Part Twenty-Eight

The tension on the battlefield escalates as Azura, overwhelmed with frustration, confronts Lily. "What the hell is your problem, Lily? You fucking pathetic bastards!" he growls, his anger palpable.

Lily, unfazed by his outburst, simply blinks and tilts her head in confusion. "I just did what Suzu told me to do," she responds nonchalantly, her demeanor betraying no hint of concern or regret.

Suzu, standing a short distance away, smiles warmly, her pink eyes sparkling under the light. She addresses the situation with a sly remark, "Well, I'm not stupid enough to let you keep talking in case something unpredictable happens." Her words are carefully chosen, indicating her strategic mindset and her desire to maintain control over the situation.

Kyran, who has been holding Azura in place, expresses his reluctance. "I'm sorry, Azura. I really dislike doing something like this," he says, before stabbing Azura in the back. As Azura begins to be teleported away, he shouts a defiant threat, "Once I see you at the academy, you fuckers are dead!" In a final act of defiance, he points his middle fingers at the group before disappearing.

Suzu, not missing a beat, strides over to where Azura was last standing. She gracefully picks up the crown that fell from Azura's possession and places it on her head, now adorning herself with two crowns. Her actions demonstrate her ambition and her willingness to capitalize on the chaos of the battlefield.

Elara, quick to react and determined not to let her crown fall into Suzu's hands, says firmly, "Oh no you don't. We might have lost, but you're not getting my crown." With swift movements, she creates a water orb, places her crown inside, and sends it speeding towards Biana and Isadora.

Cassia, seizing the opportunity to follow suit, smirks and says confidently, "That's right, you're worse than that monster over there." With a flick of her wrist, she grabs her own crown and propels it towards Biana and Isadora using fire-enhanced speed.

Suzu's smile vanishes, replaced by a look of cold calculation. She steps forward, her gaze sweeping over the remaining fighters. "I expected a fight. Well, this makes things easier," she remarks, her tone indicating a mix of disappointment and resolve.

In a coordinated move, Suzu, Lily, and Kyran launch into action. They move with impressive speed and agility, their movements synchronized and purposeful. As they close in on their opponents, they each unleash a barrage of daggers. The daggers find their marks, and one by one, the remaining combatants are teleported out upon being hit. Their swift and efficient attack leaves little room for retaliation.

Elara, already weakened from the previous conflicts, lets out a sigh of resignation. "Ugh... this was a horrible day," she mutters, her voice tinged with exhaustion and pain. As she collapses to the ground, she too is teleported out, her participation in the battle reaching its end.

Rami, however, stands out as an exception. Despite the intense battle, she has managed to conserve her energy more effectively than the others. As the daggers fly towards her, she skillfully blocks them, her reflexes sharp and her movements precise. "Shit," she curses under her breath, recognizing the challenging situation she now faces.

Suzu, observing Rami's defense, makes a quick decision. She turns to Lily and instructs her with a tone of authority, "Lily, deal with this one." Her command is clear, assigning Lily the task of confronting Rami directly.

Biana, with a languid yawn, stretches her arms, seemingly unfazed by the chaos around her. 'Ugh... what do we have here,' she muses internally, her gaze slowly sweeping across the battlefield as she stands up. Her fingers idly scratch her head, a gesture that belies the sharpness of her mind.

Her eyes soon catch sight of two crowns lying on the ground, sparking a mischievous and malicious smile. "Oh~ ho~ ho~ What do we have here~," she exclaims with a blend of surprise and delight, picking up the crowns with a flourish. Without giving Isadora a chance to stand, Biana casually sits back down on her, reveling in her newfound treasures. "I always knew I was meant to be worshiped," she declares confidently, her fingers delicately touching the tips of the crowns.

As Suzu approaches, she comments, "Well, they are beautiful, right?" Her smile is genuine, yet there's a hint of calculation in her eyes. "Now please hand over my crowns," Suzu requests, her tone polite but firm.

Biana regards Suzu with a look of boredom, then dismisses her request with a nonchalant, "Nah, they're mine." Her grin widens as she places the crowns on her head, marking her claim. Upon noticing that Suzu also possesses two crowns, Biana clicks her tongue in annoyance. "Tsk, you're annoying," she mutters.

With a sudden slap on Isadora's head, Biana commands, "Oi, get ready." In the next moment, she rips a talisman and raises her palm. A massive arrow, with enough force to break the barrier, flies in, but Biana, with remarkable reflexes, redirects the energy from the arrow into a new talisman. She shakes her hand off, slightly startled by the power of the attack, and quips, "What type of bow has arrows this big?"

Biana's fatigue becomes apparent. She lets out a sigh, expressing her desire for rest. "Ugh... I'm tired... I want to sleep now," she complains, her voice laced with weariness.

Suzu sees an opportunity and responds with a smile. "Well, just hand over the crowns, and you can sleep all day," she proposes, her tone suggesting a mix of persuasion and subtlety.

Biana, however, is not easily swayed. She looks at Suzu, her expression shifting to one of disdain. "Nah, your face pisses me off. I fucking hate fake people," she retorts bluntly, her words sharp and unfiltered. It's clear that Biana's tolerance for pretense is non-existent.

At that moment, Isadora, having remained passive for a while, finally stands up and stretches. She looks around, her face expressionless as usual, revealing nothing of her thoughts or intentions. In her hands, she holds a new sword, the weapon gleaming slightly as she readies herself.

Without warning, dozens of huge arrows appear, aimed directly at them. Isadora, with remarkable speed and precision, slices through the arrows effortlessly. Each one falls to the ground, perfectly halved, showcasing her formidable skill with the blade.

Suzu watches the display, her smile unwavering. Recognizing Isadora, she remarks, "Ah, the daughter of Duke Alister." Her tone carries a hint of recognition and perhaps a touch of respect for Isadora's lineage.

Kyran, brushing his crimson hair back, steps forward, ready to take on the challenge. "Let me fight her," he volunteers, eager to prove his worth in combat.

Suzu, however, quickly interjects. "No, it will cause too many issues," she cautions, aware of the potential repercussions of such a confrontation. She then turns to Kyran with a strategic command, "You fight Biana."

Isadora, with focused determination, charges at Suzu. Biana, realizing the impulsive nature of the attack, shouts out a warning. "Wait, you brain-dead idiot!" But it's too late; Isadora is already engaging Suzu.

Suzu, prepared for the confrontation, casts a magic circle atop a shield. As Isadora's blade makes contact, the strike is brilliantly reflected, slicing a nearby boulder in half instead. Suzu observes the scene with a mix of admiration and caution. "Wow, how scary," she comments dryly, then murmurs to herself, "She didn't even use aura..."

Undeterred, Isadora makes another attempt to strike Suzu, this time trying to attack from behind. However, the magic circle's deflection mechanism is still in effect, causing her attack to backfire. The deflected strike grazes Isadora, who narrowly moves out of range, receiving only a slight slash.

Isadora pauses, biting her inner cheek in frustration, her head tilting as she contemplates her next move. In this moment of hesitation, Lily seizes the opportunity to attack with a flame-enhanced fist. But Isadora reacts with astonishing agility, bending her body to evade the blow and retaliating with a swift kick to Lily's gut, sending her crashing into a tree.

Recovering quickly, Isadora resumes her attack on Suzu, attempting a powerful kick. Yet again, her effort is thwarted by the magic shield, her own attack being deflected. Suzu, in turn, tries to land a punch on Isadora, but she flips backward, skillfully avoiding the blow.

Suzu, with a knowing smile, taunts Isadora, "It must be confusing for you, isn't it?" Her words are laced with a mix of mockery and amusement.

As Isadora blinks, a vivid memory floods her senses, transporting her back to the moment when V fearlessly dived into the monster's mouth. In this flashback, a little goblin boy, eyes wide with awe and concern, advises V, "Don't fight a pink-haired girl, just throw Oliver at her." The scene feels so real to Isadora that she nods in agreement, as if acknowledging V's words in real-time.

Snapping back to the present, Isadora makes a quick decision. Without hesitation, she grabs Biana, who yawns loudly, expressing her boredom with the situation. With Biana in tow, Isadora begins to sprint across the lake, her speed astonishing, as if she's trying to outpace her own shadow.

Suzu, watching this unexpected retreat, clicks her tongue in annoyance. "Tsk... I didn't expect this," she mutters, a hint of surprise in her voice. She signals her team, and they all start pursuing Isadora across the lake's surface, their steps barely causing ripples.

Suzu's thoughts are sharp and focused: 'Just two more crowns and we'll dominate this competition.' But as she scans her surroundings, she notices another figure also chasing after Isadora. 'It's that girl I told Lily to deal with,' she realizes, her strategic mind quickly assessing the new variable in the equation.

Meanwhile, Biana, carried effortlessly by Isadora, lets out another yawn, her voice tinged with mock frustration. "Ugh... why are you so slow?" she complains, seemingly unimpressed by the breakneck speed at which they're moving.

Intrigued by the situation, Biana takes out a tiny bow she had made as a project. Holding it up with her fingers, she giggles softly, "Hehehehe." She reminisces, 'I gave the design to V. He said he wouldn't make it, but he ended up doing it since he can't live without me. This is perfect for me~'

Biana attaches a talisman to a tiny arrow, aiming it with precise calculation. 'Alright, Kyran's about 150 meters away. He's sprinting at 35.76 meters per second across the lake. Let's see... with no significant wind resistance and minimal air drag... I need to angle the bow at, maybe, 42 degrees? Yeah, that sounds about right. Now, considering the elastic potential of the bowstring and the mass of the arrow, the release velocity should be around... 55 meters per second. Factor in his speed and trajectory... Alright, that's the sweet spot.'

She carefully adjusts the bow to align with her precise calculations and then releases the arrow. It flies through the air, a perfect blend of physics and intuition, hitting its intended target - Kyran's foot, effectively disrupting his high-speed run and causing him to plunge into the lake. ​

Biana bursts into laughter as she watches Kyran fall into the lake. "Hahahaha! You fucking idiot!" she exclaims, her voice echoing with amusement and mockery. The chase continues, with Isadora swiftly maneuvering through the terrain, now entering the forest. The sight of Aira and the others engaged in combat greets them.

In a bold move, Isadora, with precise aim and timing, hurls Biana towards the ongoing fray. Biana, caught off guard, flies through the air, her voice laced with surprise and irritation. "Ah, you bitch!" she yells as she crashes into a random combatant, who turns out to be Thalia.

Isadora's attention quickly shifts to Oliver, who is sitting by a tree, seemingly detached from the chaos around him, engrossed in writing down equations. Without a moment's hesitation, Isadora picks up Oliver and throws him directly in front of Suzu.

"What the heck was that for, Isadora?" Oliver exclaims, rubbing his neck in pain, clearly startled by the sudden action. Isadora simply points at him and then at Suzu, indicating her intentions without words.

Suzu, eyeing Oliver, recognizes him and remarks, "This is the son of Duchess Rosalind?" Her thoughts reveal her confusion, 'Why did she drag him here? He isn't very strong according to my report.'

Oliver, turning his attention from Isadora to the others, smirks mischievously. His demeanor shifts dramatically, revealing a side of him that contrasts starkly with his previous appearance. "Oh, I see~," he says, his voice tinged with malice and excitement. He begins to juggle his potions, a confident and playful gesture. "So V wasn't lying when he said I could fight!~"