"I'm assuming all this time you've been standing there quietly was to come up with a plan, right?" Ayu said, glancing back at Kamiro.
The barrier was on the verge of shattering.
"Ah, yeah, something like that..." He crept towards them while they had their backs turned. You can hit me all you want later, Ayu, but I gotta do this.
"If only we had an opening to at least attempt the combination attack we trained on," Earla said.
"Yeah, but—"
"I'm sorry!" Before Ayu could speak, Kamiro wrapped his arms around her and Earla
"Wah! What are you doing, stupid Kamiro!?" Ayu thrashed around while Earla squealed.
Huh, so this is what girls smell like... Sweat and grime. ...Which is what's normal, considering we're in the middle of combat.
"Let go, you idiot, this is not the time for this!" Ayu said while she continued to flail.
Earla froze with a gaping hole on her mouth, unable to utter any words.
"Wait, so you're suggesting there is a time for this?" Kamiro said.
"What!? N-No..."
With the barrier falling apart, the attacks from Emil's party finally seized.
Actually, for once, Ayu is right. This isn't the time to get distracted. "Listen, you two, there's no time to explain now. Just be ready to begin the combo attack we've been practicing,"
"Huh!? What are you—" Ayu's words were cut short.
"Invocabo Liber: Status Up."
"A spell...?" Earla said.
The girls released an unexpected moan while the buffs were being applied.
"W-What was that?" Kamiro's head flushed when he saw Ayu glare at him with watery eyes and an embarrassed look, while Earla hid her face.
"T-This feels..." Earla whimpered.
Kamiro gulped. Calm down heart, I don't know what's happening, but it's probably not what you think. He finally released them from his bear hug, and the girls seemed to notice the spell's effects.
"I-Idiot, you could have said something before..." Ayu's face slowly returned to its natural color.
Huh, Ayu was more reasonable than I'd thought she'd be. "I have no excuse..." Kamiro said with a slight bow.
"Kamiro, Ayu. Get ready." Upon hearing Earla's voice, both of them got serious.
"That took longer than expected, not bad." Lily's voice was feisty, a stark contrast to her innocent appearance.
The last remnants of the barrier had vanished, but just as Lilly and Rickon prepared to attack, Reina interjected. "Wait, you two... Let's fall back." Her tone was calm, and although they both looked to her in surprise, they didn't hesitate to heed her instructions.
They moved back and rejoined Emil and Castin. All five members stood together while Emil looked at Kamiro and his party with a sense of caution in his eyes.
"Perfect, now that they're all together... It's our turn," Kamiro said.
"Invocabo Lux: Blinding Light," Earla chanted while Kamiro and Ayu covered their eyes.
"That's our cue," Ayu said.
Emil and his party looked bewildered while the arena was consumed by an intense light. Everything went quiet; the only sound was the simultaneous gasp from the spectators.
"Invocabo Glacies: Ice Javelin!" Ayu's ice attack cut through the silence.
Visibility was still near zero making any sound amplified.
Rickon's voice rang out. "Invocabo Terra: Great Wall!"
A cool breeze blew in the area while the shattering of ice rang out. The blinding light finally faded away, just as all attacks seized, revealing a rock wall that stood in front of The Golden Sun.
"Good try, but it seems like it wasn't enough," Lily said, "Reina, you going to finish it or—?" Her words froze when she saw Reina and Rickon on their knees and having difficulty speaking, with Castin also in the same condition.
Emil glanced around. "There's one missing... The boy!"
At that moment, Kamiro pounced, but Emil and Lily evaded his attack.
Damn, they're quick.
"Kamiro, retreat!" Earla said.
Emil swung his sword but only managed to graze him. He rushed back to Earla and Ayu.
"Sorry, I couldn't get them all," he said.
Lily and Emil looked on in disbelief, and Emil appeared to be in deep thought.
"No way... how?" Lily said.
"I see. It was all a diversion, for this..." Emil looked at his fallen party members on the ground who struggled to move.
Lily looked over their bodies. "But... they're not wounded."
"That boy, it must be his magic," Emil said.
Through their training, Kamiro and his party developed a combination attack, with the primary aim being to paralyze their opponents. Paying close attention to where they stood before everything was consumed by light, Kamiro took off straight toward their opponents as soon as Earla used her spell to kill visibility. Ayu's ice attack served as another distraction, and the loud shattering of ice was enough to cover the sound of Kamiro moving in and chanting. Once his blades made contact with the opponent, it applied the status effect.
"But it was a gamble. They knew he only had that one moment to take everyone down because right after, its weakness would be revealed," Emil said while Lily nodded as she listened.
Kamiro's agitated breathing returned to normal. "...Having to chant gives away my intentions, and with my combat being close-quarters, they'll be completely on their guard now... It was our only chance."
"It's okay. You still managed to get three of them." Ayu seemed to have noticed his disheartened expression.
"That's right, and if it wasn't for your... other spell... at the start—" Earla averted her eyes for a moment with a slight blush "—my 'Blinding Light' wouldn't have been powerful enough to complete our combination attack against them."
"...Thank you, guys." Kamiro let out a loud sigh and slapped his cheeks a few times. "Well, it's still gonna be tough, but 3 v 2 for a few minutes isn't bad. ...Though, even us three against just Emil would've been difficult. But let's give it our all!"
"Right!" Earla and Ayu exclaimed.
The three moved towards their opponents.
"Ayu, and I will face Emil. You face Lily, Kamiro." Earla commanded the party like it was second nature to her, making it hard to remember how much trouble she had with her social anxiety.
Lily looked at Emil, who nodded as if giving permission. "Just be careful of his abilities," he said.
"Yeah, yeah, don't have to tell me that."
Kamiro and Lily stood in front of each other, ready to attack.
"This should be fun," Lily said.
Her appearance is so deceiving... I swear all the girl's looks in this world are wasted on by their personalities. "Have you ever heard of the saying, 'A wolf in sheep's clothing'?"
"..." Lily brushed off Kamiro's question.
"I mean, I've never met someone who fits that description so well."
"Shut your mouth!" Lily went on the attack.
She bought it... but I'm only gonna have enough for one more paralysis attack.
Kamiro dodged her attacks while waiting for an opening, while Earla and Ayu held their own against Emil. Earla was locked in a stalemate of swords with him.
Ayu launched attack after attack, trying her best to avoid hitting Earla. "I need more control..." She stared at her hands.
"Invocabo Tennebris: Void," Emil chanted.
The few ice attacks Ayu did manage to aim right at him were now eaten up by a dark void-like apparition that would manifest right before impact.
"No way..."
"Keep trying, Ayu, and do not preoccupy yourself with trying to avoid me. Just go for it!" Earla continued pushing against Emil with her sword, the weapons clanked after every blow against one another.
The battles wore on, and Kamiro's buffs from 'Status Up' began to wear out.
"Looks like you're slowing down a bit, getting tired, are ya?" Lily grinned.
I don't have much time left; once the buffs are gone, we're done for. And the paralysis on their teammates should be wearing out soon too...
Kamiro struggled and continued to avoid Lily's blows. Each narrowly avoided punch sent waves through the air with its sheer force, but he stayed calm and awaited the perfect time to strike. Until...
Finally, an opening! "Invocabo Liber: Paralysis!" In the split second that his blades grazed Lily's arm, he activated his spell.
Lily grinned.
No...
His attack came at a cost, a direct impact on his gut. With Lily's special magic-infused gloves, it felt as if a bull crashed into him. If it had hit just a few seconds later, once the buffs were wholly gone, Kamiro would have been out cold.
"Aargh!" Kamiro fell on his knees, blood stained his hands while he coughed.
Right across from him, flat on the ground, was Lily, struggling to get some words out. "C-Curse... y-you... You got me too?..."
Kamiro struggled through the pain to stand and stumbled towards Earla and Ayu. Looks like the buffs from 'Status Up' are gone. It won't be long before... He peeked at the three members that he had paralyzed before. They appeared to be recovering.
Emil backed away towards his three comrades. "Oh, you all are getting back to normal. We were just about finished. But Castin, if you do not mind, can you check on Lily over there? Looks like she got a little too confident." He motioned to her with his head.
"Yes..." Still looking a little groggy, Castin staggered towards Lily.
Ayu panted alongside Earla. Both appeared to be at their limit.
"Looks... like this is it," Kamiro said.
Before they noticed, he was standing beside them.
"Kamiro?..."
Struggling to stay up, the girls shared a shoulder with him.
Reina, now mostly back to normal, had a look of apathy while she spoke with deceiving softness. "I'm not really one to hold grudges, but you three really caused much more trouble than we were expecting. Don't worry, I'll use a spell that will end it as quick and painless as possible."
So this is our limit...
"Invocabo Ignis: Fire Flash." A large concentration of fire magic began to gather at the tip of Reina's staff.
"So much for quick and painless," Kamiro said.
"Ha-ha... Sorry, it appears you all got Reina angry, which rarely ever happens," Emil said with a slightly worried look.
The crowd seemed astonished by the whole spectacle and had long remained silent.
Just as the concentration of magic had finished gathering, with visible heat waves resonating from it—"Everyone, please immediately seize any further combat."—the overseeing instructor intervened, a much-welcomed relief for Kamiro and his party. "The match is now officially over."
The Lucerna Guild Academy's medical staff, proficient in healing magic, quickly made their way into the arena. Ayu's eyes widened, and she glanced at Kamiro, who hung over her shoulder. She blushed and swiftly dropped him while the medical staff began to treat the three.
"It has been decided. The winner of this match is... Party #7, The Golden Sun," The overseeing instructor said. Emil and his party released their breaths.
It took the crowd some time to realize what had happened. What began with some solitary slow claps quickly transformed into thunderous cheers.
"That was incredible!"
"Party #13, you put up a great fight!"
"What was their party name again, the Rank-less?"
"Party #7 are unbeatable!"
Kamiro looked around at the cheering crowd in awe, along with Ayu and Earla.
"They are cheering for you all as well," Emil said with a warm smile.
He had his hand outreached, which Kamiro grabbed. They acknowledged each other with a firm handshake.
A true knight in shining armor, but... with magic of darkness.
"I'm very sorry!" Reina bowed while she apologized to the three of them. "I let my emotions get the best of me, but, truly, I do not wish to cause you any harm."
"T-Thank you. We hungrily... h-humbly! ...apologize too," Earla said while they both took turns bowing at each other. Ayu chuckled as she witnessed their interaction.
There's the usual Earla. Looks like it's still gonna be a work in progress with strangers.
As everyone shook hands with respect and chatted a bit, Kamiro noticed Lily on the side wearing a slightly grumpy expression.
Guess I kinda owe her an apology... Kamiro reached out to shake her hand, which she accepted in an irritated manner. "Congratulations, and... sorry about what I said. You're not a 'wolf in sheep's clothing.' If anything, you're more like a... palm-sized tiger, cute but dangerous."
For a second, Lily's eyes widened before she averted them. "C-Cute...?" she muttered, "Whatever." She snapped away from his hand and turned around, hiding her blushing demeanor.
Oh, whoops. Did I just trigger a flag?
"But... I'm sorry, too. I mean... I did make you cough up blood after all," she said with her back turned.
"Aha-ha. That's okay..." Kamiro scratched his head while giving a nervous smile. Don't remind me...
"Also... you're a great fighter—" Lily turned back towards him, revealing her cute, reddened face. "—and I acknowledge you as my rival!"
"Rival? W-Wait."
The wild Lily fled from battle!
Oh. There she goes... What is she a Pokemon?
Kamiro looked towards Earla and Ayu. When their gaze met, they averted their eyes and pretended to be chatting with the others. He let out a soft sigh but smiled as he observed them.
With the Party Ranking Exam finally over, Kamiro, Ayu, and Earla made their way to a common room to rest and found Di Reids waiting for them.
"You all did great. You should be proud."
The party sat on a bench and leaned against the wall, exhausted and dispirited. The lounge was quiet and mostly empty, only the crackling fireplace being heard.
"Don't look so down. Remember, the ranking exam is not only about who wins the match. There are a lot of other factors taken into consideration."
"Oh, That's right..." Ayu said while resting her eyes.
"The results won't be posted until another few weeks," Di Reids said.
"....guess we're gonna have to wait..." Earla yawned while she spoke less rigid than usual.
'Gonna,' huh? She must be exhausted, and Ayu too... Kamiro's eyes began to close.
"It might be best if I take them to the office to rest..."
Kamiro paid little attention to Di Reids' fainting voice. He sat between Ayu and Earla, who had already fallen asleep. Though the bench was not particularly comfortable, Kamiro's body was thankful for some rest, and he joined them in their slumber without realizing it. His drained body filled with a sense of ease while the girls' heads rested on his shoulders.