-1280- Beat them

"You...!"

With Altera's appearance, Stella and Shizuku were suddenly stimulated, rising abruptly with shocked expressions on their faces.

Although they had seen it once before, Altera's silent and sudden appearance, without any sign of her presence, was a significant shock to the Blazers.

Shinguji Kurono and Saikyo Nene had also mentioned that if Altera could truly appear and disappear without anyone noticing, not even them, it would be terrifying.

Her formidable strength, combined with her ghost-like abilities, was unnerving for any Blazer. The thought of a tricolor light sword descending upon them without any prior warning was enough to unsettle anyone.

Stella and Shizuku felt this way, realizing that even though this was their dorm, Altera could still appear without a sound, unnoticed by anyone, which was truly nerve-wracking.

What Stella and Shizuku didn't know was that Altera's ghost-like appearance wasn't due to some magical ability but rather her capacity to switch between physical and spiritual forms at will.

When Altera became spiritual, she was like an invisible ghost. Only high-level mediums like La Folia, who had special sensitivity to spiritual beings, or exceptionally skilled Masters or Servants, could detect Altera's presence.

Of course, Altera saw no need to explain this. She didn't even glance at Stella, Shizuku, or Rozen, her attention solely on Ikki.

"As I said, I can only fight. All I can do is show you my strength and kill you with all my might. Whether you can survive and gain what you seek from me is up to you. Are you still willing to go through with this?"

Altera confirmed one last time.

Ikki slowly lifted his head.

"It's fine," Ikki replied concisely. "Please do so."

It seemed Ikki had indeed made up his mind after careful consideration.

"I understand," Altera nodded expressionlessly. "In that case, I will grant your wish."

How would she do that?

"In about seven days, you will participate in the selection battle here, correct?"

Altera stated.

"Then, for these seven days, I will continuously fight you, relentlessly, until you are either dead or can no longer fight."

"After seven days, our battle will end."

"If you are still alive, then return here."

Everyone understood what she meant.

In other words, for the next seven days, Altera would take Ikki away from Hagun Academy to a secluded place and engage in continuous combat.

After seven days, if Ikki could still return alive, he could participate in the selection battle.

If he didn't return, it meant he had failed, which equated to his death.

That was the situation.

"I understand."

Ikki nodded heavily.

"Then let's go."

Altera turned around on the spot.

"W-wait a minute!"

Stella finally reacted, hurriedly speaking up.

"Are you leaving right now?"

Wasn't this too sudden and rushed?

But...

"I wasn't the one who said there was no time."

Altera responded indifferently without even turning her head.

With that, Ikki had no option to refuse.

"..."

Ikki silently stood up.

At this point, the second girl present finally spoke.

"Wait."

Just like Stella, Shizuku tried to stop them.

However, what Shizuku wanted to say was different from Stella.

"Take me with you."

Shizuku also stood up, standing beside Ikki, speaking with an uncompromising tone.

"Sh-Shizuku?"

Even Ikki was stunned this time.

However, Shizuku didn't make the request to accompany them lightly.

"Since Onii-sama has decided to undergo such dangerous battles continuously, you will definitely need my strength."

Shizuku said this while staring intently at Ikki.

"I won't interfere in your battles, but if you fight against someone of this level without any mercy, you might survive, but you won't be unharmed. When that happens, my healing magic will come in handy."

This was the only compromise Shizuku could think of to support Ikki, given that she couldn't stop him.

Even if she couldn't deter Ikki's determination, Shizuku wanted to help him from the closest position possible, providing support.

The reason Shizuku came to Hagun Academy was precisely for this.

"You won't refuse, will you, Onii-sama?" Shizuku smiled rarely. "This will be a long battle spanning about seven days. You wouldn't want to be unable to continue fighting after the first day due to injuries or fail to perform at your best, preventing you from surviving and achieving the growth you seek against Miss Attila, would you?"

"Ugh..." Ikki was speechless.

"Take me with you," Shizuku requested again.

"...I understand." Ikki reluctantly agreed and turned to Attila, asking, "Is that okay, Miss Altera?"

"It doesn't matter," Attila responded coldly. "As I said, I can only fight. Healing is your responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Shizuku finally relaxed her expression.

...

And so, Altera took the Kurogane siblings and left.

As for their destination, Altera didn't say, but it was likely a secluded place in the mountains where they wouldn't be found or disturbed.

Stella watched them leave, remaining silent for a long time.

Rozen also stayed silent, not saying a word even as Altera and the Kurogane siblings departed.

The dorm room was once again left with only Rozen and Stella.

However, the atmosphere between them was now different.

"Hey."

After a long silence, Stella finally spoke.

However, just as Stella spoke, Rozen, as if having waited a long time, directly voiced his thoughts.

"You want me to train you continuously before the selection battle, helping you quickly master the dragon power within you, right?"

Rozen directly exposed Stella's thoughts.

"How... how did you know?"

Stella was nearly at a loss for words.

But...

"Your eyes clearly said it all — 'That man will come back alive and stronger, so I can't lose to him.'"

Rozen smiled wryly.

"And I was thinking the same — 'That stubborn woman is planning to ignore me completely. In that case, if the student she taught gets completely crushed by the student I trained, could she still remain so indifferent?'"

Rozen's words made Stella pause for a moment, then she laughed.

The two exchanged smiles and came to an agreement.

"We need to beat them!"

"Exactly!"

Rozen and Stella made this decision.

For pride and for victory.