Mana emerged, a malicious smile forming on her lips as she pointed her bow at Evangeline.
"Finally, I find you, perverse. Now, I can take my revenge," Mana declared, her voice dripping with contempt.
Soon-mi, standing beside Evangeline, retorted, "Who are you calling a pervert? You're the one who's alone. If we join forces, we can defeat you."
Mana's smile widened, exuding an air of superiority. "Oh, don't worry. I won't harm you, except for Evangeline, who stands beside you. So, don't interrupt me."
Suddenly, four more individuals appeared behind Mana. Megumi was easily recognizable, accompanied by a boy with red horns on his head and blood-red hair, a girl with pale skin, fangs, blond hair, and red eyes, and a human boy with black hair, black eyes, and a lack of confidence, clutching a sword.
Megumi, catching her breath, spoke, "Mana, you should have waited for us. We're a team now."
Mana's voice softened slightly, "I apologize, but I wanted to deal with Evangeline myself. If I had waited for you, she would have escaped."
Curiosity tinged Megumi's voice, "I wonder what happened between you and Evangeline that led to such deep hatred."
A blush crept onto Mana's cheeks, while Evangeline's hidden behind her mask.
"That's none of your business. Now, let me handle her. You take care of her teammates," Mana replied, her smile turning mischievous.
Before Evangeline could react, Mana snapped her fingers, and a magic circle materialized beneath her. The world turned black for a few seconds before returning to normal. Evangeline found herself still in the forest but in a different location, with Mana standing before her.
Confusion laced Evangeline's words, "Why are you doing this? I thought we could become friends."
Mana's smile twisted with bitterness, "You believe we can be friends after what you've done? You're mistaken. Now, I can finish what I couldn't before."
Drawing her bow, Mana unleashed a barrage of arrows with blinding speed. Evangeline dodged them with difficulty, but one grazed her arm.
(This fight won't be easy.)
Unfazed, Mana laughed, dismissing Evangeline's threat.
Evangeline glanced at the remaining time before the mission ended. There were still two hours and ten minutes remaining. She was grateful to be the one in possession of the magic storage bag.
"Are you ready to take a beating, Mana?" Evangeline taunted, receiving no response.
Seizing the opportunity, Mana attacked with a flurry of arrows. Evangeline swiftly evaded them.
(Her arrows are incredibly fast. I need to find a way to disable her bow.)
Evangeline swiftly created four fire clones, launching an assault alongside her duplicates. However, Mana effortlessly dispatched the clones, forcing Evangeline to retreat.
"Don't think your tricks will work on me. I'm not as foolish as the other opponents. It's time to end this," Mana proclaimed.
She fired multiple arrows at Evangeline, connecting with their mark. To Mana's surprise, it was a flame clone. Before she could react, Evangeline materialized in front of her.
"You didn't expect that, did you?"
Snatching the bow from Mana's grasp, Evangeline swiftly retreated.
"What will you do without your precious bow now? Surrender, or I'll destroy it," Evangeline threatened, a triumphant smile gracing her face.
Mocking laughter escaped Mana's lips. "Don't be foolish. You won't have the courage to destroy it."
"Then don't be surprised when I do," Evangeline declared.
She concentrated her magic in her right hand, conjuring flames that grew in intensity. Evangeline attempted to burn the bow, but to her frustration, it remained unscathed.
"I told you. You can't destroy it. Now, give it back to me," Mana demanded.
"No, I'm not finished yet," Evangeline replied resolutely.
Increasing the temperature of her flames to over 30,000 degrees, the bow succumbed to the intense heat, reduced to nothing but ash within seconds. A triumphant smile adorned Evangeline's face.
"Evangeline, you dare to destroy my bow?" Mana seethed with anger. "Don't think you can escape from here easily."
Evangeline met Mana's fury with a defiant gaze. "I can't wait to see what you'll do then."
Mana focused her magic, causing an overwhelming pressure to descend upon the battleground. Unyielding, Evangeline also channeled her own magic, causing Mana's eyes to transition from red to green. In that instant, Mana bore an uncanny resemblance to the Mana from Evangeline's previous life. The sight momentarily disconcerted Evangeline, but she quickly regained her composure.
"The time to end this is now, Evangeline," Mana declared with determination.
"You're right. I don't want this fight to prolong any further," Evangeline responded, her voice resolute.
Mana completed her concentration, and green lightning crackled around her form. Simultaneously, Evangeline unleashed her own magic, enveloping herself in a radiant aura of blue flames. The weather itself seemed to shift in response, with dark clouds gathering overhead. The imminent burst of lightning seemed poised to strike at any moment. And indeed, bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, striking Mana directly, while Evangeline conjured a blazing inferno that engulfed everything around her.
The lightning surrounding Mana began to coalesce, swiftly taking on the form of a dragon. Meanwhile, Evangeline's fiery concentration manifested as a ball of scorching flames in her hand.
"Lightning Dragon," Mana commanded, pointing her finger, and the lightning dragon lunged toward Evangeline, intensifying the pressure.
"Ultimate Flame Storm," Evangeline countered.
She hurled the fireball, which promptly multiplied into a tempest of burning spheres, rapidly growing in size as they fed on the surrounding oxygen. In a matter of seconds, the fiery storm materialized, poised to clash with Mana's lightning dragon. However, just as their attacks were about to collide, a human figure materialized above them—a figure of authority wielding a staff. With a wave of the staff, both attacks dissipated. Moments later, a colossal explosion echoed from another part of the forest.
"What do you two think you're doing? Fighting to the death is strictly forbidden," the figure chastised, her anger palpable.
"It's not my fault. She attacked me first," Evangeline retorted, pointing a finger at Mana.
"Yes, she broke my bow," Mana interjected, their argument escalating.
"Enough!" The figure struck both Evangeline and Mana on the head with her staff, resulting in a pair of conspicuous bumps. "Seriously, you're pushing your luck. I didn't need to hit you that hard," she scolded.
"You're abusing your authority, Principal. You didn't have to hit us so forcefully," Evangeline protested, cradling her head.
"Say one more word, Evangeline, and I'll expel you from the school," the Principal threatened.
Fearful of the consequences, Evangeline fell silent.
"I've had enough of both of you, but especially you, Mana. As a member of the Council of Twelve, you should know better than to engage in such fights," the Principal said, her tone softening slightly.
"I apologize. It won't happen again," Mana responded, contrite.
The Principal seemed to calm down, heaving a sigh. "There isn't much time left before the three hours are up. I want you both to return to your teams. We'll discuss your punishment later."
Evangeline and Mana nodded, and with a wave of the Principal's staff, they were teleported back to their respective teams. Evangeline observed that Mana's group had been defeated, while her own team appeared to be faring well, likely thanks to Seiko's contributions.
"Finally, you're back, Evangeline! We managed to defeat them," Soon-mi exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
Before anyone could respond, Mana teleported herself and her group out of sight, and Seiko climbed over Evangeline's head.
"I'm glad you all came out unscathed," Seiko expressed with relief.
"You underestimate us, Evangeline. We're strong too," Yuriko chimed in, the rest of the group nodding in agreement.
"I'm not underestimating any of you. I just know how formidable Megumi is, and her teammate must be equally strong," Evangeline replied, acknowledging their capabilities.
"Enough about that. We only have twenty minutes left before the event ends. I think we should rest now," Somi suggested.
The team agreed, deciding to take a momentary respite. Amidst their reprieve, Lily directed her attention to Evangeline.
"So, Evangeline, how was your battle with the elf girl?" Lily inquired, curiosity piqued.
The entire group turned their gaze toward Evangeline, including Seiko.
"It was an arduous fight. She's incredibly powerful. But just as we were about to determine the outcome, the Principal intervened," Evangeline recounted.
The remaining twenty minutes passed without incident, and they found themselves teleported back to the schoolyard.
"Congratulations, dear students, for completing this challenging test. You should be proud of yourselves. Unfortunately, out of the seventy groups, only forty have succeeded," the Principal announced.
Some students began to cry, and a pang of sympathy washed over Evangeline, even though she knew there was nothing she could do.
"In fact, when I mentioned expulsion, it was merely a joke. No one will be expelled. It was merely to ensure you took this mission seriously," the Principal revealed.
The students erupted into tears, and a few even fainted.
"I hope you will continue to thrive in my school and become powerful wizards. You may now return home, except for Evangeline Suzuki and Mana Asami. I want to see both of you in my office immediately," the Principal instructed.