Chapter 25

BOOOOOOM!

Black smoke rose from Amy’s face. However, if one looked closely, one could observe that there was a gap the size of a finger protecting her from the attack. It was a magic spell called Air Shield. It compressed air in order to create a barrier.

“A surprise attack as soon as the meeting place changed. I see you’re still the same petty person from before.”

Amy raised herself from where she landed and looked back. The man who gave her the note stood with a fishy smile.

"Hoho, I myself have a lot of pent-up anger because of you. If you had just obediently let me, I would have had the honor of having the famous Amy's first kiss."

"Your tongue is as dirty as you are. But that’s not why I’m here. Where is Shirone?”

Five people fell from the sky, circling Amy. Among them was Jake, the leader of Black Magician. Looking around, he said as if he found it really surprising.

"You really came alone. Is he that precious to you that you’d put yourself in harm’s way?"

“What nonsense. I alone am enough to handle all of you. I’m asking again, where is Shirone?”

“Hahaha! That feeble bastard is probably in the library, completely unaware as to what his girl will be experiencing from this point on.”

Amy finally realized that she had been tricked. But to her, this was the better outcome. She was confident that, without hostages holding her back, the scoundrels would not be able to touch a single hair of hers.

“Calling me out means you’re ready to die, correct?”

“How confident. But did you really think we’d come here unprepared? If you look at the list of guys who looked down on Black Magician… You’d notice that most of them were beaten half to death.”

‘There’s a limit as to how far his intellect can drop. He babbles too much.’

Amy entered the Spirit Zone. When the shape was transformed into the Target Form of the Four Way Formation, Jake, remembering last night’s incident, immediately moved to cast it as well.

However, the cost of being one step behind and missing a preemptive attack was huge. Amy ignored Jake and went after the members behind him.

The men hurriedly flew away when she cast consecutive Fire Strikes, her special skill. Since strike type added physical force to magic, Air Shield alone was not enough to block it.

Amy quickly rotated her Spirit Zone to aim at the target. However, humans were quite unpredictable, so it was not possible to achieve 100 percent accuracy like during practice. Every time the Spirit Zone rotated or did a reverse rotation, her head throbbed.

Jake manipulated the wind and soared into the sky. If Amy's specialty was fire, Jake’s was wind. After all, in face-to-face combat, one lethal move would determine the outcome. When he cast the magic he was most confident in, Windcutter, a sharp wind slashed through the air.

Amy didn't sense the magic approach. The cross-shaped Target Form could dramatically increase the range, but it was bound to be weak in defense compared to the sphere form. In particular, the cross-shaped target form was weak to air magic.

Amy sensed Windcutter penetrating her Spirit Zone and immediately moved her body. However, by the time she moved, it was already less than a meter away.

The moment Black Magician was about to celebrate in delight, her body twisted so quickly that she could not be seen. The Windcutter brushed past her red hair, freaking out Jake.

"What? How did she…?"

"It's called Schema, you bastards."

Amy raised the cross-shaped Target Form at an angle. Seeing this, Jake hurriedly tried to flee, but her targeting speed was the best in the Intermediate class.

"Fire Strike."

A fireball the size of a cannonball was fired. Thinking it was impossible to avoid, Jake wrapped himself in an Air Suit, a higher-level air-type magic.

Jake, who was hit by the Fire Strike, crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

"ARGHH! That bitch!"

He got up and glared at Amy. The fire continued to blaze on his Air Suit as the flames sucked in oxygen from it. With his whole body covered in flames, he looked like a demon. Jake detonated his Air Suit and the flames came down like petals. However, because the physical force of the strike had already made its mark, his stomach was damaged.

"I'll kill you!"

"Hohoho! Did you actually think you could defeat me with your meager level of skill? You’re far from moving up, let alone graduating. You’re at the perfect level to fail. You should be focused on your studies, not on girls, you dipshit!

Amy, the genius of the Karmis family. Indeed, the difference in their skills was as vast as their fame.

But then suddenly, Jake smiled wickedly.

"I doubt that. Your reign of terror ends here."

As if to prove that he wasn’t bluffing, members of Black Magician held out their hands at the same time. Then Amy's face paled. It was a strange sensation that she had never encountered before. Something had entered her mind and was messing with it.

Amy glared at Jake with anger.

"This is... Anti-Magic?"

"Hahaha! Are you surprised? This is the Black Magician's specialty. It's also the magic that sends countless talents back home."

"How crude!"

It really was a cheap shot. Anti-magic, it was a magic prohibited in the academy due to the dangers it brought. It was the Achilles Heel of all mages.

Five resonance waves messed up Amy's Spirit Zone. It felt like someone gripped her head and was shaking it like crazy.

Amy knelt down, unable to hold on. If she kept staying in the Zone any longer, she felt she’d go crazy.

With a victor’s smile on his face, Jake cast Air Chain. Chains made of air wrapped around Amy’s limbs and lifted her up.

Trapped and unable to move, Amy struggled with all her might. However, it was a binding force that could not be escaped, even after she activated Schema.

"Heh, I finally got you. The feisty female kitten."

Jake pulled out a pocket knife.

"Well, well, well. Now, what should I do with you? For your information, I still remember what you did a few days ago. I'm in the mood to commit something.”

"I’m warning you, if you put even a single scratch on me, you won't be safe."

"PUHAHAHA! Is the great Amy calling forth her family now that she’s cornered? I told you so, we're all the same. After all, without you’re family, you're just a bitch who can't do anything.”

"Don't place me on the same level as scum like you, I’m pretty sure I told you this, too. I'll make sure to get rid of you with my own hands."

Jake's eyes were filled with hatred. Even in this situation, her attitude of not swallowing her pride was pissing him off. The hand that held the knife trembled as if it was about to stab something.

"You’re not exactly in a position to talk like that right now. Do you want me to ‘scribble’ on your face? I'm sure there'd be no one who’d bother to follow you around if you become an ugly bitch."

Amy became slightly afraid after seeing Jake's abnormal eyes. They held an inferiority that had no bounds. He really meant every word.

Jake grabbed the blade with his other hand. Although he wasn’t skillful in fire magic, he knew enough to easily heat the knife. The knife started to glow red.

“Let’s do this. The arrogant Amy ruined her eyes while researching magic by herself. She dropped out of the academy and forever lived on as a loser. How’s that? Amazing scenario, is it not?”

The blade seemed like it would drip molten iron at any moment. A sudden shove to her head made Amy turn. Her burning hair crackled and popped.

"Oho! So there are times when Amy gets scared, too. I'll give you one last chance. Beg me to let you off this once. Even better if you shed tears. Then, if you promise to leave the academy, I won’t burn off your eyes.”

Amy realized why Tyra dropped out.

They did this simply because they were inferior. Simply because they were upset and offended. Karmis’ red eyes filled with anger and glowed red.

"Do it if you can. But don't ever think you'll get away with it."

Jake smirked. He’d heard that kind of promise more than once. All Nobles were unyielding. However, the moment a blade is pointed their way, they’d shout and beg for mercy like any other human.

The bigger their self-esteem, the harder it was for them to recover once it was broken. Watching the students leave the academy like that, Jake soothed his feelings of inferiority.

"Well then, shall we get started?"

The pocket knife slowly approached Amy's left eye. Amy was determined to endure it. However, when she felt the scorching heat nearing her skin, she was forced to close her eyelids tight.

"Stop, you sick bastards!"

A sudden shout made the Black Magician jump. Seeing Shirone who was huffing with a clenched fist, Amy opened her eyes wide. Jake also turned around with a startled expression, as if he didn’t expect him to actually face them.

"Aha! The knight in shining armor has made his appearance! That’s too bad, your girl would have surprised you with a new appearance if you’d arrived just a bit later.”

"What are you trying to do to her?”

"Who knows! What was I going to do? Why not ask your lover yourself?"

"You dimwit! You can't come here alone!"

Amy shouted. Yet Shirone was more stunned by the situation in front of him than by her words.

Older students were surrounding a girl who had her limbs shackled. And if that alone was not enough, the rascal, Jake, was wielding a red-hot pocket knife.

'Because of me....’

For the first time in his life, Shirone felt an intense wrath bubble up inside him. Picking up a tree branch from the ground, he hollered!

"Let her go! If you don't, I won't let you off easy!”

"PUHAHAHA! Did you hear that? What can you possibly do with that piece of wood?”

Irrespective of Jake’s mocking laughter, Shirone rushed straight at them. He was confident in his skill in close-quarters combat. After all, he was the person who had defeated Rian in a swordsmanship match. After calculating it in his head, he knew he could buy enough time for the teachers to arrive.

"Here I come!"

"Guys, he says he’s coming. Open a path for him."

No one moved when Shirone came running. Rather, they smiled tauntingly, as if wanting for him to come closer.

By the time he realized something was amiss, it was too late. Shirone’s mind shook as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer.

"Keuk!"

"You stupid! Get rid of your Spirit Zone! It's Anti-Magic!"

Anti-Magic? Shirone finally realized what was happening. He realized how Amy, who securely held her place as the first in Class 4, was caught by these rascals.

It was truly a tremendous shock and vibration. The resonance wave caused by the five people shook his mind.

Shirone raised his head. Colors smeared and shuffled around as if the world had been dunked underwater. But he couldn't give up here. Holding onto his distant consciousness, Shirone slowly, but surely walked.

"Amy, I’m gonna save you now."

"I told you to stop! You’ll never be able to cast magic for the rest of your life! You'll become a cripple!"

"Because of me... This happened.….”

"Get rid of your Spirit Zone! Quickly!"

She knew Shirone was in a state where he couldn't hear, but all she could do was shout. With every step he took, she felt her tears start to well up more and more.

Shirone clenched his teeth hard and kept up his Spirit Zone.

‘No! I have to hang on! I need more frames!’

Responding to his strong will, his Spirit Zone gradually began to change into the Defensive Form of the Four Way Formation. This time, it was the Black Magician’s turn to be dismayed. Casting Anti-Magic was not an easy feat, but maintaining it against a strong force was even harder. They felt as if they were being crushed by a boulder.

"Wh-What?! What's going on?! "

Shirone extended his Spirit Zone to the max. It was shaking precariously like dew on a leaf, but he continued to press on.

‘I have to push even harder! So stable that it can’t collapse! So hard that it can’t be destroyed!'

Finally, as the frames started to connect, Shirone’s Spirit Zone regained stability. Then, like a domino game, one after the other, members of the Black Magician wailed in pain.

"Keuk! What’s happening?! My head’s pounding!"

At that moment Shirone's eyes lit up. As the Four Way Formation’s Defense Form was completed to perfection, the huge sphere was tightened into a cube. The pain caused by the Anti-Magic disappeared, while a feeling of sturdiness flooded in. Shirone felt like he could crush even a diamond.

"ARRGHHHHH!"

The five who cast the Anti-Magic collapsed, screaming. They felt as if they were being crushed by something. They couldn't even lift a finger and were bleeding from the nose.

This was why the academy banned the use of Anti-Magic. If one didn’t cultivate the mind enough, Anti-Magic was a poison that destroyed the mind.

Amy was shocked to see the tossing and turning Black Magicians. Five Anti-Magic casters were crushed by one brand-new class-7 student…

Shirone felt as if a small lizard was under the soles of his feet. He felt a wiggling sensation in his mind, but that was all. And as time passed, even such resistance faded. They released the Anti-Magic right as their minds were about to collapse.

Amy burned the air chain with fire magic and landed on the floor. Through her own Spirit Zone, Amy could feel the shape Shirone’s Spirit Zone was in. It was extremely cold, hard, and heavy.

‘No way. How is this possible…’

Shirone still had fierce eyes. When he took a step forward, Jake stepped back unknowingly. It was the result of his instinct that didn't want to bump into Shirone’s Spirit Zone.

However, the 15-meter-diameter Spirit Zone could not be avoided by taking a step back. Eventually, their two Spirit Zones overlapped, and Jake asked with a stricken look.

"You…Who the hell are you?"

It was something beyond belief… But a Spirit Zone’s synesthesia didn’t lie. A huge cube comprising 88 sides was surrounding Shirone.