The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

A pure white trajectory dashed across the ground.

It was the trace of Atlas wielding the Aura Blade.

Each swing of his sword left a large mark on the boiling hellish earth, sweeping away the white demons like fallen leaves.

The destination of the trajectory was always the main body of Asmodeus.

Just as he could erase the white demons with a single blow, Atlas’s strike pierced through Asmodeus’s barrier, landing a hit on his main body.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

The sword qi he fired off without gathering power in one hand pierced the barrier but didn’t deal significant damage to the main body.

[[[You’ve got enough skill to show off. But how long will that last? Do you genuinely think a human body can withstand this hell for long?]]]

As Asmodeus shouted, several slug-like creatures attached to his body reached out toward Atlas.

They shot out at tremendous speed, but Atlas’s spatial movement was faster.

The slugs devoured the unlucky demons, then swam through the air again toward Atlas.

Soon after, red flames ignited, targeting a position perfect for Atlas to dodge.

It was the power of Asmodeus.

With the ability to set hellfire ablaze wherever he desired, Asmodeus gradually tightened the noose around Atlas’s life.

Though Atlas kept escaping to unexpected places using spatial movement, and while he was walking on air, space was limited.

He couldn’t keep this up for long.

Demons appearing in the human world aren’t part of that world, so they struggle to inflict wounds with its objects.

Even if they die, they just return to their hell.

But in hell, demons can be killed.

The problem was that a Great Demon could wield nearly infinite power in their own hell, leading to an endless war of attrition.

Atlas could smash through Asmodeus’s barrier and strike his main body.

However, due to various factors, his power was diminished enough that it couldn’t land a fatal blow.

Asmodeus’s attacks from the various creatures extending from his swarm were also fatal for Atlas.

But Atlas wasn’t allowing even a single hit.

A delicate balance was being maintained between the two.

[[[Looks like that burden is heavy. If that’s the case, you should have accepted my offer from the start!!]]]

“It’s as light as a feather, so don’t meddle in my business!”

Amidst the fierce battle between the Master and the Great Demon, Amy had become Atlas’s burden.

Amy was no weak individual who would get lost anywhere.

With varied experiences battling countless demons at a young age, she was a promising talent already eyeing expert-level status.

However, recently, every opponent she faced ranked among the strongest.

Atlas, with one arm wrapped around Amy’s waist, was running around like crazy.

The fact that his attacks weren’t inflicting proper damage on Asmodeus stemmed from this situation.

He was holding someone larger than himself with one arm, severely reducing the precision and destructive power of his attacks.

Yet, he had no intention of putting Amy down.

Demons under Asmodeus’s command were pouring in endlessly from the ground, and he didn’t think for a second that Amy could fend them off while simultaneously evading Asmodeus’s attacks.

It wasn’t difficult to dodge while holding Amy.

With his power of spatial movement, he could travel a thousand miles with just a single step if he focused.

Even if he was trapped in the blazing hell dominated by Asmodeus, he could easily maneuver to evade Asmodeus to the point of being unrecognizable.

And Amy, being treated like baggage, wasn’t being useless.

She was acting like an automatic turret, firing away with her pistol to keep distracting other demons.

– It’s a mess now. Can you explain the situation?

‘Got caught in Asmodeus’s trap, and when I escaped, I got delivered right in front of him..!!’

Amy’s companion’s voice, which had been silent when trapped in a small world, began to reach her again in hell.

When Amy was falling into the small world, she thought her companion had reached enlightenment or something, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

– Oh no… Did that mansion have something like that? I can answer everything I know, but I didn’t know about that.

Her companion, who seemed to think a problem had occurred, was back to acting like nothing happened before the voice disappeared.

‘What’s past is past… Right now, finding a way out of this situation is more important!’

– Right. Choosing to fight Asmodeus is the right call. He’s one of the most wicked among the Great Demons. If he finds it interesting, he’ll keep tormenting you, so either fight or avoid him altogether.

‘Is there a weakness?’

The companion pondered for a moment before speaking.

– There’s one.

A giant bird’s beak brushed past Amy’s nose.

Atlas noticed just in time to pull his body back; otherwise, his head would’ve been chopped off.

– Unlike Beelzebub, who can become his swarm itself, that guy hides his main body within it. If you can find it, there’s a chance of victory.

‘Main body? What does it look like…?’

– It’s the only one that has horns like a demon. Just by looking, you’ll know immediately that it’s the main body.

“Atlas..! They say the main body is hiding inside that! If we kill that, it’s over!”

——————————————

It’s a bit tough.

Without any equipment other than a single sword, I’m wasting a lot of energy.

I should’ve brought a holy artifact.

If I had a holy artifact, I could eliminate the annoying demons buzzing around like flies before starting.

‘Who would have thought that a casual house call would end up involving a Great Demon!’

My attacks can inflict damage on Asmodeus, but his attacks can also deal significant damage to me.

The various beings rapidly extending from his body have colossal mass, and allowing even one attack would be fatal.

Additionally, the creatures that extend from him further carry out secondary attacks according to their characteristics, making things extremely bothersome.

Whether bugs or marine creatures, they don’t just stop when they pop out; they scatter byproducts all around during their attacks, and sometimes Asmodeus’s powers keep me anxious.

His power is like a fiery love story—it’s a power to ignite hellfire.

Yes, he has the ability to set ablaze whatever he wants.

For now, I’m dodging using spatial movement, but the moment I stop, I would be engulfed in flames, burning like a barbecue.

No matter how much of a Master I am, if my body is set ablaze by his powers and I’m crushed under that mass, survival would be impossible.

The intense heat, the demons closing in from all around, and each of Asmodeus’s attacks drain the life out of me, yet my body is filled with endless vitality.

The rhythmic pulse of a fragile life in my arms pushes me forward, constantly whipping me onward.

Though I’m carrying Amy like a sack, she truly isn’t just a sack.

Should I call her a high-performance automatic demon interception turret?

Amy’s upper body jutted out behind me, generously offering the demons targeting my back a little present in the form of hollow-point bullets.

“Atlas…!! Unlike Beelzebub, Asmodeus has his ‘main body’ hidden inside! We need to hit it!!”

“Main body?”

Upon hearing that there was a weakness, I turned my head in surprise, but I couldn’t see Amy’s face.

I realized something was off about my stance.

Since she was behind me, I had to twist my neck awkwardly to see her unless I changed the position of holding her.

While it wasn’t her face, I caught sight of a round and luscious butt, akin to an apple.

As she snapped shots at the demons approaching from behind, every time she adjusted her position for balance, it perked up enticingly.

As I dazedly gazed at the sight, I absentmindedly grabbed the handle of the squirette with my mouth and raised my free hand.

–Slap!

“Eek??”

Since she was only wearing a thin skirt instead of her usual thick pants, the sound was particularly clear.

And the delightful sensation on my palm felt great.

I was overtaken by the impulse to slap a few more times, but then a dull pain hit my back.

“What… what are you doing??”

“Haha, great info!”

Amy, startled, smacked my back with the handle of her pistol, but I just laughed in response.

She was probably blushing bright red.

“Ugh… when I get back, I won’t let you off the hook!!”

“Yeah! You should! But first, let’s get through this mess.”

After laughing heartily, the heat in my head that had flared up moments ago cleared instantly.

The squirette in my hand was glowing brightly again, and once more, pure white trajectories obliterated the demons filling the earth and sky.

‘You said there’s a main body…?’

Honestly, my knowledge only stretched to ‘Demon Bishop.’

In the novels, there hadn’t been a proper confrontation with a Great Demon; I had only seen one-sided beatdowns before being dragged into this world, and the limited materials left behind contained scant information about Great Demons.

I was somewhat curious about how Amy knew this, but since she was a demon specialist, she must have had different sources of information.

I could trust her words, and anyway, there wasn’t any other way except trying.

The main body would surely emit a different presence from the other tangled creatures.

I heard it only has the demon-like horns.

As for outside… I couldn’t see anything like that.

I would love to blow that demon away entirely, but the damn power makes that hard.

Once I stand still, endless demons would swarm in and the ignition power would turn my existence into nothing but a charred remains.

“Phew…!!”

At the very least, I was relieved that I could breathe normally.

Although the air in this blazing hell was hot, the power contained within it was greater than my original home.

It didn’t contain any magical energy, though.

It was just unique enough to convert into aura and circulate within my body.

“5… no, maybe 10 seconds…?”

I’d have to push my limits.

Running away while throwing tiny attacks wasn’t going to deal significant damage to Asmodeus.

The hellfire manifesting from Asmodeus was gradually filling the area, limiting my movement, and I couldn’t say how long I could keep dodging like this.

If his main body is somewhere in me, I would just need to blow my entire body away.

I’d need an attack powerful enough to break through the barrier always surrounding him and erase that massive mass.

Utilizing Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship would make it possible, but it would take time to prepare the technique, meaning I’d need to buy at least 10 seconds.

Quickly calculating, based on the assumption that Amy is holding off the demons, I wondered how long I could withstand Asmodeus’s powers.

If I could hold out for about 10 seconds, I would have a chance to finish Asmodeus.

“Amy, can you help me out for about 10 seconds?”

“… I’ll try.”