Chapter 42: In the Eye of the Storm

Quinn intercepted the predicted surge-kill combo. We had expected them to use lightning magic, given their name. Quinn's ability to transform his body into almost anything seemed to be improving constantly. He transformed his hand into rubber, creating a wall in front of me and effectively blocking the combo. Eris exclaimed, "Grin Reapers are showing off some entirely different skills! What kind of magic is that?"

Once the attack ended, I shouted, "Hey! Watch it! That attack could have killed us!" The boy in front of us adjusted his glasses and replied, "Hardly. We were holding back, and injuring you is not my concern. You are hardly worth our time."

Annoyed, I clicked my tongue and said, "We'll see about that." I prepared my gauntlet, trying to avoid using my best moves in the first match. I utilized my ink magic to summon one of my newer, less concentrated spells I had experimented with. Thinking of the rune combination in my head, I chanted, "Vaelora! Nautrium! Sonic Rain!" The combination of the dance rune and water magic created a harsh rain on the other team. Raindrops began falling on their side of the field, obstructing their vision and causing some damage. Most importantly, it created an opening.

Lulith quickly seized the opportunity, racing past me and springing off Quinn's rubber hand, likely one of the drills they had practiced. The girl who had summoned the lightning crash covered her face as the rain poured down. Lulith wasted no time and kicked her as hard as she could before she could counterattack. The small student went airborne, and when she landed, it sounded painful as she appeared to land on her arm unnaturally. It seemed she would be out of the battle.

That was when Professor Berkley held up his cane, laughing heartily in his elegant overalls. He declared, "I had intended to observe for a little longer, but it seems I must intervene already. Time for a science lesson, students. What do you get when you mix lightning magic with earth?"

Professor Berkley gestured toward the boy behind him, who had long purple hair and purple eyes. The boy appeared stoic but responded flatly, "Magnet magic, sir." Professor Berkley nodded and said, "Right as always, Mynus." He summoned two balls, one of lightning and the other of earth, and fused them together to form a gray ball. He pointed his finger at Lulith and said, "North Pole." All of Lulith's momentum abruptly stopped as she was forcefully pulled toward Professor Berkley. Berkley smiled and asked, "Pop quiz, Mynus, what is the correct solution here?" Mynus sighed and replied, "Smack them into orbit, sir." He seemed to use a wooden bat as a weapon, which turned a deep green as he wound his hand back. Mynus intercepted Lulith as she flew toward Professor Berkley's hand and shouted, "Orbiting Magnetic Spiral!" He struck Lulith with his bat as hard as he could, with the enhanced wind magic adding to his swing.

Lulith was sent flying, her back slamming into the barrier, causing it to crack from the powerful bat blow. I was stunned, but there was no time to be amazed. Lysandra stepped forward, ready to confront the boy in front with the glasses. She taunted, "Amazing! However, it isn't anything compared to my new magic. Wait until you see what I can do!" I stopped her, saying, "Lysandra, wait. We can win without revealing too much of our abilities just yet. Let's go with the combo I mentioned at breakfast." She nodded with an understanding smile and replied, "Right, no more charging in. To get stronger, I'll need to follow your lead. Alright, let's do it."

I nodded and said, "Target the kid with the glasses first; his support seems crucial." I began my unconcentrated spell, chanting, "Arcanox. Lithora. Aegis of Gaia!" Earthen Armor materialized around Lysandra as she lunged toward the boy with the glasses. He mocked, "Too slow! You'll never reach me with such pitiful magic." He fired a jet of water from his finger, "Water Jet Shot!" The water blasted from his hand but did nothing to penetrate our Earth-based armor. He shouted, "What!" as a flaming earth fist slammed him into the ground. He lay there for a moment before stubbornly getting up on shaky legs and exclaimed, "No, no, I won't lose to such worthless people! I am not worthless like Pylus!" Quinn followed up with his fists, striking the boy in the stomach, causing him to finally collapse.

He appeared to be referring to a girl in the back. I had barely noticed her; she had short red hair and crystal-clear blue eyes. She stood next to a massive great sword but seemed to be waiting for something. She wore light red armor and had a black ribbon in her hair. The sword was exceptionally large, made of solid steel, with a red handle, and covered in mysterious symbols. The sword looked far too massive for her to even lift; it was bigger than my entire body. For now, I ignored her as we had more immediate threats to deal with. Professor Berkley smiled at us again and taunted, "Oh? Ren is down? Mynus, get ready. These four will have to go into detention!"

Yuna finally stepped forward, as it seemed she was going to help. She remarked, "Magnet magic? Disgusting. I will show you two what real power looks like." She stepped forward with her sword in hand and recited, "Dance, my cherry blossoms, and gaze upon the ethereal spring. Shimmering Cherry Blossom Mirage!" She unsheathed her blade, then sheathed it a second later. Her body disappeared into a flurry of cherry blossoms, and she reappeared behind the boy named Mynus. He clutched his chest in shock as he was cut right down the middle. He wasn't dead; I had ensured earlier that she would only use nonlethal attacks. Nevertheless, the cut was severe, and he collapsed to the floor. A medical team immediately arrived, briefly pausing the match. It was clear that Altaria was right; Yuna had never shown us the full extent of her abilities, and her eyeless slash was just the tip of the iceberg.

The slash was more astonishing than I had ever imagined. I wondered if I had an answer for such a devastating attack. Yuna glanced back at Professor Berkley, saying, "You're next." He appeared somewhat taken aback, even frightened, as she regarded him with a fox-like determination, ready to pounce on her prey. Sensing the urgency, I decided to act before things got messy. I quickly cast a spell, "Cosmodine!" It was a simple fireball, and I didn't expect it to hit, but I hoped my allies could follow up. However, it was intercepted by the girl with red hair standing in the back. Professor Berkley chimed in, "Ah, Pylus, thanks! It seems like the other students had some difficulties. Can you please show our guests the way we do things in Everglint?"

Pylus nodded with the same stoic expression as the boy from earlier, "Right away, sir." The fire she had intercepted with her giant blade caused it to start glowing red. I was amazed that she could handle such a weapon, but it appeared she had absorbed the blast. She concentrated on her blade and declared, "Ember Steel Slash!" When she brought down the giant sword, the energy I had shot at her was redirected back at me. I attempted to block it, but it was too late. Instead, Lysandra dashed in front of me and blocked the blow. I stuttered, "Lysan- Why?" She grunted before laughing, "This fire ain't nothing, kid. My fire burns way hotter than your half-assed, puny flames." I was both insulted and impressed simultaneously.

Professor Berkley nodded, "Let's try a mix-up play, shall we, Pylus?" Pylus nodded, "I'll send them much farther than my brother did, as always." I noticed small markings on the bases of both her hands that glowed whenever she wielded her sword. I could only guess that it was related to how she wielded that sword with such little effort; she must be using some kind of magic. It was an extraordinary weapon, and I was eager to discover its secrets – absorbing magic like that was something truly unique.

Pylus assumed a batter's stance, much like her brother had. Professor Berkley smiled proudly and called, "Gyro Shot!" He threw a gray, ball-like mass toward the girl, leaving me bewildered about what was happening. She absorbed the ball into her sword, and then, out of nowhere, the ball bounced back. With a motion resembling a baseball swing, she struck the ball with her massive sword, sending it rocketing toward Yuna. Pylus smiled slightly as she yelled, "Human Meteorite Orbital Shot!" The shot hit Yuna head-on, and she combined with the ball, crashing into Quinn, both of them became a human ball, seemingly unable to pull away from the intense magnetic force, and then the ball collided with Lysandra she entered the human meat ball. Finally, the ball slammed into me.

All four of us were held together by an invisible force as Pylus drew closer with a stoic expression. She raised her giant sword and calmly explained, "This is going to hurt, but you hurt my brother, so consider us even. Magnetosphere Crush Slam!" She swung her giant sword with all her might. Time seemed to slow down as all four of us gritted our teeth. This was it – the giant sword was about to send us hurtling into the stands, and there was no way the barrier could hold us back. With certainty, I knew that we had run out of options. With heavy hearts, we faced the inevitable as Pylus unleashed her devastating attack. My thoughts flashed to Era, the friend we would have failed if we lost here. The giant sword began its descent, sealing our fate. We closed our eyes in anticipation of the inevitable.