In the West Block, Yuichi was advancing swiftly when he sensed something ominous approaching from afar. His ring was emitting a bright red light.
(A menacing force is approaching and it's aiming in my direction. What could it be?)
(No matter what it might be, I should hurry and find the others, so we can get out of here.)
Back to the East Block, the insect lady who was on the brink of winning the fight found herself trapped by Aiko.
" Do you want to know what those papers around you are?" Aiko smirks at the insect lady. The latter's face turned pale and angry. As her attribute had been annulled, Santosh was able to free himself.
" Those papers who have you trapped are simply all the info about you." Aiko gasped and continued, " The networking attribute permits me to find info about a person."
The insect lady laughed in a narcissistic way as Aiko's attribute was nothing special in comparison to hers.
Aiko uttered in response with a semi-laugh, " I wouldn't laugh if I were you, ma'am."
She froze at the sound of those words but nonetheless kept laughing her heart out.
" For you, my attribute is not all that extraordinary. That must be why you're laughing, right?" Santosh looked emitting a serious expression on his face. He was analyzing the current fight in front of him.
(She shouldn't underestimate her opponent. Kanzaki may look overpowered but there's a lot she can do with her networking attribute. Her opponent still hadn't realized the cornered situation she was in at the moment).
The insect lady retaliated with a malicious grin as she said, " No matter how cunning your attribute may be, those are just papers in the end. I won't have any trouble getting rid of it."
" If you're so confident of your abilities, then, don't let me stop you!" With a confident and subtle attitude, Aiko implied as the insect lady tried to free herself from Aiko's networking attribute. What awaited her, however, was something she wouldn't have expected.
" Why can't I get rid of these papers?" How strong can they be?" The insect lady was struggling to free herself just like Aiko did earlier under her insect trap attribute.
(Those are not just papers. They can do more harm than good. We were told that the two last blocks were killing machines but the two guys we fought might have exaggerated way too much.)
" Not only am I able to collect info on anyone or anything but I can also use it however I wish, like this." Aiko cast a spell on the insect lady. All she needed was to recite a little chant.
" How were you able to cast the Web Entanglement on me?" The insect lady was furious as one of her most prolific spells was now being used against her. She couldn't understand how the spell could have been cast as no magical powers were employed. She was at a loss for words, except for Santosh who wasn't all that surprised.
" If you wouldn't underestimate your opponent, you would have understood by now what just happened."
" Explain yourself instead of playing hooky, girl!" She was losing it and the more the web around her tightened.
" Would you look at those papers one more time, ma'am?" Can't you see anything?" Do you seriously think these are nothing but mere papers?"
" What's this?" The insect lady finally catches on to what situation she was in and what exactly was happening.
(This isn't possible. This must be a nightmare for sure. Not only can she find info about me but she can also display my spells and their vulnerability.)
(How was she able to pull this off? I was wrong to underestimate her.)
Aiko gasped and said, " Have you finally understood the tough spot you're in?" Underestimating me just because of my attribute was your biggest mistake to date."
The insect broke down in laughter and Aiko as well as Santosh were both confused at the latter's behavior.
As she continued to laugh, she said to both of them, " You must have figured out a way to beat me, but don't think this is all it's going to take for you to win this battle."
" I haven't lost yet. I have many more surprises up my sleeve, girl." She said with an uncanny grin. Aiko and Santosh looked doubtful and certain this was just a bluff.
" I'll finish you off before you pull out anything." Aiko chanted another spell from her opponent. Although things were working so far, the insect lady didn't seem a little fazed. Things were starting to go downhill for Aiko yet again.
" Why are you still laughing, huh?" Didn't you realize the situation you're in?"
" Am I the one who hasn't realized my situation or is it you?" The insect lady's words had double meanings. She was yet to understand the significance of those words.
Aiko didn't pay much attention to the insect lady's words and kept attacking her with all her strength. At one moment, her attacks were starting to weaken.
(What's happening? She's weakened by each passing attack?)
(How could that be? Does she truly have the advantage in this fight? Something feels off, but what?)
Aiko started to feel an increased amount of tiredness and luscious pain in her neck. She could no longer keep up the momentum.
" Ah, it hurts. It hurts so bad." Aiko screamed and Santosh rushed to her aid. He caught her in his arms as she was about to land on the floor.
" Kanzaki, what's wrong?" Aiko's temperature was increasing rapidly as she was starting to lose herself. Santosh was horrified by the state she was in.
" It hurts, it hurts so much," Aiko uttered with a pained and low voice.
" Where does it hurt, Kanzaki?" Aiko pointed her neck at the place where the pain was coming from. As Santosh pulled out her hair to the side, he saw tiny marks.
(Marks? Could she have been bitten?)
" I can see by your expression that you figured out why she's in such a pained state, am I right?" She chuckled maliciously with the question.
" What the heck did you do?" Santosh was angry as Aiko's condition was starting to worsen.
" Minutes before your little friend pulled that trick on me, I also pulled some tricks of my own."
Minutes before Aiko's attack, the insect lady planted a bug on her without the latter's knowledge. It happened so fast that even Aiko didn't notice anything. All she did was touch her neck and it was done. As Aiko thought this was a sneaky attack from her opponent, she retaliated with her networking attribute which now brings us to the current situation.
" Your little friend wasn't the only one who had as many tricks up her sleeve as she thought. She should have been wary of me and not taken me lightly."
She continued, " Her carelessness will now cause her death."
" I didn't see this coming. I was careless indeed." Aiko let out her voice in a pained state before she immediately lost consciousness.
" Kanzaki?"
" Kanzaki, open your eyes!"
Aiko wasn't opening her eyes and her condition was deteriorating by the minute. Santosh was desperate to save her at all costs.
" Now, it's your turn, little boy. I can't bring myself to let you live." The insect lady cast an attack which was aimed straight at Santosh.
Santosh was in an off-state with an unconscious Aiko in his arms. The attack was coming furtively at him and when he finally realized it, it was already too late.
" Earth Magic: Barrage!" A barrier was formed around Santosh and Aiko. Santosh wondered who might have saved them.
" Are you both alright?" As he looked up, he saw his professor standing there like an emanating figure.
" Sugawara-San?" Santosh gasped in joy to see his professor. Aiko's body started turning cold. The insect lady remained speechless once again as nothing was going as per their plan. She gathered magic into both of her hands.
" It'll be over within a few seconds," Sugawara-San announced to the insect lady whose face became irked by this.
" You think taking me out will be this easy." Keep dreaming!" The magic in her hands became exponentially bigger and she threw it at her opponent all-out. Mr.Sugawara retaliated with a magic wave of its own and the two clashed when they came in contact with one another.
After the wave of energy dissipated, the person remaining at the end was Arata Sugawara. The insect lady was hell-bound on the ground with multiple injuries.
" Are you both alright?" He asked again, leaning towards them with one knew. It was at that moment that he finally noticed Aiko's critical state.
With worry in both his eyes and facial features, he asked, " What happened to Kanzaki?" Why is she in that state?"
Santosh summarized the situation to the professor and after a minute of summarizing everything, things were made clear to him. He looked at Aiko's pale expression and with a stronghold, he said, " She needs treatment right away or it might be too late,"
" We need an antidote to save her, but where will we find it?" Santosh wondered, looking at Aiko's state and then at the professor.
" All that's needed for her treatment is back at the Academy. We have to leave right this minute." Where are the other two?"
" They must be at the South Block."
" Let's head to the South Block, then!" Santosh lifted Aiko, while Arata Sugawara cast a spell that would delay the poison's progression.