Demon Lord Candidate (5)

The girl before me stood in a practiced stance, ready to rush at me at any moment. I decided to let her attack first.

"I'll allow you three attacks before I retaliate. I am still a professor—you surely know what that means."

She narrowed her gaze even further and said, "Fine. I'll make you regret that decision."

She infused her practice sword with magical energy, a red, flaming aura covering its blade. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly.

For a moment, only silence and the whisper of the wind filled the air—until she vanished and reappeared behind me in a blink. I blocked her strike with my arm.

To the others, it must have looked like she teleported. But I had seen every move she made.

She had only infused the soles of her feet with magic, allowing her to move faster than normal. Even I couldn't do that without years of training. But it still wasn't enough to defeat me.

"Going straight for my neck, huh? Ever considered becoming an assassin?"

She jumped back, eyes steady. "Hitting someone on the neck is the fastest way to knock them out when using practice swords," she said flatly.

But wasn't that exactly how an assassin would think? Still...

"If that was your best, I'm disappointed. I thought you wanted to beat me."

A small smile curved her lips. "Will you still say that after this next attack?"

She raised her free hand, pointing it at me before clenching it into a fist.

In that moment, red chains erupted from my arm where she'd struck, shooting into the ground and pinning my arm down.

I glanced at it and activated [Argus Sight].

———>

Skill: [Parasitic Bind] — Binds the target with chains that grow stronger the longer they remain bound, also suppressing the target's magical energy.

———>

'So that's what that red aura was.'

She had used a skill—and a powerful one, judging by the description. No wonder she was so confident.

She didn't waste a second. Opening her hand, she fired a black flame with a white core straight at me. It engulfed me completely.

Silence fell, broken only by startled gasps and whispers. They probably thought I'd lost.

I soon heard the black-haired girl's voice, confident and cold.

"That's what happens when people underestimate me."

"Really...?" I whispered in her ear from behind.

Startled, she leapt away, immediately dropping into a defensive stance.

"H-How? How did you—?"

"Escape?" I finished her sentence. "Let's just say I used a skill. Anyway, you have one attack left."

She clenched her jaw, resolve burning in her eyes. "I didn't want to use this... but you leave me no choice. I can't lose here, no matter what."

She let go of her sword. The instant it hit the ground, a wave of magical energy burst from her body, enveloping her in a white inferno. Her pupils became slit, two horns sprouted from her head, large black wings unfurled from her back, and bloody gauntlets with razor claws formed around her hands.

The air around her shimmered red, turned black, then white again before vanishing. She stood there, motionless—staring at the ground.

Then—

She was upon me in an instant, slashing with her claws. I teleported behind her just in time.

That strike surprised me. It was faster and more powerful than anything before. Without teleportation, I wasn't sure I could have dodged it. The students' fearful murmurs said it all.

"Isn't the professor in danger?! Why did she use [Restriction Release]?"

So, that was her skill. But she'd made a grave mistake—losing control was a clear risk.

She lunged at me again, relentless, but I effortlessly teleported, evading every blow.

For her final attack, she wrapped her entire body in magic and charged with killing intent. Her battle instincts were above average.

For her to be able to use magical energy in a enraged state.

She struck me dead-on, but I activated [Damage Zero] just before impact. Grabbing her by the throat in a blink, I lifted her off her feet. At first, she thrashed wildly, but I used [Blood Puppeteer] to paralyze her completely.

I tightened my grip around her neck, my voice colder than steel. "Do you know what happens to anything that tries to kill me?"

She struggled to breathe as I squeezed harder. "They die."

I was about to crush her throat—

—but pain seared through my skull. My skills cut out, my hand slackened, and she dropped unconscious, reverting to normal. Staggering back, I clutched my head. The throbbing... just like before.

I forced out a shout to the students. "Class dismissed for today! Take her to a resting room!"

I tried to teleport away, but even that skill faltered. I miscalculated my destination entirely.

***

"Where... am I?" I murmured.

A lone tree near a serene lake. In the distance, black roses bloomed. My vision blurred. "Damn it...!" I groaned, collapsing as the last thing I saw was a woman in a pure white dress approaching—a blurred face, a fading world.

***

When I lost consciousness, a memory surfaced—one that didn't belong to me.

I lay on something soft, darkness comforting me. When I opened my eyes, they needed time to adjust to the sunlight that slipped through the tree branches and its green leaves.

Above me was a beautiful woman with long scarlet hair and crimson eyes, crouched down and smiling warmly.

"Finally awake? Was lying on my thighs really that comfortable?" she teased.

"Yes. If I could, I'd use them as a pillow every night."

At that, her cheeks flushed red and she narrowed her eyes playfully. "That's not fair—at least act embarrassed!"

I laughed, and she puffed out her cheeks in a pout. When she finally calmed down, I spoke again, though she was still sulking.

"Okay, I'm sorry for teasing you. Don't be mad, alright?" I said with a grin.

She tried to stay mad, but her expression melted when I pulled out a black flower and tucked it into her hair.

"My lord! You can't just give me something so precious!" she said, trying—and failing—to hide her joy.

"You love the Changing Flower, don't you?"

"Y-Yes, but still..."

I smiled. "Then be my pillow whenever I ask."

She turned away, her cheeks red. "Fine... but only because it's you."

I closed my eyes again, murmuring, "And I told you—call me by my name."

She giggled, gently stroking my head. "Okay..."

Before she could speak my name, the memory dissolved.

***

I jolted awake, eyes snapping open.

"Oh? Finally awake? You've been asleep for three hours. Was lying on my legs really that comfortable?"

A girl with silver hair looked down at me, her smile familiar—eerily so. But more importantly—who was she?