Sliteyed

“Already the end of the semester? Time really flies.” “Ahh, no more exams. I finally feel alive again.” “How long has it been since we had a party?” “Have you picked out a dress yet? I know this secret atelier…” The classroom buzzed with excitement over the end-of-semester party. ‘A party, huh…’ It was the…

“I… lost… to someone like you…” Fssss— The demonic energy surrounding Teron crumbled into dust and scattered away. There hadn’t been anything particularly difficult about it. My stats were far higher than they should have been for this episode, my parry rate was a perfect 100%, and I even had a handsome face(?). More importantly,…

I clenched my fist. Getting Teron to ask for help of his own accord—that was the prerequisite for taking this path. ‘Because this strategy absolutely requires Teron’s cooperation.’ In a way, it had been the hardest condition to fulfill. Now that I’d cleared it, the road ahead should be smooth sailing. Except for the enormous…

“Guhk!” Teron staggered backward after taking a blow to the stomach. It clearly hadn’t been harmless, though, as a mouthful of blood came surging out. “Ghhh…” Teron lowered himself into a stance, ready to charge again. It seemed he still hadn’t regained enough of his senses to hold a conversation. No choice, then. I’d have…

KRAAANG!! Daike’s sword collided with Luna’s. The ground beneath Luna’s feet caved in. Cracks spread across the surrounding earth, which trembled as though it might explode apart at any moment. Now, hold on! Why was Daike this strong? Zero knew perfectly well how powerful Daike was. That was why he had deployed not only the…

Clang! “Ghk!” Luna rolled backward after blocking Daike’s sword, dispersing the force of the impact. ‘Damn it! He may be an infuriating bastard, but his skill is the real deal.’ Luna had trained relentlessly and grown considerably stronger. She had even thought she might have surpassed Daike by now. But she had been wrong. Daike…

In an instant, they lost four fighters. Including Victoria, who had to focus on healing, that made five—more than half their forces were now out of the battle. But the situation wasn’t entirely against them. Slash! “Miss Luna! That was amazing!” “Tch! Too shallow! Don’t let your guard down!” Arrows, spells, magic bullets, and sword…

Meanwhile, a heated argument was already underway where Luna’s group and Daike stood facing each other. “If your friend starts down the wrong path, you beat some sense into them and set them straight. What are you doing, going along with him?” “…You know nothing. You have no idea what brought us here.” How great…

A strange-looking bastard who practically reeked of bad omens. Back then, Teron had no interest in Zero whatsoever. After all, he believed appearance was a talent in its own right. That might sound cruel, but how many people could willingly keep someone with the face of a cockroach by their side? Even the great Teron…

“The academy…” Daike quietly repeated Teron’s words. Annwood Academy. It was where all the empire’s greatest talents gathered, and for anyone with enough ability, it offered the fastest path to success. But simple advancement couldn’t be Teron’s only goal. “Are you aiming to enter politics?” “I could use the family’s influence to secure a position,…