The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

The two evangelists wearing similar masks were also transformed into demons with similar appearances.

Both boasted imposing horns, but one had its blue wings spread wide, while the other had a blue tail.

“I didn’t expect to find such a little rat here since nobody else showed up…”

“How blasphemous. The anomaly has been burned.”

“…This isn’t the first time I’ve done this… Did the Church Country catch a whiff of this?”

The two evangelists, whose genders were indiscernible, approached with an unmistakable sense of displeasure.

“Ah… a demon!!”

“Mom!!”

The children had not all evacuated yet.

While some fled, many others were paralyzed with fear, unable to break through the darkness.

And before them stood the demon-like evangelists.

The children quickly fell into a state of panic.

‘Too early for them to come out…!!’

Most of the materials Amy had prepared were for making explosives.

The altar for their ritual was set up in the deepest cavern behind the waterfall.

Amy had planned to detonate the combined explosives in that long passage, not just slightly blocking the entrance but shattering the entire cave.

However, those two had now appeared, clearing away the debris and rubble blocking the cave’s entrance.

This meant they were demons of considerable strength.

It was a foe that could threaten her life alone, and with the children around, the situation was only getting worse.

So, Amy decided to try and put on a brave face.

“It’s best if you retreat. Do you think I came here alone?!”

“Hm?”

The evangelist with a tail paused upon hearing Amy’s proclamation.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You kidnapped the children and made such a commotion that the Empire has already caught on. You’d better run fast because the Master is coming this way.”

“…The Master?”

This was a future story only known to Amy.

Though it might be late, the Master would definitely arrive.

It may not be the Master, but it was certain that someone strong enough to slice them to bits was on the way.

“You’ve been discovered by the Master, huh?”

“…Since you’ve disrupted things, we must progress the ritual as quickly as possible before dawn…”

Upon hearing that the Master was on the way, the two evangelists began to contemplate.

Had it merely been a child stating this, they might not have listened, but with a Sword Expert coming to slaughter all demons with an Aura Blade, there was likely some credibility to it.

In the meantime, Amy helped the children escape, but the brief discussion ended there.

“Yeah. That sounds like the best plan.”

“You’re right. That would be best.”

“Yes… It’s better to give up on the ritual. It’d be wise to sneak the remaining resources outside.”

As the two evangelists expressed their intentions to abandon the ritual, Amy felt a surge of joy within.

She had managed to prevent that horrific ritual.

Though the turn of events was uncertain, if those two withdrew without wasting effort, it would be the best scenario.

The gap between a Demon Evangelist and an ordinary demon was like the difference between heaven and earth.

If ordinary demons were soldiers, evangelists could be classified as commanders or generals.

There was a significant difference between a weak demon with a small horn and those contracted with them.

Facing both at the same time was an enormous burden, and she could only feel thankful.

“So… first, we must obliterate as much evidence as we can.”

“Yes. That seems correct.”

Obliteration of evidence?

One of the evangelists, the one with wings, extended a hand forward.

In line with his movement, the children, including Amy and those still fleeing, were all present.

“That was supposed to be food for him… How unfortunate.”

Amy felt a chilling dread as if her blood was running cold.

While she didn’t know exactly what they intended to do, she was certain that she couldn’t let them proceed with their plan.

Amy pressed a switch in her pocket once more.

-Boom!!!

At that moment, the prepared bombs detonated with a thunderous roar beneath the evangelist’s feet.

This explosion was not one that had been prepared to break the rocks.

It had been set to send shards flying, and mixed within were silver shards, which demons detested.

There would be some impact.

“Everyone…!! Hurry up…!! If you sit still, you’ll die!! Run now!!”

“You guys…!! Just run already!!”

When the Demon Evangelist appeared, James, paralyzed with fear from the intimidation, finally regained his strength as he helped up a child who had fallen.

He already understood the gravity of the situation, with the corpses of demon followers sprawled across the ground, but the explosions and the demons’ appearance allowed him to grasp what was truly happening.

Just how dangerous this situation was.

“Amy, aren’t you coming…?”

“Now isn’t the time to be worrying about that…!! Anyone who can run needs to help those who can’t get up and get out of here quickly!!”

With the dust from the exploded bomb still hanging in the air, James quickly began to lead the remaining children toward the village.

“Running away is pointless.”

And before the dust settled, the voice of the Demon Evangelist echoed ominously.

-Thunk!!!

A shockwave shimmered through the dust, emanating a blue light.

If she avoided it, it would strike James, who was running with a child on his back.

Amy gripped her sword tightly and attempted to block the shockwave.

“The balance between physicality and skill is lacking. It’s unsightly, so kindly die.”

As soon as the shockwave dissipated, the blue tail shot toward Amy like a spear.

Dodging the blue tail, Amy longed for the artifact she once possessed.

Though the evangelist was strong, if she had the Fire of Saint McKinto, which she could obtain once a year, she could handle it in a single stroke. But facing them now with just a silver-plated sword inscribed with the word of the gods was overwhelming.

‘Somehow… I need to stall for time!!’

Amy charged toward the two evangelists.

Originally, Amy’s skills were sufficient to handle one evangelist.

Working with her newly honed demon-slaying know-how and expertise from this incident, she could effortlessly defeat one evangelist.

But this time was different.

Though she had the knowledge, she lacked everything else.

Her condition had deteriorated, and she had no artifacts.

On top of that, she was facing two at once.

For Amy, stalling both of them was all she could hope for.

“Flapping around like a fly, are you?”

The evangelist with blue wings disregarded Amy and extended his hand toward the children.

It was the same action as before.

If she wanted to avoid it… she could, but her concern for the children outweighed her fear.

Amy intensified the Aura Blade, deciding to cut down his attack.

“Your skill is considerable, but this is as far as it goes.”

From the demon’s hand, a blue beam erupted.

She had to block it.

“Ugh?!!”

She was sent flying, hitting the ground before spinning and crashing into an empty carriage.

Her whole body throbbed, but the most serious injury was in her abdomen.

Her abdomen felt hot.

She could feel hot liquid dripping down from her abdomen.

Her knees were buckling, making it difficult to stand.

She couldn’t get back up.

“No…!”

Ignoring the incapacitated Amy, the two evangelists took to the skies.

“Ughhh!! A demon!!”

“Ugh… It really is a hassle, one after the other…”

The children scattered in terror, but it was impossible to escape from those with large wings and eyes piercing through the darkness.

“Ahh… the waste of disposing of such valuable sacrifices… What a waste of time.”

“Indeed.”

Every time the evangelists attempted to attack, children fell one by one.

Some were pierced by tails, while others were crushed by shockwaves.

Amy could only helplessly lie there, hearing their screams.

“No…!”

She couldn’t allow this to stop here.

Nothing was finished yet.

She needed to get up, but her legs wouldn’t respond.

She could look down and see how badly she was injured, but the thought of seeing it terrified her.

The pain felt numbed right now, but seeing her injuries would likely break her spirit.

“Ughh…!”

Taking out two small vials from her pocket, she applied their contents around her wounds, feeling a pain like her muscles were being ripped apart.

These were incredibly effective healing potions.

They hurt like hell, but they would at least allow her to fight after a brief recovery.

“Ughh… Aaaah…!!!”

Screaming out, Amy had been continuously pondering since returning.

Why had she come to this place?

Caught in the evil machinations of heretics?

While she could dismiss it like that, Amy took it as an event as real as the world around her.

It was the moment she’d always wished for that had become reality.

“How troublesome, doing all this while dying…”

Hearing Amy’s scream, the evangelist with blue wings turned back and released another pale beam.

Just moments ago, she had failed to block that attack and had a hole pierced in her abdomen.

With her legs barely able to stand, dodging that beam was impossible.

Even if she were physically fine, it would be difficult, and now that she had forcibly healed herself, it was even harder.

‘Can I make it?’

A flicker of temptation briefly surged in her chest, but Amy shook her head, trying to dispel it.

The question of whether she could do it offered no help in this situation.

She had to do it.

If she failed, everything would be over.

Instead of thinking ‘Can I make it?’, she had to think about ‘How will I do it?’

‘Since it was a direct attack, let’s try a different direction this time.’

With no strength left to confront head-on, she decided to try something different.

Amy recalled the techniques Atlas had shown her.

It was an incredibly elegant maneuver of dodging an opponent’s attack and striking at their weak point.

Without her realizing it, the intensity of the aura emanating from her body was becoming increasingly defined.

The Aura Blade, which was difficult to see as anything but intermediate, began to shimmer with a red hue akin to her own hair and the blood she was shedding, mixing with the profound purple radiance.

In a situation where she could lean on no one, Amy could see herself more clearly than ever.

“Ha… Aaaah!!!”

As the blue beam barreled toward her, Amy twisted her body slightly to the right and struck downward with her sword.

Her aura, mixed with red, emanated a deep purplish light.

“What?!”

Amy’s Aura Blade sliced through the evangelist’s beam.

Not only did she cleave the beam, but she also split the evangelist’s body in two.