"…Let's set that aside for now. It's an urgent situation."
"…Yes."
"So, you really saw everything? While hiding with some method like you did earlier?"
"Yes."
"It's… understandable that you feel betrayed."
Adam seemed troubled, but at the same time, he didn't appear to care much, and…
Ruth felt a sudden surge of emotion.
I was so worried and troubled because of you.
If you react like that—
"Then, should I tell you everything?"
"…Excuse me?"
"Didn't you just say so? To tell you everything. I'll tell you everything."
──Ruth's thoughts momentarily stopped.
She had indeed said that. It was a story she naturally had to hear. But it was amusing how she was flustered now, even though she was the one who told him to speak.
But it couldn't be helped. This was Adam's true intention, something she had never heard before, even in the 'previous' timeline.
He could be lying. But when it came to Adam, she could somewhat discern the truth, so she wasn't too worried. On the contrary, if he continued to lie even in this situation, that would be the ultimate betrayal.
'The existence of Dark Sword alone has brought about a huge change, but…'
Perhaps this was the biggest change of all. The true intentions of the man she had previously considered a kind Finance Director and benefactor.
Why was he attacking the academy as the Finance Director? Why did he contact the cult? Why was he acting so differently?
Ruth unconsciously gulped at the fact that she could hear all of this directly from Adam's mouth.
"Simply put, it's because of money."
"…Money?"
"That's also why I instigated the terrorist attack by colluding with the cult. Of course, it'll be hard to understand with just this."
"No."
"Huh?"
"I understand."
It was obvious. Actually, considering the state the Finance Director was living in, anyone would understand.
In the first place, hadn't the cult been the one to suddenly bring up the terrorist attack?
'That Milia bitch must have seduced Adam.'
Something like, "We'll give you money if you cooperate with us and cause a terrorist attack," right? Anyone could understand how Adam was being treated by the Headmistress and the academy just by looking at his dormitory.
Ruth briefly gritted her teeth, but her anger soon shifted into a slightly different emotion.
That Adam was being completely honest with her, without any lies.
The secret sense of superiority that she knew Adam's secret.
'Adam found out that I'm a woman, but…'
She could trust Adam. Perhaps Adam felt the same way? Come to think of it, hadn't he allowed her to move in because he already had favorable feelings towards her?
Ruth, momentarily lost in delusion, forgetting that she was the one who offered the irresistible rent, snapped back to reality only after noticing Adam's strange gaze.
"…Thank you. For being honest with me."
"No, I haven't told you everything—"
"I'll hear the rest at the dormitory. W-we're living together now, after all."
"That's also because you're a woman—"
"I'll be going now."
It seemed like he was about to say something more, but she couldn't listen anymore, even if she wanted to. It wasn't that she didn't want to hear it, but that she didn't have time.
She could hear the detailed story at the dormitory after everything was over. Regardless of the content, the fact that Adam had been honest with her was enough.
Ruth, feeling a sense of fulfillment for the first time since her return, quietly gripped her sword and looked towards the direction where Malton had flown off.
"Fucking hell…!!"
"It won't take long."
"Student Ruth! Wait—"
Leaving Adam behind, she leaped towards Malton. Malton, who had been buried under the debris of the building, was emerging, smashing his surroundings with a furious expression.
'As expected of a Rank 7 from the cult.'
If he were a proper Rank 7, he would have broken through those remains in an instant. It was because the Wish Cult used the power of Dark Sword to artificially raise their ranks that they were so incomplete.
Ruth was already a highly skilled Rank 6. She didn't think for a moment that she would lose in terms of basic skills and techniques.
However…
"You bitch!!"
Crackle!
The only thing that bothered her was that Aura.
As if to prove that he was a Rank 7, albeit an incomplete one, the Aura gathering in Malton's hands was incredibly destructive. Earlier, she was able to overpower him head-on with the power of Dark Sword, but…
'If I feed it more blood here, it will fully awaken.'
Normally, she would have killed Malton even if it meant doing that, but things were different now.
The cult had significantly declined due to the return with Dark Sword. It would be a disadvantage to reveal that she had Dark Sword here.
Of course, it would be fine if she simply killed Malton cleanly, but…
'Adam might notice.'
It was best to eliminate any potential risks. Ruth voluntarily sealed the use of Dark Sword.
Naturally, it was because she was confident she wouldn't lose even without it.
"Haa!!"
Crash!!!
Malton, slamming his Aura-infused fist into the ground, used the resulting debris to obstruct Ruth's vision. It seemed he was wary of the unknown means that had just overwhelmed his Aura head-on.
Despite being incomplete, he was a veteran well-versed in combat. With Aura as an offensive means, if he allowed even a single blow to land, it would be over.
Ruth responded very simply.
Woooong.
It wasn't just Ruth whose vision was obstructed. In fact, Ruth's senses were superior to Malton's.
Therefore, there was no need to retreat or be wary of Malton's surprise attack.
'He's right on the other side.'
Sensing his presence, practically seeing through the wall of debris,
She simply unleashed her Sword Qi towards that spot.
The Sword Qi imbued in Ruth's old sword sliced through the debris and the spot where she sensed Malton's presence.
"Got you…!!"
"...…"
Immediately after, Malton, who had been hiding in the debris, jumped out.
Instead of preparing another attack after using the floor to obstruct her vision, Malton had hidden himself in the surrounding debris. It was an unsightly move, but he didn't seem to care at all.
And the Aura that Ruth had mistaken for Malton earlier…
'He shaped his Aura into a human form…'
He had mixed his Aura and Qi to create a form similar to himself, deceiving her into thinking it was Malton himself.
It was a deceptive tactic that would be obvious upon closer inspection, but in a life-or-death situation where split-second decisions were crucial, it wasn't easy to immediately grasp such a trick.
Despite being an incomplete Rank 7 with limited Aura, he boldly used most of it to deceive Ruth.
And he even managed to save just enough Aura to finish her off.
He was undoubtedly a formidable opponent, the first Ruth encountered since her return, but…
"…Too bad."
"What!?"
"I've already seen that once before."
Paladin Captain Malton, one of the right-hand men of Pope Milia who swept across the continent in the previous timeline.
Ruth, who had formed a joint front with the Empire back then, had faced Malton.
Malton back then was an archbishop, and having continuously absorbed the power of Dark Sword, he was almost a complete Rank 7. Naturally, he was much stronger, faster, and more cunning than he was now.
And the secret technique that Malton used was the same Aura clone as now.
Ruth, having already returned once, knew this technique.
Clang!
Therefore, she naturally knew how to counter it. She swung her sword, imbued with Sword Qi, in a continuous motion towards Malton.
That alone rendered Malton's surprise attack useless. Since it was a technique that relied on catching the opponent off guard after they cut down the Aura clone, it was surprisingly easy to react to if you remained vigilant.
Originally, this was something Malton only used as a last resort.
'That must mean he's cornered.'
Not because he was facing Ruth, but…
Because he couldn't drag this fight out for long.
"Damn it, how…? Not only are you Rank 6 at that age, but have you been to war or something!?"
"You're unnecessarily sharp."
"Damn it all."
"…How about surrendering? It doesn't seem like you can escape anyway."
"Don't be ridiculous. There's no way someone with eyes like yours would let me live."
As expected, he was unnecessarily sharp.
Since she was planning to kill him anyway, he saw through her intentions. Malton, having failed his surprise attack, was now looking for a chance to escape rather than continuing the fight.
"Over there! I sensed Aura from there!"
"If he's Rank 7, he must be the leader of the terrorists! Capture him at all costs!"
"Damn it, how did the rest of them escape…? We have to catch at least that leader!"
The voices of the 3rd Security Unit members could be heard from the surroundings. They wouldn't be able to defeat Malton, but they could at least buy some time.
Then the 3rd Security Unit Captain and the other security guards who were outside would return. Either way, Malton had no other choice.
And Malton's decision was swift.
"Damn it!"
"…Where do you think you're going?"
Ruth glared at Malton, who was leaping away without hesitation, gathering Aura in his legs.
Just as she was about to pursue him using Sword Qi,
"Gasp… gasp… Ruth, Student Ruth! Student!"
"A-Adam!? Wait, it's dangerous here…!!"
"No! There's no need to chase him anymore! Just let him go!"
"Huh…?"
Adam, who should have been in the building, was groaning as he climbed over the debris.
Ruth was momentarily worried that Malton might kidnap Adam even now, but Malton was already running away as if his feet were on fire, regardless of any hostage situation.
Seeing Malton running faster than the 3rd Security Unit members chasing him, even though he was still a Rank 7… it was too late to go after him now.
Ruth's eyes were briefly filled with resentment and reproach, but…
"Huff… huff… That was really tiring."
"...…"
"Um, Student Ruth?"
"…It's nothing."
Seeing Adam sweating and fanning his neck, those feelings vanished.
Ruth, who had turned her back to hide her flushed face for some reason, soon glanced at Adam with a slightly reproachful tone.
"Why did you come? I could have easily defeated that guy."
"Ah, I wasn't worried about Student Ruth. I believed you would win. I told you not to chase him for a different reason."
"…A different reason?"
She was disappointed that he said he wasn't worried, but then she unconsciously smiled at his words that he believed she would win.
Ruth, who was going back and forth between despair and elation at every word from Adam, asked without thinking.
A different reason? Was there a reason to let Malton escape?
"Was it perhaps because of the money you mentioned earlier…?"
"That's not it. Actually, I should have told you sooner, but you ran off right away."
"Excuse me?"
"From the beginning, the plan was for Malton to kidnap me. It was a sort of deal."
A plan? A deal?
Wait, he had planned for Malton to kidnap him?
"Don't tell me, you were planning to leave the academy? To go to the cult because of the money?"
"Am I crazy? It's fine even if I get kidnapped. I needed to separate Malton like that."
"Separate him?"
"Yes. An almighty cheat key who can easily solve things, whether it's kidnapping or anything else, is coming."
As before, Adam often used words she couldn't understand. But she could grasp what he meant by "cheat key" from the context.
Actually, she would have understood even without hearing Adam's explanation.
Because she could feel an incredibly powerful presence that she hadn't felt before.
"Ah, you're here."
"This is…"
"Now we just have to wait."
The overwhelmingly powerful presence she had witnessed during the deserted island midterm exam.
Pure, utterly destructive, and extreme.
…It was the aura of a Rank 8.
***
"Damn it, damn it…!!"
Malton was running. He looked ridiculous, and the desire to kill that unknown female student surged within him, but his desire to survive was stronger.
The other cult members, including the Archbishop, must have already escaped the academy under the guidance of that bishop candidate bitch. Naturally, Malton, who had acted separately to attempt kidnapping the Finance Director, had to escape the academy by a different route.
He decided to simply climb over the wall and escape.
"Catch him!"
"Damn it, he's unbelievably fast!"
"Stop him at all costs!"
The 3rd Security Unit members chased after Malton, but they were no match for him when he was fully focused on escape.
He wouldn't be caught unless the 3rd Security Unit Captain, who was listed as a person of interest in the plan, stepped in. But even if he did appear now, Malton was already in front of the academy wall.
The wall was merely a boundary between the inside and outside of the academy. Malton leaped and easily cleared the wall.
"Ha, haha!"
He still had a long way to run, but he had at least escaped that academy. That alone made Malton burst into laughter.
All he had to do now was keep running. He would be reprimanded by the Archbishop, but the bishop candidate's failure with the plan was a much bigger deal, so he could just blend in.
He could even turn it around and claim that he was trying to cover up her failure.
'If things get really bad, I can just escape to the Holy Kingdom.'
The cult was already declining. Malton, who prioritized self-preservation above all else, had already considered escaping to the Holy Kingdom.
If he went to the Holy Kingdom and reported the cult, he would be treated well. If he failed to become an archbishop, it was a serious option to consider.
Malton, running frantically.
"…Huh?"
Suddenly…
…realized that he had stopped.
He was running. He was definitely running, but…
His legs wouldn't move.
And…
"…Ah."
Beyond the horizon, waves surged.
He knew how absurd that was. This was inland; there wasn't even a lake in this direction, let alone an ocean.
Yet, waves were surging. Moreover, from every visible horizon, tsunamis the size of houses were approaching.
It didn't take long for him to realize that it wasn't actually waves.
Just as the surrounding space shattered when Malton used his Aura.
The waves, too vast to take in at a glance, were all Aura.
The space was shattering under the overwhelming, monstrous Aura, creating the illusion of waves.
"Were you trying to escape?"
"Ah, aah…!!"
"There's no way I'd let you escape."
Just as people wouldn't compare a cup of water to the ocean, Malton's existence was utterly powerless before those overwhelming waves of Aura.
If he were a complete Rank 7, he might have been able to resist, to escape. But Malton's feet were already frozen in fear, unable to move.
The waves of Aura that crushed everything equally, whether it was trees, rocks, or anything else.
Malton, who had become a human facing a tsunami.
"Mad… Dragon."
Finally understood why that being was called by such a title in the past.
Dragons had gone extinct over 300 years ago. There were no dragons during the time that monster was active, so he had thought the title of Mad Dragon was a bit exaggerated.
But he was wrong. Dragons might have disappeared, but their terror and majesty were still remembered by humans.
──If there were a rampaging dragon, it would surely look like that.
The fact that they had to compare that monster to a dragon to properly convey her danger…
That was when the monster, the Headmistress, was called the Human Slaughterer.
It was the title created by the soldiers who barely survived, to warn their friends and families, to urge them to run from the Headmistress.
Now, she was even closer, and no matter how high he raised his head, he couldn't see the end of her.
The Headmistress, slowly walking towards him, smiled and clenched her fist.
"Well then."
"S-spare me…!!"
"Goodbye."
With just that action, a giant fist of aura appeared in the air, and…
Pure destruction, merging with the waves of aura, exploded on the ground.
There was no sound. The aura swallowed even the screams of a certain paladin captain and the earth-shattering roar.
Only…
A giant basin was formed.