"System, I want to accept the unique pact."
With a bitter expression, Enrico closed his eyes—seeing his friend in that state… no, that was no longer his friend, for he was gone. Opening his eyes again, his expression shifted into a murderous intent as he thought of Deymon.
"I…"
A few houses away from where Enrico's battle was happening, Deymon was struggling in his fight against Elian.
"I don't care about your words, but I'll make you pay for what you did to Deymon."
"If you can even do something against me, that is."
Using wind magic, Elian increased his speed once again, exhausting his mana a little more. Dodging Elian's thrown dagger, Deymon created a dark sphere in his hand.
"I don't like using the knights' ideas, but they're useful."
'Looks like he's going to use his weapon.'
There were few students willing to use a weapon like the knights to create their ego weapons. Among them, Deymon was one of the most prideful—but it seemed that pride didn't last long when faced with the first chance to use it to win.
"What's wrong? Throwing your pride away? I thought you were better than that."
"Shut up. You're just afraid because you know I'm strong with this weapon."
Activating his weapon, the sphere floated around him and began to mold itself, transforming into a staff with a knight's head.
[Staff of Corruption: inanimate objects can be corrupted, allowing the user to create up to ten corrupted soldiers; the user's mana increases by 15% while the staff is held.]
Raising his staff, various objects around—wood and random items—began to deform and reshape into soldiers with a grotesque appearance, three horns on their heads forming a triangle.
"Sphere of Corruption."
While the soldiers attacked Elian, spheres of corruption formed a circle around him. With a snap of his fingers, all the spheres shot toward Elian.
"Zephyr Shield."
Creating a strong current of wind in front of him, the magical attacks were deflected in another direction, hitting the soldiers instead—wiping that arrogant smile off Deymon's face. Grabbing his daggers, Elian poured the last spark of magic into his left foot, accelerating forward and slicing off Deymon's hand.
"Aaahhh!"
"I told you—"
Surprised, Elian was slashed across the back by a Nartheis with blades on its arms and legs, while another monstrous Nartheis with a mouth larger than its body tried to bite Elian's head.
"Feather Blade!"
Receiving several cuts on his back, Liam appeared with a tired sigh. Taking advantage of the distraction, Elian moved out of the danger zone, stopping seven meters away.
"Gahh!"
Suddenly, Velka fell beside Deymon, having been thrown by a thin, lanky Nartheis that appeared out of nowhere—confusing Sylvia and Camila. Even Velka herself was bewildered.
"Why are you doing this? Aren't you part of our alliance?"
"Shut up, Velka. You were never part of my alliance."
With that furious whispering reply from Deymon, Velka's mind began to fracture—grabbing her head in pain as her memories twisted. The image of Deymon saving her was fading away, making her realize she'd been manipulated by some magic and had just betrayed the only person she admired.
'What have I done? Princess, I need to ask for forgiveness…'
Before she could get up, the lanky Nartheis stepped on her back, pressing her into the ground while Deymon stood and glared at it.
"JAGO, you said I'd get stronger if I started that!"
"And you did."
The four couldn't hear the words coming from the lanky Nartheis's mouth, but it couldn't be anything good. It pressed harder on Velka, making her scream in pain. The four nearby didn't care about her cries—after all, to them, she was still a traitor.
"They're fighting?"
"They must have been betrayed by the Nartheis."
"That's great, serves them right for trusting those freaks."
Gathering together, Liam began healing Elian with his feather magic while the two girls stood protectively in front of them with their own spells ready.
"To complete your transformation, you only need to absorb the mana of a body without leaving a trace."
"Without leaving a trace? Whose mana do I need to absorb? Tell me already."
"Of course—your only ally's."
"You should've told me sooner, idiot! How do I do it?"
Hearing that conversation, Velka grew increasingly terrified. If they drained her mana, she'd be useless—she could die right there. And worse, Deymon didn't even hesitate at the answer.
'Is this punishment for being weak?'
Tears of pain streamed down her face as Deymon approached with a stone handed to him by the lanky Nartheis. Placing it on her, she felt excruciating pain surge through her nerves and veins.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
"How annoying."
Seeing that scene, the four opened their eyes wide in shock. While Velka's piercing screams filled their ears, Deymon's appearance began to change into something more monstrous yet still human in shape.
"Finally, I feel strong. If you'd told me earlier, I wouldn't have gone through all that."
"If I had told you earlier, you wouldn't have been able to stay disguised among them."
"As if I care."
Deymon's veins turned a glowing purple while his skin took on an ashen, lifeless tone, releasing a dark aura. His short hair started to sway even without wind. Behind him, black wings unfolded, releasing spinning dark spheres that orbited him. His hands had grown with elongated black clawed fingers, his body turning obsidian-like as a core at his center continued to absorb all of Velka's magic—leaving her no chance to recover.
"I can't feel any magic from her. What happened?"
"Isn't that going too far?"
"That bastard really turned into a monster."
Their faces tense but determined, they took defensive stances. Maybe they could kill Deymon before things got worse. That made Deymon grin menacingly.
"You think you can defeat me? Hahahaha!"
Waving his hand upward, a slash tore through the ground and destroyed houses at least a hundred meters ahead. Guards in the area were already fighting Nartheis, so they couldn't approach even after witnessing the destruction—too busy dealing with Rank Ranvil level one and two enemies appearing.
"Hahaha, see? I'm at the level of a fourth circle now!"
The three began sweating at the sight—it was definitely the power of a fourth circle. They might have a chance to defeat him if they were all fully healed and coordinated, but even then, it would only be about a thirty-percent chance.
'Even so, I'll—'
Elian tried to stand but received a slash across the chest as Deymon lowered his finger, making him stagger backward, supported by Sylvia and Liam.
"I told you—you can't do anything! I'll show the entire world what corruption magic can do, and I'll begin—"
"Is that why you're doing this?"
Everyone in that area felt a chill run down their spine upon hearing a familiar yet darker, deeper voice. Turning around, they saw Enrico, his hair covering his eyes, carrying Caelan in his arms. Elian felt a spark of hope—until he saw his friend wasn't breathing.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't save him."
As Enrico spoke, his voice seemed to return to normal. Tears rolled down Elian's face as he clenched his fists, looking down. Standing with anger, he was about to rush at Deymon, but Enrico extended an arm to stop him—his deeper voice returning.
"Leave. I don't want you to get hurt."
"But—"
"Take his body far away. I don't want to lose him too."
Standing frozen for a moment, they exchanged looks, then decided to trust Enrico. With hateful glares at Deymon, they left. Seeing Enrico in the state he wanted, Deymon's arrogant smile grew wider.
"What do you think, Enrico? You must want to kill me now, don't you?"
"Kill you?"
Enrico placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly—hurting himself as if trying to hold back something. Lowering his hand, he cracked his knuckles near his face, his eyes dull and empty.
"No… not just that. I'm going to make you beg to be killed."