Seraphina's dark-energy dagger flew towards Aeris' chest at a deadly speed. Time seemed to slow as the girl's red eyes flashed with unnatural hatred. Aeris, still weak from the Soul Extraction process, could only stare at his approaching death.
CLANK!
The sound of metal clashing thundered throughout the library. A longsword engraved with ancient runes managed to block Seraphina's dagger at the last second.
"Leon?!" Aeris was shocked to see the figure standing to protect him.
Leon Ashford, the main protagonist of the novel, stood in a perfect fighting stance. The mystical sword Dawnbreaker in his hand radiated a golden light that made Seraphina take a step back.
"You're late for the party, Seraphina," Leon said in a cold voice. "Or should I call you by your true name... Lilith?"
Seraphina's—or Lilith's—face changed completely. Her porcelain white skin turned a dusky pale, her blue eyes turned a fiery red, and from her back grew a pair of terrifying dark wings.
"Leon Ashford," her voice turned echoing and terrifying. "You always ruin my plans."
"That's my job," Leon swung his sword, creating a protective halo around Aeris. "And this time, you've gone too far. Disguising yourself as a noblewoman? Trying to steal the power of an academy student?"
Professor Grimwald, who had been frozen in fear, finally came to his senses and retreated to a corner of the room, screaming for help. But his voice didn't come out—Lilith had set up a magical barrier around the library.
"That young man's power," Lilith pointed at Aeris with her long nails, "is no ordinary power. He has access to a system that shouldn't exist in this world. I must get it!"
Leon glanced at Aeris with a serious look. "System? What do you mean?"
Aeris swallowed. His secrets were starting to be revealed one by one. "Leon, I can explain later. Now we must—"
"ENOUGH!" Lilith swung her hand, releasing dozens of dark energy projectiles. "If I can't get his power, then I will destroy you all!"
Leon moved at high speed, cutting through all the projectiles with the Celestial Blade Dance technique. Each swing of her sword left a trail of golden light that was both beautiful and deadly.
"Ancient Golem!" Aeris called through the newly formed soul bond. "Help us!"
"With pleasure, partner," replied the Ancient Golem—or now more appropriately called Titan, his original name before he lost his soul. His blue-glowing stone body moved to surround Lilith from the sides.
The three-on-one battle began. Leon attacked from the front with a combination of swordplay and light magic, while Titan attacked from the side with ground-shaking punches. Lilith was forced to defend herself with a dark magic barrier while launching counter attacks.
"Aeris!" Leon shouted as he parried Lilith's claw attack. "Can you use your special ability to help?"
Aeris tried to get up even though his body was still weak. he felt Umbra coming out of his shadow, ready to help. But his Luck Manipulation ability was still unstable due to the Soul Extraction earlier.
"I'll try!" Aeris activated his ability, trying to manipulate probability to benefit Leon and Titan.
The effects were immediate. Leon's attacks became more accurate, Titan's movements faster, while Lilith began to lose her balance and her attacks missed.
"Impossible!" Lilith shouted. "Why is my probability field disturbed?!"
"Because you are facing the master of luck," Aeris said with a faint smile even though his face was pale.
Lilith grew even angrier. Her dark wings spread wide and the evil aura emanating from her body made the air in the library suffocating.
"Alright! Then..." her red eyes flashed dangerously. "I'll use Forbidden Summoning!"
She began to chant an incantation in an ancient language that made the entire room tremble. Small black portals began to open around her.
"She's summoning a demon!" Leon shouted. "We have to stop her before—"
It was too late. From the portals came several Shadow Imps and one large Lesser Demon with glowing eyes and sharp teeth.
The situation immediately turned into chaos. Leon had to face a Lesser Demon whose strength was equivalent to an A-Rank monster, while Titan fought against a horde of Shadow Imps. Lilith used the opportunity to attack Aeris again.
"Now there's no one to protect you!" she shouted as she charged at full speed.
But Aeris was ready. Umbra leaped from his shadow, transforming into a large shadow wolf and blocking Lilith's first attack. Meanwhile, Aeris used his newly acquired Soul Resonance ability.
With that skill, she could sense the souls of all creatures around her—including Lilith's weaknesses.
"You're not a real demon," Aeris said as he dodged a claw attack. "You're a human corrupted by dark magic. Your soul can still be saved!"
"Shut up!" Lilith became even more brutal. "I don't care about my weak human soul anymore!"
But Aeris' words hit home. Deep down, the real Seraphina was still inside Lilith's possessed body. And Aeris' Soul Resonance could sense it—there was a great internal conflict.
"Seraphina!" Aeris called out loudly. "I know you're still there! Fight her!"
Lilith's movements stopped for a moment. Her eyes flickered between red and blue, indicating an internal struggle between two personalities.
"No... way..." the real Seraphina's voice sounded weak. "I... have gone too far..."
"It's not too late!" Aeris stretched out his hand. "You can still choose!"
Leon, who saw the opportunity, immediately swung Dawnbreaker with his ultimate technique: Divine Judgment. A brilliant golden light filled the room, purifying the dark energy around Lilith.
The combination of Leon's light attack and Aeris' soul resonance caused the dark corruption in Lilith's body to begin to dissolve. Her dark wings disappeared, her black skin returned to normal, and her red eyes slowly turned blue.
"Agh!" Seraphina fell to the floor, returning to her original form but very weak. "What... what have I done..."
The demon portal began to close, the Shadow Imps and Lesser Demons disappearing as the dark energy receded. The Titan approached them with heavy but careful steps.
"Seraphina," Aeris knelt beside her. "Are you okay?"
"No..." tears streamed down Seraphina's cheeks. "I remember everything. Everything I did... all those evil plans..." She looked at Aeris with eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry, Aeris. I almost killed you."
Leon lowered his sword but remained vigilant. "Dark corruption can indeed change someone's personality completely. But the important thing is, you are free now."
"How did I get corrupted?" Seraphina asked with a trembling voice.
"That..." Aeris fell silent. he remembered that in the original novel, Seraphina did end up becoming a vessel for the demon lord. But that was supposed to happen much later, not now.
"Someone changed the timeline," Leon muttered, as if reading Aeris' mind. "Something—or someone—has accelerated events that were supposed to happen later."
Professor Grimwald, who was finally able to speak again after the barrier was gone, approached them with a pale face. "We must report this to the Headmaster immediately. Demon infiltration of the academy is a level red threat."
"Wait," Seraphina held Aeris' arm weakly. "There's something you should know. When I was possessed by Lilith, I was able to access her memories. They... the demons... they know about your system, Aeris."
Aeris' heart was beating fast. "What do you mean?"
"Someone told them. Someone from your homeworld," Seraphina's blue eyes stared at her seriously. "Someone who also has a system like you, but they chose to cooperate with the demons."
Leon frowned. "Homeworld? System? Aeris, what exactly happened to you?"
Before Aeris could answer, Titan suddenly turned his head toward the window with his blue eyes flashing with alertness.
"Partner," Titan's voice echoed in Aeris' mind through the soul bond. "There's a very familiar aura approaching. The same aura as the demon that attacked 500 years ago."
Aeris quickly got up and looked towards the window. In the distance, the previously clear sky began to darken. Black clouds gathered quickly, and from there could be seen a flash of terrifying red light.
"This is no ordinary weather," Leon said as he gripped his sword tightly.
"They're coming," Seraphina whispered with a pale face. "The invasion has begun."
The academy's alarm suddenly sounded loudly throughout the complex. The sound of screams and commotion could be heard from outside the library.
CRASH!
The large window of the library shattered into pieces as something large slammed into it from outside. A winged creature with a body as large as a dragon landed in the middle of the room with a thunderous sound.
Demon Lord Malphas, one of the seven lords of hell, stood arrogantly before them. His burning golden eyes stared at Aeris with a terrifying grin.
"So you are the child who owns the system," his voice was like the roar of a volcano. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time, Otherworlder."