The Graduate Student Wants to Assassinate the Professor - Chapter 80
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 80
People rushed after Philiamone in confusion and panic.
From the Forest bordering the Meadow came the sharp crack of splintering wood, and a massive Demon Beast emerged into view. It resembled a bipedal rhinoceros.
“Morasada!”
Fatty cried out in terror.
“Kuuuarrgh!”
At the creature’s roar, various Demon Beasts burst forth—wolf-like creatures, serpentine forms, beings with human faces and avian bodies.
Leoryna, unfamiliar with Demon Beasts, did not know their names. To her, they were simply a horde of monsters.
“Demon Beasts of different species traveling together?!”
“Intelligent Demon Beasts sometimes do this! Hunting in packs makes it easier for them!”
One of the combatants unleashed an offensive spell toward the creatures, but it dissipated against a luminous barrier.
“There’s a Demon Beast among them that can cast shield magic!”
Freckles clicked his tongue in warning.
“The magic Demon Beasts use is primitive. We can break through them one by one!”
“Even so, if they overwhelm us with numbers, the situation changes! Sanan, Yuta! Support me!”
“Yes!”
“Bisa, protect the people!”
“Understood!”
With her orders given, Philiamone leaped skyward. After establishing distance through flight magic, she prepared to unleash a devastating offensive spell.
Leoryna and the Masuyeon personnel retreated at Bisa’s direction.
Philiamone raised her sword high. As she swung it, hundreds of blade fragments glinted in the sunlight and surged toward the Demon Beasts.
What followed was a hellish tableau of carnage. Creatures struck directly by the magic shrieked their death cries and fell silent, while the survivors scattered, conjuring defensive magic in panic.
The people stared at Philiamone in stunned silence.
“So the Beast Response Department’s ace really earned that title for a reason…”
Mulde murmured as though half his soul had departed, and the other researchers nearby silently agreed with his assessment.
Having swiftly resolved the situation, Philiamone flicked her blade clean by habit and wiped the sweat from her brow. She waved to the people below who gazed up at her in admiration and spoke.
“I’ve dealt with most of them, but we should evacuate this Zone quickly nonetheless.”
The people relaxed, their expressions shifting to relief.
Yet Leoryna, drawing upon her honed instincts, could sense it.
This was not enough. Something—something far more ominous—lurked within that horde of Demon Beasts.
“Leoryna…”
Pongko, sensing something as well, trembled and pressed himself against Leoryna’s leg as he spoke.
“It’s not over.”
“I feel it too. Philiamone, don’t let your guard—!”
It was then that Leoryna issued her warning. The retreating Demon Beasts suddenly reversed course and surged back toward the people.
“What’s happening?!”
Just as Philiamone widened her distance to sever the lead creature with magic—
Crash!
Several Morasa blocked Philiamone’s magic. In that gap, smaller demon beasts slipped in from the sides of the people.
“What?!”
The combat personnel began engaging the demon beasts one by one.
But the demon beasts’ movements were different from before. What had been a disorganized rabble after breaking their formation now proved futile—they formed a far more sophisticated formation and descended upon the people.
Philiamone was busy contending with the Morasa. Its tough, thick hide withstood Philiamone’s magic while buying time for the other demon beasts to hunt the people.
Philiamone gritted her teeth.
The large-scale magic she’d used moments ago consumed an enormous amount of mana. In an environment where she couldn’t squander mana, it was ultimately a one-time use—best employed when striking and retreating, or when confident of subduing an opponent in a single blow.
‘I never expected these bastards to come back!’
Philiamone had cast that magic accepting the mana consumption, intending to slip out of this zone while the demon beasts retreated.
Now that the demon beasts had returned, she lacked the mana to cast that magic again.
Moreover, the demon beasts were in a considerably more frenzied state.
“Aaaagh!”
Bisa, one of the combat personnel, cried out as her arm was bitten, and Yuta quickly rushed over to assist.
When facing them one at a time, they were merely low-grade demon beasts or mid-grade ones that other combat personnel could handle adequately, but now there were simply too many. No matter how insignificant they were, being outnumbered meant there was no way out.
“This… this can’t be! Demon beasts executing such sophisticated coordinated attacks…! There’s no way mid-grade or lower demon beasts could engage in such high-level thinking!”
Mulde, his face drained of color, pressed against Freckles and shouted. For the Masuyeon personnel, this situation contained far too many abnormal elements.
‘There’s something here.’
I rolled my eyes, scanning my surroundings.
‘Something is commanding the demon beasts. What is it? A high-grade demon beast?’
As I rolled the heel of my boot against the ground, my body lifted into the air.
“Instructor Leoryna!”
Philiamone tried to stop me at my sudden action, but I rose higher than she did, scanning all directions.
‘Where is it? Where are you watching us from?’
“Instructor Leoryna! It’s dangerous, so please move toward where the Masuyeon personnel are…!”
Philiamone spoke as she slashed down a new form of demon beast rushing toward me with her sword.
“Just wait! It’ll only take a moment!”
“But…”
Sanan gave Philiamone a look asking what to do now. Philiamone surveyed the battle situation, then shouted to the other combat personnel.
“Prepare a combined spell!”
The moment Philiamone finished speaking, the combat personnel moved to their designated positions.
As they chanted in unison, several brightly glowing mana spheres formed and pierced through the demon beasts, crisscrossing between them. Supported by these, the combat personnel cut down the demon beasts. As the demon beasts’ formation scattered and some terrified ones broke ranks to flee—
Boom!
With a massive explosion, the necks of the fleeing demon beasts flew off. The shockwave that erupted simultaneously scattered all the mana spheres into particles of light.
“?!”
Everyone reflexively squeezed their eyes shut and covered their faces against the resulting gust.
“Ugh!”
Only I maintained my posture throughout and pinpointed exactly where the explosion had come from.
‘That’s the direction!’
I unhesitatingly unleashed an attack spell toward the source of the sound.
It was admittedly a low-grade spell, but I hadn’t been aiming for any significant effect anyway. I just needed to shake things up over there a bit.
And the opponent moved exactly as I had anticipated.
From where my magic struck, someone rose above the forest trees—a person draped in a tattered mage’s cloak that hung like rags.
“Who are you?!”
At Philiamone’s sharp cry, he descended slowly to the ground and approached us. The demon beasts crept closer, positioning themselves around him as if standing guard.
At the appearance of this obviously suspicious figure, the Masuyeon people who had been watching from behind the entire time huddled together and trembled.
“Don’t come any closer! If you advance further, I’ll attack!”
At Philiamone’s warning, the man stopped advancing and tilted his head at an angle while regarding the demon beasts.
“How can I retreat when the Demon Race is present?”
“Grrrrr….”
His voice was as unpleasant as metal scraping against metal.
At his reproachful words, the demon beasts around him averted their eyes and growled softly in excuse. The bizarre sight left everyone speechless.
I decided to call him Ragman—a fitting name for someone wearing a deteriorated cloak and a turban made of rotting cloth.
‘So this bastard is the ringleader.’
“If they’re the Demon Race, didn’t you promise to capture them and bring them to me?”
As Ragman spoke in a menacing voice, the demon beasts bowed their heads.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————