acted on that... but you're worried, aren't you?"
"Don't state the obvious! You, for you to die, it's absolutely ridiculous...!"
"You don't know how happy those words make me."
Dokgo Yeon smiled, narrowing her eyes.
Watching Ban Yuwon despair as all the concepts, artifacts, life-fruit jams, and blood wine he mobilized failed to overcome the 'death' that now constituted Dokgo Yeon, bouncing off her, she somehow smiled with satisfaction.
"Won, look at me."
"No, this is impossible—"
"Won."
Dokgo Yeon, who had been quietly gazing at Ban Yuwon kneeling at her eye level, slowly leaned forward and kissed him.
It was a kiss without warmth, without sensation.
"As expected, I should have forced a kiss earlier."
Dokgo Yeon pulled back from him, frowned, and smiled.
Ban Yuwon finally realized the change that had occurred in her eyes.
Her cross-shaped pupils were rotating so rapidly that they had sublimated into concentric circles emitting strange wavelengths.
‘Perhaps Yeon, from the moment she was born...’
Just then, as he sighed inwardly, Ban Yuwon detected a strange phenomenon emanating from Dokgo Yeon.
To be precise, a mana reaction originating from the student ID card around her neck.
Similar to Ban Yuwon's, but qualitatively superior.
It seemed like a space-movement type of magic, yet mixed with a superior Authority.
He intuitively understood what it was and clenched his fist tightly.
It was cursed, yet at the same time, it was a relief.
"I'll come find you."
"Mm, I'll be waiting."
Dokgo Yeon herself, the one concerned, must have realized what it was.
She nodded as if she had been waiting for Ban Yuwon's words, then smiled shyly.
"There's something I want to say."
"I don't like farewells."
"No, it's not that."
A halo of light enveloped Dokgo Yeon.
It was a precursor phenomenon that briefly appeared during spatial movement using a student ID card, but now it was prolonged, making it seem as if Dokgo Yeon was glowing with her entire body.
Enveloped in light, Dokgo Yeon's appearance was beautiful enough to mesmerize anyone who saw her.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Mm."
At his words, which came out as if he had been waiting, Dokgo Yeon nodded slightly, as if trying to hide her shyness, and then gently smiled.
"But if you're too late, I might come find you first."
she whispered, before vanishing from the spot with her glowing student ID.
Nothing remained in that place.
Absolutely nothing.
* * *
At that moment, deep within the Tower of Babel.
On the very last line of the monument, inscribed with the names of all Constellations, a true name was added.
[Dokgo Yeon — Death's Pupil]
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