A woman with a distinctly different aura was standing at the end of the dark corridor.
At the end of the stairs and corridor, men and women dressed like nobles huddled against the walls, terrified.
Ruffians descending the stairs and men in black suits, along with the tall woman wielding a sword at the end of the corridor, closed in cautiously but confidently, looking certain of their victory.
They had intimidating presences different from the ones I had dealt with earlier.
These had to be the key members of the Nevis family.
Ideally, when facing powerful opponents, I'd prefer to maintain distance and unleash a continuous barrage of intermediate spells or higher.
But doing so in this confined space would surely cause the building to collapse, burying everyone alive.
"It can't be helped. Let's go with close combat." I sighed and cast a body enhancement spell.
With the barrier I set up to prevent anyone from escaping, there was no need to rush.
"… Hey, girl, if you don't want to get hurt, stick to the wall and tremble."
The men descended the stairs. Farther up, a magician was chanting a spell.
Was he to deal with me in this narrow stairwell without accidentally hitting his comrades below? It was either a restraining spell or an attack from above.
As I watched with interest, one of the men drew closer and swung his sword down at me.
I deflected the blade with the side of my hand and struck the man's abdomen with a horizontal punch.
"Guah?!"
The man slammed into the wall of the staircase and passed out, his eyes rolling back. The impact caused debris and dust to fall from the ceiling.
The building trembled slightly, and everyone froze.
At that moment, the magician on the stairs unleashed his spell. A black mist spread out, covering the ceiling.
What kind of magic was this?
Though curious, if it was a spell meant to kill many people, it might be difficult to protect everyone here.
I decided to seal it. "[Invisible Wall, Invisible Block]"
As I channeled my mana, a thin, invisible barrier appeared beneath the black mist. It covered the entire ceiling, preventing the mysterious black mist from reaching us.
"I've memorized his face. I'll ask him about the magic once they're captured," I whispered to myself. Then I struck the nearest man's head with a side blow, knocking him out.
"…?! W-what the hell is this girl…?!"
As the shout sounded, other voices came from the top of the stairs.
"A-Aoi-sensei…?!"
"What?! No way!"
They were young voices. By the time I looked up, they had already hidden, but they were probably students from the academy.
Did they think they'd get scolded or expelled?
Either way, calling my name was a mistake.
"Sensei…?"
"You’re… a teacher?"
The men in black blinked in surprise at me.
Immediately, the woman at the bottom of the stairs shouted, "Bring the brats here!"
The men on the stairs looked startled and ran off.
This was bad. If they took hostages, I wouldn’t be able to act.
The moment I judged the situation, I bolted forward with enough force to break the floorboards. I smashed away the men in my way with the palms of my hands as I ascended the stairs.
When I reached the second floor, a wide casino hall spread out before me. Dim lighting cast spotlights on rectangular tables with cards and small spheres.
The interior had a surprisingly elegant atmosphere, befitting a high-class casino.
However, the inside of this room was also full of a white, smoke-like mist, making it difficult to see where the students were.
While scanning the room, I heard someone running up the stairs.
"Use the brats!"
With the shout, the woman appeared. She spun her swords in both hands and took a stance, handling the dual swords as if they were extensions of her limbs.
As I kept some attention on her, a voice came from the back.
"A-Aoi-sensei!"
"Please don't attack!"
Two boys appeared. Behind them, three men in black stood with swords pointed at the boys' necks.
The sight made me feel so angry that my skin crawled, but if I took action, they would be in danger.
At that moment, one of the men in black whispered something to the boys.
Their faces turned pale, and they tearfully opened their mouths.
It was a spell chant.
What were they told? What magic were they about to cast?
Questions surfaced and vanished, but one thought remained.
What should I do about these men?
Without moving, I glared at the men in black.
One of them grimaced and said, "H-hurry up! What's taking so long?!"
The boys flinched and trembled at the man's shout.
The spell was soon complete, and the boys tearfully cast their magic.
"[Flame Arrow]!"
"[Rock Shot]!"
A ball of fire and a rock appeared in front of the boys and shot towards me.
There was only one ball of fire and one rock, but they were quite fast. I nodded lightly and swept my right hand from left to right, neutralizing both.
"… Eh?"
"W-what was that just now…?"
The boys murmured in astonishment, forgetting their fear as they looked back and forth between their hands and my face. It wasn't magic. It was just a palm strike.
Ignoring the stunned men in black, I immediately took action. "[Restraining Wind, Bind]"
The spell activated, and the men in black stiffened as if iron rods had been inserted into their bodies.
"I-impossible!"
Ignoring their shock, I turned around.
Two sword blades were already approaching me. Her speed, aim, and timing were perfect, and even her ability to conceal her presence was impressive.
However, the slight killing intent that leaked out was fatal.
In mountains and forests inhabited by large magical beasts such as dragons, many mid-sized beasts excelled in hunting. Facing such beasts made people sensitive to slight disturbances or killing intent.
That said, this was the most exceptional assassination technique I'd encountered.
"… Impressive," I subconsciously muttered as I grabbed the approaching blades with both hands, stopping them.
"…?! You… you're not really the Demon King, are you?!" The tall woman’s eyes widened in shock as she said something rude.
"What else would I be but a teacher?" I sighed and broke her dual swords with my hands.
"What kind of teacher can do this… Ugh!"
She tried to fight back, but I struck her chest with a backhand blow, sending her rolling to the floor.
After confirming there were no more threats around, I turned to Rox, who was coming up the stairs. "Now, let's restrain them."
"Ha, hahaha, I guess all I can do is laugh," Rox muttered and then gave instructions to his two guards.