I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy
chapter-297

Theo saw the current state of the Practitioners with his own eyes.

'Everyone is in the state of [Release].'

They had only performed a very basic [Release], as there were no physical transformations, just their eyes turning bloodshot.

It was still dangerous, though.

'We need to take action quickly.'

The [Release] used by the Practitioners involves forcibly binding an Angel, a high-dimensional being, to the body of an inferior human.

This allows for the use of incomparable power, but naturally, the cost is significant.

The power of an Angel is far too immense for a human body to contain.

Continuously using [Release] will ultimately lead to losing oneself.

In other words, the soul evaporates, leaving behind nothing but a killing machine driven by instinct.

Theo told the Practitioners.

"End the [Release] right now."

Billy responded.

"Ah, right. I forgot to undo it. Thanks~"

A few seconds later, Billy and all the Practitioners opened their eyes wide.

"Huh, it's not undoing... This has never happened before."

"You too?"

"Yeah. The power keeps draining but... Ugh."

Billy's mouth gaped open. The redness from his eyes began to spread across his entire face.

Soon after, all the Practitioners had vivid veins popping out all over their faces and bodies.

Theo's companions were disturbed.

"What is that?"

"Aaaaah~ Theo, I'm scared~! It's so disgusting~!"

Siena rushed towards Theo, followed by Piel and Jang Woohee.

Siena's description of them as disgusting was accurate. The current state of the Practitioners was bizarre enough to instantly erase the camaraderie that had built up over several days.

Even Jang Woohee frowned and glared at the Practitioners.

Theo also felt the pain of [Twisted Noble's Dignity] rise. Their appearance was too grotesque for his dignity to accept.

"Ugh."

But the groan came out for a different reason.

His heart was racing.

His blood seemed to surge, veins swelling.

His eyes filled with blood vessels.

He felt an overwhelming surge of strength throughout his body.

...[Descendant of a Hero] had been activated.

Theo looked at the Practitioners with bloodshot eyes.

'They've been consumed by evil. ...No.'

Originally, Angels and Demons have a lot in common.

It's possible for [Descendant of a Hero] to perceive their current state as demonic.

Had they continued to use [Release], [Descendant of a Hero] might have been activated eventually, even if they hadn't been exposed to magic energy.

Theo spoke to the Practitioners.

"If you can hear me, nod your head."

The Practitioners just looked at Theo, none of them nodding. Only Sara eventually nodded after a while.

Theo quickly grasped the current situation in his mind.

'They're not listening to me, but they're not attacking either... Does this mean there's still some reason left in them?'

However, it wouldn't last long.

The sealed Great Demons inside the shrine were continuously supplying magic energy to the Practitioners.

Would they turn into corrupted beings if this continues? Or become hybrid creatures of heaven and hell?

Even Theo didn't know what would happen.

'The higher-ups who assigned this mission must have known this situation could arise.'

Anyone with the authority to instruct the Practitioners surely knows the secrets of [Release].

'Why, though?'

The Practitioners aren't irreplaceable to the extent of being worshipped by many in the Order, but they are highly valuable.

They stand out even among the talented members of the Order, possessing the potential to become top-tier warriors of the continent even without [Release].

If they had graduated from the academy and become heroes, they would have secured a spot in top-tier guilds in a short time.

Yet, the person who assigned this mission used them as expendable pieces.

'There must be conspiracies and interests entangled in this mission that I'm unaware of.'

Fyat noticed the tense atmosphere and came to stand near Theo.

"It seems we can't avoid fighting. Theo Lyn Waldeurk, I will fight too, without hindering your movements."

Theo didn't respond but looked back and forth at the Practitioners instead.

Their bodies were slowly undergoing changes.

Rings of light appeared around their wrists and ankles, and small white wings were starting to protrude from their shoulder blades.

Not long after, Theo made up his mind.

'First, we need to move them away from the Great Demon shrine.'

He judged that cutting off the supply of magic energy was the top priority.

However, in the current situation, it was impossible to say, 'Hey, you guys are in a very dangerous state right now, shall we go somewhere else?'

Swoosh─

Theo drew the [Demon Sword] from his waist. Then, he murmured to his companions.

"Everyone, get ready for battle. Try not to kill them, just subdue them."

His companions drew their weapons.

Theo continued.

"Avoid direct confrontations. Let Siena tie their limbs with spirits before we engage them seriously."

Fyat asked.

"Is it okay to cut off their limbs?"

"It's best to subdue them while keeping them as intact as possible... but as long as their heads and torsos remain intact, that's enough. The goal is to quickly distance them from the Great Demon shrine."

"Understood."

With that, the battle between Theo's group and the Practitioners began.

To buy Siena time to summon spirits, Theo charged at the Practitioners.

'End this quickly.'

Since even the imitation panacea couldn't recover his qi, he had almost none to use.

Theo immediately used [Overrun].

The battle ended quickly.

About 3 minutes later, all five Practitioners were writhing on the ground with their limbs severed. Despite their power being drained, they still growled with bloodshot eyes.

Theo's group, under his command, managed to avoid any significant damage.

The Practitioners exhibited extraordinary physical abilities but at the cost of losing their reason. Distracted by Siena's high-tier spirits and Jang Woohee, they were easily overpowered and had their limbs severed by Theo's group.

However, Theo coughed up blood.

"...Cough."

His body trembled uncontrollably. It was an internal injury caused by the abuse of [Overrun].

While taking out an imitation panacea from his [Subspace Bag], Theo said to Siena,

"Siena, move all the Practitioners towards the building entrance."

"Okay."

Unlike usual, Siena, with a worried expression, used wind spirits to move the Practitioners towards the building entrance.

Theo said,

"Let's also move towards the entrance. We need to avoid continued exposure to magic energy."

Theo and his group moved towards the entrance.

The limbless Practitioners growled again at the group but were immobilized by the wind and earth spirits.

Theo looked at them, then his head jerkily nodded.

Thump.

Theo's body collapsed to the ground.

The group's eyes widened.

Piel was the first to rush to Theo's aid.

"Hey, hey, hey...! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... More importantly, open this."

Theo, trembling like a leaf, handed the imitation panacea to Piel.

Piel frantically opened the bottle and knelt in front of Theo, then laid Theo's head on her thigh.

Theo opened his mouth with a voice rough as if coughing up blood.

"What... Piel. Right now, I'm dirty..."

"Ah, don't talk anymore! Look at all the blood you're losing..."

Theo closed his eyes without responding.

'It's... comfortable.'

Piel's thigh felt like the pillow he usually used, perhaps because it was adequately muscular. It even smelled nice.

Before long, a faint smile appeared on Theo's lips.

Piel gazed down at Theo's peaceful face, lost in thought.

After a while, Piel hurriedly spoke.

"Hey, hey! You can't fall asleep yet! Open your mouth first!"

"...Ah."

Theo began to open his mouth.

It took quite some time for his mouth to open wide enough to fit the bottle cap. His blood-stained lips trembled repeatedly.

Seeing this, Piel choked up.

"...Hmph."

Tears were about to pour out.

She barely held them back and slowly poured the imitation panacea down Theo's throat.

About 10 minutes later, Theo opened his eyes and got up. He moved his body around to check.

'My body hasn't fully recovered.'

Compared to the last time he drank the imitation panacea, the effect was about half.

'...Must have built up a tolerance.'

He had been overusing the imitation panacea lately.

Anyway, being able to move was good enough. Now, it was time to do what needed to be done.

Theo, looking back and forth between the Practitioners still held by the spirits and Siena, said,

"You've done well, Siena."

Theo drew his [Elemental Sword] and aimed it at the Practitioners.

Kugugugu──

A wall of stone rose up, enclosing the Practitioners.

Then, Theo took something out of his pocket. It was a jewel about the size of a young girl's fist, a gift he had received from Taylor recently.

Fyat asked,

"What is that, Theo Lyn Waldeurk?"

"It's something to call someone who will help us deal with this situation."

Crack!

Theo threw the jewel directly onto the ground.