A/N: Holy Crap! 3 chapters in one day. Hope you enjoyed it. Caused I'm taking a break after this one.

No one's POV

Sora still continue to look at Lucius who had Liliana captive. Without looking away from Sora for a moment, Lucius sunk the tip of his sword into Liliana's neck by a mere millimeter.

Sora:...

Sora didn't seem to want Liliana hurt, as he frowned while subduing his bloodlust.

Lucius: Ha. That's more like it. I suggest the rest of you students don't move from where you are standing if you don't want anything to happen to your precious Princess.

Students:...

The students all reluctantly lower their heads and they all drop their weapons.

Sora: Princess Liliana and my classmate should be separate from our confrontation.

Lucius: That's not quite right—they're functioning perfectly well as hostages right now, are they not? You fought at Ur for the Fertility Goddesses and these girls sake as well.

Yuka: Kyaaa!

Nana: Yukachi

Taeko: Yuka!

Lucius chuckled coldly, thrusting his sword at Yuka's neck dragging her along with Liliana.

Shizuku:...

Shizuku broke out in a nervous sweat at the prickle of danger she could feel on her neck. Like Lucius said: no matter how she looked at it right now, she along with her friends were the shackles holding Sora down. She felt terrible because of that.

Lucius: Anyway, I was interested in you and your classmate when I learned you were brought to this world as well. So I decided to choose this confrontation where your classmate are all present.

Lucius added smoothly.

Sora: What are you saying...?

Sora frowned.

Lucius: Oh, I just found your suffering to be similar to your father's. You have no obligation to save these children, yet here you are. Haven't they repaid enough of your good with evil?

Lucius asked, hinting at something. The students held their breaths as they listened.

Sora: So? What about it?

Lucius: That's not something to be dismissed, is it? I'm talking about why would one of the most influential person in japan become an orphan, changing his last name to Yatagami. Ring any bells to you, Sora Karasuki?

Yuka: Eh? Sora Karasuki?

The students all eyes widened when they heard Sora's real name.

Sora:...And I'm asking: what about it?

His identity had been revealed past the point of hiding anything his classmate, but Sora's expression didn't waver at all—he was fully aware that Lucius was trying to provoke him. However, his classmate didn't look good. Lucius purposefully made his way beside Yuka to peer at their faces.

Lucius: Haha! Your girlfriend look more upset than you. Hey. Does the name 'Karasuki' sound familiar to you?

Yuka:...

Lucius: Of course you children know who that name is. The Karasuki is one of the most influential group in Japan. They even had their own Kingdom near the mountains of Yokohama. The boy you looked down upon, bullied to no ends. Aren't you curious about his past? Don't you have anything you want to say?

Lucius could see through Sora's classmate's state of mind and chose words to incite their sense of guilt. Their expressions grew stiffer and stiffer.

Yuka: H-How do you know all this...?

Yuka ask clearly confused. But Lucius only sneered.

Lucius: GAhahahahaha! You children really are a fool. Do you think you kids are the only ones that got transported into this world from earth? Well sorry to spoil your surprise, but no. Countless of other people too were summoned.

Sora:...

Lucius: Watch it, Sora. Your murderous aura is scaring your classmate.

Lucius jeered at Sora's back.

Sora:...

Sora continued ignoring him.

Lucius: Listen up, class. His parents used to be from the Karasuki Kingdom. Because of some unavoidable circumstances, they migrated to Tokyo. In fact, Sora here excel in their martial arts, swordsmanship, studies, almost everything. You could basically called him a genius. But no... He decided to hid all of his skills and become a manga writer instead.

Lucius continued by himself, exposing Sora's past to his classmate.

Lucius: His father, Zen... was a real capable one. He used his skills to distinguish himself as the best swordsman in Japan, which was how he caught my eye back when I still lived in the Karasuki Kingdom. I managed to win over his trust after that, but what surprised me the most was the fact that Sora's mother was the president of the Karasuki. Apparently, Zen was Ayame's personal guard.

Sora's mother was the President. This fact made Shizuku and some other's poker face crumble, their gaze trembling in shock. Shizuku only heard the story where Sora's mother was assaulted, but she never knew about the part that Sora's family was somewhat a President.

Lucius: You could compare it to a Queen of your kingdom marrying a knight, my dear Princess Liliana. Sora here is in fact the heir of the Karasuki. Some would call him a prince.

Liliana:...

Lucius: That bastard, Zen, was living a happy life. Ayame was head over heels for him, and they both adored Sora and Nanao. The picture-perfect family, if you will. I socialized with the family—I even played with young Sora and Nanao often.

Lucius exaggerated his emotional tone as he spoke, as though he were recalling those memories fondly. Then his mouth twisted with a smirk.

Lucius: It made me sick to my stomach, so I decided to destroy it—that happiness. I killed Zen before Nanao was old enough to remember, then I am the reason why Ayame was in a coma.

Sora: So you were the one who killed my father after all...

Sora interrupted Lucius's monologue when he paused, speaking in a tone devoid of any warmth.

Lucius: That bastard was in such despair when he realized he was betrayed by his best friend. He made a face like the one you had when Ayame was nearly killed right before your eyes. If you didn't stop me that is. Can you kids believe it? This boy right here kill 3 of my friends and almost killed me as well at the age of 12.

Students: !!

Sora: You tried to kill my Mother and Nanao right before my eyes. And you think I would just sit there and watch?

Lucius could sense that Sora's anger was slowly building and grinned crudely as he spoke.

Yuka: How awful...

Yuka muttered sadly.

Lucius: Awful? You kids did plenty of awful things to him too. He was just a brat living happily with his mother and sister. He may have roughened around the edges trying to make a living by becoming a manga writer, but you gave him plenty of harsh treatment just because he was an orphan, and an otaku, no?

Lucius took this chance to prod their guilt once more.

Shizuku(mind): Does this man intend to use us as hostages against Yatagami? If so, why would he dig up Yatagami's past and reveal it to us like this...?

Shizuku sweated nervously as she tried to figure out Lucius's intentions, but there was no way she could—the only thing she knew for sure was that she and her classmate were potentially the reason why Sora was backed into a corner right now.

Lucius: What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, class? I don't know if he'll save you, but why don't you try begging Sora for your lives? Like he did at the Great Orcus Labyrinth. Or when he save you from the Black Wyvern. Are you thinking of a convenient excuse for yourselves? You know he'll probably save you even in this situation.

Lucius looked at Yuka's face, mocking her.

Yuka: I...

Yuka's hair stood on end. Like Lucius had pointed out, part of herself felt expectant—expectant for Sora to save her and her friends. Feeling ashamed of herself, Yuka bit down on her lip. The others were no different. No matter how they look at it, Sora had save them many times despite what they've done to him. They let him fall into the abyss because of a misfire. And even now, they were seeking the assistance of the person they had caused so much trouble for in the past.

Yuka(mind): Even though I have no right to that...

But even if she had to sacrifice herself, she wanted to protect her friends. She had no choice but to rely on Sora for that. So, Yuka tried to think of a way to give her friends the highest chance of survival. For example, if they had to be used as hostages, she needed to make sure that Sora discarded her first. And so, a pained look flashed across Yuka's face for a brief moment, before she made a curt statement.

Yuka: That's not true.

Lucius: Oh? What isn't?

Lucius asked curiously.

Yuka: If you wish to condemn to what we did as an awful deed, you can condemn it all you want. I don't recall ever doing anything awful to him—at least on an individual level, I believe. Shizuku and the others may not think the same.

Yuka spoke as though she were reciting a memorized speech. There was no hint of her emotions behind those words at all. However—

Lucius: Heh heh heh. How terrible. Sora was placed in an environment that could make the average person's misfortune sound petty, you realize? He could have grown up as royalty instead. Yet through some kind of mistake, he became an orphan and a manga writer at the age of 12. If you're saying what you did isn't awful, then you're truly cold-blooded to the core.

Lucius cackled in delight, eagerly bringing up Sora's misfortunes.

Yuka: I don't believe you should be the one saying that, since you're the one who made him an orphan... But you've made one mistake. I have no value as a hostage.

Yuka looked at Lucius with clear disdain.

Lucius: Did you hear that, Sora? What do you think? Sounds real admirable, eh? She's trying to anger you on purpose—probably so that she'll be the first to go, right?

Lucius chuckled, seeing through her plan.

Yuka: Wha...

Yuka tried to object, but she ended up biting her lip bitterly instead.

Lucius: Did you go senile after coming to this world? This bastard wouldn't forsake you. This bastard wouldn't forsake anyone. If he was going to abandon you kids, he would've cut down my back ages ago. He's trying to save each and every one of you in this situation. The hypocrisy is disgusting.

Sora: That's enough. Do you think I don't know what your planning. Your trying to buy some time for your companion to arrive so you can escape.

Sora called for Lucius to stop.

Lucius: Fine. Let's settle this.

Lucius said, pointing his sword at Liliana's neck.

Liliana: Ah...

Shizuku: Lily!

Liliana swallowed her breath and froze.

Lucius: What, can't draw your sword?

Lucius sneered.

Sora:...

Sora glared at Lucius sharply, but didn't draw the sword at his waist.

Lucius: Ha. If you want to win against me, you should throw away everything other than your bloodlust. You're the same as Zen—you try to fight while carrying excess weight on you. And yet, you're strong. That's what I can't stomach. Living like a walking contradiction... But that's precisely why you'll die unable to protect those close to you. I'll prove it to you—the foolishness of a human carrying around that kind of unnecessary weight.

Until now, Lucius had been using an exaggerated tone to provoke Sora, but the bloodlust he had been holding back was released as he glared back at him.

Sora: I don't get it... What do you gain from me throwing away that so-called excess weight?

Sora asked in an indifferent tone. Lucius was obviously speaking of his classmate.

Lucius: I'm saying if you don't, you won't be able to defeat me in this battle. Then... Was it Celia Claire? Or how about Nanao? I'll go after those women next. Of course, I'll enjoy them to the fullest before killing them. Don't worry, though. I'll leave you half-alive and bring you along to witness it.

Lucius boasted to irritate Sora.

Sora:...

Perhaps it was because Celia and Nanao's names had been mentioned, but Sora's wrath swelled. As though to embody that rage, a tremendous amount of magic essence poured out of Sora's body that made his classmate tremble.

Lucius: Ha! You finally look like a proper avenger now.

Lucius smirked, removing his left eyepatch. Sora observed every small move Lucius made so that he could react if he tried to harm Liliana and Yuka. Then, Lucius suddenly hugged Yuka and Liliana towards him.

Liliana: Eep...!

Liliana let out a shriek as she lost balance. Meanwhile, Lucius took his gaze off Sora and looked into the distance. Immediately after that, Lucius, Liliana, and Yuka disappeared.

Shizuku: What?!

The one who raised his voice in confusion was Shizuku. She was astonished by Lucius's sudden disappearance, but—

Sora(mind): Over there!

Sora was able to identify Lucius's location with precision. He could see someone falling from the sky several meters away, as though he had teleported there. However, Sora wasn't about to lose to that. He used his wind spirit arts to forcefully accelerate his body and approach Lucius.

Liliana: Eek!

Yuka: Lily!

Lucius grabbed the fabric of Liliana's dress and threw her and Yuka together towards the ground. The fabric at the middle of the back of her dress ripped loudly. There was no way she'd walk away unharmed after falling several dozen meters. Yuka on the other hand grab Liliana hugging her protecting her.

Sora: Tch...

Sora manipulated the wind to super forcefully change his direction, accelerate, and catch the falling Yuka and Liliana. He then landed on the ground with the two of them near Shizuku.

Lucius: Protect them if you can.

Lucius stood behind Sora, his sword swinging down from overhead.

Sora(mind): He's so fast! Wait, this is—

Sora hugged Yuka and Liliana close to him as he parried the blow one- handedly with his sword. But even he couldn't handle that much—his balance was completely thrown off, and he could barely manage to parry the attack.

Lucius: Hey, what's the matter? Huh?! Your movements have dulled!

Lucius swung his sword without a care.

Yuka: Guh...

With Yuka and Liliana embraced in his grasp, Sora stood his ground to fight back, but he was at too much of a disadvantage. Even Yuka could tell that just by looking.

Yuka: Yatagami, you can throw me aside!

Yuka twisted her body around to plead at him in a panic.

Sora: It's dangerous, so please stay still. Keep a tight hold of Princess Liliana and don't let go of me!

Sora ordered, hugging Yuka even closer.

Lucius: Your back's wide open!

Lucius suddenly disappeared from before Sora. In the next moment, he was standing diagonally behind him, swinging his sword at his back. However, as though predicting that move, Sora charged forward with Yuka embraced in one arm. Lucius's sword cut through empty space at the last moment.

Sora(mind): He really is teleporting after all. The last time we fought, he also moved as though he was teleporting, but he didn't base his fight around this ability. Is it the power of his sword? Or does it have something to do with his eye? There's quite a lot of magic essence flowing from it...

Sora evaded the attacks while analyzing the situation with precision. He surmised that the reason why it seemed like Lucius had teleported was probably because he really had teleported using spatial magic.

In reality, he'd been able to predict Lucius's warp destination just now by feeling the fluctuation of ode and mana around him. But it was still an extremely troublesome ability—he wouldn't be able to let his classmate escape somewhere safe like this. Thanks to that, Sora was unable to separate from them, which made it impossible for him to move at high speeds.

This made close combat rather difficult, as Lucius was able to move freely by teleporting around. His prospects were far too poor like this...which was why Sora decided to discard his hand. He gathered the essence within him and stomped against the ground. A two-meter-wide circle of earth underneath Sora and his classmate's feet protruded from the ground, lifting them ten meters into the air.

Shizuku: Huh?

The sudden floating sensation had Shizuku and the others shell-shocked. They were tremendously confused by the sight of the ground beneath them feet rising like a living tower.

Sora: Hang on!

Sora ordered his classmate to hold on tight to each other or to the handle that he made at the rock. He uses earth Spirit Art to wrap his classmate around preventing them from falling.

Lucius: Impudent brat!

Lucius swung his sword diagonally upwards from the ground. The black blade of his sword released a pitch-black strike, severing the earth tower Sora had created at the base. Sora put essence into his feet and around his classmate and leaped off the tower before it crumbled. Immediately after, the earth tower that had acted as his foothold fell apart into rectangular blocks that floated in the air.

Shizuku: Wh-What's happening? What's the meaning of this? Are we floating as well?!

Shizuku glanced around in a panic, looking at the blocks floating in the air and themselves in mute amazement. No one had uttered any spells to activate magic until now, yet all kinds of supernatural phenomena kept happening one after another. Her surprise was only natural. In fact, all her friends are surprised.

Meanwhile, Sora looked down at Lucius on the ground and pointed his sword at him. No sooner had he done so than the group of blocks floating in the air all started falling towards the ground at a rapid speed. No, it was like they had been fired by an invisible power. If each block weighed several kilograms, they should make quite the impact by the time they fell to the ground. In reality, the blocks that crashed into the ground created small craters and dust clouds.

Shizuku: Wh-What is that? What's happening?

Shizuku could no longer keep up with the situation. However, Yuka had once witnessed Sora fight using spirit arts, so she wasn't as surprised as Shizuku. Yuka's expression was dazed as she looked down at the ground. But, just then— Boom! A tremendous explosion roared from behind them.

Nana: Wh-What?!

The students whipped around in confusion. There stood Lucius, who should have been on the ground, with his sword held overhead.

Lucius: Tch...

And yet, he was unable to slash Sora's classmate in the back. Sora had created a barrier of magic essence to block Lucius's sword. Still, a single blow from Lucius's blade had enough force to crack the barrier... At any rate, Lucius's attack was blocked, making him click his tongue in irritation. Shizuku and Yuka could also see the faint light wall blocking Lucius's sword from reaching him. They also knew that it was Sora who had put up the barrier, though they hadn't seen him do so.

Sora: Now it's my turn.

Sora said, summoning orbs of light several centimeters wide around him. Of course, Lucius had no intention of just taking the hit and disappeared on the spot.

But Sora was able to predict where Lucius would move to with a high degree of precision. He fired the orbs at the area on the ground where he foresaw Lucius appearing. There were about a hundred or so orbs of light that orbited in the air before falling to the ground. In addition, Sora made full use of his tremendous magic essence to continuously create more orbs, firing them at the ground. It almost looked like a meteor shower of light orbs.

Suzu: Wh-What? What is this, really...?

Sora's classmate became even more confused. When they first got summoned, Sora had been mocked as a failure for being unable to make a contract with magic. And yet, now he could create magical phenomena without even chanting a spell... He was even flying in the air, with no sign of falling anytime soon.

The rain of light orbs Sora was firing each had the might of a lower-grade spell, but together they were an overwhelming threat. And he was firing them a hundred at a time towards the ground every few seconds. Did he have an endless amount of essence? The scale of the phenomenon being created was greater than advanced magic—it was practically on par with the highest grade of attack magic possible.

However, Lucius was also impressive. He dashed about the ground, swinging his sword to cut down the light orbs while evading the rain of attacks. He sometimes disappeared and reappeared in a different position in the distance. After a while, Lucius came to a stop and looked up at Sora floating in the air. Suddenly, a voice sounded from above their heads.

Lucius: Here, you can have these back.

Lucius was looking down from ten meters above Sora's head, pointing the tip of his sword at him. Immediately after, several hundred orbs of light surrounded Sora in every direction.

Sora(mind): Did he absorb my light bullets to use himself?

Sora immediately deduced that there was no possible escape route and poured essence into his sword. He created a storm to blow the orbs away, forcibly making a hole in the encirclement. He then tried to escape through it.

Lucius: I won't let you!

Lucius teleported to cut into Sora's exit route. He poured magic essence into his sword to stock up dark energy and strike Sora with it. However, Sora also poured essence into his sword to counter Lucius's attack with a blast of wind. Their respective energies clashed, forming a tremendous shock wave.

Yuka(mind): What a fight this is...

Yuka had been desperately clinging to Sora with Liliana in her arms for some time now, watching the battle that she couldn't believe was happening between two humans. Liliana seemed to be having a tough time being moved around midair so much, as her eyes were unable to stay focused.

Lucius: Damn it...

While Lucius could teleport, he wasn't able to fly—the shock wave from his attack hitting Sora's sent him falling down. The fact he wasn't able to defeat Sora despite his favorable position made his brow furrow in frustration as he teleported straight to the ground. Sora also lowered his and his classmate's altitude, glaring at Lucius as he descended. Once he and his classmate landed, about ten meters of ground lifted up in square tiles.

Shizuku: Wha...?!

The sudden spectacle left Shizuku speechless once more. The tiles that lifted up blocked their view of Lucius before them—in fact, they collapsed over him, crushing him underneath. However, Lucius teleported to evade the attack, moving out of the range of the tiles that lifted up and fell—based on his original position, he had moved horizontally to the side.

Sora(mind): He didn't teleport through the wall... That confirms it. Lucius's teleportation ability only allows him to move where his left eye can see.

Using the attack just now, Sora was able to confirm what he had noticed while firing the orbs of light at Lucius from above.

Lucius: Tch...

Lucius clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Sora: Is Princess Liliana all right?

Sora suddenly asked Yuka, who now stood beside him. Dazed, she snapped back to her senses and answered him in an apologetic tone.

Yuka: Y-Yes... Umm. To be honest, she's not in the best condition. She's couldn't handle such aerial movements.

Sora: I see. Then we shouldn't move her around too much.

Sora said, staring at Lucius standing ten or so meters before them.

Sora(mind): There's no doubt that Lucius's sword is embed with Spatial Magic. His main powers are the ability to teleport short distances visible to his left eye, and the ability to absorb spirit arts and magic and fire them back. He hasn't used it yet this match, but he can also open a hole in space and thrust his sword through it like last time. That essence-engulfed left arm of his must also have some kind of trick to it...

Sora recalled their fight thus far and analyzed the ability of Lucius's enchanted sword. Those were the highlights he had to be careful of. Just then, Lucius transferred his sword from his right hand to his left hand.

Sora(mind): He switched his sword to his left hand? Wasn't he right-handed?

He had always fought with his right hand until now. Sora grew more wary of Lucius's left arm.

Lucius: It's time for round two—a fresh start. Unfortunately, however, I'm right-handed. I may not be able to go as easy on you with my left arm, so don't hold it against me.

Lucius checked his grip on the sword clutched in his left hand.

Sora(mind): The left arm is the one I burned away without a trace in the last match. It must have been regenerated through some kind of forbidden technique along with that left eye...

The fact he switched his sword meant the ability couldn't be activated unless the sword was in his left hand.

Sora: Wh...?!

Suddenly, Lucius swung his sword ten-odd meters in front of Sora, but the blade of the sword had disappeared and was closing in from behind. Sora promptly held his sword ready behind his back and caught the blow. The sound of clashing metal screeched, surprising Shizuku and the others into looking for the source of the sound. When they spotted the blade that had warped through space to float in the air, they broke out in a cold sweat.

Lucius: Ha! So you'll react to this attack like it's nothing as well, huh? Come to think of it, I've used this move once before the last time we fought. But...

Lucius said unhappily as Sora thought to himself.

Sora(mind): If he can use that attack just now without any restriction, it might be a little risky trying to do this while protecting these morons.

Sora felt a sharp pang of danger—and that danger had already approached. Another sharp clashing screech echoed.

Shizuku: Huh...?

Shizuku looked in the direction of the sound. This time it didn't come from behind Sora, but Shizuku. Sora had gone around her to catch the blow— even though Lucius was still standing over ten meters away. Then, at the next metallic clash in succession, she finally understood. Once again, although Lucius was before them, this time it came from the left of Liliana...

Shizuku(mind): Is he warping just the blade of his sword using space sorcery?

The reality was exactly as it appeared, and Shizuku was filled with terror the moment she understood it. Some of the students caught on as well as they all tremble in fear.

Lucius: I knew it—you can tell where my attacks are coming from, can't you? Cheeky bastard. But this isn't all I've got—thanks to the left arm you lopped off, I can use my sword even better than before. Here, let's turn up the pace.

Lucius said, then resumed swinging his sword. One swing, then another, followed by one more—all at different angles and speeds. The sound of swords clashing gradually got faster. Sora saw through Lucius's attacks and knocked back all the blows, but he was treading on thin ice doing so.

Students:...

The students were frozen stiff. All they were doing were standing, yet they felt closer to death than living. The attacks seemingly came from nowhere, but Sora blocked them all—that was the only thing keeping the students alive. This made it even harder for Sora to leave Shizuku and the others. The moment he did, his classmate were as good as dead.

Lucius: Don't worry. Simply slashing from afar isn't artistic enough for my tastes. I'll come closer, then.

Lucius said, using his teleportation to warp behind Shizuku, Yuka and Liliana. By the time he finished warping, he had already made a stabbing motion. Sora immediately cut between Lucius and his classmate, but the distance to Lucius was oddly far.

Sora(mind): Oh no!

Sora hurried back to his original position as soon as he realized why. The next moment, the blade of the sword Lucius held came flying. If Sora hadn't returned, it would have pierced through Shizuku's body, but—

Sora: Guh...

Though it had only been a moment, that moment cost Sora everything. He was unable to block the attack successfully and took the blade in his left arm.

Shizuku: Yatagami?!

Shizuku paled. It was clear that he had been stabbed in order to protect her.

Lucius: Ha, finally a hit. Looks like blood does flow through your veins after all, eh? Well then, let's keep the show going!

Lucius chuckled smugly, then started to attack using a combination of teleportation and warping his sword blade.

Sora: Tch...

With his left arm wounded, Sora had to protect his classmate while evading all of Lucius's attacks. It would be one thing if he were alone, but it was obvious that protecting them was a burden.

Lucius: Hey, hey! What's the matter?! Huh?!

Lucius's body and sword teleported around, rushing Sora from every possible direction. Sora had to block the 360-degree onslaught on 16 person by himself—if he tried to counterattack, Lucius would kill the 16 as soon as he left their side.

Having said that, he couldn't escape through the air carrying his classmate. Being in the air would open him to attacks from below, and carrying the others meant even more openings. On top of that, if he fired his spirit arts carelessly he could risk having them absorbed. The conditions weren't just bad—they were the absolute worst. The range he had to defend had tripled, after all. Plus, Lucius kept teleporting to the worst areas to attack Sora.

Sora(mind): This time from the ground...

The sword blade came shooting out, aiming for Taeko's foot. Sora struck it from above to block the attack. Deflected, Lucius's blade retreated into the darkness with a sinking noise—but as soon as it did, it flew out from a different location to aim for Kaori. And the moment Sora dealt with that—

Lucius: I'm over here!

Lucius teleported to slash at Yuka. Sora closed in to slash back at him, but Lucius disappeared before he could do so. Instead, a sword came flying out behind Shizuku, aiming to pierce her back.

Students:...

The students were standing frozen in fear of the attacks seemingly coming from nowhere. Lucius was clearly aiming for the student as the encumbrances.

Sora: Ngh...

Shizuku, Yuka, Liliana, Kouki, Ryutaro, Suzu, Kaori, Nana, Taeko, Atsushi, Akito, Noboru, Jugo, Kentarou, Endou, Ayako, Mao, Shinji, Yoshiki. The attacks came in an irregular but continuous pattern. Finally, Sora was unable to block an attack aimed at Yuka and stepped in himself to take the attack.

Yuka was unable to see Sora moving at his ultra-rapid speed, but his vigorous movements caused his flowing blood to splatter against her cheek. She snapped out of her daze when she wiped her cheek to see Sora's blood. That was the final straw for her.

Yuka: Yatagami! It's fine! Just leave us! You'll be defeated at this rate! Please stop this already!

Unable to watch on any longer, Yuka pleaded to Sora with an anguished look.

Sora:...

But Sora didn't answer, and he didn't cease his movements to cover the others either. Sharpening his senses, he calmly predicted where Lucius's body and sword would warp to and moved to block them.

Shizuku(mind): Yuka...

Nana(mind): Yuka-chi...

Taeko(mind): Yuka...

Yuka's best friend Nana and Taeko grimaced, but the pained call of her had reached her. That was enough for her chest to feel like it would burst.

Yuka: Please stop, I'm begging you, please...

He was so close, yet her voice couldn't reach him. Yuka's pained voice trailed off weakly. Her heart was truly on the verge of breaking. Meanwhile—

Sora(mind): Concentrate. Eliminate all waste to the limit.

Sora hadn't given up in the slightest. In fact, over the course of the attacks he had to deflect from every angle, he was gradually sharpening his mind until he had maximized the efficiency of his movements and memorized Lucius's attack pattern.

Sora(mind): There'll be a chance to counterattack. For now, I just have to keep evading the attacks and muster the magic essence for that chance. And for that, I have to picture it. My most powerful technique...

The logic was simple. Spirit arts were a technique that involved using life energy of ode and natural energy of mana to alter the world to one's will. If two casters tried to activate two different arts at the exact same position, as long as the two arts weren't similar enough to be merged, the stronger phenomenon would overwhelm the weaker phenomenon. That includes the Magics from the Age of the Gods.

In other words, the one with a greater amount of influence over the phenomenon would activate in its complete form. This was affected by the nature of the art, the scale of the art, and the skill of the caster. If the strength of the two arts rivaled each other, the two arts would clash with each other when activating, but when there was a significant difference in the strength of the casters, the opponent's art could be completely voided.

Thus, if Lucius was teleporting around them by activating Spatial Magic- altering phenomenon, Sora simply had to fill the area with a powerful enough art to overwhelm that. Once he did, Lucius wouldn't be able to attack his classmate anymore.

However, moving through space was a phenomenon that had extremely powerful influence; it wouldn't take just any old art to obstruct that activation. He would have to create a phenomenon at a large enough scale to fill the entire area with mana. That was why he had to imagine it—an art greater than anything he had ever activated before.

He had a vision. A vision that he kept seeing after he and Myu watched the Shimmering Ocean. A vision of him and Hajime and the others fought alongside the Liberators. He didn't know if it was just a dream, but he remembered the technique he used in his dreams. He would recreate that with spirit arts.

More power, greater quality... Sora desperately kept up his defenses as he waited for the moment he could counter this hopeless situation.

(Timeskip)

A long, long minute passed.

Liliana:...

Liliana was as pale as a sheet, the same applied for Shizuku, Yuka and the others as well. Shizuku would have done anything she could to help, but she knew that making the wrong move could result in hindering Sora instead.

Sora: Hah... Hah...

During a brief pause in Lucius's attacks, Shizuku could see the rare sight of Sora panting harshly for breath. His stamina had been exhausted by taking Lucius's attacks and he was bleeding openly, which was something he couldn't recover. Considering the scale of the art he was about to activate, and the healing art the he kept on Kaori to prevent her soul from leaving, he could only allocate the minimum amount of essence to heal himself. Meanwhile—

Lucius(mind): Tch, he's holding out for longer than I thought. My attacks are even starting to miss.

Lucius was feeling impatient. Sora had the handicap of having to protect 16 dead weights. Lucius should have had the advantage, yet he couldn't clinch a victory— performance-wise, he was definitely the one losing, so it was no surprise he was feeling impatient.

Sora: Let's end this already.

Sora said after catching his breath. Fighting an intense battle injured while gathering the most essence he'd ever had in his life was a difficult task even for Sora, who had finally finished his preparations.

Lucius: Huh? Are you sleep-talking now? I'm the one winning here.

Lucius snapped.

Sora: I won't let things go your way any longer. I won't let you take anything I hold dear. Never again...

Sora glared at Lucius with a sharp look. Even though the surroundings were completely dry, Sora manifested a tremendous amount of water in an instant. The water completely surrounded him and his classmate, then swelled rapidly to try and swallow Lucius, the wounded Eri and the unconscious Hiyama as well.

Lucius: Wha...

Lucius nearly froze for a moment, but he quickly looked up and teleported to the sky. Eri nearly avoided the water by going to some nearby hallway. Only Hiyama was swallowed.

Lucius(mind): That bastard brought out a ton of water in an instant.

Lucius looked down at the scene from above. The amount of water Sora had created was great enough to swallow the entire kingdom. Yet the huge mass of water didn't break shape at all, maintaining its elastic droplet shape. This surprises the others as well. With Yue and Fried.

Fried: Wha?! What is that?!

Fried mutter at disbelief.

Yue: Big Brother.

With Hajime who had just destroyed the Holy Church with Aiko and Tio all three of them looked surprised by the water that surrounded the Kingdom.

Aiko: What is that...?

Tio: Only one person could do that.

Hajime: Yeah, it's Sora. Let's go.

With Lucius and Sora.

Lucius(mind): What the hell is going on...?

Lucius poured essence into his sword and released a slash of darkness at the water mass. However, the strike merely bounced off the surface of the water—it was unable to open a hole. On top of that, the water that rebounded off the surface returned to the mass. It was just a waste of magic essence.

Lucius: Tch... I can't see what's happening inside. I can't teleport like this... What is that bastard trying to pull?

Lucius hatefully glared at the mass of water Sora had created. Meanwhile, inside the water, Sora had created a dome of air several meters in radius around him.

Shizuku(mind): Wh-What...is this...?

Shizuku and the others looked around the inside of the dome. 360 degrees. No matter where they looked, it was just water, water, and more water. There was so much water, they couldn't see outside the bubble. The water was tinged with essence and sparkled, illuminating the inside of the dome.

Yuka: Pretty...

Yuka forgot about reality for a moment—that was how wondrous the scenery was.

Sora: I'm going to counterattack by manipulating this water. You guys will be safe as long as you don't move from here. Please just wait for me to finish this battle.

Shizuku: R-Right...

Shizuku(mind): Did you create this? What exactly is happening right now?

Such questions filled her head, but Shizuku didn't say them out loud. She didn't feel the need to. The situation had long exceeded what she was capable of understanding.

Sora: Then I'll be off now.

The wall of water around them started undulating, twisting and turning to change shape, separating into a total of sixteen bubbles of water. Each one of those water bubbles changed shape further. Eight of them turned into long dragons that flew about freely in the air, while the remaining eight were fixed on the ground, taking the shape of dragon tails to protect the students.

The technique was called Yamata no Orochi. Eight dragon heads and eight dragon tails. They all moved as though they were one gigantic being. Sora used wind spirit arts to fly out of the circle of tails. After he had ascended to a certain level, he looked down at Lucius from above the eight heads of the water dragons.

Lucius: Ha... Hahaha! You've left your friends completely open!

Lucius, who had been overwhelmed by the spectacle until that moment, smirked and attempted to warp his body beside Sora's classmate, but—

Lucius: I can't teleport...?!

That couldn't be! Lucius tried to warp his sword blade inside the tails to attack Liliana, but he couldn't teleport the sword blade, either.

Lucius(mind): What the hell is happening...?

Lucius broke out in a nervous sweat. Sora sent one of the water dragons to fall towards him on the ground. The amount of mass-energy falling was immeasurable.

Lucius: What—?!

Lucius attempted to teleport overhead in a hurry. This time the warp worked, and he instantly moved where he expected to go.

Lucius(mind): So I can teleport.

The very moment Lucius thought that, another water dragon appeared before his eyes.

Lucius: Damn it!

Lucius warped to another position. The spot he moved to was also in the sky, but another dragon was waiting for him where he appeared.

Lucius(mind): Th-That bastard! He's completely predicting where I'll move to!

As though to prove that, yet another water dragon closed in on Lucius to attack. Each of the eight heads of the dragons were over ten meters long and flew freely across the entire sky, attacking Lucius immediately no matter where he warped to. They even moved to provide support for each other—nay, it was Sora who was controlling them to do so. The speed that they moved at was no laughing matter either.

Lucius: Don't mess with me!

Even though he could teleport, there was nowhere to run in the skies. Sora would release a water dragon wherever he warped, forcing him into using his short-distance teleport successively. At this rate, he'd have his hands full with just evading the attacks. Their positions were completely reversed from before.

Lucius(mind): My new body's increased the number of times I can teleport, but using it this many times in succession is bad. If only I had taken that princess on the ground as hostages... Shit!

Lucius tried to get a grasp on the situation by making another attempt at attacking Sora's classmate from above, but he still couldn't teleport.

Lucius(mind): Then I'll just have to teleport beside you, Sora!

Figuring the caster wouldn't manipulate an attack towards himself, Lucius tried to teleport beside Sora. However—

Lucius:...I can't teleport?! Guh!

For some reason, he couldn't warp to Sora, either. Then, in his panic, one of Sora's water dragons managed to strike Lucius. It was like colliding with a gigantic iron ball. Lucius's body was blown away at an incredible speed, smashing into the ground.

Lucius: N-No way...

Seeing the other water dragons closing in, he promptly attempted another warp—this time, successfully.

Lucius(mind): Wh-What...

His body should have been enhanced, yet it took everything in him to stay standing. Apparently, the attack just now had been especially effective, as his legs were trembling.

Lucius(mind): I can't teleport beside the bastard. I can't teleport beside the other students. Did he find a way to seal my abilities?!

Lucius couldn't reach the skies without teleporting, so approaching Sora was made exponentially more difficult by being unable to warp.

Lucius: Then how about I aim for your friends, then?!

Lucius strengthened the degree of his body enhancement and ran towards Shizuku and the others within the dragon tails on unsteady legs. If he couldn't warp, he'd just have to run—he had no intention of giving up. However, the meters-long tails undulated like whips, sweeping across the area Lucius was trying to cross. The ground was completely overturned, almost like a natural disaster had occurred.

Lucius: Sh-Shit!

Lucius barely managed to evade the attack by teleporting upwards. Wary of another attack coming immediately, he tried to teleport successively to run away, but—

Lucius(mind): What?

His teleportation didn't activate, because Sora himself was rapidly descending towards Lucius.

Lucius: Wha...?

The tip of a sword pierced through Lucius's torso like a meteor, throwing him down to the ground.

Sora: Your done!

Sora stabbed his sword into the ground, right through Lucius's body. He looked down at Lucius's astounded expression without letting go of his sword. The blade had definitely gone through Lucius's heart.

Lucius: Guh... Ha... Ngh... Nnngh...

Lucius coughed violently, expelling the air and blood in his lungs. That was the moment he finally realized Sora's attack had hit him.

Sora: It's over this time...

Sora grasped his sword hilt in both hands and twisted it. To finish him off, he completely destroyed Lucius's heart. Even if he doesn't, Murasame's cursed had already taken effect. There was no hope for him now. The light in Lucius's eyes faded rapidly.

Lucius: H-Heh... So you finished it yourself? Those water dragons must have been a decoy. Damn it... I let...my guard...down...

Eyeing Sora's through his blurry vision, Lucius chuckled. Contrary to the hatred that filled his head and chest, he was grinning. The only thing barely keeping Lucius alive right now was his physical enhancement. This time, Reiss nor Fried weren't here to save him. He would surely die this time. For some reason, that thought made laughter surge within him.

Lucius: I don't get it at all... Why would you do that for those classmate of yours... Gahaha...hah.

Lucius squeezed out the last of his energy to speak to Sora. Blood spurted from his lips.

Sora: I'm the one who doesn't get it...

Why did his father have to be killed? Why did his mother had to go into a coma? Causing a trauma for his little sister. Sora looked down at Lucius on his deathbed and strengthened his grip around his sword. Seeing Lucius like this made, him recalled his fond memories of his father, Zen. The happiness he had lost. The days he could never get back. The affection he'd never feel again—all of it was taken by this man. That was why Sora felt no pity as he watched Lucius on the verge of death.

Sora:...

Silently, Sora thrust his sword deeper through Lucius's heart.

Sora:...

Lucius fell completely silent. His life had ended.

Sora(mind): He's dead.

Without batting an eye, Sora looked down at his face. He had killed him. With his own hands. With Lucius planning on getting his way and becoming his enemy. Sora would kill Lucius no matter what the cost. He had no regrets.

Sora:...It's over.

Sora activated his spirit arts through his blade and set Lucius's body alight. The body instantly burst into flames, and Sora pulled his sword out of Lucius's heart and took several steps back. The flames burned at an intensely high heat, turning Lucius into ash in a matter of moments.

His goal remained the same. Finding a way to returned to earth and to his Mother and sister. He had thought everyone would hate him if they knew the truth, but that wasn't the case. That was why—

Sora: Time to go home.

Sora turned and started walking. There were people waiting for the return of someone like him, and he wanted to go back to them. And so, he would return. Sora glanced up at the water dragons in the sky and dispersed them into mist, then did the same for the tails on the ground. The mist created a sparkling rainbow that covered the area. Walking through that arch, he headed towards the ragged forms of Shizuku and his classmate.