Chapter 28

「———Phew… It’s settled for now…」

『I’m far from done moving! Is there no one tougher around here…?』

I dissipate the lightning that surrounds my entire body and sit down on the ground.

While the old man seems like he still wants to rampage, I’m feeling a deep mental exhaustion, tormented by the taboo of killing humans—a feeling carried over from my past life.

But if I falter at this level, annihilating the second wave coming next would be impossible, and there’s no way I’d be able to overcome the even greater challenges that lie ahead.

『By the way… Why is it that despite all the noise, no one has come? There’s nothing unusual about this school building, is there…?』

“Yeah, nothing’s been done to this side. The only place that’s been affected is the First Training Grounds.”

The entire area of the First Training Grounds is covered by a barrier with techniques for magic suppression, soundproofing, fake images, and concealment.

To make matters worse, this barrier wasn’t even set by the evil god’s cult, but by the academy headmaster, who is colluding with them.

The teachers have probably been deceived into thinking the barrier is there to prevent magic from leaking outside, but once I capture a few witnesses, it should be easy to send him straight to prison.

Ideally, I would have dealt with this much sooner, but the headmaster had been away somewhere, so I couldn’t make a move.

Besides, it’s far better for me to handle this alone rather than cause unnecessary confusion.

“———Alright!”

I slap my cheeks to snap myself back into focus and stand up with energy.

I’ve somehow managed to take care of the first wave, but the second wave—the main force, led by a high-ranking archbishop among the cultists—won’t be as easy to deal with.

I need to get myself in the right mindset now.

While I was doing that, the old man’s expression suddenly turned suspicious.

『Hm… About ten people just entered the academy. One of them seems decently strong.』

“…They’re finally here… Where did they show up?”

『…In the sky. They’re all on the rooftop now.』

“Good work, old man.”

Using the stairs would be a waste of time, so I jump out of a hallway window, enhancing my body to run up the outer wall.

Once I’m outside, I spot a griffon hovering in the sky.

“Fall———Thunder Strike!”

Lightning shoots from my hand, roaring as it cuts through the air. In an instant, it strikes the griffon, creating a loud explosion as it tears a hole through its belly.

“Graaah———!!”

“What the…!?”

“We’re falling———ah!”

The griffon dies instantly, crashing to the ground along with several cultists still on it. The sound of their flesh crushing against the ground echoes around, and I can’t help but grimace. But I quickly shake off the feeling and land on the rooftop.

“Phew… That was more gruesome than I expected.”

Honestly, if I hadn’t played R-18 horror games before this, I’m sure I would have thrown up by now.

As I silently thank my past self, I face the archbishop and his cultists, who are frozen in shock before me.

“…Wh-Who are you…? The squad that entered earlier—d-don’t tell me!”

“Exactly. I killed everyone in your first squad.”

In truth, I left a few alive to act as witnesses against the headmaster, but there’s no need to tell them that.

The archbishop’s face turns beet red with anger as he points at me, yelling furiously.

“———Kill this brat! Offer his soul to the evil god!”

“「「「「「「For the will of the evil god!」」」」」」”

The cultists leap forward, summoning evil gods and flooding the area with unpleasant magic.

But these are weaker than the evil god I fought in the forest, so this should be easy.

“Let’s go, old man.”

『Leave it to me. I’ll wipe out the evil gods.』

I summon the old man again, and I surround myself with lightning.

As soon as the old man appears, a massive thundercloud covers the area, and fierce lightning crashes down, roaring through the sky.

“Eek—what is that spirit…?!”

“The evil god… it’s scared…?!”

“S-Stop—Gah!”

“———Too late.”

I swiftly close the distance between myself and the nearest cultist and, without mercy, take their life with a single blow.

Just as I move to kick the next cultist, one of the evil gods rushes in to interfere.

But—

“Old man.”

『Got it. ——There, your opponent is me.』

Lightning strikes between the evil god and me, and the old man grabs multiple evil gods, tossing them into the sky like baseballs.

The overwhelming display leaves both the cultists and the archbishop wide-eyed in shock.

“Sh-Shiras-sama! What is that spirit?! The lowest-ranked evil gods are being tossed around like children!”

“You don’t need to tell me! I don’t want to think about it, but… that spirit must have power far beyond the transcendental class…”

At the mention of “transcendental class,” the cultists visibly grimace.

In truth, it’s god-level, but underestimating it makes things easier for me, so that’s fine.

I spread lightning and fire around, flashing a fearless grin.

“Now you can’t rely on your evil gods in this fight.”

“Gh… You damn brat…”

“———Calm down, my followers.”

Suddenly, the archbishop Shiras speaks, as if the panic from earlier had never happened, trying to soothe the panicking cultists.

“Those are still low-ranked evil gods. Even if that brat’s spirit is transcendental-class, fighting this many will still give it a hard time. In other words———we’ll win, as long as we summon another evil god!!”

As he says this, miasma gushes from Shiras’ body, forming a humanoid shape.

The evil god that appears exudes a level of intimidation far greater than the ones summoned by the cultists.

『Why did you call me, Shiras…? You weren’t going to summon me today, were you…?』

“Change of plans, Loki. A contractor with a transcendental-class spirit has appeared. Kill him.”

『Hmph… A transcendental c———Guh!?』

Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning strikes the evil god before me.

The power is at a level I can’t produce right now, so it’s obvious who did it.

『———How dare you show yourself before me———Lokiiiiiii!!』

An enraged Zeus appears, having already wiped out all the evil gods, standing before Loki.

『Z-Zeus!? D-Damn it… I need to escape—Gwah!?』

“Hold up. I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with the old man, but… running away isn’t an option, is it?”

This time, I land a lightning-charged kick on the battered evil god who was trying to flee.

He’s sent flying—almost humorously so.

『I won’t let you escape this time———Divine Thunder!!』

Zeus unleashes a massive bolt of divine thunder, obliterating Loki without a trace.

After confirming Loki’s demise, I turn my gaze to the dumbfounded cultists.

Exposed to my glare, they tremble and take a step back.

With a smile, I let lightning rain down as I speak.

“Now then… everyone except the archbishop is going to die.”

“「「「「No, stop—Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!」」」」」

I activate Thunder Roar, filling the area with their screams.