We will meet in the forest of death today.
Even so, I should still go to school before that.
Hikage takes me there like any other day.
It is been a while since I last came here.
I did sleep for the last few days.
So much happened.
Monday, one week since I transferred.
I enter through the entrance.
The cameras always watching over me.
Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?
"Look who is here."
The irritating voice of Cereja is the first thing I hear.
She is with the boy named Eleazar.
"Stay away from me!" - There should be no problem, if she tries anything, I can just turn into my kitsune form.
"You're quite different from the last time." - Eleazar comments - "It's been a while since I last saw a demi-human."
He points to my ears. Wait. Before I know it, I am walking through the city in my half-kitsune form.
My fox ears and tail are for all to see. No one commented or noticed in the city.
"Do not try to change subjects, you murdered her parents!" - I nearly forgot, Cereja is the culprit behind the attack on Arstria's mansion. - "I'm not here to fight, but I can easily destroy you both."
"Look at her baring her fangs. What about it? We fight here to see who wins?" - Cereja taunts me, as Eleazar enters a combat stance.
"Stop."
A voice appears from someone I'm not familiar with.
Cereja and Eleazar quickly fall to the floor, kneeling before the one who just appeared.
"Shikimi Elewp. I see you've changed your theme.
From cold princess to wild beast."
He do not look a child. He looks more like a teenager around age 17.
His size is enormous. Almost like a bodybuilder that loves steroids.
His fangs are unlike that of a human, more like a beast's.
Even so, he has a aura that makes you submit to his words.
And the feelings he is expressing... They are horrid.
The only two emotions he feels is Lust and Wrath.
"Do you remember me? From when you first entered the class."
"Hm?" - Suddenly, a memory that I had forgotten appears before my eyes.
----------------------------------------
When I first entered the class, all the desks were occupied with students.
> "Hello, I'm glad to meet the class.
> I hope we can all have a positive associaton in the future.
> My personal name is Elewp, I hail from the Shikimi Family."
"Oh, you're quite pretty.
Sit next to me, princess.
I am Stanrocc Titania"
A teenager different from all the other children in the class sat in the middle of it.
Bulging muscles, the perfect image of a jock and a meathead.
Even so, I can feel the respect the class feels for him.
Also, how much they fear him.
His student uniform is completely ragged, as they can't contain his muscles.
As for the feelings deep within him. They are horrid.
He just met me, but already lusts for me.
Definitely someone I should not associate with.
Also, what is this hunger I feel from him? It is... troublesome for me to see this emotion.
"Hello, I am Shikimi Elewp.
Unfortunately there is no desk near you.
Dear classmate."
I had perfected my act for so many years.
I'm sure it will work.
"That is not a problem."
He looks to the boy in front of him.
A boy with long hair. His eyes, full of fear.
"I've found a new toy. There is no use for you."
His hands envelop the student's head.
He slowly presses his hand, as the boy screams for help.
The blue-haired teacher looks to the other side.
Stanrocc could have done it in a single press.
But he presses as slow as he can.
As the boy tries his hardest to escape.
"Argh... Argh... S-Stop-"
Crash.
His head is completely smashed.
Gray matter and blood spills all through the class.
"See?! Now there is a empty desk."
He licks the blood from his fingers.
As he smiles from ear to ear.
"Stanrocc Titania, you're suspended for one week."
The teacher says as if it isn't a big deal what just happened.
A student was just murdered, and this monster only gets suspended?!
"WHAT?! Shit, I forgot about the rules of this dumb school game.
Do I really need to go?"
He gets up and walks to the teacher.
The difference in size is absurd, she could be easily murdered.
To threaten a teacher, what is happening in this school.
"Go."
"What-"
Chains made of water appear suddenly from the outside of the class.
Chaining his body.
He tries his hardest to break them, but they are stronger than him.
"Shit, that place is so boring! Argh.
Little girl, in one week I'm coming to see you.
Try to remember."
He winks before being dragged outside.
What- Just- Happened-
A crystal tablet appears suddenly on the hand of the teacher.
She presses a button on it.
The blood splattered all over the classroom vanishes.
So do the student's corpse.
> As I finish my introduction. Everything freezes.
> Red? I see something red.
> But then it is gone.
>
> Before I know it, I'm back to my body.
> Nothing abnormal, everyone is normal.
> What did just happen.
----------------------------------------
"I see... They've been messing with my memory for so long."
"I will be waiting for you after classes end."
He grabs Cereja and Eleazar easily with his hands as he walks away.
"Huff... Huff..."
Fear, it is been a while since I feel so much fear from the presence of someone.
Something is wrong with this entire school.
No, with this entire city. But I can't tell what it is.
I climb the ramps and walk to the classroom.
Arstria avoids my eye contact, she is talking with Saphria, who is by her side.
Maybe they are a couple and I never noticed? They are close after all.
It wouldn't surprise me.
Even so... While it is clear that Saphria adores Arstria, the opposite is different.
I can't feel Arstria feeling anything for her. For anyone else, either.
Was she always like this? Maybe she has closed her heart and not even I can read her feelings through my sixth sense.
The class is empty, many desks have vanished.
Only eight students remain.
> Elewp
> Arstria
> Saphria
> Stanrocc
> Cereja
> Eleazar
> Lignum
Lignum isn't talking to anyone.
I can feel the rivalry between Stanrocc and Arstria from here.
They must hate each other.
The most popular girl, the queen.
And the most feared man, the king.
All the other students who didn't know magic aren't here.
I wonder what happened.
The teacher enters.
"The grades are already out.
I will start to say them soon enough."
It is the same blue-haired teacher.
She is absolutely beautiful now that I take a closer look.
Even so, her serious eyes are inhuman in a sense.
> "
> First Place: Shikimi Elewp
> Achievements:
> Extermination of Quetzalcoatlus, The Angel of the Underworld
> Extermination of The Army of the Underworld.
> Extermination of Dwarvia
> Extermination of Salamander
> Extermination of Kraken
> Grade: S Tier
>
> Second Place: Cereja Vineyard
> Achievements:
> Mass extermination of Fire Rifts
>
> Third Place: Arstria Groe
> Achievements:
> Extermination of Gryphon
> Grade: C Tier
> "
"Elewp's past achievements have been taken into account, as they are great in of itself.
Congrats on becoming the new high-grader of the class."
Before I know it, I'm the best student of the class.
This should feel great. Even so, I don't feel anything.
I'm so anxious about my meeting with Arstria.
And then there is Stanrocc awaiting to talk with me.
> Today. We will be learning minor elements.
> The world is composed of Four Main Elements and Four Sub Elements.
> That is how the human psyche has separated everything that makes up the universe.
>
> Minor Elements are elements derived from either the Main or the Sub.
>
> For example, the minor element of wood is derived from the sub element of life.
>
> Control over minor elements is highly necessary for the mastery of specialized magic.
> The Sub Element of Life is incredible in this prospect, as through deep training, you may specialize in over thousand different minor elements derived from Life.
Classes went for a while, and soon enough.
It was time to return home.
Stanrocc walks to the exist before I can.
There will be no way to leave school without going through him.
Arstria keeps ignoring me.
She won't talk to me until our meeting today, that is clear.
Then I'm alone-
There is no use in delaying this.
I will fight Stanrocc if I have to.
I can defeat angels, so just a student should be no problem.
There he is. Awaiting for me.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I approach slowly, as I prepare my mana for a eventual fight.
"So... You're going to become my new plaything."
He licks his lips.
"N-N-N-no..."
He grabs my hand, as I prepare to fight back.
He is able to kill me, before I blink.
This is wrong.
Kitsune, activate, I can't let him do whatever he wants.
"Stop."
Before I know it, a rapier enters through the space between our hands.
Separating them.
"She is under my protection.
Don't you remember our pact of non-aggression?"
"Oh... The queen is here.
Unfortunately, the pact is broken.
Your group killed three of my men."
"They attacked first."
"It doesn't matter.
The next time you make a pact, make it through a conceptual contract."
He grabs Arstria's arm.
"We could make one right now.
I've been meaning to taste you for a long time.
If you become my queen, I can let her go."
"..."
Arstria enters deep in thought.
She is fearful of her life.
Even so, she is contemplating it.
"No, don't!
We can defeat him together!"
Her eyes look at me with a expression I've never seen before.
Did I say something wrong.
"Fin-"
"Stop."
Someone grabs Stanrocc's hand.
Stanrocc's hand is pressed until he lets go.
"Don't you dare touch her."
A bespectacled girl is here.
She is the protect of Arstria.
That strength that I saw from the dodgeball game.
Able to move before I can notice. Spears able to kill even strong mages in one hit.
Maybe it is enough to defeat this monster?
"Non, non, non.
Flower that hasn't found herself yet.
Do you wish to take their place?"
Stanrocc already wants to make a pact with Saphria.
He isn't taking this seriously.
Maybe Saphria will do it?
It was her that first killed Stanrocc's man.
In the end, it was her choice to enter this war with Stanrocc.
To save Arstria- She might be contemplating it-
"I challenge you to a duel.
First soul to crumble wins."
"I accept."
She walks away, as Stanrocc walks in the other direction.
Arstria grabs my hand as we run away from them.
"Are you talking with me now-?"
"Only temporarily. I'm still thinking, you see."
"Think fast!"
Saphria prepares to start the duel, so does Stanrocc.
"Isn't she in danger?"
"... She might be, but she might have a chance."
"What are you talking about? Is she as strong as you?"
"In the start, she was weaker than me.
But since five years ago, she is been training every single day.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she is way stronger than me.
Even so, I don't know the full extent of Stanrocc's abilities."
"Then we need to help her!"
"It is okay, we would only be dead weight."
The duel soon begins.
A metal spear quickly appear on her hand, as she prepares to throw it.
Stanrocc enters a goalkeeper instance.
"The art of dueling.
Saphria uses the magic condition that she becomes stronger when fighting alone.
She told me that I shouldn't fight, and that she will protect me from everything.
We were trained together, and I was always stronger than her.
Even so, ever since five years ago, she has been training non-stop during each of her moments.
As I said, I don't know Stanrocc's strength. His pressure is absurd.
I thought since I've become stronger, I could resist him, but I wasn't able to.
Even so, Saphria was able to go against it, and even challenge him.
I'm curious as to the outcome of this."
"G"
She throws her spear with her entire strength.
Like a javelin- The sound barrier is broken.
This is crazy.
"Holy shit."
He holds the spear with both of his hands, as his body fights to stay in place.
The spear comes close to his head.
"She can win this. He is not strong enough."
In this small interaction, Arstria has declared the winner.
How does she know so much about magic.
Stanrocc's hands bleed as he prepares to throw the spear back.
But the spear vanishes from existence before he can.
"How I hate weapon casters."
He prepares to dash towards her.
"U"
A spear appear from his rear, as it approaches, he turns and punches it.
"You can even summon them far away from you?"
Saphria isn't even with a tint of fear in herself.
"N"
A spear appears from the floor as he walks away.
"This is hard."
Cold sweat pours from his face.
How strong did this girl become?
"G"
He grabs a piece of the road, and turns into a ball.
He throws it against her.
A spear fall from the sky, plunging the ball on the floor.
"N"
She run towars him with a spear in hand, she tries to stab him, but he dodges.
He prepares a punch, and punches her in the face.
Her face stays in place like nothing had happened.
"This is unbelievable."
She attacks him again, as his punches try to get the spear away.
Soon enough, his guard breaks and his shoulder is stabbed.
"How dare you!"
He kicks her, but she dodges.
"I"
The spear from her hand divides into two, he jumps away as she throws both at him.
"Earth!"
Two walls of concrete rises from the floor, taking the hit from the spears.
"Huh... Huh..."
He is out of breath.
"He is nearly out of mana!"
"We are basically prodigies considering the amount of mana we have.
A normal person can only do few magic.
Saphria is the same, she can only summon 2 spears at a time, which is why she absorbs them back as mana after they are thrown.
This way, she can fight as long as her muscles don't get tired."
"I didn't think I would do this...
Here goes nothing!
EARTH!"
His entire body becomes encased in stone.
This is his magic, Earth-Type.
He fights similarly to Quetzalcoatlus, but I can feel that the Angel is leagues above Stanrocc in strength.
As she prepares to attack again.
"R"
That was the moment I knew there were special people in this world.
The spear in her hand vanishes.
As she takes her glasses off.
Blue-Eyes echo through the lonely battlefield.
She let's her hair out of the bun.
Golden Hair flows through the wind.
I've never seen her like this.
If Arstria looks like a dancer during a fight.
Saphria looks like a goddess of war.
Her presence liberates pressure to everyone.
The feeling of kneeling before her is unreal."
"Ultimate Magic: Gungnir"
All of the conditions have been met.
The places she hit Stanrocc before, hit marks appear all over his skin.
All the spears that had vanished appear and float in the air.
Arstria and mine eyes shine as we look at the magic.
The spears change to beautiful lances.
This is the power of someone who trained her entire life?
I've thought about it wrong.
My Kitsune Form and Arstria's Winged Form can't even compare against the one fighting now.
The lance in her hand appears as she throws it.
Like a serenade, all the other lances follow suit.
Attacking Stanrocc from all sides.
If Stanrocc is a massive ship going through the ocean.
She is the storm of nature that destroys the ship.
His stone-defense tries to do something, but it is too late.
One stone enters through his feet, pining him on the floor.
Other enters through his back, leaving on his stomach, with many intestines with it.
Two pierce his heart, while a thid one comes from the air, piercing his skull.
Blood spills from every lance.
Like someone brutally executed.
Like a porcupine. His corpse can't even reach the floor, as the lances pin him in place.
"Do not ever threaten her again."
Saphria walks towards us, as the spears vanish from his body.
His corpse falls. The man known as Stanrocc can't even recognized.
"You should have never made that pact, my liege."
As she kneels before Arstria.
My heart fluttlers a little.
I didn't know that Saphria was so beautiful
If they are a couple... I wouldn't quite feel as bad for losing to her.
"Magicae.
In this place, children from all over the world are sent.
The majority die, and only a few remain.
That is the concept of Gu."
A voice echoes from behind. Saphria turns against it.
"But in this place, there are ways to become stronger on your own."
A man approaches us, with no blood on his body.
His clothes were all destroyed, but his body is unwounded.
"There are ten trials, when you complete one, you can go to the next.
But what happens if you don't complete a trial? You die.
But there is a way for you to survive."
His expression is like that of a lonely child.
"Special items can be found in this place.
Phoenix Dust. Able to revive you when you die.
That is how I survived through each First Trial that ended.
I do not desire for completing the trials.
I've survived the first trial through many years.
I've gone through more than fifty universes.
Always ending, and always being born anew.
I always meet many children, with hopes and dreams.
I do not care about coming out of Magicae as a hero.
I only desire to devour the dream of everyone who just started their journey."
"No... This can't be happening."
"Stop the duel now! I will become your queen.
Do not hurt her!"
"What are you spewing? She is even prettier than you.
Didn't she say it herself? First soul to crumble wins."
"So, I just need to kill you again?"
G!"
She throws a spear towards him.
The spears pierces his mouth.
Wait- No-
The spear is caught between his teeth.
With a bite, the spear breaks.
"Congratulations on defeating me.
I was using 1% of my strength just to test you.
I wonder what happens if I use 2%?"
"U!'
A spear appears from the sky, plunging downwards.
"Maybe 10%?"
The spear hits his head, breaking on contact.
What kind of monster is this.
"Children enter Magicae at age 10... If he looks like he is 17... Maybe that is how many years he has trained."
"I wanted to confirm the percentages he is talking about, and it is true.
There are hundred seals holding his power back."
"What about 25%?"
The image of him vanish.
Before I know it, he is already right in front of Saphria.
He grabs her chest and lifts her.
She tries to break free, but his strength is absurd.
"Now, I wonder if you taste good?"
"True Final Gambit."
Those words.
"Stop please!"
"You can't do that."
Arstria's wings appear as she flies towards them.
My body shifts to that of a Kitsune as I run as fast as I can.
Yes, we need to rescue her.
If we break the rules of the duel, who cares-
Before we reach them.
A screen appear before us.
[Duel in progress]
We can't reach them.
"NO!"
"Condition: Death."
A lance appears absurdly far away from us.
It increases its speed, becoming a giant lance.
"100%"
The spear pierces his head as he falls to the floor.
His life signature ends.
That... That is the power of a True Final Gambit?
Saphria's left arm explodes.
Her eyes darken as she falls to the floor.
Two corpses of absurd fighters.
"How... How many phoenix dust have you consumed."
"I lost count ages ago... Around 1000?"
His body regenerates as he stands again.
This man known as Stanrocc.
There is no way... I can't do anything.
1000 Lives? If someone as strong as Saphria is needed to defeat him two times...
There is no hope. No hope.
How we are supposed to get rid of him?
The angels... They don't have any chance.
If he desired, he would be able to defeat all four of them at the same time.
Is this why Magicae isn't taking as much care of the angels as I thought?
Do they have monsters like Stanrocc able to defend the world?
And what if a monster like him is a enemy?
"Stanrocc, I will meet you tonight.
This is a pact. Can you wait until then?"
"Sure, queenie. Actually, I feel quite refreshed after that fight.
Don't wanna eat all the pie in one go, don't you agree?
Also, your expression is quite interesting-
Goodbye, unripe fruit."
Stanrocc waves goodbye, as he walks away.
He doesn't seem to have a destination in mind.
Everything is just a game for him.
"Arstria... I'm sorry for what happened with her...
If I didn't get his attention."
"I don't want to talk about it.
Honestly, I hoped that it could last more.
But everything comes to an end.
Come meet me, where everything began."
With a faint smile, she walks away. Getting further and further.
I stand still, as time returns to my senses, I should get going already.
It is finally time, we shall meet on the Black Forest.