(Raven's POV)
Staring up at the hundred [Fire Lance] spells that were currently suspended in the air, encircling my opponent like a crown of flame, I braced myself for the absolute mess that was about to happen. The intense heat was already beginning to dry out the air around us.
I quickly put away [Nyx] into my [Quick Slot] for the time being to keep my movements fluid, then I adjusted my stance, tightening my grip on [Emmeranne] with both of my hands.
"Are you done with your little preparations now?"
The majin asked me that in a mocking, condescending tone, looking down at me as if I were nothing more than a toy for her amusement.
I just smiled at her, then opening my mouth—
"I'll beat the shit out of you now."
I declared that with a smile of my own
"Sure, do it then."
The majin said—
FWOOSH!!!
And in an instant, the whole place seemed to ignite as she started launching the [Fire Lances] at me in a rapid, relentless stream!
SLASH—!
I swung with everything I had, cutting down the first projectile that entered my reach. The moment my blade made contact, the condensed flames shattered and disappeared into thin air. I didn't have a second to breathe before I had to move my sword again—
SPLSSH—!
I pivoted on my heel and slashed down the next one that whistled toward my side.
PSSSSHK-!
Then I deflected another one that was aimed straight for my chest.
FSSSHK-!
And another one right after that.
I couldn't afford to stop moving; I didn't dare to. My mind was racing, calculating trajectories and distances at a speed that made my head throb. Just a single wrong move or a mistimed parry and I would be hit, and I knew a single direct hit from those things would be fatal.
My sword darted here and there, a blur of steel as I deflected and parried [Fire Lances] that were coming at me from every possible angle.
"Gurgh...!"
My arms began to ache with a dull, throbbing pain every time my blade collided with the force of her magic. The sheer momentum of the spells was pushing my whole body back bit by bit, my feet skidding against the ground. My frown deepened with every passing second as the pressure continued to mount.
The barrage of attacks kept coming in an endless stream, and for a moment, I honestly didn't think it would ever stop.
Through the gaps in the explosions of fire, I caught a brief glimpse of the majin I was fighting. She was standing there with a mischievous smile, looking like she was enjoying the show while she watched me struggle for my life.
I felt a surge of genuine irritation; I really wanted to smash her face in just to wipe that arrogant smirk off her.
But actually getting to her seemed like a distant dream, especially since she kept producing more [Fire Lances] to replace the ones I destroyed. Every time I dealt with one, it felt like she summoned two more.
'Ugh, this will never end...!'
SLASH!
I grumbled in my head before cutting down a [Fire Lance] aimed directly at my head.
The only good thing in this entire situation was the fact that my opponent was clearly toying with me. She was overly confident, convinced that she could finish me off whenever she felt like it.
She was probably still very pissed at me because of all the provocations I threw at her earlier, which is why she wanted to torment me first instead of just ending the fight quickly.
'Whatever. That's fine with me. Because of that, I can buy time.'
Just a little bit more...
I thought to myself, a small smile appeared on my face.
"Are you secretly a masochist? It seems like you're enjoying yourself there."
The majin called out, noticing my expression and tilting her head in confusion.
PSSSHK—!
I slashed another [Fire Lance] out of the air. Even though I was struggling and my breath was coming in ragged gasps, I didn't back down.
"Fuck you! I've just been buying time until now!"
I opened my mouth and exclaimed that at the top of my lungs. My voice came out much louder and angrier than I had intended; it looked like I was just as pissed off as she was.
"Huh? Is that one of your bluffs again?"
The majin asked, mocking me again. It was indeed onw of my bluff, but whatever.
I was about to shout another thing to provoke her even more, but before I could even get a word out—
'...?!'
I felt a familiar presence behind me. A surge of mana was coming from the entrance of the room!
My eyes widened slightly, and the smile on my face turned into a full-on grin.
"A bluff? Take a good look if it's one then."
SLASH—!!!
I muttered that and put all my remaining strength into a single, massive swing, slashing off five [Fire Lances] at once.
The majin's expression shifted into a frown. She opened her mouth, her lips parting as she prepared to say something—
FWISH-
But before she could utter a single word, someone suddenly appeared directly in front of her, cutting off her line of sight!
And I knew exactly who that was.
It was Alec.
He had used [Teleportation] the very instant he arrived and assessed the situation, closing the gap before the majin could even blink.
"?!"
I saw the majin's face clearly for a split second; the grin vanished instantly. Her eyes widened and pure shock was apparent on her.
SLASH!
Alec didn't waste a heartbeat, launching a powerful horizontal strike with his sword.
TANG!
The majin managed to react just in time, crossing her arms in front of her to form a mana barrier. She was able to block the physical impact of the blade, but because the barrier was made in such a hurry, it completely shattered into fragments after taking the force of Alec's hit!
The force of the blow sent the majin stumbling back a few steps!
And because she lost her concentration—
FSSSHH~!
All the remaining [Fire Lances] flickered and disappeared into nothingness!
"Was that a cool entrance?"
Alec asked as he had his back against me, his eyes locked onto our opponent while he maintained his stance.
"Why are you asking me?"
I smiled and asked back to him, finally letting my guard down for a second.
"Well, you always have a cool entrance from time to time, like you're planning it. So I want to know if it's up to your standards."
Alec jokingly said, his tone light despite the circumstances.
"Well, it was a very fine entrance."
So with the same energy, I answered him and took a confident step forward, standing side by side with him.
"Hah! You got cocky again just because another student showed up?"
Then, the majin, who had just managed to recover her balance, suddenly exclaimed that. She looked really angry again, and seeing that frustrated face just brought a sense of relief to my chest.
"Duh, you got blasted away by two students now? Isn't it strange that you're the one getting cocky after that?"
I said, happily adding fuel to the fire. I watched her face turn an even deeper shade of red, and my smile only widened.
"SHUT UP!!!"
FWOOSH—!
The majin shouted in a blind rage, summoning tens of [Fire Lances] in an instant and firing them all at us. It looked like she was going to try the exact same strategy she had been using against me.
But too bad for her—
"[Swift Water Sword Technique—Rising Waterfall]"
We finally had someone on our side with the water attribute.
Curtis appeared from behind us and stepped out in front. As he fixed his stance and grounded himself, he swung his sword in a sharp, straight upward motion.
FWAAAAASH~!
From the very ground beneath us, a massive wall of water made of pure mana rose up, intercepting and blocking off all the [Fire Lances]!
And as if that wasn't enough—
"Wha?!"
The wall of water surged forward, transforming into a miniature tsunami that headed straight for the majin!
She looked really flustered when she saw the scale of the attack—
FWOOSH!
She had no choice but to fly upward, desperately scrambling out of the path of Curtis's technique just to avoid being swept away. I almost let out a laugh seeing her flee.
Then, when things calmed down—
"..."
Curtis just looked at us briefly before standing beside us as well.
"That's one hella cool entrance."
Alec remarked.
"True."
Then I followed up with that, nodding my head with a mockingly serious look on my face.
"Shut up, you two."
Curtis grumbled, looking slightly embarrassed as he looked away from us. Alec and I just laughed at him.
"You plan to fight me with three students...?"
The majin spoke once again, hovering in the air. She looked a bit embarrassed as well while looking down at us.
I was about to deliver another retort, but before I could even try to—
"MAKE IT SEVEN!"
We heard a loud, familiar voice booming from behind us.
"...?"
We all looked toward the source of the shout, and there— we saw Blake standing there with a massive, proud smile on his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
I couldn't help it; I just burst out laughing. His entrance was just pure comedic gold. Alec started laughing too, while Curtis was visibly trying to stop himself from smiling.
'His timing is just really funny, and then his face after we all looked at him.'
My stomach actually started to hurt a bit from the laughter.
"Haha, you're really something, Blake."
"He's special."
"..."
Adelle and Aoi commented, then Eve was just smiling without saying anything. The three of them were standing right behind Blake.
Anyway, Eve looked at us, then her gaze lingered specifically on me—
"You guys are too fast, wait for us, will you?"
She said. After that, she turned her attention toward the woman majin—
"Is that old woman our opponent?"
Then she asked that to us.
'Uwahhh... Starting off with a provocation, huh.'
I turned my gaze back to the majin, and just like before when I was taunting her— it looked like she was about to physically explode from the insult.
