Chapter 115: Three VS One

"Remember Yakima, this is a friendly battle," Hayatobi said with a frown, his voice carrying a subtle weight that grounded the swirling crimson energy radiating from his daughter.​"I know that, Lord Hayatobi... I won’t kill them. Even if they get injured, they will have one full day to rest," Yakima said, staring analytically at the three students. Her tone was clinical, treating the upcoming clash as a mere logistical exercise.

​Hayatobi turned around to face the trio—Austin, Aurelia, and Rose.

​"Three of you," he began, his expression shifting into that of a strict mentor. "I don’t need to say anything about her strength." He looked over his shoulder at his elder daughter.

"Something must have triggered her anger, anyway. She won’t kill you, so don’t worry, give it your all." He offered an encouraging, albeit terrifying, smile.

​"Remember, your schoolmates and classmates are watching from the stands. Don’t make fun of yourself."

​"Yes, Master teacher," the three nodded in unison. Swallowing their apprehension, they walked toward the center of the reinforced obsidian arena, standing in formation in front of the White Calamity.

​Up in the viewing area, Mirabella unwrapped another piece of candy with a crinkle of plastic. "They have lost," she stated flatly.

​"Why would you say that?" Hitachi asked, his eyes fixed intensely on Yakima’s relaxed posture.

​"First, Yakima has exponentially more base spirit energy than you. Let alone them," Mirabella said, placing the sweet in her mouth. She crossed her legs, her analytical gamer-mind already calculating the stat disparity.

​"Not only that, her active skills are all Legendary grades... Only one serious attack, and they will all be knocked out cold. If they last more than three rounds, then she is simply playing with them," Mirabella added, her voice devoid of any doubt.

​Hitachi blinked, genuinely stunned by the casual drop of such high-tier information.

​Standing nearby, Hayatobi’s breath caught in his throat.

​’How did she know Yakima only has Legendary grade skills? Mirabella, how do you know all this classified information?’ Hayatobi thought, before his silver eyes widened in sudden, horrifying realization.

​’Shit!! If Yakima uses any of her signature skills to show off, Mirabella will simply copy and max them out with her anomaly! Is this actually a good thing?!’ He thought, looking over his shoulder at Mirabella in a mild panic. She had peacefully closed her eyes, merely enjoying her candy while waiting to harvest high-tier abilities.

​Down in the arena, the pressure was suffocating.

​"Are we really going to fight her?" Austin asked, sweat beading on his forehead as he looked at Aurelia on his right, then at Rose on his left.

​"Seems we have no choice. We will go all out," Aurelia said, drawing the twin, rune-etched daggers from her waist. They hummed with an eager, sharp resonance.

​’Sister... I will show you what I have achieved,’ Rose thought, her grip tightening as her pristine white staff materialized in her hand, glowing with a dense, holy light.

​"Ok then! It seems we’re doing this!" Austin forcefully cracked his knuckles, letting his brute-force warrior instincts take over.

​"Aurelia, charge with me... Rose, as a mage, you assist us from behind," he commanded, stepping into his role as the vanguard’s spearhead.

​"I don’t like taking orders from you. But I will go with it," Aurelia scoffed, though a fierce, competitive smile appeared on her face.

​’Finally... I get to show my idol my true strength. I am both nervous and happy,’ Aurelia thought, her legs coiling with kinetic energy.

​"Now!!"

​Austin yelled, shooting forward like a fired cannonball, while Aurelia instantly broke to the right, blurring into the shadows as she planned to flank their monumental opponent.

​"Helm of Advancement!!" Rose yelled from the rear. Her staff flared brightly, and a complex array of runic circles expanded across the floor. Simultaneously, ethereal white light enveloped Austin’s and Aurelia’s bodies.

​BOOM!!

​The buff took immediate effect. The two fighters’ speed increased dramatically, leaving sonic booms in their wake as they rapidly closed the distance.

​’Seems my sister’s buff doubled all their base stats,’ Yakima thought calmly, Austin reached her location.

​"Warrior punch!!"

​Austin roared, his dense, volatile spirit energy enveloping his fist like a gauntlet of pure force, heading straight toward Yakima’s face with bone-crushing intent.

​’With this distance, she won’t be able to Dodge! The buff from Rose made me faster!’ He thought triumphantly.

​"Hmm..." Yakima let out a small, almost bored hum. With supernatural grace, she merely took a half-step to the right, letting the explosive punch sail past her ear with inches to spare.

​’What?! She dodged?!’ Austin was completely shocked. He stared at her like the whole Arena had entered slow motion. Through his peripheral vision, he watched as her leg smoothly rose into the air, cocked for a devastating counter.

​’Fuck! I used too much speed and can’t dodge her counter... if that kick touches me, I will lose some ribs.’

​"Retraction!!!" Rose screamed from her backline position.

​A localized gravitational force violently grabbed Austin’s torso and yanked him backward like a hooked fish.

​WHOOSH!!

​Yakima’s heavy kick struck nothing but empty air as Austin was unceremoniously dropped right in front of the panting Rose.

​’She actually pulled him back?’ Yakima thought in genuine surprise, raising a white eyebrow. The sheer speed of the retraction spell was undeniably greater than her own counter-attack speed. It showed incredible timing on Rose’s part.

​"Don’t get distracted!!" Aurelia yelled.

​Yakima smoothly turned her head to the right as two glowing daggers swung in a deadly arc toward her neck. She leaped backward effortlessly.

​"You aren’t going anywhere!" Aurelia landed gracefully and shot forward, instantly vanishing in a blur of assassin speed.

​"Huh?" Yakima was mildly stunned as the assassin reappeared behind her, suspended mid-air above her blind spot.

​"Caught you!!" Aurelia thrust her dagger downward with everything she had.

​’Her speed... She is fast.’ Yakima thought, acknowledging the girl’s talent. The next moment, a concussive wave of white spirit energy burst violently out from Yakima’s core, an invisible dome throwing Aurelia back to the hard ground before her dagger could even connect.

​"Phew, that was close," Austin exhaled, standing upright and dusting off his clothes as his sister landed heavily beside him, groaning softly.

​"Thanks for that, Rose," they both said in breathless unison.

​"No worries," Rose said, lowering her staff, her eyes fixed on Yakima, who had landed lightly on her feet.

​’I actually forgot she can fly.’ Rose thought with gritted teeth, realizing the monumental task ahead.

​"But, why isn’t she fighting us seriously?" Austin asked, slightly insulted.

​"Are you stupid... This isn’t a real battle. She is analyzing our active skills," Aurelia snapped in a low voice, gripping her daggers tighter.

​"Oh, is that so," Austin cracked his neck, stepping aggressively forward from the two girls. "Then I will go all out!!"

​He clenched his fists, planting his feet firmly into the obsidian arena. The very next moment, a terrifyingly dense wave of spirit energy burst out from him, rippling all over the amphitheater and causing the protective barriers to shimmer in alarm.

​"Huh? What is he doing?" Rose asked in surprise, feeling the sheer heat coming off his body.

​"Hmm..." Yakima narrowed her eyes, finally taking a proper defensive stance as Austin’s energy kept violently increasing.

​"AHHHHHHH!!!"

​Austin screamed, his muscles bulging as the physical limits of his human form shattered. His signature red ponytail snapped loose, and in an instant, his hair turned completely, stark white, rippling with draconic power.

​"This is my brother’s second form," Aurelia said with a fierce, prideful smirk, watching the stunned faces in the stands. "In this form, all his combat stats are multiplied by five times."