novelraw Chapter 186: Upon Who The Blade Falls
Chapter 186: Upon Who The Blade Falls
***
Minutes Earlier...
The Rite, or so this place was called.
A massive hall typically reserved for Academy staff alone.
Now, it had been transformed into an assembly hall, packed with many outsiders present, who stood as reporters in this stratum.
They disguised themselves as Academy staff, and they weren’t the only ones.
Dante didn’t reveal his true appearance, or at least not the one Ignotus knew him to have.
Instead, Dante masqueraded as an old man, playing the part of a frail mortal burdened by time.
The two weren’t only outing the mole now but had made it so that now was the time for his address as well.
Above Dante was a towering banner of the three chains, and above it was a new phrase:
{We’ll Never Forget.}
It was written in black, reflecting the somber mood that was today.
Though it ended swiftly, as expected from one of the most secure places in the stratum, the Academy had been shaken by the attack.
Dante had to reassure them... remind them... instill into them, that Saint Academy was far from weak.
"Did anyone here kill someone before? Please raise your hand if you did."
His words rang out as he began to float above them all.
"Don’t worry about the law; I guarantee that no harm will come to you."
He cleared his throat, his voice almost fatherly.
"Oh, I see that a few aren’t afraid to reveal that."
A smile graced his face.
"Good... I’m sure you’ve felt something from it, but Demons..."
He pointed at the banner behind him.
"Demons only want death. They enjoy what you felt confused by. They have tainted us and will continue to do so, for they are our eternal enemy... a kind that we have to end."
His eyes scanned them all.
"Today... We stand here together, not only to mourn but also to recognize the bravery of those who gave their lives for the Academy. For every student, every friend, every family that has lost someone dear, we owe a debt that we cannot repay in words alone... I know that personally."
He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in.
"To those families who will forever feel this loss, I extend my deepest condolences. But just know—know that their courage, their dedication, and their bravery will be remembered."
Dante put his dominant hand on his heart and looked up at the ceiling.
"I Vow to you now. We will not allow this tragedy to be repeated. We will take every necessary step to safeguard our halls, our future, and our unity."
He moved that same hand forward, sweeping it across the crowd until it settled on a group of Academy staff near the east-side windows.
"And the first step is to eliminate the traitors within our fold."
Soft, nearly inaudible murmurs from the crowd stilled instantly. It was clear that things were about to get really serious.
The moment Dante’s hand lowered back to a resting position, a sudden flash of lightning nearly blinded everyone who was watching.
"There is one among us who, by their actions, has sold their honor, endangered, and ended the lives of many others."
As many opened their eyes back up, the first thing they saw was Ignotus appearing behind a gruff-looking man.
He raised his sword and cut off the man’s head in a clean swing.
Gasps rippled across the Rite as the head hit the floor, a wet thunk, right at Ignotus’s feet.
Blood splattered across his boots, yet he didn’t bother stepping back, nor did he blink.
Showing opposite reactions, the outsiders and many normal staff in the front rows all but jumped away from the gruesome scene.
But Ignotus didn’t stop there.
He cut off Dominic’s other limbs, then bent down, picked up the severed head, and mashed it back onto the half-Demon’s neck.
A healer sprinted forward, almost tripping over her own robes, and slapped her hands on the stump, forcing the two back together.
The half-Demon thrashed mindlessly at anything it sensed.
Ignotus held him down with one hand, preventing him from escaping.
Instinctually realizing that he couldn’t break free, Dominic resorted to the desperate option.
He tried hard to kill himself.
The half-Demon gnawed at his own tongue, snapping his jaw, trying to swallow it whole. Anything for a fast exit. But Ignotus had quickly stuffed a wad of cloth into Dominic’s mouth, breaking several teeth in the process.
Any chance of suicide was gone.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
The entire Rite stood frozen.
No one dared breathe as Ignotus dragged the twitching Demon towards the banner.
Dominic, no, the Demon clawed weakly at his arms, but it was nothing he couldn’t shrug off.
Though he would’ve liked to kill it himself and gain the Soul Fragments, being greedy here would be the wrong move.
Staff, professors, guards—all stared at him.
Dante stared too, though his eyes were different.
They were cold and satisfied.
This was the punishment he wanted.
A message.
"Drop it there."
Ignotus nodded and left the Demon beneath the now descending Dante.
Upon reaching the ground, he placed a hand on the back of Ignotus’s arm.
"I do not take this lightly."
He scanned the crowd with no emotion.
"Let this be a message to all... This betrayal is more than a crime—it is an assault on me. On Saint Academy."
His stare cut through the hall.
"Any who harbor deception within these walls will meet the same end. It’ll be their head upon whom my blade falls."
Dante pulled the Demon’s head up slightly, leaned close, and whispered a single word into its ear.
"Devour."
***
The Demon froze.
Its eyes, cloudy and feral, slowly focused.
Yet its mind was still there in that Hell.
It could feel it draped over itself, suffocating it.
No matter how much it tried to pull away, it clung to its bones.
Illusions flickered around it.
Shapes, faces, and whispering shadows.
Every shadow looked like it was about to crawl out and drag it back. Every sound felt like death breathing down its neck.
Was this dea—
"...can... hear me?"
A deep and familiar voice reached it.
Its head lifted slowly, muscles trembling.
Through the haze stood a tall figure.
Another stood just behind that one.
Dante and Ignotus.
But—
’Didn’t they kill me?’
Its heart plummeted harder than before.
’What’s happening?’
It opened its mouth, yet it didn’t even know what it was about to say—beg? Plead?—Anything to stop what was coming.
"P-Please—"
Before the words formed, Dante’s hollow eyes were inches from its own, and his voice was a cold nail through its skull.
"Speak the truth."
***
The Demon outside the... dream stopped thrashing.
It blinked a few times and then opened its mouth, the cloth having been removed by Ignotus at the right moment.
"I’m the one... who worked with the Demons. I gave them the guard schedules so they could attack their weakest. With the help of a student’s father, I helped sneak them in through the river."
A wave of shock slammed through the hall.
That was when a shadowy figure stepped beside Dante, offering a ceremonial sword with both hands.
Dante took it calmly and unsheathed it with a soft shwing!
Everyone held their breath.
Dante raised the blade, letting the overhead light catch the steel. Then, with one smooth, effortless swing—
The mole’s head tumbled for the final time.
Somehow it hit the ground with a louder thud than before.
Dante handed the sword back, his expression unchanged.
He took one last look at the gathered crowd.
"We’ll never forget."
Indeed, this was a warning carved into every mind present.
The grim theatrics of it stunned most.
Yet the hall wasn’t silent.
The moment his cold and final words resounded. A near-silent moment where the Academy claimed its victory, sending a clear and chilling message...
"Bravo."
Ignotus clapped his hands.