Page 142

7th Floor of the Demon Dungeon.

The Peak of Purgatory.

A place filled with apostles.

An unprecedented commotion erupted there.

BOOM!

An apostle blocking the path was hit directly by magic and shattered completely.

The mage who had destroyed the apostle had eyes shimmering like a galaxy, filled with seething rage.

But she was not the only one enraged.

A figure passed by her, black hair fluttering.

A blade glowed with a pitch-black aura.

At that moment, nearly a hundred monsters rushing toward them were slaughtered all at once.

Beneath the black hair, crimson eyes burned with intensity.

Sharin Sazaris, the top student of the Magic Arts Department.

Iris Hysirion, the top student of the Martial Arts Department.

Both were second-years this year, yet their combined power was enough to tear through even the 7th floor of the Demon Dungeon.

A shared emotion gleamed in their eyes.

It was urgency.

Hannon Irey and Isabel Luna.

Ever since the two were caught in the Demon Dungeon’s teleportation anomaly, everyone had immediately formed a rescue party.

A Demon Dungeon Teleportation Anomaly had a 95% fatality rate—one of the most dangerous incidents possible.

The key to surviving such an anomaly was how deep one had been teleported into the dungeon.

Nothing mattered more than that.

Sharin had read the spatial flow of the Demon Dungeon using her mirinae.

And then, she delivered the most despairing news to everyone.

“…The 9th floor.”

When they heard this, everyone’s faces froze.

The deepest part of the Demon Dungeon.

A place where, apart from the Azure Sky Generation, no one had ever reached.

To be sent there was practically a death sentence.

“We have to go to the 9th floor.”

The first to speak was Seron.

Ever since she learned that Hannon had been caught in the teleportation anomaly, she had been silent, listening intently to the situation.

Her resolve had never wavered.

No matter what floor Hannon had fallen to, she was always planning to go save him.

“Prince Sweet Potato and Isabel are waiting for us there.”

She had no intention of listening to anyone who said it was impossible.

Hannon was there.

That alone was enough for her to go.

“Wait.”

Someone stopped Seron.

It was none other than Iris.

Even Seron had to acknowledge the weight of the Third Princess’s words.

However, if Iris tried to dissuade her, she was prepared to leave immediately.

“One of us needs to go outside and report the situation. We must secure all possible support from outside. This is a direct order from Third Princess Iris Hysirion.”

Iris pulled out the Hysirion Imperial Seal.

Seron’s eyes widened at those words.

“You’re not the only one who wants to save him.”

Iris had already been planning ever since she heard the news.

“We will divide into an advance team and a reinforcement team.

The advance team will descend through the floors immediately.

The reinforcement team will secure as much external support as possible and follow.

We will also send rescue requests to other academies.

Starting from the 5th floor, our paths merge with the other academies, so the reinforcement team will bring them along.”

She issued commands with unwavering composure.

Her charisma and leadership made everyone nod in unison.

In that moment, they all realized why Iris was being hailed as the next Emperor.

The Final Villainess, Iris Hysirion.

They were reminded of the weight of her name.

“Sharin Sazaris, you can track them, right?”

“Yes, I can.”

Sharin had already completed the tracking spell through her magic.

Just like Seron, she was determined to save them no matter what.

“Now, I will name the advance team.”

She had already carefully selected the members.

The strongest team to ever challenge the Demon Dungeon.

A team that could even surpass the legendary Azure Sky Generation.

And now—

The strongest rescue squad was descending into the Demon Dungeon at record-breaking speed.

Advance Team:

Frontline: Hania, Seron, Iris, Ban, Aisha, Eve.

Rear Guard: Sharin, Foara, Dorara, Beaquirin.

Healing Support: Grantoni, Valencia, Joachim, Sirmiel.

It was the most powerful lineup in Zerion Academy’s history.

At Iris’s request, they had even included a Saint, making the team absurdly overpowered.

The frontlines formed an unbreakable shield.

The rear guard wielded an unstoppable spear.

The support team could revive even the dead.

With this power, they might even be able to challenge the Apostle of the 9th floor.

Although the Apostle’s chamber only allowed five members at a time, their breakthrough power was unmatched.

They surged forward, rewriting the history of Demon Dungeon expeditions.

BOOOOM!

The ground suddenly collapsed, and a giant apostle emerged.

“Foara, now!”

“Yes!”

At Beaquirin’s command, Foara summoned her spirit.

A Top-Rank Fire Spirit Contractor and a Spirit Lord Contractor.

The highest-grade fire spirit ignited a massive blaze, and the Spirit Lord’s wind amplified the flames.

A whirlwind of fire erupted, completely obliterating the upper body of the giant apostle.

However, the giant apostle refused to die quietly.

From its shattered body, rock-like monsters poured out.

Just as they were about to overwhelm the rear guard—

Ban and Eve stepped in.

The Lazy Genius, Ban swung his sword, scattering azure aura like rippling waves.

The Unyielding Azure Flame, Eve unleashed brilliant blue fire with her blade.

The rock monsters were shattered into dust under their combined assault.

Some debris flew and caused minor injuries, but it was fine.

Saint Sirmiel and Joachim instantly healed their wounds.

Then, Grantoni’s necromancy and Valencia’s curse magic reinforced their bodies.

Among them, there were rivals who were usually at odds.

But in this moment, they all worked together for one purpose:

To save those two.

Beside them, Seron swung her battle axe with both hands, sweat dripping down her face.

“Seron, you’re overdoing it.”

Aisha spoke to her, concerned.

Seron took a deep breath.

“I’m fine. We still have a long way to go.”

She had no intention of stopping until they rescued Hannon.

Even if she was the weakest in this group, she was determined to give everything she had.

‘I forced my way in, so I have to prove myself.’

Seron glanced at the others.

She knew she was the weakest here.

Clenching her axe tightly, she swallowed the lump in her throat.

She hated that she wasn’t strong enough to save Hannon on her own.

‘I will become stronger.’

Today, she made a new resolution.

‘I will become strong enough to stand by his side.’

Now was not the time to cry over her weakness.

So Seron steeled her heart even more.

Once she returned, she would grow stronger.

For now, she could only fervently hope for his safety.

“Hania, the path.”

“We’re almost there.”

At the forefront, Iris, who had broken through the enemy lines, asked, and Hania responded.

They were only a short distance away from reaching the eighth floor.

However, everyone knew.

From the eighth floor onward, true hell would begin.

The difficulty between the seventh and eighth floors was vastly different.

The apostles appearing on the eighth floor were incomparable to those on the seventh.

Each one was a named apostle, and even among them, they had their own hierarchical ranks.

The eighth floor was not a place suited for large-scale invasions.

It was better to move quietly, individually.

Iris bit her lip.

Even she, the strongest among the royal family in history, could not gauge whether they would be able to break through.

But failure was not an option.

Below them, Hannon was there.

The boy who would do anything to free her from her nightmares.

Her cousin.

The first person she had come to see as family.

‘Losing family once was enough.’

She remembered the pain of losing her mother to a nightmare.

She never wanted to experience that agony again.

No matter what, she would save him.

Iris’s crimson eyes burned fiercely.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, Sharin, who had been casting magic from above, widened her eyes.

Her head snapped in a certain direction.

She wasn’t the only one who reacted.

One by one, others also sensed something and turned their heads.

A pure white light was pouring out.

A warm yet intense radiance.

Everyone present knew what it meant.

“…Isabel.”

Ban, who had personally witnessed Isabel awaken the Wings of the Goddess, murmured.

The moment they realized what was happening, Sharin was the first to dash forward from the sky.

The others hurriedly followed.

At the forefront, Sharin’s face was more tense than ever before.

Her heart pounded restlessly.

Hannon’s face kept flashing in her mind.

Hannon always pushed himself too hard.

He had a strong tendency to prioritize others over himself.

If he had been alone, it might have been fine.

But the fact that he was with Isabel was even more concerning.

‘My husband is a fool.’

He had surely thrown himself recklessly into the fray.

Sharin felt an overwhelming pressure in her chest.

She had never felt such anxiety before.

She had only recently admitted to herself that she liked Hannon.

She never imagined that love could feel so suffocating and desperate.

This pain brought no happiness.

Yet, it only made her want to see Hannon even more.

She wished for his safety.

Dark thoughts kept creeping into her mind.

What if something had happened to him?

Could she bear it?

She didn’t know.

Not knowing made it even more terrifying.

‘Husband.’

Sharin pushed her speed to the limit, racing toward the source of the light.

‘Husband, husband, husband.’

As she desperately called his name in her heart—

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the ground.

A colossal being, so massive that its head nearly touched the sky, collapsed to the floor.

It was the Gatekeeper of the seventh floor.

The entity that allowed no one to enter or leave.

And the one who had brought it down stood on the ground, gasping for breath.

Sharin’s eyes widened as she recognized the figure.

“Bel!”

Sharin called out Isabel’s name as she descended.

“Rin.”

Isabel, still panting, looked back at her.

She was in a wretched state compared to when they had last met.

Malnourished, exhausted, covered in wounds.

Not a single part of her remained unscathed.

But the most troubling thing was the look in her eyes.

Her gaze was filled with worry, fear, and urgency.

Sharin suddenly felt her heart drop.

No.

No.

Just as she reached Isabel’s side, Isabel slowly spread her wings.

And there, nestled in them, was a boy.

His leg was nearly torn off, his left arm had been severed long ago.

There was not a single uninjured part of his body.

His eyes, peacefully shut, showed no sign of opening.

“…Ah.”

Sharin’s trembling hands cupped Hannon’s face.

His warmth was so faint that she gasped in shock.

He was dying.

He was unmistakably dying.

Sharin’s face twisted into an expression of pure devastation.

Her mana surged wildly around her.

It felt like her heart was shattering.

Her legs threatened to give out.

It was as if the world had crumbled around her.

She couldn’t breathe.

She had never felt this way before.

Even when she had watched her mother die of illness, she had remained composed.

But now, seeing this boy on the brink of death, her entire being shattered.

And at last, Sharin realized—

‘I cannot live without him.’

What she had thought was simply affection—

It was, in truth, love.

Real love.

“I’m sorry… he tried to protect me…”

Isabel spoke, struggling to suppress her emotions.

For a moment, rage flared in Sharin’s eyes, but she held it back.

It wasn’t Isabel’s fault.

She was only trying to take the blame so Sharin wouldn’t drown in her emotions.

“KYAAAAH!”

Just then, Seron, who had been following frantically, let out a scream.

She shoved aside Aisha, who had been supporting her, and threw herself toward Hannon.

“Prince Sweet Potato! No, no! This can’t happen! Heal him! Hurry, call the Saint, hurry!!!”

Seron babbled incoherently, her face already ruined by tears.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together.”

At that moment, Iris arrived and spoke sharply.

Though she was shaken by Hannon’s condition more than anyone, she was the leader here.

More than that, she was the empire’s future empress.

She had been trained to withstand any situation.

So, despite the turmoil inside, she barely held herself together.

“Saint.”

“I understand.”

“I’ve already requested reinforcements from the High Priestess. She’s on her way. For now, we need to fortify our defenses.”

Iris swiftly issued orders, taking deep breaths to steady herself.

Hannon’s state made her vision blur, but she bit her lip hard to keep from breaking down.

“Isabel.”

“…Yes, Lady Iris.”

Isabel responded with a heavy heart, her eyes never leaving Hannon.

“I’ll hear the details later. For now, you need healing and rest.”

Isabel lowered her head.

Watching her, Iris exhaled and turned away.

As much as she wanted to stay by Hannon’s side, protecting the rescue team was more important right now.

As his cousin.

As the princess.

As the leader.

Iris moved forward to command the team.

One boy’s injuries had shaken them all, but they had no time to grieve.

And thus, the battle of the Autumn Demon Dungeon came to an end.