The moment Knox mentioned a trump card, the atmosphere didn't just shift among the students—
it changed among the professors as well.
Several of them straightened slightly, their previously composed expressions turning noticeably sharper. The casual air they had maintained until now was gone, replaced by clear interest—no, anticipation.
A few of them exchanged glances.
Then, almost instinctively, their gazes moved toward one person.
Jane Olivia.
"…Do you know what he's about to do?" one of the professors asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Another added quietly, "If he's calling it a trump card, it can't be something ordinary."
Not far from them, Hong Feng also shifted her gaze toward Jane, her usual relaxed smile replaced with something more intent.
Jane, however, remained exactly the same. Her posture was straight, her expression unreadable as ever, her eyes calmly fixed on the arena.
There was no visible reaction. No sign that she had any prior knowledge.
"…I don't know."
Her answer came without hesitation, quiet and flat, as if the question itself carried no weight.
That alone made the tension rise even further.
Back on the arena—
Knox slowly raised his hand, his movement controlled and deliberate, as the faint seriousness in his expression remained. There was no unnecessary motion, yet the simple gesture alone was enough to draw every bit of attention back toward him.
For a brief moment, nothing seemed to happen.
Then, a soft glow began to gather above his palm, subtle at first, almost easy to miss if one wasn't paying close attention. Unlike the earlier magic he had used, the energy that formed this time did not surge outward or distort the air with pressure, but instead unfolded in a smooth, flowing manner, as if it were being gently drawn into shape rather than forcefully created.
The light gradually deepened into a distinct pink hue, standing in clear contrast against the cold blue tones that dominated the frozen arena, and along with it, faint streaks of shimmering trails began to spiral outward, tracing soft arcs in the air like ribbons drifting in slow motion.
The movement of the mana was fluid, almost graceful, circling around a single point above Knox's hand as if something within it was about to emerge. The soft pink glow continued to deepen, its light gently pulsing as the swirling trails narrowed toward the center, condensing into a single, delicate point of focus.
Then, just as the light reached its peak—
a faint sound slipped out from within it.
"Miuuu~"
The voice was soft, light, and strangely clear despite its smallness, carrying an almost playful tone that felt completely at odds with the frozen battlefield surrounding it.
As that sound lingered in the air, the light unfolded, and from within it…
A small figure revealed itself
Drifting forward as if gently stepping out from the glow
It was small—bigger than the length of a forearm—with a soft, rounded body and a gentle pink color that seemed to glow faintly under the lingering light. Its tiny limbs were short and delicate, almost doll-like, while its overall form gave off an impression that was closer to something decorative than something meant for combat.
Two small, dark eyes blinked slowly as it floated in place, its movements light and buoyant, as if gravity had little meaning to it. Faint traces of the earlier pink trails still lingered around its body, drifting like soft ribbons that hadn't fully faded yet.
The creature hovered beside Knox, letting out another quiet sound—
"Memi!"
The contrast was immediate.
Amid a battlefield frozen solid by overwhelming magic, where even the air felt sharp with lingering cold, the presence of that small floating creature felt completely out of place—soft, harmless at a glance, and almost absurdly cute.
For a brief moment after its appearance, the entire arena fell into a strange kind of silence.
It wasn't the same silence from before—the kind filled with tension and anticipation—but something else entirely, as if everyone needed a second to process what they were looking at.
The contrast was too abrupt, because before Knox summoned this… rabbit? most people had expected something far more serious, especially after seeing the look on his face earlier. But this…?
"…Huh?"
"What is that?!"
"Kyahhh!! So cute!!"
"What kind of fluffy summon is that?!"
The voices rose almost at the same time, overlapping as disbelief spread across the crowd, and the gap between expectation and reality was enough to throw everyone off completely.
From Group 7—
Meilyn's brows snapped together.
"…You've got to be kidding me!"
She stared straight at the small floating creature, her irritation obvious.
"That thing?! That's his trump card??!"
Rick exhaled sharply through his nose, eyes narrowing.
"…Someone, pinch me."
Cami blinked, her eyes lighting up almost instantly.
"So cute…!"
She leaned forward slightly without realizing it, her expression soft and genuinely delighted.
Simon paused for a second, clearly caught off guard, before instinctively tapping the skull badge pinned to him.
"…Pier."
His voice dropped slightly. "…Do you know what that is?"
A faint response came through, audible only to him.
[...Honestly, in all my years as the administrator of 7th Legion, I've never seen a summon like that.]
On Group 8's side—
Claudia froze for a brief moment, her eyes fixed on Mem as if her thoughts had stalled for just a second.
"…..."
Her composure returned quickly, but the faint pause earlier made it clear even she hadn't anticipated something like this.
Merida tilted her head slightly as she stared at the floating creature.
"…Cute."
Her gaze didn't waver, quietly observing it without adding anything more.
Cindy leaned forward immediately.
"…Eh?! What is that cute thing?!"
Her eyes widened, the earlier nervousness completely replaced.
"That's the trump card?! Does he want to kill us with cuteness?!!"
A few people nearby couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Pfft—!"
Small bursts of laughter started to appear here and there.
Lorain's reaction came a fraction later.
The moment the small creature appeared in front of Knox, her mind blanked for a second.
Her eyes rested on Mem briefly—
"…..."
Outwardly, she looked frozen.
And that was true.
But inside—
KYAHHH! SO CUTE! WHY DIDN'T KNOX EVER TELL ME HE HAD THIS KIND OF SUMMON?!
The contrast between her usual aloof demeanor and her current inner state couldn't have been more extreme, yet it was completely genuine.
Because to Lorain—
cuteness was justice!
Beside her, Serene also fell silent.
For someone who had remained composed through almost everything so far, the sight in front of her clearly wasn't something she had prepared for.
She had been expecting something dangerous, something refined—something fitting for the boy who had defeated her so effortlessly and piqued her curiosity in the first place.
But now…
Looking at that cute… thing—or maybe… creature—
Serene froze.
Her gaze lingered on the small floating creature, her thoughts momentarily thrown off balance as she tried to make sense of it.
For the first time in a long while—
Serene found herself silently questioning her own life choices.
On the professors' side—
everyone fell silent.
They didn't react immediately.
Instead, they just stared at the arena, completely blank, as if reality had just played a prank on them—and then slapped them right after.
If Aha had been here, he would have laughed endlessly at this exact moment.
Hong Feng slowly turned her head toward Jane.
Her usual bright and cheerful smile was still there—but now it looked… complicated.
"…Professor Jane…"
She began, clearly about to ask something.
But before Hong Feng could finish her question—
Jane cut her off. "…I don't know. Don't ask."
The answer came instantly.
Just moments ago, Jane had been watching the match with a faint, proud smile.
But now, that expression had cracked.
Her gaze remained fixed on the arena, on the small pink creature floating beside Knox, as if she herself was still trying to accept what she was seeing.
"…Knox…"
She muttered inwardly.
Her little brother figure—
had just completely overturned her expectations.
No.
More than that—
he had just quietly destroyed her face.
A faint tension appeared in her expression, subtle but real.
Had she been too complacent with him?
Or perhaps…
it had simply been too long since she last reminded him who the big sister was...
Back to the arena—
Chatel stared at the… pink creature in front of him. The small bunny-like figure floated there, cheerfully making sounds like "mimi!", "Miuuu~", and "memi! memi!", as if it were having its own little conversation.
For a brief moment, he genuinely wondered if Knox had hit his head too hard.
Then, Chatel spoke.
"…Is this… your… trump card?"
To the people watching this scene, what they saw was a floating pink, bunny-like creature seemingly having a "magical conversation" with its summoner.
From their perspective, it looked like the creature kept saying things like "mimi!", "Miuuu~", or "memi! memi!", while Knox casually responded in normal human language.
Knox, who had just been 'talking' to Mem, turned his head toward Chatel with his usual sunny smile, looking completely innocent, as if he didn't realize at all how strange this situation looked to everyone else.
"That's right," he said lightly. "Let me introduce you to Paimon—my emergency foo—cough, cough—my partner. Her name is Mem!"
He gestured slightly.
"Mem, introduce yourself~"
The small pink bunny-like creature floated forward, moving to the front of Knox. With its tiny paw, it gave a cheerful little wave toward Chatel—and the audience.
"Miuuuu~♪! Mimi! Mimi mimi memi!"
Unfortunately, no one understood a single thing it said.
The only reactions that came from the audience were—
"Kyahhh!!"
"So cute!!"
Some even stared with sparkling eyes, completely captivated by the tiny creature.
Then, Knox said with a light smile,
"So, shall we start round two?~"
Mem immediately responded,
"Memi!"
Looking at this strange scene, Chatel took a slow breath in and out, steadying himself before speaking again.
"…Is that so?"
Without wasting another moment, he slammed his fist down onto the ground.
Boom—!
The land beneath him responded instantly. Sand, soil, debris, and gravel surged upward, gathering rapidly and wrapping around his body, forming a dense layer of earth that clung to him like armor.
Then, without closing the distance, he began attacking from afar.
His arm moved—
and with it, chunks of the hardened earth detached and shot forward, one after another, turning into high-speed projectiles that tore through the air toward Knox.
Knox didn't hesitate.
"Mem! Use that move!"
"Miuu!"
[Mem Original – Ora Ora Punches!]
In the next instant, Mem darted forward.
What followed didn't match its appearance at all.
Its small body blurred, and its tiny paws began to move at an absurd speed, striking forward again and again in rapid succession. Each motion left behind afterimages, multiplying into overlapping silhouettes of its arms as if dozens of them were punching at the same time.
The air itself seemed to ripple under the barrage.
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa—!!
A relentless stream of rapid punches collided head-on with Chatel's incoming projectiles, the repeated impacts creating a continuous chain of sharp, overlapping sounds as stone met force midair.
Despite its size—
the pressure behind each strike was real.
And overwhelming.
Seeing this bizarre scene unfold, the audience gradually fell silent, as if someone had muted the entire arena.
At first, they had been wondering why Knox would summon something so fluffy, questioning what kind of strength such a summon could possibly have.
Some speculated that it might be a spirit, which would mean its abilities should be related to necromancy—perhaps something like turning into a ghost or manipulating the dead. Others even thought it might specialize in curses, similar to what they had learned in Katarology class.
But—
not a single person, not even the professors, had expected its attack to turn out like… this.
So direct.
So aggressive.
So unexpectedly—
hot-blooded.
Looking at the scene unfolding in front of him, Chatel felt momentarily bamboozled. Who would have imagined that a small pink bunny could unleash a barrage of punches like that?
However, after steadying himself, his expression quickly turned serious again.
Drawing in a breath, he began gathering what remained of his strength. The debris scattered across the arena responded once more, rising from the ground as sand, soil, and shattered fragments surged toward a single point.
Piece by piece, they piled up, compressing and forming into a massive, dense sphere that loomed above the battlefield.
Seeing this, murmurs immediately spread through the spectators.
"…Damn, if that hit me, I'd be flattened…"
"…How is Knox supposed to deal with that?"
On Group 8's side—
Cindy suddenly spoke up.
"Knox should have something for this, right? Maybe… his… pink bunny?"
She tilted her head slightly, thinking out loud.
"Or maybe it'll turn huge or something and just crush everything—like, boom!"
Hearing that—
Rick and Simon both let out a short laugh at the same time.
"Pfft!"
Noticing Chatel preparing his final move, Knox smiled lightly.
"Hooo… looks like you've decided to use everything to end this, huh…!"
Then, his expression shifted, the lightness fading as his gaze sharpened.
"Alright… then I'll end this duel with the next move as well!"
Knox turned his eyes toward Mem, a faint mischievous smile forming.
"Together, Mem!"
"Memi!"
In that instant, the atmosphere around them shifted—not by replacing the arena itself, but by layering something over it. The frozen battlefield remained exactly where it was, the ice-covered ground and scattered debris still clearly visible, yet a subtle crimson tint began to spread across the space, as if a translucent veil had been drawn over the entire arena.
At the same time, golden light began to flow.
Thin, ribbon-like trails of shimmering gold curved through the air in smooth, continuous motion, weaving around Knox and Mem before extending outward across the battlefield. These trails did not scatter randomly; instead, they followed precise, elegant paths, overlapping and looping in a way that felt deliberate, almost like invisible lines guiding movement.
Knox remained still, one hand slightly raised, his posture relaxed, his expression calm, as though everything that followed was already within his expectations.
As Mem's movement along the golden trails reached its peak, her small body slowed for just a fraction of a second, hovering in front of Chatel as if preparing for something.
Then—
her form began to change.
The tiny pink creature rapidly expanded, her body growing larger and larger in an instant, the soft glow around her intensifying as her once small figure transformed into something far more imposing while still retaining that same cute, rounded appearance.
The sudden change completely broke whatever composure remained in the arena.
The spectators froze, their eyes widening almost simultaneously, some of them instinctively leaning forward, others left staring with their mouths slightly open as they tried to process what they were seeing.
Even the professors, who had maintained their composure until now, showed clear signs of surprise as their expressions shifted.
"…It got bigger…?"
"…?"
"…So cute!!"
Chatel himself—
stopped.
For a brief moment, he simply stared.
The massive sphere of debris he had created still loomed above, ready to be unleashed—
and yet, his attention was completely pulled toward the now enlarged pink creature in front of him.
"…What…?"
His thoughts faltered.
Just for a second.
Then, Mem lifted her paw.
Despite her size, the motion remained smooth, almost playful in appearance, as if she were about to perform something lighthearted rather than something decisive.
Then—
"Miuuuuu!"
The sound rang out clearly.
And her paw came down.
The massive paw didn't just strike—it swept forward with overwhelming force, cutting through the air as it collided directly with the giant sphere Chatel had created.
The impact shattered it instantly.
The compressed debris broke apart on contact, exploding outward as fragments were crushed and scattered, unable to withstand the sheer force behind the strike.
And the attack didn't stop there.
The same motion carried forward—
straight into Chatel.
The moment her paw slammed him, a glowing paw-shaped imprint flared into existence at the point of impact, marking him clearly as the force drove him downward without resistance.
The ground beneath him gave way as he was slammed into it, his body forced flat against the arena floor, the impact spreading outward as cracks formed across the already frozen surface.
There.
Chatel....was flattened to the ground.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Mem: Mimi Mimi!
Mem: Mimi! Mimi! Memi!
Knox: Hmm hmm <(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵)>
Mem: Memi~
Knox: Hahaha, you're right~
Meanwhile, Group 7 and 8, who had been watching the whole thing—
Group 7 and 8: ...( ╹ -╹)?