Andro hesitated.
'Can Asuka handle him alone? Even the three of us together struggled to hold our ground.'
But he knew James was reaching his limit and understood what Asuka had in mind.
As he was about to move with James, Pacho mocked them, urging them to hurry up.
"Step back. I have a plan."
With a forceful gesture from Asuka, Andro reluctantly retreated with James.
James was not only bleeding but also sweating profusely. He needed medical attention. Andro clenched his teeth.
There was no choice but to trust Asuka.
The duel ensued.
Pacho toyed with his dagger, looking at Asuka as if his weaknesses were obvious.
His confidence indicated how lightly he took Asuka.
There was no shame in it. The strong naturally look down on the weak, sometimes to their own peril.
'My heart is pounding.'
Facing such a formidable opponent one-on-one, Asuka had never fought a battle where he might actually die.
No matter how well-conceived a plan might be, it often becomes useless in real combat.
But Asuka was determined to succeed.
'If I fail, not just me, but the other two will die as well.'
With no way back, and having chosen to fight alone, the responsibility for failure lay solely on him.
The grace period was over. Pacho lifted the dagger he had been holding loosely.
"Weakness means powerlessness. You will die realizing your powerlessness. You're prettier than that other boy, so I'll make sure to leave a nice scar."
"Screw you, you freak! That won't scare me!"
As Asuka grimaced, Pacho chuckled lowly and charged at him. His footsteps were nearly silent.
Asuka watched his movements intently.
In such cases, the advantage lies with the stronger party. If the weaker one tries to attack recklessly, they expose themselves to a fatal blow, especially against an assassin.
'I know how to fight someone stronger than me.'
Asuka recalled his duel with Charlotte. He had been confident of victory, but the fight dragged on, almost ending in a draw.
He remembered her movements, the strategy for not losing against a stronger opponent. Move lightly and quickly, as if fleeing. Don't think about winning. Don't respond even if an opportunity presents itself. By minimizing movement, you survive.
Charlotte lost because she tried to counterattack Asuka.
This was the opposite of how Asuka had fought until now.
But he could do it. He had to.
Pacho, confident as he attacked, was indeed strong. His dagger tore Asuka's clothing and grazed his hair, but caused no more than minor scratches.
Asuka's strength was his quick reflexes. He couldn't counter Pacho's attacks, but he could react to them.
A single mistake would mean death. His senses were sharp.
Pacho felt the fight dragging on. Seven minutes had passed since he began his aggressive attack, and time was running out.
Although he doubted Helmut could return so quickly, Pacho decided not to take any risks.
With Pacho's onslaught lessening, Asuka gasped for breath.
'This is tough. Helmut, you expected me to handle this guy alone?'
Considering Asuka's life choices, not antagonizing Helmut was among his best decisions. Pacho, stepping back, sneered.
"Indeed, you are strong. I acknowledge that. You know how to fight. Those other two must have been a burden."
But that was about to end. Pacho's blades were enveloped in a fiery red energy.
Energy manifestation. A technique only those worthy of being called first-class could achieve.
"Goodbye!"
A weapon charged with manifested energy has the power to shatter an uncharged weapon. Even if it doesn't break the weapon, the sheer force can cause damage to the opponent, as if a blade of wind has passed through the defense.
'Oh no!'
Asuka internally screamed as the deadly blade approached.
"Asuka!"
Andro, watching, screamed his name. Asuka's face hardened just as Pacho was about to strike him down.
Then, from Asuka's pocket, a burst of magical energy emerged.
'Magic?'
Pacho reflexively retreated, but what followed was unexpected to him, and to everyone present.
"Respond, Team 9! Where are you? Is everyone safely at the camp?"
Asuka murmured, "Instructor Patricia?"
"Yes, Asuka. We're checking the status of each team. Is everything alright? Is everyone healthy?"
Voices of other instructors, including Professor Dwayne and Instructor Alan, were heard.
'This is an unexpected turn.'
Pacho's eyes widened. He knew about the instructors giving crystal balls to each team.
After meeting with Helmut and searching the campsite, he hadn't found the crystal ball. He had been eavesdropping on all conversations in the campsite, planning to shoot the crystal ball if they attempted to use it
for help, but never heard it mentioned again after it seemed to have disappeared.
He had completely overlooked it in his meticulous planning—a rare oversight for him.
'It must have fallen into the pocket through a hole.'
Asuka realized. He had been wearing the outer garment all along, only taking it off to sleep, thinking it might at least protect him from slashes. Little did he know it would come in so handy!
Asuka shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Instructor! Please help! There's a super strong and weird guy here from Black Hawk! He's an assassin targeting Helmut! He says he's going to kill us all!"
'You little...!'
Pacho attempted to silence Asuka by throwing his dagger, but Asuka narrowly avoided it.
"Help! Mom!"
"Instructor, James is dying! Hurry up, please!"
Andro also joined in, using all his might to scream as loud as he could. It was the first time in his life he had ever yelled like that.
"Students? Is that true? Are you currently at the campsite...?"
The voice suddenly cut off as Pacho's second dagger hit the crystal ball instead of Asuka.
"I'll kill you all before the instructors get here."
Pacho hissed in a thin voice, flames rising in his hand again.
He couldn't afford to waste any more time. If the instructors arrived, even killing Helmut would be impossible.
But these kids had to die here, especially that commoner.
'Finish them and flee.'
That was his new plan. However, Asuka made good use of the brief moment he had.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll, tearing it towards Pacho, who was charging at him.
The scroll created a vacuum in the targeted area. And the area Asuka targeted was right in front of him!
A costly scroll, but its magical effect was quite effective. Instantly, the air in the space disappeared.
'This is it!'
Pacho's swift movements had left no opportunity for Asuka to use it until now, but it had worked perfectly this time.
The manifestation of Bis required concentrating Bis on the weapon, and dispersing it in an instant was not easy.
As a result, Pacho was unable to defend against the suddenly employed magic.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, the air filling his mouth vanished. The magic didn't penetrate his lungs, but he was choked for breath.
Not being able to breathe and having no air at all were two different things. It was like being hit in the head, momentarily losing consciousness, but there was no air to inhale.
Stunned by the successive attacks, Pacho staggered.
Asuka didn't miss the opportunity. His eyes gleamed sharply as his sword flashed through the air.
'I'll cut his throat.'
If this guy comes back, Asuka would die. He couldn't live in fear of an assassin's blade striking unexpectedly. It was a perfect opportunity.
Though it was his first time killing someone, Asuka did not hesitate.
Pacho quickly regained his senses just as Asuka's sword was about to reach him.
Realizing the sword aimed for his throat, Pacho instinctively protected it.
'Impossible!'
Protecting vital spots is basic. Instead of his throat, Pacho offered his left arm. In a split second, he concentrated Bis in his arm, using the bone as a barrier to block Asuka's sword.
The pain of not being able to breathe was unimaginable. The arm's pain was almost unfelt due to the breathlessness.
As air returned, Pacho gasped for breath.
Asuka, ready to swing his sword again, stood in front of him.
Though injured, it didn't matter. The weak expose themselves when they attack.
Pacho dodged the sword and kicked Asuka's abdomen with all his might.
"Ugh!"
Asuka was sent flying through the air, the impact suggesting internal damage.
Crash! Asuka coughed up blood as he tumbled. Pacho's attacks were powerful; Asuka had just managed to avoid them until now.
"Be grateful. You're the first I've truly wanted to kill this much."
Pacho's eyes glinted with murderous intent, no longer showing any leisure.
But in the next moment, Pacho's body twitched. He looked towards the forest.
In the distance, trees swayed as someone rapidly approached, not caring about being detected, at a great speed. Helmut was coming back!
Pacho hesitated for a moment. He was injured. Should he kill the defenseless Asuka now, or leave?
Leaving was difficult with his strong desire to kill.
Another person made the decision for him. Andro stood up, protecting Asuka. His eyes were filled with determination, holding a sword in his hand.
The next in line after the deputy is the sub-deputy.
"Lucky you."
Pacho spat out as he turned away.
He had failed. Pacho bitterly
acknowledged his failure. But he was determined to succeed next time. Next time, none of them would survive.
Biting back his frustration and promising retribution for another day, Pacho kicked off the ground and vanished. His escape was as swift as his approach had been.
Less than two minutes after his departure, Helmut landed in the campsite.
Thud! He immediately set Dino down on the ground.
James, having lost a lot of blood, was barely managing to stop the bleeding and sat down weakly. Asuka, who had fought until moments ago, lay sprawled on the ground.
Andro, who had rushed over, was relieved to see that Dino was still alive.
With a quick glance at the condition of his team members, Helmut calmly asked, "What happened to Pacho?"