The weakness lies in piercing.
The devastating blow is in releasing.
――― Explode ―――
The first giant.
A Cyclops monster, naked and as tall as a three-story building. Its eyeball was pierced with a spear, which generated heat from within and set its head on fire.
"Second one!"
The giant howled like a wail and fell on its back, its head burnt to a crisp.
Jumping down from the sky, I dodged attacks from all sides, switching weapons as necessary.
A monstrous being with a rotting face and claws on both hands aimed for my throat, screeching from above. A bandaged man with a sword came from the left, while a reaper-like undead with a large scythe came from the right. A flying shark with a gaping mouth approached from below.
"Not a bad combination. You lack intelligence, though," I said.
The group of demon beasts saw me as a threat and worked together.
Moving my eyes quickly, I predicted their trajectory and...
――― No.
I foresaw it.
"I won't be able to defend against these many attacks with the demons always a step ahead."
Two steps.
Three steps.
No, four steps ahead.
"Foresee it. Predict the future. I'll focus on what's ahead."
Searching for the optimal solution.
Thinking, thinking, thinking...
Executing.
I licked my dry lips.
Using my dark arts, I transformed my spear into a massive hammer and changed the shape of the sword held by the bandaged man. I switched to using the hammer as a shield, threw it to cover the shark's mouth and landed on it as a platform.
As the undead with the twisted scythe approached, I closed in and flashed my rapier through its torso.
The clawed monster was blown away with the weapon barrage extra bullet aimed at its head. The bandaged man who survived was kicked in the chin and lightning was wrapped around the shield made from his body to kill the shark.
It was a momentary battle, a few seconds of combat in mid-air.
"Not an enemy," I thought.
I didn't want to use too much of my weapon barrage. I needed to save it for when I really needed it. I also needed to conserve my tachyon high-speed movement and magic power. I had to defeat the small fry with minimal energy consumption.
I still hadn't met yonhishi, let alone Maria, Chiaki, Kazane, or Mei. The sound of explosions could be heard in the distance, but they were still far away. It felt like the distance between us was increasing gradually.
"There are too many magical beasts," I said.
Due to the marshy terrain, a thick mist lingered around the area due to the temperature difference between day and night. "There's a possibility of losing sight of them," I added.
A group of demons recognized me as a formidable enemy and surrounded me. There were probably a hundred of them. No, it seemed like more than that were being lured in by me.
"You're all going to be experience points," I said, holding up my slender sword and grinning like a killer.
The bull demon Minotaur, who was about two meters tall and wearing full armor, held a giant axe and roared with his red pupils shining.
"What an ugly scream," I remarked.
That was the signal for the summoned monsters to bare their fangs at me, and a gust of wind kicked up.
.
.
.
/Maria's Perspective/
It was when several C-class students were killed by stones imbued with magic.
Yonhishi the trash, accompanied by a horde of monsters, was engaged in a chaotic battle alongside Ayaka-san, the male representative of the F-class, and the vulgar woman from the C-class.
Ayaka-san was fighting against the swarm of monsters, while Sakurai seemed to be struggling against the one-eyed giant Cyclops.
Mei, the vulgar woman, stopped walking in front of Yonhishi after crushing a werewolf with a hammer.
Yonhishi had gone mad and was commanding summoned magical beasts to attack his fellow classmates.
Using the monsters under his control, Yonhishi continued to trample the remaining C-class students who had formed a cooperative relationship with him.
These fierce attacks were from vicious magical beasts that were only confirmed to inhabit intermediate-level dungeons or higher. Among them were magical beasts that were said to inhabit advanced-level dungeons and even magical beings never seen before.
"There were so few magicians of that level, weren't there?"
I held my breath in the shade of the trees, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Yonhishi, who commanded several fierce and brutal monsters, was like a demon king himself.
"How many 2nd-year students can even handle such magical beasts?"
"There seems to be something strange..."
Yonhishi grabbed the severed head of one of the students he had sent to be attacked by the monsters and stared at it intently.
Then, the head disappeared right in front of him, and he tilted his head curiously.
"Magic? And now the corpses are gone too..."
It was as if he had just discovered combat in a virtual space for the first time or as if he had never known about it before, murmuring strange and unfamiliar words to himself.
"That's not what we agreed on! We made a deal not to target our students! Why are you attacking them? And how can you command magical beasts?"
Mei yelled at the trash.
Yonhishi chuckled and looked at her coldly with purple flame-like eyes.
"Hmm? What an ugly woman. Are you this guy's girlfriend? Your clothes are quite revealing... Are you a type of prostitute?"
She was insulted.
"What?! What's wrong with you?! What are you thinking?!"
Mei, who was confused, finally managed to speak.
"What are you thinking? You fool. Don't bother asking me questions. There are things that you lowly people cannot comprehend. I have no interest in conversing with you. Begone, begone."
Yonhishi formed a hand seal with both hands and said, "My followers, my brethren, those who answer my call, come forth! Slay those who are present here, starving undead!"
A blue and white magic circle shone at Yonhishi's feet, and a giant human bone crawled out of the ground. It was an entire giant skeleton made of bones, a hungry skeleton. In Hinomoto, it is known as Gashadokuro, a giant skeleton wielding a huge sword, aimlessly swinging it around.
"That woman over there, eavesdropping is not good. It is disrespectful."
I looked up to see several bat-like creatures with human faces storing fireballs in their mouths.
I used a technique taught to me by Amachi to imbue three hidden stones with heat, delay, and magic absorption.
"Know that my tactics are not only for long-range attacks!"
I played with three small stones in the maze.
.
.
.
It was all I could do to breathe with my shoulders.
Despite the fact that the battle had only just begun and had lasted half a moment, our energy was already starting to wane.
The four of us were facing a group of magical beasts summoned by Yonhishi.
He looked confident, saying "You're quite tenacious. So you're a holy sword user...I see, you constantly use healing, giving yourself a near-immortal ability."
"Wha-!?" Sakura glared at Yonhishi with a click of her tongue.
A holy sword? That sword?
Such a question arose, but I pulled myself together and observed Yonhishi.
He was manipulating us, who were exhausted, using the summoned magical beasts without laying a hand on them.
It was clear he wouldn't get close to us.
"Summoners are weak in close combat," I made an inference.
When Ayaka froze the area, the magical beasts turned into ice sculptures.
I seized the opportunity and used Moon Magic.
I used the Delayed Dark Magic to stop them in their tracks.
"Thank you, Maria," Ayaka thanked me.
She called me by my name, which made me happy and I smiled.
Although we were still surrounded by a group of magical beasts, the four of us took a deep breath.
"Who are you?" Sakura glared at Yonhishi, her new white sword piercing the ground like fresh snow.
"I see, I'll allow it. I'm Maniacs. You might know me as a holy sword user."
Manaics? It was an unfamiliar word.
Sakurai appeared to be oddly satisfied.
"....As expected. Is Purgation up and running?"
"Yes. It's already activated. It's just like Maniacs. I'm sorry for asking too much...Let's overcome this barrier together here in this area."
A woman's voice resonated from somewhere.
I watched the situation silently without saying a word.
"Ah, I see. The risk is minimal. Besides, this is something I enjoy doing."
Sakurai took a deep breath, and his expression changed as if he had made a decision.
It was not the innocent expression he had just a moment ago, but that of a resolute man.
"What are you talking about alone?"
Mei wiped her cheek, which was covered in cuts, roughly with her sleeve.
"In this space, we won't die...Let's go all out, Sakurai."
Ayaka took off her glasses and spat out bloody saliva.
"Then, I'll provide support from the rear."
Moon magic.
Dark magic delayed the movement of the monsters.
I felt dizzy as I increased the amount of magic poured into my body. My nose started to bleed, but if I reduced the amount of magic, I wouldn't even be able to rest.
I can also support.
"Purgation, heal and give us strength."
Sakurai's sword shone silver, and our wounds healed, our stamina recovered, and our magic power was replenished.
It was not only me but also Ayaka and Mei who experienced it.
Something like the power that a sword contains permeated through our bodies. My body felt lighter, and I felt like the magic power in my body had increased.
"Can we fight together as an impromptu team?"
Sakurai bowed his head when he looked at us.
There was silence for a while.
It lasted for just a few seconds.
The first to speak was Ayaka.
"I don't mind. It's just my intuition, but this one... has a really bad vibe. Could they be brainwashed?"
With the wounds on her body healed, Mei easily lifted her hammer.
"Well, we don't have much of a choice. Yonhishi-san needs to cool their head down before they can face the rest of Class C."
"Let's make them cry and beg for mercy. Right, Ayaka?"
"That's right. We'll break their arms and legs and make them kneel."
"It seems like everything's settled now," Sakura said as she pulled out her sword and calmly looked at Yonhishi.
"Maniacs... you're going to disappear here!"
Don't worry. In this virtual space, all registered students like me and my classmates won't die.
Let's defeat the interference demon called "Maniacs," who is probably brainwashed, with all our might.
I began chanting a high-powered magic spell after my wounds had healed.
Everyone readied their weapons and aimed at the beast master in front of us.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and in the echoes that sounded like the last breaths of a dying monster, I had a faint feeling, similar to hope, that that he must have rushed over with a gust of wind.