**Chapter: 72. The Darkness Behind the Moon Academy**
“Teacher Maria, it really is you, isn’t it?”
Tian Yu was not surprised by the person appearing before her.
In the next moment, the shadows created by Maria’s dive beneath her feet began to wriggle as if they were alive.
The pitch-black shadows transformed into countless sharp spikes, striking out like numerous tendrils toward Maria, who was clad in blood-red armor.
“Tian Yu, you need to—” Nagisa instinctively called out a warning upon seeing this.
But before Nagisa could finish her sentence, the black shadow spikes morphed into the shape of fists in mid-air.
The shadow fists came crashing down on Maria’s armor like a torrential storm.
The brilliant red sheen on its surface grew dimmer with each successive impact.
“You—” Maria, before the brilliance completely vanished, executed a leap back into the air in a manner that defied the laws of physics.
Her armor then transformed into blood-red feathers, which swiftly coalesced and stacked in the air, eventually morphing into crimson crows.
“Blood Crows, which have immunity to slashing-type physical attacks, but can disperse magical power through blunt-force attacks, right?” Tian Yu, seeing her attack succeed, revealed a triumphant smile.
“I didn’t expect you to know so much; have you investigated me?” Maria, perched upon the rebar above the warehouse, looked down at Tian Yu below, while casting a sidelong glance at the now-free Nagisa, signaling him to leave the scene.
“Ah, that night of the campus attack, I nearly locked onto Teacher Maria’s presence.”
“Consider it a reference for the future, when did I reveal myself?”
“First—dirt.”
“Dirt?”
“That night, when you arrived at District Zero, your sports outfit was covered in dirt. While it could have happened if you were engaging in sports club activities or rushing due to an emergency… but Teacher Maria, you aren’t a sports club advisor. Plus, you were late, and with your ability to move in the air, your sports outfit shouldn’t have been that dirty.”
“…What about the possibility that I was just eager to join in on after-school training?”
“I’ve already checked all the training grounds and gymnasium records from that day. Unfortunately, I didn’t find you there, Teacher Maria.”
“Tch, just as he said, be careful when dealing with the Tenjouin family; you really are a hassle…”
Maria couldn’t help but sigh upon realizing she had been uncovered.
At the same time, Nagisa, maintaining a head-down position, brushed off the dirt from her skirt and slowly stood up from the ground.
“Now, what about that little girl? You seemed to know quite a lot about me just now—” Maria redirected her gaze toward Nagisa.
But Tian Yu, using the shadows to jump in front of Nagisa, blocked her way.
“Oh, my, the young lady from Tenjouin is so nervous. Could it be that child is a illegitimate daughter of your family?”
“Teacher Maria, why are you doing this?”
Ignoring the other’s provocation, Tian Yu posed a concerned question.
“It’s simple, everything is for justice,” Maria replied.
She was trying to buy time for Nagisa to escape.
Realizing that she could not gain an advantage before Tian Yu, Nagisa discreetly directed Chimera to extend its long tail down into the warehouse.
Seeing this, Tian Yu instinctively wanted to stop Nagisa, but the oppressive aura emanating from Maria made her hesitant to act rashly and expose any openings. She could only watch helplessly as Nagisa was swallowed whole by the tail after being pierced by the shadow spikes.
“Justice? You, once an ACE, who saved the world, now regard attacking students and the academy as justice?”
Tian Yu was also looking for an opportunity to allow Nagisa to escape.
However, she found it strange that since the beginning, aside from the warning during the crisis, Nagisa had remained silent and every gesture portrayed the elegance and grace of a young lady.
“Student? It seems you’ve misunderstood something.” Maria’s expression turned extremely serious at the mention of the topic: “I’m merely eliminating the infiltrators and traitors within the academy and Special Circumstances.”
As her words resonated, the multitude of blood crows flying in the air began to gather into one.
Finally, a blood-red crow, not smaller than Chimera, spread its wings under the moonlight.
“Traitor? In my view, it is you, Teacher Maria, whose actions betray Special Circumstances SEMA!”
“This is a necessary sacrifice for justice,” Maria continued, her gaze surpassing Tian Yu, landing on Nagisa behind her.
“That girl behind you, once recorded as a ‘normal person’ in the files, is actually a beastmaster who has made contracts with fantasy monsters. Moreover, based on past perfect records, it’s clear she’s been inserted into the academy by some ill-intentioned individuals.”
“If the facts are as you say, then what? How does this relate to the justice you speak of?”
“Ah, so you also know this child’s secret?”
“Answer my question—! What is your justice?” Tian Yu saw through Maria’s attempt to divert the topic and decisively interrupted her.
She had to leverage Maria’s desire to buy time to extract as much information as possible before Nagisa could leave.
“It’s simple, to help him take revenge, to make the truth of that year known to the public—”
Maria had no intention of hiding her answer and spoke it directly.
“Blood debts must be repaid with blood.”
—————–
“Elemental Sovereign… is not dead? Instead, she was held as an experiment by Moon Academy?”
On the other side of the artificial academy island, Mana stood stunned, shocked by the truth conveyed by Yako.
“Ah, ah, the Elemental Sovereign’s death in order to save the world was merely a lie.”
“Moon Academy imprisoned her as an experiment, day and night researching the powerful abilities she possessed.”
“Impossible! I can’t believe such a thing just from your word!”
“This isn’t out of thin air; in fact, Mana, you’ve had a similar thought in your heart all along, haven’t you?” Yako floated in mid-air and said, “Do you think your powers and the extraordinary events of Nanase Island and Kawano City back then came about by mere chance?”
“!? Are you saying—”
“The powers you and Tian Yu possess are one of the abilities once held by the Elemental Sovereign…”
“Impossible, all this is related to a mad organization called the Starry Society—”
“Ah, because that is the anti-anomalous organization commissioned by Moon Academy. Years ago, it was Moon Academy that sought out the Elemental Sovereign, hoping that they could replicate the powers of the Elemental Sovereign through artificial monsters—”
“You, as the epitome of the ultimate creation, are the best proof.”
