Ellie watched Dean from atop the rubble, a look of disdain marking her face. "I don't need a special reason to finish him off. Here, in virtual reality, I can do whatever I want," she thought, with a defiant glint in her eyes. Her gaze then shifted to Chloe, who maintained her unwavering elegance, even amidst chaos. "Dean and Chloe together, huh? This could get complicated if she decides to intervene," Ellie reflected, assessing the situation with a mix of caution and irritation.
Determined, Ellie took an agile leap from the rubble, planning a surprise attack. "If I take out Dean quickly, Chloe will be out of the picture too. Two birds with one stone," she thought, as she swiftly descended towards the ground. Upon landing, a thunderous sound echoed through the area, the green aura around her visibly intensifying. Facing Dean, Ellie let out a fierce, provocative smile. "Let's see if you can keep that smile on your face after this," she challenged, with the typical confidence of someone who does not fear confrontations.
Ellie moved with the speed and precision of a bullet fired by a sniper, rapidly closing the distance between her and Dean. Dean, on the other hand, remained still, a slight smile on his face, exuding an almost disturbing calm. "He's not even going to try to run away? Does he really want to face a direct confrontation with me?" Ellie thought, surprisingly impressed. "Interesting, at least he's not a coward," she concluded, as a glimmer of respect and challenge appeared in her eyes.
The distance between Ellie and Dean was reduced to a mere five meters. Ellie, wielding her katana enveloped in a shimmering green aura, concentrated her mana on the blade. With a fluid and almost careless movement, she delivered a powerful vertical slash. The green energy surrounding the sword projected outward in an expansive strike, tearing through the air towards Dean. The green mana, sharp and lethal, seemed to have a life of its own, seeking its target with deadly precision.
Dean, with an expression of indifference, turned to the boy he had been fighting earlier. "This is going to get ugly. You better back off," he advised casually.
The boy, though clearly perplexed by the situation, didn't hesitate to quickly move away, taking advantage of the distraction caused by Ellie's attack.
Ellie, for her part, was convinced that Dean would draw his sword to defend himself. "There's no way he can escape from this distance," she thought, confident in the success of her attack.
However, to Ellie's surprise, Dean remained unshaken, with his hands relaxed in his pockets and an air of serenity. As the mana slash approached dangerously, Dean mentally murmured a single word: "Dismantle."
Ellie stopped, astonished. Before her eyes, the mana slash she had launched was undone with disconcerting ease. Dean, with a mere breath, had dissipated the attack, as if he were blowing out a candle. "How is this possible?" she wondered, incredulous, as she watched Dean, who seemed completely oblivious to the danger.
Ellie, still rapidly advancing towards Dean, was momentarily disoriented by the turn of events. Her initial plan seemed foolproof: the mana attack was meant to force Dean to defend or dodge, creating a perfect opening for a melee attack. Ellie, seizing the distraction of Dean, would close the short distance between them and deliver the final blow.
She expected Dean to be too busy dealing with the magical slash to notice her imminent approach. A cunning plan, she thought, perfect for exposing the opponent's vulnerability. But to her surprise and frustration, Dean had undone her attack with a seemingly trivial gesture, rendering her meticulously devised plan useless. Now, with the element of surprise lost, Ellie needed to quickly reassess her strategy as she continued to approach the enigmatic Dean.
Ellie, gripping her katana tighter, tried to rationalize the situation. "He must have some hidden ability. It's not possible for him to have dissipated my attack so easily without a secret skill. To do something like that, he would have to have a much higher class level than mine," Ellie pondered, with an expression of determination hardening her features.
Tightening her grip on the sword handle, Ellie shouted, "I liked your trick, but let's see how you handle this!" With a decisive movement, she halted her charge and executed a powerful diagonal slash. The sword blade, imbued with a vibrant green mana aura, cut through the air with fierce energy, aiming directly at Dean. The attack was a fusion of brute strength and refined technique, a testament to Ellie's combat skill.
With agility that defied gravity, Dean slid to the side, dodging with ease that seemed almost supernatural. Ellie's attack cut only through the air, leaving a look of surprise on her determined face.
Unfazed, Ellie quickly launched another strike towards Dean. However, he again evaded with a fluid and precise movement, a dance-like step to the side. "This guy..." Ellie thought, her green eyes widening in recognition. "He's stronger than he looks!"
In a strategic move, Ellie stepped back, stomping forcefully on the ground. Her orange hair fluttered in the wind, and a glimmer of determination appeared in her eyes. "He's strong, I know it because I am too," Ellie reflected, cautiously and respectfully assessing Dean.
Dean remained still, his blue eyes fixed on Ellie, displaying a mix of interest and challenge. His indifferent expression concealed the calculations behind each movement.
Chloe and Yuki, on the other hand, watched the scene with fascination, temporarily forgetting that they were on opposite sides of the conflict, completely engrossed in the spectacle of the fight.
Ellie finally sighed and sheathed her katana, the sound of the blade sliding back into the scabbard echoing through the space. "He must be in the same class as me, or even higher," Ellie pondered internally. "His ranking in the academy is low, but his skill... He should be among the best. After all, I recognize strength when I see it."
Ellie's thoughts were interrupted by Dean's unexpected suggestion. "How about we go somewhere more private?" he asked, with a tone that mixed provocation and seriousness.
Ellie, with a mix of irritation and distrust, responded quickly: "Isolated? And why exactly would I go somewhere alone with you?"
Dean couldn't contain a cynical smile, accompanied by a soft laugh. "You really are more naive than you look, you know?" he commented, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Ellie frowned, raising an eyebrow in a sign of challenge. "What did you just say?" she retorted, clearly irritated.
But Dean seemed lost in his own thoughts, staring at the blue sky. "Definitely, drawing attention here is not an option. But I'm also not in the mood to be a punching bag. I have my pride, after all," he reflected, contemplating the vastness of the sky.
His eyes detected something abnormal in the clear blue - an anomaly, similar to a glitch in a system. A dark object floated there, the core of the test, a reminder that each of his movements was being recorded and observed.
"I can't stand out too much, but I also don't want to go unnoticed," Dean pondered, turning his gaze back to Ellie.
Suddenly, Dean changed his expression, displaying a charming smile, almost as if he was about to reveal the most closely guarded secret of the universe. "How about a deal, Ellie? You leave me alone, and in return, I'll tell you what happened to Blake. Why he turned into this walking ice block. Interesting, isn't it? I bet you'd give anything to find out."
Ellie, always so intense and impulsive, widened her eyes in surprise. Blake was more than a friend to her; he was like a brother. The concern she felt for him was palpable, and the idea of finally understanding what was happening to him seemed irresistible.
"What happened to him?" The question slipped from her lips almost without her realizing.
"Easy, easy, let's leave the bombshell revelations for after this charming test," Dean replied, maintaining his calm and confident tone of voice. "But only if you get out of here, deal?"
Ellie swallowed hard, torn between distrust and burning curiosity. "If you're lying..."
"Oh, you'll hunt me to the ends of the earth, I know," Dean interrupted, jokingly. "Now, if you don't mind, move your adorable behind and leave—"
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the air changed and His sentence was abruptly cut off by a deafening boom. It sounded as if a bomb had been dropped right behind him. "This presence..." Dean thought, feeling a wave of excitement mixed with tension.
Quickly turning around, Dean faced the source of the noise. A curtain of dust enveloped the newly arrived figure, but their presence was unmistakable. "Don't get me so excited like that!" Dean shouted, half provoking, half challenging the figure who revealed themselves through the dissipating dust. It was Sam, with his black hair contrasting starkly against his burning red eyes.