A punch struck Velka's face, making her head jerk backward. She was unable to keep up with Sylvia's hand-to-hand combat skills, and after another unfavorable exchange of blows, she was forced to retreat.
'Damn it! Even when I manage to dodge her sword, she still finds a way to hit me with a punch!'
Velka leaped backward, narrowly escaping several vines that emerged from the ground and rushed toward her.
Once she had reached a safe distance, she felt a wave of frustration. She needed to find a way to turn the tide of that battle.
Extending her hand, she used her magic to gather a large amount of mist in a single spot. Gradually, a new creature began to take shape beside her.
The monster had three eyes and an appearance similar to that of a lion, but its wings resembled those of a bat, while its tail had the shape of a serpent. It was a much more concentrated and powerful creature than the Eight-Armed Beast.
'I need to win this fight for him.'
Velka had loved Deymon since childhood. When she was still little, she believed he had saved her life by protecting her from some bandits. From then on, she began developing feelings for him, and she was extremely happy when she managed to enter the academy alongside him.
'I decided to choose love over the admiration I feel for the princess... But I don't need to worry. He promised she would join us.'
Her admiration for Elowyn was also genuine, as the princess had saved her life during a trip with Class S. Because of that, Velka felt she had two debts to repay: one to Deymon and another to the princess.
'He promised, so everything is fine. I need to focus on what's happening now.'
Unfortunately, Velka's feelings were based on a lie.
Elowyn had saved her twice.
Deymon had used his Corruption Magic to manipulate her emotions and make her believe in a false memory. In reality, the person who had saved her during her childhood was Elowyn, but with Jago's help, Deymon had managed to alter her memories and replace the princess's image with his own. As a result, Velka came to believe that she owed her life to the man she now loved.
"Mist Chimera!"
The newly created creature charged toward Sylvia at an astonishing speed. However, the young woman showed no concern. She simply raised her vine sword slightly and slashed through the air, releasing a blade of mana that cut through the Chimera's body and continued advancing toward Velka.
Surprised, she had to dodge quickly to avoid being hit. As for the creature, its body was cut in half, but the mist began gathering again almost immediately, reconstructing its form.
Velka became even more frustrated upon realizing that, even with more powerful magic, the difference between the two remained obvious.
'And it's not just her...'
Her gaze shifted to the other side of the battlefield. The Eight-Armed Beast was being completely massacred by the explosions caused by Camila's Gray Magic.
Each attack destroyed part of its gaseous body, preventing the creature from advancing.
The situation was becoming unbearable. Her mana reserves were rapidly decreasing, and if things continued that way, she would be defeated without accomplishing anything.
'What should I do?'
For the first time, genuine fear began to appear on Velka's face. She narrowly dodged a few more vines, which this time came from above, and realized that she was being forced to focus all her efforts solely on escaping.
'That useless woman... Why is she taking so long to finish off those two?'
Deymon's frustration was evident. He watched Velka struggle against Sylvia and Camila, unable to understand how she could be losing so badly.
He had chosen to use her for this plan precisely because she was the weakest mentally, despite possessing good magical abilities.
'If I could use Mental Corruption on more than one person or against someone with a stronger mentality, things would be much better.'
To make matters worse, his own fight against Elian wasn't going as expected either. The young man was launching countless wind blades in his direction, forcing him to dodge constantly. Some of them still managed to hit his body, opening small cuts.
'I can't believe I'm tied with a weakling like him!'
Irritated, Deymon placed his hands on the ground and released his Corruption Magic. The surface began to darken, and several black hands emerged from the ground, rapidly advancing toward Elian.
The boy managed to escape the attacks, but had to increase the amount of mana he concentrated in his legs even further to maintain his speed. His body was beginning to show the strain required to keep up with that pace.
'It's difficult to fight like this... My body doesn't seem capable of keeping up with the technique Enrico asked me to develop.'
Elian was continuously concentrating his magic throughout his body, making his mana heart pulse at an accelerated rhythm.
The technique allowed him to perceive his opponent's movements through changes in the airflow around him, while also considerably increasing his reaction speed.
'My brain and body still can't keep up with the pace. I can only use half of the ability's maximum potential... I need to ask for training like the one Enrico intends to give Caelan when we return.'
Despite the difficulties, Elian was confident that Liam would be able to help Caelan. The three of them had become good friends over the past few months, ever since the events in the Zombie Dungeon. Therefore, even though he wanted to help his companion, he decided to leave that part in Liam's hands.
Deymon launched several spheres of Corruption Magic through the air, trying to hit Elian from different directions. However, the young man managed to dodge them all with his increased speed.
Upon noticing that, Deymon clenched his fists. He was irritated that he couldn't defeat someone he considered far inferior to himself. However, he soon noticed an opportunity to strike his opponent in another way.
"From the looks of it, you really believe he can go back to being the way he was."
Elian narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you saying that?"
Deymon gave a cruel smile before answering.
"Because we're certain that no corrupted person can free themselves from this magic."
Upon hearing those words, Elian felt a bad premonition. He immediately enveloped his dagger in Wind Magic, creating several blades around it. He needed to defeat Deymon as quickly as possible, before something happened to Caelan.
"Wind Blades!"
"Air Corruption!"
The next moment, Elian felt the air around him become heavy. Breathing began to require more and more effort, as if his lungs were being compressed by an invisible force. Even so, he didn't retreat. He concentrated his magic in his legs and charged directly toward Deymon.
On a street on the other side of the houses where Elian and Deymon were fighting, Liam and Caelan continued exchanging blows. The battle had moved considerably since the beginning, and the two were now facing each other in a more distant area.
Caelan maintained a water barrier close to his own body, forming an individual protection that followed his movements.
Liam, on the other hand, used his Feather Magic to fly around his opponent with his white wings, repeatedly attacking with his spectral spear.
"Caelan, it's me! You need to wake up from this state!"
Liam's spear moved at an astonishing speed. His strikes were so fast that they seemed to come from several different weapons, hitting the water barrier from various angles. Each impact made its surface ripple violently, but Caelan's protection continued to hold.
Without showing any emotion, Caelan moved his hands and created several spinning water blades, which began spreading around him like small whirlpools.
"Don't you remember us? We've been friends for months!"
Caelan didn't answer. Instead, his barrier suddenly expanded and exploded into a torrent of blades and cutting whirlwinds.
Liam beat his wings and quickly ascended, reaching a great height before diving toward his opponent. A stream of white mana enveloped his body, making his feathers shine as he crossed through the attacks at maximum speed.
"If you can't understand me, then I'll have to defeat you and explain everything properly! That way, you'll never fall into a trap like this again!"
The tip of Liam's spear struck the barrier, piercing its surface. However, Caelan reacted unexpectedly. Instead of trying to block the blow, he moved his body and let the weapon pass beside him, causing it to become embedded in the ground.
Before Liam could retrieve his spear, Caelan placed his hand on it and fired a jet of cutting water. The force of the attack was enough to split the weapon in half.
Liam quickly jumped, avoiding the jet as it passed through the spot where his body had been. However, while he was still in that position, he received a kick that sent him crashing violently into the ground.
Spitting blood, he spread his wings and released several sharp feathers. The projectiles struck the second barrier protecting Caelan's body, causing a series of impacts that propelled him backward.
Without paying attention to the attack, Caelan charged forward.
With one of the broken pieces of his spear in hand, Liam managed to defend himself against Caelan's palm, which was infused with Water Magic. However, the next impact came accompanied by an explosion, sending him flying backward.
'I can feel that his mana is unstable... But how is that possible? I don't have a Unique Ability that allows me to sense mana like this.'
Liam realized that something was wrong with Caelan's magical flow. His magic seemed to fluctuate constantly, as if his body were being forced to endure an amount of mana it couldn't control.
If that situation continued, Caelan's body might collapse. And if that happened, the consequences could be fatal.
'I have to save him!'
As he thought about it, several memories from the past few months passed through his mind. The moments they had shared in the classroom, during the festival, and in their battles together. Gradually, sadness began to take over his face.
He couldn't simply let his friend die. After all, Caelan had changed quite a bit since they first met. Although he still had his flaws, he was no longer the same guy who used to bother others without caring about the consequences.
"You know, Caelan... I used to think you were an asshole, and I still think that old version of you was an asshole. But you've really changed. So please, get out of this state! Not many people are capable of changing so much!"
Caelan raised his arms. Immediately, several columns of water emerged from the ground beneath Liam, transforming into blades that advanced toward his legs.
The attack struck his thighs and calves, piercing both. Liam let out a scream of pain but didn't allow that to keep him trapped. Gathering mana in his legs, he forced his own body free of the water blades.
"Angel's Blessing!"
He tried to use his magic to heal his injuries and began moving again, but Caelan didn't give him time to get away. A dome of water appeared around Liam, quickly closing in.
A second later, several jets of cutting water pierced through the structure and struck his body from every direction. His arm, shoulder, legs, ribs, and feet were pierced. Liam was lucky enough to move at the last moment, preventing the attacks from hitting even more lethal areas.
Despite the pain, a tense smile appeared on his face as he noticed Caelan's new magic.
"This magic is new, isn't it?"
That was an ability Enrico had developed specifically for Caelan. He wanted his friend to have new techniques at his disposal as soon as he reached Circle Three, and apparently, that was one of them.
Liam managed to remain standing and resumed using his Feather Magic to recover. With a sigh, he concentrated approximately half of his mana on healing, accelerating the regeneration of his wounds.
"Please, Caelan..."
Before he could finish, Caelan appeared in front of him with his palm raised. Liam tilted his head with difficulty, narrowly dodging the blow coming toward him.
"Feather Magic: Extra Weight!"
Using the broken piece of his spear, Liam drastically increased the weapon's weight and held it tightly, striking Caelan's shoulder. The impact was enough to send his opponent flying to the side.
Without wasting time, Liam moved quickly, combining his speed with Feather Magic, and retrieved the other half of his spear. Holding both pieces, he positioned them in front of his body and activated his two Feather Magic abilities simultaneously: one to reduce his own weight and the other to increase the weight of his blows.
"White Feather Dance!"
Liam planted his feet firmly on the ground and attempted to execute a new technique. Several feathers began falling throughout the area, spreading around the two of them. Each one pulsed with mana, as if directly connected to Liam's body.
When he moved, all the feathers emitted a more intense pulse. His speed suddenly increased, while Caelan's movements seemed slower in comparison.
Liam appeared behind his companion and used both broken pieces of the spear to strike his back. However, just as he was about to hit him, a rotating water barrier appeared in front of Caelan. Its rotation speed was so high that Liam was caught by surprise, and his attack was deflected to the left.
Caelan took advantage of the opening. He raised his arm and pointed directly at Liam's stomach.
A jet of water shot forward at a terrifying speed and pierced through his abdomen.
Liam fell backward, spitting blood. Even so, he managed to roll to the side and escape another jet of cutting water that passed through the spot where his body had been.
Breathing with difficulty, he tried to catch his breath while watching Caelan slowly approach. His companion's face remained completely expressionless.
Liam gritted his teeth. Despite all his efforts, he didn't have enough power to stop him. His inability to awaken Caelan from that state was beginning to leave him deeply frustrated.
"What's going on here?"
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Liam felt an enormous sense of relief. Turning his head, he saw Enrico approaching. The young man was injured and had a surprised expression as he took in the situation.
Enrico had run toward that area as soon as he noticed Elian's eagle exploding. Now, upon seeing Liam gravely injured and Caelan with that appearance, his expression turned serious.
"Liam, explain why Caelan is like this!"