Seraphina felt the monstrous wave of demonic energy surge from the depths of the forest north of the academy. She was terrified, but also excited. The moment she had prepared for all these years had finally arrived.
She hurriedly pulled out the massive laser she had salvaged from the ruins. It resembled an enormous syringe, designed to hold some kind of liquid. The device was ancient and powerful, large enough to fill the entire living room.
She had first seen it as a backdrop during the ruins' boss battle against the five-meter golem, back when she was still playing the game. In her subsequent playthroughs, she had a distinct feeling it should be strong enough to heavily damage the Demon Lord. It always seemed like a waste that such a powerful-looking weapon was simply left behind by the party.
When she finally saw it for real, the weapon was in relatively good shape and even included a user manual next to the activation panel. It ran on basic mana and some form of liquid, but the laser's energy source had long since been depleted. That wouldn't stop her, though.
She tested the remnants of whatever had been inside the tank and discovered it was a form of liquid mana. Using similar ingredients, she crafted her own. This was the second reason she had chosen to become an alchemist. She wanted to find out if the laser could be refueled.
For months, she had worked tirelessly to create a substitute. She spent sleepless nights and much of her earnings refining liquid mana to replace whatever long-lost power source the laser once used. Every drop had been poured into this single goal. Today, she would find out if it was enough.
She positioned the laser and aimed it at the Demon Lord, who had suddenly stood up in the middle of the forest. The Demon Lord would soon battle the Goddess and would shrink, forced to condense his power after clashing with her. That would be her moment. She would strike while he was transforming and unable to dodge.
She connected it to the academy's magic circuits, the same one that powered its enchantments, arrays, and castle-wide fixtures. The surge of energy rushed through the system, lighting up the ancient relic like a dying star on the verge of collapse.
Then it happened.
The Demon Lord's energy collapsed inward, a sign he was beginning his transformation. She slammed her fist on the button to activate the laser.
The beam that erupted was unstable, brilliant, and beautiful. The mana reacted violently, sending arcs of raw energy across the walls. The blast tore through the Demon Lord's chest, searing a hole through his entire frame. The weapon groaned and shook, but it continued to fire until it began heating up.
It was going to explode.
Seraphina was still focused on the Demon Lord when Elyra suddenly grabbed her and leapt out the window beside the searing beam. With practiced ease, Elyra sprinted down the tower's outer wall, then launched them forward. They crashed into the ground and rolled to safety just as a massive explosion ripped through the tower, sending debris raining down over the academy.
"Thanks, Eli," Seraphina said, still shaken after witnessing the blast that would have killed them.
"Master's orders were to keep you safe," Elyra replied firmly.
"Good thing I listened to Bastion this time," Seraphina muttered. "Come on. The battle should be over by now."
The two sprinted toward the academy dungeons, where they found Bastion standing beside a fainted Aurelia, lost in thought and staring down at her with an unreadable expression.
"What happened to the Demon Lord?" Seraphina asked.
"I don't know. The Goddess landed and ended her possession before Aurelia fainted. She's fine though," Bastion said in a neutral tone.
"What's wrong with you?" Seraphina asked.
"Something, but I don't know what. It's bothering me like this damn hole in my chest," Bastion snapped, then drew a steady breath to calm himself. "Sorry. Seeing the Goddess has me riled up and not in a good way. We should go before someone comes along and starts asking questions we don't have answers to."
Seraphina let it go and led the others, who were just as bewildered as Bastion, back to the academy. It had been a long day, and she still had to explain exactly what had happened to her room.
By evening, the mess had, almost magically, sorted itself out.
The destruction of the east wing tower was officially blamed on the Demon Lord, and the academy's upper staff wasted no time sealing off the area under the guise of containment and repairs.
As a result, Seraphina moved in with Bastion and Elyra, much to her delight. The east wing tower had been reserved for high-paying noble girls who could afford better accommodations, so Lilia was not particularly affected by the change.
Students who had evacuated were recalled and made it back to the academy by nightfall, most unaware of just how close they had come to total annihilation.
As for the remaining demon worshipers, they didn't last long. Commander Stride and his forces reached the ritual site during their charge and swiftly dealt with them, clearing the final traces of the demon worshipers.
Meanwhile, Aurelia had regained consciousness.
In her dreams, the Goddess appeared to offer praise and confirm that the Demon Lord was truly gone. For their role in his defeat, she promised they would be handsomely rewarded.
Aurelia had become a full-fledged Rank 1 and received a new Rank 4 Class called Queen. This was not a class earned through effort but one given by divine authority, an official designation granted by the Goddess, similar to the Rank 4 Class of Saintess.
She was also told that she would eventually be crowned Queen of the Kingdom of Brilliance and serve as the Goddess's representative. However, this revelation would remain secret until after her graduation.
As for her personal feelings on the matter, she accepted the Goddess's will with quiet reverence. It was proof that the Goddess had chosen her representative well.
Seraphina received a reward of her own once she checked her status screen.
[Rank]: Apprentice (Rank Up Available)
[Level]: 100 (200)
She had hit the maximum level of the next rank. With two rank ups available in succession, she was on the verge of reaching Rank 2. No one could say for sure if it was due to her striking a devastating blow against a Rank 5 Demon Lord who ultimately died or if it had been a gift from the Goddess herself, but Seraphina wasn't one to complain.
She had also supposedly been given a Rank 4 Class, though the Goddess had yet to reveal the details. The same promise had been made to Bastion, who was more than eager to accept the boon he had been promised before he was born.
As for the rest of their group, nothing was mentioned, implying their contributions had not been significant. Bastion's case was likely the same, but since he had been promised a boon, he would receive one.
The next day, classes resumed and the dungeons were once again opened to students.
It turned out that the abundance of dungeons near the academy was caused by the Demon Lord. His excess energy had been used to fuel them while the professors kept it under control, creating an ideal training ground.
The academy was originally founded as a specialized school for magic. Later, the hero decided it would be the perfect site for a broader institution. With that endorsement, the academy received more funding and expanded its scope.
Over the next ten thousand years, it grew into the Royal Academy known today.
Now that the Demon Lord is no longer overloading the dungeons, they have stopped growing and are beginning to return to normal. With the danger gone, the flood of students eager to level up will likely stabilize them within a few days.
Bastion was eager to dive back into the dungeons as well, but for a different reason than acquiring levels.
With the Demon Lord gone, the fear of having his fate held against him vanished as well. The weight on his shoulders lifted significantly, though the lingering knot of dread still sat in his chest.
Unfortunately, the dread of his fate was soon replaced by frustration. He didn't know why it was there, only that it was, and it irritated him more than he cared to admit. It had started the moment he saw the Goddess again, though the reason eluded him.
To vent his frustration, he decided to take it out on the dungeon. If nothing else, breaking something might help clear his head.
During his dives, he focused primarily on using the skills that had yet to reach level 3. So far, Stab, Smash, Dodge, Dash, Jump, Diamond Shrapnel, Diamond Rain, and Diamond Steed were all still at level 2. Since it would take more than a year to raise them, he figured he might as well start now.
As for his elemental mastery classes in the second semester, he passed them with ease and promptly enrolled in his final term at the academy. He chose the most math-heavy and theory-intensive courses in magic.
These included Multidimensional Magic Arrays, Advanced Spell Matrix Construction, Dimensional and Spatial Magic Theory, Magical Resonance and Harmonics, and Etheric Thermodynamics.
Since he rarely spent his personal time studying such subjects, he decided to complete them now while he still had access to academic resources.
The rest of the magic group felt the same, except for Seraphina, who couldn't decide which classes to take. She was going through a bit of an existential crisis.
It was a quiet but serious problem, and one Bastion knew he would have to help her face, especially with their millenia long lives still ahead of them.
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