Chapter 101: You Think You're a Tough Guy? Yeah, I Am!
"No, that can't be true... I don't believe you!"
The little blonde elf girl covered her ears, completely unable to accept the harsh reality Sophia had just laid out.
"Negishi-chan, you've definitely been brainwashed by the Demon Lord! The elves are a peaceful, freedom-loving race. How could they possibly be the ones destroying the world?!" Ms. Oka shook Sophia's shoulders, desperately trying to bring her back to her senses.
"Enough."
Sophia annoyedly swatted her hands away. "Who told you that elves are always the good guys and the Demon Lord is always the villain?"
Faced with her completely stubborn teacher, Sophia didn't even want to bother arguing anymore. Potimas had done too good a job brainwashing Ms. Oka. His mechanical puppets never showed their faces around her, and he always acted perfectly noble in her presence. Without any solid proof right in front of them, Sophia really couldn't explain it.
Ms. Oka was living in a fairytale world woven by that old elf. Some beliefs were just too deeply rooted to be broken by a few words. Besides, if the lie were shattered right now–if she found out that instead of protecting her students, she was the reason their families were ruined–the teacher would probably go crazy.
Take Sophia's own parents; if Wakaba and Shirazawa hadn't stepped in, they would have been dead long ago. The other classmates probably suffered similar fates. To think that a teacher who held onto her beliefs despite being hated by everyone was actually causing their ruin... once the truth came out...
Sophia wisely shut her mouth. A headache of this size was better left for Shirazawa to handle. She was a fighter, not a strategist.
*Squeak, squeak~*
While Ms. Oka was chanting her lecture like a broken record, a tiny crimson rat slipped out from behind Sophia and quietly began chewing through the metal cuffs on her hands and feet. Even though Sophia could feel her servant, Merazophis, rushing over at high speed, that didn't stop her from trying to save herself.
It was embarrassing enough for a True Vampire to get kidnapped. If she could pull off a counter-attack, she could turn this blunder into a glorious achievement–baiting the enemy out just to crush them completely. Lost in her little daydream, Sophia quietly waited for the perfect moment to break free.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.
Having figured out Sophia's situation, the group was sprinting toward her coordinates. Unfortunately, since they couldn't fly, they had to take the ground route.
The three spider sisters carried Shirazawa, Shiro, and Merazophis on their backs, turning into three blurs as they tore through the jungle. As for Ariel, she was practically a human bulldozer. Anything blocking their path was smashed to pieces by her fists.
*Shirazawa, if it really is Teacher, what should we do?* Shiro privately messaged him while riding on the airheaded Riel's back. She already knew Ms. Oka's identity, and while she loathed Potimas's disgusting methods, she was trying to figure out how to handle their old teacher.
*Try not to expose our identities. It's better to let her stay with the elves, otherwise Potimas will become completely reckless. With Teacher around, he won't dare go too far in front of her. She's a tool Potimas uses against us, but she's also a hidden chess piece we can use against him. In short, our goal is just to rescue Sophia. Don't worry about the rest,* Shirazawa explained.
His confident tone made Shiro feel incredibly safe. He seemed to know everything. But how? Was D telling him all of this?
*They definitely have something going on behind my back! He is sleeping on the floor tonight, hmph!*
Shirazawa suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine. *What the... am I catching a cold?* He had no idea that in Shiro's mind, he had just been exiled to the doghouse. He was still hoping she would weave him a couple of warm shirts to help him survive the bitter winter. Unfortunately, this winter was shaping up to be a nightmare for him.
"We're almost there, right ahead!" Merazophis alerted everyone. Sophia was just up ahead.
Ariel, who had been holding in her anger for a whole year, suddenly burst forward with an incredible dash.
"POTIMAS!!!"
"HAND OVER YOUR LIFE!"
Ariel's roar shook the sky, making the entire forest tremble.
*BOOM!*
With a massive crash that shook the earth, a dark silhouette landed squarely in front of the carriage. Dust swirled, trees fell, and a suffocating pressure washed over the area, making everyone shudder with fear.
Shirazawa and Shiro knew this entrance all too well. Back when Ariel was hunting them down, she used to make the exact same grand entrance. Now, it was Potimas's turn to enjoy the thrill of being hunted by the Demon Lord.
Shirazawa looked at Shiro, and they both shared a look of relief. Thank goodness the Demon Lord was on their side now; that terrifying pressure felt a lot like a heavy blanket of absolute safety when directed at someone else.
"Hmph, I didn't think you'd catch up so quickly." Potimas jumped off his horse, glaring coldly at Ariel.
"You're surrounded. Hand over Sophia, and I'll give you a quick death," Ariel said, completely dismissing him. A mere clone could be dealt with in one punch. If one didn't work, she'd use two. If two didn't work, three. She could afford to mess up a hundred times, but he only had one chance.
Potimas narrowed his eyes, a dark aura radiating from his body. Ariel's dismissive attitude showed she knew he couldn't hurt her, which was why she was so fearless.
"You think you're a tough guy just because you can fight?"
"What good is fighting?!"
"Oka, bring the vampire over here!"
Since he had a hostage, he wasn't afraid of this arrogant woman at all. But even after waiting for a while, Ms. Oka didn't appear.
"Oka?"
When he yanked open the carriage door, all he found was an empty cabin and a pair of broken handcuffs covered in tiny rat tooth marks.
"What?! Where are they?!"
*Crap!* A massive alarm went off in Potimas's mind.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a mocking laugh echoed from above. "Bye-bye, old fossil!"
Sophia sprouted a pair of bat wings from her back, carrying the unconscious blonde loli in her arms as she glided down from the sky, landing safely right behind Ariel. Just like that, the tables were completely turned.
"Did you say fighting is useless?"
Ariel let out a wicked, playful grin. She cracked her knuckles, making a loud popping sound that echoed through the clearing. "Today, I'm going to show you exactly how fragile your little schemes are when they go up against absolute, raw power."
Potimas: "..."
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