"It might be a foolish..."
Rie thought as she emerged from the thicket.
She had already assumed that her opponent was strong enough to attack the main building of the academy.
Naturally, it meant confronting someone she might not be able to defeat.
Still, she didn't stop her steps.
"Am I becoming more like him...?"
Rudy Astria, who would act selflessly when others were in danger, prioritizing them over his own safety.
At first, Rie found such behavior incredibly foolish.
How could one risk their life so readily for the sake of others?
She couldn't understand it.
Yet, there she was, now moving without hesitation.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Rie let out a soft chuckle.
'Even in a situation like this, I'm thinking of Rudy...'
It felt ridiculous to her, even amusing, that she was pondering about Rudy when the circumstances were so dire.
Taking a deep breath, Rie shook off her distractions.
Thinking of Rudy was comforting, but now wasn’t the time.
She could indulge in such reflections once everything was over.
Rie crouched, approaching the man stealthily, making sure not to make a sound.
He seemed to be focused on gathering his sword's energy, unaware of Rie's approach.
'I need to interrupt him first...'
Mana began to gather in Rie's hand.
She needed a conspicuous and potent spell.
Though Sylph was searching for help, there was a chance they wouldn’t find any.
Hence, a noticeable spell to catch others’ attention was crucial.
A massive explosion would surely draw someone's attention.
Rie took precise aim at the man holding the sword.
The first move was important.
His attention was elsewhere, so this was perfect opportunity.
If he started to move properly, it would be much harder to land a spell on him.
She only had one shot.
The most potent magic Rie could harness.
"Let my mana turn crimson..."
Despite her busy schedule with political matters and student council duties, Rie hadn't neglected her magical training.
She didn’t want to fall behind Rudy.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Rudy, who always moved forward, had shown remarkable growth.
If she hesitated even slightly, the gap between them would widen significantly.
To support him, she had to advance, even if just a bit.
And now was the time to showcase the fruits of her rigorous training.
"To incinerate even the traces of my opponent."
Rie's explosive magic.
The most potent spell among them.
A deep red hue began swirling around Rie's hand.
"Rage Flare."
Upon completing her incantation, the sword-wielding opponent turned his head.
But it was too late; the spell was already cast.
Red dots began to appear around his body.
They multiplied, and soon, those dots started glowing brilliantly.
Like rising embers, one by one, they began to ignite.
The opponent, seeing this, readied his sword again.
But not at the building – he aimed for Rie.
"It's already too late."
Rie clenched her outstretched hand.
Crack.
The dots surrounding the opponent cracked, and from those cracks, light poured out.
"Explode."
The dots began to detonate in a chain reaction.
A series of explosions sent flames soaring into the sky, wrapping around the entire area.
The opponent was engulfed by the flames.
“Ha…!”
However, that was all.
The flames from the explosion were abruptly split in half.
A black sword aura, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, effortlessly sliced through Rie's flames.
This storm of sword aura didn’t just slice the flames, it hurtled towards Rie.
“Huff…!”
Rie ducked her head, narrowly avoiding the oncoming storm.
"Huh?"
A strand of her hair, lightly tossed in the wind, was cut by the blade's aura.
It was a blade aura that, even without proper preparation or trajectory, was remarkably sharp.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Rie glanced at her fallen strand of hair on the ground.
Raising her head slightly, she looked ahead.
A man walked out from between the flames.
His upper clothing appeared to have been partially burned away.
Burn scars were visible through the remnants of his clothes.
He had dozens of scars on his body, making any she'd seen before seem insignificant.
However, these weren’t wounds inflicted by Rie.
They weren't burns, but sword wounds... and they had already healed over.
With a scowl, the man continued to approach Rie.
"Who are you?"
"Eh…."
There wasn't a single wound on him.
She was sure she had used her most powerful magic, and yet he walked towards her without a significant injury.
The difference in their abilities was vast.
But this was within her expectations.
The large explosion had surely alerted others to the commotion here.
All she needed to do was hold out.
If she could restrain this man and hold out for a while...
"I asked who you are."
He looked at Rie with a haughty gaze.
Rie straightened up, meeting his gaze squarely.
"Rie Von Ristonia."
Regardless of his strength or seemingly insurmountable power, she wouldn't back down.
That unyielding spirit, that drive to always move forward, was Rie's greatest strength.
"First Princess of the Empire...”
She paused, lowering her head briefly, then raised it with a confident smile.
"Vice-President of Liberion Academy's Student Council."
"Hmm…"
The man frowned at Rie's audacious demeanor.
"So, you're the Royal princess."
Upon hearing Rie’s name, he pointed his sword at her.
"I am Venderwood, a slave."
Despite introducing himself as a slave, his demeanor was undeniably confident.
But something was wrong.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})How could someone in the position of a slave possess such power?
Of course, there were slaves skilled in combat, but none with such overwhelming strength.
"Still, you seem a bit better than those trashy nobles. So, you're the one standing atop them all?"
"Trashy?"
Rie frowned at the word.
Venderwood simply shrugged.
"Never mind."
Venderwood straightened his giant sword, pointing it at Rie.
It was a colossal blade, just a tad shorter than Rie herself.
"Prepare yourself."
Rie moved her mana in response.
She'd hold on as long as possible.
Until someone comes to her aid.
Yuni watched Rie from the bushes.
Rie's magic was devastating.
If Yuni had been at the epicenter, she felt she wouldn’t have survived.
Yet, Venderwood withstood it effortlessly.
She couldn’t fathom just how monstrous he truly was.
"Sister..."
Yet, even so, Rie stood her ground, fearlessly confronting Venderwood.
Bam!
“Ugh…”
And she was still doing so, evading Venderwood's relentless attacks, standing firm and fighting, no matter how dire it seemed.
Wounds of varying sizes marked Rie's body.
But still, Rie's gaze never wavered.
Her spirit remained unbroken.
She refused to give up.
"Huff... Huff..."
Yuni noticed Rie's ragged breathing.
Though she evaded attacks, she never fled.
Rie had always been like that.
While Yuni had cooperated with the noble faction and taken the easy path, Rie had always resisted them.
No matter the harassment or temptation they offered, Rie stood firm.
Despite having an easier path before her, she stood tall with dignity.
Yuni couldn't understand the pain that must have taken.
She only admired it.
Wondering what it felt like to stand where Rie stood.
So, Yuni had a thought.
She wanted to stand beside Rie.
However, she didn't want to pull down or manipulate the sister she admired.
She just wanted to compete with her fair and square for the successor position.
This is why Yuni considered using Rudy.
Someone with the potential to even surpass Ian, the favored successor of the Astria family.
With him by her side, she believed she could be a proper successor, backed by the Astria family, rather than just a puppet.
But now, she wasn’t so sure.
Seeing the battle unfold, she felt she wasn’t even in the same league.
Rie's resilience, even in the face of such overwhelming power, made Yuni hesitant to even think of following in her footsteps.
She realized that even if she rose to a similar position, she wouldn't become like her.
Then, a strike flew towards Rie.
It was in a hard-to-evade position.
Rie tried to use a barrier to block the attack.
"Damn..."
With her mana nearly exhausted and her body worn out, Rie's attempt to block Venderwood's attack with a barrier was barely sufficient.
“Ugh…”
In the end, Rie's barrier shattered under the force of the sword strike, and she sustained a cut to her leg.
Rie fell.
With her leg injured, escaping was now impossible.
Yuni watched the scene unfold before her with wide eyes.
A man with a greatsword approached the sister she looked up to.
Yuni’s shaky gaze turned to the main academy building.
“Why… Why is no one coming…?”
She was sure Rie had called for help from the academy.
Though Yuni wasn't sure how long Rie had held off, it felt like an eternity to her.
Her sister was in danger, and she could do nothing about it.
She could only watch, feeling utterly powerless.
The man closed the gap.
As he neared Rie, she tried to use magic while dragging her injured leg, but it didn’t affect him in the slightest.
He just kept advancing.
And when he was almost upon Rie,
“No.”
Yuni moved.
She had to protect her sister.
“Wind, Wind Blaster...!”
Emerging from the bushes, Yuni cast her spell.
A powerful blade of wind hurtled towards the man, whose name she now remembered as Venderwood.
But just as Rie's magic had no effect on him, neither did Yuni's.
Even a surprise attack couldn’t penetrate the reinforced body of such a skilled swordsman.
Venderwood, unfazed by Yuni’s magic, turned his head to look at her.
“Yu...Yuni...!”
Rie's voice rang out in alarm.
Yuni, her legs shaking as if she was a newborn deer, reached out towards Venderwood, her eyes fixed on Rie.
She opened her mouth.
“Sis…”
Fear was evident in Yuni’s voice.
Yet, she managed a faint smile and said,
“Run…”
In an instant, Venderwood was upon Yuni.
She couldn’t even react.
And then.
“Ah.”
Venderwood's hand, surrounded by a mana glow, pierced right through Yuni's abdomen.
His mana-infused hand was more than enough to pierce the delicate frame of Yuni.
Holding Yuni with her abdomen impaled, Venderwood looked into her face.
“Just a kid.”
“Guh…”
Yuni let out a rough breath, tears that had been pooling in her eyes now flowing freely.
“Yu…ni?”
Rie watched in horror, her eyes widening.
Tears filled Rie's eyes.
Though Yuni sometimes acted peculiarly, she was still her sister.
They had grown up together; she had always looked after Yuni, finding her annoying at times but never disliking her.
Now, that very sister had been impaled by a man's hand.
“Ah… No… No…”
Rie sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
“No… Please...”
Struggling, Rie tried to get up and shouted.
At that, Venderwood withdrew his hand from Yuni's abdomen.
Yuni crumpled to the ground.
“You’re next.”
With an air of indifference, Venderwood, with his sword in hand, moved towards Rie.
“Heuu...”
Rie let out a mournful sound, her eyes widened in alarm as she glared at Venderwood.
She attempted to use her mana.
“Ah.”
But, her mana was almost depleted.
No magic emerged.
Seeing this, Venderwood quickly charged at her.
"This is the end."
“My, feet…”
Closing her eyes tight, Rie braced herself.
Suddenly, an unexpected sound echoed.
“What…? Who are…”
“Spatial Slash.”
The voice was familiar.
A slicing noise.
“Kuk...! What is this…”
Startled by Venderwood's sudden scream, Rie cautiously opened her eyes.
But Venderwood was nowhere in sight.
Instead, someone's back was in her view, standing protectively before her.
“Huh?”
Recognizable golden hair.
But this wasn't the blond-haired person Rie knew.
This person was slightly shorter.
And he hadn’t used such magic before.
Rie, having observed him frequently, knew this well.
The person shielding Rie then turned his head.
“Ah.”
A face she recognized.
But, something was slightly off.
“Rudy?”
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