Craig Carlson narrowed his eyes as he stared at my Vermillion Phoenix. I didn't waste any time, mentally sending a command for an attack. A stream of flames erupted and rushed toward Craig, scorching the ground.
"!"
Craig had expected the attack, but despite his mental readiness even he was unprepared for how powerful it would be. Gritting his teeth, he slashed the incoming flames, allowing them to wash past him on either side. Coughing, he lifted his spear.
"It's over, President Craig!" I told him. "I have the high ground."
Craig's expression twisted into a sneer. "You underestimate my power."
"Don't do it, Craig!"
The spearman ignored my warning and jumped at me, only for me to slice his left hand and both legs off. Craig then landed onto the ground, screaming in pain before Vermillion Phoenix turned to him and blasted him with flames.
Immolated, Craig writhed and shrieked…
"…you've been watching too much Star Wars…and you just had to watch the damned prequels, didn't you?"
Blinking, I returned to reality. Even though he was heavily singed, Craig was still unscathed. He glowered at me, lowering his spear as if to attack.
Be careful, Vermillion Phoenix, I told my summoned beast. The Celestial Guardian nodded and kept his distance, flapping his huge wings to unleash another torrent of flames.
"Hah!" Craig cleaved through the flames again, despite being slightly burned from the intense heat. As if he read his mind, he sneered scornfully. "I'm not stupid enough to attack your summoned beast."
My eyes widened when he suddenly charged at me. That was right. As long as he eliminated me, the summoner, Vermillion Phoenix would disappear as well. There was no need for him to defeat my summoned beast when he could just take me out!
Thanks to our mental connection, Vermillion Phoenix was well aware of my dilemma and he quickly bombarded the dashing Craig with fiery feathers. The elite spearman weaved through the flaming rain of destruction, evading them with an incredible speed that I couldn't follow. His body had vanished into a crimson and gray blur.
Before he could reach me, a firewall sprang up between us. To my complete astonishment, Craig unceasingly crashed into the firewall and forced his way with sheer grit, not caring that his entire body was immolated.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
With a roar, he thrust his spear at me. I quickly summoned a new pair of Gemini twin swords and parried his strike, but even so I found myself getting pushed back, my feet skidding against the ground. Craig continued, undeterred, despite being ravaged by the inferno around us. I had a measure of protection from the flames because of Vermillion Phoenix's enchantment, but my opponent didn't, and he was slowly being incinerated.
However, he didn't care about the extreme amount of damage he was taking. He was literally staking his life on this attack.
"Break for me!"
Bellowing, Craig smashed my Gemini twin swords into smithereens and I crashed back. I managed to somehow regain my balance, but Craig was expecting that too.
"!!!"
I could sense a tremendous amount of magical energy swirling into Craig's spear. It was so massive that I actually felt nauseous just from being in close proximity to the intense maelstrom of energy. The accumulation of so much mana was actually causing the space around Craig's crimson spear to distort, making the demonic weapon appear even more sinister than before.
My instincts began screaming danger, and I desperately attempted to escape, only to realize that I had no place to run. My back was up against the wall – or strings of the ring – and Craig literally had me cornered.
Gritting my teeth, I raised my hand defiantly and mentally linked to Vermillion Phoenix. I was going to finish Craig off before he could complete his technique!
Whoosh!
Flames washed and engulfed Craig, but he continued to stand his ground, even as he vanished in the inferno. He continued to grip his spear and infuse it with more magical energy, and I could see the fires distort around the demonic blade of his long, crimson weapon.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
My instincts were telling me to evade, and I obeyed them. Not wanting to remain in such close proximity, I dove to the side.
At the same moment, Craig completed his technique.
"Cursed Strike of the Demonic Spear!" he yelled.
That was one hell of a long name, and who shouted out loud the name of their techniques just before they attacked?
Unfortunately, I had no time to think about that. I was devoting every ounce of energy and focus into escaping. Diving to the side as quickly as possible, I rolled up to my feet and continued to run, but I could detect the surge of mana behind me.
Then, as quickly as it begun, it ended.
Pierce!
"Ugh!"
I had no idea what happened. Even though I should have avoided the attack, Craig's cursed spear lanced through my chest, penetrating me from behind and exiting from the front. I dangled helplessly a few centimeters above the ground, staring dumbly at the spear protruding from my chest. Turning my head, I looked at a triumphant Craig Carlson, his hands still clutching his spear.
"…how?"
The answer was simple. This wasn't just any ordinary spear strike. It was a curse. Craig had been casting this spell ever since the beginning.
I wasn't the only one with a killer move…
As my consciousness threatened to black out, I analyzed what just happened, particularly based on the traces of mana. At that time, I didn't know what had happened, but I found out through later analysis when watching the replay of this match as well as putting together an analysis of Craig's skills and techniques from other videos and matches.
Craig Carlson had in essence reversed causality and effect. Normally, Craig would thrust the spear, and if it hit, it would cause his opponent to be injured. Obviously, to achieve this effect of mortally wounding his opponent, Craig would need to attack by stabbing with his spear.
That was what would happen in a normal situation. The effect of injuring one's opponent was caused by attacking him.
However, Craig's cursed reversed the order of causality. To put it simply, the opponent was already mortally injured. That lethal wound then brought about his attack. In other words, Craig's thrusting of the spear was caused by me already being injured. It was a curse that distorted the laws of temporality, reversing cause and effect. Originally, the effect of me being injured was caused by Craig attacking me. This curse switched it around, and now my being injured caused Craig to thrust his spear at me.
Okay, that sounded pretty dumb, but that was essentially the curse that happened. Something that defied the laws of physics and temporality, at least to someone who came from the twentieth-first century like me. To everyone living in the twenty-ninth century, this was just technology.
"…ugh…"
I gripped the spear, trying to pry myself out of it, with little success. Craig helped me a lot by ripping his spear out in a slashing motion that tore my injury wider. I spilled onto the ground, bleeding even more profusely.
"It's over," Craig declared.
"Damn right it is," I growled. As if in response to my defiance, Vermillion Phoenix bathed the triumphant Craig in flames.
Craig didn't even bother to evade the attack, and merely stood there as he was incinerated. I watched as he burned in shock.
"Are you crazy?"
"Maybe," Craig admitted with a grin. "But I achieved my aim. I always knew that I wouldn't be able to beat you…so I had always intended to bring you down with me. Mutual destruction. If I die, you'll die with me."
"What's the point of that?" I demanded, clutching my chest.
"Huh? Have you already forgotten?" Craig's grin grew wider. "This is a team battle. Even if I lose, my teammates will pick up the slack and fight in my place. How about you, hmm? I heard that Ultimate Outcast Society is entirely reliant on you. If you fall, will your other members be able to take your place?"
To my horror, I realized that he was right. I had told everyone to leave this to me. Even though I put on a modest façade and strictly reminded my juniors not to be arrogant, not to be complacent, and not to underestimate our opponents, inwardly I had always intended to team-kill the opposing societies. I had always sought to solve this crisis all by myself.
And now, on the verge of mutual defeat, I found that I did not have the heart to place my faith in my teammates to salvage anything from this. I was the vanguard, and even if Craig went down with me, I would have only defeated just one member from the opposing team. There was still four opponents left, against the four remaining members of my society.
"…damn it…"
Gritting my teeth, I bit my lip and forced myself to stay conscious. To no avail – the damage was far too extensive, and I was losing too much blood. The boundary field would ensure that I stayed alive no matter how fatal my injury was, but it wouldn't heal me or keep me conscious and fighting fit. I was only staving off the inevitable.
I can't fall here. I promised everyone…! I told them to leave this to me! I can't let the society down! I still have to fight four more opponents…!
"Hah!" Despite being scorched black by Vermillion Phoenix's flames, Craig cracked a smile when he saw my bitter expression. "Did you really think you could continue team-killing every society who challenged you? This is a team battle. You're not some hero, or some Mary Sue protagonist from a wish-fulfillment, power fantasy web novel who is invincible and defeats every character in the story! If you don't have a team, you'll lose eventually. Only fools try to be a hero and take on everything themselves."
With those words, he collapsed. I tried to stand, only for red-hot agony to lance through my chest. Toppling over, I felt the darkness creep over the edges of my consciousness and consume my vision. I could vaguely hear Teacher Fielding's voice from so far away, but not make out the words.
Despite doing my best to stay awake for even the second match, I succumbed to the inexorable advance of unconsciousness.