Once they had readied themselves, the three Magic Users launched themselves into action.
The one at the vanguard was Edward—brandishing his blade and utilizing his Martial Arts. He controlled the flow of Dark Magic around and within him to boost his body to its limit.
"FLOW!"
In a flash, he propelled himself even further and devastated his surroundings. Whirling like a storm of darkness, he quickly closed the distance between himself and the enemy, bringing his blade down in a flash.
>CLANG!<
His sword connected with one of the Shadow Demon's raised limbs.
'—Nng!' Edward's mind rang, feeling the impact on his body.
He had put all his strength behind that blow, yet it was so casually blocked. Edward bit his lip, feeling frustrated, but his distracting thoughts had to wait.
Suddenly, Kahn's body started changing… as though something was about to come out. Edward picked it up quickly and sprang away.
Fortunately, his retreat wasn't a second later.
>WHOOOSSSHHHH!!!<
Just as he leaped away, several dark spikes came out of Kahn. They would have impaled and killed him if he hadn't stepped away when he did.
But, the boy didn't have the luxury to sigh in relief, as these spear-like tentacles lunged at him.
"Don't worry about them! Just attack!" He heard a voice call out to him.
Despite what his instincts told him, Edward chose to trust in his best friend and charged straight ahead. His steps quickened and he swelled more power to the tip of his blade.
He was going to reach! That thought remained on his mind as his speed reached a new level.
The spears were moved out of the way by Ana's Magic. The blue energy that shifted the bladed objects from him flashed a pale glow. The attacks scattered all around Edward, but none touched him.
Smiling at the reliability of his comrade, and thanking her from the bottom of his heart, he leaped forward and gave a mighty roar as he came crashing down.
"DEVASTATE!"
>BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!<
The ground ripped apart and the surrounding area was shrouded in darkness and debris. Edward felt his blade sink into the monster's black flesh, but… it was too shallow to be called a wound.
Unfortunately, his blade had already sunk too deep—even though it really wasn't by much—for him to retreat as fast as he did the last time.
To make matters worse, the spear-like things were beginning to appear from Kahn. Even Ana's Magic wouldn't be able to protect him if he was at such point-blank range.
"Shit!"
Edward felt all the hairs on his skin stand.
Was this truly the end?
Fortunately, his question was answered by another trusted comrade of his—Aloe Vida.
>SHIIINNNGGG!!!<
Blinding light surged from her location in the form of spears.
They were condensed to their limits, and several of them appeared. They numbered fifty—a phenomenal amount.
>WHOOOOSSHHH!!!<
These javelins launched at Kahn, making him shift his focus to Aloe. This allowed Edward to escape, and he leaped a great distance back until he was just in front of Ana.
>BOOOOMMMM!!!<
The javelins all charged at a single target, dealing a great amount of damage in the surrounding area thanks to their impact.
Once the fifty were launched, Aloe converged with the two students, and they took formation again. They kept their eyes—no, all their senses peeled—in the direction of their overwhelming opponent.
"@#$%%^^$#@"
The Shadow Demon emerged from the blast area, appearing completely unscathed.
'W—what?!' Aloe Vida was shocked.
She knew it was tough, but not to this extent!
Even a barrage of attacks of that level didn't end it?
"Shit!" Edward cursed as he gripped his blade tighter.
He seemed to be thinking of something, but hesitation made him reconsider every single time.
"I don't think we can beat this thing at this rate…" Aloe Vida gave her honest opinion.
"We can, and we will!" The only boy in their midst growled.
The dark glint in his eyes showed them that he had resolved to.
"Do you have a trick up your sleeves?" Aloe asked.
There was desperation and exasperation in her tone. If they had nothing else, then this was already a failed venture.
The Automatons around had not taken action yet because their lives were not in critical danger, but once they lost the three, that was the end.
"I do." Edward gave a surprising answer."
"But, it takes too much strain on me, and I won't be able to concentrate on anything else but my target and my blade."
Edward's ace and final move could only be done now because he was boosting himself with Bond Magic. Still, even at that, once he exhausted the card, he would be out of commission.
"Got it! I'll be sure to watch out for your defenses, and also heal you if you get injured." Ana said.
"I'll support you as well. My Javelins can't deal a fatal blow, but they should be strong enough to constitute a nuisance!"
Edward looked at the two beside him and smiled at them gratefully. He was happy they didn't try to stop him.
The honest truth was that the boy was feeling powerless.
Jared's words from back then still rang in his head, and the worst part was that he couldn't refute them. He was a burden to his friend!
Edward was certain that if Jared was here, he would have been able to handle the monster before them. Unfortunately, he wasn't. These two were stuck with someone as incompetent as him.
However, Edward did not let his weakness weigh him down too much. He knew he was weak. He knew he was pathetic. However…
'I've been working hard too! I won't back down now!
… He too wanted to show the results of his growth!
"Okay, everyone… I'm counting on you!"
Edward raised his blade and prepared his stance.
He wasn't sure if the monster would die from this, but it was bound to suffer some damage.
Afterward, they would use the Automatons as sacrificial assaulters to launch a barrage. Hopefully, that finished it up.
Edward knew he was being optimistic, but… he needed to cling to some form of hope that things would work out.
If they didn't, they were all dead.
"Huuu…"
He shook off all distracting thoughts. Focusing solely on his enemy and the blade he wielded, his Mana swelled to an unprecedented degree.
"Fundamental Precepts…"
His muscles tensed, and his strength rose.
"… Self Made…"
The enemy was right in front of him. All he had to do… was strike!
"… #0: Martial Blade God Dance!"
