"Levina...!"
Ruby's eyes widened, and a wave of relief washed through her entire body the instant she saw the bluish orb floating steadily at the entrance of the dining area.
It wasn't just relief— her shoulders, tense from the nonstop pressure, finally loosened for a moment.
Levina hovered there, staring at Ruby as well, a small but clearly reassuring smile forming on her tiny face. Ruby could tell she was about to speak—
W H I I I S H—!!
But before Levina could let even a single word slip out, a black whip covered with long sharp spikes snapped violently through the air toward her!
-...?!
Levina jolted, her small body reacting instantly. She darted sideways with a sudden burst of speed, her tiny form weaving through the air.
Because she was so small, the whip slammed into the wall behind her instead, missing entirely.
Levina quickly turned her gaze toward the origin of the attack, her expression sharpening, and there—
"Tsk."
She saw the majin stood several meters away, anger twisting his face. His remaining mask fragment hung loosely on the side of his cheek, the rest shattered earlier from Levina's surprise attack.
He was clearly irritated that she avoided his attack.
"Be careful, he's around my rank!"
Ruby exclaimed sharply, her voice filled with urgency.
Levina heard her clearly, and her mind instantly assessed the situation.
-'Ruby can deal with him, but she's stuck maintaining the barrier. If she loses focus, the whole thing collapses.'
-'His rank is higher than mine... and I already used a lot of mana breaking the barrier with Raven earlier. This'll be rough.'
She immediately concluded in her head.
But even after thinking that, Levina's eyes narrowed with determination.
Then, with a sly, small smile—
-[Chain Lightning]
She chanted that without hesitation!
BZZZT—!!
A thin yet incredibly fast line of lightning burst from Levina's little palms, shooting forward like a hungry serpent toward one of the terrorists still firing at Ruby's barrier.
Most of them froze, completely caught off guard by Levina's sudden appearance and the powerful lightning magic she wielded.
The spell moved too fast, and except the majin, all of them were unawakened after all! They didn't even get the chance to lift a weapon!
And so—
ZZZZAAAAAAAP—!!
"GRRRRGH?!!"
The electric current hit someone!
"GRAAAHHHH?!"
"GUUUUGH?!!"
Then it jumped violently from one terrorist to the next, crawling across their limbs, bursting across bodies, frying nerves and muscles!
Each one twitched, spasmed uncontrollably, screaming in confusion and agony as smoke rose from their twitching forms.
And in mere seconds—
BAM!
They all dropped together, limbs stiff, bodies collapsing in a chaotic pile across the floor.
And just like that... Only the majin remained standing now!
-'I don't need to beat him myself. I just need Ruby free so she can fight with her full strength.'
Levina thought, satisfied with her action.
"...!"
The majin's eyes widened, realizing what her spell accomplished.
"Fuck..."
He muttered under his breath, dread creeping into his voice.
And before he could even finish bracing himself—
SLASH!
A blade wrapped in deep crimson mana sliced violently through the air toward him!
He barely sensed it in time. His legs bent sharply as he jumped aside, narrowly avoiding losing his head.
Then he looked at the source of the attack—
Ruby stood a short distance away, her sword coated in raging red mana.
And around her—
SWOOSH~
The air had grown icy cold, a chilling breeze swirling around her feet.
The majin's head turned toward where the people Ruby was protecting earlier had been standing.
There—
He saw Levina.
-Everyone, let's get out of here! I'll protect you while Ruby fights off that ugly man, so don't worry!
Levina called out, her tiny voice firm and clear.
At her words, the terrified students and hotel staff quickly broke into motion, rushing toward the exit of the dining area.
Their steps were frantic, but hope finally lit their faces.
"Keep calm, we'll get out of here just fine!"
Keara shouted, guiding everyone and pushing those who were frozen in fear to move.
Levina kept herself positioned behind the group, eyes flickering constantly between Ruby and the majin, ready to intercept anything.
"TSK."
The majin's frustration deepened. His face was contorted in pure anger as his plan continued falling apart.
He wanted to grab someone— anyone— to use as leverage.
But—
"Now, we can fight properly."
Ruby wasn't going to allow him to do that.
FWIP-
The majin tightened his grip on the whip. He could feel it— his life was hanging by a thread now.
Ao in desperation—
"DIEEEEEEEE!!!"
W H I S H—!!!
He snapped his whip downward toward Ruby with all the force his body could muster!
BAM!
Though an ice spear shot upward and intercepted his attack mid-swing! It shattered instantly upon impact, but it stopped the majin's whip!
FWISH-
And not missing that moment, Ruby burst forward!
She closed the distance instantly and—
SLASH!
Her sword sliced toward him with terrifying speed!
"GURGH...!"
The majin twisted just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but he still felt the sharp sting of air scraping past his skin.
Ruby's eyes locked onto his.
And with a dangerously calm voice—
"You were so cocky and arrogant before, where's all your bravo now?"
She hit him with those words, her sly smile cutting deeper than her blade.
*****
(Raven's POV)
B O O O O M—!!!
"?!"
I felt the entire building tremble. I felt it coming from below.
And also, I sensed large mana signatures were clashing. One of them— I knew very well.
"Looks like Ruby and the main villain in this arc are fighting each other now."
I muttered to myself.
'That means Levina reached her. Keara and Yuki should be safe.'
My chest loosened a bit.
If Levina was with them, they'd survive. And Ruby... I know she'll defeat the majin.
If that's handled—
"Then I should focus on helping the others."
I decided immediately.
I'm on the 12th floor right now. I already rescued everyone I came across and told them to run down and escape.
I told them there were no enemies on the way.
Which was true and weird, by the way.
In the novel, I mentioned that there were around a hundred terrorists.
But only about a quarter were in Ruby's area earlier.
Meaning—
'There are more above. Probably grouped together.'
My brows furrowed.
And also—
I haven't seen Lana, Lillen, or anyone from the Student Council.
In the novel, they weren't here in the hotel when the terrorists attacked, so they naturally survived.
But this time—
'Everything changed. Their fates are unknown.'
If anything happens to them, the story derails badly.
My frown deepened at the thought of that.
B O O M—!!!
"Huh?!"
Just then, I felt another shake. Weaker than the last one. And this time—
'It came from above...'
My body moved before I could think.
BAM!
I dashed forward.
SWOOSH!
Wind burst behind me.
BZZZZZT—!!!
Lightning surged from my feet and hands as I accelerated even further, electricity trailing behind me like a comet's tail.
A simple instinct...
But I trusted it completely.
'I'm sure the others are right above me!'
And with that—
I rushed upward.
