“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” she replied mischievously.

“You’ve had your fun showing off, now it’s my turn to pick something.”

We passed through the large crowd, until, eventually we came to a quieter corner of the campus, where a large open field had been cleared.

Students were scattered around, building snowmen of all shapes and sizes.

Some were traditional, with button eyes and carrot noses, while others were… less conventional.

I spotted one that looked like a snow version of a giant robot and another that resembled a dragon.

“We’re finally here!” Violet announced brightly with a wide grin.

“You want us to build a snowman?”

She raised an eyebrow at my words.

“Why? Too complicated for you, Junior?”

“Complicated, huh? Let’s just see.”

We got to work, rolling the snow into big, uneven balls.

The first one was way too lumpy, and the second one fell apart before we even stacked it.

By the time we managed to get a proper base, both of us were covered in snow.

“This is looking… uh…” I tilted my head, trying to find the right word.

“Like it’s been stepped on by a herd of elephants?” Violet finished my words, laughing at our ‘beautiful’ snowman.

“Exactly,” I chuckled.

“But wait, we’re not done yet.”

Nearby, a small table had been set up with chisels and carving tools for people to add details to their snow creations.

Violet grabbed one and twirled it in her hand, smiling mischievously.

“Let’s see if we can save this masterpiece.”

We took turns carving into the snowman. At first, we tried to make it look like a knight with armor, but it quickly turned into… something else.

Its arms were too short, its face was crooked, and one of its “armor plates” looked suspiciously like a duck’s beak.

“Is that supposed to be a sword?” Violet asked, pointing at the strange lump I’d carved into the snowman’s hand.

“Yes,” I said confidently.

“A very abstract sword.”

She burst out laughing upon hearing my words.

“It looks like a shovel, Junior. You’ve turned our snow knight into a snow gardener.”

“Hey, I’d like to see you do better,” I shot back, grinning lightly.She held up her hands.

“Oh no, I’m not taking credit for this disaster. This is all you.”

We stood there for a moment, admiring or maybe just laughing at our weird snowman.

It didn’t look anything like what we had planned, but I couldn’t deny it was fun.

Squeeze…

Suddenly, Violet pressed against my arm, leaning into me with that playful smirk of hers.

“So, where to next, Junior?”I raised a brow at her.

“Weren’t you the one saying you’d lead this date just a few minutes ago?”

“Mhm,” she hummed, giggling softly.

“Not anymore.”

I shook my head with a small smile.

“Well, alright then,” I said, glancing around and trying to remember all the places we had passed through.

Then it hit me—a perfect place!

“I’ve got something. Follow me.”

Her eyes lit up, and she tapped a finger to her lips in mock thought.

“Hmm… Is it a motel?”

I froze mid-step.

And then turned to give her a deadpan stare.

“Seriously?”

“Nihihi~!”

She leaned closer to my arm, her sparkling violet eyes full of mischief.

“I’m joking, I’m joking! You’re so easy to mess with, Junior.”

“Haaa…”

I let out a long sigh and started walking again, though I couldn’t help but notice the teasing grin on her face.

And while looking at her, I got a closer view of her face.

She had a sharp yet delicate face, with a small beauty mark under her left eye that only made her look more mature.

Honestly, if I didn’t know her, I might’ve mistaken her for someone older—like a young milf with that kind of magnetic charm.Not that I was gonna say that out loud.

It was the same case with Christina, but yeah, both of them had pretty big differences.

While Christina does act like some kind of “older sister”, Violet is more like a mischievous one.

Well, the “mischievous” description definitely fits her.

“Oh! Ice cream!” she suddenly squealed, letting go of my arm and dashing toward a nearby stall.

Her smile practically sparkled as she handed the vendor some coins and walked away holding a triple-scoop cone, each flavor stacked neatly on top of the other.

She took a slow, deliberate lick, her face lighting up like a kid in a candy store.

“You like ice cream that much?”

“I love it!”

Her reply came instantly, her tone full of joy as she held the cone with both hands like it was some kind of treasure.

However, just as I was about to joke about her demeanor…

I felt a strange yet dangerous aura.

“This…”

And it seemed like Violet had noticed it too.

THRUUUUMMM!

SHAKE!

The ground beneath us trembled, sending faint cracks through the ice and snow.

A suffocating dark aura erupted out of nowhere, spiraling up into the sky like smoke from a fire as a foul stench filled the air.

The cheerful festival lights flickered, then dimmed, and the once-bright sky was swallowed by swirling black clouds.

A dark sphere of energy spread out, blanketing the entire academy. The weight of the aura was immediate, pressing down on everyone around us.

Students stumbled, their knees buckling slightly as if gravity itself had gotten stronger.

“…A Demon General…”

Violet muttered quietly.

‘Fuck?! Are you kidding?!’

I cursed inwardly upon hearing her words.

‘Are you telling me an Arch-Demon really appeared out of nowhere? This academy really is damned cursed!’

The malicious aura kept growing stronger, suffocating in its intensity. My heart pounded against my ribs as I tried to process what was happening.

But then, I noticed something that made my stomach drop.

Plop!

Violet’s ice cream fell to the ground, splattering in the snow.

I turned to her, and my breath hitched.

Her face was… terrifying.

The playful sparkle in her eyes was gone, replaced by a fury so intense it was like staring into a brewing storm.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her whole body tensed as her purple eyes locked onto the source of the aura with killing intent.

“…My precious first date….”

Boom!

A surge of violet energy exploded from her, wrapping around her like a living flame. The snow beneath her melted instantly, steam rising from where she stood.

“Stay here, Junior.”

Fwoop!

Before I could even reply, she vanished in a flash of purple light as my eyes darted in the direction she disappeared.

“Fuck…”

An Arch-Demon, a powerful existence under the Demon King. There are seven of them, each one representing one of the seven deadly sins.

All of them have a power that can reach the limits of the SS rank, and even with that, their battle power is at least more than ten times stronger than a human.

So, to put it into simpler words, it would need ten humans of the same rank to defeat him.

But even with that, the Arch-Demon has its bloodline abilities, for example, Lilith, the Sin of Lust, has an enchanting ability that can “charm” anyone below her level.

As for the others, I don’t really know about them.

“Damn it…”

I looked at my damned broken body and let out a sigh.

I didn’t have time to fuse with the Lich’s Heart that Yara had given me during our make-out session, so I really can’t go to battle right now…

“This damned physique.”

I shut my eyes tightly.

“Just wait for a while, Violet…”

I brought out the Lich’s Heart and immediately pressed him against my chest, causing it to phase through my skin and reach my heart area, eventually staying in the right side of my chest, just like a second heart.

“Fuu…”

I made a small symbol with my hands and then, pushed my Twin Heart Mana Body to its limit, forcing my power output to increase tenfold.

It was risky—stupid, even. My body couldn’t handle this strain for long. So, I needed to be quick.

My Twin Heart Mana Body was a mutated version of Elleonora’s.

While her body could only increase the overall mana power by five times, I could do it by ten.

Normally, since the physique is always active, I let the output stay in one, which means that I’m not using the physique, and is my normal mana power.

But then, I increase the output, or simply “the level” of my mana power when needed, but of course, I refrain from doing so because my body can’t handle it.

With Yara’s mana, I was able to increase the output to the maximum for a few moments, but that disintegrated her made-up mana heart easily.

But now, with a Lich’s Heart…

I should be able to use it up to five times without really damaging my body.

At least, I hope so…

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Meanwhile…

“Lucas?! Are you sure we can deal with him?” Ella asked nervously, her voice shaking a little as she stared at the dark, swirling energy coming from the demon ahead of them.

It felt heavy, like the air itself was pressing down on them.

“…It’s the only way to kill him. He’s currently weakened, we need to be able to do it right now, or we won’t get a better opportunity!” Lucas gripped the Excalibur tightly.

<You need to hurry up!>

The Excalibur said to Lucas, causing him to increase his grip strength.

Currently, in the garden of the academy, stood more than two hundred students. All of them were warned by Lucas and were gathered just for this moment.

After all, Lucas had found that the seed of the Arch-Demon of Pride was actually inside the academy, and because of that, he warned everyone, including the professors who were also present.

The only ones who weren’t present… were Eleonora and the weaker students who didn’t dare to face off against an Arch Demon.

Hell, even Alaine, Aestrea’s maid was present, holding her spirit bow hard. Next to her, was also a young black-haired girl, holding a pair of daggers.

Fwip!

A purple aura, like a flash of lightning, was slammed against the ground.

“Senior Violet!”

Many students exclaimed in delighted surprise to which she nodded to them, but she couldn’t hide her serious face.

She looked towards the Arch Demon who had a strong barrier around his body, as he gradually came to “life”.

“Did everyone already try to destroy the barrier?” she asked.

“We did,” Lucas replied, taking a few steps forward, and standing next to her.

“It seems like there’s the Demon King’s magic on that shield, and even if we gathered all of our powers, we really couldn’t destroy it,” Lucas explained.

He had even tried to use Light Magic along with the Excalibur, but it didn’t work against the barrier.

“I see… Then, we should prepare.”

“The professors already created multiple barriers and divided the students into attack and defense squads… we just need to be careful enough.”

To his words, Violet nodded.

“…Prepare your spells!”

Suddenly, Zeva’s voice echoed throughout the whole academy.

Fwip!

Crackle!

Swish!

The garden erupted with energy.

The sound of crackling magic filled the air as every student readied their strongest spell.

The ground seemed to hum with power, and the sky above darkened as if the world itself was holding its breath.

But just as the barrier around the demon began to fade…

Snap!

Everything stopped.

No—not stopped.

Their magic was gone.

Every spell, every flicker of energy, just vanished into thin air.

The students stared in shock, their hands still raised, but nothing happened.

And then… he appeared.

A small, pale figure stepped out in front of the Arch-Demon.

He was lean, with slicked-back gray hair that reached the back of his neck.

But what caught everyone’s attention was his mask. It was white and completely blank, except for a creepy, wide grin carved into it.

The smile stretched too far, almost like it didn’t belong on a human face.

Two crescent-shaped slits where his eyes should be made him look even more unsettling, like something out of a nightmare.

“Hello everyone!” he said cheerfully, waving his hand like he was greeting old friends.

His voice was light, almost playful, but it sent chills down everyone’s spines.

“My name is Kagetaro Kurohare,” he announced, placing one hand over his chest and bowing dramatically like he was performing on a stage.

“And I’m so sorry to interrupt, but… this just isn’t fair, is it? Over two hundred of you against one little demon? Tsk, tsk. That’s just not right.”

He straightened up, his mask’s grin seeming to grow wider.

“My deepest condolences…”

Kagetaro smirked darkly.

“But you cannot pass from here.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep