On a land spewing fire, Gadou stood in our way once more.
Gadou decided to take a scholarship exemption exam to enter school in town. He probably wanted to become stronger while working. The exam was essentially a self-promotion, showcasing one’s abilities and how they would be further developed in school. Students would present to the judges, who would then select promising students beneficial to the academy.
“You lectured about the potential of non-attribute magic there. But because you’re not good with words, nobody would listen.”
It seemed Auroa had spoken to him when he was about to leave school, lost amongst the other talented students. And astonishingly, Auroa not only got him admitted to the school but also provided him with money to send back home.
Since when had he been planning this? It might have been a coincidence, but he sure found quite a good subordinate. He was truly a diamond in the rough. It’s not easy to find subordinates who swear absolute loyalty.
“Is that why you’re loyal to Auroa?”
“That’s right.”
He was still unarmed, wearing only worn-out, thin cloth clothes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to sympathize and back down here. Everyone else seemed to feel the same, as Nina stepped forward.
“Let’s quickly defeat this guy and move on. My lower body feels like it’s about to burn.”
Even though she wore tubular clothes on her snake tail, the heat was unbearable. Nina jumped at Gadou, dagger in hand.
She used her tail like a spring to close in on the enemy. She was probably aiming for a decisive blow. However, before her blade could reach him, Gadou disappeared.
No, it only seemed like he disappeared. My brain couldn’t keep up with the sheer speed. Nina, whose target had suddenly vanished from her front, passed by where Gadou had been.
Then, as if realizing something, she turned back and shielded her face.
The next moment, her body plunged into the ground. Nina’s upper body stopped moving. What happened? Did he evade her attack and strike from above? Nina had been knocked unconscious by the shockwave of non-attribute magic.
Behind us, we heard Veronica click her tongue.
“If he were here, we could have used threads. I guess we have no choice but to fight. Non-attribute magic has a short range, so let’s defend and attack from a distance.”
Veronica moved Elana, who had been riding on Philiana’s back, to her own.
“He’s heavier than I thought.”
“Aren’t you just getting rusty?”
Riding on Veronica’s back, Elana fired a fireball. It hit the spot where Gadou was standing directly. However, his figure was nowhere to be seen in the smoke. Where would he attack from next? For me, it was now nearly impossible to track someone who moved faster than Nina with my eyes.
“Above!”
At Cecilia’s voice, we looked up and saw Gadou floating in the air. He wasn’t jumping; he was floating. Gadou descended slowly as if attached to a string.
“Can he fly?”
Can non-attribute magic do this too? Had he increased his power again since last time, or had he been able to do it but not before? Gadou then flew towards us as if saying it was our turn next. Philiana stood in his way.
Countless invisible fists attacked her. Philiana guarded with her sword held horizontally, but she couldn’t block them all.
“Here, use this.”
I threw a shield towards her. Sharin caught it in mid-air and moved between them. Even if it was non-attribute, magic was still magic, and it could be repelled.
The force was negated, and Gadou’s punches stopped for a moment. However, he punched straight through. Sharin was pushed back and collided with Philiana behind her. The shield could deflect heat and water, but not the impact itself.
Philiana took a step back to create distance. Elana’s fireball flew towards her. Gadou retreated from the spot faster than the explosion.
Karubene charged from a blind spot, aiming for the opening. But as Gadou landed, he unleashed a shockwave from his feet that blew Karubene away. Elana and Veronica’s flames continued to assault Gadou in rapid succession.
Red and purple flames danced and spun. From within them, an unharmed Gadou appeared. His magic barrier did not allow even a single spark to pass.
The enemy took a deep breath. Then, he pulled back one half of his body and thrust his arm forward.
“—Guh!!”
I felt a strong impact throughout my body, and then I couldn’t breathe. I must have lost consciousness. When I came to, I was on the hot ground.
It felt like my entire body was being slowly roasted. I wanted to get up quickly, but my body wouldn’t obey. Perhaps from the crushing sensation on my chest, I couldn’t breathe properly.
I finally managed to prop myself up with my hands, but dizziness and nausea overwhelmed me.
“Ugh, what? What is this?”
“While you were unconscious, I landed another blow. This tremor agitates and deranges the brain.”
What on earth, he could do that too? If I had taken that at close range, my brain would have been pulverized.
