37 - The Victim of the Academy

**Judgment (5)** Disadvantaged. Kult readily admitted it. While their raw power output was similar, the difference in battle experience between him and Tillys was significant. Moreover, unlike Kult, who relied solely on sacred power, Tillys possessed formidable close-combat abilities as well. It was impossible to win head-on. 'Hmm... Maybe it's time to retreat?' However, Kult could always withdraw whenever he wanted. Fighting Tillys was a formidable challenge, but Kult had a distinct edge in defense. The very fact that Kult, who lacked close-combat abilities, had managed to hold out against Tillys until now was thanks to this edge. While Kult would eventually lose if he only defended... 'In terms of power, we're still superior.' Eden could defeat Lemegeton. Not to mention the unity they had; Eden's overall strength was overwhelmingly superior. Just knowing the identity of the Judge was already a major harvest. Anything beyond this would be greedy. Acknowledging that it was time to retreat, Kult began to pull back. And at that moment— **Boom!** A monster with countless legs suddenly sprang forth, smashing the mountain. **Whoooooosh!!** Its massive form swam in the mist it created by exhaling steam. **Grind, grind, grind!** A deafening noise filled the air as innumerable gears rotated in sync. A mechanical device that enwrapped the forest with flames stood with its maw gushing steam. "Things are getting interesting." Kult quickly realized this was Johann's handiwork and smiled. He had known for a while that the two were in cahoots. Wasn’t it Ex Machina's over-technology that whisked Johann away right before his eyes? Although he thought they had fled, considerable reinforcements had arrived. **Rumble.** The centipede-like creature raised its body and moved its countless legs. The flames it enwrapped began to seep into its body, and frost formed on its massive structure. "Hmm?" "What?" Both Tillys and Kult tilted their heads in confusion at the bizarre phenomenon. Although they weren't well-versed in science, they knew what was happening before their eyes was nonsensical. Flames that could set an entire mountain ablaze had now been entirely absorbed into the creature's body, and its form began to be covered in ice. A sight that defied common sense. **Whoooooosh!** Then, the giant centipede, with steam in its maw, began moving at an unimaginable speed for its size. **Thud, thud, thud, thud!** The creature sprinted across the mountain, heading straight for where Tillys stood. "Oh my." Tillys dodged it with ease. Though the creature’s massive size required considerable movement to evade, its mechanical movements were predictable, befitting its size. In that case, it was just a large target. Tillys swung her sword to break the centipede's body, but in that instant, one of its segments rotated. It was the very spot Tillys aimed her sword at. "...!" Tillys widened her eyes, staring into the inside of the centipede's segment. Only then could she see the light formed on one side of the mechanical device. Where had the flames that could set an entire mountain ablaze gone? The answer was right before her. **Zzzzzzzzng!** An overwhelming heat energy, as bright as it was intense, blazed toward the sky. "The firepower is astonishing." Watching from a distance, Kult clapped his hands, cheering like a child. "But it's not enough, researcher from Ex Machina." The power was immense. However, it wouldn't kill Tillys. Kult, who had been in direct confrontation with Tillys, knew this. This alone wouldn't do it. If it could have, Kult wouldn't have been contemplating retreat. As if to prove his words, the spot where the heat beam had passed was now covered by overlapping wings adorned with vein-like lines. **Throb!** The blood-stained wings pulsed like veins and unfurled. "I can sense the spirit’s aura..." Not a scratch was visible. Though Tillys looked somewhat surprised, she had easily fended off the heat energy. Far from being overwhelmed, she was actually smiling. She had realized the existence of a powerful demon. A major discovery, indeed. "Things are getting interesting." Tillys looked at the grin-spreading figure of the prophet behind the surging centipede. The situation looked disadvantageous to anyone. The prophet, already tough to bring down, was now supported by Ex Machina’s mechanical might. It was going to be a tough fight. Yet, Tillys found joy in the unfolding events. "I consider it an honor to devour you here." After this battle, she would surely become even stronger. ** * ** While the three-way battle between Coran Rekias, Kult, and Tillys raged on, Emily and I had a simple plan. "Our goal is to get Coran Rekias out, right?" "What about Johann’s friend?" "That guy? He’s not my friend." "I see." Well, Kult would have to manage on his own. If he couldn't, that was that. The world operates on survival of the fittest. If he lost among fellow villains, it’s just the way it goes. "Let's get one thing straight. We’ll die if we get involved." "Really?" "...Maybe not you." Even now, I watched the battle of the three who made the mountain quake. Reaching that level, they had the audacity to think they could overturn an empire. But there was definitely a difference. Despite the monster’s massive size and majesty, Coran Rekias’s trump card was taking a beating. If it had been used in a war, it might be different, but in this battle among superhumans, it was just a big target. The victory had already tilted. Tillys was gaining the upper hand against both. Of course, Tillys seemed pretty worn, but it was minimal compared to the machine centipede, half of which had already been blown away. "I can't even get close to there. Even halfway up the mountain, I’d get swept away and die." "..." Emily nodded. She didn’t mock or look at me pitifully. She simply acknowledged it, which, in its own way, felt grateful. "But to save Colonel Coran Rekias, we have no choice but to get involved." Coran Rekias was likely positioned where he could oversee the battlefield. That meant he was probably on the mountain's summit, surveying the area below. We needed to strike first before the mechanical devices were destroyed and Tillys found and killed Coran Rekias. This was a lost cause. Coran Rekias probably knew it as well. Yet he refused to retreat because his hatred blinded him. "Emily, you have to persuade him. I'm just creating the opportunity for you." "Yes." It would be meaningless for someone like me, who barely knew him, to attempt persuasion. Besides, I didn't particularly want to go out of my way to save that man. Honestly, how close could we be for me to risk my life for him? Even though I'm acting due to a mix of contractual obligation and a hint of kindness, there's no genuine feeling there. Only someone truly willing to save a person can persuade someone who's staked their life on revenge. Though I'm unsure how close Emily and Coran Rekias are, it's certainly better than my level of acquaintance. "So here's our plan. We start by going in here." I pointed to a small tunnel I had exited from. Coran Rekias's lab, as befits an Ex Machina lab, had an emergency escape route. It's the kind of mechanism one might expect from criminals who never know when they'll get caught. I had used this route to escape. "This is the quickest shortcut." By using this escape route, we could easily reach Coran Rekias's lab. There was another reason too. The important thing was not to draw the attention of the three battling monsters above. As a shrimp among whales like them, I had to strike unexpectedly to avoid getting crushed. I determine the method of surprise, because that's the agreement we have. "This means... You understand, right? Let's start digging." The mechanical battle tearing the mountain apart probably caused significant collapses in the escape route I used. To go back, we’d need to clear the tunnel again. But that wasn’t my job. I'm of noble birth; I don't do such menial tasks. "Well, get started." "Yes." Emily nodded obediently at my command. Then, I realized why she was an executive of Ex Machina. A strangely shaped mechanical device stretched out from behind her and began carving out a path. Even from my point of view, familiar with modern Earth's standards, her technology seemed borderline over-tech. I better remember not to get on her bad side. ** * ** "Hah..." Tillys exhaled heavily. Her body, stained with blood, was swaying, her exhaustion evident. But that also meant she had reached the moment of victory. The mechanical devices that served as Coran Rekias's trump card were all destroyed, scattered into fragments. Kult had withdrawn from the front lines, his defeat apparent, and fled. Now, only one task remained. "Evil collides with good and results in mutual destruction." It was time for the final act. Tillys staggered towards the mountain's summit. Though she often solved problems with force, she was far from stupid. The owner of the mechanical devices had to be nearby. To control such a sophisticated and enormous piece of machinery, one had to be observing from somewhere. His location would likely be the summit, where he could see the battlefield at a glance. "Good meets good and spreads forth." Tillys was known as a saint. Regardless of her methods, she walked the path of a savior aiming to save the world. She approached the good with the intentions of the good. Her heart was always true to this intent. "Evil devours evil and enlarges itself." Tillys was also known as a judge. She applied the ways of evil to deal with the wicked. When acting as a villain, even her heart embraced the darkness. "In that case, I shall become the greatest evil to save the world." She wielded her sword and stood before Coran Rekias. A monster borne of twisted and contradictory justice started to make excuses. "Just what can an arrogant monster hope to save?" Bang! Coran Rekias aimed his gun at Tillys as she approached and pulled the trigger. His once-proud mechanical devices had long been shattered. His old and sickly body was unsuitable for combat. Yet he had no intention of giving up. He couldn’t accept the reality of a creature like Tillys being called a saint. "A monster that categorizes good and evil as it pleases—how can it be a judge?" Bang! He had already laid down his life. If he could bring down the monster before him, he would do anything. If she had been a hypocrite, he might have hesitated for a moment. But she wasn't even capable of that deception. "Maxwell's demon!" Coran Rekias, set ablaze his soul, launched his attack on Tillys. Around the fiery flames in his palm, snowflakes fluttered—a perfect conversion of thermal energy. "Mastema." In that moment, Mastema, the demon contracted with Tillys, spread its wings wide. The grotesquely transformed wings quenched the flames with a single sweep. Tillys maintained her smile and asked, as if puzzled. "Then who should be the judge?" "You...!" "The right to judge naturally belongs to those who hold power." "Guh!" Tillys seized the resisting Coran Rekias by the neck and lifted him. "And the one who holds the greatest power here is none other than me." As Mastema's wings hovered behind Tillys, they completely engulfed Coran Rekias. The process was to sever the demon contract embedded in his soul and consume the demon entirely. "It's rather challenging to manage a spirit that requires scientific knowledge," Tillys remarked with a wry smile after absorbing the demon via Mastema's power. Maxwell's demon was undoubtedly powerful, yet it was not easy for Tillys, who lacked scientific understanding, to wield. With this, Tillys had claimed her 69th demon. "Now, there's just one more task remaining." Tillys placed her sword against the nape of Coran Rekias, who lay on the ground, released from Mastema's wings. The sword rose majestically into the sky as Tillys smiled brightly, reminiscent of an executioner about to deliver judgment. The old man, who had dreamed of revenge, dropped his head, achieving nothing. At that very moment— **Swish!** Something shot up from the scorched earth. ** * ** I knew. I knew I couldn't beat Tillys head-on. And so I knew that my weakness and cunning were my greatest weapons. **Swish!** Crawling through the ashes, I finally reached my destination. The fact that my body was scorched by lingering embers and my sweat mixed with ash didn't matter. The process was irrelevant. What mattered was the opportunity right here, right now—the moment I had seized. "Hah..." One breath was all it took. One steady breath to deliver a proper strike. Tillys was undeniably a monster. Her vision was so impeccable that even Yuna had been detected. -Under the right conditions, I could have killed her. Yuna had shown confidence. Even though she lacked significantly compared to Tillys... -It’s not as if her senses were particularly sharp. That wasn’t mere bravado. Tillys had weaknesses. And where there's a gap, an assassin can always slip through. -I got caught because I didn't know, but next time, I won’t be discovered! It was ignorance that led to failure. Truly, Yuna hadn't known. She had been unaware of the spirits serving as Tillys's eyes and thus revealed herself. But things were different now. The spirits, usually invisible, were now soaked in blood and revealed themselves. I could see a total of 68 demons orbiting around Tillys. "Hup!" I avoided their sight, crawling disgracefully on the ground, holding my breath and waiting for the right moment. If her senses weren't exceptional, it was a matter of remaining unseen. Tillys had many eyes, but perhaps because of their abundance, her sensory perception was somewhat lacking. And into this sensory void, I struck—a basic yet flawless blow I learned from the world's greatest assassin. **Crunch!** The perfect strike I had been taught drilled into the center of Tillys's forehead.