The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All - Chapter 192:

The powerhouses of the nation gathered.

Laura Hartmann, the Paladin, faced the dragon alone for the sake of her people.

Evangeline Lohengrin is the youngest person ever to rise to the rank of High Witch.

Ahn Joo-Hyuk singlehandedly saved tens of thousands of citizens and the city against a wave of monsters.

Reiko Fujiwara, the president of Japan.

Lee Wuwei is the hero of salvation and the embodiment of the female dragon.

Gamalterra, beloved by the Earth Spirit King.

Richard smashed hundreds of gates and dungeons with a single Warhammer.

Anastasia Lukyanenko can freeze raging lava and tidal waves in an instant.

Ossie Evans, who wields four magic swords.

And Lee Myung-Joon, the leader of the Ten Strongest, single-handedly shot down a floating dragon while leading the Thunder God’s Hammer.

“……”

Lee Myung-Joon silently raised his trident and pushed himself to his feet.

He didn’t need to check the time to know.

Goosebumps broke out all over his body, and he felt thousands of thorns piercing him.

Everyone could feel it.

Suddenly, a ghastly sound echoed in all directions.

“The seal is broken…”

A large crack had been carved into the surface of the stone statue, which had never been scratched by any means.

Another crack appeared, taking root from the first.

Myung-Joon sighed and readjusted his trident.

The first face that flashed across his mind was not that of his sister but that of Yuzuki Horie.

He was the one who had decided to leave her behind, and that was why she hadn’t been able to participate in this battle.

She probably still doesn’t realize that she was excluded from the battle.

“When I meet her later, I’ll be beaten to death.”

“If I meet her later…”

He smiled wryly.

The statue was covered in cracks.

And through the gap, a blindingly intense light was emanating.

– Kaaaaaaaah!!!

A black dragon stirred in the sky, emitting a chilling roar.

It was staring at them with its fiery red eyes.

The dragon was none other than Lee Wuwei.

That was the signal.

The plaza was suddenly filled with life.

“Goddess, please allow your children to achieve victory…”

“Mana, coalesce, shimmer at will, and envelop us…”

“The flesh and blood of my body will soon become the wick for your flame…”

Laura Hartmann, Evangeline Lohengrin, and Ahn Joo-Hyuk began their preparation.

They could typically manifest their skills at a high level instantaneously.

But right now, they were performing their skills with great care, word by word.

Their chants created a layer of protection magic upon everyone.

Reiko Fujiwara, Anastasia Lukyanenko, and Ossie Evans followed suit.

“Blow, blow, dance…”

“Whoosh…”

“……”

Reiko Fujiwara waved her paper fan, and the woman with the light blue hair brought her palm to the corner of her mouth and gently blew into it.

The man with four oddly shaped swords on his back drew one and drove it deep into the ground.

“Great ancestor, watch and see how brave your descendants are!”

Richard, a middle-aged man who raised his massive warhammer to the sky, shouted.

The armor around his body began to expand gradually until it reached the size of a large building before it stopped.

The man, now a giant suit of armor itself, began to pound himself with his massive weapon.

He positioned himself in front of the statue.

“…Let’s go.”

Gamalterra muttered, and the asphalt beneath them shook.

As if scooped up by an invisible shovel, dirt, pebbles, and rocks began to float up, coalescing into a single form.

It soon became a golem.

But it was many times larger than a normal golem and looked fleshy.

“It’s been almost five years since the ten of us have been able to gather.”

Myung-Joon tightened his grip on his trident, trembling with electricity.

His spear was glowing brightly and burning red, the metal it was made of threatening to melt.

As he nonchalantly repaired it, he muttered quietly.

“I’ll kill you before you even realize you’re awake.”

The statue had long since crumbled to dust.

The black-gray and crimson outer shell it contained began to crack open, releasing a cloud of poison.

“Here we go!”

The hulking heavy warrior Richard roared once more, raising his warhammer.

A pure white light poured down from above, engulfing the area Minerva stood on.

A barrage of weaponry followed soon after.

Aegis has recognized the threat.

“Take this!”

Before it was over, Myung-Joon threw his trident, and it became a spear of lightning that struck Minerva right where her heart was.

That wasn’t the end of it.

The lightning spear in Minerva’s chest doubled as a lightning rod.

It flashed briefly and made a small, crackling sound.

Then, a shower of thunderbolts began to fall from the sky.

This technique had previously silenced a Rank S Dragon in a single strike.

One by one, the thunderbolts, each with the power to devastate a city, began to pierce through the air, targeting the lightning spear.

– Kaaaaaah!!!

Blue flames poured from Wuwei’s mouth, engulfing Minerva.

Not to be outdone, Richard swung his black, mana-crystallized warhammer as hard as he could, and the golem under Gamaltera’s command slammed its massive fist into Minerva’s chest.

Anastasia’s breath then clung to Minerva’s body, freezing her in place.

Soon after, the blade of Ossie’s magic sword connected by chains popped out from the ground, piercing Minerva’s frozen body, and the paper fans that Reiko had sent scattering in the wind seemed to have a will of their own.

Joo-Hyuk was surveying the situation from a distance while Laura stood firmly in front of those assigned to the back row with their shields raised.

“…Any reaction?”

After unleashing a barrage of attacks for a while, Myung-Joon muttered quietly.

He hadn’t expected in the slightest that he would have been able to defeat the Seven Evils or even inflict any significant wounds.

But.

He hadn’t even thought that it would be unscathed.

“……”

The outer covering, the stone statue, had long since shattered and crumbled.

They had shattered and cracked, revealing her true form.

When most people saw Minerva in her true form for the first time, the first thing that came to mind was that she was beautiful.

The next thought was that she was very different from the statue.

When you think of a dragon, your mind immediately conjures images of a body covered in sharp, stiff, rough scales, a hefty body, a massive tail, dirty wings, and huge horns to show off.

Minerva, on the other hand… was a work of art.

I wondered what a sculpture by someone with a severe dragon fetish would look like.

Her black-gray body and crimson, glistening scales shimmered in the light, covering Minerva’s body seamlessly.

Her limbs were gracefully outstretched, and her tail was long and thin, like a whip.

The two wings that hung from her back were sharp and agile enough to give the impression of flight.

The only thing that hadn’t changed since her days as a single statue was the presence of her horns, which were so vast and colorful that even the artist thought it was too much

Myung-joon swallowed a small breath.

The unexpected appearance was one reason, but there was another.

Her eyes.

Minerva’s eyes were closed.

As he thought so, he noticed that her black-gray and crimson-scaled body began to rustle and tremble.

If Ji-hHuk were here, he would have seen a notification in front of him.

[Quest ‘Third Evil’ begins.]

[One of the Seven Evil, Minerva, has awakened from her long sleep and is beginning to spread her wings.]

[Please, at all costs, escape her wings and save your life.]

“…She’s awake.”

Someone murmured.

And as if on cue, Minerva’s eyes opened, her pupils taking in the world’s light.

The first in centuries.

Each of them braced themselves for Minerva’s following reaction.

[……]

But she was silent.

It has been hundreds of years since she’s last seen the light, yet Minerva showed no reaction to being awakened from her long sleep and freed from the seal.

[Nothing.]

Despite her intimidating appearance, she had a stunning voice.

For a moment, Minerva’s voice was so beautiful that a few of the Ten Strongest blinked in surprise.

She was not what they had expected.

They had expected Minerva to awaken with a terrible voice, spewing rage at the humans who had sealed her away and then, in an arrogant tone, declaring that she would set the world on fire.

But the Minerva before them…seemed to be very puzzled.

She was puzzled, disappointed, and began to look around in disbelief.

[There’s nothing, there really isn’t.]

Half of her body was frozen, her whole body was chained, and the spear of lightning was still embedded in her breastplate, letting out harsh crackles, but she didn’t care.

She kept moving her head from side to side as if searching desperately for something.

[Why? Didn’t you promise me you’d be waiting for me? That after a hundred thousand nights, you’d be right in front of me, and then we’d finish the story… surely…]

Minerva shook her head in disbelief.

It was so unexpected that everyone held their breath as they tried to figure out what was happening.

[Where did you go? Why did you leave me? Why? Why…Was it too much…You even made a promise to me…A promise on your finger and my scales…]

She began to sob and tremble.

Myung-Joon thought he was nervous momentarily, but then he realized he wasn’t shaking.

The ground was trembling.

More precisely, the ground was trembling as Minerva’s body shook.

[…You lied to me.]

She muttered quietly.

[You lied to me. I trusted you. I trusted you. I trusted you. I trusted you. I trusted you. I trusted you. I trusted you. You dared to taunt and mock me…!]

Her voice was filled with embarrassment, disappointment, and betrayal, but anger began rising.

And it swelled, swallowing up all other emotions.

[How dare you…! You…! You…!]

Suddenly, Myung-Joon made eye contact with Minerva.

Crimson eyes.

Seeing them, he gritted his teeth and silently thought to himself.

There are seven monsters like this.

And what happened to the person who sealed them in the past?

[Good, since you betrayed me, I will also break my promise and take my revenge on you.]

As Minerva muttered this, she spread her massive wings.

The ice that froze over half of her body shattered, and the chains snapped like rotten branches.

“…But that could stop lava…”

“Crazy…!”

Anastasia and Ossie each gasped in horror.

Minerva slowly began to flap her wings and rise into the air.

[…For betraying me, I will stain this world you sought to protect with your blood.]

Minerva declared, glaring at the Ten Strongest.

[You must be the ones who gathered to stop me, right?]

She locked eyes with Myung-joon and spoke.

[In honor of your determination, I will also be polite, for that man…no, that man with the snake-like eyes…did too…]

Minerva flapped her wings wildly once.

[So, let’s set the rules.]

It was enough to tear open Lee Myung-joon’s cheek, causing blood to trickle down, and all of Fujiwara Reiko’s papers that were hovering around them were torn up and blown away.

[If I kill half of you, it will be my victory.]

Her mouth opened, and a cloud of venom began to flow out.

Joo-Hyuk, well versed in poisons, could recognize it as a cloud of extreme poison that would kill most people at a glance. Even the untrained eye would instinctively know never to approach it.

And the cloud rose, enveloping Minerva’s entire body.

[Kill me, and you win.]

[My name is Minerva.]

[I will teach you the greatest pain men can experience.]