The demon looked over Leon and his group, seemingly bored. Then, shifting its eyes, it looked at the doors.

"Aren't you coming in? Where did your haughtiness go?"

At those words everyone's brows knit. Was there someone outside? The thought naturally popped into their head.

"Don't listen to it. Demons are known for manipulation and deception. It wants us to become careless by thinking that there is a chance of help arriving."

Heeding Cadmus' words everyone again got into the formation.

WIING-

The blue hue around Cadmus kept increasing and…

-CLANK! -CLANK!

Chains appeared.

But unlike before they wrapped around his arms. The hue around Cadmus suddenly started decreasing was became concentrated around his arms.

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Everyone could tell Cadmus had used those chains to reduce the area where his aura flowed, and increased the effectiveness of a small area.

"Since the main dish has arrived I'd rather not waste any more time with appetizers."

-FLAP!

The demon flapped its wings and shot into the air. Flying mid-air it looked down at Cadmus and Leon and raised its finger.

VROOOM-

The air churned inside the room as dozens of deep dark orbs formed above the demon's finger. Feeling the sinister energy from the orbs everyone's expression turned grim.

FLICK-

Following the flick of the demon's wrist, the shape of the orbs changed. Now dozens of spears pointed at the ground. Without speaking anything the demon swiped its hand.

-SWISH!

The black spears descended towards the ground.

"<Earth Shield>"

Following Anna's shout, the ground cracked and shifted. Numerous walls rose to act as a shield.

….But the area the walls couldn't even cover half of the room, leaving most of the cadets unprotected.

Leon, standing petrified, despaired as the spears fell…. to kill everyone present in the room.

GRAB-

However, Cadmus grabbed Leon's wrist and pulled him behind the wall. The walls weren't enough to stop those spears but it was better than nothing.

Nathan, outside the room, looked at the spears. It seemed the demon had changed his attack pattern as it wanted to quickly finish dealing with everyone and come after him.

Realizing this Nathan's lips curled. He had been waiting for a chance. And a chance to 'kill' Lilith has arrived.

….

Leon looked at those falling spears despairingly. He realized how overconfident he was when he thought they could save everyone.

The power behind a single attack was enough to demolish them.

TAP- TAP-

"Lilith …what are you doing?"

Suddenly, Lilith walked out from the covers and stood in the open, looking at the demon. Then turning her head, looking at Leon, she winked and spoke.

"Make sure to win~"

Leon's eyes widened in horror as he felt something amiss. Yet before he could speak, Lilith raised the pair of shotguns and pointed them at the spears.

VROOOM-

The mana in the air thrashed making her hair flutter fiercely.

A red hue transferred from her hands to the guns as she started turning pale and her skin rapidly shriveled.

Smiling at everyone for one last time, Lilith pulled the trigger.

-BANG!

-SWIISSSSH!

The shells of the shotguns met with the overwhelming number of spears mid-air and…

BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-!

Lilith exploded the shells. Loud explosions thundered, creating rapidly expanding blast waves resulting from the compressed gases.

The pressure created from the explosion destroyed every wall Anna had created and smashed all of them into the borders of the central room.

The entire room shook for a while and curtains of dust rose.

Suppressing his groan, Leon's body slid down the wall and he tried to crawl toward Lilith.

He moved two steps when a delicate hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don't move. A stray attack might hit you."

"But…"

"Lilith won't die. She only lost a large amount of blood. If we are quick we can save…."

-SWISH!

-PUCHI!

Leon couldn't hear Anna anymore as he sensed something amiss with Lilith. At the same time, a distinctive whistling of something moving through air and the sound of flesh being pierced resounded.

Slowly dust settled revealing Lilith, holding her abdomen, falling to the ground with blank eyes.

"Lilith!"

Anna shouted and ran to the falling Lilith. Reaching Lilith, her eyes widened, as she saw the area near Lilith's abdomen turning red.

Anna quickly started chanting a healing spell only to stumble the next second. Creating all those walls was the limit of Anna's mana pool. Before Anna could act her eyes lost focus and she fell beside Lilith.

"Li..lith?"

Staggering, Leon walked to Lilith.

…But no matter how much he shook her, Lilith didn't move.

Seeing her blank eyes something snapped inside him.

Raising his head, Leon looked at the demon.

'Kill'

-CRACKLE! -CRACKLE!

Golden lightning started crackling around Leon.

'Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill'

***

-CRACKLE!

Nathan felt his scalp tingle as he saw golden lightning crackling around Leon. Glancing around he found Anna and Cadmus fainted from exhaustion.

'It's done.'

Leon had awakened. That golden lightning was the proof.

It was a lot early than when it should have happened but this was the only way to complete this impossible scenario.

Leon's stigma [Full-Frame] turned his every attack into an aether-powered attack. Now, Leon finally had both the 'compatibility' and the 'strength'.

Fighting against minions, on whom your attacks don't work with no prospect of help and not knowing when you might die. All this exposed Leon to pressure strong enough to forcefully awaken his stigma.

The extreme physical pressure, as Leon was trying to keep up with people higher ranked than him, and mental pressure, as Leon watched Lilith slowly weaken with every shot she pulled, was the ideal condition for his awakening.

But Leon still wouldn't awaken, because his stigma was sealed. Leon needed one last push to unseal his stigma.

Nathan remembered reading a certain sentence in the diary.

======

"If only I was stronger."

Leon's mental condition was on its last leg. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Today was something that reminded him of the day he lost everyone close to him and his powerlessness.

Fortunately, no one close to him had died. Otherwise, Leon wouldn't have been able to handle it.

======

Nathan found the answer.

Someone needed to die.

With their interpersonal relationships, Nathan decided Lilith was the ideal trigger. After all, watching her slowly becoming weaker and weaker to protect others was why Leon was suffering mentally.

So, using the opportunity when the clash happened Nathan 'killed' Lilith.

Obviously, Lilith wasn't dead. The injury Nathan inflicted on her, using a dart, was dangerous but not life-threatening.

She had fainted from blood loss and not because of Nathan.

But Leon didn't know this.

Leon 'saw' Lilith 'die' from the 'demon's attack'.

-CRACKLE! -CRACKLE!

The golden lightning slithered throughout the room destroying any traces of corruption it touched.

"It's done."

Leon was successful in unsealing his stigma.

"About time you guys came."

"GRAAA!!"

Using his right hand Nathan patted his clothes and stood on his wobbly legs. In front of him was a horde of minions rushing toward the central room.

Leon, having gone berserk, wouldn't realize if minions entered the room. Using this opportunity the demon will be able to use those minions to recover completely.

Even for the current Leon, winning against the fully recovered Royal demon was difficult.

That was why…..

"This is as far as you will go."

…Nathan was going to stop the horde of minions.

"GRAAA!"

The minions barred their teeth and ran at full might.

PHZZT-!

Four weapons materialized above Nathan and flew into the horde, killing eight minions at the front in one go.

"GRAA!!!"

The minions, ignoring their fallen brethren, kept rushing.

Nathan's attacks were like a drop in the ocean. No matter how many minions he kills their numbers didn't seem to be decreasing.

But this wasn't why Nathan was attacking.

VUPP-

A thick book, a grimoire, appeared in Nathan's hand.

"Purifying power, glow of rising Sun. Force of new beginnings, flames of passion and life.."

VROOM-

The ether inside Nathan churned forcefully. Holding the book in his right hand, he kept attacking to slow the horde, while doing his best to remain conscious.

"..I call you forth to destroy and burn away. Arise from the eternal spark and erupt in manifestation <Flame Blaze>"

-SPLINTER!

Roaring, a gigantic wall of flame rose from the magic circle in between Nathan and the horde.

"GRAAA!"

The minions growled vehemently but no matter what they did the wall of fire created from ether made them unable to cross over.

Nathan had stopped the horde.

Nathan's eyes were dropping heavily and he could barely muster any strength. Before he could lose consciousness Nathan threw the grimoire inside the room.

'If you fail now I'll kick your ass in hell.'

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