There was a phrase: obvious at a glance—something so clear it could be understood in a single look. This moment fit that description perfectly.
Thirteen people crowded the room. Five were big, strong guys in good shape. The other seven looked starved, their faces pale and drawn. Without their student uniforms, they could have passed for vagrants.
"Do you value good manners?" I asked.
"What?"
"I do too. Actually, the difference between humans and beasts lies there—whether you know etiquette or not," I elaborated. Just because someone could speak didn't mean they were human.
Could this ignorant-looking student even grasp that? As soon as I had the thought, he threw a punch. He was the type to lash out the moment he felt insulted.
Maybe being trapped in an enclosed space for too long had made him more volatile, or maybe he'd always been this way. Either way, I didn't care enough to dwell on it and punched him.
The student screamed in pain as he crumpled to the floor, clutching his face. Most people were like this—those who inflicted pain had no tolerance for it. It was a harsh truth.
Three of the other four bullies jumped to their feet. Only one stayed seated, watching me with an ugly expression.
I used Sun Shadow Steps for the first time in a while and closed the distance. The arrogant student's mouth fell open the moment I grabbed him by the collar. His hands flailed. It was a pitiful reaction, but the fact that he responded at all surprised me. I had pegged him among the lowest-ranked hero disciples, around the level of Skull or Hans.
I drove my fist deep into his abdomen, and his eyes bulged. I had even held back a bit, yet the reaction was dramatic.
"Stop overreacting," I spat.
"Rousseau!" one of the students yelled.
So that's his name. I grabbed him by the shoulder and hurled him toward the yelling students. They collapsed under his weight. Two of the others, still standing, flinched and glared at me but hesitated to attack.
I had expected this. They were like hyenas, quick to scatter the moment their leader fell. The way their eyes darted around in panic disgusted me.
Maybe if these guys hadn't been students and had crossed the line a bit more, I would have killed them here.
—Messenger.
The Martial God's quiet voice steadied my mind.
"I know." I shook my head, calming the rising surge of killing intent. I didn't show it, but I was a little shaken. I had a bad temper, but I never took killing lightly.
—It is because this is the demon king's domain. Keep your mind steady. Don't be swept up in madness, Messenger.
"These guys too?"
—I think so. They're not good people, but they weren't always this vicious.
In that sense, they were victims too. My aggression deflated, and I said flatly, "Go share your food with the other seniors. Is it Rousseau? Come here."
He coughed in pain.
"Stop whining and get up before I hit you again," I warned.
Rousseau jumped up and ran to me, still alert enough to understand the situation.
"Explain what's going on."
"W-what do you want me to explain?"
"Everything you know."
Rousseau hesitated. When I fixed him with a sharp look, he spilled information like a man stabbed by a knife.I listened quietly but gained nothing new. Most of it overlapped with what Arin had said.
Then one student, munching nervously on an energy bar, suddenly spoke up.
"T-there are—" He spoke too fast and ended up choking. "Stairs to the basement!"
I waited calmly while he took a few gulps of water, then asked, "Stairs to the basement?"
"Y-yes.I was too scared to go in... It felt kind of hot down there, and the atmosphere was... off."
The building's exit was on the roof. Usually, that meant the basement was the farthest point from safety. But this place no longer followed normal rules. It belonged to a demon king now. Logic didn't apply here.
I rose to my feet. The basement stairs intrigued me, but there was something else I needed to take care of first.
"Wait here for a while," I said.
"W-where are you going?" Arin asked, stammering. Her eyes flicked toward Rousseau, clearly afraid the others would lose control again if I stepped away.
That was the truth. No matter how reckless they were, they wouldn't revert to their worst behavior within just a few hours. At minimum, it would take a day. If they were slow to act, maybe three or four. If I didn't return by then, they'd likely start sliding back into their old patterns. Luckily, I wouldn't be gone that long.
I took a deep breath and closed the door behind me. Then I activated my Serpent Eyes. Luckily, I could see the building's layout to some extent.
It is terribly big. A single shabby research building now dwarfed the academy's main building. What used to be two floors had expanded to four, and above each level I could see violent masses of heat writhing behind the ceilings.
There were still students alive inside. I didn't have time to waste. There was no time to delay, so I immediately started the rescue operation. There were five people on the first floor, three on the second floor, three on the third floor, and one on the fourth floor.
In the end, I saved twelve students.
"T-thank you... thank you..."
"I was so scared..."
"I thought I was going to die..."
Every one of them thanked me. Some were just as shaken as Arin, but a few had held their composure surprisingly well.
The lone student on the fourth floor stood apart. This dignified-looking young man's tie marked him as a senior, and his name was Zidon.
"Thank you for saving me. Your martial skill was remarkable," Zidon remarked.
Zidon was no weakling. As Arin had mentioned, the dolls on the fourth floor were formidable—not plush toys, but spherical jointed dolls with jerky, mechanical movements. Despite their unsettling appearance, they moved fast and struck hard. Zidon had held his own for quite some time.
"The path to the roof is too dangerous. I think we'll have to wait for help after we escape this building."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Senior. Can you head down to the first floor?"
"Why?"
I gave Zidon a brief rundown of the situation. It involved Rousseau's group, who had formed their own gang and had been oppressing the weaker students.
Zidon's face twisted with anger. "That is terrible. I cannot accept this as a future knight. I understand. I will deal with Rousseau."
"Thank you," I said.
"By the way, I haven't asked your name, benefactor."
"I'm Luan, a transfer student."
"Transfer student? Ah, a future hero," Zidon said with a bright smile, shaking my hand firmly. "Before I became a knight, I dreamed of joining the Hero Society. They are the continent's true champions. Ha. Yes, it's safer if you are a hero disciple. I will leave this task to you."
The people in the capital seemed to hold a strong envy toward the Hero Society. It reminded me of how southerners envied the capital. I found the attitude a little unfamiliar. Still, I followed Zidon to the first floor and sent the rescued students to the cafeteria.
After confirming that Rousseau's face turned pale, I headed toward the basement staircase. It was located at the far end of the right wing.
A wave of humid, hot air rose as I descended. This heat felt different from the sun's warmth. There was something else in it.
—Messenger, I sense an unusual aura.
The Martial God warned me quietly.
I nodded and stepped down carefully. No light reached the stairwell, but it wasn't completely dark. A fierce, hot glow leaked from below. The air grew warmer, and sweat beaded on my forehead despite my heat tolerance.
Soon the stairs ended, and I muttered, "This place..."
—It looks like a prison, Messenger.
The sight before me confirmed that it was an underground prison. But no one was here. There was no sign of life beyond the iron bars, no trace of human presence at all.
I kept moving forward. I passed many empty prison cells, but I did not lower my guard. This was exactly the kind of place where tiny dolls could hide. It was a perfect ambush point. They gave off no presence, no energy, no mana, so I had to rely solely on my senses.
Fortunately, nothing attacked as I moved past the rows of cells.
Finally, I spotted a prisoner. It was Alderson. Chains bound each of his limbs, and a blood-red dagger stabbed his chest.
Did I mention that magicians surrounded their hearts with mana. The dagger seemed designed to seal the Archmage's magic.
This is the real Dean Alderson, not a puppet but the actual dean of Cartel Academy.
Even so, I couldn't rush in. The source of the intense heat stood just ahead, right in front of the captive. A demon. I was certain of it. The wave of heat was so unnatural that it distorted even the traces of Dark Qi around it.
The demon looked like a black knight clad head to toe in armor, but it had no helmet. Instead, crimson flames flickered where its head should be. Bright red light leaked from the gaps in its armor, as if the fire inside could barely be contained.
If black armor was forged to hold a body of flames, this was the monster it would create, I mused.
—It is dangerous.
The Martial God muttered in a heavy voice.
This was the Martial God who rarely warned me of danger. Except for when Juan took the Ghost Road, he never sounded surprised. Now his voice held a hint of unease.
—That type of miasma and that type of momentum. I'm sure he is a direct legion commander under a demon king.
"A legion commander? Is he strong?"
—He is not like ordinary demons. He is a blood relative, directly descended from a demon king or a former ruler who claimed parts of Hell as his domain.
The Beast, a low-grade demon that had been summoned at the training camp, had been a persistent nuisance. This was especially true with their leader, the Grim Reaper. Now, a legion commander stood there. Just the title marked him as a monster far beyond any low-grade demon.
—Of course, it seems to be an incomplete manifestation. Still, I have a bad feeling about this, Messenger.
The dread was justified. The heat alone overwhelmed me, but the Dark Qi radiating from him exceeded anything I could face now. This demon was so massive and powerful that even a priest seemed like a child beside him.
Then why did I feel the way I did?
The black knight wrapped in flames made a powerful impression. Though clad in armor, I saw no weapon. Instead, I focused on the demon's hand, sheathed in a black gauntlet. I was certain that flames flickered just beneath it.
Still, was I losing my mind? I sensed the presence of a majestic martial artist within this fiery armored demon. For a moment, Senior Brother Arang came to mind. That feeling had caught my attention even before the Dark Qi and the heat did.
My fighting spirit stirred inside me. Since regressing to the past, I had never felt such intensity. Maybe it was arrogance, but I believed this fight could be worth the risk. My very identity as a martial artist, shaped by the core First Fire Technique, thrived on heat. If I combined heat with Extreme Yang martial arts against this demon, I would have a slight advantage.
Still, I can't afford to act rashly. I understood how evil and wicked demons were. The Qi I sensed could easily be a deception.
I glanced at Alderson. He would be crucial in defeating the demon king. Saving him would tip the scales in our favor and reveal valuable information.
I weighed the risks and made my decision. It was worth it.
"Martial God." I spoke aloud on purpose, wanting to show my resolve.
—Speak.
"I'm going to fight."
"Alone? That will be difficult."
The teasing voice caught me off guard, and I instinctively attacked. I thrust my fist forward in a raw, primitive punch, but it carried enough internal energy. That meant I naturally used the White Sun Eclipse's Scorching.
The attack stopped effortlessly. A soft palm pressed against mine, calming not only my power but also my fiery internal energy.
" Shh. " I felt fingers brush against my lips.
The other party's red eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as they met mine. "Hello, Luan Badniker."
I was flustered. It didn't matter where we met—this place or any other—the familiar figure looked at me with a smile.
"I'm here to help," Leone whispered.