Chapter 200

Elaine of Fire and Ice.

As her nickname suggested, she specialized in fire and ice magic.

Although she hadn’t received official recognition from the Magic Tower yet, it was a well-known fact that she had already reached the level of an Archmage in both types of magic.

However, this heavy rain was a very unfavorable environment for her.

First of all, her fire magic was practically sealed.

No matter how magical the fire was, fire was still fire.

It was only natural that it couldn’t maintain its power in this downpour.

All that was left was ice magic.

But even ice magic was at a disadvantage, albeit to a lesser extent.

Because even the strongest cold could be weakened by the relentless heavy rain.

Therefore, for Elaine to erect and maintain thick ice walls, not just in one place but all around, was consuming a lot of her mental strength and mana.

It was a feat only a genius mage like her could pull off.

To begin with, it was impossible for an ordinary person to hold back twenty dark mages.

But even she was reaching her limit.

Boom!

Crash!

Boom!

The dark mages’ relentless barrage of magic was breaking down Elaine’s ice walls, which were much thicker than ordinary ice walls.

Crack!

A large crack appeared in the center of the ice wall.

“Alright, we’re almost there!”

“Just a little more!”

The dark mages’ spirits soared.

On the other hand.

Elaine was troubled.

A moment of serious decision had come for her.

She wasn’t exactly sheltered, but she had never shed blood before.

No, she had never even harbored murderous intent.

For someone with such a kind heart, the best option was to hold them back.

But her defense was reaching its limit.

She wasn’t confident that she could hold back twenty dark mages once the ice wall broke.

‘I can’t let them through.’

A clear murderous intent emanated from the dark mages, palpable to anyone with eyes.

Their actions also confirmed it.

When she glanced back while holding back the dark mages with the ice wall, she saw a scene that made her blood run cold.

There, she saw her classmates desperately fighting back against the dark mages, who were clearly aiming to kill.

What would happen if the dark mages she was currently holding back joined the fray?

It was obvious that it would pose a great threat to her classmates.

So she couldn’t let them through.

Then the only option left was…

‘…Is that all?’

At that moment, Elaine thought of her friends.

Lana, Brett, Riviera, Allen, Fabiola… and many other friends.

…And above all, Max.

She couldn’t let her precious friends be put in danger.

Elaine bit her lip.

The decision was made.

No, maybe there was never any other choice.

She had to do it.

For everyone.

Crack!

Shatter!

At that moment, the ice wall shattered into pieces.

“We did it! It finally broke!”

“Don’t stop! Attack before they try anything else!”

The dark mages charged towards Elaine with fierce momentum.

But they didn’t know.

That Elaine’s eyes had already changed.

To a gaze as cold as ice.

Her lips moved, chanting a spell.

For someone of her level, who could cast most spells with just a short chant or activation word, to be chanting such a long spell meant only one thing.

It was an incredibly powerful magic.

The dark mages didn’t know that.

No, even if they did, there would have been no way to escape their impending fate.

“Dark Orb!”

“Dark Cutter!”

“Dark Arrow!”

“Dark Blade!”

Twenty dark mages unleashed a variety of offensive magic.

Even though they were intermediate-level magic, the concentrated power of so many spells was not to be underestimated.

No, it was powerful enough.

A barrage of dark magic was closing in on Elaine.

At that moment.

Her casting was finally complete.

The activation word escaped her lips.

“Blizzard.”

High-level ice magic.

A magic of terrifying power, surpassing even advanced magic, unfolded from her hand.

* * *

Boom! Crash! Boom! Boom!

Magic exploded incessantly in the air.

It was a clash between the dark magic unleashed by nineteen dark mages and the barrage of Magic Arrows fired by a single girl.

But somehow, the situation seemed to be unfavorable for the dark mages, despite their overwhelming numbers.

“Damn it, why do the Magic Arrows keep coming?!”

“This is insane!”

The dark mages were clearly exhausted.

They were constantly casting offensive magic to counter the relentless barrage, which was draining their mental strength and mana.

And yet, they were still stuck in a stalemate, far from gaining an advantage, so they were getting impatient.

“Calm down! No matter how monstrous she is, there’s no way one hand can defeat so many!”

“That’s right, she must be exhausted too. She’ll definitely tire out before us! We just need to hold on until then!”

Some of the dark mages tried to boost morale with optimistic words.

Their words made sense.

If their opponent wasn’t ‘her’.

“Yawn.”

Riviera yawned as if she was bored.

The dark mages’ pupils trembled at the sight.

Was that something you could do in the middle of a life-or-death magic battle?

“Sh-She’s tired. She’s yawning because she’s tired.”

“Th-That’s right! It’s natural to yawn when you’re tired.”

The dark mages tried to maintain their composure by interpreting the situation in a positive light.

But Riviera’s relaxed actions, which shook their mental state, didn’t end there.

She tilted her head back and opened her mouth wide.

Gulp, gulp.

She drank the pouring rain.

And then.

“Ahh.”

She let out a satisfied sigh, as if the rain tasted good or her thirst had been quenched.

Just by looking at her, one would believe she was alone in a flower garden under the rain.

The dark mages’ pupils trembled again.

Even more violently than before.

“Sh-She must be really thirsty.”

“Y-Yes, she must be very tired.”

The dark mages continued to grasp at straws, trying to stay positive.

It was a good attitude.

But looking at their slumped shoulders, they seemed like pitiful, withered blades of grass.

On the other hand.

“Fully charged.”

Riviera’s face looked even more lively than before, as if she had been recharged by the yawn and hydration.

It was doubtful that she could actually be fully charged by just that.

But she proved her words with actions.

With a barrage of Magic Arrows that suddenly increased in number by 1.5 times.

“Wh-Wh-What?!”

“Th-The numbers?!”

The dark mages’ faces turned pale.

Their wide eyes were filled with despair.

Their mental state, which they had barely managed to maintain with a glimmer of hope, completely shattered.

“I can’t forgive people who disturb others’ sleep at night. You should be sleeping at night.”

Riviera said bluntly, in a long sentence that was unlike her.

It alone showed how annoyed she was.

And that annoyance translated into her actions.

“I’ll exterminate you.”

She waved her hand dismissively, as if swatting away flies.

But the ripple effect of that simple gesture was enormous.

The Magic Arrows that filled the air all flew towards the dark mages at once.

“H-Heok?!”

“D-Damn it!”

“Noooooooo!”

The dark mages screamed in despair, desperately trying to hold on with their last bit of strength.

But soon.

Their strength ran out, and the barrage of Magic Arrows mercilessly struck them.

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

“Aaaaaah!”

“Gah!”

“Kyaaaaa!”

Screams of pain.

Those were their last screams.

Nineteen dark mages lay dead, their bodies mangled and twisted.

Only then did Riviera stop her magic.

“Extermination complete.”

She muttered, her gaze shifting to the left.

Where Elaine was facing off against twenty dark mages.

“Hmm, my rival is quite something.”

A strange emotion laced Riviera’s voice.

The place had been transformed into an extremely frigid zone.

All twenty enemies were frozen solid.

It was clearly the work of high-level magic.

Probably Blizzard.

“I didn’t think she was the type to shed blood.”

That was the reason for the strange look on her face.

A person’s personality is innate.

It doesn’t change easily.

But her rival had changed.

It must have been due to someone’s influence.

And that someone was probably…

“My rival is still my rival.”

Riviera leaped onto the roof of the lodgings like a cat.

“I’m done, so I’m going to sleep.”

Cool.

She lay down and fell asleep immediately.

It was an ability that many envied.

* * *

East of the lodgings.

“D-Damn it! How did this happen…?”

Berto’s entire body trembled.

The plan was perfect.

Even the weather was on their side.

He thought everything was going perfectly.

But the moment that perfect flow faltered.

Everything went awry.

To the point where he couldn’t deny that the mission was heading towards failure.

But.

‘I can’t give up!’

Berto clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his skin, drawing blood.

Even if the consequences of failure were certain, nothing would change.

Because there was no option of retreat.

He had to fight to the very end for the long-cherished dream of all dark mages.

Kill as many as possible.

Buy as much time as possible.

He would gladly throw himself into it.

He would sacrifice his life.

As would all the dark mages here.

“Fight to the bitter end! Kill as many as you can before you die! Our sacrifice will be our victory!”

Berto shouted with a blood-curdling voice, filled with determination.

The dark mages’ eyes blazed with even stronger resolve.

“To the bitter end!”

“Kill as many as we can!”

“Our sacrifice is our victory!”

The dark mages chanted loudly, like the mantra of fanatics.

Their faltering morale was magically restored.

Was this the power of unwavering will?

The pressure they exerted intensified immediately.

Boom!

“Ugh.”

Brett groaned and stumbled back a few steps, hit in the shoulder by a Dark Bolt.

Blood dripped from his shoulder, where flesh had been torn away, exposing bone.

It was a serious wound at first glance.

“P-President!”

Allen hurriedly swung his spear, knocking back a dark mage, and approached Brett.

“D-Don’t come! If you get caught up with the wounded, the formation will collapse!”

Brett forced his voice to sound strong.

The most difficult battle was one where you had to protect someone.

Especially if that someone was injured.

To protect the injured, someone who was unharmed would be unable to fight at their full potential, resulting in a loss of strength.

Knowing this, Brett, as the class president, forced himself to act as if everything was fine.

“B-But…”

“It’s not a serious injury! I can still fight! You stay at your position!”

“A-Alright, President!”

Allen finally nodded and ran back to the right.

Only then did Brett’s expression relax a little.

As a wielder of the Benesse Spear Technique, which specialized in one-versus-many combat, Allen was a crucial asset in maintaining the right flank, so he couldn’t leave his position.

The center…

It was okay.

The strongest forces were concentrated in the center.

Even if something happened to him, his remaining classmates would hold on.

At that moment.

He saw the dark mage who seemed to be the leader staring at him with sharp eyes.

And then.

Thud!

He kicked off the ground and charged towards him like lightning.

He was fast.

Fast, but strangely, his movements were clearly visible.

Every single frame.

Like a slow-motion replay.

A large, black spear, crackling with dark energy, appeared in his hand.

Brett could immediately tell that it was magic of a different caliber from the other dark mages.

Death.

The shadow of death loomed in his mind.

But he couldn’t run.

If he ran, another classmate would be exposed to that menacing magic.

He couldn’t allow that.

Brett gripped his sword tightly with all his remaining strength.

‘…To the end. Until the very end.’

His best.

Just as he was about to face the approaching dark spear, prepared to die.

Boom!

As if by magic, the dark spear’s movement stopped.

Blocked by a black sword.

“You’re safe this time.”

Max said with a smirk.

What did he mean?

Brett had no idea.

But one thing was certain.

He had been saved by Max.

Max’s back looked bigger and more reliable than ever before.

“…You could have come a little sooner.”

A smile finally appeared on Brett’s lips.

“