Chapter 59: The Descent of the Twelve-Winged Angel

“According to what you said, as long as you’re not deliberately targeted, nothing will happen, right?” Perhaps Yuri’s way of thinking was a bit different from ordinary people, as she commented on this point.

“Of course. If you react a bit faster, you should be able to disappear before being affected. Unless she intentionally singles you out, she won’t attack souls that are leaving.” Although Nightshade held no fondness for Yoru and her companions, he believed she wasn’t someone who would commit indiscriminate slaughter without reason.

“That’s good then. It’s rare to find an angel related to God—how can I leave without getting my revenge?” Clenching her fists, Yuri was clearly ready for action.

“I think you’ll be little more than bystanders at best. If she’s in a bad mood, you might not even get the chance to ascend.” Seeing Yuri’s reckless intent to provoke the Twelve-Winged Angel, Nightshade felt obliged to warn her; otherwise, she might lose even her soul, leaving no room for regret.

“Alright, alright, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.” Yuri plainly brushed off Nightshade’s words, waving her hand dismissively as she led the spirited group, all eager to resist the imminent Twelve-Winged Angel, out to solve the problem of the shadowy figures.

“Is what you said true, Nightshade? Is the Twelve-Winged Angel really coming?” Having witnessed Nightshade’s power alongside him, Shiraki had also felt the might of Yoru. Even at Nightshade’s strongest, he was merely her equal, and Shiraki, who was far weaker, knew she stood no chance. Concerned for Nightshade’s safety, she asked.

“It’s fine. The one coming this time is at most her avatar, whose strength should be roughly equal to yours, though her combat ability surpasses yours. I’m confident I can defeat her, so you don’t need to worry.” Knowing they were concerned for him, Nightshade patted their heads reassuringly.

“How could we not worry?” Shiraki lowered her head and sighed softly.

After heading out, Yuri summoned all members of the battlefront to explain the dire situation and the fate worse than disappearing. Having already been persuaded by Naoto, the battlefront members were able to accept the current predicament, all agreeing that if they encountered such danger, they would willingly vanish—anything was better than eternal imprisonment without a soul.

Having received their answers, Yuri led the group toward the most likely place for someone to reprogram things: the academy’s computer room. Nightshade, Shiraki, and Kanade followed Yuri, but on the field, a horde of shadowy figures blocked their way. Gunfire erupted. The most troublesome aspect of these shadows was their sheer numbers and the need to hit them repeatedly to scatter them; at any moment, they could entangle someone. Kanade and Shiina quickly joined the fray. These two, wielding cold weapons, actually had an advantage against the shadows, instantly severing any that approached.

Noda, wielding his twin-bladed axe with force, spun and cleaved through the shadows, landing near Hinata’s feet. Startled, Hinata dodged frantically, gritting his teeth and pointing at Noda. “Are you trying to chop your own teammates too?”

Having not actually struck anyone, Noda dismissed it, boasting, “All within my calculations!”

“Don’t be so precise! Leave some margin! You’re the idiot who goes crazy at the mere mention of pi!” Hinata didn’t believe Noda for a second and immediately retorted.

“Stop fooling around and cover each other!” Unable to tolerate such arguments at a critical moment, Yuri admonished them. Suddenly, several nearby NPCs began to convulse, streams of data coursing through their bodies; then they transformed into shadowy masses right before the battlefront’s eyes. Their expressions showed they’d expected this, solidifying their resolve to investigate the computer room.

When Shiina shattered the last shadow with her dagger, everyone was exhausted, barely able to stand. Some sat on the ground, worn out from fighting such overwhelming numbers, which kept replenishing. Even if the shadows didn’t fight back, slaughtering them one by one would be exhausting enough, let alone dodging their attacks.

“Is everyone alright? Rest for a moment before we continue toward the computer room.” With Kanade—whose strength had once rivaled the entire battlefront—alongside Nightshade and Shiraki, both essentially overpowered beings, Yuri felt even more confident about annihilating the shadows ahead.

The group entered the first computer room in the library. Nightshade and the others spotted someone operating a computer. Instantly, everyone aimed their guns at him. “What are you doing here? Are you the culprit?”

“I’m installing a new computer,” the middle-aged man replied.

“Why?”

“Well, maybe because computers are valuable—they keep getting stolen, so we have to add more.”

“Have you found the culprit?” It was hard for someone to steal a batch of computers without being noticed, so Yuri pressed further.

“Bang bang bang!” Before the man could answer, the floor of the computer room erupted in loud banging, shaking violently and drawing everyone’s attention. Yuri cautiously approached. Suddenly, the floor was wrenched open, and an overwhelming swarm of shadows gushed out like a fountain.

“Run!” With such overwhelming numbers, the issue was no longer whether they could handle it, but survival. In the cramped space, annihilation was almost certain. Yuri immediately commanded everyone to retreat. They quickly fled the computer room, returning to the field, only to find the shadows had multiplied astonishingly.

After temporarily dealing with the shadows pouring from the computer room, Nightshade and the others followed the group onto the field, only to discover the situation there was scarcely better. At a glance, nearly a thousand shadows were drifting about, and as soon as they spotted the battlefront members, they began to converge.

“So many? Nightshade, you should be able to handle this, right?” Hinata swallowed hard as he spoke. With just a dozen people, it seemed impossible to eliminate nearly a thousand shadows. The non-combat members watched from the corridor windows of the principal’s office, observing the scene on the field. Perhaps due to the attention drawn by Hinata and the others, no shadows approached that area yet.

“Indeed, I could destroy them, but it seems I won’t have to. My real opponent—the one I must take seriously—is about to appear.” Nightshade seemed to have noticed something, his expression strange as he drew his twin swords of fantasy. High above, a massive rift appeared in the sky. From within, Hinata and the others seemed to glimpse a raging destructive force.

A slender figure emerged from the rift, bearing twelve snow-white wings and radiating an aura of sacred light. As she began to emanate a purifying brilliance, the shadows instantly dissolved upon contact with her light. Nearly a thousand shadows—enough to bring Yuri and her group to despair—vanished without a trace under her power.