Bab 75: The Angels
*Ting! Ting! Ting!*
I was currently pouring out all of the energy I had left in my body trying to bring down the indestructible dummy with my scythe, ending my combo by spinning around while making a huge swing with my weapon.
"Hupp!" *BOOM!*
When my mana-imbued weapon made contact with the dummy, I instantly used [Detonate] to further increase the explosive power. In the end, I naturally couldn't bring it down as it wouldn't be possible for anyone below at last [A]-rank.
Still, I felt like I had a pretty powerful weapon to use now, even more so as my proficiency with the scythe had increased a lot. Having ended another pretty productive week, I felt happier than ever.
Getting to spend some time with Sarah had elevated my mood to a degree I didn't think was possible. The princess was so gentle, nice, and polite that it was hard to believe that she was a good friend of Sophie.
Even when I couldn't stop myself from teasing her for something stupid she said or did, she just laughed, as if it was natural to not get angry at me and just appreciate my silly jokes. Now, I didn't go so far as to say anything improper, but the girl could take quite a bit of banter. Sadly, when she tried to retaliate, it only ended up with her getting embarrassed and depressed.
It was cute, no, she was cute. Sarah was a truly cute and beautiful person, not because of her amazing looks, but because of how much she seemed to care and how gentle she was. The girl appeared to not care a bit about how selfishly I often acted, like in the Wolf's Den, and neither did she care that I almost always hid in my apartment.
Her bright and cheerful personality, which was very pleasant and not overbearing like Arthur's, almost completely captivated me. While I was sitting there and laughing with her, I almost forgot that, no matter what, I couldn't be a person which deserved a person like her.
*Slap!*
'Get it together! Stop thinking about such things when there are more important matters at hand!'
Thoughts regarding my future had to be left for the future. There were too many things to worry about right now as it was.
For example, the fact that Matt, who was flying around the academy grounds in the form of a raven, saw something pretty suspicious.
Fully connecting my mind to my clone, I focused my hearing on the conversation below the branch I was sitting on. Two people, one who looked like a janitor and one looking like a cleaner, were talking in secret.
"He got eradicated as well?!"
"Yeah, or at least he is nowhere to be found now."
Clenching his fists, the janitor's face twisted in frustration, "Shit! Doesn't that mean we are the only ones left? Did our lord abandon us?!"
*Bam!* "Arg!"
Not accepting the rude words towards their lord, whoever that was, the cleaner punched his 'friend' in the gut, making his body bow forward in pain.
"You dare speak of our lord like that?! Without him, we would still be slaving our lives away in that god damn mine! If he wants us to die for him, we should be happy that our pitiful lives at least can serve as his entertainment!"
Their conversation was truly insane, making it clear that they were either fanatics from some hidden house, or they were demon spies that had managed to infiltrate the academy. My mind was heavily inclined to believe the second option, as the hidden houses should have better venues to carry out their discussions, while demon spies might not have that freedom.
'[Swap]!'
Not wanting to let this chance go, as they looked as if they were small fries, I switched places with my clone and dismissed him.
It didn't take long until they had concluded their little talk, ending up with both of them walking away none the wiser. So, I followed the janitor who had gotten hit. Scanning his appearance, there weren't any signs at all that he was a demon, nor could I feel anything strange in his mana signature.
'So either they aren't demons, or they are so weak that they can cover up their energy using some sort of device...'
No matter what, I was fairly sure that I could go through with my plan without having to risk any real repercussions.
When the man entered one of the small parks spread out around the academy, I transformed my body into that of a human, while enlarging my wings so I could keep flying.
Then, there was one last touch I had to do.
'It never hurts to be safe...'
****
[3rd person Pov]
As Drew was walking through one of the parks of the academy he had managed to infiltrate, he suddenly got a bad feeling.
"Who's there?!"
One of the boons of being converted into a demon was the heightened senses, which were telling him right now that there was someone in the vicinity.
Looking around the large trees that were blowing in the wind, he changed his eyes back to their natural state to see more clearly. However, his pitch-black eyes couldn't see anyone, until a sudden voice rang out from above, making him turn his head upwards.
"What's your purpose?"
He had never seen anything like it in his life. The massive black wings carrying the being in the air, while his big scythe was pointing towards the ground. Instead of a face, there was a white mask, with black sockets for eyes and red decorations. Illuminated by the moonlight, it truly appeared as if the angel of death had descended.
*Tap*
Slowly, the angel lowered himself to the ground, gracefully landing on his feet while keeping his eyes on the target.
Still, this wasn't the first time Drew saw something unexpected, and as a demon, it would be disgraceful to be afraid.
"I don't know what you are talking about... What do you mean by purpose?"
Shaking his head, the winged figure acted as if he was disappointed in the answer he received, "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Don't you think your eyes already gave you away? Now, please do tell me why demons are walking around at Ainu.",
There was no way for the demon to get out of this one by talking, and therefore he had no choice but to silence his target.
"Huargh!"
The body of the demon started morphing, the white skin turning into a murky green, while long and thin, but sharp, claws grew from his hands.
*Rip!*
The janitor's suit quickly turned to shred as the growing body couldn't be contained by the clothes anymore.
It didn't take long until Drew the janitor had been replaced by a big, reptile-looking demon, his black eyes focused on his enemy.
"Come at me, boy!"
The demon was cocky enough to let the human in front of him make the first move, unwilling to believe that he could be defeated.
"I guess that our discussion is concluded then."
The black angel made his move, quickly dashing forward with his scythe ready to launch an overhead attack.
When the demon raised his hands to catch the scythe, the blade suddenly changed directions when the boy used his wings to spin his body.
*Bam!* "Argh"
Unable to read the switch-up, Drew's stomach was now pierced by almost half of the long blade, destroying a lot of the organs under his slimy skin.
However, a demon wouldn't die that easily. So instead of falling, he sent his claws straight toward the head of the small man in front of him.
"Die, human!"
*BOOM!*
"Huh?!"
Drew couldn't understand why he could see parts of his own body scattered around the ground, his purple blood painting the grass.
Before his eyes closed for the last time, he heard the voice of his enemy.
"He was even weaker than I expected... [E-] rank? That should be about right. Anyway, time to go back, I have to sleep..."
****
[James's Pov]
Having swapped back to my apartment by switching bodies with sub-me, I was currently having the shower I was desperately needing.
Letting the warm water soak my sore body, I felt a lot more content with my progress now.
Killing the demon had been a lot easier than I thought it would be, with there being no need to use anything else than weapon imbuement and [Detonate].
So it did give me a lot of confidence, knowing that I could now at least fight against the weakest kind of demons with ease.
Still, this didn't mean I was objectively strong. In the face of [A] rankers or even [S] rankers, I was but a pebble on the road, but it was a step in the right direction.
More than that, it was proof that I was doing something right.
*Yaaawn!*
Having finished my shower, I quickly jumped into my bed and closed my eyes. Thinking a bit about what I would be doing next week, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep with a smile.
A smile that I didn't know was accompanied by a subtle stream of tears, as my body could feel the sensation that my mind could not.
Hadiah
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