A slash tore through the ice wall that I had constructed, sending pieces of shimmering ice flying everywhere.
Continuously constructing barriers, a good few feet in front of me as I ran, I continued to circle around my opponent. At the first sign of one of the barriers being destroyed, I would immediately go on the defense and change directions.
Back and forth, Back and forth.
I continued this dance of death with my opponent, all the while providing a offensive fire of ice rain, that relentlessly fell upon them.
While I partook in this game of cat mouse, Homura was looking for the opening to deal major damage.
"Hiyaah!" From a small hole I opened in my barrier, I could see Homura battling fiercely, looking for an opening.
She jumped back into a series of back handsprings, avoiding slashes that whistled through the wind and sliced apart parts of the ice palace.
Once she arrived at the wall, she placed her feet on it, and I closed my fist, creating an ice pillar that boosted her forward, towards her opponent.
Immediately after, I provided another distraction, summoning birds and dragon heads made of ice, that I unleashed along with the rain of icicles.
All of it hit our opponent all at once, and Homura was approaching. It seemed we had found an opening-
SMASHSHSHH!
CRACKK!
However, with a lazy swing of her arm, a insanely powerful force swept away everything at once, cracking the air and shattering the ground, the blow traveled at crazy speeds. I reacted as quickly as possible pulling Homura back with a use of an ice dragon.
I dragged her behind the barrier I was standing behind, just in time to save her from the train-like force that tore its way through the ice palace, leaving a gaping hole in one of the walls.
"Damn!" Homura cursed as she adjusted her dual blades that had nearly fallen from her hands.
"It's just never ending. And it doesn't help that she's doing all of this looking like she's going to fall asleep at any second." I added.
I took the risk of peaking my head around and it was nearly cut off by a fast-flying slash.
Our opponent's ability wasn't something that was too hard to understand. She essentially controlled an invisible force that she could use to attack others.
Those attacks were released by her movements. The speed and effects of these slashes directly correlated to which part of her body she used to release them.
If she flicked her finger, then an insanely fast precise slash would come out, one that was able to decapitate in an instant. It didn't have a wide range, but it was fast and sharp enough to make up for it.
If she flicked her hand, then a blast that was only slighter slower than the former would come out, and it was larger, around the size of a table. It could slice through things, as well as obliterate them. It was the perfect in between.
Finally, if she swung her entire arm, then a massively powerful blast with the destructive force of a speeding train would be unleashed. Contrary to what it would lead you to believe, this one was just as fast as the finger flick slash, which was not balanced at all.
All in all, she was more than a formidable opponent.
However, like everyone else, she had a weakness. "I'm sure you've been itching to ask, so go ahead."
I told Homura. I had noticed the expression of slight confusion that had been developing on her pretty facial features. "Well, it's pretty obvious that her weakness would be the fact that she needs to move to use her ability. Why couldn't you just, freeze her where she's sitting. This whole ice palace is of your own creation, so couldn't you just freeze where she was?"
"A pretty logical proposal, and I would have if I could."
Homura nodded. "So, you can't. Makes sense. What's stopping you then?"
I flicked a thumb over in the direction of where our opponent was. "Her aura. The magical energy around her body is so strong that it destroys the ice trying to approach her immediately, effectively creating a barrier around her. In order to actually freeze her, I'd need to charge up an attack with enough mana to clash with hers."
Homura nodded, picking up her blades and beginning to stand.
I reached out and grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Where are you going!"
Homura looked down at me in confusion, and I stared back up at her with the same expression. Just what was she thinking trying to rush back into battle? We didn't even have a plan yet!
"Well, you said that in order to freeze her, you'd need to charge up an attack, right?"
I nodded hesitantly at her question.
"Well then, I'll go ahead and distract her until then." She turned to leave again, but my grip tightened.
"Relax! Or your pull it off completely! Unless you want me to fight in just underwear."
I ignored Homura's stupid joke. "But I don't even think I can do that. Even if I charge up my strongest attack, chances are it won't succeed. And then it'll lead you to-"
Images of the bloody courtyard returned to my mind, and I didn't finish that sentence. I didn't even want to imagine that possibility. It made me a tad bit angry that she would even consider risking that possibility.
However, Homura looked back down at me with a similar expression of anger. "What is it with you and this lack of confidence! I've noticed that it started to develop a while back, the day after that attack on the coffee shop. I shot down the possibility, but did kicking the ass of some terrorists really lower your self-confidence?"
She was shouting back at me, and I was a bit taken aback. "Wha-"
"Was it an argument with your unnaturally beautiful brother?"
I didn't even have time to address her blasphemous comment about Raiden. I had had more than my share of arguments with Raiden in the past few weeks. All of them stemmed from the same topic, about how lowly he viewed and treated himself.
And yet here I am doing the same thing.
"It's because you're a hypocrite!" The same voice inside my head had said. It was the same voice that had begun to develop ever since the terrorist incident with the little girl. When I had tried to convince her that she wasn't weak for crying, that she was instead strong, only to show unsightly weakness in front of her when her mother cursed me out.
I had lied to that little girl. I had preached to her words that I couldn't follow myself. I was a hypocrite for that, a liar, and a weak girl. I had cried, in front of her, Homura, Ren, the shop, the police, and most importantly, my brother. I had showed them all that weak side of me, and I couldn't even buy my own lies that being able to cry was a sign of strength.
Yes, that was the true reason behind it. I was a liar, and I was wea-
However, my train of though was cut through by Homuras words, as sharp as a blade.
"Cut it out!" Her words were sharp and strong, completely separating me from my own bad thoughts. "We had this conversation already, didn't we? A girl like you, should really have more confidence in herself. Quit the humble act. Your pretty, strong, capable, smart, and have a smoking hot brother!"
I could only give a wry smile at that last part. Homura couldn't help but be overly blunt in everything she said and did.
"If you fear letting somebody down," She leaned in closer, flicking my forehead. "The instead of worrying about it, make sure it doesn't happen!"
After that, she smiled at me, before picking up her blades once more.
She turned to leave, but before she did, she blew a kiss at me. "I'm counting on you!" She said as she turned to face the opponent in front of us.
I simply sat there in shock for a few seconds. Finally, I stood on my feet, a smile slowly creeping unto my face.
"Underwear, hah!"
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
With Homuras blunt encouragement pushing me forward, I returned to face the battle. If I was scared of letting her down, I just had to make sure that didn't happen. Got it. Although even that would be easier said than done.
Going back to our same strategy, however this time with a small change. I was providing a bit less support and instead focused my energy on charging up my magic.
It took a lot of effort to maintain the ice palace, the barriers, and my icicle rain all at the same time. So, I dropped the ice rain and attacks I was launching and focused on charging energy and maintaining the ice palace.
I placed all of my faith in Homura, and by extension, in myself, because that's where all her faith lay.
"If this actually works, then I owe you one sparring session in my underwear!" I shouted out at Homura.
I couldn't see her facial expression, but I could hear her giggle slightly at the joke. "Maybe refrain from underwear jokes in such a serious situation!" She shouted right back at me.
I could hear the sounds of her ducking and dodging, as well as the whistling and cracking of ice, the telltale signs of the girl in the blue hoodies attack.
What exactly was her ploy. I still had very little idea of what was actually going on. There was no announcements. Me and Homura had been chilling outside, watching the beauty of the lights and designs, when a massive explosion rung out at the roof of the academy, and before we knew it, we were surrounded.
However, that wasn't what I should be worried about right now. If I wanted to even think about concerning myself with that, I had to get through the obstacle currently in front of me.
Beginning to stand, I shot an Icicle into the air and shouted out at Homura.
"Ready!"
As soon as I sent that signal, Homura fell back, and I jumped out from my position behind the barrier. Holding out a hand, I unleashed the wave of ice at her, shouting.
"El Hielo!"
The ice rushed forward and clashed with the barrier that was the powerful aura of this girl. Some of it was canceled out, unable to cross the barrier. However, some broke through. It broke through, and it froze her arms and legs. Enough to stall her.
"Homura!" I shouted out for Homura to rush forward and attack her.
Her dual blades at the ready, she prepared to slash our opponent. However, at that moment, we both noticed something.
The girl who had her arms and legs frozen, opened her mouth, and blew air out from it. It took us both a second to realize what is was.
It was an attack.
Foolishly, we had assumed that she could only release attacks from her arms, because she had only released them by using her hands, fingers, and arm, up until this point.
And now, where were going to pay.
I tried to summon an ice wall, but I knew it would be too late. "Homura!" I shouted, as she tried to use a wind spell to boost herself out of the way.
The slash would cut her and then me.
My life didn't flash before my eyes. Instead, a single instance played, my memory of Raiden. The day he had expressed his will to go and explore the outside world.
I thought about all of the argument we had, the faults we both possessed. The reconciliation we would be denied. The pain that I'd leave him with. Even if I hated how he went about it, he cared about me, and I cared about him.
God, I had said some stupid shit.
And he had done some stupid shit.
However, the death that I had braced myself for never came.
The slash never connected.
Because it had been canceled out completely.
Homura managed to safely get herself away from the blast.
She slid back next to me, and I hugged her. There was fear in her eyes. There was fear in mine.
"Absolute Zero. A technique I developed with the help of Yuri. Using a water spell combined with defensive magic sequences, I can create a zone in which all magic and attacks are slowed down to the point of harmlessness, as if under water. Rendering their effect, an absolute zero."
A calm, strong voice spoke. My knees nearly buckled from excitement when I heard that familiar voice.
I turned to the gaping hole in the wall, where the student council president, Suijin Hajimoto was standing.