Exam (7): Flames of Defiance and the Lamia Queen's Shadow
Adria's group never faltered, even amid the relentless, breathless battle.
"Everyone, you can keep up, right?!"
""Yes!""
The lamias swarmed endlessly, forcing a desperate struggle that permitted not even a single moment of carelessness. Their numbers were beyond counting, yet they fell one by one before the group.
"Quit dragging your feet!"
At the center of the battlefield, Elisha froze everything around her with magic. The chill bursting from her fingertips spread across the ground, seizing the lamias' feet.
"Binding their movements is basic."
She smirked faintly and traced a complex pattern in the air. In an instant, massive ice pillars erupted from the earth, hurling a swarm of lamias into the sky.
"Elisha! Right side—need backup!"
Melina shouted as she swiftly shifted position, firing a volley of ice arrows at the enemies.
"I'll help you!"
Eily darted forward nimbly. Her sword sliced through the lamias, scattering red blood.
"Nice! Keep it up!"
Melina's encouraging cheer lightened Eily's movements even further. She parried enemy strikes with her blade, striking sharply at openings with cool precision. Even in the chaos, her calm judgment shone through.
"Hyaah!!"
Meanwhile, Varis was locked in fierce combat elsewhere. Two enormous lamias lunged at him simultaneously.
"Just big lugs!"
He raised his greatsword to block one charge, then shoved it back toward the other. The heavy impact shook the ground, felling the foe in one blow. Without a moment to catch his breath, Varis parried the next assault.
"Hup!"
Varis inhaled deeply and hoisted his greatsword high. The massive strike cratered the earth, kicking up thick clouds of dust in a devastating display.
"I can't just sit this out."
Watching everyone's exploits, Melina muttered with competitive fire. She nocked an arrow, gazing at the enemies as she slowly raised her head. Azure wind mana gathered at her fingertips.
The more she drew the bowstring, the fiercer the winds grew, forming the shape of a green arrow in her grasp.
"O great spirit of the raging winds, heed my call."
The air trembled as a vortex swirled around her, whipping her hair like a dance.
"Breath of fury echoing through the silent skies, sweep all away and purify our foes!"
With her final step forward, the glowing green arrow soared skyward. Upon reaching the heavens, it exploded into branching streams of arrows.
"Grrk!"
"Sssaaak—?!?"
"Kuh!"
The arrows blanketed the sky, plummeting like a storm. The howling winds dazed the lamias' ears as the air churned violently.
"Everyone, keep pushing forward like this!"
Leading the charge, Adria commanded the group onward. Their advance was smooth and unstoppable.
But then, a massive shadow loomed far ahead, behind the lamia ranks.
"Professor! Up ahead...!"
It was a foe three times larger than the others.
"Professor Adria, that one looks special!"
Elisha cried out. Adria clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"They're trying to shake our center. But a giant like that means we're definitely a thorn in their side!"
One hand gripped her sword; flames ignited in the other.
"I'll handle it! Cover my back!"
The colossal lamia roared, swinging its razor-sharp claws at Adria. She leaped aside, but the strike split the ground, sending shockwaves everywhere.
"Annoying human!"
She couldn't dodge the follow-up. Adria met it head-on, her sword glowing with magic. Sparks flew on impact, and a jolt shot through her arm.
"Ngh!"
Her sword wavered as if her arm might shatter, but the professor refused to yield. Flames bloomed at her fingertips, caressing the blade.
"Flame Enchant…!"
Red light coalesced along the edge, heat radiating outward. Tiny flickers at the tip spread, engulfing the sword in fire hungry for life.
"Fire Blade!"
The weapon erupted in fierce flames. Crimson fire danced along the edge, warping the air with scorching intensity.
"Burn!!"
Adria lunged low, swinging with explosive force. A torrent of flames burst forth, devouring everything in a living inferno.
"Uwaaaagh—?!?"
The massive lamia was no exception, engulfed in her sword dance's blaze, writhing in agony.
"Incredible…"
Varis murmured in awe, following in her wake.
"Using fire magic like that…"
Elisha added, her gaze filled with respect as she stared, momentarily stunned.
"Hoo."
As the flames subsided, the giant lamia lay defeated. Nearby foes were either crippled or incinerated.
"Tch, damn. No end in sight."
But the battle raged on. More lamias poured from behind—faster, stronger ones now.
"They're waiting for us to tire out."
Varis said bitterly, raising his greatsword.
"No time for that."
Elisha replied, sketching new magic.
"No breaks for us. We'll break through—follow me!"
The endless fight tested them, but their wills burned brighter. The clashes ahead would be fiercer, yet they brimmed with certainty and trust in victory.
"Your Majesty, we have a problem."
Deep in the silent forest abyss, a lamia reported to its queen. She tilted her head, tail tip swaying intriguingly.
"What is it?"
"A group of five strong humans from the academy is overwhelming our forces."
"They're heading straight for you, Your Majesty."
The lamia queen smiled with amused interest, exuding leisure and arrogance—not bravado, but true confidence.
"Oh? And how's that going?"
"Our troops are holding, but they're stronger than expected—quite troublesome."
"Especially the woman enchanting her sword with fire; she fells our ranks in seconds."
The queen stroked her chin thoughtfully, her eyes sharpening slightly.
"Professor Adria…!"
The captive academy instructor muttered her name, as if recognizing her. The queen caught the unease, flicking her tongue slyly.
"You know her?"
"I-I can't say!"
Despite the interrogation, the instructor clamped shut. But the queen smirked wickedly, piecing it together.
"Looks like a real powerhouse."
"Tell the front lines: I'm stepping in personally. No more needless sacrifices—pull back and hold position!"
Her cunning tongue sliced the air. At the queen's words, the lamias stirred frantically; the instructor swallowed hard, eyes squeezing shut against the ominous future.
Adria's group dominated the field, cutting down the surging lamias one after another. Their symphony of fire, ice, wind, and steel was a work of art—perfectly synced, covering each other without a hint of laxity.
"Everyone, hold!"
But Adria halted them, sensing an unnatural aura.
"Professor? This is…"
"I don't know. But doesn't it feel like they've stopped attacking us directly? Just encircling?"
The others nodded, having noticed the lamias' odd shift.
"Sssrr…"
"……Heh."
Unlike before, they weren't charging—just forming a vast ring, no aggression in sight.
"What's their game?"
Adria muttered, alerting the group to the unease.
"What are they… preparing?"
"Something's off, Professor."
They all felt it: the lamias' hostility had faded, their gazes pitying, like looking at pathetic prey.
"Kids, wait… something—"
Before Adria finished, the air grew heavy. A sudden silence fell, then the sky tore with a screech, darkening like a ripped painting.
"What's happening?"
Elisha, yet unaware of the scale, redrew her magic circle warily.
─────!!!!
In that instant, explosive heat swept the battlefield. A colossal flame plunged from the heavens like a living beast, crimson inferno swirling to scorch the earth.
"Scatter—!!"
Adria's scream rang out as the blaze tore between them. Eily rolled away just in time, but the edge singed her boot.
"Ow?!"
She kicked off her shoe swiftly. Her quick thinking spared her; hesitation would have reduced her to ash.
"…! Frozen crystal—"
Elisha tried raising an ice barrier, but it melted instantly.
"What the—?! This isn't normal magic! Ngh~!"
Melina raised her bow in haste. She summoned winds to counter, but the flames devoured them, growing fiercer.
"What the hell?!"
Varis bellowed in shock.
Then, from the vortex's heart, a massive silhouette emerged.
"Heh heh heh."
Red scales gleamed with subtle iridescence under the light; flowing hair rippled like living fire. Her enormous staff thudded against the ground with each step, filling the air with presence. The space around her shimmered with dark crimson flames, her fingertips pulsing with heartbeat-like glows. The temperature hovered between hellish inferno and eerie chill.
"For humans, you've done quite the number on us?"
Her voice was low and resonant, like magma bubbling from earth's depths.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Adria shouted. The group fell silent, speechless. Before them stood calamity incarnate. Her sinister chuckle and piercing gaze clutched their hearts in terror.