All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 229

◈ Chapter 229

115. Be the Sacrifice – 1

The masked men were flustered.

When one of them stealthily reached into his coat, Ian scoffed.

“Why? Trying to use an artifact? Do you think that will work?”

“Haha……”

He chuckled lowly and took his hand out of his coat.

In his hand was a small staff.

“You never know until you try!!”

Like the Rune of Explosion I saw before, it was an artifact that could be obtained from Valhalla.

The masked man, holding a staff whose price had skyrocketed because it could no longer be obtained, pointed it at Ian.

-Wooowoong!!

At the same time, immense cold enveloped Ian’s body.

His body froze instantly, and the masked man rejoiced.

“Ha! Even the great Ian Brandon couldn’t withstand the Forgotten City’s artifact! Let’s take him away quickly!!”

Looking at the frozen Ian, they hurriedly picked up Charles.

Then, they opened the window and jumped outside.

Since Charles’ room was on the first floor, they were able to easily disappear into the darkness.

-Crack!!

With a soft sound, the ice shattered.

Ian, appearing as he had before being hit by the Rune of Frost, opened his mouth.

“Track them.”

Ian, who got up from his spot, stared into the darkness beyond the window.

The masked men had taken Charles to the north side of the Imperial Academy.

He grabbed the doorknob of the magic research building that was no longer in use and took out a small tag from his coat.

-Wooowoong…….

The door reacted with a low vibration.

When the vibration stopped, the door opened.

“Alright. Let’s go in.”

“But will it be alright? He’s still Ian, the one called Grand Master……”

“Grand Master, my foot. That’s just what ignorant guys are saying. And the Rune of Frost is a powerful artifact that can even imprison a Great Demon. There’s nothing to worry about.”

The masked man took off his mask.

It revealed Otal.

Seeing this, the other masked men also took off their masks and carried Charles inside.

As soon as they entered, the door closed on its own.

Just like that, it transformed back into the appearance of an ordinary, abandoned building.

In the darkness, Ian walked over.

A barrier that distorts space.

If someone who doesn’t have that tag opens the door and enters, they will simply enter an abandoned building.

-Clang!!

Ian slashed the barrier as it was.

The 8-circle barrier shattered with a single strike.

At the same time, Ian confirmed that the space distortion had been lifted and opened the door to enter.

‘Is this it?’

‘Am I going to have to find the stairs and go down again?’

Ian gripped his sword in reverse and plunged it straight down.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Chapter of Destruction.

Thunderclap.

The power was concentrated so strongly that the floor was deeply gouged, yet not even a faint sound was heard.

Seeing that only a clean hole had been made, Ian threw himself into it.

The place he arrived at was a narrow hallway.

Seeing the door at the end of the hallway, Ian kicked it open without a word.

“Gasp!!”

It was a wide room.

The room, filled with incomprehensible patterns and letters, was filled with figures in black robes and hoods, preparing to perform a ritual with Charles placed on the altar.

Ian looked around at them and waved his hand towards Otal, whose face was pale.

“I don’t even need to guess, do I?”

“……Ian Brandon.”

“The Empire is a mess. Nobles and royals are falling for the temptations of demons.”

“Shut up!! Demons!! The Red Moon is a great being who gives us power!!”

One of those who had been wearing a hood took it off.

It was a girl with short, dark blue hair, one of Otal’s followers.

She shouted resolutely with a venomous expression.

“The Red Moon has given us power!”

It was as Kirke had said.

Moreover, the altar Charles was lying on was the altar used in the Balrog Ruins.

In other words, if they used that altar and a special ritual, they could extract talent.

Those who participated in this ritual had gained power through it.

The students, who followed the Red Moon faith and gained power by plundering the talents of others, glared and gripped their weapons.

“Damn it!!”

“Aren’t you going to take it off too? Essil.”

At those words, the one closest to the altar, wearing a more ornate robe than the others and called the Prophet, took off his hood.

Essil Towan.

It was the boy who had been properly hit by Ian earlier.

“You really are amazing. To think you could destroy an 8-circle barrier.”

“It’s just an 8-circle barrier. By the way, you…… don’t seem like a demon. Nor a black magician.”

“That’s right. I’m neither a demon nor a black magician. I’m just a human.”

He stroked Charles’ cheek as she lay on the altar.

“Just an ordinary human who wants to become stronger and gain more.”

“Cough!! Huh? Uh……?”

Charles, regaining consciousness at his touch, looked around.

She tried to get up, but her arms and legs were fixed in place, so she could only squirm.

“You, who are you?! What is this outrageous act!!”

“What outrageous act? Princess. You said it before, didn’t you?”

“What……”

“You said that you have nothing, Princess. That’s why there’s nothing around you.”

He smiled gently and stroked Charles’ cheek.

“I will give it to you. Friends, companions, lovers, anything that will satisfy you, Princess. I can give you everything. So, just give me one thing.”

The hand that had been stroking her cheek moved down.

He grabbed Charles’ white neck tightly and spoke with desire.

“Just give me that overflowing potential you have. Then I will give you what you so desperately desire.”

“That giving… it wouldn’t be trapping me in a hallucination forever, making it seem like I have everything, would it?”

Essil frowned at Ian’s words.

“Get rid of him.”

“Did I hit the nail on the head? By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve been ignored like this.”

As those who were holding weapons approached him, Ian snorted.

What could they do, being people who hadn’t even become Masters [a rank in magical ability]?

As Ian snorted and drew his sword, Essil sneered.

“Hahaha!! You moron!! Do you know what kind of place this is! You can’t use Aura [a manifestation of inner energy] here!!”

Ian glanced at the wall.

Otherworldly patterns and phrases.

Whether they had created a barrier with those, neither Aura nor mana was reacting.

“So that’s why you were so confident.”

“Hehehe. This room is a place where the rules of this world don’t apply. No matter how strong you are, you can’t fight without Aura and mana, right?”

Following him, the others also laughed.

Then, they went to the door and locked it so he couldn’t escape, and each approached Ian with their weapons.

“Do you think you, who can’t use Aura or mana, can handle all of us?”

Thinking so, Ian nodded and flashed his eyes.

“What’s so difficult about that.”

As he flashed his eyes, those who were approaching all froze.

Seeing this, Essil panicked and shouted.

“Wh, what is this?! Wh, what kind of power is this?!”

Ian walked over lightly and grabbed Essil by the collar, grinning.

“Tell me, where did you learn how to extract talent, and about those things on the wall over there?”

“Kuh……!!”

He tried to escape from Medusa’s Evil Eye, but it was impossible.

He couldn’t even move a finger.

All he could do was open his mouth and resist, so Ian smiled.

“I hope your resistance lasts until the end.”

Ian’s eyes, staring at Essil, turned red, and at the same time, Essil let out a terrible scream.

Even Great Demons can’t withstand the Seven-Colored Evil Eye for long.

How long could a mere student like Essil last?

He suffered the pain of his soul being crushed, and eventually succumbed and spat out information to Ian.

‘Tilda Towan, huh.’

The one who taught musical instrument performances to not only Essil but also other students in that building.

Essil said that he had learned everything from his cousin, Tilda Towan.

‘She didn’t just teach music. By the way, what’s the information on Tilda Towan?’

‘The glyphs around here are a barrier of interdimensional composition. It’s not particularly difficult, but it’s something you can’t see in this world.’

In other words.

Either she saw another world.

Or she learned it from someone who saw it.

You can’t use it if you don’t know it, that’s what this barrier is.

Then where did Tilda Towan learn it?

‘That’s what I think. What about you?’

Rubellin does not hesitate to use the power of other worlds.

As such, Kesin may have learned it by seeing his power.

‘Where is she?’

Ian tapped Essil, who was collapsed and twitching.

‘I’ll have to return to the Imperial Capital to teach this guy a lesson.’

‘Then let’s destroy the Towan family. And check how she moves while searching through the records. Everyone has dirt if you dig deep enough.’

“Then now, we should release our Princess.”

Ian cut the chains that were binding Charles’ arms and legs.

Slowly getting up, she looked around and asked.

“What…… what happened……?”

“To put it simply, you can think of it as those guys made a deal with a demon.”

“A, a demon?”

“This altar is…… well. Osnen will know about it too, so it’s better to tell the Imperial Knights [the Emperor’s personal guard] first.”

Ian took her outside and brought the instructors with him.

The instructors were shocked at the sight that unfolded inside.

In particular, the instructors who knew what this altar was couldn’t help but be even more surprised.

“My goodness. This is the altar from the Balrog Ruins. I heard there was something like this at Fredon Academy before……”

“To think there was one at the Imperial Academy too……”

“Then were the missing students and Imperial citizens sacrificed here until now?”

That wasn’t necessarily the case, but it was such a shocking event that everyone was associating it with that.

While they were investigating the surroundings, Ian approached Charles, who was slumped over.

Doctors, priests, and instructors were gathered around her.

As Ian approached, they quietly stepped back.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah…… yes. I, I’m alright. The doctors also said there’s no major problem.”

“That’s a relief.”

She said she was alright, but Charles’ shock was not ordinary.

She tried to smile arrogantly, and Ian said calmly.

“Then come on. We’re going to start training now. It’s time for your scheduled training.”

At Ian’s words, one of the instructors looked at Charles.

Training after something like this?

“I think you should rest today……”

As he tried to stop him in a flustered manner, Ian said calmly.

“I have never given up on helping someone who wants to fight. Except when the other person gives up. Charles. Are you going to give up? Are you going to be frightened and sit down because of what happened?”

At his question, Charles clenched her fist tightly.

“I will not give up.”

Hearing that answer, Ian left, and she followed him.

The people gathered watched them walk away blankly.