I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 693: The Beast That Devours the Sun (1)

"Wh-what is this?"

"Oh my God."

The Crusaders couldn't close their gaping mouths as they watched the Galahad Citadel gradually begin to rise.

The sight of a massive white castle rising from the ground was somehow even eerie.

Does this make sense? It's not an airplane, yet a castle is flying straight up into the sky?

The floating island on the sea, Isla Machina, existed in reality, but this was different in nature.

Objects basically float on the sea due to buoyancy.

Isla Machina was gradually built up using such buoyancy, so it didn't violate physical laws.

But the Galahad Citadel was different.

A citadel that had stood like an ancient tree for over a thousand years rising up was far beyond physical laws.

"E-everyone, fall back!"

"We'll get caught up in it!"

As the citadel rose into the sky, the surrounding ground overturned and localized earthquakes occurred.

-Rumble rumble rumble crash!

As the castle rose, countless fragments of ground poured down like hail.

If hail consists of ice chunks the size of a child's fist, the difference was that each piece here was as large as a house.

No matter how sturdy a knight or holy knight might be, being crushed by something like that would flatten them like dried squid.

Those who couldn't enter the citadel had no choice but to hastily retreat backward and watch the rising castle in dismay.

As the citadel rose with dusty clouds, it revealed what had been hidden beneath it.

"What is that?"

"That's... another castle?"

Below the continuously ascending Galahad Citadel, there existed a castle that contrasted with the Galahad Citadel.

The appearance of spires that seemed to dig underground made one think this is what it would look like if you held the Galahad Citadel up to a mirror.

Like two sides of a coin.

People who saw the massive structure attached above and below finally realized.

That wasn't an accessory to the citadel.

It certainly wasn't something made by digging the ground after building the Galahad Citadel.

The Galahad Citadel had been built above ground in reverse imitation of that underground structure.

"Good heavens."

"What on earth is that?"

Its magnificent appearance was so grand that people maintaining warships at the coastline could see it with the naked eye.

A pure white citadel glowing softly floating in the sky, with what appeared to be an old, rusted castle hanging beneath it - how could one's eyes not be drawn to it?

When such a massive structure rises into the sky, if you couldn't spot it, those wouldn't be eyes but knotholes.

"Ha. Now I've lived to see even castles flying through the sky."

Luther looked up at the ascending Galahad Citadel with admiring eyes.

"How dare you take your eyes off the fight?"

A voice that sounded ready to devour him came from in front, but Luther didn't even glance over.

Even though the voice sounded murderous, he knew well that the opponent wasn't in any condition to do so.

"It would be better not to use that body so roughly. That's not even your body to begin with."

Around Luther, all the brainwashed people who had surrounded him lay collapsed.

Even though they had brainwashed Masters to concentrate their attack on Luther, he was unharmed.

He was only breathing a bit heavily; there wasn't a single wound that could be called fatal.

"You bastard!"

"If you're so angry, why don't you come find me yourself?"

Luther's sharp gaze pierced through Maximilian like a blade.

More precisely, the existence beyond him.

"But you can't do that. Because you're afraid of me."

Luther chuckled.

"Still, isn't it fortunate? You've got an excuse to avoid fighting me."

"Th-this..."

"You should be grateful."

Luther's voice dropped low.

"Despite toying with knights' spirits and manipulating bodies built through their efforts as you please, that life of yours remains intact."

"..."

"It would be wise not to catch my eye in this battle. Otherwise, I might just cut off your head."

The cardinal controlling Maximilian's body couldn't say a word.

Even though this wasn't a direct confrontation and he was seeing through a brainwashed person, fear washed over him.

"How pathetically you cower. Your initial vigor is nowhere to be found."

Luther withdrew his gaze from Maximilian and stared at the citadel that had risen higher than before.

"Everyone's working hard. Very hard indeed."

He could see golden light shooting up from the ground toward the Galahad Citadel.

Within the light were those brainwashed and corrupted by divine power, along with priests and holy knights.

Behind them were golden wings, and they were flying through the sky with that power.

Golden energy lingered in the air along the trajectory of the wings' passage.

The sight of an overturned castle and starlight shooting toward it was a landscape of heaven's reversal.

As the Galahad Citadel rose, the battles scattered throughout the battlefield fell into a brief lull.

"Knight Commander Tarian."

Cardinal Sartolome, borrowing a mage's body, spoke.

"We can't drag this fight out any longer."

"I agree."

Tarian used divine power to evaporate the sweat flowing down his forehead.

When was the last time his body had been pushed to such extremes?

No fight had ever stirred any particular emotion in him, always ending with boring results.

But Hans and Cravat were different.

Even fighting together with a cardinal, they still hadn't been able to defeat them.

As if they weren't servants of the Demon King for nothing, they were strong and, more than that, tenacious.

Normally, they should have retreated appropriately or surrendered, but they steeled their resolve and fought a desperate resistance.

There was nothing more troublesome than enemies with determination.

It often became a catalyst for awakening potential far superior to their given power.

"Commander Tarian. We don't have much time left. We can't waste any more strength here."

"Right. If there's any consolation, it's that our opponents are also exhausted."

Hans and Cravat were sufficiently exhausted, just as much as their side.

Hans' physical condition was particularly bad because he had taken most of the attacks in place of the physically weak Cravat.

It was reckless behavior possible because most wounds could be regenerated immediately.

However, the divine power of the Knight Commander and Cardinal was different.

That was poison to Hans.

It kept clinging to his body, eating away at wounds and slowing recovery.

'What filthy power.'

Hans grumbled inwardly.

Ironically, Cardinal Sartolome and Knight Commander Tarian had the same thoughts as Hans.

They too were wary of Hans' power to command cryptids and Cravat's handling of ancient curses.

Most black magic and evil powers scatter as soon as they touch divine power, but those actually stood on equal footing with divine power.

If they let their guard down even slightly, those powers might devour them instead.

So only a tedious war of attrition continued without either side dealing fatal blows.

But that was about to end now.

The moment they saw the Galahad Citadel rise, they simultaneously had the same thought.

It was time to end this fight.

"I'll use a special-grade holy spell. Please buy me time."

"Understood."

Sartolome closed his eyes and offered a prayer.

His form, borrowing a mage's body, became wrapped in light, making it difficult to distinguish his shape.

Hans judged that to be dangerous and tried to stop the cardinal, but Tarian blocked his path.

"You absolutely cannot pass behind me."

Tarian wrapped his body in brilliant divine power and persistently clung to Hans.

Hans temporarily retreated backward to create distance.

"We can't go on like this. Just as they're trying to deliver a big hit, we need to do the same."

At Cravat's words as he approached, Hans asked.

[What do you have in mind?]

"I'll have to squeeze out every bit of power. Use up all remaining strength and even make it go berserk."

[Is that also a type of curse?]

"Something like that."

[Then cast it on me. My body is the sturdiest here.]

Cravat showed momentary hesitation.

"Being sturdy isn't enough. This is literally a curse. It forcibly makes the body's power go berserk, and afterward, the curse devours the weakened flesh. Even with that incredible life force you have, there's a high possibility of death."

[If it doesn't work, we'll die here anyway. Then we should at least try.]

The old Hans would never have had such thoughts.

Even if he had the idea, he wouldn't have acted on it.

Hans himself felt this change most keenly.

Living with Rudger and experiencing all sorts of events had made him grow as well.

"...Sigh. Fine, I understand. It'll probably be very painful, so try to endure it as much as you can. It won't take long."

[I understand.]

Cravat also concentrated and planted a curse on Hans' body.

Dark energy settled into Hans's body and burrowed through the gaps in his armor.

[Kugh!]

Hans gritted his teeth.

Even though his body had built resistance to most pain, Cravat's curse hurt beyond imagination.

Still, Hans tried to endure as much as possible, as Cravat had said.

If it had been a human body, he would have been streaming tears and snot.

Because it was a monster's body without tears, he could avoid such disgrace.

-Thump.

His heart beat. As the pulse quickened, the power of energy flowing through his body grew stronger.

Blood vessels bulged, and strength gathered throughout his body as his bulk increased.

-Crack.

Black fur poked out through the gaps in his armor as Hans's size grew 1.5 times larger.

He was already big, but growing even larger made his intimidating presence truly formidable.

The shadow cloak flowing behind Hans fluttered violently, and his stone sword was dyed black, stained with the curse's power.

The hand gripping the sword trembled.

His body wouldn't obey properly due to the uncontrollable power.

It was then that Sartolome’s holy spell was completed.

"There's only one chance."

Cravat's voice reached Hans' mind clearly.

In the flickering pain of his vision, Hans gritted his teeth and acted according to Cravat's voice.

"Pour out everything."

[Grrrrrr.]

A beast's sound flowed from Hans's mouth.

What kept his fading consciousness together was the wild instinct of a beast.

His instincts knew how to handle this enormous, difficult-to-control power.

Following those instincts, he put strength into both arms gripping the stone sword.

The cardinal, who had become light itself, opened his invisible mouth.

"Dwell within. Power of the sun."

Special-grade holy spell [Noble Sun's Hymn]

Light flashed along with heat as if the sun from the sky had been brought down.

Even before that heat reached him, Hans felt the illusion of his armor melting and his entire body burning.

His beast instincts screamed to run away quickly.

-Grit!

Hans clenched his teeth.

[I am not a beast!]

He put strength into both arms and raised the stone sword that had turned so black it seemed space itself might be sucked into it.

This judgment and action were possible because he was human, not a beast.

In the wave of heat that might kill him, Hans squeezed out all his power and swung his sword.

It was a strike unleashed by making his potential go berserk to the extreme through ancient curses.

In a world dyed pure white, a black dot appeared.

A dot so small it looked like dropping a single drop of ink into a huge basin.

But that dot gradually spread and dyed the entire canvas pitch black.

'What on earth is that?'

Tarian, who had tensed up and prepared for any possible attack, wondered as he watched the black that greedily devoured everything.

Whatever it was, he didn't care as he drew up all his divine power and focused on defense.

But Tarian didn't know that this wasn't an attack that could be blocked or countered.

That the moment you see that small, terrifying black with your eyes, you should use all your strength to flee.

-Slash.

"Huh?"

Because he realized this too late, Tarian had no choice but to be devoured by the black slash.

The part of his body that the slash passed through was erased like an eraser had been applied.

The same happened to his proud divine power, his burning shield, and the wings spread behind him.

"How... could..."

Tarian collapsed on the spot with bulging eyes.

His divine power could regenerate even severed arms, but it was useless.

The erased parts wouldn't recover no matter what he tried.

Rather, even his divine power was devoured.

Tarian's body rolled on the ground, and in his vision, he saw Cardinal Sartolome, who had become one with light, being devoured by the black.

The sun's power was covered by black.

It looked like a giant wolf, a beast, had swallowed the brilliant light floating in the sky in one bite.

Like a solar eclipse.

The light disappeared.

The one who won the confrontation and survived was Hans but Hans' condition wasn't very good either because he had squeezed out all his power to deliver that single strike.

Hans used his sword like a support and panted.

[I did it.]

The black power he had unleashed became a huge wolf and devoured everything in its path.

While feeling satisfaction from that, Hans felt his vision gradually darkening.

[I still... can't... collapse yet.]

Hans spoke with a trembling voice, but his body, already pushed to the extreme, wouldn't obey.

Hans' body collapsed forward with a thud.

In the silence where not even breathing could be heard Hans' shadow wriggled and moved, then swallowed his body.

-Thump!

Hans's body, consumed by the black shadow, shook greatly.