The Narrow-Eyed Villain of the Demon Academy

After my conversation with Adel, I was back in reality.

Just as the sword was about to strike my neck—

I immediately used Position Exchange.

*Move—*

My body moved a considerable distance away from Hamel.

He muttered in apparent surprise at my sudden movement.

“I see you possess the ability of teleportation.”

“Hamel, that guy is dangerous! We need to finish him off quickly!”

Luca was still fuming, unable to swallow the fact that he was nearly defeated by me.

I swallowed dryly, observing them.

“......This isn't good.”

My arm was gone.

Blood gushed out from the severed limb.

At this rate, I would bleed out before Hamel's sword could even touch me.

Furthermore, I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

The two strokes of the Demon God's Authority I had used—

Once their duration ended, I would be at Hamel's mercy.

I had to defeat Hamel and Luca as quickly as possible and save Rene and Kyle.

‘I need to think of a way…’

There was no time to ponder why the mirror with Adel had shattered.

I needed to figure out how to use Chaos on my own, and fast.

How to use Chaos.

How could I wield it?

As I closed my eyes and concentrated, the method to use Chaos dawned on me.

It wasn’t perfectly clear, but I had a hunch.

The power of Chaos to manifest possibilities in the world.

It was a force that came with compulsion.

Therefore.

‘…I will create a possibility where my arm heals quickly.’

It was impossible to revert my body to a state where it was never injured.

Well, not entirely impossible.

Chaos was the power to twist causality and create possibilities, so it could be possible.

However, there was no telling what kind of penalty awaited me if I did that.

So, it seemed more plausible to focus on the 'rapid healing of the arm,' which had a higher probability of success.

‘Let's do this.’

I swallowed my nervousness and moved my feet.

Simultaneously, I activated Position Exchange.

*Move—*

In an instant, my position was swapped with nearby rocks and debris.

Then, I immediately raised my arm and moved with lightning speed.

“…Hamel, catch him!”

Luca yelled at me, but it was too late.

I was imposing my will upon the world.

My arm, which would have normally healed slowly, began to mend rapidly.

*Crackle—*

Azure tendons sprouted from the severed ends of my arm.

At the same time, muscle tissues and skin enveloped my severed limb.

Soon, my arm was restored to its original form.

Back to how it was before Hamel severed it.

“……!”

“……!”

Hamel and Luca froze in their tracks, staring at me in disbelief.

They looked at me as if I were a monster, their expressions a mixture of disgust and awe.

Despite the bitterness I felt, I quickly assumed a fighting stance.

My body was finally healed.

Now, I was in perfect condition to face Hamel and Luca.

‘Well, that’s a success.’

A strange sense of exhilaration surged within me.

The first manifestation of Chaos, born from my will.

Since the price for it hadn't manifested yet, it seemed unlikely to be physical, but one thing was certain.

‘I can definitely make use of this.’

If the penalty was less severe than I imagined, I could find even more effective ways to utilize it.

The power to ignore probabilities that were practically zero and manifest possibilities.

I couldn't help but shudder.

I realized once again how utterly broken the ability of Chaos was.

If I could freely wield the power of Chaos, I could truly become a god.

Not a delusional creator rambling on, but a being capable of wielding power rivaling the divine.

Even if it wasn't now, I believed that one day, I could reach that level.

My gaze shifted back to Hamel and Luca.

Of course, I couldn't afford to use Chaos in this situation.

Even though I had a general understanding of how to use it, I was still unaware of its limits…

For now, I had to deal with them without resorting to Chaos.

First, a little provocation.

“Hmm? Where did your arrogance from earlier go? Could it be that you're scared?”

I put back on Adel's mask, which I had taken off while talking to Adel in the mirror.

A mocking, honorific tone naturally flowed from my lips.

Perhaps angered by my words, Luca shouted in frustration.

“W-Who’s scared?!”

“Oh, are you truly not scared? To my eyes, you look like a couple of rats who’ve just stumbled upon a cat.”

“……That’s it! I can’t take this anymore!”

Luca, seemingly taking the bait, brandished the World Tree branch, ready to unleash her magic.

*Swoosh—*

Hamel swiftly extended his hand, stopping Luca.

“What are you doing? Move!”

“…Calm down. It’s a trick.”

“Grr…!”

Luca trembled with anger but seemed to realize Hamel was right.

And he was.

If Luca had fallen for my provocation and unleashed an area-wide spell, I would have seized the opportunity to hurl my dagger at her.

However, thanks to Hamel's intervention, I had bought myself a little more time.

And finally—

*Crackle, crackle, boom—*

The magic I had been casting was complete.

Black Thorns.

A spell born from the fusion of Bares's Authority and Gluttony's Authority.

In an instant, razor-sharp projectiles swept through the surroundings.

Hundreds of black thorns pulverized the surrounding trees and rocks, hurtling toward the two men.

“Look out!”

*Crackle, crackle, boom—*

*Clang—*

*Clang—*

Hamel effortlessly deflected the massive thorns with a few swings of his sword, but Luca wasn’t so fortunate.

Even his fiery magic couldn’t melt the thorns; they simply grew hotter.

This forced Hamel to prioritize protecting Luca over attacking me.

I smirked, observing their predicament.

‘Just as planned.’

I had successfully bought myself more time.

From the start, I never expected to kill either Luca or Hamel with such a simple technique.

My only goal in using Black Thorns was to create an opening to escape to the Demon Realm with Rene and Kyle.

And there was no better skill than this to stall for time.

As expected, my magic had worked, creating a small gap near Hamel and Luca.

I lunged into the opening.

*Move.*

*Move.*

*Move.*

I used Position Exchange in rapid succession, dashing towards Kyle and Rene.

Perhaps noticing my movements, Hamel spotted me amidst the erupting thorns and swung his sword.

It was the same powerful strike that had severed my arm and nearly taken my head.

‘I can’t dodge that…’

I closed my eyes as I witnessed the blinding speed of his sword, only to open them again—

—and activate the Eyes of Pride.

The world slowed to a crawl.

Even with the Eyes of Pride activated, Hamel's sword still moved at an incredible speed, but it wasn't so fast that I couldn't even perceive it like before.

I had enough time to react.

*Crack—*

I contorted my body, my waist bending at an unnatural angle.

My bones didn’t break, but I wouldn’t be able to use my back properly for a while.

However, it was thanks to this grotesque twist that I managed to evade Hamel's attack.

Hamel’s sword whizzed past me.

*Swoosh—*

It clipped a few strands of my hair.

Fortunately, my face remained unscathed.

I had successfully dodged Hamel's attack.

I immediately scooped up Rene and Kyle.

“Are you alright?!”

I shouted.

However, both of them were unconscious and couldn’t respond.

It was for the best.

Knowing their personalities, they would only apologize profusely.

If anything, I was the one who should be apologizing.

I had failed to protect anything in this war.

Carrying Rene and Kyle in my arms, I bolted.

Then, I activated the last Magic Engraving Stone the Headmaster had given me.

Meteor.

A colossal meteor descended from the sky, hurtling toward Hamel and Luca.

“H-How can a half-demon use such high-level magic?!”

Luca exclaimed in shock, swiftly deploying a magic shield.

Hamel, sensing the immense power behind the meteor, hardened his expression.

Even with his strength, he couldn’t afford to act rashly without fully comprehending my abilities.

I had reached the gate.

*Swoosh—*

I glanced back at Hamel, who was focusing his sword aura to bisect the meteor.

He truly was a monster.

While I could only think of ways to dodge, he was preparing to cut through a meteor.

And he was more than capable of doing so.

At his current level, Hamel could face Crete and the Sword Saint and remain undefeated.

After all, he had never once lost to one of my creations.

Hamel was truly invincible.

He was a being born from such causality.

There might be individuals stronger than him at this moment, but Hamel would never truly lose.

That was the kind of person, the kind of human he was.

I shouted to Hamel,

"Next time, I hope we meet under different circumstances. And please, give some thought to what I said earlier.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You are blinded by your own brilliant talent, unable to face the truth.”

“……That’s a preposterous claim. What is it that I fail to see?”

Hamel frowned, bewildered by my words.

I continued, looking straight at him,

“Terias.”

“……You know of him as well. Don’t tell me… Were you the one who cost Terias his arm?”

“I’m not sure.”

Had Terias lost an arm?

I vaguely recalled Gu Poison taking a bite out of something.

In any case, it didn’t matter now.

“Where Terias lost his lover, you’ll find traces of the truth you seek, the truth behind justice.”

“……?”

Hamel stared at me, confusion clouding his eyes.

*Swoosh—*

*Thud—*

In the blink of an eye, Hamel had cleaved the meteor in two and was charging towards me.

“Explain yourself…!”

“Apologies, but I’m afraid I haven’t the time.”

Before Hamel could demand further explanation—

*Rumble—*

The gate to the Demon Realm pulsed with energy.

And in an instant—

—it engulfed me, Kyle, and Rene.

Leaving Hamel behind.

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