Khione was enjoying this.
That realization made the entire evening considerably more entertaining.
Below them, the remaining three cadets were still unaware that their lookout had been eliminated.
Khione raised her hand.
The temperature around the defensive barrier began to fall.
Frost spread across its surface.
The mage maintaining it immediately noticed the change.
"What the—"
He strengthened the barrier.
The ice continued spreading.
He poured more prana into it, attempting to force the frost away, but Khione wasn't trying to break through his defenses.
She was forcing him to spend his energy maintaining them.
Nero watched with interest.
A clever approach.
The mage's companions gathered around him, preparing for an attack that could come from any direction.
Then Nero quietly withdrew the darkness concealing the lookout's empty position.
One of the cadets glanced toward the rocky outcrop.
"Where's—"
A shadow moved beneath his feet.
He jumped backward.
