Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

“At least what I have there is real—or maybe not vampires, there’s a slight difference in nature, at least that one… is called Takamatsu, right? The thing flowing through his body, in my eyes, looks much darker than the rotten blood of a vampire.”

"So that's why you left someone there to watch over them?"

“That’s right, your subordinates are now ‘inhuman’, and they look just like ‘humans’.”

"...It's a really frustrating fact...Is there any hope for him?"

"It's probably impossible to restore him from inhuman to human. The key questions now are whether he's been controlled by that guy, and how many people are still hiding among you after the attack."

"Tch, what a disgusting feature. Are they trying to break us down from within?"

"So, we've already assumed their goal—to abduct people, and we've also determined their methods—similar to vampires creating their own clans. Now, all we need to know is how they'll transport the infected people back."

"In the end, you still can't determine who your real opponent is."

"The other side is afraid of our military strength, which is why they dare not show themselves. At least we are certain of that."

"This is the only good news."

The mystery is like an onion, half of which has already been peeled away, but until they reach the innermost layer, they will never know what's inside.

It was only because of this that Rin wanted to continue Operation Angel's Fall that Ashes reluctantly agreed to help her carry it out.

Since it has been discovered that most of the student council members are problematic, and the angel and the dark spirit have directly clashed, they may not have been affected yet. Under these circumstances, removing the angel from the position of president would be tantamount to handing over the entire student council. The lurking individuals, who have upheld the greater good of this world, are likely to take radical actions and expose their true colors.

But the operation itself is also very radical, and they will only agree to take this gamble if the two Ashes can guarantee that they can eliminate all the enemy's overt forces.

"Gentlemen, although I really don't want to interrupt your analysis, the exam seating has already begun. Commander, shouldn't you introduce the details of our operation?"

They had been at the examination hall for quite some time. Because they had gone to deal with the attack on Oyama and Takamatsu early in the morning, they arrived earlier than planned, which gave Ori time to continue communicating with Yuri.

Incidentally, those participating in this project also included the frontline's go-to hacker, Takeyama, the newcomer Otonashi, and the mascot, Asahina.

The other idiots were instructed to huddle together near the exam venue, ready to provide support in case of danger, or in other words, to ensure that the organization could provide timely assistance should any danger arise.

"Alright, let me explain the plan: First, we need to snatch the seat in front of the angel. That's right, that's why I called you here. With your eyes that can see right through the lottery box, grab that seat!"

The troupe leader patted Zhi on the shoulder and entrusted her with the most important task.

"what?"

Then, they pushed her, who looked completely bewildered, towards the lottery box.

"Draw it quickly, don't tell me your eyes, which can distinguish vampires, can't see through a mere lottery box."

"There are plenty of eyes that can see through vampires, but not all magic eyes can see through things! ...Although I certainly can."

Structural analysis is arguably even more powerful than perspective, but using such a powerful ability for cheating in lotteries still feels a bit strange.

"Great, you've secured a spot, so my plan is more than halfway done! The rest is simple: when you're handing out the papers, take two extra answer sheets, write something funny on one of them, and then replace Angel's answer sheet when you're collecting the papers."

"what?"

Ash was once again completely dumbfounded; this move was just too unethical.

"What are you 'ha' about? This is a small matter. With your hand speed, it should be easy for you to handle. But just in case, the others need to find a way to distract the proctor when collecting the papers!"

"Huh?" ×3

This time, the three people other than Ash were completely bewildered.

"So what are you all standing there for! Hurry up and draw lots to get to your seats."

"Um, if we want to replace the answer sheet, we need to write the angel's name, so what is the angel's name?"

"what?"

"..."×4

Very well, even the team leader was dumbfounded once, and their temporary five-person group achieved the feat of being completely dumbfounded.

"I say, Yuri, you've been rebelling against the angels for so long, and you still don't know anyone else's name?"

The newcomer, Otonashi, couldn't help but complain: "What happened to the supposedly intimate rivals? An angel whose name isn't even known to the enemy, and who's constantly being tormented by them—isn't that just too tragic?"

"Ahem... Since he is a formidable enemy, then a name that matches him is enough!"

"Could it be that the title of 'angel' was also something you forced on her? I always thought she was just an ordinary girl."

"Shut up! Since you put it that way, the task of finding out the angel's name is entrusted to you!"

"what?"

"Stop using this meme! Get to work now!"

And so, with the members of the front line watching him go, the boy with no sound embarked on the path of flirting with the angel.

However, as he watched the silver-haired figure getting closer and closer, the inexplicable dissatisfaction with being forced to do the task, as well as the nervousness of being approached for the first time, all vanished under the sight of that quietly studying profile.

I still remember the first time I saw the angel, she stabbed him straight in the heart with a sword. The second time I saw her, during "Operation Tornado," I unconsciously pulled the trigger because of the shadow of death.

Yet, at the end of that battle, they covered her silver hair with smoke and gunfire, but after obtaining the meal tickets, they abandoned her and brazenly went to enjoy their feast. In the fleeting glance he took before leaving, he only saw a lonely figure.

The third time they met was before Ash's murderous intent. She had also wavered in the face of that deadly killing intent, but in the end, she withstood the suffocating killing intent and faced the sharp blade head-on.

The fourth time was on the baseball field, where she cheated and hit Ash's super-fast fastball. It was at that moment that he clearly felt the girl, who had always been expressionless, reveal a slightly cunning yet slightly happy expression for a fleeting moment.

So what angel? In his eyes, she was just a lonely, stubborn girl who couldn't express her emotions.

I don't even have any friends... Sigh?

"Hehe, classmate, you've been staring at Xiao Zou the whole time you walked over. Could it be that you're here to confess your feelings?"

Yes, angels are lonely, they feel lonely, but why would a girl be beside such a lonely angel, affectionately calling her by her name?

So her name is Zou.

No, no, you're focusing on the wrong thing!

Otonashi forcibly pulled himself back from his rampage and turned his gaze to the girl who was standing next to the angel.

She had long purple hair, neatly trimmed bangs, a white headband tied in a bow, and wore an angelic school uniform. On her hand was an antique, dark-colored ring.

What's most captivating about her is her pair of dark, reddish eyes, where the irises almost completely engulf the whites of her eyes.

"Classmate? Classmate? If you want to confess to Kanade, you can't just stare at other girls."

She was about the same height as an angel, not very tall. At this moment, she stood on tiptoe and waved her hand in front of Otonashi's eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, if I really wanted to confess... wait a minute! Who said I came here to confess?"

"Oh, isn't that right? Then why have you been staring at Kozo? No, you were staring at me too, could it be that...!"

The dark-eyed girl seemed to have come to some conclusion, and immediately adopted a defensive posture, crossing her arms and distancing herself from him.

"It's definitely not that! I just want to know Kanade... cough cough, I just want to know the president's name."

"Hmm, that's really suspicious. Why would they want to know the president's name for no reason?"

What a persistent and troublesome child! But his motives for coming here are definitely not pure. How should I deal with him?

"Tachibana Kanade, my name is Tachibana Kanade."

A flat, monotone voice reached their ears. The silver-haired girl raised her textbook and showed Otonashi how she wrote her name.

"How could this happen! Ugh, Kanade, really, just casually telling your name to a stranger."

The girl, who seemed to be a friend of the angel, immediately became unhappy and glared angrily at Otonashi.

"She told me herself, why is she glaring at me!" Otonashi thought to himself.

“He’s not a stranger; I’ve met him before.”

It was still the same flat, monotonous voice, the same bland narration, yet it saved the boy who had come to chat her up with ill intentions.

"That's right! When I first came here, the president made me understand some very important things, so I came to say hello so that I can come and talk to the president if I encounter any problems in the future."

The boy hurriedly explained, intending to take the opportunity to leave.

But they didn't notice that at the other end of the classroom, the leader and Ash were whispering to each other again.

"How about it?"

"They look no different from humans."

They also noticed the girl who appeared next to the angel. In Yuri's memory, the angel was always a loner and had no friends. Moreover, the girl was unfamiliar, so she immediately asked Ori to use her magic eye to confirm.

"Strange, I've never seen this girl appear next to an angel before. Could she be an NPC?"

This seems to be the only explanation; otherwise, someone living a normal life like an angel would have been reincarnated long ago.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Finally, we don't need to use "angel" to refer to Xiaozou anymore~ (tea)

PS1: Just asking for votes as usual~

A 21-day interval was used for the drop operation.

Operation "Angel's Fall" officially commenced. All personnel took their positions, picked up their weapons—pencils—and aimed at the enemy—exam papers. When the battle order—the bell signaling the start of the exam—rang, they unleashed their firepower—and began answering the questions.

It's a truly grueling battle, especially for the students. But even more grueling are the frontline members who don't need to answer any questions, yet still have to sit here the whole time.

Otonashi started answering the questions as usual, then suddenly remembered that if he answered honestly, his answers might disappear, so he immediately erased all the answers he had written.

Asahina absentmindedly practiced calligraphy on the answer sheet, glancing at the ashes one moment and the leader the next, lost in thought.

The team leader fell asleep right on the table; it seems she's been worrying herself sick over everyone on the front lines these past few days.

So, the only one who really needed to complete the answer sheet was Ashweave. However, she felt that it was more difficult to write some funny answers than to answer the questions honestly.

What was Yuri's request again?

"Make sure the examiners feel the deep malice in your answers."

It seemed that when she said that, she revealed a smile even more cheerful than Zhi herself.

Malice, malice—how do you express malice? You have to use words! Give her a knife, and she'll definitely scare the examiner to tears, but with a pen…

Oh right, this exam is on physics, so I'll write an essay titled "On the Method of Cutting Open a Throat in the Easiest Way."

This is her specialty. First, she needs to choose a weapon, a dagger, based on its length. She then determines the point of impact on the throat, calculates the torque using the formula, finds the angle of least effort, and begins cutting into the muscle. At this point, the force distribution changes. She also needs to consider the pressure from the splattering blood, draws a force analysis diagram, and considers the anatomical distance from the artery…

The rustling of pen against paper blended perfectly into the exam atmosphere, but the malice emanating from her as she wrote made even the proctors unconsciously distance themselves from the vicinity.

Poke, poke.

Great, the blade has reached the artery. At this point, to prevent blood from splashing on you, you need to change the way you're wielding the blade and redraw the force analysis diagram... Who is this?! Don't they know it's bad to disturb others during an exam?