[Valeria's PoV]
The four of us chased after that perverted man into the forest. All he'd been doing was running away. We needed to catch him quickly and help the others who were struggling against that giant bird.
I wasn't sure how the man had managed to manipulate the bird to attack both Clans, but that didn't matter anymore. Right now, we had to focus on defeating him.
"Accel!" Brian shot forward, heading straight for the man.
That man turned and blocked Brian's punch. Just as the man was about to counter, Geralt swiftly attacked, forcing him to retreat.
Silently, I aimed at him, ready to cast my magic. But just as I was about to release it, he glanced at me.
'Fireball!'
The man dodged, leaping to the side. My fireball hit a tree, igniting it.
How did he know I was going to attack at that moment? With Voiceless Incantation, he shouldn't have detected my magic at all, especially while he was focused on Brian and Geralt.
Yet, after deflecting and dodging Brian and Geralt's attacks, he immediately shifted his focus to me, as if he already knew I was going to strike.
Fine. I'll hit him when his movements are restricted, making it harder for him to dodge. I'll leave it to you two, Brian, Geralt.
This time, Brian and Geralt attacked in unison. Brian's left hand began to glow, and he threw a left hook. The man dodged easily by ducking.
But Geralt was ready. He launched a fiery kick aimed at the man's face from the right. However, the man skillfully avoided it by leaping backward.
If I attacked now, it would be just like before. I needed to use a different spell.
'Earth Wall.'
A wall of earth rose behind the man, preventing him from retreating any further.
Bam!
Geralt's kick connected with his body, but the man blocked it with his right hand. Brian followed up with a glowing punch, but once again, the man dodged just in time. His legs began to glow, just like Brian's.
He can use Accel too!?
The man grabbed Brian's right arm, the one he'd just used to punch, and kicked his right ankle, sending the blond man crashing to the ground.
I wanted to help them, but I was worried my magic might hit them instead.
Geralt quickly fired off a Fire Bullet before the man could follow up his attack on Brian.
But the man easily dodged it. His legs glowed again, and in a flash, he was beside Geralt.
Bam!
The man punched Geralt in the ribs, sending him flying into the earth wall I'd created, shattering it.
'Lightning Bolt!'
A green bolt of lightning shot toward the man. He dodged it with ease, but it bought Brian enough time to get back on his feet and resume his relentless assault.
Behind me, I noticed Ariel running toward the spot where Geralt had landed. She seemed ready to heal his injuries.
I saw the man smirk, and a bad feeling crept up on me.
"Damn it! All you do is run and dodge!" Brian cursed, frustrated that none of his attacks had landed cleanly.
The man continued to evade Brian's punches and kicks, dodging them effortlessly.
"Brian! Don't give him any room to escape!" I shouted, preparing another spell. "This is going to hurt a little, so brace yourself!"
"Leave it to me!" Brian responded, still attacking without pause.
We had a Healer, so I shouldn't worry too much even if my magic hit my comrades. Our enemy was just one man.
'Earth Barrage!'
The ground around me lifted and shot toward both Brian and the man. I purposely used a wider-area spell. Both of them got hit; one of the stones struck the man, sending him flying deeper into the forest.
Brian held his head, blood trickling down his forehead.
"Sorry, Brian!" I felt a little guilty.
Brian turned to me and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Valeria. As long as we take down Raul, I don't care if I break every bone in my body!"
Well... that's Brian for you. Not the brightest, but his courage is unmatched.
"Brian! Are you okay? Where's Raul?"
Ariel rushed over to heal Brian's wound. Geralt seemed to have recovered from the strong blow the perverted man had landed on him.
"Ah, right! We still need to take him down!" Brian exclaimed, suddenly remembering that we still had to catch Raul.
"He flew into the forest. Let's chase him," I urged.
After Ariel healed Brian, the four of us entered the forest. I spotted a tree that looked like it had nearly toppled over. Raul must have crashed into it. We also saw faint footprints in the dirt where he had fled.
"Let's hurry and catch him! I'm sure he's not far!" Brian shouted as he sprinted ahead.
The four of us followed Raul's footprints, but they disappeared near a large tree.
"It looks like he started jumping from tree to tree to avoid leaving tracks on the ground," I speculated. I noticed branches that appeared to have been stepped on. "Look, he's definitely moving through the trees," I said, pointing at the broken branches.
"Then let's move fast and not let him escape!" Brian shouted, taking off again.
We continued following the pervert's trail through the trees, but something about this chase felt off.
"Turn right!" Brian called out, his gaze still fixed on the trees above.
However, after following for a while, the trail went cold.
We searched the trees and the ground for more clues but found nothing.
"Look!" Brian pointed at a tree. "The bark looks like it's been stepped on, doesn't it?"
Yes... It clearly looked like someone had stepped on it, probably with Academy shoes. But it seemed too deliberate, too detailed—unlike normal footprints. This might have been a decoy.
Think. What's his reason for leaving a fake trail?
I saw Brian, Geralt, and Ariel all focusing on the tree.
"..."
I quickly scanned the surroundings and spotted the man racing toward us with incredible speed. Strangely, there wasn't a single sound as he moved.
He grinned when he realized I had spotted him. I started preparing a spell.
Bam!
Ughhh... I wasn't fast enough. He landed a punch squarely on my face.
My body was sent tumbling across the ground. This was the first time a fellow student had landed a hit on me.
I struggled to stand and check on the others. The man had just kicked Brian hard in the face, sending him flying like I had. Geralt tried to counter, but the man effortlessly dodged and returned the favor with a punch to Geralt's face.
I raised my hands, ready to cast a wind spell. But the man noticed me preparing. He immediately dashed toward Ariel.
"Damn it, Ariel! Get away from him!" I couldn't cast my spell. Ariel was our Healer, and if she went down, no one could support us against this perverted bastard.
"I'm trying, but Raul keeps following me!" Ariel shouted, still running.
Ariel was a Priestess, and physically weaker compared to Raul, so it made sense that she couldn't outrun him. We had to help her.
"Brian, please!" Ariel called out.
Brian rose, his body glowing with a golden aura.
Could it be? Was he using his Codex?
"Stay away from her, Raul! Unless you want me to finish you off with the same technique that beat you in our last duel!" Brian, now visibly furious, growled.
Raul responded with a mocking grin.
"Rahhhhh!" Brian focused his mana, preparing to unleash his full power.
He shot toward the man with incredible speed. But Raul grabbed Ariel's arm and positioned her as a shield in front of him.
Brian halted his attack just in time, his fist stopping right in front of Ariel's face.
Taking advantage of the situation, Raul activated his magic, Temper, on his legs and kicked Brian hard in the face, sending him crashing into a tree, which collapsed under the impact.
"Coward! Fight fair, Raul!" Ariel shouted angrily, pounding her fists against Raul's chest.
Of course, her punches didn't seem to affect him at all.
Raul then grabbed Ariel by the arm and hoisted her up, carrying her princess-style. She struggled to break free, but she wasn't strong enough to overpower him.
Raul started running toward me.
I had to save Ariel and bring down that bastard.
'Mud Trap!'
I cast a spell to trap his legs without harming Ariel. But before the ground could grab him, he leapt away.
It happened again. How could he always predict my spells, even though I was using Voiceless Incantation?
Could he possess a Codex that allows him to read spells and predict movements?
In mid-air, Raul raised one leg high above his head, a glowing light enveloping his foot.
'Earth Wall!'
A barrier of earth rose in front of me to block his attack. But Raul shattered my defensive magic with a single kick.
Bam!
He slammed his other foot into my head with a brutal kick.
I began to lose consciousness... How humiliating… To be beaten by someone who wasn't even using his Nature Mana...
I'm starting to lose my consciousness... It's so embarrassing .... Being defeated by someone who didn't even use his Nature Man at all...
Damn...
"Wait... What are you going to do with Ariel? Where are you taking her?"
Ariel was still struggling in the man's lap. She then fainted after that pervert hit the nape of her neck.
He looked into my eyes one last time before taking Ariel away from the forest.
I heard a noise in the distance. It seemed like the rest of us were about to arrive here after fighting off the big bird that attacked us earlier.
"Valeria! Are you okay?" one of the members asked.
"Ughh... Hurry up and chase that pervert," I said, almost losing consciousness. "He... Kidnapped... Ariel..."