A body flew through the air, falling on the grass and sliding a certain distance before stopping.
His barrier broken, the student slowly disappeared into nothingness.
Cyril stood opposite, holding a spear in front of him.
He relaxed and briefly glanced at the bracelet, at the number 72 on it.
This is getting repetitive...
He shook his head and walked ahead. Morpho flew nearby holding a disc-shaped crystal.
Maybe this is enough for now... I could find the others to see how they are doing.
Cyril put the spear on his back and calmly grabbed the disc from the butterfly's legs as she landed back on his shoulder.
Morpho then gently tapped him, sharing her enthusiasm.
"Thank you."
Cyril gently brushed her wings as a subtle smile appeared on his face.
"We can go on just for a little bit more!"
Just then, the sounds of someone moving through the bushes caught his attention.
He halted while the butterfly flew in front of him, warily gazing at the source of the noise.
After a few moments an ordinary student walked out, his state somewhat different from what Cyril had seen before.
Hisr eyes were almost bloodshot, scanning everywhere around with some manic focus.
The moment the student noticed him, he quickly raised his hands in the air.
Morpho shot forward, hitting him before the spell could go off.
The student fell to the ground, his body twisting in place but their eyes still locked on Cyril.
What's wrong with this one?
Cyril tilted his head in confusion, finding that intensity weird.
"These weaklings finally snapped."
I like the spirit, I guess.
Cyril shook his head and continued on his way.
"...!"
But then the sound of a spell activating rang out in the silent forest.
He raised his head, finding a pure white fireball shooting upward.
It shone brightly in the dark forest, like a guiding star.
Morpho quickly flew through the grass, striking a student hiding in the bushes nearby.
I didn't hear him... I got too careless.
Cyril sighed with annoyance and walked towards the student.
As the student saw him come near, he laughed maniacally.
"Hahaha! Your reign of terror will soon be over! We will resist!"
Reign of terror...?
As his body disappeared, the student stared at Cyril's blue eyes with a mix of anger, anticipation, and something else.
"...?"
Cyril stood with a blank face, feeling deep confusion.
Soon the student was gone, but his eyes still lingered on Cyril's mind for a few seconds.
He was feeling... envious?
"Well, it's only natural for them to be jealous of you!" Rhamn brushed her black hair, a smirk on her face.
This seems extreme.
Cyril walked further, slowing down after a couple of seconds.
Vaguely, in the distance, sounds of something moving quickly through the grass approached his position.
With this the image of the signal from before flashed on his mind.
It had a different color.
If the bright red fire meant to stay away...
"Then the white fire now means approach?"
Cyril focused on the noises and dashed in a particular direction.
"I don't know. I feel regular red fire could do the trick too, both tell of your location after all."
Not now.
The butterfly flew in the air near him, getting more excited.
Cyril held the crystal close, and soon he saw another human.
"There he is!"
A student pointed at him wearing an enraged expression, with two more people at their side.
Morpho, in an increasingly skilled manner, shot forward like a cannonball, hitting the first one.
Then she bounced between the rest, effectively breaking their barriers.
"He is here!" One yelled through pain as he disappeared.
These ones are weird too...!
Suddenly a fireball flew from somewhere at his back.
Cyril hastily ducked, but the heat still managed to force his barrier to change color.
Another fireball quickly approached, but Cyril dashed forward, dodging it.
"He's running away! Don't let him!"
"We are not running away!"
Cyril tsked and turned around as he dodged. He raised one hand as the other clutched the crystal and aimed.
Before him was another group of students, all sharing the same fanatical emotion.
They all prepared spells, and some even strung up their bows.
"...!"
That's a lot.
Cyril hastily cast a spell, using more mana than he normally would. A fireball twice the size of someone's head soon appeared from a magic circle.
It quickly flew towards the group, their enraged faces lit up by fiery red.
Their spells or arrows that came a bit later all met the fiery ball and melted into it.
An explosion resounded in the forest.
A few tall trees around fell with a cracking bang, while a small crater was left where there were students before.
Cyril blankly observed the results and glanced at his hand.
That's the potency of my fireball...?
"All that Ambrosia is doing us good!"
I spent a lot of mana on that...
Soon the survivors stood up from the ground, their faces shaken up.
A few more people arrived from a distance, briefly observing the burnt grass before glaring at him.
Just how many are there?
A red blur streaked across the air, attacking all those still shaken from the blast.
Cyril raised his hand and cast another spell.
Not so big this time.
Using measured fireballs, he defended his position, striking one eager student after another.
Soon, he and Morpho dealt with the majority.
The red butterfly flung the last student to the ground and flew back on Cyril's shoulder, taking a well-deserved rest.
Cyril took a few deep breaths, trying to recover.
"...You are getting tired... We'll keep coming… Thorne…!"
The last student grunted as their body disappeared.
Something is definitely wrong.
"It's more interesting this way."
Cyril recovered his breathing and stood tall, glancing at the well-kept crystal in his arms.
It's inconvenient to fight with this thing. It ruins any enjoyment.
Then a distant sound of rustling grass, along with enthusiastic shouts, attracted his attention.
More!?
Cyril observed the direction the noise came from with a frown, carefully feeling how much mana he had left.
"Tsk."
He turned around and ran ahead, the butterfly flying at his side.
I need to recover my mana.
...It's a tactical retreat.
"No, we are only exploring the forest! It's too boring to fight in the same spot."
Yeah...
Cyril ran ahead, feeling bizarrely bitter.
The butterfly landed on his shoulder and twitched her antennae with excitement.
...
"No! My revenge..." A flamboyant voice exclaimed, gradually weakening at the end,
Bonzo fell to the ground, his barrier broken, again.
He passionately glared at Cyril, his eyes showing great unwillingness.
Morpho flew around with the crystal, twitching her antennae in triumph.
Cyril took a deep breath and twirled the spear in his hand, observing the state of his opponent.
Bonzo is fanatical too, now....
Actually, maybe he is always like this.
"Clearly."
Cyril shook his head and began running, not staying in the same place for too long.
On the way he focused on his hearing, changing his path depending on the noises ahead.
I just need to stop them from sending signals-
As he was thinking that, suddenly a white light streaked across the sky, momentarily brightening the moody forest.
There, slightly in front, was a student with a tense face, their arm stretched towards the sky.
The student's body was half hidden in a bush, a bunch of grass stuck to their head.
Some are lying in ambush? Really?
"Very determined."
Morpho quickly hit the student on the head, knocking them out.
As their body disappeared, the student twisted in place, moaning from pain.
I need to deal with this somehow. I can't continue like this until the end of the test.
Cyril sped up again, a deeper frown on his face.
"I might have an idea... But we'll need to test its feasibility first."
You do?
Cyril changed his direction midway and shot Rhamn a skeptical gaze.
"As long as you don't deny it right away, you'll discover that my idea is a really fun one."
She ran at his side, grinning at him with mischief.
The maliciousness shining in her bright red eyes almost made him stumble as an ominous feeling hung over him.
...Tell me about it.
"Hehe."