Chapter CXXXIV - The Collapse (part 1)

After leaving the gymnasium, I quickly flew back towards the back court.

It seems a lot of people have gathered here. Healers, helpers, and also professional mages from the outside as well as the authorities have arrived to treat the wounded students.

The demons ambushed them in the middle of an academy event, and managed to hurt a lot of students. As a result, fifty six academy personnel including teachers were badly wounded, while the rest simply got captured and were held hostage. Some of them were near death and were left to die by the demons, but I had healed them in time and they became perfectly healthy immediately.

Everyone was shocked by the way I brought a dying person back to life, but I ignored them and continued healing.

The other healers warned me to not overly do my healing, but I also ignored them.

Even though my magic energy was nearly depleted, I kept on going with my King tier healing magic. At this point, I am going beyond my limits.

I don't care... I just want to help them and not let anyone die.

After healing all fifty six, I went to the place where I wanted to be the most…

Next to her.

She is being crowded by everyone in class E, who is crying next to her lifeless body. When I landed near them, they quickly noticed and made way for me. As I walk between them, I can feel the guilt on my chest become ten times harder. As I kneeled right next to her, I couldn't breathe. 

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore…

…

That day, I cried much more than I should.

At midnight, we all headed to the training ground and decided to bury her there. Returning her to her family simply means giving her back to the demons, and we all are very much against that.

The rest of the other demon's corpses were burned to ashes by the officials. The teachers were also helping out in cleaning up, while the students began settling down on the academy buildings.

During the funeral at the training ground, I am still in shock. I couldn't talk, that even Manda and Jericho had to make me dinner.

Everyone else also made themselves dinner on this training ground, using whatever material they can find in their space ring or in the wild. I could very easily help out, but since I couldn't move or talk, I'm simply a weight to them.

One person, aside from Manda and Jericho, approached me with a disappointed look.

Elmone. The class president.

He stood in front of me with tears that were already drying up in his face.

Everyone else noticed what was happening, and they all stopped what they were doing and watched us. The only light sources were coming from the moonlight and the giant bonfire that was being lit, so our faces were quite dark.

I turned my gaze to him, and I could see his expression despite the dim light.

Seeing the light in his eyes, I understood his intentions.

"And…?"

My voice was truly sorrowful. Elmone heard it clearly, while everyone else barely missed it.

"... What would you do in that situation?"

Hearing my question, Elmone looked even more enraged. He took a step forward, but he suddenly bit his lips.

"... I understand… that you are strong…"

He is finally using his words.

"But… why can't you stop…?"

Ah… this is so painful…

"Elmone."

A hand landed on Elmone's right shoulder. He turned around and found Jericho's sharp eyes staring into his soul.

"Exactly what were you asking, just now?"

Jericho asked with her anger leaking out. It's clear to anyone that she is on my side, but everyone else also wanted to hear answers.

I can't let her defend me, because then things will only get worse.

"I couldn't."

Everyone turned their eyes back to me, right after I mumbled.

"I'm not strong enough. I lost myself, and I killed her. I killed her. I killed her..."

I mumbled the same line three times, just to remind myself.

It was me.

My blood stained fingers pierced her heart.

GRPP!!!!

KRRRKKK!!!!!

I held my right hand as hard as I could with my left, so hard that everyone could hear the bones being broken. Manda and Jericho quickly reacted and tried stopping me, while Elmone took a step back after seeing my expression.

After I was stopped, I turned my gaze back to Elmone. With an insane grin and eyes opened wide, I turned to Elmone.

"Did you think I didn't want to stop!? Did you really think I wanted her dead!? Did you not realize what kind of situation that was!??

Where were you, huh!? All of you!?! I trained you all for months, and you all went into hiding!?!

What a bunch of cowards… Hahah!! And you tried blaming me for her death--"

BAKK!!!!

Ah… that felt so good.

My body was thrown to the left, and my mouth spat at least 2 teeth that were punched off from my mouth.

I turned my gaze to the right with an unbelieving face, and saw her still in the same punching posture.

"M-Manda…"

Even Elmone got taken aback. The timid and simple Manda lifted her fist and punched me so hard I lost two of my teeth.

In her face are tears falling faster than a meteorite, and with a saddened expression she spoke to me.

"Please… No more of this…!"

Hearing Manda's plea, Elmone and I came to be. I stood up and stood in front of Elmone.

"I can never apologize… because even I couldn't forgive myself. But if it makes you feel any better…

She died smiling."

My words made Elmone realize something. 

Right after he came out from his hiding spot, he saw everyone from class E grouping up at one spot. He then approaches them, noticing them crying he immediately knows that something was wrong.

Right in the center of the group was Lemillia's demon body, with a hole piercing through in her chest and demon blood puddling below her. Manda was holding her body, crying while everyone else around her also mourned. But Elmone noticed something that made him feel less baffled.

Lemillia… was smiling.

Elmone closed his eyes and nodded, and then he turned around to sit on the edge of the cliff. His buddies walked to him to calm him down, while everyone else continued with their own things.

I sat back down in my place, right next to Manda and Jericho who are calming me down.

The night went on, and the tears kept on falling. Pretty soon, the sun ended up rising without us noticing.

The next day, more and more people came to the academy. Some are actually important people wanting to help, and some are just a bunch of annoying reporters wishing to know about the incident. But, the student council wouldn't let them cross the front gates, so they just stack up outside.

Because the girls dormitory building was badly destroyed, the female students were forced to stay at the classes building last night. The males dormitory is also quite wrecked, but not to the point that they had to move out completely. But, some of them had to make do with whatever pillows they had and slept at the bottom of the middle building.

Parents from all sides of the continent came to visit their children at the academy after hearing about the attack. Alden and everyone else who came from outside the kingdom was visited by their parents, who are wishing to know if their child is doing well.

Milly was too busy doing stuff that she forgot about some of the most important details. Even when she was covered in bandages, she went outside to face the reporters to give them the truth and news regarding this incident.

She was asked by a reporter during her interview outside the gate, and she had no idea what to answer.

'Who was it… that killed the demons?'

She couldn't answer such a question, she could only shake her head, and told them that a helper had come and saved them from true despair.

"The students… would have died if it wasn't for this helper. We… I, am very much indebted to this helper. Unfortunately, I don't know who they are, or where they come from, or what their motives were.

But, all I know is that without this helper, a lot of students would have died, including me."

The reporters wrote everything Milly said, but they are still wondering who this helper truly is.

That morning, I was nowhere to be seen.

.

The forest's breeze played around with my hair as I sat on top of the tree stump. It was so cold, to the point that it's rather enjoyable for anyone who wanted hypothermia.

Unfortunately, I am fully resistant to the temperature.

I purposely let out my pressure so that he can find me. And after waiting for around five minutes, he immediately arrived in front of me.

"Yo! You seemed fine."

A voice came shouting in front of me, with a rather joking tone. I slowly opened my eyes and was able to find that the old guy was already seated in the tree stump in front of me.

"Tell me... Why can't I use the rock?"

"H-Hmm? You can't use the rock?"

I took out the rock and casted a fireball, and the fireball looks pretty much the same.

"Huh... That's odd. Only gods can't use items like these... Oh."

He mumbled… something rather peculiar, there…

He came to a sudden realization that he somehow slipped up. He cursed, and he slapped his right cheek extremely hard.

BAAKK!!!!!

It was so powerful that a shockwave was emitted when he did it.

"H-Hey, take it easy…"

I watched as he tried very hard not to cry from his own slap. He let out a sigh and turned his gaze towards the ground.

"Sorry, I got a little dumb there... As I was saying, you couldn't use it because you are powerful enough already. Meaning, whatever fifty times that the rock can do is already weaker than what you were able to do."

"So... I'm too good for this rock?"

"It pains me to say it, but yeah… That is exactly the case."

I threw the rock to him and he captured it with one hand.

"Now. Tell me about my Devil form."

"… You really called that mode 'The Devil Form'? That sounded so lame."

"... I looked like an actual devil when I was using it."

"Oh... Well, some people have their own forms when using it. Mine, for example, looks like this..."

He suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and... Oh god...

Like, yeah. A god.

Before this, he wasn't looking much like a god before. He was more or less simply an ugly homeless old man that never bathed for fifty years. 

But now that he is showing me this form, he looks so much more fitting to be called a god.

His eyes are bright white blue with no pupils at all. His whole body is shining white as the beard and hair on his head slowly waves around and becomes glowing white. His whole body started to float as a second hand made out of light blue energy formed right under his first set of arma.

He is now a four-armed god…

"This is my 'devil' form… or what I liked to call my 'Ultimate' form."

I can sense an extremely heavy pressure coming from him. It was indeed much more powerful than the current me, but I'm not sure about comparing it to my own devil form. But, if we were to fight right now, I would surely lose.

After letting me see his form for a while, he turned it back off and sat back down on the tree stump. He turned his eyes back to me that is already normal and formed a grin.

"Okay, now let me see yours."

"Ehh... I..."

"… You couldn't turn it on and off deliberately, can you?"

"N-No... I'm afraid not..."

"Well, I could teach you--"

His sentence was cut short because suddenly he became sweating. Then he started slapping his face again.

BAKK!!

BAKKK!!!

"H-Hey! Stop slapping your face!"

Each of those slaps were very powerful, but he had no wish to make it any less painful.

And, he doesn't seem to have any wish of staying.

"N-No!! I… I have to go!!"

"W-Wait!!"

And just like that, he's gone... Like the wind.

I was just about to ask him how to use it, and about the gods other than him… but he left so immediately.

… Great.

Didn't he say his form was similar to mine…?

What the hell does that mean? Does he and I have the same ability?

Whatever. If he is still around here, then I can come and ask him later on. Let's just return to the academy. 

Ah, one final stop.

I formed my shadow wings and flew away. Oh yeah, having two wings is definitely a breeze. I arrived on the training mountains in less than a minute and I landed on the exact spot I wanted to be.

She was always here every time we trained. She always stood on the sides, and watched over everyone with her usual timid behaviour… even though I know it was mostly faked.

At the corner of the cliff, next to the entrance of the inner base.

I kneeled down and glared at the grave in front of me while my mind recalled all the things about Lemillia.