"F-sensei! It's not fair!" (Kimiko)
"I don't care. You're the only one here who can heal them if they get seriously injured. So, you can't participate. Besides, I know all too well what you can do." (Fumio)
"Come on! I wanted to fight against Hajime too! I've never fought him before!" (Kimiko)
"Maybe another day. For now, sit with Aomori-san, and don't bother." (Fumio)
Kimiko huffed loudly, muttering under her breath, then sat down with the [esper], on the ground, legs crossed, in a corner of the floor, waiting for their teammates to arrive.
(...Is it just my impression, or is she pouting? ...Definitely childish, considering she's a Teenager.) (Fumio)
At the end of that thought, his three students arrived. They were all dressed in their mission gear, including weapons and masks.
"Fumio-sensei, we're ready." (Cloe)
"Good, you three, my kids. You'll be the spearhead of the next mission. We probably won't avoid a direct confrontation with the guards of our target, which means we'll find ourselves in a fight where we won't have the advantage of numbers. Now, I want you to fight each other. I've focused a lot on training Owari-san lately. Let me see how much you've improved."
Fumio took it upon himself to train Kimiko because she was the only one of the team who hadn't worked in a group before arriving here. Unfortunately, he paid less attention to Kuro and Cloe, who had only recently stabilized some of their powers.
Nevertheless, his choice proved correct. Kimiko's teamwork was less than adequate, which was a big problem. Not to mention her other flaws during combat: impatience, arrogance, lack of seriousness—all weak points that could get her killed someday, Fumio was sure of that.
Thanks to the [mage], however, the girl had started improving just enough not to be a burden to her teammates.
Still, the 30-year-old wasn't entirely sure he could rely on her if a critical moment came.
(Owari-san can't have too central a role in this mission. She lacks discipline and wouldn't listen to Aomori-san or my orders if she lost her temper... but her powers are not to be underestimated; she would be indispensable if things went badly, especially her [healing magic].)
While pondering what to do, Fumio was also waiting for his students to give the go-ahead to start.
Kuro and Hajime drew their weapons. The former immediately took a combat stance with his [Bloody sickle]: [Carmilla I], while the latter made some movements with his katana to regain familiarity with the weapon.
"([Blood Katana]: [Tepes I]... I didn't think I'd miss you so much, girl... now, wielding you feels like a whole new story... we'll see how much I've really improved now)."
Cloe, instead, closed her eyes and focused. The girl switched to her mode—cold and efficient, used rarely in missions.
"I will decide when the fight is over. Activate [Mana manipulation]: [armor], now. When I give the signal, start. And remember, fight as if your life depends on it."
Following their master's orders, the three did as told. When the [mana] covered their bodies, Fumio started the countdown.
"One... two... three... go!"
"[Overwrite]: [physical enhancement]!"
Hajime immediately surged forward. With such speed that it surprised both Kuro and everyone watching, the silver-haired boy charged straight at his target: Cloe.
She was the unknown variable in this fight. She had never really talked about her [magic].
Due to what he had endured and faced in the past, Goto's stepson had never delved too deeply or asked questions about such a delicate topic.
He had only seen her in action once, and that was enough to understand that, although unstable, her [magic] was far beyond what he could handle.
A quick, precise attack was the best option to take her down.
His blade swung downward in a near-perfect vertical oscillation.
"[Falcon's blades]!"
"(I should have expected it! It won't be that easy!)" (Hajime)
Cloe's fingers had turned to metal, resembling the talons of a large bird of prey. Crossing them above her head, she blocked the blade, though the kinetic force clearly took her by surprise, causing her body to strain to avoid falling to her knees.
Hajime was the strongest physically among them.
"(I can still win hand-to-hand against her!)"
He kicked her in the stomach, sending his friend flying several meters away.
"Ugh, [sand]!"
Before she could hit the ground, the [mage] created sand mid-air that cushioned her fall onto the floor.
"(I can still...!)"
Hajime's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two daggers aimed at his head.
"Damn!"
He narrowly avoided the weapons, but couldn't escape the attack coming from behind.
After throwing the knives, Kuro moved quickly with [shadow step], behind his opponent, ready to slash his back with his weapon.
But Hajime was no fool. He used his katana to block the attack just in time to avoid injury. The two weapons clashed, sparks flying.
His speed wasn't on par with Kuro's, but that didn't mean he couldn't parry his hits.
Knowing he was weaker, the teenage boy didn't waste time engaging in a pointless strength contest. Instead, he jumped back a few steps, creating some distance, and threw six knives at his opponent.
"More knives!?" (Hajime)
"Consider them my welcome gift!" (Kuro)
With his weapon, the 17-year-old deflected each knife except two. One grazed his side, and another pierced his shoulder.
"Shit! My shoulder!"
Thanks to his gear, the blade didn't penetrate too deeply, leaving only a minor wound that still hurt.
Without delay, Hajime pulled out the knife and stopped the bleeding with his powers.
He threw the weapon that had injured him, but not toward its owner—rather, toward his sister, who was trying to catch him off guard with [stealth].
"[Telekinesis]!"
"(Right! She also has that [magic]!)" (Hajime)
"(She's aiming at me!)" (Kuro)
Cloe halted the knife mid-air with her [magic] and threw it back toward Kuro, who deflected it with his sickle. The distraction allowed the sand she had created to target her brother's legs.
"Got him!" (Cloe)
"Damn!" (Kuro)
The sand of the 17-year-old girl tightened around her brother's limbs, who was trying to use [shadow step] to escape.
The sand formed a vine, lifting Kuro upside down, then spinning him like a centrifuge. When it spun fast enough, Cloe released her grip, sending her stepbrother crashing into the wall on the other side of the room.
His head collided with the wall, which shattered under the impact—more severe than a bad car accident.
If not for [armor], his skull probably would have broken.
But Cloe didn't have time to celebrate. Hajime approached her and used all his swordsmanship skill to try to strike her.
"[Sand]!"
The boy's katana clashed against a powerful wall of hardened sand.
"Tsk!"
Deciding to change tactics, Hajime began circling his opponent, using all his speed, and attacking with quick, unpredictable strikes with his katana.
Cloe's sand blocked every blow, but after several seconds of combat, it was clear from her breathing and sweat that she was reaching her limit.
"(Controlling all this sand isn't easy! Her concentration is probably at its limit. I just need to keep this pace to...!)"
His thoughts halted when, instead of hitting a solid wall, his beloved [Tepes I] penetrated her sand defense. The boy focused all his strength into his arms to take advantage of the opening.
When the weapon reached halfway, it got stuck. Hajime realized he had been tricked—the sand had solidified.
"Got you, Hajime!" (Cloe)
Kuro's sister summoned more sand, shaping it into serpents to trap her opponent.
"I don't think so!"
Hajime let go of his weapon, stepping back. Using his teeth, he bit his palm hard enough to bleed.
"[Overwrite]: [blood katana]!"
The blood from the wound turned into a katana, which he used to cut through the serpent vines that had ensnared him.
With a wide horizontal slash at 360 degrees, he freed himself from the sand. Cloe was too exhausted mentally to reform it quickly, so she chose to keep her distance.
"No! I won't let you escape!"
Hajime moved to thrust his blood katana into her stomach.
"I can't avoid it! It's too close!" (Cloe)
Her fingers turned into metal claws that blocked the advance of his katana, exactly as he had predicted, and he smiled under his mask.
Her older brother Kuro ducked and swept her legs with his own, causing her to fall backward.
The girl could only stand in shock as she found the blade of Hajime's sword just centimeters from her neck.
"I got you!" (Hajime)
"And I got you, Hajime."
A voice came from behind Hajime, Kuro. He had his sickle pressed just centimeters from his opponent's head; one move, and Hajime's skull would be split open like a watermelon.
It was a brilliant move by the young [mage] shadow, staying back until this moment.
Cloe didn't hesitate. She took the opportunity to gather the sand and surround her two teammates, who hadn't noticed until it was too late.
It was a standoff. Hajime had Kuro's vein, Kuro had his friend's head, and the young [mage] still had a chance to take them both and win.
Who would make the first move? Who would win? Who would fall first? All these questions had no answers.
"Enough. I've seen enough. If you keep going, it could end badly, so put away your weapons."
Under Fumio's command, the three kids did as told. Kohaku quickly went to congratulate them on the fantastic fight, followed by a still pouting Kimiko, who wanted to participate.
"(Yes... they're all [Beta Ranks] now... with me, Owari-san, and Aomori-san's support, we might really pull this mission off.)"