Originally, the image of angels tends to be stereotypical.
A beautiful woman with wings.
Or a naked baby with wings.
However, if you delve a bit deeper into the concept of angels, you’ll sometimes find their ‘non-human’ forms.
For example, winged eyeballs.
Or a body made of wings with a human head.
So, what do the angels of Esdinas Academy, in this world, look like?
Fortunately, they pursue a beautiful form.
While angels that possess or descend upon heroines may grow angel wings or form a halo, they do not transform into grotesque shapes. Instead, angels often appear in forms wearing dresses or armor.
And when they possess or descend upon beings on the surface, known as ‘incarnation’.
[Aaaagh!!]
The human soul is consumed by the angelic entity, causing them to fall into a deep sleep.
“W-What is that?!”
“An-Angelica?! What’s happening all of a sudden…?!”
The female students who were confronting Ludmila were in shock.
Not only because of the halo suddenly appearing above Angelica’s head, but also the wings unfolding from her back.
Everyone started to glance at each other in confusion.
As for what I should do in this situation?
“I’ll support you.”
As Yunia said, I’ll offer my support.
Rustle.
I positioned myself behind Yunia, and placed my hands under hers, which were holding the magic-engineered bow she had drawn forward.
“…”
Yunia stayed silent.
Not because she needed to concentrate—rather, she gave a knowing smile, as if she had expected my unexpected behavior.
‘Some might’ve thought I’d be supporting the mana pockets.’
Even I briefly had that thought.
Yunia subtly hinted at it as well.
In fact, it wouldn’t have made much difference if I supported the mana pockets here.
If I did, Yunia would be able to shoot the mana-infused arrows even more accurately and securely.
Though I help with mana control, due to the structure of her body, Yunia has to hold the magic bow at a diagonal angle in order to shoot properly without trembling.
If it were the Golden Sun, he would’ve done it that way.
Casually supporting it from below—
—That’s not what I meant for you to support!
—Oh, really? I didn’t know.
After causing one amusing mishap by interpreting Yunia’s subtle hints in a WWE style, I could’ve ended up supporting her arms and body from behind like I was now.
But I didn’t.
Because the opponent is an angel.
“Hey, Phoenix.”
Yunia began infusing mana into her magic arrow.
“No matter what Senior Angelica has become, that’s definitely ‘dangerous,’ right?”
“Yeah.”
Not only Yunia, but several others had already aimed their weapons or raised their guard toward the abnormally rampaging Angelica, though few were as calm as Yunia.
“I-I sometimes dream, you know? Of people with white wings… descending from the sky and destroying everything.”
It’s the first time Yunia has spoken about her dreams.
“Technically, it’s not exactly a dream. My grandmother once said something like that. She said it wasn’t just a dream but one of the many possible futures.”
Yunia adjusted the end of her magically engineered bow, exhaling a steady breath.
“And my grandmother said, I have the power. If such beings were to appear, I have the power to suppress them.”
“…I see.”
I pretended not to know, feigning surprise, while secretly channeling mana behind her.
Though I couldn’t see them, I knew others were also listening intently to Yunia’s words from atop the rooftop.
They didn’t speak but observed the situation closely while contacting the Academy staff for emergency assistance. Yet, at the same time, they must be thinking.
The [Grey Witch] has sent her disciple to warn us.
That prophecy is manifesting in this form.
One manifestation of the Apocalypse has now appeared in the form of possessing Angelica.
“Angelica, you—”
[Kyaaaa!!]
Angelica screamed, and a powerful shockwave erupted around her.
“Dangerous!”
“Kyaaaa?!”
Ludmila quickly grabbed the nearby Academy students and widened the distance in an instant, while Evangeline hid behind the teddy bear, spreading its arms wide as a shield.
Boom!! Kwaang!!
A powerful blade of magic sliced through everything nearby. Her scream turned into a shockwave, spreading around Angelica, and in a flash, everything within a 30-meter radius was scorched as if swept by a gale of blades.
Flap, Flap.
And in the middle of the empty space completely slashed by sword marks, Angelica was scanning her surroundings with her eyes that had lost their light.
And in the middle of the field, scarred by sword marks, Angelica stood floating about 1 meter above the ground, her eyes lifeless.
“…Levitation?”
“It’s a bit different from levitation magic. She’s still flapping her wings.”
Yunia carefully observed Angelica’s movements while fiddling with the arrow’s feathers.
Between the golden mana flowing through her hands, a faint trace of ‘ashen’ mana mixed in.
(TLN: Grey Witch can also be translated as Ash Witch, so I guess it’s related to that.)
The mana that was infused was not mine.
It was Yunia’s own unique mana.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll subdue her!”
Ludmila, wrapping her spear in green mana, charged towards Angelica.
True to her moniker, [Cutting Wind], Ludmila closed the distance in an instant, lunging directly at Angelica.
Ka-ang!
“?!?!”
Ludmila’s spear, which she had thrust forward, was blocked immediately.
There was no magic barrier; Angelica simply raised her hand and caught the spear effortlessly.
“H-Hieeek?!”
The students screamed and fell to the ground in terror.
“What…what the heck?!”
“She stopped Cutting Wind’s spear…?”
Bang!
“Gyaak?!”
While they were panicking, a gunshot echoed sharply from behind Angelica.
“All students, evacuate now!!”
About ten individuals dressed in blackened uniforms appeared, pointing their magic rifles at Angelica.
They looked like a modern-day SWAT team or a special operations force, but their equipment was based on magic engineering.
Even the Academy has its own security force.
And these guards are not the type to lose in a one-on-one fight against just any student.
“Subdue her!!”
Tat-tat-tat!
The magic rifles roared, and the magic missiles flew straight towards Angelica’s wings, exploding upon impact.
“What…?”
“Those are reactive explosive bullets.”
They looked like magic bullets, but in fact, they were more like reactive magic grenades.
The special rounds are imbued with Explosion magic, which detonates immediately upon contact with a target, unleashing a powerful blast.
Boom, Boom, Boom!!
Angelica was quickly engulfed by the explosion.
In that moment, Ludmila leapt backward and lightly landed on the ground.
Flap! Angelica’s wings flared widely.
Once again, shockwaves rippled out like a blade storm, forcing the security guards to retreat in confusion.
“W-What the…!?”
“What’s the status of those strange wings?!”
“C-Captain!! There’s not a single scratch!!”
The guards shouted, tapping the visors they wore over their faces.
There were scratches.
It’s just that they healed almost immediately.
‘Of course. There’s no way we can easily deal with a being possessing the [Divine] Attribute.’
I swallowed my thoughts.
I couldn’t just blurt out in-game lore without a reason.
“Miss Yunia, it seems like that angel…can’t be subdued with ordinary magic.”
“Ordinary magic, you say.”
“Exactly.”
Angelica turned her body toward the guards who had fired at her, extending her hand towards them. From her fingertips, a golden blade of light began to form, sharp like a blade.
“Uraaah!!”
With a battle cry, the teddy bear, Half Moon, charged forward and swung a massive punch.
Thud─!
Angelica’s body was ‘knocked’ sideways by the punch, but she swiftly extended her hand toward Half Moon.
Ssssshhh!
The wind blades shredded the stuffed bear to pieces in an instant. Evangeline, who had been riding on Half Moon’s back, quickly jumped off and retreated as the bear was torn apart.
Thud!
A white flash came crashing down toward Evangeline.
“Instructor!”
“Danger.”
Instructor Esta, who had been watching from behind, swiftly grabbed Evangeline and pulled her back to safety.
“Kadisha!”
[Alright, let me give it a shot.]
A relaxed yet slightly tense voice echoed across the battlefield. From the direction of the old school building, multiple magical bullets soared into the sky, descending upon Angelica.
Red, blue, green, yellow.
Likely representing the four fundamental elements of magic in the form of magical artillery.
Boom, boom, boom!!
“That’s…!”
“Magic bombardment!!”
The mana-laden smoke spread across the area as a result of Instructor Kadisha’s support fire from the rooftop of the old school building.
[Did we get her?]
Bang!
[Of course not.]
Angelica remained unscathed.
“The [White Sword Saint] says! Ordinary means won’t work against this ‘enemy’!”
It’s true.
That being may be in a human body, but the energy flowing through it is from the heavens.
[…Mortal.]
“!!”
A voice, not Angelica’s, but another entity’s, came from her mouth.
[Inferior and insignificant creature.]
A voice, eerily human-like yet devoid of any human warmth, echoed, almost as if an AI was speaking through a TTS system.
[Eliminate. Eliminate.]
Angelica extended her hand, and a sharp magic blade formed from the center of her palm.
“Miss Yunia.”
“…Yes, now’s the time.”
Yunia raised her magic-engineered bow.
“My Master once told me.”
Yunia raised her voice.
“If you ever encounter a being with a halo above their head, aim for the halo.”
“!!”
It was a message meant for everyone to hear.
“All at once.”
Yunia lifted the bow higher.
The angle was precarious enough that her arms would soon begin trembling if I didn’t support her from below.
“Hoo-oo.”
“Miss Yunia.”
Leaning close to her ear, I infused my voice with mana and whispered softly.
“If it’s you, Miss Yunia, it’ll definitely hit.”
Hypnosis or mind control doesn’t always have to appear like manipulation; it varies depending on the user.
“No, you will hit it. I guarantee it.”
In a positive sense, this could be called a form of [Mental Fortification].
“You’re right.”
Yunia’s voice, which had been tense, softened into a smile, and she released the arrow.
“With you helping, there’s no way I’d miss.”
Fwoosh!
A golden arrow traced an ashen trajectory.
“Ah…!”
Yunia let out a gasp, almost as if she had made a mistake.
But in that instant—
Swoosh.
I poured my mana forward.
Faster than Yunia’s [Dispel Arrow], an invisible stream of my mana wrapped around the arrow, subtly adjusting its angle.
‘A little higher.’
The moment I pushed the arrow upwards from below with my mana—
Boom!
It pierced straight through the halo above Angelica’s head.
The very symbol of the angel: her halo’s center.
And then—
[A-Ah…!]
Angelica.
[Aaaaaaaah!!!]
Boom!!
She exploded.
“…Huh?”
“Woah.”
Amidst the explosion—
“Oh my, everything’s completely blown away—even her clothes are gone—”
“C-Cover your eyes!!”
Yunia quickly covered my eyes, but through the small gap between her fingers, I could still see.
The shattered halo.
The destroyed clothes.
And beneath them, a single ‘human’ falling from the sky.
