The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

“….”

“….”

A long, long game of fire ended, leading to an awkward silence.

The clothing, which had only partially been removed, was now completely off, leaving us in our natural state.

The layers of clothing that had been tossed aside lay scattered haphazardly across the living room floor, while I held Amy, who was lying on her side on the bed, from behind.

Feeling the warm scent from her back and the soft touch I had grasped, I felt the lingering embers of desire still smoldering in my heart.

In the weight of the awkward silence, I wondered who would speak first and decided to break the ice.

“… What happened with you today, Amy?”

“Why so serious?”

It seemed like Amy wanted to cut off my words, so she jumped in first.

“I had no choice but to go with it. Let’s just forget about it. I think I’m a bit messed up. Besides, River is around…”

Without even looking at me, she hastily spilled her words while still turned away.

Seeing that, I gathered my resolve.

“Hiyaaan??”

As I grasped the round mound of softness, Amy was startled and leaned back.

“What… what are you doing…!!”

“What strange words are you saying?”

I pulled her up while still holding her from behind.

Now we were sitting facing each other.

“Amy.”

“Yes?”

Seeing her eyes filled with tension caused her to panic.

At that final moment, perhaps fearing what would come next, Amy tried to convince herself it was all just a joke.

That could very well be true.

Given the circumstances, it was possible that unexpected words slipped out.

But I believed her confession was sincere.

I couldn’t forgive her for running away now.

“If you don’t like it, push me away.”

I leaned forward toward Amy.

Her appearance drew steadily closer in my sight.

“Atlas, wait… I’m not ready yet…”

Why, after so openly revealing her feelings, did she try to run away at the last moment?

I took that as a sign that she still lacked trust in me.

Amy wasn’t bound by anything.

She could easily push me away or avoid me if she wanted, yet she didn’t.

During that short span of time, her expression changed multiple times.

Surprise, confusion, and then her hand inching forward as if to push me away…

In the end, she let her hands fall and gently closed her eyes.

Once we were close enough to feel each other’s breath, our lips finally met.

Nothing more happened.

Our touching lips served as a seal confirming our hearts.

A few seconds later, as our lips separated, Amy sank her head down and gently touched her lips with one hand.

We had done many things just moments before, but we hadn’t kissed until now.

That act certainly held more meaning than just a physical connection.

“You’re not too small for me to handle. Don’t say that.”

“…”

Amy, looking like she was malfunctioning, could only blink and stare at me without a word.

I took her dainty hands and pressed my lips against hers once more.

This time it didn’t stop at just meeting.

As our lips pressed together, they parted, and our tongues intertwined.

“!!”

Surprised by the unfamiliar sensation of my tongue roaming her mouth, Amy was startled but surrendered quickly.

As my tongue sought hers and they began to entwine, she squeezed the hands we were holding tightly.

Our two bodies intertwined, and our lips pressed even closer together.

After a while of exploring each other’s mouths, our tongues finally untangled.

“Phew… huff…”

I could hear our heavy breathing.

As our lips pulled away and our entwined tongues separated, Amy had her tongue sticking out blankly.

She seemed unable to escape the heat of our shared breath, which was less than a hand’s breadth apart.

Finding that look cute, I brushed back the hair sticking to her sweaty face.

“Let’s talk again after we get out.”

“Y-yeah…”

.

.

.

.

.

.

Both of us collected our thoughts and stood at the door.

The condition written on the metal plate in the storage room had already been fulfilled.

The door, which had been shut tight, was now wide open.

If it had crumbled as soon as the condition was met, it would have been shocking, but thankfully, it waited until we finished everything.

What if, upon opening it, we found ourselves in Tartarus or something?

Turning the well-oiled door quietly, another flash of light burst forth.

The same sensation of being thrown into the air hit my whole body as it had when we entered.

.

.

.

.

.

.

After what felt like spinning in the air for a while, I watched as the light that filled my view started to fade.

The light was gone, but the force of gravity still held my body captive.

I could still feel the powerful drop, almost enough to make my knees weak.

“Atlas…!!!”

“Wait there…!!”

Regaining my senses and looking around, I didn’t see darkness but colors instead.

As I continued to fall, I thought for sure I was thrown into Tartarus, but that wasn’t the case.

I stepped toward the direction of Amy’s voice.

‘It’s working…!’

My body, which had been free-falling through the empty space, soared toward Amy.

The laws of physics were indeed functioning.

“Atlas… this isn’t the Academy..!!”

“I know because I can see it too!”

I caught Amy, who was likewise free-falling, and steadied myself with my legs planted firmly in the air while scanning our surroundings.

“Damn it…”

I could see a black sky and a crimson ground.

In the pitch-black sky, not a single star could be spotted; instead, messy cracks spread like a spider’s web and glimmered faintly.

On the red earth, I saw crimson rocks and sand, but something else caught my eye even more.

It was the blazing Flame Sea.

Literally, there was a sea of flames stretching to the horizon instead of water, and though small, I could feel countless souls suffering in that inferno.

The horrific scene paled Amy’s face, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

Wouldn’t it be safer to be thrown into Tartarus instead?

“… No way… this can’t be…”

“It’s Hell…”

A place filled with human souls tortured by boiling sulfur flames, and demons that feast on their suffering.

This is not a place where living beings should exist.

We had fallen into Hell, the homeland of demons.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Ugh, what an unfortunate fate..!!”

Shaking off the black soot that clung to the Squirette, I touched down on the ground.

Having been in the sky, the winged demons kept approaching, and I managed to slaughter a few before safely landing on the ground.

“Ugh… it’s so hot…”

“… If you circulate your aura, you should be able to endure it a bit.”

Even though I had landed, Hell was definitely not a place where humans could live.

Even when I was up in the air, I felt the intense heat, but now that I had landed, the boiling geothermal heat rose to almost choking levels.

The scorching Flame Sea was not the only source of the heat; the entire area was a furnace.

If I had been an ordinary person, I would have died the moment I landed, but thankfully, Amy had also stepped into the realm of the extraordinary, allowing her to endure the heat.

Even so, it would be tough to last long in Hell, but it felt much better than that small world we were just in.

“Still, escape from Hell should be easier than from Tartarus.”

“…. It seems even you, Atlas, understood that.”

“I’ve done a lot of research on demons.”

Unlike that small world where the escape methods were extremely limited… Hell has quite a few ways to get out.

We could likely escape quickly.

From here on, it’s a race against time.

Though we could endure longer than regular people, we were still expending energy all the same.

And in Hell, there are no means to replenish that energy.

Here, there are only burning sulfur and boiling oil, so finding water to drink was impossible.

All the creatures around were tainted with magical presence, making it impossible to eat anything.

In normal conditions, one could last over a month, but in this scorching place, the energy drain would be even more severe.

We had to escape quickly.

“The escape methods from Hell…”

I had intended to conserve my energy and move quickly, but just then, a chilling presence seeped behind me.

[[[Hahaha, that was fun. I never imagined that something I left behind would lead to such a delightful love!]]]

Multiple mixed voices echoed.

It wasn’t as though a hydra was speaking with several heads; rather, it sounded like multiple entities were speaking at once, almost orchestrated.

Amy and I turned around simultaneously, each shared a glance of tension.

And then, dozens of eyes stared back at us.

A massive amalgamation with countless heads writhed before us.

I wanted to express it in another way, but no matter how I thought about it, describing it as a “mass” seemed most fitting.

It wasn’t just one entity.

Multiple beings entwined like a jigsaw puzzle.

Male and female humans, chickens and cows, dogs and cats, eagles and sharks—all sorts of creatures intermingled in pairs, resembling animals that had boarded Noah’s Ark all fused together.

It was a sight so disgusting it almost made me retch, but it also inspired a sense of awe.

I could feel that this gigantic swarm wasn’t merely a show of size.

[[[Relax, I won’t eat you or anything!]]]

Asmodeus laughed at Amy and me, who were standing unharmed.

That awe-inspiring creature was none other than the Lord of Hell, the Great Demon of Lust—Asmodeus.

[[[Though, it might depend on what you two decide to do.]]]

After finally escaping, our destination was Hell?

And the Great Demon shows up in person to greet us?

Truly showing its ruthless reputation as a Great Demon.

This is too much.