Gsh!!!
Ryoko twisted the ice sword, and blood spilled from Rajin's mouth.
A smirk curled on Ryoko's lips as she sealed Rajin's fate. He stared at her in utter shock; after all, he was tasting his own medicine.
"Ryoko-san!"
Masumi's voice cut through the tension, and Ryoko turned to see her coming toward her, supporting an injured Seiichii.
"Masumi-san! Thank God you're alright! How is Seiichii-kun?" Ryoko asked, her eyes filled with concern.
Masumi managed a weak smile as she approached.
"I'm okay. Aramiya-kun arrived just in time to protect me.
As for Seiichii-kun, he suffered many internal and external injuries from that cheap attack by Taguchi.
I used my basic healing spell on him to treat most of his external wounds, but I'm not powerful enough to heal the internal injuries."
Masumi spoke slowly, guilt washing over her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Ryoko released her grip on the ice sword and hurried to Masumi's side.
Rajin dropped to his knees, blood seeping from his mouth, his head bowed in resignation.
Ryoko embraced Masumi tightly.
"Masumi-san, it's not your fault. I know you're doing your best to help all of us, including Seiichii-kun.
I'm sure he feels the same way and is grateful for your efforts."
Masumi looked at Ryoko, tears continuing to flow.
"Ryoko-san! Masumi-san!"
Suddenly, a voice called out from the side.
They turned to see Ryuu approaching slowly, still in pain despite Masumi's efforts to heal his external injuries.
"Ryuu-kun!" Ryoko exclaimed, stepping forward to meet him.
Just then, the ground beneath Ryoko, Masumi, and Seiichii began to glow, dark blue light emerging as an unknown pattern formed on the surface.
They stood frozen in shock, unable to move.
"Aha-ha-ha!"
A weak but sinister laughter echoed across the battlefield. Ryoko slowly turned to see Rajin rising to his feet, a malicious glint in his eyes.
Psh!!!
Suddenly, blood erupted from Ryoko's mouth, followed by Masumi and Seiichii. It felt as if an invisible sword had pierced them.
(What...is happening!? T-this...An Array!? But how? When? There was no sign of any Array on the battlefield when I sensed it at the start.
But now...how? Did my senses fail me!?)
A whirlwind of questions flooded Ryoko's mind as she collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from her lips.
Masumi and Seiichii also fell, crimson pooling around them.
Ryuu looked on in stunned disbelief, caught in a state of shock.
Rajin raised his head, revealing a wide smirk as he approached them, purple lightning crackling in his hands.
"Aha-ha-ha, Ryoko-san. I warned you not to let your guard down, even in front of mere humans.
The moment you lose your vigilance, you're finished."
Rajin raised his hand, and dark clouds gathered ominously in the sky.
Thunder rumbled.
A bolt of purple lightning struck him, enveloping his body in a dazzling display.
When the storm cleared, Rajin stood transformed, his wounds from Ryoko's sword completely healed, his hair now a deep purple.
Ryoko could only stare in shock.
"Did you really think I would let my guard down against an opponent like you?" Rajin taunted, stepping forward.
"I would have to be a fool to give you a chance to slice through me. No, it was all an act to catch you off guard."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"You must be wondering how that Array appeared so suddenly.
The truth is, while I've trained my body to withstand pain, I'm also an Array expert. Deploying this was simple for me."
His grin widened.
"I set the Soul Damaging Array while I toyed with you earlier. You fell right into my trap."
Rajin continued, his voice dripping with malice.
"It was all a ruse—Taguchi losing to Aramiya-kun, and me letting you drop your guard. Don't forget, manifesting my body allows me to heal any external wounds."
He began to walk toward Ryuu, his smirk growing ever wider.
"We all knew you were the strongest student in this training session.
Defeating you in a fair fight would be impossible, so I had to resort to this trick to catch you off guard.
Now, with you out of the way, there will be no obstacles left in my fight against Aramiya-kun, correct? Isn't that right, Aramiya-kun?"
Rajin's gaze locked onto Ryuu, who remained paralyzed in shock, unable to comprehend the turn of events.....