After regretting for some time, he finally realized that too much time had passed, and Steven had not returned from above.

Did he encounter difficulties? Was there a monster so powerful that it killed him?

Kenneth began to worry, contemplating what he would do next.

He quickly ascended the stairs, attempting to find Steven.

Upon arrival, the signs of battle were evident, several goblins meticulously mutilated.

"This... isn't Steven," he mumbled.

Walking through the classrooms, he found nothing.

Kenneth proceeded to the end of the hallway on the second floor, pausing for a moment.

A figure, with a broad smile, seemed to be waiting there.

"Are you a survivor?"

"Hmm... it would be better if your power is transferred promptly to the absolute owner."

"What are you talking about-!!"

Suddenly, a lightning-fast attack from him, a katana piercing through his right shoulder. Kenneth managed to evade, but it still hit its target.

"Wow, amazing! I thought with one stab, your hand would be gone!"

"GUARRGHH!"

The man attempted to sever Kenneth's shoulder, but it seemed the katana got stuck.

"Wow, an ordinary katana indeed can't easily sever the power of a god!"

The man leaped backward, drawing a new katana from behind his waist.

"Jyuzumaru, it's time for you to act."

As the man darted forward rapidly, suddenly a shadow blocked the attack.

CLANK!

The sound of two katana blades clashing resonated loudly.

"Wow, I didn't expect the user of Onimaru to arrive so quickly."

"WAHAHAHA! If it took any longer, I could lose everything!"

A man in his forties appeared, with a thin beard covering his face, and sunglasses as if he was about to go on vacation, dressed like a parking attendant.

Kenneth, still in pain from the sword embedded in his shoulder, reacted slightly to the arrival of the man.

"Who... Who are you?"

"Keep your composure, lad! Try to run to the Cafeteria and wait for me there!"

"Urgh... I'm... I'm still struggling..."

"Don't exaggerate; it's just a minor wound! Your shoulder is still intact! WAHAHAHA!"

Madman, thought Kenneth. Despite the eccentricity of the situation, he heeded the advice, gathering every ounce of strength to swiftly make his way to the Cafeteria.

"Well, we were almost on the brink of solving the world's problems quickly."

"Don't rush; I believe your Vessel is still far from ready."

"The owner of this Devil power is special; he can unlock the final seal in just an hour."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"!!!"

"..."

"WAHAHAHA! A good joke! But the Divine owner will undergo tremendous growth."

"Instead of wasting time here, it's better to take care of yourself and your protege, Aaron." Responding to the brusque figure named Aaron, the broad-smiled owner, feeling impeded, departed into the shadows.

"WAHAHAHA! Zhang is still traumatized from our last encounter; he immediately fled at the sight of me!"

"Oh right, I have a lot to attend to!"

The journey to the Cafeteria proved arduous, with numerous monsters like Goblins and Skeletons obstructing Kenneth's path. Unable to strike effectively with his injured right hand and burdened by Zhang's katana lodged in his shoulder, he opted to evade the adversaries.

A massive door at the end of the corridor caught his eye, adorned with a sign proclaiming "Cafeteria" above it. Swiftly, he ran towards it.

BRAK!

The door gave way but didn't open immediately—it was locked.

"HEY, OPEN UP! There are survivors!"

Silence. Yet, after a brief pause, a woman's voice emanated from within.

"Who!?"

"Kenneth Alvison, Class 3-C!"

Even in a fleeting moment, it seemed Kenneth recognized the voice.

CLAK!

The door opened. Kenneth rushed inside as the pursuing monsters closed in behind him.

"UARGH!" he exclaimed, throwing himself inside.

"Lock it back!"

Several individuals swiftly closed and secured the door, muffling the screams of monsters attempting to breach it. Exhausted and with a significant loss of blood, Kenneth lay sprawled on the floor, his adrenaline-fueled vigor waning.

"Hey, Kenneth! Hold on!"

"Kyaaa! Look at the blood!"

"Wow, this is insane; the katana is stuck in his shoulder. Does anyone know first aid!?"

The voices of his friends gradually faded along with his consciousness.

"Robert, will he be okay?"

A concerned 15-year-old girl, rather petite, appeared worried about Kenneth's condition.

"It seems he can be saved; the main issue is the excessive bleeding, Tania."

Robert was Kenneth's physical education teacher. Due to his young age, he preferred not to be addressed as "Mister" as it made him feel old.

"Thank goodness you're here; several people could be saved!" exclaimed those present.

There were about seven survivors in the Cafeteria, all members of the school's basketball team.

Two girls, Tania and Margareth, were from the women's basketball team.

The other five, Robert the P.E. teacher, and the rest were male basketball players.

Currently, Robert was attempting to remove the katana embedded in Kenneth's shoulder.

"Not easy; we need more equipment."

"Randy is fetching medications from the infirmary; hopefully, he finds something."

Suddenly, the door separating the cafeteria from the outside clashed like metal. Before long, it began to split.

Everyone in the cafeteria was startled and terrified.

"WAHAHAHA! Kids these days are truly weak!"

A flamboyantly dressed Aaron entered, carrying a wounded Randy on his shoulder.

It seemed Randy, who was attempting to find medicine, was severely injured and carried by Aaron.

"It looks like we'll have to work hard; that kid's condition is really bad. WAHAHA!"

An unknown entity approached Kenneth.

It felt warm.

The warmth enveloped his entire right arm, but...

Suddenly, chains emerged as if locking his limbs.

"Not the time yet."

The entity darted away, leaving the world bathed in light.

"I told you, illuminate his eyes correctly! How can I work like this!? Are you really a teacher!?"

The shouts and light awakened Kenneth, who had just regained consciousness from his stupor.

"A... Ahh..."

"!!! Wow, this person survived. See, it's thanks to me, right!? WAHAHAHA!"

Everyone present was quite surprised; some remained silent, but Robert, Tania, and Margareth were delighted to see one of their friends survive.

However, their attention turned to another corner, where Randy lay motionless, unable to be saved.

"Forgive us," thought his friends.

Randy managed to bring medicines, which ended up being used by the other injured kids, mostly for Kenneth.

In truth, they didn't want to give any to Kenneth, but the old man was quite intimidating, and he had a katana.

"Hey hey, it seems you're awake."

"Y-yes."

"Now stand up!"

Aaron yanked Kenneth's arm hard, instantly placing him in a standing position.

"Hey! You can't do that! He just recovered-"

A katana was already unsheathed at Robert's throat.

When did he draw the katana? Robert wondered.

"Thanks for being a good physical education teacher while he was in school, but due to your lacking abilities, it's time for me to become the P.E. teacher for this guy!"

"Tch!"

Robert's pride was wounded, but he realized who he was facing. Besides, he was armed too.

"Now it's time for you all to find a new shelter. You can explore the entire school now. I think it's safe."

"Now, I'll take over this place, and all of you get out of here."

All the kids were confused, still not grasping what was happening.

This was their place, right!? Moreover, who could guarantee that the new place would be safe!

"Still not moving? Do I need to make you all share the fate of the Cafeteria door?"

Shuddering, all the students fled.

"If you want to find safety, maybe you can use the school lab; there are some survivors there too. Try it!" Aaron shouted, showing a hint of pity for them, but he didn't have much time.

"Uh... Why are you driving them away?"

"Well, they're just ordinary people; it's better not to involve them, right?"

"... So, am I involved?"

"Don't pretend to be ignorant; it's clear that you're the one who opened the seal."

"!!"

"Can you, sir, tell me what happened?"