The battle for Albion's capital finally over, Sora returned to Toristine aboard the airship with the fifty Academy magicians. These fifty teenagers had been the most carefully protected element on the field, only deployed when the situation already leaned in their favor — to amplify killing power and break the enemy's morale — so, fortunately, not one of them died.
After repeatedly casting in real combat and witnessing the horror of slaughter, every one of them had advanced notably. All had broken through to Line-class, those who were already Line-class had strengthened their mana and refined their casting, and four — including Kixiu — had pushed on to Triangle-class.
Now, the airship drifted back toward Toristine.
"Hahaha, Sora!" Kixiu, recovered from the campaign, strode up brimming with confidence. "I've walked through hell — blood and fire — and now I'm Triangle-class too. For that blow you gave me… let's duel!!"
Sora blinked. He had clashed with Kixiu at the Academy, but so much had happened since that the grudge had slipped his mind. The challenge brought it back.
"So that's it. Fine," Sora said. "I've been curious how far you've come."
"How about this: pick ten from them, and I'll fight all ten at once."
"You're underestimating me way too much!" Kixiu snapped. "Damn it — watch this!"
He flourished a rose.
"Grando Erth Hammer!" — [Bronze Puppet].
Three petals fell to the deck and swelled into three bronze-armored warriors, spears in hand.
They formed a line and charged Sora.
Sora drew Dever, lips moving in a rapid murmur.
"Yah Fell Albrook." — [Fireball].
Red light flashed along the blade. As Sora swept his sword, a flame-shaped arc flew out, slicing through all three bronze puppets mid-charge. Where the flame passed, their bodies showed hollow interiors; then upper and lower halves clattered apart on the planks.
Kixiu's brow creased. He waved the rose-wand again, chanting louder.
"Grando Erth Erth Erth Hammer!" — [Silver Puppet].
Sora did not interrupt; he simply stood, sword in hand.
Every petal on the wand fell, gathered, and fused into a silver-white puppet, sword-bearing, slim-limbed, gleaming.
Under Kixiu's control, the silver puppet lunged, stabbing straight at Sora's face.
Its speed was blistering. Sora slipped his head aside; the thrust pierced empty air, then recoiled and struck again.
He hopped back a step; the puppet closed, driving its point once more.
Sora swung his longsword, lifting the thin blade from below and batting it aside.
Its pattern was simple, its strength ordinary — but its speed impressive. Sora had already gauged enough. He stepped in, then unleashed a flurry of cuts, fencing at the puppet's rapier more than ten times in succession.
With a sharp crack, the thin sword flew from its grip, spinning backward.
Yet the puppet kept stabbing with its bare right hand, as if still armed.
Sora thrust straight out; Dever's full length touched the puppet's chest, holding it just beyond reach.
"Yah Fell Albrook." — [Fireball].
"Inz Wendy Gluck." — [Wind Hammer].
Red and blue light flashed on Dever's tip, then burst forth together.
A searing torrent engulfed the silver puppet. Its humanoid form twisted and sagged, melting into slag that dribbled onto the deck.
Across the planks, Kixiu panted heavily, mana spent, unable to continue.
The commotion had drawn the other Academy magicians, who clustered around.
Kixiu saw their faces, saw Sora's calm air — as if barely exerting himself — and suddenly yelled, "Everyone! Sora said he wants to 'train' us. Let's all go at him together and show him how we've grown!"
"Wait, I never said that," Sora protested, stunned.
But the others' eyes lit up. Incantations began at once.
Sora bore no grudge against them. Yet back at the Academy, being surrounded by Louise, Churuk, and Tabasa had bred envy. Churuk, especially, loved to tease boys — but since Sora arrived, she had clung to him. It had rankled. Now, with an excuse handed to them, the Academy boys gleefully turned on Sora.
[Water Ball], [Earth Cone], and more hurtled toward him.
Pure energy spells — wind and fire — Dever devoured easily. Earth and water, however, passed through unabsorbed. They had planned that much.
Sora darted across the deck, dodging a web of attacks.
Wind- and fire-casters began aiming not at him, but at where he would move, targeting his wrists and ankles. For a moment, Sora found himself boxed in; Dever couldn't quite reach every incoming spell to absorb.
Earth and water mages who had mastered third-tier spells started their chants from the rear.
"Imo Walter Walter Haye." — [Depth Charge].
"Haru Uss Uss Uss Xiu." — [Rock Spears Overgrown].
"Clear out!" the Triangle-class mages shouted as they finished. Nearby students scattered away from Sora.
A three-meter-wide dark blue sphere surged toward him.
Contained in that bomb was titanic impact, enough to tear through dozens, even hundreds, around its landing point.
At the same time, Sora felt the deck tremble — countless rock spears readying to burst forth beneath him.
"Tch. Annoying," he muttered, bracing Dever in his right hand and slapping his left palm to the planks.
"Hayata Walter Walter Gelfin." — [Water Shock].
A violent jet erupted from his palm, hurling him five or six meters into the air.
The depth charge slid beneath him, then detonated early under the caster's control.
BOOM!!! Jets of water exploded outward, flaying the deck and lancing in every direction.
Above, the stream from Sora's palm widened into a flat shield, breaking the worst of the impact washing up toward him. When the last of the water drained from his hand, he began to drop from eight or nine meters up.
The boards below were slick; the impact of the depth charge had chewed pits into the deck.
[Rock Spears Overgrown].
As Sora fell, two-meter, needle-narrow stone lances shot up in a circle ten meters across beneath him. Like some great maw of fangs, they reached greedily for his body.
Sora's lips curled.
"Ibaru Wendy Wo." — [Float].
A rising gust caught him, slowing his fall, stopping him one meter above the rocky thicket.
"The power of magic isn't just about level," Sora called down. "It's about how you use it. A first-tier [Float] can bypass a third-tier [Rock Spears Overgrown]."
Those who had cast [Depth Charge] and [Rock Spears] looked crestfallen; the others' shoulders slumped as well. Two third-tier spells, and still nothing.
"Then," a voice rang, "take my sword, demon!"
Aaliyah — silver armor gleaming, cyan hair flying — burst from the crowd at astonishing speed, springing lightly from spear to spear.
In a single breath, she vaulted up from the rock-heads and slashed at Sora.
Her bright sword howled with wind; blue light flickered along the edge.
The strike was vicious and sudden; Sora had no time to chant.
Jaw tightening, he swung Dever. Using Shui Linger's mana-control method, he sheathed the blade in magic. Clear water flowed along the steel, wrapped in its own blue glow.
Disbelief flashed in Aaliyah's eyes.
A heartbeat later, their blades met.
BOOM!!!
Wind and water crashed together, scattering into rain that drenched the boys on deck. Azure windlight and aquamarine shimmer mingled and vanished. The shock flung Aaliyah straight down toward the stone forest and hurled Sora outward, off the side of the ship.
"Damn it… clueless girl," Sora thought sourly.
Beneath Aaliyah, spearpoints rushed up. Before Sora, the airship shrank away.
"Hash Wendy Lie." — [Wind Blade].
As he dropped, Sora slashed at the rock spears under her.
The cyan blade raced tens of meters in a blink, chopping their tips clean.
"Whoa— gurulu!" Aaliyah landed on the flattened stubs, rolled sideways, and tumbled onto the deck. Her mana-honed body had long since surpassed ordinary humans; she sprang up at once and dashed to the rail.
Sora had already fallen thirty meters, ten more from the ship.
"Demon! Why did you save me?!" Aaliyah screamed, confusion and turmoil thick in her voice.
Sora could only give a bitter smile.
I'm hopeless — always soft on pretty girls. This is bad: free fall, thousands of meters up.
"Dever, any ideas?"
"What can I do? Ah, who knows where we'll land — deep mountains, old forest, no one for a thousand years? Why panic, partner? This is it for us."
"Haha… ha." Sora laughed weakly. "Didn't die on the battlefield — just like this, huh?"
He spread his arms. Wind tore at his coat, flattening his cheeks back; his speed had already risen to hundreds of meters per second.
Sorry… Louise, Tabasa, Churuk…
Ground rushed up — endless green canopy, Earth's warm embrace.
BOOM!!! The impact shook the forest to its roots.
A circular crater twenty meters deep gaped amid the trees. Trunks and soil had been blasted outward; at its center lay only a mass of red flesh. Beside it, a longsword glittered in the sun.
"Ah, partner… what a way to go," the sword murmured. "Anyone? Anyone there to collect my partner's body?"