The explosion came out of nowhere.
Fortunately, Reisou and the girls managed to escape unharmed.
Once they landed safely, they quickly scanned their surroundings, searching for whoever had launched such a dangerous attack.
Reisou wasn't skilled at detecting Nano energy and relied mostly on his eyesight.
Among the team, Yukino was the best at tracking energy signatures.
As a witch, her affinity with Nano was exceptionally high. That fact had already been proven when she was the first to react, standing up just before the explosion even happened.
"This is likely a sneak attack," Reisou said, tightening his grip on his lance.
"But stealing monster cores isn't allowed… W-Why would they attack us?" Kei asked nervously, staying close behind the group as her floating orb hovered, ready to assist.
"Yeah, don't these idiots realize they'll get expelled?" Eriri snapped, clearly annoyed.
Yukino had already grasped the situation and spoke up.
"The teacher said stealing monster cores is against the rules, but…" She paused, her voice cold and eyes sharp. "She never said we couldn't fight each other."
Hearing that, Reisou nodded slowly. He'd picked up on the same thing.
It was never explicitly stated that fighting was forbidden—the rule only applied to stealing monster cores.
While most students wouldn't dare to fight, fearing expulsion, there were always those clever enough to spot this loophole.
So, taking out the more troublesome teams to prevent them from continuing probably wouldn't have any consequences, as long as no monster cores were stolen.
Reisou knew his team was likely seen as the strongest across both classes, standing directly in the way of anyone aiming for first place.
It wasn't hard to imagine cunning students teaming up to try and eliminate them from the competition.
"I guess that's why we need to keep our Nano locators always active," Reisou commented. "That way, if someone gets knocked out in a fight, the staff will notice right away."
Eriri and Kei's expressions tensed, finally understanding the situation wasn't as simple as they thought.
"I found them."
2B's composed voice cut through the tension, drawing everyone's eyes to her.
She stood still, arm raised, pointing toward an old, half-concealed tree up ahead.
Yukino immediately opened her grimoire, her fingers moving without hesitation.
A sharp spike of ice materialized in the air before her and shot forward.
The moment it struck the tree, a loud crack echoed through the forest as frost spread, freezing the entire tree in a matter of seconds.
Reisou and the girls spotted seven figures jumping out before the ice reached them.
Judging by their displeased expressions, there was no doubt these were the ones behind the earlier attack.
"Tch, we got noticed. Well, it doesn't matter. Let's just attack together," said a lean guy with an irritated look, signaling to his companions.
Without wasting a second on words, the rival group launched its assault.
"Straight to the point, huh?" Reisou muttered, already activating a technique.
✫| Armament Haki |✫
With his lance covered in black, he rushed ahead, 2B following right behind, both closing the gap in the blink of an eye.
Eriri, Kei, and Yukino were ready to assist, but it was obvious there wasn't much for them to do.
The fight ended in moments. Reisou knocked out three opponents before they could even raise their weapons, while 2B, calm and efficient, handled the rest without so much as a scratch.
"This was fast!" Kei and Eriri exclaimed, both looking impressed at how easily the fight ended.
"Let's move. I doubt those were the only ones planning to come after us," Reisou said, gesturing for everyone to follow.
The girls nodded in agreement, quickly falling in step as they headed deeper into the forest.
"Just as I thought... my Blessing doesn't work on him."
From atop a nearby tree, Makima observed Reisou and his group as they moved further away, her face as calm and unreadable as ever.
She had been the one orchestrating the conflict, subtly controlling the other team to see if she could take control of Reisou's will.
But it hadn't worked.
Her invisible chains had snapped before even reaching him.
Repelled by the overwhelming purity of his energy, acting as a shield.
Although she hadn't succeeded, that didn't mean Makima had given up.
In fact, there was a quiet excitement stirring in her chest.
The idea of eventually making Reisou one of her puppets wasn't frustrating.
It was exhilarating.
A rare, faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she whispered to herself, "When you become mine… no one will ever escape my control."
Just as Makima was about to resume following them, a giant ball of fire came hurling in her direction, setting a wide area ablaze.
When the thick smoke cleared, Makima appeared completely unharmed, floating in the air as if nothing had happened.
Her posture remained relaxed, arms at her sides, her expression blank and unbothered.
Sae stood a few meters away, flames swirling around her hands in a slow, controlled motion.
But she didn't rush to attack.
Instead, she spoke in a low, steady voice, "I told you not to intervene unnecessarily. The council won't let you get away this time, Shigekuni Makima."
Makima didn't respond.
She simply raised her hand, forming a pistol shape with her fingers.
"Bang!"
Sae sensed a massive invisible wave rushing toward her and used flames to propel herself to the side.
*BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted behind her, shaking the ground and sending shockwaves through the forest.
Everything in the path of Makima's telekinesis had been utterly obliterated.
Despite witnessing the overwhelming destruction caused by just a single gesture from Makima, Sae swallowed her fear and stood her ground, refusing to back down.
"You're very annoying, Prometheus' servant. This isn't the right time for conflict, but if you keep standing in my way, I won't hesitate again," Makima said, her voice cold enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
"I don't care about timing, Crimson Devil. I won't let you go after them!" Sae shot back, her tone sharp as she charged up another attack.
The flames swirling around her hands deepened in color, shifting from bright orange to a menacing black. The temperature surged, warping the air around her with a suffocating wave of heat.
Sae was unleashing her Innate Skill—an elemental ability rooted in one of the Seven Infernal Flames.
✢| Innate Skill - Elemental ⥤ Hellfire |✢
In an instant, the black flames surged forward, swallowing Makima whole.
Yet Makima remained perfectly still. Not a step. Not even a flinch.
Sae's brow furrowed. Something felt off.
'No... something's wrong!' she thought, a chill running down her spine. Makima wouldn't let herself be hit that easily.
"I warned you, Prometheus' servant."
The cold voice came from behind her.
Sae's eyes widened. She had been tricked.
She spun around, but a crushing blow landed square on her face before she could react, hurling her through the air like a ragdoll.
Her body tore through branches and slammed against a thick tree trunk, leaving a dent in the bark before she hit the ground hard.
As she struggled to get up, Makima suddenly appeared in front of her.
With a calm expression, she raised one hand, summoning several glowing red chains from thin air. Her fingers moved deliberately as she grabbed one and flung it straight at Sae.
"You really don't know how to listen, Prometheus' servant. Now, it's time for your punishment," Makima said coolly as the chains wrapped tightly around Sae's body, constricting her with enough force to nearly rip a scream from her throat.
Sae's head was spinning. Her body felt heavy and painful, her thoughts slipping away as if something was slowly draining her will.
Then, out of nowhere, a calm, friendly voice spoke up.
"Don't do this, Makima-san. She's still useful for the plan."
Makima didn't reply, but she stopped trying to control Sae. The voice sounded a bit more pleased now.
"I knew you were a smarter woman."
Struggling on the ground, Sae looked around, trying to find where the voice had come from. But there was no one in sight.
All she saw was Makima's back, calmly walking away, already focused on tailing Reisou and the others.
Realizing her life wasn't in danger anymore, Sae couldn't hold on any longer. Her body gave out, and she collapsed, finally passing out.
The small locator on her armor began to glow, quietly signaling her humiliating defeat.