Led by Fudou Akio, the group headed down toward the dungeon. However, they'd only taken a few steps when—
Ai Hayasaka suddenly felt an intense wave of drowsiness crash over her, and she pitched forward, about to fall face-first.
She collided neatly with Rei Ao's back.
Rei Ao then remembered they had a regular human in their midst. It was clear that Ai Hayasaka was being affected by the surrounding magic.
He gently pulled his hand away from Kannazuki Arin, rested it on Ai's shoulder, and removed the magical influence on her body while also shielding her from further exposure.
Ai Hayasaka snapped awake at once.
"I—what just happened…"
"It was my oversight. I forgot you're just an ordinary human who'd be affected by magic. Feeling better?"
Ai's expression turned complicated. Magic? She still couldn't quite wrap her head around it.
Rei Ao: "If you're worried, you can just stay close to me."
Knowing she was the weakest and least knowledgeable person there, Ai didn't hesitate. She didn't want to slow everyone down or cause more trouble.
Kurata Yui, asleep due to her magic going haywire, had resigned herself to the possibility of being killed. But she'd been monitoring the chat group and learned that…
"That Demon King from the group—he's coming?"
She couldn't help feeling both hope and fear. Would he choose to kill her or save her? She had no idea, but she'd made peace with either outcome. After all, she was the reason the Collapse happened in the first place.
Very soon, Rei Ao and the others reached the dungeon. Compared to the outside, the magic here was even more overwhelming. Beyond the academy's thick magical fog, visibility in the dungeon was practically zero.
"Ugh…this is making my head spin…"
Lilith felt so dizzy, she was even yawning. An intense drowsiness hit her like a truck.
"The magic here is so dense that even we are getting affected," Kazama Levi said, her face grim.
"Dang it," muttered Yamana Mira. "We can't just keep going forward !"
Rei Ao clenched his right hand. It looked as though a vortex of suction formed in his palm; all the thick, fog-like magic in the air began swirling toward it. Everyone felt a gust of wind, and then…
The space around them immediately brightened. The magical fog vanished. Instead, a black orb of condensed magic hovered in Rei Ao's hand. Lilith and the others watched in a mix of shock and yet almost no surprise—it was normal for a Demon King, after all.
"Hey, look over there!" Selena pointed up ahead.
Now that their vision had cleared, they noticed a large stone door sealed with magical chains.
Asami Lilith: "@Kurata Yui, are you behind this door? [Picture]"
Kurata Yui: "Ah! You guys are here already? Yeah, I live there."
Fudou Akio: "Alright, guess we'll just bust this door open then."
Kurata Yui: "Wait, wait, WAIT! That door is under a powerful seal—you'll get hurt!"
A sudden snapping sound drew everyone's attention. Rei Ao was standing at the door, effortlessly shattering the chains sealing it.
That's the powerful seal Kurata Yui was talking about?
Kazama Levi: "[Picture], @Kurata Yui, any comment?"
Kurata Yui: "W-Well, as expected of Demon King-sama!!!"
Rei Ao: "This seal is just a small thing."
He paused, then added:
"Before I open the door, though… So you're only wearing underwear right now, right? Hope that won't be a problem."
Fudou Akio: "Oh? Only underwear? Interesting~"
Kurata Yui: "Huh?! H-how did you know?!"
Rei Ao: "I mean, I am a Demon King. X-ray vision seems pretty reasonable, doesn't it?"
The ones who freaked out the most weren't Kurata Yui but Lilith and Yamana Mira. They both began anxiously rubbing at themselves as if trying to hide their bodies.
The moment Rei Ao's gaze shifted toward them, they freaked out even more.
"Don't look at us with those eyes!!!"
"Eek! He's gonna see everything!"
"X-ray vision?" Fudou Akio tilted her head, looking curious. "Hey, Rei Ao, can you see the birthmark under my—"
Ai Hayasaka and Yatogami Tohka watched them with baffled expressions. They weren't in this world's chat group, so they had no clue about the conversation.
Still, Ai zeroed in on one word, "X-ray," and quietly shifted behind Tohka for cover. She mentally took note of this:
So… Rei Ao can see through things?
Rei Ao's expression was a bit exasperated.
"I'm not using X-ray on you guys, so why're you freaking out?"
Asami Lilith: "Who—who knows if you are or aren't?! You perv!"
Yamana Mira: "Yeah, you total perv!"
Rei Ao stroked his chin. "If you all agree I'm a perv, I might as well live up to it."
He flashed a mischievous grin. His eyes glowed faintly.
They assumed that glow meant he was using X-ray and started shrieking, scurrying behind Kazama Levi for cover.
"Hey, hey, don't hide behind me!" Levi objected, as the situation devolved into chaos.
Meanwhile, in the chat group, Kurata Yui was also panicking:
Kurata Yui: "P-please don't peep at me like that!"
Lieselotte: "Oh, what's the big deal? It won't kill you to be seen a little."
Kurata Yui: "But I'm sooo embarrassed!!!"
Rei Ao: "So, are we gonna open the door or what?"
Kasuga Hijiri: "The Collapse still needs to be resolved."
Selena: "Exactly! So just give in to us already! My camera's all set, hehehe~"
Kurata Yui: "Camera…? No way! Absolutely not!!!"
Kurata Yui: "Um… @Rei Ao, c-could you come in alone, please?"
Rei Ao: "Oh? Are you shy because there are so many people?"
Kurata Yui: "Mhm, a lot shy. So… could you, Demon King-sama?"
Rei Ao turned to the group. "You all wait here for a minute."
He vanished, teleporting through the stone door in a flash.
The sudden silence was jarring.
"Where'd he go?" Yatogami Tohka's brow furrowed. She lifted her huge sword, looking ready to smash through the door.
"Hang on, Tohka-san," Kasuga Hijiri stopped her. "Rei Ao-nii went in by himself to handle this crisis for us. He'll be fine."
Tohka stared at Hijiri, as if verifying she was telling the truth. After a moment, she lowered her sword, stepping aside without another word.
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