The group moved in silence, focused on keeping their pace and avoiding any surprise attacks from creatures lurking around.
The atmosphere was tense but relatively calm; the constant threat of an attack kept them on edge, but so far, there had been no signs of danger.
Still, Eleonora remained alert, her summoned being, with heightened senses, staying vigilant by her side.
Suddenly, Eleonora's summon lifted its head as if it had detected something.
"I sense something up ahead," it reported immediately.
Eleonora narrowed her eyes, trying to feel it too, but before she could react, a gigantic beam of light struck them without warning.
The summon, positioned in front, took the brunt of the hit while Eleonora, beside it, was thrown back by the shockwave.
The explosion was deafening, knocking both to the ground and enveloping them in smoke and sparks of residual energy.
The rest of the group, trailing slightly behind, instinctively backed away from the blast.
The force of the impact kicked up a cloud of dust and snow debris, and for a few seconds, the only sound was the echo of thunder and the hiss of dispersing magic.
Alexia was the first to react, shouting, "Hey! Are you guys alright?"
Meanwhile, the summon’s cloak had been torn to shreds, leaving its bare skin exposed.
Camila, under Eleonora’s control, had managed to shield herself as best she could, but her clothes were also almost completely destroyed, revealing visible burn marks on her skin.
The burns on Camila’s body were severe; she could feel the searing pain, but to her surprise, the summon seemed barely affected, though its gaze had become more dangerous than ever.
"Who dares to attack us?" the summon thought, irritated.
“Damn it…” Eleonora muttered, brushing ash off her ruined clothes.
Just then, small magical blasts began falling from above, like a deadly rain that forced everyone to scatter.
"Break into smaller groups!" Alexia shouted as she nimbly dodged the explosions falling from the sky.
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A fireball nearly hit her, but she managed to roll to the side before taking serious damage.
Around her, the others scrambled to protect themselves as best they could: Marta, using her magic, raised a glowing shield to protect Aiden, who was carrying her on his back.
"What the hell is going on!" Leo yelled, dodging a sharp gust of wind that almost sliced his arm off.
Isuke also suffered a few scratches while trying to avoid the fireballs raining down from above, but he kept moving, shielding and helping the others.
However, in the midst of the chaos, one thing became clear:
These weren’t attacks from wild creatures.
"This isn't the work of monsters…" Alexia murmured, her eyes narrowing as she dodged another fireball, feeling the heat singe her skin. "It's… our classmates."
Confusion clouded Alexia's mind.
Why were they being attacked by their own classmates?
Although she managed to dodge most of the attacks with her agility, a few spells grazed her, and both Leo and Isuke were beginning to show signs of exhaustion.
Eleonora, on the other hand, looked visibly annoyed by the aggression, but instead of fear, she almost seemed to enjoy what was happening.
"How predictable," Eleonora thought with a small twisted smile.
If she were in their place, she’d probably do the same: quick and deadly long-range attacks to take out weaker enemies.
"Well... I wonder who’s behind this," Eleonora murmured with a hint of admiration.
"Come with me!" she commanded her summon, which obeyed instantly.
Eleonora, still injured but determined, started running toward the source of the attacks.
As they advanced, they dodged the magical projectiles raining down on them like deadly rain.
Eleonora was smiling.
"Watch closely," she told her summon.
But Alexia, seeing what was about to happen, panicked.
It was clear that Eleonora was serious, and with the combined strength of her and her summon, a massacre could ensue among their classmates.
If she didn’t stop her, they were all going to die.
"Stop!" Alexia shouted desperately, but Eleonora and her summon were already too far to hear.
As they neared the mountain from where the attacks were coming, the spells that had been falling randomly now concentrated directly on them, trying to halt their advance.
Sharp gusts of wind like blades, fireballs, and even ice spears began raining down on them.
Eleonora and her summon pressed on, dodging. The summon did so by pure instinct, while Eleonora relied on her experience.
Though not all the blasts hit them, some ice shards cut Eleonora’s skin, and the heat from the fireballs burned her clothes further.
Still, nothing stopped them.
"Let's go!" Eleonora shouted excitedly.
When they finally reached the base of the mountain, they found a line of armed students waiting for them.
Upon seeing Camila injured and her clothes barely hanging on, their faces showed confusion, and they stopped their long-range attacks, which Eleonora found a bit stupid at this point.
However, the atmosphere changed drastically when they sensed the presence of Eleonora’s summon, as the powerful energy it emitted was so intense that all the students raised their weapons in unison.
Despite being completely naked, the summon stood tall, maintaining a firm posture.
And just when it seemed like the attacks were about to resume, and Eleonora and her summon were about to strike back…
“Stop!”
A voice that all the students recognized made them pause, turning their attention toward the person Eleonora quickly identified as their group leader.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Valentina shouted angrily when she realized they had been attacking Camila, her best friend.