The reaction of an unknown junior. Feeling the embarrassment and urgency in it, Alkiné ran through the Rift faster than ever before.
The further she went, the more regret piled up for not having followed from the beginning.
She hadn’t thought the inside of the Rift would be this dangerous.
She had always emphasized not to let your guard down because the Rift was dangerous, but thinking that she had created this situation herself, anger surged within her.
‘What’s done is done. Stay calm.’
She was the only one who could handle this situation, so she couldn’t fall apart.
Thinking that, Alkiné forcibly suppressed her emotions.
Yeah, they would’ve handled it well enough on their own. Even though the situation was serious, they were also skilled individuals who wouldn’t back down.
Right now, she just needed to focus on joining them as quickly as possible.
Her judgment was accurate. In reality, the anomalies in the Rift were things the other Student Council members could handle just fine.
However, she hadn’t anticipated that there would be an even greater danger lurking.
“Dodge! Dodge!! Don’t get close!!”
“Aaaah! My arm!!”
When she found them in a state of panic, the first thing that caught her eye was a black monster in human form.
She realized it immediately. That thing was a Demon.
Even if she went all out, she wasn’t sure if she could win… no, she would definitely lose. Demons were on a completely different level from monsters.
At her current level, which hadn’t broken through the wall, the best she could do was hold her ground.
But… she couldn’t just stand still.
If she didn’t step up now, the ones fighting would be in even greater danger.
Half of them were somehow holding on, but the other half were already incapacitated.
Thanks to the creature’s whims, there didn’t seem to be any casualties yet… but if she delayed any longer, who knows what would happen.
There was no need to think further.
Alkiné charged at the Demon, aiming for an opening.
At the same time, she transformed her magical energy into the shape of a greatsword and swung it with both hands.
**BAM!!!**
The Demon, hit by the attack, was sent flying and crashed into a massive rock.
The rock collapsed and buried the Demon, but if that level of impact was enough to finish it, the situation wouldn’t have gotten this bad in the first place.
Alkiné clicked her tongue without realizing it.
‘I swung with the intent to split it in half…’
The attack just now hadn’t even scratched the Demon’s skin.
Not even a single mark from the mana sword’s cutting power. Its durability was astonishing.
Without even managing to wound the Demon…
A desperate situation.
But she couldn’t show it, so she calmly opened her mouth.
“You all held up well. Everyone.”
“Chairman!”
“Ah, Chairman…”
“We’re saved now…!”
Those who could still fight, and those who were no longer able to fight but were still holding on.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at her appearance.
But it was too early to relax. The current situation was the worst.
Alkiné had to choose between two options.
Fight or run.
But fighting and winning against that thing without a scratch on the mana sword was impossible.
And running away wasn’t an option with so many injured.
A sigh escaped Alkiné’s lips at the impossible dilemma.
Choosing to abandon the injured and run wasn’t even a consideration for someone like her.
And… if it was her choice, it was pretty much decided.
“Give me the briefing, Grain.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Fight.
That was all they could do now.
“Kee-kee-kee! Keee-kee-keeek!!!”
The demon, perhaps stimulated by the recent attack, began making even more grotesque noises as it rose from the pile of rocks.
Not knowing how the demon would act, Alkiné was on full alert, ready to respond, while Grain quickly relayed information in the meantime.
“It attacks by distorting the surrounding space itself. There are warning signs, but they’re not visible, and it seems impossible to defend against. It’s tough, but… you’ll have to sense the discomfort in the surrounding mana and dodge.”
“Got it. Any other specifics?”
“I’m at my limit now, I think I’m going to pass out. Can I leave the rest to you?”
“Ha, I’ll live up to your expectations.”
At Alkiné’s words, Grain smiled faintly and closed his eyes.
He didn’t seem injured, but it looked like he had pushed his abilities to the limit.
If it weren’t for her, they might have been wiped out long ago.
…To shake off the negative thoughts, she gave orders to those around her.
“Those who are unharmed, take the injured and hide. I’ll handle this thing alone.”
Trying to escape with the injured in the now more dangerous rift could lead to an even more perilous situation.
That’s why all she could say was to hide.
But that order was no different from saying she would win alone and handle the rift by herself, so everyone looked at Alkiné with concern.
“Chairman…”
They just looked. No one could step forward.
There was nothing.
One by one, as people left their seats, the Demon Race had reached Alkiné.
Six grotesquely blinking eyes turned toward Alkiné. Seeing it like this, it was clear that despite its humanoid form, it was just a monster.
Still, well… I was grateful that its gaze wasn’t directed at those fleeing.
“At least it’s not a beast-like creature. That’s a relief.”
“Kkigigik-”
It felt like an exchange of words, but there was no understanding between them.
“Kkigigik-”
When the monster made that strange sound again, Alkiné felt a sense of dissonance.
The magical energy surrounding her suddenly stopped.
‘So this is what magical dissonance feels like.’
Even as she thought that, her body had already moved to evade.
*Crash-!*
The space where she had just been standing distorted.
Even though she had dodged, the pressure was still palpable, sending shivers down her spine.
Deciding she couldn’t give the enemy a chance to attack, Alkiné immediately charged and took the offensive.
*Boom!*
The Demon Race’s body was flung away by the strong impact.
Again, not a single scratch was made, but she didn’t stop.
Every time the Demon Race got up, she attacked and sent it flying again.
If she sensed an attack coming, she dodged. Then she sent it flying again.
She kept sending it flying in the opposite direction of those fleeing.
This went on for a while.
At a glance, it seemed like Alkiné was pushing the advantage, but in reality, it was the opposite.
This Demon Race was simply enduring all of Alkiné’s attacks.
A Demon Race that remained unharmed despite every attack, and Alkiné, who would suffer a fatal wound from even a single hit.
The longer the battle went on, the clearer the outcome became, but she couldn’t give up here.
If she ran away… this Demon Race would surely go after the hidden Student Council Members.
With that thought, Alkiné continued her relentless assault.
Once she judged that everyone had hidden, she even started using her full-powered techniques to attack the Demon Race.
Still, she couldn’t inflict any wounds, but there was nothing else she could do.
…How much time had passed?
Alkiné’s attacks had noticeably slowed. Her momentum had significantly weakened.
She had reached her physical limit.
But she forced herself to take one more step.
She knew all too well what would happen if she fell here.
But she couldn’t take the next step.
A sense of helplessness. Exhaustion. Pressure.
Everything was weighing down on Alkiné.
Because it was pressing down on me.
Maybe the Demon Race guy noticed it too, as he started casually approaching Alkiné.
Even seeing the approaching Demon Race, Alkiné couldn’t do anything.
Is this how it ends?
If I die here… my parents will be so sad.
“…Help.”
Even though there’s no one who could help me, a hopeless wish slips out of my mouth.
Knowing it’s meaningless only makes me feel more hollow.
That’s when it happened. A familiar voice reached my ears.
“Damn, if I were any later, things would’ve gotten really bad.”
Before I knew it, someone had stepped between me and the Demon Race.
My blurry vision made it hard to recognize at first, but when I regained focus, I saw it was the junior I’d recruited to the Student Council.
It felt so unreal that he’d stepped into this situation that I thought I was hallucinating…
“Sorry I’m late, President. But this is on you for being too fast, so forgive me.”
His calm demeanor, so out of place in this tense situation, matched the junior I knew, making me realize this was real.
“Rudion! That guy’s dangerous! Get away now!”
I mustered what little strength I had left to shout, but… he didn’t seem to have any intention of listening.
Instead, as if ready to fight, he drew the short sword from his waist and aimed it at the Demon Race.
“Ah… no.”
In an instant, I realized the Demon Race’s attack was targeting Rudion’s left arm.
“Rudion!”
I urgently called his name, almost seeing his arm being crushed.
But it was too late for him to react and dodge. Soon, his scream echoed…
*Clang!*
“Kyaaaah—!!!”
“…Huh. It’s a bit hard to see, but not impossible.”
The situation I was worried about didn’t happen.
Instead… the Demon Race, which had been unharmed by any attack until now, started screaming in pain.
“You… what did you just…?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, just rest.”
With that, he slowly started moving toward the Demon Race.
I couldn’t understand anything about the current situation.
How did he know there was such danger in the first place?
If he knew, why did he follow me here?
What did he do to the Demon Race, which I couldn’t even scratch despite giving it my all, to make it suffer like that?
I couldn’t figure anything out… but one thing was certain—his back looked incredibly reliable right now.
