The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 92: Aegis – Violet Confronts a Fragment of the Future (3)

They succeeded in approaching the crystal flower, but the Violets were swept up in a suddenly changing situation and became trapped inside the barrier.

「What on earth is happening out there?」

The external team members reassured the agitated Violets.

「Come on, get a grip. We don’t know what’s going on, but it has nothing to do with us.」

「Really?」

Violet No. 123, stationed outside the barrier, shared her vision with the others.

The commotion was happening in the central area of the school, far from the garden and forest.

According to Adela’s guidance, that area housed the student center, central library, and faculty building.

「Let’s focus on our task. Hurry up and pack!」

The Violets trapped inside the barrier quickly gathered the flowers and reversed the creation process.

Nothing was left behind.

「We’ve secured everything. No. 123 and No. 43, withdraw quickly.」

「Got it. Uh… wait a moment.」

「What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming?」

The two Violets standing guard outside caught sight of crimson flames erupting.

「Let’s check this out before we go. Something’s not right!」

「What’s the problem?」

「That… what is that?」

Flames shot up violently from the faculty building, where the explosions had been sounding.

Meanwhile, Adela, who had been asleep in the dormitory, sprang out of bed reflexively at the sound of the explosions.

The blaring of sirens that followed shook the entire school awake from its slumber. Feeling something was off, she quickly changed clothes, grabbed her armor and weapon, and headed outside.

In front of the dormitory, students in pajamas had gathered in a hurry. Among them, rubbing their eyes, she spotted members of the disciplinary committee directing the students.

“Adela here! Have you accounted for everyone?”

“Yes! Just one more floor to check, and we’ll be done.”

“The professors and guards will be here soon. Once everyone is downstairs, lead them to the gym.”

While she was giving a few more instructions, the dim surroundings suddenly lit up in a yellow glow.

Turning her head, she saw flames rising from the center of the academy. Several students screamed in shock.

“Fire!”

“That’s the central library, isn’t it? Or is it the faculty building?”

Adela suddenly thought of students who might still be studying late at the library.

Although the dormitory evacuation was mostly complete, what about over there?

“You three, follow me. The rest of you, wait here until the headcount is done, then move quickly to the gym!”

“Where are you going?”

“The library! There might still be people who haven’t evacuated!”

After relaying the situation via messenger, she took three students with her and ran across the flame-lit campus.

As she put on her earpiece, she tapped into the emergency communication network. However, her attempt to inquire about the situation was interrupted.

The network was saturated with panicked shouting and confusion.

-Professor Myers! Where are you? Are you safe?

-This is Security Team 1, engaged in combat with unknown hostiles!

-I’m fine! But the principal is…

Suddenly, the sharp crackle of gunfire rang out continuously. Activating her mana, Adela sprinted through the darkness.

Unlike the faculty building engulfed in flames, the central library appeared intact.

Students had already fled with their belongings.

After confirming the reading rooms were empty, she rushed outside.

“All clear! There’s no one left inside.”

“Good. Let’s head to the gym!”

As they exited the library’s front door, they saw professors, security guards, and hastily arrived hunters battling in front of the faculty building.

‘Monsters? No, there’s no way a gate could have opened inside the school.’

Filled with doubt, Adela sent the other students ahead and ran toward the gathering of people.

A hunter was rushing out from the first floor, carrying an elderly man on his back. Adela’s eyes widened in shock.

“Principal…!”

A young professor, who had just cut down a nameless monster with his sword, turned to her with frustration.

“Adelaide! Why are you here? This place is dangerous!”

“The students’ evacuation is complete! I need information. What is going on?”

“I have no idea. In all my years as a professor, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The principal, in a terrible state, was laid down for emergency treatment.

As the monsters emerging from the building were neutralized, someone slowly stepped out of the smoky main entrance.

“Someone’s still inside? I thought everyone had evacuated.”

Before anyone could speak further, an unidentifiable figure emerged from the smoke.

People collectively gasped.

The yellow flames flickered strangely, and through them appeared a grotesque being.

The figure wore a uniform, but whether it was truly human was questionable.

Its mask-like face shimmered with a bizarre, shifting glow.

The oppressive atmosphere left everyone speechless, staring blankly at the figure.

One hunter, the same one who had carried the principal, was the first to recover. Pointing at the being, he shouted.

“That’s him! He’s the intruder!”

At those words, everyone at the scene raised their weapons. Adela also nocked an arrow and aimed it at the figure.

“Who are you?”

The being tilted its head and pointed at the fallen principal.

“That’s none of your concern. Hand over the old man.”

The distorted, noise-filled voice of the figure made Adela grimace.

The crowd reacted fiercely.

“The principal? Are you kidding me? Who are you? Are you from the Obsidian Legion?”

“We’ll figure out who he is later. Let’s take him down first.”

In response to the commotion, the being replied again.

“This isn’t a request. It’s an order.”

As the man raised his hand, dozens of monsters sprang up from the ground.

“Well, I suppose there was no need for a request. I’ll just take him myself.”

“Monsters? How?”

While people gasped in astonishment, the figure gestured simply, commanding the attack.

The midnight campus was on the verge of erupting into chaos.

Suddenly, a deafening roar tore through the air.

The sound came from the dark sky above, growing loud enough for even ordinary people to hear clearly.

The battle paused.

The intruder murmured in surprise.

“This aura…?”

Everyone, including the figure and those around him, looked up at the sky in shock.

“What’s that sound? A jet?”

“Flying low. Where did it come from?”

At that moment, frantic voices filled the communication network.

-Security Team 2 here! The Inspection Bureau… they’ve dispatched a superintendent!

-What do you mean? The Inspection Bureau? A superintendent, now?

-“They’ve assessed the situation at the academy and are deploying immediate support.”

Upon hearing this, Adela and the professors froze in astonishment.

-Ah, breaking news… they’ve arrived!

In the pitch-black sky, a dark figure zipped past rapidly.

Someone raised a hand, pointing at the sky.

“Look!”

Everyone focused their mana on their eyes.

A human form descended from the sky, cutting through the darkness like ink, landing squarely in front of the mysterious intruder.

-KWAANG!

A cloud of dirt exploded upon impact, forcing the grotesque being to recoil in shock, narrowly avoiding the collision.

“Ugh…!”

Moments later, the intruder’s body crumpled and disappeared, and the impact sent the figure crashing into the faculty building wall.

Through the smoke and flames, the form of a man emerged.

“Good, I’m not too late.”

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The man glanced at the principal of Aegis Academy. Nodding briefly to the school staff watching him, he switched the mace he was holding for a sword.

“You… who are you…”

“Milia, I’ve arrived. What’s the situation? …I see.”

Ignoring the questions around him, he calmly recited something as if reading a report.

“Federal Year 25, October 7th, midnight, 12:07 a.m.”

The distorted intruder, resembling a human, came into view.

The man thought.

If things had gone as planned, that man wouldn’t have appeared for several more months.

The incident, too, would have occurred much more quietly, unnoticed by anyone.

“From now on, we will conduct an emergency intervention regarding the Aegis Awakener Academy.”

It didn’t matter.

Much had already changed, and many more things would be twisted in the future.

The man declared calmly.

“Due to the emergency, the academy’s consent will be obtained later.”

With weary eyes, the black-clad man stepped forward amidst the flames and smoke.

“…Therefore, I proceed with the execution.”

The Academic City’s Inspector began administrative enforcement.

Violet couldn’t understand the scene before her eyes.

“What is that?”

“Isn’t that an Inspector?”

“Isn’t that Saiges? Why is he here?”

Faced with the protagonist of a future she suddenly encountered, Violet’s mind filled with question marks.

A mysterious enemy, and the Inspector who had barged in.

Unluckily, even if hundreds of Violets put their heads together and maximized their mental network, they couldn’t fully grasp the sight before them.

If fate existed, it was a tangled skein that wrapped this world in five knots.

For Violet to comprehend the fight between that monster and the Inspector, she would have to surpass at least the third knot. Unfortunately, it was beyond her immediate grasp.

Between the burning buildings, the two entities fought.

The spectacle resembled a natural disaster more than a battle.

Every slash of their blades cracked the ground, and every movement summoned whirlwinds.

Their movements had already surpassed the speed of sound.

As the beasts guarding the frontlines vanished in an instant, the monster summoned new entities to encircle the Inspector.

The Inspector extended his hand into the empty air, and the barrel of a massive gatling gun, as tall as an adult male, appeared smoothly.

A long ammo belt stretched to the ground.

Gripping the gun with one arm, he unleashed a barrage of fire on the approaching enemies.

The armored monsters were obliterated, leaving no trace of their forms.

“…Damn it!”

Realizing his actions were merely a stalling tactic, the monster formed hand seals and initiated an incomprehensible ritual.

A rain of metal descended on the monster’s location.

The high-speed projectiles bounced off a grid-patterned barrier.

It was a high-speed motion disruption field.

The gatling gun in the Inspector’s hand disappeared.

A complex, dark crossbow appeared in his right hand.

A beam imbued with blue magical energy pierced through the barrier.

The monster immediately disabled the barrier and dodged.

The beam, like a shark pursuing its prey, relentlessly tracked the monster.

The monster’s left arm was pierced. While it flinched, a merciless axe strike tore its body apart.

“Graaaargh!”

Blue smoke rose from the monster’s mangled body. Its form regenerated. A flaming sword emerged from its wrist.

“Was there ever a hunter like that? Is that even human?”

“It’s neither magic nor an innate ability!”

-Clang! Clang!

As onlookers stared blankly, dozens of blows were exchanged.

In a fleeting moment, the monster’s wrist was severed.

As it retreated, a sledgehammer greeted it.

The monster crashed through the exterior wall of a building and flew inside.

The Inspector followed, storming into the classroom building.

“That’s the new Inspector everyone’s been talking about…”

“How can a human be that fast?”

Adela and the academy’s people could only watch the entire scene. Even if they tried to intervene, they would only be a hindrance.

“Professor, what should we do?”

“I don’t know.”

By chance, the feelings of the Violets were the same as theirs.

“Was the Inspector always that strong?”

“He was strong, but…”

Facing the incoming storm, there was nothing one could do.

The Violet Network fell silent for a moment.

The deafening sounds from inside the classroom building suddenly stopped, and then the monster burst out through one side of the building.

The black-coated Inspector followed closely behind.

The two continued their fierce battle without pause.

As the monster prepared magic, the Inspector’s dual pistols roared.

When he closed the distance, savage strikes followed with a broadsword, a hammer, dual blades, and a halberd.

The combatants widened the gap again.

Grenades flew, and an electric spell burned through an ether shield.

Whatever the monster tried, no matter the attack, the onslaught continued seamlessly.

-Kaboom!

At one moment, the Inspector charged with a lance.

The impaled monster and the Inspector crashed through one wall of the central library.

Inside, the chaos of destruction, explosions, and shattering continued, prompting one professor to sigh.

“Oh, the library…”

“Is that what matters right now? Look at this.”

Eventually, the battle reached its conclusion.

-Clang!

The monster smashed through a second-floor window of the library and fled.

The Inspector, descending in pursuit, swung a shining sword.

Five white lines were drawn in the air.

As the monster hesitated, crescent-shaped sword strikes ravaged it.

“What in the world… Aaaaargh!”

The monster, its limbs severed, collapsed to the ground.

Confirming the opponent was incapacitated, Saiges grabbed the monster’s collar and lifted its upper body.

Despite the injuries, the monster coughed and spoke.

“To think someone like you existed in the Academy City. I was completely caught off guard.”

Saiges’s lifeless eyes scanned the monster.

“What… exactly are you?”

“No need for you to know.”

Despite his severe, fatal injuries, the monster grinned and chuckled.

“Our comrades were taken down one after another recently—that was your doing, wasn’t it? Do you think this will stop us?”

“…”

“You people are gnawing away at your own pillars. You’re bringing about your own destruction. We’re just giving you a push.”

The Inspector felt no need to respond.

Yet, at some moment, he realized that a part of him silently agreed with the enemy’s assertion.

A list of names, carefully cataloged in his memory, surfaced.

Despicable hunters and secret organizations.

Tyrant Casador, President Raihan, Laplaxia, Astraea…

Those who could have changed the situation were mostly either unwilling or ruined everything with their twisted beliefs.

Corrupt federal officials.

The foolish leaders of Lestrade, Arsyt, Magna Nabis, and Luminexa—the Four Great Clans.

The Mage Valefor, Colonel Sycamore, and the mad secret societies.

And then… and then…

That name that had left an indelible despair, Violet. The Boundless Witch.

The past of an unfulfilled future struck him suddenly. Grinding his teeth, he suppressed his rising anger.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What…”

Letting go of his grip, the Inspector allowed the monster’s upper body to fall to the ground.

“I will ensure it doesn’t come to that.”

Before the monster could respond, its vision filled with the sole of a black combat boot.

Its head shattered like a biscuit and evaporated, releasing smoke like dry ice.

A fit of severe coughing overtook him.

Hastily covering his mouth, he saw blackened blood on his hand.

Realizing he had pushed himself too far, the Inspector wiped away the evidence unnoticed.

The academy staff approached at last. Ignoring their barrage of questions about the new Inspector, he turned his head.

A dignified blonde student gazed at him with violet eyes full of doubt.

“It’s been a while, Miss Adela. This is our second meeting.”

“You were the one who helped us before. I never imagined you were the new Inspector…”

Adela’s gaze moved to the monster’s corpse beneath the Inspector’s feet.

“What exactly is that?”

“It is… a person. And yet, not a person.”

“What does that even…”

“I cannot explain further. Not at this moment. One person here knows, though.”

His eyes landed on the principal of Aegis Academy, who was receiving first aid.

A whirlwind rose as a black VTOL aircraft bearing the insignia of the Inspection Bureau descended.

“Miss Adela, I will contact you later. We have much to discuss, so I’ll see you again.”

The Inspector turned and headed toward the aircraft.

As the rear ramp opened, a red-haired girl holding a tablet rushed over, her head adorned with animal-like ears.

“Inspector! Inspector! Why did you come to Aegis Academy in the dead of night? You won’t explain again, will you?”

“Apologies, Milia. It’s not the time. I’ll explain everything, but for now…”

Ignoring the crowd’s questions, the ramp closed behind him.

The aircraft sliced through the air, disappearing into the darkness.

‘What does he plan to discuss?’

Adela’s mind filled with questions. She pondered them throughout the night but found no answers.

After the battle, the Violets, too, spent the night debating and analyzing.

The things they had witnessed were incomprehensible even to their collective reasoning.

The monster, the fight, the Inspector…

“I don’t get it. What is this?”

“Was this in the original?”

Their heads throbbed.

Still, they took comfort in the benefits they had gained and gradually fell asleep one by one.

“At least we collected all the crystal flowers, right?”

“Whoever that monster was, let’s thank him.”

One way or another, the plan had succeeded. Nothing directly harmful to the Violets had occurred.

However, one thing was clear.

Even Violet could discern this truth.

On that night when the Aegis Academy suffered an unanticipated attack, Violet encountered a fragment of the future.

There was one more thing Violet hadn’t known.

The aftermath of the academy’s attack was enormous.

The faculty concealed the identity of the intruders, but they couldn’t hide the fire that swept through the classroom building or the central library’s partial destruction.

In the end, the academy attributed the damage to a gas explosion and experimental failure.

In this process, the disappearance of the crystal flowers from the garden and forest went unnoticed.

For Violet, it was a stroke of good fortune.