Jiorhaze Dragon Landing—

Ten of us gazed up at the canopy, made eternally imperishable by the power of the Sword of the Almighty.

"Eternal separation... but we can just cut through it with the Leviangilma, right? And since the draconids of the underworld can't go to the surface, they won't invade, right?"

Sasha pondered, voicing her thoughts.

"Ah, that's right, that's right. We won't have any problems, will we?"

Just as Eleonore said this, a sudden tremor echoed.

The sky began to fall, thudding down.

Skytremor, the order of the underworld. In accordance with it, the canopy was shaking violently and pressing down on the earth.

"Anos."

Misha pointed towards the canopy. I understood what she meant.

"Hmm, a part of the canopy is falling. It doesn't seem that big, though."

"Falling? But wasn't it supposed to be eternally imperishable? How can a part of it just fall off?"

Sasha exclaimed in panic.

"The canopy is not a single piece of rock. Pillars of order hold it up, making it appear that way."

Arcana spoke.

"Once every hundred years, the Skytremor disrupts that order. It's called Earthrain, a rain of rocks that falls on the underworld. However—"

"It hasn't been a hundred years yet, has it?"

"That's right."

A part of the canopy detached, and a huge rock protruded from it. It was right above Jiorhaze.

"Haha, if that falls, this city is finished. It's a rock that's eternally imperishable, after all. With enough momentum, it'll crush everything in its path."

Eldmed raised his voice, intrigued.

"In normal times, there's a grace period before it falls. Earthrain falls on the underworld seven days after the Skytremor."

As Arcana spoke, the sky shook even more violently, and another part of the canopy detached. The huge rock fell straight towards Jiorhaze.

"Oh, it's falling...!"

"......Should we escape...?"

Eleonore and Zeshia said.

"Hmm, but escaping will destroy Jiorhaze."

I extended my hand towards Arcana, and she handed me the Leviangilma.

"Veneziara"

My body swayed like a wave. The Body of Possibilities kicked off the ground with all its might, flying towards the falling Earthrain.

With a single flash, I cleaved the falling rock with the power of the Leviangilma. Of course, only the result occurred, and I remained standing on the ground of Jiorhaze.

The rain of rocks that had fallen vanished without a trace, dissipating into the sky.

"Looks like things have gotten a little troublesome,"

Arcana nodded.

"The canopy becoming eternally imperishable is going against the pillars of order."

Earthrain, which should have fallen seven days after the Skytremor, once every hundred years, had fallen here now, defying both orders.

"More rain might fall."

"If it falls on the capital, it will be destroyed."

It would be difficult to escape if there were no seven-day grace period.

"......It's my fault..."

Arcana spoke.

"I, the Goddess of Absurdity, caused this. I've already betrayed you, brother..."

Arcana's face was filled with sorrow. I gently placed my hand on her head and stroked it.

"To make rain fall from the canopy is a cute prank. It doesn't count as betraying me."

Arcana looked down, holding her breath.

"If the will of the Goddess of Absurdity caused this, there must be some reason. We'll find it first. I don't know what you're lying about or how you plan to betray me, but I'll destroy it and that will be the end."

"......Okay."

Arcana replied bashfully.

"What's happening on the surface?"

"......Superficially, it maintains the same order as before. The earth's blessings haven't changed. Fields can be cultivated, and fruits grow on trees. However, if you try to go deep underground, rock and earth will act as eternally imperishable walls, blocking you."

If the land cannot be dug at all, it would be a big problem, but for now, it seems fine.

However, it's not guaranteed that this order will be maintained forever.

Just as anomalies were seen in the underworld's Skytremor, the order of the surface could also go haywire.

"Let's stop returning to the surface. We'll first release the restriction binding Arcana and restore the canopy to its original state."

"Are we going to Gadeciola?"

Misha asked.

If we're going to investigate the Goddess of Absurdity, that would definitely be the fastest way.

The King of Gadeciola and Ceris probably know something about Arcana. Or, their scheme could be involved.

While we're at it, we can also reclaim Golroana.

"We'll go to Gadeciola eventually, but first, we're going to Agatha. If we have Diedrich's prophecy, we'll understand the general picture."

If we know the location and time of the next Earthrain, it should be easy to prevent it. Securing safety and obtaining information would be the best course of action before heading to Gadeciola.

"Eldmed, inform Bishop Mirano about the Earthrain. If it hasn't gained momentum, it can be prevented with magic."

"Haha, leave it to me."

Eldmed drew a magic circle and used <Teleportation>.

If it reaches Mirano, the Jiordal Church will surely devise countermeasures. Even if they can't prevent it completely, they can at least prepare for escape.

"Now, the only thing left is the Demon King Academy students."

I sent a <Leaks> to the inside of the Demon King's Castle.

"Demon King Anos commands. Come outside within ten seconds. Don't be late."

"Ten seconds, will they make it in time...?"

Just as Sasha spoke, the main gate of the Demon King's Castle swung open.

Students, faces ashen, appeared before me, their footsteps echoing loudly, "thud, thud, thud."

Hmm. It seems they think they'll be punished if they don't arrive within ten seconds. They are quite quick, I must say.

"Welcome. I will explain the future plans."

Facing the students, I said,

"Actually, I was going to return to the surface, but things have changed a bit. That canopy has become eternally imperishable. In short, no one but I can pass through it."

Sensing the gravity of the situation, all the students took on grim expressions.

"The previous Song Fire aimed for Midhaze, and the dragon song that echoed was a magic that had been practiced in Jiordal for 1500 years, aiming to destroy the surface. Of course, I crushed that scheme, but the underworld seems to be more dangerous than I initially thought."

The students began to murmur.

"Destroy the surface? What's that...?"

"......That song was that kind of huge magic...?"

"Wait, that terrifying magic that took 1500 years to cultivate was casually stopped?"

"......After all, the scariest thing is the Demon King of Tyranny..."

They swallowed hard, overwhelmed by the unimaginable situation.

"I was planning to continue the Demon King training today, but it seems I can't. At worst, the underworld will become a battlefield."

The students trembled.

"So, we're ending classes?"

My words made them heave sighs of relief.

"Well, that's fortunate..."

"We could've died during the Demon King training..."

"It's good we're able to go home safely..."

As they let out sighs of relief, I smiled at them.

"From today onwards, it's real combat. Brace yourselves."

"......What?!"

The students' hearts united as one.

"Perhaps it would be safer to send them back to Midhaze once, wouldn't it? It's quite troublesome for Lord Anos to take care of them."

Misa proposed this.

"What are you saying? They are the future Demon Emperors. They should be the ones protecting, not the ones being protected. They should experience one or two real combats where their lives are on the line. If you think about it that way, this is a good opportunity, even though it might be a bit early."

"......That may be so..."

Misa looked troubled, putting her hand to her mouth. The students clasped their hands and prayed. Jiordal style. They're quite diligent.

"......Please, please, Misa-san..."

"Convince him... convince the Demon King...!"

"We'll do anything... anything you ask...!"

They looked up at Misa with pleading eyes.

"......Even if you look at me with those eyes..."

As Misa looked troubled, Lay spoke up, as if offering a helping hand.

"It's also part of combat to not wait until you're strong enough. In that sense, they're fortunate. We're here too, you know."

The students' eyes of resentment, their Demon Eyes, glared fiercely at Lay.

"......What are you saying, Lay? I mean, Hero Kanon..."

"Are you saying you'd abandon us just because we're demons? Are you only protecting humans? That's not right, is it? Tell me it's not..."

"We're classmates! We cheered you on during the Demon Sword Tournament!"

"We're going to spread embarrassing pictures of you and Misa-san all over the academy!"

Lay smiled cheerfully and said to me.

"Look, Anos. Those eyes of theirs. They seem to be prepared."

"Hmm, it seems so. They have good eyes."

The students slumped in defeat. Well, everyone wants to be in a safe place.

But the enemy won't wait. Harsh experiences will be their nourishment.

"Alright, we're all heading to Agatha now. The Sword Emperor who rules there is a remarkable individual, thus we must pay our respects. You'll be preparing a gift for him."

I said to the students, who were looking at me with questioning eyes.

"A song and dance."