The poison was progressing rapidly at an exponential degree. Arata Sugawsra was doing the best he could to keep the poison from progressing. Aiko was turning paler by the minute.
(Hang on, Kanzaki! Don't give up)
Tatsuya was closer to reaching the South Block than ever. Meanwhile, Yuichi got attacked by numerous fire missiles coming from all directions. He dodged all of the missiles with essence. More came afterward and he nearly dodged all of them as one of the fire missiles lodged in his left arm, causing a burn.
(That sneaky attack can only come from my opponent, but where is he? Why is he hiding instead of making his appearance known?)
Tatsuya appeared just then and was relieved to see Yuichi in good shape.
" I'm so glad to see that you're alright." Tatsuya showed his joyfulness. Yuichi did his best to grin back at him despite the pain he was feeling in his left arm. Tatsuya was too happy to see his friend safe and sound that he had yet to realize his unpredictable state.
" Don't stay there, Tatsuya!" It's dangerous."
" What are you talking about?" What could be dangerous here?" Tatsuya had trouble understanding why his friend was telling him to back off. Yuichi's opponent hidden in the shadows landed yet another attack and it was coming straight at Tatsuya.
" I came here to get you. We need to get out of here."
As Tatsuya was talking to him, Yuichi noticed the direction of the attack and gasped in horror. Tatsuya, who was entirely focused on their talk, didn't notice a thing. There was only one thing to do and Yuichi knew exactly what it was.
" Let's head to where Yukimura-Kun is being held captive and set him free!" Just then, Tatsuya finally noticed Yuichi's poised state as well as the burn on his left arm.
Tatsuya gasped in worry as he held Yuichi's left arm, " How did you get that burn on your left arm?"
Before Yuichi could give him an explanation, the attack was about to land. Exercising all his might, Yuichi pushed Tatsuya to the side a second before the attack landed. Unfortunately for Yuichi, he couldn't dodge it in time and took it all out.
Tatsuya finally took notice of the situation. Yuichi was enveloped by a fire field and that's when the opponent decided to show up from his hiding spot.
" Finally it's over! We've accomplished our mission at long last." He laughed sarcastically, angering Tatsuya in the process.
" What did you do to my friend and what's that fire field for?" Tatsuya was beyond angry and also guilty as he couldn't sense the danger that was so close to them. He felt even more guilty as Yuichi took the blow in his stead.
Yuichi's opponent said sarcastically the following, " The fire field will consume your friend, turning him to a crisp. Don't worry! His suffering will end soon."
" You think I'm going to let you achieve your aim." Tatsuya cast one of his spells to free Yuichi from the fire field but none of his spells worked. He tried another spell but ultimately came to the same result.
(Why are none of my spells working? What should I do? How do I save him?)
" Instead of wasting the remaining strength you have left, you should stop your future attempts. Your friend sacrificed his life to save yours." He knew I was aiming at you which is why he pushed you aside to keep you safe. Don't let his sacrifice be in vain."
" When the fire field dissipates, your friend will be as good as dead."
" Don't say that! He won't die. He'll surmount this." Tatsuya shouted with all his might. Santosh and the others had almost reached the South Block. Santosh heard Tatsuya's shouting and began to worry. Arata Sugawara heard it too and they sped up the process.
" How exactly is he going to surmount this, huh?" Your friend has no magical attribute whatsoever. I didn't sense any mana from him, so tell me, how is he going to surmount this?" How is he going to come out alive?"
Santosh, Arata Sugawara, and Aiko reached the South Block. They noticed they had yet another enemy to face. Tatsuya was in an off-state and didn't notice their presence.
Santosh and the others noticed the fire barrier and all wondered what was going on. What was even more strange to them was that Yuichi was nowhere to be seen.
Santosh knelt in front of Tatsuya and asked him, " Tatsuya, where's Hanagawa-Kun?" Tatsuya did not react to Santosh whatsoever. His eyes reflected emptiness as if he was in some kind of trance. He was constantly thinking of the scene where Yuichi sacrificed himself to save him.
Santosh shook Tatsuya over and over, then called his name one more time but this time, he shouted to get him out of his trance state. " Tatsuya! Earth to Tatsuya!"
Tatsuya seemed to react this time as his eyes texture changed back to normal. He looked at Santosh with a lost expression. He also took notice of the others behind him.
" Tatsuya, what happened, and why were you in a trance earlier?" Santosh asked a still-lost Tatsuya. Tatsuya stood up and headed towards Arata Sugawara. He was shocked to see Aiko.
" What happened to Kanzaki?" Why is she in a barrier?"
Santosh explained to Tatsuya what happened to them and what they encountered. He told her about Aiko's fight with the insect lady and everything that happened in between. He also explained the part where their professor came at the opportune time and saved them from danger. At the end of it all, Tatsuya was horrified to see how fast Aiko's state was deteriorating.
" You still haven't answered my question, Tatsuya." Santosh stated as a reminder. Tatsuya turned his back on them and stated, " You guys should head back to the academy right now. Kanzaki won't last much longer."
The professor could see that Tatsuya was very troubled and that had to do with Yuichi's absence. " Murakami, tell us what happened here?"
Tatsuya broke down in front of the professor as he narrated to both of them what happened to Yuichi and everything that happened before as well. At the end of his scenario, he showed them where Yuichi was as he pointed at the fire barrier.
" This is all my fault. This all happened because of me. If only I had listened to him when he told me to step back, none of this would have happened."
" Because of me, he could already be—----------" He stopped himself before saying the inevitable.
Listening to everything, the professor stipulated, " That boy has a strong will and determination I've never seen before. He won't accept defeat that easily."
Santosh backed him up and said, " Sugawara-San is right." He added subsequently, " You have always believed in him, right?"
" If you give up on him, then he'll also lose hope. After all, the key to success is belief." Hearing those words, Tatsuya seemed to be back on track with himself as he stipulated in return, " You're right, Santosh! You're perfectly right! I shouldn't give up as Yuichi hasn't yet given up on himself."
" I know Yuichi is still in there fighting to come back to us. We should believe in him and not the opposite." Santosh grinned slightly but suddenly turned sour.
" Kanzaki's state is beyond serious. Sugawara-San, you should go back to the academy with Kanzaki. We'll join you once we're done here." Santosh said adamantly.
Before the professor could answer, Aiko managed to open her eyes slightly and said in a low tone, " I want to stay; we came together and should leave together."
" Kanzaki!"
" Kanzaki!"
" See! Even Kanzaki hasn't given up and is still fighting. You guys don't worry about her. I'll slow the poison down as much as possible. You guys do what you have to do as we're all leaving here together."
" You got it!" Both agreed with their professor. Yuichi's opponent was getting irked as none of them was paying attention to him and were treating him as if he wasn't even there.
" Will you lend me a hand, Santosh?"
" Gladly, Tatsuya!"