Unable to Fight

She was in a state of complete incapacitation.

'A Grand Mage is truly powerful.'

Even with the secret technique of Yin-Yang Wave Fist, she couldn't completely neutralize the force of the Dark Golem's strike.

What tormented her more than defeat was the feeling of self-reproach for failing to eradicate evil.

If only she had overlapped the waves a little more… If only she had fully mastered the secret of Thousand-Hand Avalokiteshvara… If only she had enhanced the power of Thunderclap Palm even further…

"Hngh… Hic…"

Etella lifted her trembling arm to cover her eyes. Hot tears poured down like a waterfall.

"Master… It's so frustrating."

Her sobs echoed throughout the mountain.

Swarm

Shirone and Canis maneuvered through the dense forest terrain using their respective movement magic.

Given the nature of their abilities, a single clash of power could shift the battle's outcome, making both of them extremely cautious.

The one feeling more pressure was Canis.

Due to his defensive fighting style, he relied on counters. Yet, Shirone was cornering him with nothing more than his strategic movements.

Harvest transmitted his thoughts through brainwave exchange.

He's definitely skilled. Despite his rage, he's not falling for taunts. He's a cold-blooded one.

Should I just pretend to take the bait and engage? We need to create an opening. We can't just let him control the pace.

Hmm, it's like a game of mirror chess.

A strategy that simply mimics the opponent inevitably ends in defeat.

'Not even a hint of hesitation. If this continues, we'll be the ones caught up in his flow.'

Deciding to take the initiative, Canis sent a brainwave.

Harvest, what do you think?

Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's get more aggressive.

Canis widened the distance with Dark Port and asked, sensing the delay in Harvest's response.

What's wrong?

I just felt seismic waves a moment ago. Two kilometers from here.

Born from vibrations, Harvest had an extremely refined sense for detecting tremors.

Seismic waves?

They're still being transmitted. For an impact this strong, it has to be Arcane. He's probably using the Servants of Darkness.

Servants of Darkness? But that's Master's secret technique. What does this mean?

It could mean two things—either that old geezer is in top condition, or he's up against an opponent so strong that even he is in danger.

A strong opponent… Alpheas?

That would be the most reasonable assumption. Either way, we need to move now. If Arcane has encountered Alpheas, we should finish things up here.

Got it. Let's begin.

As Canis sharply closed the distance, Shirone met him head-on as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Instinctive feedback.

Canis extended his shadow in the form of dual-edged saws, his signature ability.

At the same time, Photon Cannons struck the shadows, igniting an all-out war between light and darkness.

Darkness was being torn apart.

Even though the sun had already set, the fact that darkness was losing to light bruised Canis's pride.

'I don't know what magic he's using, but with that kind of power, his mental exhaustion must be enormous. If I can hold out, the tide will turn.'

Shirone was aware of it as well. He was already mentally fatigued, and while he had the elemental advantage, the defensive strength of dark magic was not to be underestimated.

'I need even greater power.'

Since photons were highly active, they naturally incurred energy loss. However, Shirone condensed photons at a rate faster than they dissipated, increasing their mass.

As the sphere of white light trembled and expanded in size, Canis's eyes narrowed.

What is that?

Its power has increased. I'll handle it.

Harvest blocked Canis's front.

When the Photon Cannon struck his abdomen, the shadow thinned from the bottom up and was blasted to the end of the forest.

Canis asked, baffled.

Harvest, you okay?

Barely. Damn, this thing is heavy. It's like a murder weapon.

Meanwhile, Shirone levitated another Photon Cannon above his head. Then, he gathered photons onto both of his shoulders.

Harvest, seeing a total of three Photon Cannons trembling, quickly rushed forward and cackled.

"Kikikiki! That tickles! Is this your so-called ultimate move?"

"No. That was just practice."

"..."

Shirone's face twisted slightly, and the three Photon Cannons swelled as if they were about to burst.

"Cani—"

Before Harvest could even finish his sentence, beams of light blasted forward, shattering massive tree trunks along their path.

Lightning-like brainwaves surged between Canis and Harvest as they exchanged thoughts at the speed of thought.

Canis! Dodge!

No. If we start dodging, we'll lose the initiative. We can't retreat.

We can't block it!

Yes, we can. Absorb my mental energy.

Dammit! You're such a pain!

As Canis's mental energy flowed into Harvest, the shadow expanded enormously. The three beams collided with his torso, forming an impact cluster.

"Kraaaaaah!"

Harvest's monstrous scream shook the forest.

Frozen Battlefield

Creaas was a warm city located in the southern region of the central continent. Moreover, it was currently summer.

Yet, at the peak of the Bridge of No Return, an unprecedented blizzard was raging.

'I'm freezing.'

Iroki and Neid shivered, pulling their clothes tighter. Through the blinding snow, they could faintly see the silhouettes of Siina and Lucas.

Iroki muttered, "We're going to freeze to death at this rate. What's going on? This isn't natural. That means Professor Siina must have cast Blizzard Magic."

"Could it be that she regained her senses? Maybe she woke up when she fell off the cliff…"

Iroki shook his head. "I don't think so. If she had, she wouldn't have used wide-range magic with us here. That's not the decision of a recognized 6th-Class Mage."

"Yeah, you're right."

Hundreds of students were gathered here. It was unthinkable that those who had lost their memories could endure temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius for long.

Meanwhile, Lucas was in a worse situation than anyone else. As his cells froze, the effectiveness of his Mitochondria Build plummeted.

"…This is insane."

Siina's surroundings were even worse, with the wind chill making it feel even colder.

Through Schema, he could feel necrosis beginning to spread from his peripheral nerves.

This was why ice mages always started battles with Blizzard Magic in real combat.

Though it wasn't highly lethal, it was a large-scale spell that inflicted constant frost damage, making it an essential opening move for duels against swordmasters.

"Seriously, mages are such a pain."