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Asmodeus and Clara stood completely paralyzed, the weight of whatever words they had just heard from Iruma leaving them in absolute, breathless shock.
That can’t be true, right? Iruma-sama would never say that. Like…of course not. Would he have told anyone else? Does Kalego-sensei know? Asmodeus couldn’t think right. After all, that was hella unexpected.
Clara's eyes dimmed slightly. Iruma-chi…he wouldn’t…But…Clara didn’t want that. She wanted Iruma-chi!
Seizing the moment of vulnerability, Fenrir turned on his heel, his grip firm on Iruma as he hoped to make a quick departure.
Kalego’s gaze turned to the stunned faces of his students. He needed to run to them and tell them to leave. It wasn’t safe from them. As he took a step closer to them, from the corner of his eyes, his brother had already turned around, his grip on the back of Iruma’s uniform collar.
Narnia was his brother, someone who Kalego trusted. Except, Narnia was actually strong. Would Kalego even have a chance to fight him? … It doesn’t matter. Iruma was Babyls’ treasure. And no one should dare to hurt his treasure — even if it was Kalego’s family. As Kalego took a step closer to Fenrir, a small feeling of doubt filled his mind.
Kalego raised his right arm in the air, a determined expression filling his eyes, as a small strike of lightning materialized near him.
‘Cerberion,’ Kalego ordered. The three-headed beast manifested, letting out a growl, waiting for orders. Kalego brought down his arm to shoulder-level, and flicked his wrist in a down-ward motion. ‘Hand (手),’
Kalego’s cerberus growled loudly, before launching its hand at Fenrir. As Fenrir turned around with Iruma, the attack was intercepted by Amy Azami, who stood there, using his blood-line ability to create a glass barrier, stopping Cerberus. Kalego’s eyes widened for a split second, before calming down. He retained his posture, tensing his finger muscles. Cerberus kept putting pressure on the glass barrier, before deciding to put weight with its entire body, causing the glass to shatter into sparkly dust.
Right as the barrier shattered, the heavy rooftop doors barged open, revealing Robin, Momonoki, Dali, Ifrit and Blushuenko, who instantly scanned the rooftop, assessing the situation.
Dali and Blushuenko sprinted across the pavement to where Asmoudeus and Clara stood. Dali’s laid-back dali-ness immediately vanished as he stood in front of his students, ready to safeguard them. Blushuenko scanned for any visible injuries, checking them carefully, concern etched on his face.
On the other side, Robin ran towards Shiida, who was slumped weakly on the ground, staring blankly at Iruma with helplessness and defeat. Robin dropped down to his knees, grabbed her shoulders in a desperate plea.
‘Shiida-sensei! Look at me!’ Robin exclaimed, trying to snap Shiida out of her trance. ‘Are you okay?’
Azami stumbled backwards, his eyes widened in surprise. As he turned his neck, he felt Fenrir glaring at him, causing Azami to shiver in slight fear. Cerberus dissipated, leaving behind a small trail of lightning.
‘Step aside, Amy,’ Kalego ordered. ‘You’re being a nuisance.’
‘I can’t do that, Naberius-sensei,’ Azami retorted. His eyes dilated slightly, before commanding. ‘Kneel.’
Kalego flinched as his knees buckled, moving on their own. He used his body weight to resist the command, ordering his Cerberus to attack Azami again.
Dali, who was observing Kalego, turned to look at Momonoki and Ifirt, and nodded. Momonoki and Ifrit nodded back, understanding the order. Ifirt manifested his purple flames and launched it at Azami, acting as a support for Kalego. Momonoki flicked her wand with a swish and a flick, inverbally speaking a spell.
Robin was practically shaking Shiida’s shoulders, his face full of uncharacteristic gravity.
‘Shiida-sensei! This isn't like you! Get up!’
Shiida’s eyes slowly blinked, the fog of her depression briefly parting as she looked into Robin’s bright, frantic expression.
‘Robin-sensei…I let them…I let them take I-Iruma-kun.’
‘Not yet!’ Robin exclaimed, pointing to Fenrir, who stood behind Azami. ‘He’s still there. Iruma-kun hasn't left yet!’
Shiida blinked, turning to find Iruma. As she spotted him, she turned to look at Robin. The crushing weight of guilt continued to overwhelm her as she thought about the harm Iruma might face. Seeing Robin’s expression eased her burden slightly, as she took a deep breath, composing herself,
‘I-I can fight!’
Momonoki nonverbalised a spell, letting a blast of pale blue light to slice through the air, hitting its mark. The magical pressure attacked Azami, breaking his concentration, causing his Kneel command to revoke. Kalego nearly collapsed to the ground with the sudden lack of pressure as he stood up, his violet eyes growing brightly with anger.
At the same moment, Ifrit released his purple flames, letting them close in on Azami, engulfing his line of sigh. The moment Azami noticed the flames inching closer to him, he used his barrier magic to summon a glass barrier as he instinctively took a few steps backwards.
With Azami completely blindsided and separated from Fenrir, a blur of white tore across the roof. Shiida, who had now composed herself, blitzed past the clashing magic. She used her explosive speed to launch a kick at Fenrir’s blindspot. Just noticing the kick, Fenrir summoned a shield, taking a few steps backwards. The speed of the kick caused Fenrir to instinctively drop his hold on Iruma, causing the blue-haired boy to stumble forwards.
‘Iruma-kun!’ Robin exclaimed, using his mana to create a bow, as he pointed at Fenrir, waiting for Kalego’s command. ‘Get behind! Now!’
Fenrir clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowing as he let out a sigh. His eyes dilated again, turning emotionless with the sudden urge to finish this brawl. The air around him suddenly grew remarkably colder, a heavy, suffocating pressure beginning to bleed off his frame. He wasn't just hiding behind a disguise anymore; the sheer weight of his presence was shifting into something far more dangerous. He non-verbally summoned his Cerberus, letting it launch itself to Iruma.
Before the Cerberus could do anything, Kalego’s gaze quickly fell, causing him to run in between the Cerberus and Iruma.
Kalego summoned his shield, protective Iruma and himself before summoning his own Cerberus. ‘Step away from Iruma,’ Kalego ordered as his Cerberus manifested, its three heads growling as it hurled itself to Fenrir’s Cerberion.
Fenrir’s expression turned to anger and frustration.
‘You were always too stubborn for your own good, Kalego,’ Fenrir said, his voice dripping with vile anger. ‘Do you think you can truly do anything? You're just a mere familiar!’
With a sudden wave of his hand, Fenrir unleashed a shockwave of localized wind magic, cutting a sharp path through the air to push back the encroaching purple flames from Ifrit and clear his field of vision. The sheer force of the wind made the gravel on the rooftop skitter loudly against the concrete.
Kalego didn't budge an inch. He threw his arm forward, directing Cerberion to intercept. ‘I don’t think anything, Brother,’ Kalego replied, yelling back. ‘I know that you are an enemy of Babyls and a threat to our treasures!’
The three-headed beast roared, leaping over the fractured pavement with lightning snapping violently from its jaws. Fenrir met the charge head-on, his movements impossibly fast as he dodged the first snapping jaw and countered with a heavy, mana-infused strike of his own. The collision of their magic sent a resonant boom echoing across the rooftop, the bright golden sparks illuminating the grim determination etched across Kalego's face.
Dali kept his eyes locked on the clash, his fingers subtly twitching as he calculated their next move. The wind pressure from Narnia’s attack was intense, but Dali didn't waver. He shifted his stance slightly, keeping himself positioned firmly between the active combat zone and the students.
‘Blushuenko-sensei,’ Dali said with a sharp and definitive tone. ‘Keep Asmodeus and Valac safe. They shouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.’
Blushuenko nodded, staying in front of the pair completely ready to block anything.
Dali’s eyes turned to Robin, who still had his bow in his hand, his eyes filled with pure concentration.
‘Robin-sensei! If Azami tried anything, pin him down.’
‘Understood!’ Robin exclaimed, pouring more mana into his bow as he turned to Azami. ‘Target: Lock on.’
Dali turned his attention back to the center of the rooftop, where Kalego and Fenrir were trading rapid blows. The sheer density of Narnia's mana was starting to crack the concrete beneath them. Dali raised his hands, preparing to weave a supporting spell to disrupt Narnia’s footing before Kalego could be overwhelmed by the raw power of his older brother.
Just as Dali was about to cast a spell, Momonoki propelled herself into the crossfire, grabbing the back of Iruma’s uniform as she dragged him backwards towards safety.
With Iruma clear of the immediate danger zone, Dali leaped forward to join the fray. His playful demeanor was entirely replaced by tactical precision as he synchronized his magic with Kalego's aggressive frontal assault. Together, the two senior teachers pressed Fenrir, forcing him to split his focus between Kalego’s relentless golden lightning and Dali’s swift, calculated counter-spells.
Seeing Fenrir being cornered by the dual assault, Azami quickly recovered from the edge of the roof. He thrust his hands forward, preparing to manifest a massive glass barrier to cut off Dali and Kalego's momentum and bail his boss out.
Kalego’s sharp eyes caught the movement instantly.
‘Newbie, shoot!’ Kalego roared, not breaking his offensive position.
Robin didn't hesitate for a single fraction of a second. The moment Kalego’s command echoed across the roof, he released the taut bowstring. The glowing magical arrow zipped through the air with a sharp whistle, tearing straight through Azami’s forming glass barrier before it could fully solidify. The arrow pierced clean into Azami's shoulder, the force of the hit causing him to stumble backward with a sharp grunt of pain, completely disrupting his spell as his shoulder started to bleed.
Narnia turned to look at Azami, surprise filling his eyes.
That single moment of divided attention was all the opening the senior faculty needed.
‘Ifrit-sensei! Now!’ Dali shouted, dropping low to the ground. He slammed both palms onto the concrete, channeling his mana directly into the structure of the roof. The pavement beneath Fenrir's boots suddenly cracked and liquefied into unstable, shifting gravel, completely sabotaging his balance.
At the exact same instant, Ifrit unleashed the true depth of his power. A massive torrent of roaring purple fire erupted from his hands, spiraling through the air like a localized cyclone. The intense heat forced Fenrir to cross his arms and expend a massive amount of his remaining mana just to manifest a rushed personal shield against the blazing inferno.
Through the haze of purple smoke and blinding heat waves, Kalego moved like a shadow. There was no hesitation left in his stance. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he recalled Cerberion, merging the three-headed beast's raw power directly into his own right arm. Lightning arced violently across his knuckles, turning his entire fist into a blinding sphere of golden electricity.
‘This ends now, Brother,’ Kalego growled.
Kalego summoned his Cerberus, letting the golden lightning manifest itself into Kalego’s Cerberus. He sighed, before tensing his muscles, ordering his Ceberus to attack.
‘Ceberion, cage claw.’
Cerberus launched itself at Fenrir, engulfing him in Cerberus’ claws like a cage, stopping Fenrir from discharging any more attacks. As Cerberus put more pressure, Kalego’s eyes turned cold as he fisted his hands.
‘Hand (手),’ Kalego ordered.
Fenrir quickly summoned a barrier as Cerberus released its cage, attacking Fenrir with its paw. It slammed its paw into the barrier, putting more pressure as Kalego released more mana. As the barrier shattered, Fenrir stumbled backwards, his breathing ragged as he looked around, trying to fight back. Near him, Azami was already on the ground, kneeling with one knee with Robin in front of him, a less-mana infused bow pointing at Azami’s head. The other teachers had already secured the perimeter, ensuring no one escaped.
Dali, who was on a call with the Chairdemon, cut the call, a smile playing on his lips as he gave Kalego a thumbs up.
Asmodeus and Clara ran to Iruma.
‘Iruma-chi!’ Clara cried, her voice cracking as she ran to hug Iruma.
Asmodeus stepped in front of them both, his fire magic flickering weakly at his fingertips as his body trembled from the sheer adrenaline and emotional shock. His mind was still spinning from Iruma's words, but looking at his friend's disheveled uniform and exhausted expression, the loyalty deep in his chest flared back to life. It doesn't matter what happened. Right now, we protect him
Iruma looked between his two best friends, his lower lip quivering slightly.
‘Azz-kun... Clara…’
He wanted to explain, he wanted to apologize, but the words felt trapped in his throat.
‘You don’t need to speak right now, Iruma-sama,’ Asmodues said softly as he hugged Iruma and Clara. ‘You’re here.’
Shiida smiled seeing Iruma and his friends happily reunited. But her moment of relief didn’t last long as she felt a small looming shadow of Kalego.
‘Shiida. We appreciate your assistance in neutralizing the intruders,’ Kalego started, his eyes hardening with no emotion. ‘However, Border Patrol has also claimed your association with the Six Fingers. And hence, Shiida of Six-fingers, we need to talk.’