Headmaster's Bedside Visit (1)
"Damn..."
Skala bit her lip and hurled herself sideways. A towering pillar of water erupted from where she'd stood, pulverizing the debris on the floor.
Amid the splashing spray and flying shards, a sinister red glow flashed. Skala snapped her longsword upright without a moment to breathe.
Boom!
A greatsword wreathed in crimson sword aura slammed down from straight ahead. A numbing shock jolted through her arm, threatening to paralyze it entirely. Skala's body lifted slightly off the ground as she staggered back several steps.
Her opponent, Runes, gripping the greatsword, pressed the advantage without mercy.
"Hoo, you thinking of tapping out yet? I'm getting worn out here too."
"Would you? Eat this!"
Alred Style Sword Art: Island Wave
Crunch!
The sword technique passed down from her master sliced through the air, stabbing toward her foe. But the attack was effortlessly blocked by the greatsword.
"Ack."
It wasn't a matter of raw strength. Nor was it Skala's fatigue. As Runes swung her blade, the mana infused in Skala's longsword dissipated like vapor.
As if the mana itself had been cleaved. An impossible feat by any common sense.
This bitch is already strong enough, and she's a Heart Manifestation user too? That's just too much!
Fortune in misfortune, perhaps. As she barely parried the greatsword, spears of water rained down from both sides. Skala dodged the exploding water spears, putting distance between her and Runes.
"Argh, seriously! How did things turn into this mess?!"
Runes' sword cleaved through the water spears as she advanced. Elise approached from the flank, only to be repelled by a wall of water.
Seizing the opening, Runes swung at Elise's side. Elise, barely cloaked in a water shield, rolled across the ground. The repelled Skala snatched an axe from the floor and hurled it at Runes.
Ever since Runes joined the center, the area had devolved into a chaotic free-for-all with no distinction between allies and enemies. Darvin and two of Kane's teammates had been eliminated in the frenzy.
Now, Skala, Elise, and Runes were tangled in a brutal three-way brawl, devouring each other.
And all three had reached the same conclusion. Their bodies were at their limits—they needed to settle this fast.
"I'll wipe you all out."
Elise, her face pale, gathered a massive surge of water mana. The huge mass of water condensing in the air began to spin ferociously.
"Not on your watch!"
Skala snatched a spear with trembling hands and charged.
"What, we're all on the same wavelength? Can't let you outdo me!"
Runes heaved ragged breaths as she swung her greatsword.
The powerhouses who would lead the academy's golden age unleashed their maximum techniques.
"Surge Cyclone!"
Alred Style Spear Art: Whirling Flash
Heart Manifestation: Structure Disruption
A tornado of water voraciously swept the front. Skala's spear traced a circle, shredding everything ahead. Runes' sword slashed vertically, cleaving all mana in its path.
The three forces merged, then repelled each other with full power. The result was a colossal explosion.
Kaboooom!
With a flash of light, the tornado burst like a water balloon. The shockwave followed a beat later, flinging the three in different directions.
Shwaaaa!
The burst water fell as rain over the center.
"..."
Amid it all, Elise was the first to rise.
She'd summoned her magic from afar, avoiding the blast head-on. But her face was ashen. Having drained her mana to the limit, she finally dropped to one knee.
Runes slowly pushed herself up, leaning on her greatsword. She'd nullified part of the others' attacks, looking relatively intact. Though even taking a step seemed grueling.
The problem was Skala. She'd taken the explosion's force most directly, flung three times farther than the others. She'd defended instinctively, but an ominous creak kept emanating from her vest.
"Urgh..."
Her body wouldn't respond. Every attempt to push up from the ground failed.
Exhaustion turned to defeat, crushing Skala. Frustrated, she slammed the floor weakly.
She'd come in with confidence and hope. Yet she couldn't surpass those two after all.
That was when it happened.
Rumble rumble rumble!
"...Wh-what?!"
A massive vibration rolled in from afar like a wave.
Her head shook, ears perking up rigidly. Skala desperately hauled her upper body up and whipped her head toward the sound.
She froze in her awkward pose. Doubting her eyes, she glanced at Elise and Runes. They wore similar expressions.
One of the central zone's massive walls was slowly tilting toward them. At first it didn't register, but as the shadow loomed, reality hit hard.
The wall's shadow blanketed their heads in an instant.
"Uh-eh...?"
"Oh dear... something's gone wrong here."
Elise and Runes. They had no strength left to flee.
They stared blankly at each other. Looked up at the wall again. Finally, at Skala.
The one who'd been flung farthest, uniquely outside the domino's reach.
And the great wall descended for a kiss with the earth. Beneath the thickening shadow, Elise and Runes vanished simultaneously.
Crush hazard determined. Automatic elimination.
Kabooooom!
The roar battered Skala's ears. A beat later, the gust slammed her, tumbling her roughly across the ground. Two beats later, stone dust and grit topped her like sprinkles.
"Gah, cough cough!"
The protective suit spared her wounds. But her face and hair were a gray mess, acrid dust tormenting her.
Skala coughed miserably. Rubbing her eyes, she instinctively checked the center first.
Knowing full well it was pointless—they'd been flattened whole.
"...Huh?"
Skala's eyes widened in surprise.
Where the central core had been. Even with the wall smashed into it, something sharp protruded defiantly from that spot.
"The central core...?"
Conviction hit, and her body moved first.
Skala climbed the rubble of the broken wall, rising slowly. Squeezing out her last reserves, she shuffled forward. Feet slipping, coughs wracking her—she didn't stop.
Finally reaching the core, Skala grasped it with trembling hands.
Central Core Occupied. +1 point every 3 seconds accumulated.
"Ha... haha...!"
The announcement echoed clearly through the empty central zone.
This happened three minutes before the team battle ended.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
I'd confidently say I've had plenty of chances to utter that line. Thanks to this frail body, passing out was routine.
The team battle ended, and I collapsed from exhaustion...
Forcing my heavy eyelids open, I scanned the surroundings. White walls, white sheets, medicinal scent.
Those traits screamed infirmary, but it was slightly different. This seemed like a simple hospital room. A private one with just a single bed.
"Urgh..."
My overworked body screamed, but I forced my upper body up anyway.
What happened in the team battle? What's the individual schedule? I needed answers now.
"Now now, patients should lie still."
A hand suddenly appeared, pressing my forehead. My body sank softly back onto the bed.
And chills erupted all over me.
No matter how pathetic my mana reserves, I should've sensed someone's presence.
But until just now, no presence or mana had registered. No, even now, I couldn't sense her.
Not even academy professors could pull that off. Reflexively, I straightened my right palm and slowly turned my head.
"Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
By my bedside stood a girl in a plain mage's robe.
She looked my age at a glance, but her eyes held a depth beyond her years. Around her neck and finger gleamed the academy's emblem necklace and ring.
Why are you here with me?
"Oh? My face isn't that famous outside, but you recognize me?"
"...Are you the Headmaster?"
At my question, her lips curved up.
"Right you are! The living symbol of this academy, one of the Nine True Seats. That's me."
She thrust out an arm in a V-sign, then plopped onto the bed's edge.
She was one of humanity's top nine powerhouses. Rachiena, headmaster and one of the Nine True Seats.
"What brings you here, Headmaster?"
"Hehe, take a guess. Why do you think I came?"
A counter-question. Far from innocent despite her looks, her tone sent a shiver down my spine.
"To handle the aftermath of what Kane Swara and I did?"
An unprecedented incident would've surely caused an uproar. But the headmaster coming personally seemed excessive.
"Hmm, close enough. But not the full truth. I came for a different reason."
Rachiena smiled with a subtle expression, deliberately pausing. A brief silence settled over the room.
Why isn't she talking? This is creepy. My fists clenched unconsciously, palms slick with sweat.
In the tense moment, her lips parted slowly.
"To see the top student who made the absolute best use of my contraptions firsthand!"
"...Pardon?"
Before I could recover from the anticlimactic answer, Rachiena placed a hand on my head. She stroked me gently, enthusiastically.
"I had zero expectations, but you used all the devices and the trap zones? I was so proud."
"Headmaster..."
"And so tough for such a small, cute thing! Truly impressive."
She didn't stop at petting my head—she grabbed both my hands and shook them vigorously. Her slightly loosened face screamed genuine pride. Her childlike appearance caused some cognitive dissonance, though.
Then.
"...Hm?"
Rachiena paused, tilting her head.
Before I could question it, her hands began prodding my shoulders and arms. Not kneading, but probing my build.
She scanned my face closely, then cupped a hand over my nose and eyes.
As if trying to recognize someone met while masked.
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"...Yes, please go ahead."
"Haven't we met somewhere before?"