The web-like cracks spread wider until they almost reach a three-meter radius. I can see the looks of surprise, confusion, and rage on the faces of the four students inside their own protective bubble.
The students glance at one another, reaching a silent agreement. A second later, all of them begin pumping an immense amount of mana. The crack visibly starts closing right in front of us.
I can’t do much because both of my arms are gone, and I have no way to carry them with me. Areci is leaning forward, breathing heavily, her complexion a little paler than usual. That last attack must have contained almost all of her mana.
Shawu is the first of the three of us to react. She grabs Areci like a princess carry and leaps through the hole as fast as possible. They make it out just in time. The opening we created is already shrinking, small enough to trap them inside again.
“Damn restoration speed.” I speak out loud without realizing it.
“Damn it! If I had reacted even a blink slower, we would’ve been trapped again.” Shawu looks back with wide eyes as the sphere that had imprisoned them continues sealing itself until it returns to its original form.
Areci is already regaining some color in her face. My arms are halfway through reconstructing. “Shall we go? This is about to get more dangerous.” Shawu speaks to me in a low voice.
“Yes…” I can’t finish speaking. I build several ice walls at full power the moment my brain allows it. My head aches from the strain, but at least I manage to stop the five attacks coming from three different directions.
“These bastards want to take advantage of our situation.” I whisper to Shawu. The walls have held enough not to vanish, and I’m already injecting more mana into them for a possible second wave.
The second, third, and fourth waves don’t take long to arrive. Somehow, with Shawu’s help, I manage to stop each enemy attack. All of them are keeping a safe distance from us. I could counterattack, but that would leave Areci vulnerable if I did.
Finally, my arms finish healing completely. My recovery had slowed due to the use of other defensive abilities and the excessive use of mana and my body over the last few minutes.
I look toward the three directions and unleash one of the strongest bloodlust waves I’ve used so far. I channel it through my Imra to make it reach farther and hit harder. Their constructions stop midair when my hostile intent crashes into them.
“You have ten seconds to run. If you stay, I’ll hunt you down until you’re eliminated. It’ll be like taking a walk in the park for me.” I raise my voice. I’m sure every single one of them heard me loud and clear.
Two teams stop immediately and turn around to flee. The lone player hesitates for a moment, punches a nearby tree hard enough to leave a hole in it, and after five seconds decides to escape as well.
They have a little over three hours to look for other prey. That’s more than enough time. Coming after me is tempting fate—there’s a 99% chance of being eliminated now that I’m fully healed and Areci is almost ready. She won’t be able to use her full strength at the moment, but she’s still an incredibly powerful Sapphire rank.
“Sometimes I forget how terrifying you can be.” Areci speaks from behind me with a smile.
“I told you from the moment we met him—he must be half monster.” Shawu hides behind her friend, sticking her tongue out at me.
“Ladies, get ready. Maki Transport is about to take off.” As I speak, I’m already wrapping them in my Imra and mana so they can float with me. Areci looks serious, calm, as if nothing had happened. Shawu, on the other hand, looks excited and ready to fly.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I lift us high enough to avoid being attacked by any student who might spot us, but not so high that we’d be chased by a flock of Grade 3 monsters. Having to land because of some flying beasts would be a nuisance.
Fortunately, we didn’t have many problems heading back to the safe zone—just the occasional attack from flying or ground monsters, and a few bold students who tried to attack us before recognizing who we were.
They all backed off when Areci looked at them and constructed enormous mana spikes. They respect her far more than they do me.
Ogine was the first to notice us. I expected nothing less from her. Everyone stood up and came running toward where we landed. “Rescue operation successful.” I give my teammates a thumbs-up.
Point of view of Arisa.
“Maki is having so much fun in the tournament. Look at that big smile!” I feel so happy for him and, at the same time, a little envious. I wish I could be participating in such an exciting tournament too.
“In the end, he really did manage to save Areci and Shawu.” Sol lets out a long, held breath. She had been holding it in several times while Maki was trying to break that capsule.
“I want to be there! Damn it.” Marga jumps on the couch from side to side while shouting about how unfair it is not to be able to support the man you love.
“You know we can’t… Uncle Julio and your father already warned us about the possible dangers. It’s better to avoid any potentially counterproductive situation.” Sol grabs her arm and pulls her down, resting Marga’s head on her lap.
“Why can’t people just be normal? Why does someone always have to want more and more power?” I take advantage of the situation and lie down on Sol’s lap as well. She’s an expert head-scratcher—I always fall asleep when she strokes my hair. My uncle already warned me about some possible cases. It’s better to avoid them.
“Yes… my father might force me to return to our territory if I disobey his orders.” Marga looks sad just thinking about that possibility.
“Your father is a bit terrifying. He’s always so serious.” Sol makes us laugh.
“I know. It was a bit intimidating when I was a child. Now it’s not a problem anymore. He’s serious, but quite kind and understanding.” Marga looks at us. “And this time he’s absolutely right. We could be putting our lives in danger if the rumors are true.”
“Do you think it’s true? An archduke trying to declare independence… According to my uncle, there are even rumors that Archduke Mosk plans to conquer more land before officially declaring independence from the Empire.” When my uncle and father spoke to me about it, they were very serious.
“The Emperor doesn’t have a reputation for seeking wars, but this is completely different. It’s a direct offense against his territory, and there will be repercussions. I don’t understand why he made that decision. If the Emperor goes all in, his territory would be in ruins within weeks.” Sol seems lost in thought.
“Most likely he has support from another country or a group with similar military power.” Marga thinks for a moment before continuing. “Maybe the country of Merno because of the recent events, or the Withered Tree group. Those damned people keep trying to cause chaos everywhere.”
I can understand my friend’s anger. Her territory has suffered repeated harassment over the last few months. None of the attacks caused irreversible damage, but some villages were affected, and many heralds had to be deployed to different locations to respond at any moment.
Keeping heralds in such impractical places slows down a territory. They can’t go into dungeons to gather resources or actively help against monster attacks, which are very frequent in her lands. Those bastards are a real headache.
The kingdom of Merno… they would be incredibly shameless if they were involved in this. Their two best schools are participating in the tournament in Skyblue City right now. If they’re getting their hands dirty, they’re acting like they simply don’t care.
This tournament has also raised many suspicions. None of the best schools from the archduchy have been deployed for this tournament. That’s very atypical for such a competitive territory.
“Let’s hope nothing happens and all of this turns out to be a false alarm.” Sol looks a little sad and drained as she speaks.
“Are you afraid Maki will get involved?” I ask her.
“Yes, that’s the most likely outcome. You know him—if he has the chance to help, he will. Let’s hope nothing happens, and if something does, that Maki doesn’t get involved.” Marga also looks worried and thoughtful.
“Let’s forget about it. We can’t do anything about it. It’ll only give us a headache.” I tell them both. “Let’s watch how Maki celebrates with his friends. They all seem like good people. I hope we can meet them soon.”
“The graduation ceremony will be the moment. It’s only a few weeks away.” Sol replies with a big smile.
“We should bring good gifts. By the way, look at Brendu. I wish I were her right now.” Sol and I turn toward the screen, and I’m sure all three of us wish we were in her place—or at least there with them.