The atmosphere in the 1st Platoon was far from cheerful following Dias’ crushing defeat.
Even if it was just a practice match to assess skills, it was still a face-off between platoons.
Given that the traditional rivals, the 1st and 3rd Platoons, were pitted against each other, it was natural for the excitement to run high.
Both sides had brought out their most powerful hands, so to speak.
The students of the 1st Platoon had hoped for a good match, even if they couldn’t be certain of victory.
“What… did I just see?”
“…I got my hopes up for nothing. What was that?”
What unfolded before their eyes was a disastrous match.
Of course, Ian Volkanov was not at fault. He had demonstrated incredible prowess and tactical acumen. The problem was Dias.
No one expected Dias to be so thoroughly outmatched, even if his opponent was Ian, the top-ranked second-year. Dias couldn’t land a single proper attack.
“But didn’t he roll on the ground and try all sorts of things? Ian didn’t seem all that impressive either.”
Some still tried to belittle Ian amidst the disappointment.
“Aren’t you a magician? What are you talking about?”
“If Ian doesn’t seem impressive to you, it’s because you don’t understand combat. If you knew even a little, you’d realize how high his level is.”
“…Is he really that good?”
“Yes. Dias even resorted to sneaky attacks he shouldn’t have, but Ian blocked them and won. That’s way more impressive.”
As if to confirm that sentiment, even Haley, who specialized in practical combat techniques, was left with her mouth agape.
At that moment, no one could find any fault with Ian.
All that remained was disdain for Dias’ underhanded tactics.
‘This is bad.’
Ariel frowned as she listened to the murmurs around her.
The situation was dire. It wasn’t just that their party member, Dias, was the subject of ridicule. The biggest issue was that instead of using this to boost their morale, they were left admiring the opponent.
‘Admiring him only lowers our team’s morale. We need a reversal. We need to make Ian’s performance look like nothing.’
It wasn’t easy to overshadow Ian, who had recently captured everyone’s attention.
But Ariel wasn’t too worried; the next match was bound to be just as spectacular.
‘It’s me… and Igor Pendia, right?’
The hero of the 1st Platoon against Ian’s right-hand man of the 3rd Platoon.
Ariel was determined to claim victory there.
It wasn’t just about rivalries.
‘It’s not over-immersion. For me, this is survival!’
Losing her standing among people was a nightmare scenario for her as a hero.
She needed an overwhelming victory no matter what. With that desperate resolve, she stepped into the arena.
Thud!
“Hahaha! Easy, so easy! Whether you’re a hero or not, if you get hit, you can’t move!”
‘Did… did I lose?’
The result was a crushing defeat.
And even as she lay sprawled on the ground, Ariel couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
‘How….’
She hadn’t been careless. She had steeled herself with determination, so how could she have been careless?
She had faced the fight earnestly, but Igor was an unexpectedly formidable foe.
Some might argue that Ariel’s attacks were designed more for wide-area impacts rather than a duel, but at least she knew.
‘I was outmatched.’
This fight had been lost purely due to a difference in skill.
Following Igor’s movements was a challenge from the start.
Igor, moving like Ian, had shown a level of growth incomparable to their previous encounters during the war game. His astonishing speed disrupted all the tactics she had planned.
‘I tried to create distance for a range attack.’
Igor’s insane speed and toughness overcame the reach difference.
Like the zombies in Brookers, Igor kept pressing in even after being hit, throwing punches relentlessly.
Focusing on her face and abdomen, Igor’s attacks left Ariel unable to defend herself.
That was the end. With every punch that landed, her consciousness faded.
When she came to, she saw herself lying on the ground, with Igor laughing heartily.
Utterly defeated, Ariel could only grit her teeth and return to her place.
“Ariel… you fought well, but he was strong.”
“Yeah, but the opponent was Igor, right? I heard from a friend in the 2nd Platoon that he’s known as a monster in Vishen. You can always do better next time.”
Although her Platoon members tried to console the dejected Ariel, she could see through their words.
‘Don’t pity me. You don’t really want to either!’
She could see the hidden smirks behind their words.
They seemed to relish in the downfall of Ariel, who had been so proudly walking around as a hero.
There was no one to support her. Celia had lost her spirit and stayed silent. Bianca had been out of touch since the Brookers incident. Reina? She was nowhere to be found.
Feeling troubled, Ariel decided to wash her face, hoping to clear her mind of these thoughts.
It felt like she would go mad otherwise.
“Haa…”
She walked with her head bowed low. As she neared the restroom, Ariel raised her head.
“What?”
She saw it.
“Don’t worry about it. Nothing you’re concerned about will happen.”
“…Senior.”
It was her friend, crying in Ian’s arms.
What on earth was going on? Why was Reina crying in Ian’s arms?
‘Why?’
They had been close. Not as long as she had been with Celia, but still. Reina and Ariel, both first-years, had spent a lot of time together.
They were close enough to be called best friends. They had shared their innermost thoughts and had grown closer than anyone else.
‘You shouldn’t be doing this…. Not you!’
Even if everyone else abandoned her, she had believed Reina would stay by her side. Ariel had extended a hand when no one else recognized her value and dismissed her as a commoner.
‘After all I did for you.’
And yet, there Reina was, in Ian’s arms.
What infuriated Ariel even more was the look on Reina’s face—one she had never seen before.
‘I gave you everything.’
But not for Reina?
In that moment, Ariel felt like she was about to lose her mind.
‘I don’t understand. Not anymore.’
She had lost everything. She was isolated. It felt like being trapped on a deserted island with nothing.
She felt her heart shattering, and the tormenting voices in her head grew louder.
Unable to hold back, Ariel screamed out in frustration.
“Tell me! What are you doing right now!”
***
“Aah…. I never thought this chance would come.”
Watching Ariel’s twisted expression, Leviathan felt a surge of excitement.
It was an exhilarating moment. She could hardly believe it was real.
How long had she waited?
“A perfect opportunity to deal with both the hero and Ian at once!”
For Leviathan, a Demon King, Ariel was a particularly annoying existence.
If a moment to eliminate her came, she had to seize it.
Though it wasn’t easy.
“I failed so many times, almost gave up…. But who would have thought this moment would come?”
The hero was practically the Empire’s treasure. What did that mean?
It meant the wretched Empire never left her alone, no matter where she went.
They had forces stationed everywhere to provide immediate support in case of any conflict, so no matter how many demons Leviathan unleashed, there were always limits.
Thus, she had long given up on assassinating Ariel. But this opportunity was too good to miss.
‘To think that Ariel Volkanov would be isolated.’
Abandoned by her comrades, she was alone, and Leviathan had not overlooked that.
Finally sensing that the aura of jealousy was starting to consume Ariel, Leviathan couldn’t hold back her triumphant shout.
“Hoho. The hero is finished now.”
Defeating the hero was a significant victory. But Leviathan’s joy stemmed from more than that.
“If I’ve gained control of this body… Ian Volkanov is next.”
This was her chance to deal with Ian Volkanov, an even greater threat than the hero.
Leviathan knew. What kind of being was Ian Volkanov to the demons?
‘A moment has come to deal with a monster who seemed impossible to defeat!’
In truth, while the hero was the greatest adversary for a Demon King, Ian Volkanov was in a league of his own.
Every member of the hero’s party was formidable, but the fact that all the Demon Kings, except for Belphegor, spoke of Ian Volkanov’s danger was telling.
Such an extraordinary monster was he that some even suggested it would be wiser to deal with Ian before the hero.
“Wrath! Pride! What did they say? To wait? That I couldn’t solve it by acting now? They were wrong! I was right.”
Leviathan had been lying in wait precisely for this reason.
Though she wanted to descend immediately and kill Ian, attacking alone while the other Demon Kings were cautious would be reckless.
She had waited with gritted teeth. Even when it felt unbearable and when she doubted another chance might come, she held back her anger.
Perhaps the Demon God had taken pity on her patience.
At this moment, a perfect opportunity presented itself.
‘The preparation is complete.’
Leviathan was special.
Unlike other Demon Kings who faced limitations when intervening in the middle world, she had no such restrictions.
Of course, the price was that she had to possess someone consumed by jealousy, and could only use the abilities of the possessed. But what better host than the hero herself?
‘The sheer force that could sweep away armies just by swinging a sword… I’ve yearned for it.’
Even watching from afar drove her mad with envy.
The burning jealousy fueled her desire to possess Ariel’s power at any cost.
This alone was incredible, but Ariel’s body had another advantage.
‘Ian Volkanov… could you really attack your own sister?’
Even with his reputation as a ruthless demon hunter and the cold-blooded rumors about him, could Ian attack his family?
Leviathan thought it impossible.
Thanks to this advantage…
‘In the moment of hesitation. If I could possess Ian’s body as well…’
Then dealing with both Ian and Ariel simultaneously would no longer be a dream.
At that moment, Leviathan revealed herself.
Whoosh!
A storm of dark energy surrounded Ariel.
When the magic that seemed to suck everything up was gathered.
Ian could see it.
‘She’s here.’
“…”
He saw Ariel with her eyes clouded, control over her own body usurped.
[An emergency quest has occurred!]
[A Lord of the Abyss has descended! Stop her!]
[Reward for success: Third Secret / Penalty upon failure: Eternal Death]
Leviathan had descended.
***
“Senior… what’s happening right now?”
Reina trembled as she saw the change in Ariel.
It wasn’t a surprising reaction; anyone could see that Ariel had been consumed by dark energy. Especially since she was the hero, it was even harder to understand.
But Ian remained calm and gently pushed Reina away.
He surveyed the area. The dark energy emanating from Ariel was forming a circle.
“Planning to trap the space…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, you need to get out of here. It’s dangerous to stay.”
Though the dark energy was quickly spreading, it hadn’t completely sealed the space yet.
There was still a moment’s opportunity to escape.
‘Though the auditorium is still filled with students…’
Ian decided not to worry about them.
Leviathan’s target wasn’t the students.
‘If she has possessed Ariel and is trying to trap us, it means…’
She intended to take lives here and now.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen this moment to descend.
‘And the instructors are inside.’
Most instructors had left after the opening ceremony, but those overseeing the duels remained and would protect the cadets.
‘Right now, saving Reina is the priority.’
It would be troublesome if she insisted on staying to help.
“…Okay. Be careful, Senior.”
Reina nodded without a word and quickly moved away. She understood that she wouldn’t be of much help in the current situation.
Only after watching Reina disappear from sight did Ian lock eyes with Ariel.
‘Or rather, what used to be Ariel.’
It couldn’t be considered normal for her to be emanating a level of dark energy that made his skin crawl.
“Ether.”
A formless energy enveloped his arm, causing a slight smirk to form on Leviathan’s lips.
“Coming right in, are we?”
She thought so and began to prepare her steps.
Whoosh!
‘What is this?’
Dark energy shot out from both sides.
The attack came swiftly without any preparatory movements, reaching him before he could even deploy Lo Aias.
‘Could Ariel ever use such an attack?’
It was a mistake. He had expected her to charge with her sword or use a slashing attack to gauge him. This unexpected move caught him off guard.
‘Dodging is impossible…. I’ll have to endure it with regeneration.’
He braced himself, biting down hard.
Swoosh!
“Huh?”
Despite the overwhelming force, the dark energy dissipated into thin air upon contact.
There were no wounds, no pain.
‘What? It wasn’t an attack?’
He briefly wondered if it was a diversion for a physical strike and turned to look around.
“What? Why isn’t it working?”
But Leviathan seemed just as surprised.
She was flustered, clearly unprepared for this outcome.
What had she tried to do?
Just then, a notification rang.
Ding!
[You resist the mind control with Unyielding Will!]
The achievement item obtained from Brookers finally proved its worth.
‘So that’s what it was….’
Everything started to make sense.
‘She must have thought I’d be thrown off by facing Ariel. That I’d hesitate and not be able to act properly.’
In a situation where the opponent’s mental state had already been shaken, most would press their advantage.
But Leviathan took it a step further.
‘Her goal wasn’t just Ariel. She was targeting me as well.’
It might seem like excessive greed, but the reward would be enormous if successful.
Given her passionate nature, Leviathan probably deemed the high-risk, high-reward endeavor worth it.
Ian, however, had been prepared, never intending to hesitate in a fight against Ariel.
Leviathan had managed the situation well until now.
But she hadn’t anticipated Ian’s trump card.
[Due to the effect of Unyielding Will, you gain strong resistance against mental attacks for 24 hours!]
[Cooldown: 72 hours!]
As the green energy spread through his body, Ian allowed himself a slight smile.
‘From what I know…. Leviathan specializes in mental attacks….’
If that was blocked, there was nothing left to fear.
