“Come to think of it, Lily was a multiple contractor. Is the tide turning against me a bit?”
“Then please wipe that relaxed smile off your face.”
Contrary to his words, Kyle-sensei laughed enjoyably. Roark voiced his complaint as he pulled out his medium.
“Roark, can you do this?”
“Honestly, it’s tough.”
In addition to not having a contracted Spirit, Roark—who couldn’t even use simple contracts or Spirit Arts properly—was currently weakened to the level of an ordinary person who merely thought they were a Spirit Master. This was bad. Even with a handicap, he would lose normally.
“Then, what should we do? I think it might be a bit much for me alone.”
Lily asked as she watched Kyle-sensei use Spirit Arts to form puddles all around the area while generating mist.
As expected of a teacher, his countermeasures against their movements were both fast and precise. Lily internally analyzed the situation, concluding that it would be difficult for her to overcome Kyle-sensei alone while she wasn’t at her best.
After a brief hesitation, Roark spoke to her.
“Lily, I have a favor to ask.”
“……!”
Without noticing Lily’s surprised reaction, Roark continued.
“There are a few things I want to try. Can you buy me some time?”
“……Yes, leave it to me.”
“Thanks.”
Though he wondered why Lily was nodding with such a happy expression, Roark gave his thanks and retreated, summoning Lesser Spirits from his medium.
“…………”
After confirming Roark had hidden himself in the mist, Lily turned her gaze toward Kyle-sensei.
Though she couldn’t see him through the dense fog, as Shin’s master, she could instinctively sense Kyle-sensei’s position.
“Minotaur.”
[BUOOOH!]
When Lily called its name, the fallen Minotaur stood up vigorously and returned to her side.
“Let’s do this.”
At her short but determined words, her contracted Spirits also brimmed with fighting spirit.
“No sign of movement yet, but…”
Kyle observed Lily and Roark’s movements from within the thick fog produced by the Shin.
The reason he could track his opponents’ movements in this zero-visibility environment was that he was currently sharing senses with Mizuchi, the serpent spirit he had stationed behind him.
Mizuchi, possessing pit organs, could see via heat signatures. By temporarily linking his senses with the spirit, Kyle had successfully bypassed the visual handicap to monitor the students.
“……Oh? Roark is backing off, and Lily is stepping forward?”
After watching them for a while without making a move, Kyle let out a voice of genuine interest as the two made a maneuver he hadn’t anticipated.
In this situation, where neither side was at their best, reducing the number of active combatants didn’t seem like a wise strategy. He wondered what their goal was.
Watching suspiciously, Kyle realized their intent when he saw Roark summon a minor spirit, form a simple contract, and begin constructing a spell formula in his palm.
“I see…”
It seemed Roark was trying to get a feel for the environment so he could use spiritual arts as he usually did.
“Now, what should I do?”
Personally, Kyle wanted to watch them grow. If it were Roark, he would likely find the exact cause of the instability and adapt to the environment.
“……But then again, that wouldn’t make for much of a training session, would it?”
Waiting quietly for Roark to prepare wasn’t a bad idea, but it felt a bit lacking for “special training.” In the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival, one is required to respond quickly to any situation. Considering this was preparation for that, it would be better to be a little strict.
“Alright, time to get in the way.”
Having decided, he immediately moved to interfere.
Kyle constructed a formula, poured in his spiritual power, and activated it. Several orbs of water rose from the surrounding puddles, and he sent them all hurtling toward Roark.
The water orbs raced through the fog with great momentum, but as expected, they were blocked by the tough, muscular body of the Minotaur that lunged in to intervene.
“I won’t let you.”
[Bwoooh!]
“Well, I figured you’d do that,”
Kyle said with a grin to Lily, who stood in his way to protect Roark.
“Can you really keep Roark safe?”
“Absolutely.”
Nodding at Kyle’s words, Lily egged the Minotaur on.
[Bwooooooh!!]
“Hup!”
Ducking to dodge the battle-axe that swung out of the fog, Kyle dove into the spirit’s inner reach and activated a spiritual art. Accompanied by a splash of water, the spell hit the Minotaur’s abdomen, causing the massive creature to recoil.
“Whoops.”
As Kyle tried to follow up with another attack, he noticed a stone flying toward his face from the fog and caught it instinctively.
“Throwing rocks? How classical.”
“Muu.”
Despite his words, Kyle was impressed by Lily’s response. Because she couldn’t use spiritual arts well in this fog, she immediately used other means to support her spirit. It was a brilliant judgment that a high-and-mighty spirit-user would never have made.
“Even so—Whoa!?”
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Right on cue, the slimy tentacles of the Shin wriggled out from the fog, reaching out to entwine Kyle. Feeling a chill run down his spine at the sight, Kyle quickly leaped away. He couldn’t help but retreat to put some distance between them.
“Th-That is disgusting.”
“……How rude.”
“Ah, sorry.”
When Kyle muttered his disgust while grimacing, he heard Lily’s voice in protest and immediately apologized.
It was true; calling it “disgusting” was uncalled for. He made a mental note to reflect on that.
While Kyle was momentarily distracted, thunder echoed through the fog. Looking ahead, he saw the silhouette of the Minotaur lowering its stance, its magnificent horns crackling with lightning.
“A charge, huh?”
It was one of the Minotaur’s ultimate moves. A brute-force charge with sharp, powerful horns was simple, but combined with the Minotaur’s physical strength and spiritual power, it was a strike powerful enough to threaten even a top-tier spirit.
Lily’s Minotaur was a particularly powerful individual endowed with the lightning attribute. Even if it wasn’t at its peak, taking that hit head-on was out of the question.
“Guess I’ll dodge—wait, what?”
Kyle tried to move, but a slimy sensation wrapped around his ankle, stopping him. Glancing down, he saw a tentacle growing out of the ground, coiled tightly around his leg.
“Chance.”
[Shu-kohh]
“Wait, hey, hold on—”
[Gwoooooooh!!]
Cutting off Kyle’s words, the Minotaur’s roar echoed as it launched itself toward him like a cannonball.
“Tch.”
Realizing he wouldn’t have time to break the tentacle’s grip and dodge given the Minotaur’s speed, Kyle quickly slammed his hand onto the ground and poured in all the spiritual power he could muster.
“Abyssal Swamp!”
[Bwoooh!?]
Just as the Minotaur came into range, Kyle activated the art.
The ground in front of him instantly turned into a muddy quagmire. The Minotaur, having stepped forcefully into the area, was swallowed by the swamp in an instant due to its sheer momentum and weight.
“Phew…… Wait, WHOA!?”
His relief was short-lived. Just after temporarily sealing the Minotaur, Kyle felt a sensation of weightlessness as his vision flipped upside down.
Since the Minotaur’s attack failed, the Shin had decided to take over. It swung the tentacle wrapped around Kyle’s leg with all its might, intending to slam him into the very swamp where the Minotaur was stuck.
“Wait, seriously!?”
The last thing Kyle wanted was to dive into the mud. He used spiritual arts to create a blade of pressurized water, slicing through the tentacle. He managed to break free just before hitting the swamp.
“Take this!”
“Gugh.”
Landing on the ground, Kyle maximized his physical reinforcement before the Shin could follow up, closing the distance to Lily in an instant. Without her Minotaur guard, Lily had no way to defend against Kyle’s assault and was quickly restrained by a water spell.
“Whew, that actually had me panicked for a second.”
“Haa, haa……”
Lily, whose body was encased in water up to her neck, stared at Kyle with ragged breath.
“Even with Mizuchi sealed, you did remarkably well to get this far.”
“…………”
“What’s up? Are you sulking?”
Kyle asked teasingly as Lily remained silent, her breathing still heavy. He assumed the girl, who looked dry but was secretly quite competitive, had gone quiet out of frustration.
However, Kyle’s brow furrowed when he saw a smirk play across Lily’s lips.
“My win.”
“What—!?”
His confusion lasted only a split second. Suddenly, a massive shockwave hit Kyle’s entire body, blowing him backward.
“Is this about right, Sensei?”
Kyle regained his footing and looked ahead.
There stood Roark, holding a spirit sword in one hand with several minor spirits hovering around him in a space where the fog had unnaturally cleared.
“Good grief…… I gave you too much time, didn’t I?”
Kyle replied with a wry smile.
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