Two minutes.
This is the time it takes for the tanker armor's vitality to deplete in the game.
Aurora feels like this time will never end. For so long, she has been dashing around, evading devastating attacks like a rat. Soon, she inevitably feels her stamina decreasing, and her MP reserve is not safe either.
'Focus.'
Seconds left. She can't afford to mess up in this critical moment.
Aurora takes a deep breath before rotating slowly in the direction of Chloe, jumping from building to building. With each one she passes through, it is promptly destroyed by the giant armor. One look around the area reveals that most of the infrastructure has been decimated.
SWOOSH—!!
''Tch.''
Just then, another spear of earth shoots at her from behind, grazing her body. Aurora turns back slightly, and to her delight, the aura surrounding the armor has gotten thinner, signaling the end of the berserk period.
Feeling a rush of energy, Aurora takes off to the sky, heading toward the area where fire resides.
Soon, she lands on top of a tall building, and when she looks down, dozens of people can be seen fighting a female armor holding a claymore. At the forefront are Claudia Heisenberg and her old friend, Chloe.
'The students... Are up there.'
After taking stock of the situation, Aurora turns to the side, and she is greeted by the sight of a colossal figure ramming toward her like a mad bull.
Aurora takes a stance.
PUFF—!!
BOOM—!!
Ignoring the intense fire pillar to the left of her vision, Aurora begins to retreat slowly, calculating the time she has to counterattack.
'Three, two, one...'
As the giant armor comes closer and closer to her, it wields all the remaining power at its disposal, condensing it into a terrifying swirl around its hand. Even the berserk aura is being sucked in.
With dying creaks, the armor pulls its fist back and throws it forward. Aurora seizes the moment when her opponent completely loses its ability to defend, stepping to the side and bringing her foot all the way up.
THUD—!!
A dull, loud colliding sound echoes from the impact. The arm is blown into the air, together with chipped golden scales, while the energy concentration is quickly dissipated.
Following this, Aurora spins around and delivers a kick to the lifeless armor's waist, launching him below like a ball.
BOOM—!!
As soon as the giant armor collides with the female one, Aurora slowly floats over to the scene, catching the attention of everyone present.
'Your chance.'
Aurora, under the mask, stares intently at Chloe, who is wobbling all over the place. Seeing this sight is quite heartbreaking, but Aurora trusts her friend.
While everyone is stunned by the sudden intervention, Chloe makes her way over to the two armors and raises her sword.
''Kuh...!''
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Using her little strength left, the blonde beauty slams her sword right into the gap between the tanker armor's torso piece and headpiece, piercing its throat fair and squarely.
[You have defeated a Lv.64 ■■-struck human Nathan]
[Proficiency achieved a certain level]
[Being: Aurora Lv.50 has become Lv.52]
[2 skill points acquired]
[You have defeated a Lv.64 ■■-struck human Nathan]
[Proficiency achieved a certain level]
[Being: Amelia Lv.39 has become Lv.41]
[2 skill points acquired]
Simultaneously, Aurora's and Chloe's system windows pop up. Thus, the objective of using the tanker armor as an HP and MP battery is accomplished.
Strength, stamina, and MP all return to the two's bodies. Chloe lets out a relieved sigh while Aurora keeps her cool.
''!!''
However, the fight is not over yet.
As Chloe pulls out her sword and retreats, a source of intense magma rises from the ground, devouring the corpse of the huge armor. Soon, a vaguely humanoid figure engulfed in bright red flame emerges.
BOOM—!!
At the same time, a catastrophic explosion can be heard in the distance. A surge of ice so big that it dwarfs the main church stands proudly; the sheer scale of it, combined with its clear property, creates a strangely mesmerizing view. In the sky, people can clearly see the army of marine creatures aiding their lord with magic as well.
''...''
'It seems Nova is doing alright, at least.'
Soon, Aurora turns her attention back to the opponent at sight. According to her old friend, this is phase two of the miniboss, and it takes much effort to defeat it in the game.
It will be dangerous for Chloe and the others to face it alone, but now that Aurora is here, things will change. She has the ice element, the direct counter to it, after all.
However, she doesn't want to steal Chloe's experience, so there is only one option left.
'Minor assist, hm...'
As the magma armor begins to move, rapidly expanding its molten aura, Claudia quickly snaps back and directs the force.
''You lot! Pour magic in!''
In an instant, colorful spells fly in from all directions, forcing the thing to escape by jumping high into the air. Once airborne, it propels itself forward with an explosion, bolting straight toward Aurora.
'So it knows I'm the most dangerous.'
Facing the blazing claymore, Aurora silently raises the icy-cold Blackstar above her head. With her newly improved strength, she slams her sword down even before her opponent comes into her striking range, dragging the blistering ice together with her blade.
A vivid trail of blueish-white remains in the air—a teaser for what will come next.
The faint hue of blue quickly envelopes the magma armor and the whole area below it, extending far into the distance. Then, With a crisp crash sound, a spiky wall of ice so tall and big it might as well replace the city's walls rushes forward, gobbling its opponent down like a hungry beast.
CRACK—!!
BOOM—!!!
''...''
Aurora forgets just how good her magic handling is. Looking at the frozen armor, she can't help but let out a relieved sigh. Fortunately, she is able to adjust the concentration of the ice a bit earlier. The armor doesn't lose much HP.
Then, Aurora suddenly sees the blonde beauty step toward her. She looks into the sky with a serious face.
''Excuse me. Can I have that?'' Chloe, no, Amelia Luminous asks boldly.
'''' ?!? ''''
Everybody else is dumbfounded. No one expects the heiress of Luminous to be so fearless as to demand something from the famed and enigmatic Miss G, who is known for being irregularly strong, not in a hundred years. Yet, here she is, facing the surreal galaxy mask directly. No matter how one looks at her, fear doesn't even seem to be present in her mind.
Miss G, on the other hand, has a smile underneath her mask.
'A play to elevate her position... Not bad.'
''Take it.''
So, Aurora speaks up for the first time in her disguise. She snaps her finger lightly, making the ice wall disappear except for the block of ice in which the female armor is in. It falls onto the ground with a 'thud—!'
''What...''
''Did she just...?''
Confusion spreads among the fighters. Usually, no one would be willing to give up experience to other people like this. Nevertheless, Chloe walks up to the block of ice and promptly stabs her fire sword in. The blade quickly melts through the ice, reaching the armor's throat inside.
BZT—!
Chloe channels her lightning magic into her weapon, frying the bound armor's inside to a crisp.
[You have defeated a Lv.58 ■■-struck human Julia]
[Proficiency achieved a certain level]
[Being: Amelia Lv.41 has become Lv.45]
[4 skill points acquired]
Chloe smiles in satisfaction, feeling the power pouring into her body.
Just like that, the crisis of the academy's team is resolved in one strike, no less. Everybody naturally turns their attention to the figure in the sky, anticipating her next move.
The figure—Miss G, gazes at the intense battlefield in the distance.
It is time to help out the orca.