The God of Magic: Archmage Academy (OP, LitRPG)

[Analysis complete. Greater Demon - Knight Commander Rank.] 

In Sen’s time, this creature would be around level 40. Today, it was closer to 400. In terms of raw stats, it would have the same number of points as he did while activating all three of his hybrid stats. 

[I believe it’s somewhere around level 455.] 

That was just fantastic. 

Alari wasted no time dispelling the magic fire circle, to allow all the other members of Brightsail to join the fight. 

As the fire dissipated, Sen noticed Dasai and Marin Peace standing to the side. Marin was casting some kind of spell, but whatever it was, she wasn’t finished yet. Dasai stared at the Greater Demon as if he could strategize it to death. He wasn’t sure what kind of tricks Dasai had up his sleeve, but Sen didn’t have time to wait. 

The Greater Demon hadn’t expected Girch to charge like that. It hadn’t even noticed them enter the room. Even now as it tumbled to the ground and fought against Girch’s embrace, its eyes still fixated on Alari. 

That was odd. Had she hurt it? Or was there another reason for its obsession with her? Girch started pummeling into the creature’s side, his strength enhanced by the golden armor Susanna had created for him. Finally, the demon turned to deal with him. It grappled with him, slowly prying itself free of his grasp. But just when it seemed like it might escape, Snake jumped into the air and brought a crushing hand down on its face. Smoke filled the room.

Sen watched, waiting to see what the outcome would be. Two objects went flying out of the smoke. One a blur of gold, the other green and white. 

Girch hit one wall, smacking into it not far from Dasai and Marin. Snake hit the opposite wall.

The smoke cleared, and the creature was standing again. It reached down and tore off another minotaur limb as easily as tearing a sheet of paper. It started snacking once again. 

Sen glared at it. “Disgusting creature.” He held a hand out and called his magic forth. “Frost Hunt Maxim.” This spell was aggressive enough for him to gauge the creature’s strength. At the same time he launched it, he wrapped himself in Encapsulation for Milim’s sake. She’d be able to get out of the way if the creature retaliated now. Joseia vibrated near Susanna. He could keep her out of harm’s way with his speed, and she could keep the pressure up with her creations. 

Ice manifested on the ground just in front of Sen and started racing towards the demon. Alari took several steps back, worried she might get swept in the magic as well, but there was no threat of that. The spell knew who its target was, and it would avoid allies. The demon chewed nonchalantly, though it watched the ice slowly approaching it with casual interest. It watched like a human might watch a caterpillar crawling on a leaf, or a bird flying in the sky. Like it was staring at something that was totally removed from it and didn’t present a threat at all. As the ice reached it, it lifted a foot and stomped. The spell shattered instantly. 

[Perhaps it’s time for Maxima?] 

Sen shook his head at Tutor’s suggestion. The creature was underestimating him, and that was to his benefit. Maxima would be effective against an opponent like this, but he was still gaining an understanding of its full power. There was too much risk of collateral damage with all the other students around. It wouldn’t be a big deal if the runes worked, but…

He looked up.

If the runes worked. These hollow spheres in the air had something to do with the runes. They almost seemed like some kind of batteries. If that were the case then…

“Susanna, those spheres, can you fix them with creation magic? I believe they’re what fuels the resurrection runes. If you could, we might be able to get the runes back online,” Sen called out.

She looked up and her eyes lit up. “I can try. Cover me!” she called out. A large golden hand formed, and she stepped into its palm. It lifted her effortlessly into the air, and she began tinkering with the hollow spheres, golden tools appearing in her hands. 

The demon took note, and Sen sensed it readying a spell. 

“Great. It knows magic.” Of course, most demons did, but a mage could hope.

Sen walked to the left, standing between the creature and Susanna. He’d protect her while she worked. The creature’s gaze fell on him. That’s when the others moved.

Snake attacked from the creature’s left. Alari circled from behind. Girch attacked from the right.

Serpent claws stabbed into the demon’s torso. Girch’s powerfully armored hand smashed into the demon’s jaw, and Alari pierced the creature through the back with Flamesaber. Blood poured out from the creature’s chest and loosely hanging mouth. It looked down casually, ignoring the wounds, and grabbed yet another limb off the minotaur. 

[Poor thing. Its family won’t have anything left to bury. Wait, do minotaurs have families? At the very least, it had a mom. Unless…are minotaurs like jellyfish? The question of asexual reproduction complicates everything.] 

As it ate, its wounds closed. Sen realized this was going to take much more than poking and prodding. This was a powerful greater-demon, and the others, as strong as they were, were outmatched. 

“Buy me time,” Sen ordered. Though he expected pushback from Alari and Snake, neither did. They’d already seen what he could do. 

[Are we doing the thing? We have to be right. We set it up for a reason.]

Sen concentrated on his mana. Right now, he needed to focus. 

“Tri-Infernal...” He grimaced. If he could let loose, this wouldn’t be a problem, but greater spells sometimes had wills of their own. This one wanted to incinerate anything and everything in the vicinity. Including his allies. He needed to bend it to his will. He needed to make sure he had full control before releasing it.

“Flamesaber Spirit!” Alari cried as she leapt toward the demon. A large dragon made of fire crawled out of the tip of the blade and made its way toward the demon. 

On the other side, Snake struck simultaneously. “Spectral Claw - Venom!” 

Sen flinched. That maximizer confirmed a theory he’d formed earlier. Venom. He let the thought pass. Now wasn’t the time. He concentrated the pure destructive energy on the demon and the demon alone.

The demon reached up and grabbed the dragon-shaped fire by the neck and slammed it into the ground. Snakes attack landed, a poisonous claw bit into the demon’s shoulder. But even under the effects of snakes maximizer, it had little effect. Greater Demons were like mages in a lot of ways, and many of them reached the heights of the magic system. Sen knew because he’d hunted them down in his time. Precision attacks wouldn’t be enough unless you knew their exact weakness. The demon core heart hidden within. It wasn’t something he or Tutor could find with magic. Demons had complex wards wrapped around their beings from birth. To kill one, you needed to overwhelm both body and ward all at once. This technique was perfect for that, and he’d just finished wrapping his will around it. 

“Take cover!” Sen called out. 

He couldn’t wait longer than a second. The demon knew something was coming as well; it’d sense what Sen was doing, and it understood his warning to his allies. 

Snake and Alari both leapt away. Girch covered Dasai and Marin with his body. 

Joseia and Milim dove onto the ground, and Susanna wrapped herself in a golden shield of light. 

“Tri-Infernal Hellscape Maxima!” Sen shouted. His words echoed throughout the chamber, further bolstered by the sheer force of magic coursing through him. 

In seconds the earth of the walls, floor, and ceiling surrounding them turned black and molten cracks covered the cavern. Only the areas where his friends took cover were spared. Even then, a sweltering heat overwhelmed the air, and he knew they’d feel that. The Greater Demon charged him. 

[We should probably release the spell now. No need for dramatic effect.]

Sen grimaced. Working on it. 

Magma burst out of the cracks, creating curtains of fire that shot up into the air before dispersing. The magic swelled up inside him. The spell was almost ready.

With a sinking feeling, he realized there wasn’t enough time.

“Mana Encapsulation!” 

He couldn’t turn or look away, lest he lose his focus, but he had to admit hearing that tempted him.

Milim sprang into action and threw herself at the greater demon. She had used the technique all on her own. Milim had used a hybrid stat he’d designed and kept secret. She wasn’t just borrowing his power; she was commanding it on her own. 

The demon spun to deal with her, slapping its hand. She dodged it and delivered several strikes into the creature’s side. It swiped again, and this time its attack landed. It sent her slamming into the far wall of the cavern. “Milim!” Joseia cried out, and Sen hoped he would check on her. She’d bought him the precious second he needed, he’d never forgive himself if it came at the price of her life. 

“Release!” he shouted. 

The cracks erupted, and flames filled the room, consuming the demon in front of him. It exploded backward from the raw force of magic emanating from his outstretched hands and the pure aura of lava and destruction surging through the room. The spell seemed to last an eternity, forcefully draining mana from his body, but after a few moments, the room returned to normal. 

The greater demon was slumped against the rear wall of the chamber. Its flesh charred and disintegrated, and its breathing came in ragged, quick breaths. It was on the verge of death. 

With a hand, he sent what was left of the minotaur’s body into his temporal world. Miraculously, the spell hadn’t targeted it. Perhaps because he’d wished the creature had been spared before. Regardless, he couldn’t let the demon feed again to recover. Though it looked as if it was in no state to move. 

He noticed a blue light and turned to see Milim’s body slowly being covered by it. He let out a breath of relief. Susanna must have gotten the runes back online. Sen looked up at her from her perch atop a construct and saw a horrid look on her face. “What is it?” he called out.

Susanna shook her head. “I’m not finished! The fatality prevention effect is active, but without fixing the connection she—”

Instead of saving her, the spell would kill her. She’d disappear with nowhere to go. Rather than teleporting outside of the dungeon, she’d simply disappear into nothingness.

Mana Encapsulation fluttered around him, and he ran toward her at top speed until he reached her side, sliding to a stop and slamming into the wall beside her. The blue light was spreading quickly. There wasn’t a spell to stop this; overcoming runes like this was nearly impossible. Saving her was…no. He reached a hand toward her and focused on her soul. 

“Milim, I need you to fight. Resist the rune,” he told her.

She seemed surprised at that, but nodded softly. The magic was literally trying to pull her out of this space. The effect would be draining on her endurance. But Sen focused his magic power on holding her in place. The glowing blue spots spreading across her skin slowly crept to a halt. Or at least, as close as they could. He couldn’t stop the spell entirely. He could only buy time. Sen looked up at Susanna. “Hurry! You need to finish now!”

With wide eyes, and the pressure of their teammates’ lives on her hands, Susanna frantically turned and kept working. 

That was when footsteps echoed throughout the boss chamber, and Sen turned to look behind him. “Hurry, it’s just up ahead!” a girl yelled. 

Mary Candless emerged through the third entrance to the chamber, still running and looking back at what Sen assumed were her teammates. When she crossed the threshold, she turned back and locked eyes with him. “They’re already here,” she said, surprised. 

Sen and the Greater Demon realized it at the same time. This was the demon’s opening. The others had wards around them that he’d put there himself. But Mary was defenseless. This was the only real shot the demon had, and it had come at the worst possible time. 

Sen reached out with his other arm and tried to cast something, anything, to stop it. But a spasm shot up his arm, and he pulled it close to him, making a pained noise. 

The backlash of both a new technique and a new maximizer, plus holding Milim in place to keep her from dying, all combined to be something overwhelming even for his body. On top of all that, he had to overcome the strength of the greater demon’s wards to injure it. He pushed himself here in a way he hadn’t in years. 

Mary scarcely had time to look afraid before the demon was upon her and swallowed her whole. 

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