I Became the Academy's Pink Airhead

Chapter 32

Under the dark sky, among the countless flame walls that rose throughout the city, the grounds of were vaguely visible. The buildings revealed in the flickering crimson flames looked rough and crude.

Behind the city where the souls of warriors and flames were burning. This was the heart of 's grounds. In the distance, the faint sounds of screams and battle cries could be heard.

"What... what is this?!" "[Golden Witch] using a magic circle from the previous era...?!"

We were suddenly brought here, utterly confused.

Clatter―

Traces of the cleared Corruption Dungeon Gate. We stood among the black crystal shards containing a vast amount of ether.

"...!"

My heart felt like it was freezing in this sudden situation.

'Sigrun and aren't here. That means they targeted our party and Eir specifically with this activation?'

Could it be...?

I scanned the surroundings once more. Apart from Eir, who was captured, and our party, there were no other presences. A few students who had been patrolling the city had collapsed due to the black ether mist surrounding the area. And the source of the black ether was right in front of us.

I looked at the suddenly appeared 'figure' and muttered to myself.

The main antagonist with the strongest authority, second only to the [Dragon Crouching in the Abyss]. The [Priest of Corruption] was waiting for us in the middle of the northern slums.

"..." "..." "..." "..."

We were frozen, staring at the [Priest of Corruption]. The [Priest of Corruption] held the strongest in the north, [Crimson Trajectory]. And the ominous aura he emitted was unlike anything we had ever seen.

'Why is the [Priest of Corruption] here from the start?'

It didn't make sense. He had only awakened in this era recently. The [Priest of Corruption] was never the type to act recklessly without knowledge.

'Even though he's a boss who requires fully developed characters to barely handle, he was always portrayed as cautious.'

The , who had been sealed for ages, had awakened recently. I couldn't fathom why they were moving so quickly.

'At this point, they should be investigating [Fate of the Three Heroes]...!'

Yet, the [Priest of Corruption] stood before us. The monstrous figure in the black robe held Eir with a hand enveloped in black ether.

Grrr―! Crack

The eerie sound of black ether digging into Eir's neck like a spider web. Despite this, Eir's eyes blazed with determination.

Eir resisted, trying to unleash her vivid crimson ether flames. But having cleared the event dungeon alone, she was too exhausted to produce any significant output.

"Ugh...! Grrrk―!!"

Despite Eir's defiance, The [Priest of Corruption] observed the ether color through his vertical yellow pupils, murmuring in a cavernous voice.

"Amazing. To think that ether with [Fate of Purification] would be born in the era we awaken. If we hadn't known, it would have caused a huge problem. And to think [Fate of the Three Heroes] would gather."

"...!"

The [Priest of Corruption] chuckled dryly.

"Heh, amusing. You might defeat the followers, but that's impossible. But a little more time, and it might have been possible."

Flash――!!

From the four dragon wings sprouting from his back, black mist poured out. The mere presence of it shook the air and absorbed the ether from those standing.

Goooo――!!

The black mist spread, creating distorted cracks in the air. Familiar cries echoed from the honeycomb-like fissures.

Rooaar――!! Rooaar――!!

Several mature chaos insects, the bosses we had fought so desperately in the dungeon, descended from the sky. Their massive bodies trampled countless buildings, roaring.

The city, quiet from the collapse of the Corruption Dungeon, fell into chaos again.

Thud―!!

With a tremendous landing sound, chaos began anew.

Rooaar――!! Rooaar――!!

-Stop them from rampaging―!! -Evacuate the people―!! -Burn your life to the last―!!

Sounds of buildings collapsing around us. Students fighting desperately against the mature chaos insects. And in the middle of it all, stood a massive despair.

The mist emanating from the great wings of despair erased all hope from everyone's hearts. It absorbed the ether of many, simultaneously growing its power.

The black wings... Even blocked the moonlight.

Gooooo――

In the black mist, Bell, who had exhausted all her strength, lay on the ground with a pale face.

"This is... impossible..."

Thud―

Alvit and Kara had been sitting, trembling for some time.

"We need to... fight...!" "It's impossible... that's..."

Rota, on my back, grasped my neck with cold hands. Her thin hands trembled endlessly, spewing despair.

Tadadadak...

The sound of Rota's jaw trembling in fear reached me. It seemed she was convinced that her precious dreams, life, and time would all end here.

"..."

A certainty of death at 100%.

In the hopelessness, I looked up at the sky in vain. A situation where the original content was of no use.