As we moved forward, leaving the battle to Fenrir, we eventually arrived at the final location.
There, dozens of beasts resembling demons were waiting for us.
The demons, wearing almost nothing except for a single rag around their waists, immediately flashed lecherous grins upon seeing us.
“How annoying…!”
Instructor Esta dove straight into the enemy ranks and swung her sword.
The arc of light, scattering like a prism, instantly shredded and cleaved the beasts apart. With a thrust, Instructor Esta drove her sword into the ground and released her mana.
Fwoooosh!
The beasts were annihilated without even being able to bleed. Despite being a zone where mid-to-high A-rank monsters were stationed, Instructor Esta obliterated them all with a single burst of her powerful mana and sword technique.
“Incredible.”
Even Fenrir clapped and acknowledged the strike.
“There are only a handful of humans whose sword aura has been honed this sharply. As expected of someone singled out by ‘the 11th Apocalypse.’”
“What do you mean by that?”
Fenrir chuckled with a cryptic tone, and Instructor Esta stared seriously at Fenrir—and me, within him.
“Oh my, didn’t Phoenix ever tell you that?”
“I understand that those in the Old School Building could potentially bring about an apocalypse in the far future. But this is the first I’ve heard of me being the 11th.”
“Huh, really? That’s strange. I thought it would’ve come up.”
“Not at all. Phoenix doesn’t say things that directly stir up concern. He always speaks in the most roundabout way possible.”
Instructor Esta rested her sword on her shoulder and readied her stance.
“That story—I’d like to hear it more clearly.”
“Then how about you put the sword down first?”
“…What?”
“Did you really think I’d say, ‘If you want answers, beat me with your sword’?”
“…I kind of did.”
“Then that’s unfortunate. I’m not such a heartless demon god. There’s no reason not to tell a human who’s taken my attacks head-on—especially if they can handle what they’re about to see up ahead.”
“Huh?”
Instructor Esta tilted her head.
“How would a Demon God of the Demon World know about the Trials of the Four Founders?”
“I glimpsed fragments of Phoenix’s memories using magic—memories of those trials.”
“Then perhaps—”
“Ah, sorry. I’m not interested in anything else. I only care about Apocalypses and Angels.”
Instructor Esta likely guessed what she was about to ask.
The memories from ten years ago.
She was probably hoping to confirm my identity through Fenrir’s favorable attitude.
Judging by her behavior, she seems about 90% convinced of what Marchioness Ludvecia once proclaimed—that either I fabricated it all and it turned out to be true, or that I came directly from the Demonic Land, but she’s concealing it to avoid inquisition by the Church of the Goddess.
“Alright. Then about my apocalypse…”
“What’s there to say? You’re a being that’s easy for angels to possess.”
“I don’t like women.”
“That’s one of the conditions for angel possession. It’s a strange, fundamental reason why angels usually descend into beautiful female bodies.”
“There are other conditions?”
“Of course!”
Fenrir flexed and unflexed all his fingers.
“If we look at it statistically, angels rarely possess women who like other women. I can’t give exact numbers, but I can confidently say the number one condition for angel possession is [Despair].”
“De…spair?”
“Yeah. Despair. An emotion inevitable to all humans. Among them, the despair felt by a virgin is the most optimal environment for an angel to take root.”
Fenrir approached Instructor Esta and gently ran his hand along her neck.
“!!”
“You didn’t flinch at my touch just now. But what if it were someone else?”
“…I would’ve at least made sure their hand never touched me.”
“Then like this.”
Thud.
Fenrir pushed Instructor Esta against the wall, pressing close, their faces nearly touching.
“And what if I went this far?”
“…This definitely crosses the line. If anyone’s going to do that, I’d prefer it be Phoenix himself.”
“Oh, that was a bit inconsiderate of me. But hey, I didn’t actually touch you directly, so maybe it’s okay?”
“Not at all.”
Instructor Esta frowned and shook her head firmly, prompting Fenrir to step back with a faint smile.
“Want me to tell you directly?”
“I’m an adult. I can handle it.”
“What do you think is the percentage chance that an angel possesses the body of a virgin girl who almost got r*ped by men?”
“….”
At the bluntness of it, Instructor Esta closed her eyes tightly.
“…It would be over 50%, at the very least.”
“Exactly. If a girl starts thinking, ‘I want to kill those bastards,’ and she’s a virgin, then chances are one of the angels will descend into her.”
“But…”
“You think that doesn’t happen often? Sure. Maybe because Esdinas Academy graduates have spread throughout the world and stopped men from doing such horrible things, or because the girls who suffer such things aren’t pure enough for angels to inhabit.”
“….”
“Just to be clear, I’m not accusing you or implying anything. Even though Phoenix called you the 11th Apocalypse, I’m not saying you’re doomed to suffer like that.”
“…Of course not.”
If it came to that, Instructor Esta would slice those men clean in half with her sword.
“Fenrir. Whether you’re the God of Wind, a Duke of Hell, or just something pretending to be either, I’ll make a promise.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“If you’re a being who, like angels, can possess a human body—then take over my body before an angel ever gets the chance.”
“Oh, what a terrifying thing to say.”
“I mean it.”
“This is also serious, you know. I appreciate your resolve, but I think Phoenix will do a fine job of keeping an angel from possessing your body, so you probably don’t need to worry too much~”
“…Ahem. It’s not like I’ve done anything directly… Wait.”
Instructor Esta suddenly flushed and stared straight at me.
“Don’t tell me… even just thinking about it?”
“Well, yeah, that’s about right.”
“…Seriously. So the method to repel angels is just to have indecent thoughts about a man?”
“It’s a wholesome method.”
“…So my apocalypse is something like… I grow old, never marry, go into a hysterical rage, and cut everything down?”
“No way it’d be something like that.”
A bad ending like that isn’t exactly a joke.
“Well, even if it’s a prophecy that’s likely to be wrong, I am a lowly demon god, so maybe I’ll offer you one anyway?”
“If that’s the clue to my apocalypse.”
[You will be betrayed by the disciple you love most, and lead the world to ruin.]
“…Yeah, I suppose if it came to that, I might give up on myself.”
Instructor Esta gave a small shrug.
“If I don’t want that kind of end, I should probably improve my skills more. Could you keep sparring with me until the others finish clearing the area?”
“People might get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t care.”
Clink.
“I’m an honest person.”
* * *
While advancing through the third floor of the Tower of Earth, I began to seriously consider something.
‘Should I just skip it?’
I was debating whether to simply erase this floor altogether.
To be precise—I was thinking about rushing ahead and slicing through the trial myself before the others reached it.
Because at the end of this floor… awaits a future that’s far too horrible.
It feels strange, facing the past in a trial and then talking about the future—but it’s not entirely wrong.
The Four Founders faced a dreadful boss here.
“We’re probably getting close to the end, right?”
Yunia, wiping the sweat from her forehead after blasting away a threatening beast with magic bullets, caught her breath.
Though this was a trial of mental constructs, everything—including bodily functions—was fully simulated. So as one’s mental strength depleted, so too did their stamina.
“There… there’s a light shining over there.”
“Late again, huh.”
From the other side, Instructor Esta had already deactivated the mechanism. Now, all we had to do was activate that magic device, and the door would open.
Then, rejoining with Instructor Esta—just as the Four Founders had done—we would form a single party and face the boss beyond that gate.
“Phoenix? Is it safe to open it?”
“Yeah, if you’re prepared for it.”
“Prepared? What, is it like an S-rank boss? Or two of them?”
“…”
“…I’m opening it.”
Yunia, face serious, placed her hand on the magic device.
Rumblerrrr…
A wall collapsed beside her, and Instructor Esta emerged from beyond it.
“…You’re here.”
Instructor Esta, drenched in sweat, flushed in the face, hurriedly pulled her clothes back on. Beside her stood Fenrir, expressionless.
“I-Instructor?!”
“What exactly happened!?”
“Hmm. Did you finish early and then… engage in adult activities during your spare time?”
“Fenrir is technically myself, so it can’t really be considered that.”
“Then, surely not…”
“I swear upon my mana, I did no such suspicious act with Fenrir.”
With her hand raised and vow made, the misunderstanding quickly cleared.
“…I figured there’d be a big misunderstanding, but I didn’t think it’d jump straight to that.”
“It was a very misleading scene, Master.”
“Seia, what kinds of things are you imagining—no, never mind. Phoenix? What lies ahead?”
Instructor Esta readjusted her clothes, releasing her mana, and asked calmly.
“This trial, which the Four Founders overcame by solving puzzles like this… what lies at the end of the dungeon?”
“…It’s called <Evil=Twin>.”
“…Twin?”
“Twin Fallen Angels.”
Even 500 years ago…
Angels descended to the mortal world.
“Ah.”
Yunia, as if realizing something, had a complicated expression.
“Fallen angels… wait…”
“That’s right.”
Seia’s expression stiffened briefly, but the truth couldn’t be avoided.
“Twin sisters fell together.”
