Chapter 101
Yoo Iseo looked at the man before her.
Jet-black armor, and an ominous aura pouring out from his entire body.
Just having him in front of her made her instincts ring alarm bells.
Yoo Iseo had already encountered him several times, so she knew that what she was seeing was not some kind of hallucination.
In response, demonic power burst forth from Yoo Iseo’s entire body.
“Devil Knight!”
The moment she saw him clad in armor, she shouted, packing countless surging emotions into her cry.
The one who had killed her friend stood right before her.
Yet at the same time, what threw her into confusion was the fact that the friend who should have died by his hand was standing together with him.
Because of that, even while releasing her power, Yoo Iseo did not rashly attack him.
At the demonic power erupting like a live volcano, Seongwoo once again raised his hands, expressing his intent to surrender.
“I keep telling you, I came to talk. I don’t want to fight.”
Seeing this, Yoo Iseo glared at him as if she wanted to kill him, then slowly began to withdraw her power.
In truth, aside from the anger boiling up inside her, she felt the tangled mess in her head gradually clearing.
‘Devil Knight and Berid. That means at least two high-ranking Demons infiltrated. Normally, because of the chain of command, only one would infiltrate…….’
Up until now, Yoo Iseo had believed Berid and Devil Knight to be the same person.
Her misunderstanding was only natural.
The Student Council had fought Demons for a long time and knew their habits well.
Yet Demons who followed the Iron-Blooded Law sent two members of their leadership for a single operation?
It was obvious the mission would collapse due to clashes of authority between them.
In reality, Yoo Sung-woo and Berid had infiltrated the Academy for entirely different purposes, and only ended up gathering in the same place by chance, orchestrated through Yoo Sung-woo’s active movements.
Above all, Yoo Sung-woo, the Devil Knight, had revealed his identity, while Ha Yoon, who was Berid, had concealed his identity by any means necessary.
Only after properly recognizing that final piece—Berid—did everything begin to make sense.
‘Now that I think about it…….’
There had been many strange points if Devil Knight were truly the commander of Pandemonium.
When they first met, he had warned her to be wary of a traitor.
Even right after Seo Da-hee was killed.
Most of all, her doubts exploded the moment she saw Seo Da-hee in disguise.
What if Seo Da-hee had not actually died?
Seo Da-hee’s body had been destroyed by Devil Knight’s terror attack.
In other words, for Seo Da-hee to be alive, it meant Devil Knight had carried out some scheme using her body.
But what reason could there possibly have been for that?
It was Devil Knight himself who had directly killed Seo Da-hee.
Was it possible that her corpse contained evidence that could reveal Devil Knight’s identity?
If not, then…….
But now, she understood everything.
Devil Knight had been a traitor to Pandemonium.
Of course, Devil Knight was still a Demon, so she could not fully trust everything.
Just because he betrayed Pandemonium did not mean he had turned toward humanity.
But.
Even so.
Yoo Iseo’s gaze turned toward Seo Da-hee.
Moisture welled up in her voice.
“Is it really you, Da-hee? Really?”
“Yeah……!”
In that instant, Yoo Iseo, her emotions ignited like lightning, charged straight toward Seo Da-hee.
And just like that, she wrapped her arms around her.
The sudden impact sent both of them tumbling to the ground, but—
Even so, the arms with which they clung to each other did not loosen.
Yoo Iseo wept endlessly.
She thought she had lost her.
She believed she would never see her again.
She clearly remembered the moment she laid eyes on Seo Da-hee’s corpse.
It felt as if time itself had stopped.
Every sensation she felt through her skin lacked any sense of reality.
A body growing cold, eyes that had lost their light.
Even the blood that had flowed from her body had been stolen away by the falling rain.
That was how she lost Seo Da-hee.
And now, the one she thought dead was in her arms.
Alive and well, carrying warm body heat.
Yoo Iseo held Seo Da-hee’s cheeks, confirming it once more.
“Just what happened? I saw you die…… I even touched your body.”
“It was all thanks to Seongwoo. If it weren’t for Seongwoo, I really would’ve died to Pandemonium’s scheme.”
Yoo Sung-woo stood a step away, silently watching the two reunite.
His feelings were complicated.
At last, Yoo Iseo and Seo Da-hee had achieved their emotional reunion.
‘Maybe now I can finally sleep a little easier.’
It felt as though a heavy burden had been peeled away.
Until now, Seongwoo had carried deep guilt toward Seo Da-hee and Yoo Iseo.
No matter how optimal his actions had been, he had never received consent from the two of them—or rather, from even more people—at any stage of the process.
He had brought the two together and witnessed their happiness, yet it was difficult to simply rejoice.
When everything was over, the time would come for him to pay the price for the sins he had committed against them.
Not now, but someday.
There were still many knots left to untangle.
After a long moment of emotional reunion, Yoo Iseo’s gaze once again turned toward Yoo Sung-woo.
Unlike when she looked at Seo Da-hee, hostility could be felt in her eyes.
“I’m truly happy that Da-hee came back. But that doesn’t mean I trust you. There’s still a lot left between us to sort out, isn’t there?”
“That can wait until later. Right now, there’s something urgent we still need to deal with, isn’t there?”
As if agreeing with his words, Yoo Iseo nodded.
In the first place, the reason Seongwoo had taken the risk of revealing his identity to Yoo Iseo was to completely expel Berid from the Academy.
Yoo Sung-woo extended his hand toward Yoo Iseo.
“Then we’re allies until Berid is defeated?”
“……Alright.”
After staring at his hand for a moment, Yoo Iseo grasped Seongwoo’s hand.
Strength entered her grip as she held onto him.
“Then tell me everything you know. From the Demons hiding within the Student Council, to what they’ve done, and what they plan to do next. Everything.”
* * *
A deep sigh escaped from Berid’s mouth as he sat alone in his residence.
The face that had once been filled with relaxed smiles was now heavily shadowed, utterly ruined.
Despite being a Demon with far greater stamina than an ordinary human, his face looked haggard, and deep dark circles had settled beneath his eyes.
“Damn it.”
He crushed the ballpoint pen in his hand with a crunch.
The past few days had been nothing short of horrific.
Because of the Academy incident, he had been forced to walk a tightrope, shuttling back and forth between Pandemonium and the Association, massive organizations, catering to their moods.
By completely severing any trail that could be linked back to him, he had managed to avoid punishment or arrest by the Association, but that was all.
The Association still suspected him and had even placed him under surveillance.
As a result, he could not even contact his subordinates, and was practically half-confined to his dormitory room.
But compared to Pandemonium’s response, this was no more than child’s play.
“How dare they abandon me and say they’ll send a new successor?”
A final order had been delivered to him.
To bring massive chaos to the Academy.
In other words, he was to self-destruct, cause chaos, and step down from his position.
If he refused to comply, the newly sent successor would declare him a Demon and create enormous chaos instead.
No matter the choice, it was a death sentence.
Bang!
He slammed his desk with the broken pen.
‘This is all because of Devil Knight.’
A fierce light of hatred flared in his eyes.
Since their last encounter.
Berid had realized that all of this was caused by Devil Knight.
The reason did not matter.
Perhaps he simply disliked him, or maybe he had even felt lust toward Joo Sarang.
The real problem was the simple fact that Devil Knight had grown strong enough to the point where he was now holding Berid’s leash.
Even so, Berid could not report Devil Knight to Pandemonium.
His suspicions were solid, but there was no concrete evidence.
Outwardly, Devil Knight had helped with Berid’s operation, and had even risked his life to make up for Pandemonium’s mistake.
To accuse Devil Knight to Pandemonium in this situation?
They would surely treat him as a pathetic loser—an incompetent trying to drag down a capable individual.
How did he know?
Because he had already tried it once.
He spoke while looking at the corpse collapsed in his room.
“That’s why I’m in a very bad mood right now. You should try to understand how I feel.”
Of course, there was no chance the corpse would answer his question.
Even so, he continued speaking without caring.
“Honestly, who would’ve thought I’d take such a huge hit from a mere brat? No, maybe I’ve been far too gentle all this time.”
In truth, staying in one place for so long did not suit Berid’s nature.
His authority was 【Usurpation】.
By killing someone, he could steal not only their appearance and memories, but even their habits and abilities.
It was an authority perfectly suited for manipulation, incitement, and sowing discord.
That was why Berid had wandered his entire life, making full use of this ability.
But in order to carry out the order to take control of the Academy, he had stubbornly clung to a single identity—Ha Yoon—and endured for two long years.
Perhaps that was why he had grown dull.
“Since it’s come to this, I don’t think I can remain as Ha Yoon any longer.”
‘If I remember correctly, Pandemonium told me to bring the greatest possible calamity upon the Academy.’
A smile spread across Berid’s face.
He had nothing left to lose.
The carefully built tower of years, and his standing within Pandemonium, were both gone.
The only thing left for him to do was to take revenge on Devil Knight.
Just as Devil Knight had dragged him down, he intended to drag Devil Knight down to the ground as well.
With a sinister smile, he looked at the object Pandemonium had handed over, calling it his final chance.
A black gemstone that emitted a grotesque aura.
Just holding it in his hand caused overwhelming power to flow into him.
He could not possibly imagine it.
That the Heart of the Demon he had painstakingly stolen from Yoo Iseo was now in Berid’s hands.
And what Berid intended to do with this Heart of the Demon.
The Heart of the Demon was a vessel that contained a demon’s authority and soul.
Even if the physical body was destroyed, revival was possible as long as the heart remained.
If the Gate of the Academy were opened and the Heart of the Demon offered as a sacrifice, an abyssal demon could descend upon this world.
A demon that wielded absolute power with authority alone.
What would happen if such an existence descended upon this world—upon the Academy?
Just imagining it felt exhilarating.
Preparations for this were already largely complete.
He had planted countless dark sorcery catalysts throughout the Academy.
Now, as long as he offered a body and a sacrifice to resurrect the demon, the revival ritual could be carried out at any time.
From the moment he began to suspect Devil Knight, he had ordered his subordinates to focus on searching for the Gate.
And finally.
Berid had found the ‘Gate’ that the Academy had worked so desperately to conceal.
Now then, let’s begin the operation.
First, to do that, this body would have to be discarded.
He reached out toward the corpse’s head.
It was a Hero from the Association who had been dispatched to monitor him.
Black tentacles extended from his hand and swallowed the corpse’s head.
At the same time, Berid’s form began to slowly change.
Bones were rearranged, muscles twisted, producing grotesque sounds.
Before long, his appearance became identical to that of the corpse.
Having discarded Ha Yoon’s form, he smiled.
“From now on, this is the beginning of the counterattack. Devil Knight.”