Chapter 298

The first question that popped into my head was, “Why?” Why in the world is this Demon so eager to take me away?

Just looking at Rust, who was scrambling behind me, I could sense the urgency.

The Hunter is lurking in the shadows, likely wearing a similar expression, though I can’t be completely sure.

Even if that’s not the case, he’s the kind of guy who follows orders to the letter, so he’s probably just doing what he’s told.

‘Is my body really that important?’

The only descendant of the Demon and a miracle of sorts. Apparently, my body is of immense importance to these Demons.

But their obsession is a bit much for just a symbol. Clearly, there must be an intent behind it.

I wanted to know what that intent is, but unfortunately, the current situation wasn’t cooperating.

What I need to do right now is kick these Demons out of the Academy. After that, I’ll tackle the story step by step.

‘For that to happen…’

I need to run without getting caught. Buy some time until Rize arrives.

Monsters have popped up in between, but they can’t keep up with my movements. Besides, I know the Academy’s layout far better than they do.

That said, I didn’t head towards Rize’s direction. That would just draw in more monsters and complicate things even further.

“Hey! I think there’s a misunderstanding here!”

I heard Rust’s panicked shout from behind. Just like a Blue Demon, he was floating in midair.

While a human with Blue Magic can manipulate space at will, Demons can fly freely through the sky.

Also, as a Blue Demon, he can manipulate space to some extent, although Rust isn’t that skilled. As I mentioned before, he’s a supporter.

Even though I was far away, a sweet scent unexpectedly poked into my nose, as if to remind me that everyone has their unique abilities.

Rod specializes in slicing through space, and Rize is specialized in breaking it apart like a white beard.

‘But even that becomes meaningless if they can’t take action.’

Both Rod and Rize can ultimately command space through ‘action.’ Anything beyond that would be the specialty of the Purple ones.

In other words, as long as I keep running, the advantage lies with me. Plus, I’m not running for no reason.

-Screech!

“Ugh! That guy…!”

“I’ll handle it.”

Rod, who had been escaping alongside me, supported from a distance.

With a space slice made from afar, Rust’s torso was split in half.

Again, I’m talking about the torso! The upper and lower halves were completely separated, lying there like a discarded toy.

For a normal Demon, that would be a lethal wound, enough to kill them long ago. But a Blue Demon is a Blue Demon.

Rust’s neatly divided upper and lower halves began to restore themselves. They reconnected like magnets.

‘How do organs regenerate?’

Even for a Demon devoid of life, they still have organs and such. They’re literally just missing the life part.

For some reason, when Rust’s body split earlier, a few black organs plopped out like drops.

As I marveled at the mysteries of the human body—or rather, the lack thereof—Rust glared at me with a furious expression.

“Hey, I’m starting to get angry, you know? Care to listen to what I have to say?”

“Nope.”

I could pretty much guess what kind of story was coming. I quickly answered and moved my legs again.

I could hear Rust shouting something from behind, but I completely ignored it. The urgency was clearly on his side.

“Wait, what?”

Something felt off. I widened my eyes at what lay ahead—a dead end.

In my memory, this shouldn’t be a dead end. Did I misremember?

“Finally caught you, you troublemaker.”

“… …”

“You have no idea how hard it was to corner you.”

Rust’s alluring voice echoed from behind. I pushed aside my confusion and turned around.

There she was, wearing an attractive smile as if she had completely caught me. There was no sign of hostility.

‘No wonder it smells weird…’

I noticed sweet scents popping up here and there. Looks like Rust was using some tricks. Her illusion magic is top-notch alongside the clown.

As I watched Rust approaching, I scanned my surroundings. The back was blocked, and both sides were completely shut off.

“Give up on escaping now. I’ve already set up a barrier.”

“… …”

“I don’t know what those damned fools did to you, but we’re family. There’s no need to fight.”

That might be what you think. My body may be family, but the contents are not at all.

I looked around again at the claim of a barrier. The aura of dense mana confirmed that a barrier had indeed been placed.

‘Is this also an illusion?’

That thought crossed my mind as I bit my tongue. A sharp pain shot through my head like lightning.

But unfortunately, this isn’t an illusion. This is indeed a dead end.

“Why do you want to take me?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you want to take me? I don’t want to go.”

I asked while dragging my feet. To be precise, I pretended to pull back as I formed a word.

Rust must have thought I was actually retreating, as she moved closer.

“Is it because the world calls us Demons? That’s not true. Even if we’ve become victims of circumstance and lost in history, we’re definitely not Demons.”

“Then what are you?”

“A victim who had their life stolen by parasites. Will you believe that?”

“No.”

Despite the words, I believed about half of it. The Demons have a good reason to explode with rage.

After quietly living after the Demon Wars, they finally had descendants, only to have them taken away? They’d surely revolt as a group.

From the looks of it, the ultimate goal of the Academy’s collapse lies within this body.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to go. I’m happy here.”

As I moved my feet, the magic circle I was creating was almost complete. I glanced down at the ground.

While I was doing that, Rust wore an expression of frustration and made a strong appeal.

“If you stay here, those parasites might do something to you! You have to go back!”

“I’m happy even now.”

“There are people who want you!”

“I’m wanted here, too.”

“Ugh…!”

Was she frustrated enough to be choking on anxiety? Rust let out a long sigh. For her, enduring this kind of persuasion is no easy feat.

At the same time, I was curious. What would happen if I did cross over to the Demon side? What kind of fate would I face afterward?

“If I were to go?”

“What?”

“If I were to go? What would happen to me?”

“I told you. You’d be happy…”

“How would I become happy?”

How exactly, what kind of experiences would lead to happiness? I wanted to hear more.

As I posed the question with that intent, Rust hesitated slightly. It was clear she was reluctant to elaborate.

“That… I’ll tell you later. But I assure you, it’ll be much better than what those parasites would do.”

“So what is it? Tell me.”

“You’ve accepted the common sense of the human world, so you might find it hard to understand. We have our own logic, you see.”

Now that’s just nonsense. They’re up to something shady, just like Gaia.

Maybe they wouldn’t hesitate to use me as a sacrifice to summon that Demon they claimed to have vanished. The final stretch of the Soul World is exactly like that.

The being referred to as the ‘God of Demons’, corresponding to ‘Purple’, once sacrificed itself to resurrect that Demon.

I scoffed and firmly replied. If you don’t tell me properly, there’s no way I’m going.

Especially when my ultimate goal is eons away from this.

“I’m not going. I like it here.”

“… …Then there’s no helping it.”

Rust’s expression suddenly turned cold. At the same moment, the weight on my shoulders increased.

“I have no choice but to take you by force.”

“… …”

As Rust said this, she waved her hand. She must have released a fragrance that caused hallucinations.

I should definitely avoid breathing in the smell. So I held my breath as much as I could.

“Since you were born as a life, you must breathe. Let’s see how long you can hold it.”

As I held my breath, Rust folded her arms and laughed, her ample chest standing out.

In terms of size, she was probably comparable to Eli. But all of that was just unnecessary thought.

I tore my gaze away from Rust and looked down. The words I wanted were nearly complete.

Finally, I focused my magic on my feet and, simultaneously releasing my held breath, shouted.

“Bang!!”

-Kaboom!!

A massive explosion erupted beneath my feet, propelling my body forward.

Rust’s eyes widened as she saw me shoot out like a bullet. She hadn’t seen that coming.

Understandably so, the word I had written on the ground, just in case, was ‘Hangul’. There’s no way Rust would be able to recognize it.

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

My shoulder check, using propulsion, hit Rust right in the chest.

In an instant, I felt the mana surrounding us dissipate. Rust’s barrier had vanished.

Soon I escaped from the dead end along with Rust. I didn’t bother to strike at her again and just moved my body.

-Grab!

“Ugh!”

“Cough! Did you think I’d let you go?!”

Even as a supporter, a Blue Demon is still a Blue Demon. Rust clung tightly to my leg despite the shock she must have felt.

My leg was already tingling from the earlier explosion, and I wished she’d let go.

-Sizzle!

“Huh?”

“What?”

Rust dropped my leg, but it wasn’t her choice.

Because my ankle had been stretched like some cheese. It seemed she couldn’t withstand the burst from earlier.

If I were an ordinary person, my leg would have exploded and my body would have disappeared. Luckily, I was durable enough to hang on.

-Thud!

My other leg must have been the same, as my body crumpled. Thankfully, a recovery was showing signs on the other side.

But not for my right leg. Rust’s iron grip had completely detached it.

Blood was streaming down as my bone was fully exposed. It looked ghastly.

“My leg…!”

Will it regenerate? Panic overwhelmed me beyond mere confusion.

If this continues, I might get caught by Rust and live without a leg for the rest of my life.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do this!”

Rust seemed to be just as panicked. She stuck my leg back onto my ankle, which was a mess.

Thanks to her quick response, my leg recovered fully in no time.

“Can you move it well? Does it hurt?”

“… …”

My ankle was moving just fine and strength returned. I nodded with a bewildered expression.

Seeing that, Rust sighed in relief. It seemed her feelings towards me were genuine, as she even exhaled a breath of relief.

‘… …Why?’

What is it about this body that makes her worry even in such a critical situation? I felt my mind spiral into confusion.

But before that confusion could settle,

-Crack!

“Ugh!”

“Sivar! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!”

A certain curve had lodged itself into Rust’s neck. Along with that, a familiar voice reached my ears.

I turned my head towards the voice and saw Kara looking at me with a worried expression.

“Y-yeah. I’m okay.”

“Thank goodness.”

-Crackle! Crackle!

“Ahhh!”

Rust screamed in pain. Kara had not only lodged a curve into her neck but also used lightning.

While it’s not as effective as Divine Power, Gulrak’s lightning has a significant effect on Demons. That’s why Rust was hurting so much.

Of course, unless he was Hector, the damage wouldn’t be significant. It was merely meaningful damage.

“Hurry and escape! The Saint has chased after other Demons!”

“Y-yeah…!”

I instinctively grabbed Kara’s hand and ran. Even while fleeing, I didn’t forget to check on Rust.

In the meantime, had she used her terrifying recovery powers? She was getting back on her feet, holding her neck.

She coughed roughly before looking up at us.

“Damn Gulrak…! You parasite child…!”

Rust grit her teeth, glaring at us with a frightening fierceness.

The kind, caring demeanor she had shown me minutes ago had vanished without a trace.

‘What in the world…’

What is it about this body that makes her so concerned? I simply couldn’t understand.

“Why are you staring at that Demon? Are you enchanted or something?”

“… …A little?”

“Get a grip! This is a critical moment!”

Despite Kara’s warning, I found it hard to take my eyes off Rust.

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