The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

There was only one reason the Nether King chose to come himself instead of sending the Nether army.

The Nether army would face complete annihilation without so much as even touching that man, Isaac.

Therefore, the Nether King descended to personally deliver judgment upon Isaac.

Kuuuuuuuu!

A massive iron gate filling the sky opened, unleashing an intense chill of absolute zero.

At the same time, six magical circles unfolded around Isaac, each extending wings of frigidity. The three pairs of wings displayed the authority of the Ice Sovereign.

After that, countless magic circles continued to expand, while one overarching circle traced a path to surround them all.

Grasping the Frostscythe and reaching upwards, his ice mana was unleashed at maximum power.

Whoooooooo!!!

A pale blue orb formed, swirling and condensing, emanating a dense chill.

9-star ice spell, [Cocytus].

The opponent was the Nether King. From the start, Isaac judged that only by unleashing [Cocytus] and a joint attack with Daikan could he hope to match him.

Kwoong!

A black arm held onto the door of the open iron gate.

Within the iron gate filled with darkness, several red, glowing eyes flashed.

Soon, a transcendent ice magic beast revealed itself outside the iron gate.

[Kraaaaaa!!]

A black monster.

The roar of the Primordial Beast of Ice, resounded throughout the area.

Whooooosh.

Countless magic circles etched themselves in the sky, extending chains to ensnare Isaac and Daikan.

“The Nether’s Law…”

Those countless chains served to suppress transcendent power for the balance and order of the Nether.

“That won’t be enough to restrain us.”

Isaac released an intense surge of cold.

Hwaaaaah!!

Crash!

The chains that lunged to restrain Isaac and Daikan froze all at once before they were shattered into pieces.

The Nether’s Law was rendered powerless.

It was impossible to stop Isaac with the powers of Law and truth alone.

Whoooooooo!

Daikan gathered tremendous amounts of ice mana in his mouth, and Isaac prepared to unleash a cold sun.

[So… is that it?]

The Nether King, Hades, looked down at Isaac expressionlessly.

[Is this all?]

“…What?”

As if it were trivial, the Nether King extended his right arm toward Daikan.

Then, a massive golden arm appeared in the air, firmly grasping Daikan’s neck.

[Kraaaaaaah!!]

The enormous arm radiated a mysterious mana as it attempted to snap Daikan’s neck.

The cold Daikan held in his mouth dispersed, and its piercing scream echoed.

“…!”

The absolute zero Daikan unleashed had no effect.

The Nether King possessed the strength to effortlessly hold and crush that cold mass.

Sensing the danger, Isaac triple-casted [Cocytus]. The size and density of mana were incomparable to when he fought Thanatos the Ruination.

He swung his right arm fiercely, launching the 3 instances of [Cocytus] toward the Nether King.

The Nether King silently extended his remaining arm toward the 3 cold suns flying at him.

Kwaaaaaaang!!!!!

A storm of cold mana surged with a brilliant flash.

It was a cold mass spell that turned the area into an icy hell; no one had ever survived such an attack unscathed.

However.

I can still feel his mana.

Isaac couldn’t feel relieved. The presence of the Nether King hadn’t vanished.

It was only natural. There was no way an attack of this level could defeat a god who ruled an entire world.

Isaac urgently extended the wings of [Ice Sovereign] and flew swiftly toward the direction of the elevator.

Kuuuuuuuu!!

“…!!”

A massive wall of golden, radiant mana surged toward Isaac at incredible speed.

Nine-star domain magic, [Wall of Order].

It was a wall that surrounded the entire area. There was nowhere to escape.

It dramatically pushed aside the cold and brilliance, aiming to engulf Isaac.

I’m going to die.

Isaac instinctively felt it.

The moment he was to collide with that wall, he would lose his life.

It was a fleeting moment, too brief to even be considered a thought.

He quickly concentrated ice mana in his right hand and cast [Frost Explosion] toward the ground.

Kwaaah!!

A fierce shockwave struck the ground, creating a wide and deep crater.

Isaac deployed a protective ice barrier and crouched within the indentation on the ground.

Kugugugu!!

The wall of mana passed over Isaac.

Afterward, Isaac stood up. He had no time to feel relief about surviving. He quickly looked around.

The aftermath of [Cocytus] had vanished as if erased, and Daikan was still suffering, held by the Nether King’s massive hand.

But… the Nether King was nowhere to be seen.

Where did he go…?

“…!!”

Before he knew it, the Nether King was right beside Isaac.

In an instant, an astronomical amount of mana condensed fiercely in his hand.

Isaac hastily drew his dark iron sword. [Eclipse] activated, greatly increasing his physical defense.

Sensing the danger, even the Cloak of the Radiant Wolf deployed a powerful ice shield.

Fwoosh!

Isaac, maintaining a defensive stance, pushed off the ground and retreated.

The golden mana gathered in the Nether King’s lightly extended hand spread out in a dazzling display.

Kwoooooom!!!!

“Kaaah!!”

A massive explosion emanated from the Nether King, sweeping through the entire area.

An eardrum-shattering roar. His vision filled with golden light.

A horrific pain surged through his entire body.

The dark iron sword cracked, and Isaac’s body floated in the air briefly before crashing down and rolling helplessly on the ground.

Whoooooooo.

The swirling aftermath of the explosion converged back into the Nether King.

In an instant, his line of sight was cleared.

“Ah…”

It felt as if his consciousness might come to a sudden halt. Isaac’s body trembled uncontrollably as he barely managed to hold onto his mind, which seemed to be slipping away.

It felt as if his body was severely broken inside. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

He placed his hand on the icy ground, attempting to stand.

But he soon collapsed again.

“Huh?”

Isaac realized he had lost both of his legs.

From the place where both legs had been, a torrent of blood poured out, soaking the floor.

But there was no time to succumb to the pain.

I’m okay…

He reassured himself.

As long as he didn’t die, he’d be fine. He had the Blood of the Evanescant, which could fully restore his body. It was his last resort.

Therefore, even if his body was damaged, as long as he survived and reached the elevator, that would suffice.

Isaac’s eyes turned back toward the Nether King.

Hwaaah!!

Isaac flew up on his chill wings while preparing the summoning spell.

Ordinary familiars or minions would likely die a dog’s death before the Nether King.

Then.

“Hilde.”

[Kaaahhh!!]

Isaac once again constructed the world-ending magic [Cocytus].

[The human Stella spoke of. The Ice King…]

The Nether King looked impassively at Isaac, who was radiating a pale blue light from afar.

Despite losing his legs, his will to fight remained, and he flew up with chill wings, ready to battle; it was truly commendable.

It was undeniably clear that Isaac was weaker than the Nether King.

[I am indifferent to whether you defeat Nephid or not.]

“…!”

The Nether King’s voice rang clearly in Isaac’s mind.

The Nether King’s mouth remained still.

[If Nephid comes to rule thy world, that too would merely be part of nature’s course. But thou must not pass through here.]

“Is it because of the order?”

[Under no circumstances should a living being such as thyself interfere with the underworld. Those who violate order deserve judgment.]

Upholding the order of the underworld was of utmost importance to the Nether King.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

[Ice King. I rejected Stella’s proposal to help thou.]

Stella.

Hearing that name, Isaac narrowed his eyes.

Isaac was, after all, merely a living human.

There had to be a clear limit to how strong he could become.

But… if a being of his stature were to reach “that being” in the Icy Lake.

An uncontrollable event was bound to happen, and it was inevitable.

[I will completely eliminate the risk of disrupting the order of all things.]

Uphold the order.

Protect the Nether.

Preserve order.

Maintain providence.

The Nether King, too, had things he must protect.

Therefore, the Nether King could not allow the Ice King to reach the Icy Lake.

“…Is that so.”

Isaac responded coldly.

“I’m in a similar position. I can’t back down either.”

He, too, had things he couldn’t give up.

[…I see. Understood.]

The Nether King extended his arm toward Isaac.

He slowly clenched his extended hand into a fist.

[Magic is forbidden.]

“…!”

[Cocytus] and [Hell of the Crimson Lotus] began to weaken, and the magic circles reversed and shattered completely as they were dispelled.

Isaac’s eyes widened in shock.

[Ice King, did thou truly believe thou could oppose me?]

The Nether.

It was the absolute domain of the Nether King.

Allowing Isaac’s magic was also under the Nether King’s authority.

“This is bullshit…”

Isaac let out a scoff, finding the situation absurd.

But he couldn’t give up. He gripped the Frostscythe in both hands and charged at the Nether King.

Magic is forbidden?

Then, before his opponent could even speak, he would unleash a rapid barrage of instant-cast attacks.

He swung the Frostscythe, casting [Absolute Zero]. The cold slash, unhindered by spatial limits, aimed to cut through the Nether King.

Whoosh!

The Nether King swung the edge of his hand, sending out an invisible slash that tore through [Absolute Zero] and warped the surrounding space. The attack struck Isaac, slicing through even his left arm.

The Frostscythe fell, and Isaac’s eyes shook violently.

But without giving up, Isaac flew forward. He immediately converted the Frostscythe back into mana and retrieved it.

He concentrated ice mana in his sole remaining right hand. With a five-star [Frost Explosion], he should have been able to cast it immediately.

Then, the Nether King raised his arm, and a majestic arm appeared in midair.

The almighty hand of the divine that had subdued even the Primordial Beast of Ice. [Heaven’s Hand].

A mysterious mana surrounded that arm.

Booooom!!

The [Heaven’s Hand] swung toward Isaac.

Isaac stopped his charge and tried to veer off to escape, but the all-consuming [Wall of Order] appeared, closing in from above and both sides, trapping him completely.

Isaac came to a halt in midair.

There was nowhere to escape. No matter where he went, he would die. Standing still meant death as well.

He had to find a way to survive.

He had to survive somehow.

It would be fine. Things had worked out so far.

Reassuring himself that things would somehow work out, he quickly started thinking.

But… he couldn’t come up with any solution.

In that brief instant, with death looming before him, Isaac’s nerves were razor-sharp.

Ah…

The feeling of unease he had sensed earlier.

This feeling…

A murderous mana, hidden behind the Nether King’s mana.

The mana of a monster that had sensed and reacted to Isaac’s mana before he crossed the rift.

Now, in the Nether, as he focused his awareness, he could easily identify the owner of that mana.

Isaac asked calmly, “What’s your business here, Om?”

Suddenly, a dark purple shield appeared around Isaac.

Kwaaaaa!!!!!

[What?]

A wave of dark purple mana burst forth like a flash, pushing back the [Wall of Order] and [Heaven’s Hand] and forcing the Nether King to retreat.

The mana of the eternal.

The shield surrounding Isaac nullified all attacks, protecting him.

The Nether King rose into the air as if weightless, sending shockwaves flying.

The sky, pierced with holes, was stained like the night sky.

In an instant, a prison of void spread around, and dense darkness descended.

Countless massive heads linked by pillars rose from a distant place, connecting the endless sky to the depths of the abyss.

It was impossible to gauge its size.

[Kahahahaha!!!]

The pillar of human heads laughed loudly.

Then, a transcendent being wrapped in dark purple rings, a jet-black giant appeared, radiating terrifying mana.

Even the Nether King’s domain became meaningless.

The Nether’s Law couldn’t even interfere within this prison of darkness.

[Eternal… Do thou dare defy me?]

The Abyss, Om the Eternal.

After being defeated by Isaac and coming to the Nether, he had mercilessly swept through powerful enemies, grasping the status of transcendence.

[Ice King, Isaac, thanks to you, I have received the ultimate feast!]

Om let out a hearty laugh with his deep voice.

[And you as well. Survive and become a feast for me!]

Om’s blazing determination and greed were fully directed at the Nether King.

[This fight with the Nether King is mine!]

Isaac, already battered and broken, gazed weakly at Om with open, unfocused eyes.

Om extended his arms to either side, releasing an eerie mana.

[Hear me, Nether King. My name is Om. I will devour you and become the new ruler of the Nether!]

“…”

Isaac gave no response. He simply closed his eyes.

His body was engulfed in darkness as he was banished from the prison of eternity.

The Nether King narrowed his eyes and glared at Om.

[…Why, Eternal? Thou chose to abandon the pilgrimage of reincarnation and remain here. Here, thou can truly find eternal satisfaction, endlessly battling formidable foes to thy heart’s content. So why would thou forsake that eternity?]

[Though I am one who was defeated by the Ice King, it was because of that defeat that I could truly understand.]

Om’s voice resounded through the prison of eternity.

[Nether King, nothing is truly eternal!]

There is no immortality.

Om cast aside his title of “Eternal” and challenged the Nether King.

The corners of the Nether King’s mouth lifted slightly.

[Excellent. I respect thy wishes.]

As the Nether King drew upon his mana, dozens of [Heaven’s Hand] extended from the golden rings that followed him.

An exalted divinity. This was the full power of the Nether King.

The mana released by both beings distorted the space around them.

And then, they clashed.