BXBX NOVEL Chapter 390: D-4
- Rumble, rumble…!
The Hero Party watched in horror, their faces went pale.
If that attack hit them, it was obvious what would happen.
“Who… who can still move?”
“I-I
“Neither can I…”
“Damn it.”
They had already exhausted much of their strength trying to stop Aishi’s rampage that had started hours ago.Their key members were also unable to perform at their best, their minds shattered from recalling the truth.
Fortunately, there have been no casualties so far. But if those sharp ice spears hit them directly, the outcome was clear.
“Hyaaaah!”
Understanding this, Arianne quickly leaped forward.
Moments later, her large shield spell protected the entire Hero Party just before the ice spears struck.
- Crackle, crackle…!
“Ugh…”
In terms of defensive magic, she was even more proficient than Irina.
But everything had its limits.
- Crack, crackle…
Cracks began to slowly form in her shield.
- Crackle, crackle…
“Impossible…”
Despite not giving up and reinforcing the barrier, Arianne looked up and shook her head.
“This… is my limit…
“Everyone… run.”
“…”
“I-I’ll try to hold her off…”
As a defensive mage, Arianne was not supposed to say such things.
- Crackle, crackle…
“Go now! I’ll buy time…!”
She knew this better than anyone, but she still screamed at the top of her lungs, pouring all her remaining strength into the barrier.
“…Ugh.”
When the ice spears combined and began to grow into a massive structure, she finally fell silent and slumped to the ground.
“Aishi, why… Why are you doing this…”
“Watch out!”
“Ugh…”
Just before Arianne was crushed, Vener hurriedly carried her away and tried to flee the harbor.
“That appearance… looks like a demon? But why Aishi?”
“Could she be… the Demon King?”
“That’s impossible! Just a few days ago, she was her playful self!”
Following them, the panicked Hero Party retreated, chattering in fear.
Now, a huge mass of ice cast a shadow over them.
“A-Aria?!”
Someone screamed in alarm as they fled, noticing Aria collapsing in the rear.
“Ugh…”
Aria, who had been helping those who fell behind, had stumbled and fallen herself.
“S-Someone help!”
“What is this?”
It wasn’t Aria’s fault. At that moment, several others also began to fall.
- Crack, crackle…
The ground of the harbor was freezing rapidly, trapping the ankles of those running.
“No, no… I don’t want to die…”
“Run! Don’t look back, just run!”
Those whose ankles were frozen in place either fell into despair or shouted for their friends to flee.
The ice and cold climbed from their ankles to their legs.
“What should we do…”
“It’s too late…”
“What?”
As the students tried to turn back, Alice’s words stopped them, causing confusion.
“A-Alice! Don’t lose hope!”
“It’s not too late! If we hurry, we can save them! I’ll go right now…”
“…It’s too late for all of us.”
Alice responded again with a fearful expression.
“When the barrier breaks… w-we’ll all be caught… every single one of us…”
Finally understanding the situation, the students turned their terrified eyes to the massive ice formation that had completely enveloped the barrier.
“Let me go. I’ll try to hold out…”
“I’ll stay too. Let’s do this together.”
Vener and Arianne, who had been retreating with the students, stopped and started heading back inside.
“We’ll help too…”
“We’ll buy some more time…”
Several students began to follow them.
No… nooo…
Aishi, preparing for the final blow and looking at the students with cold eyes, cried out pitifully inside.
Please stop…!
Her personality was fading away.
I’ll do as you say!
- You should have listened to me from the beginning.
Please…!
- Don’t resist, just disappear.
If this final blow landed and froze the students, the shock would shatter her personality entirely.
- A mere extra, know your place.
Despite Aishi’s desperate resistance to save her comrades, the ‘voice’ that began to reveal its true nature only mocked her.
- Rumble, rumble…
After that taunt, Aishi’s eyes glazed over, and her hand lowered. The surface of the barrier began to glow blue.
- Clink!
A few seconds later, the barrier shattered into countless pieces.
- Roar…!
A massive amount of sharp ice chunks surged inward.
“Ah…”
Aria, who had been struggling and using stellar mana until her legs gave out, stared at the sight in a daze.
“I still… my brother…”
Trying to say something, she closed her eyes tightly and remained silent.
“Sorry… brother…”
- Drip…
A tear of regret streamed down her closed eyes.
- Boom! Boom!
- Crack…!
The ice chunks began to fall around her, freezing everything in their path.
The first evil act of the newly born Demon King was proceeding successfully.
- Sringgg…!
“…?”
Until a small yet distinct sound of a sword cutting through the air echoed in the harbor.
.
.
.
.
.
- Shatter! Shatter!
- Bang! Bang!
The ice chunks, which had decorated the sky and awaited their descent, were pulverized into dust almost instantly.
- Tap, tap…
In the mesmerizing sight of what looked like fireworks made of ice, everyone’s gaze momentarily shifted upward. Someone swiftly passed through them.
“Who is that? That person…?”
“…!?”
An unknown figure with a silver-glowing sword headed towards the students trapped by the ice.
- Roar…!
“Ahhh!!”
The situation was so dire that they hadn’t even noticed the recent turn of events due to the falling ice chunks.
“Ugh.”
The unknown man’s expression turned pale as he spotted someone trapped in front.
“Wait! That’s dangerous!!”
“…Grit.”
He clenched his teeth and threw himself into the hellish zone.
- Clang…!
At that moment, he shattered the ice chunk, falling on a female student with his sword.
“Ah…?”
Eurelia, who had just been saved, stared at him with wide eyes.
- Crack…!
“Th-thank you…”
“…!?”
Ignoring her gratitude, he leaped to destroy the ice chunks falling on the Horizon sisters, freshmen with elven blood.
- Shatter! Shatter!
He then broke the ice chunks falling on Olivia, Lecane, and Miho.
His graceful yet destructive swordsmanship seemed to reach a transcendent level.
- Shhh…
“Huff, huff…”
Despite his impressive sword skills, he was already drenched in sweat, indicating he might not be as strong physically. He gritted his teeth and sprinted forward with all his might.
Now, only Aria remained in front of him.
“D-Don’t come…”
It was too dark to see who he was, and Aria, unaware of his identity, warned him as sharper and more numerous ice fragments fell on her.
There was no time to swing his sword. The fragments had already reached her.
“Ahhh!!”
“Ugh…”
Desperately, the man charged at Aria and shielded her with his body.
- Crack! Crack! Crack!
The ice fragments struck the ground with a chilling sound, encasing them in a spherical ice prison.
“…”
The Hero Party stared blankly at the man who continued to protect Aria in his arms.
.
.
.
.
.
“A troublesome… person has arrived…”
Aishi muttered coldly, looking down.
“…”
The five main heroines, Isolet, and Lulu, who had teleported in after hearing the news, stood blocking Aishi’s path.
- Shhhh…!
- Crack, crack…!
Gazing disapprovingly at them, Aishi turned her attention to Ruby, who was emitting ruby-colored demonic energy in front of her.
- Roar…!
Sky blue and ruby-colored energy engulfed the entire harbor, soaring upwards like a giant butterfly spreading its wings.
“As you have relinquished your position as the Demon King, your power will continue to wane.”
“…”
“Do you think you’ll be able to protect everyone like this in the future?”
“Shut up.”
In the midst of that scene, Ruby glared at Aishi with a murderous look.
“Eye bastard, it’s your doing.”
“Who, me? Whose eye?”
“Bastard…”
“I don’t know anything abou– Ugh.”
Aishi covered her mouth with one of her hands as she smiled mischievously, but suddenly, she stumbled and her expression twisted.
“…Pointless resistance.”
“…?”
“Stop… stop resisting.”
With a frown, she muttered under her breath.
“Well, I admire your effort, so I’ll retreat for today.”
She smiled again, encasing herself in ice.
“Look forward to the final battle of the second semester, the ‘Academy Siege.’”
“Wait…”
“Well, you’ll probably be too busy with the Hero’s funeral. Hah, hahah…”
She laughed, scattering snow everywhere before disappearing.
“…”
Ruby, clawing at the spot where Aishi vanished, bit her lip and turned away.
- Roar…
The entire harbor city of the Western Continent was covered in ice.
“Hmm.”
Ruby, breaking into a cold sweat at the chilling sight, started walking slowly.
“I have something to say! As the former Demon King, let me…”
She tried to speak humorously to her group but stopped in her tracks at what she saw.
“B-Brother.”
“Cough, cough…”
Frey and Aria, who had been rescued from the shattered ice sphere, were surrounded by the group.
Frey, clearly in bad shape, was holding Aria, stroking her head with a trembling smile.
“My dear Aria… you’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
“Ugh, ugh…”
Blood flowed from his mouth and the stump where his left arm used to be.
“I’m sorry… for everything. My sweet little sister.”
“Brother…”
Frey’s left arm was completely severed.
“Help… help him… Someone, please…”
“…”
The Hero Party members, watching in shock, collapsed into the snow one by one.
“Frey!!”
The main heroines, staring with lifeless eyes, watched Ruby, who urgently cast healing spells on Frey while running towards him.
- Whoosh…
Along with the unexpected winter wind, Frey’s remaining time was slipping away.