Noah, Elisa, and Vivian felt an icy chill sweep through the air, freezing them in place for a moment. Their gazes locked onto Jin, who stood silently, exuding a powerful aura that none of them had felt before.
"Damn it," Noah muttered, disbelief etched on his face. "That guy… did he just awaken?"
Jin calmly removed his glasses, the frost creeping over them cracking into pieces. His hands steadied as he loaded his crossbow, the arrow freezing solid the moment it touched the bowstring. He exhaled slowly, releasing a plume of icy breath.
The sharp twang of his bow echoed through the field as he fired. The arrow shot forward, cutting through the air with an intense cold that bit at everyone's skin. It struck the slime queen's massive leg, instantly freezing it solid. The queen let out a deafening roar, shaking the forest.
"What?! Jin awakened?!" Lenny growled, his anger boiling over. "I guess I need to end this before he becomes more of a problem."
Lenny's figure blurred as he dashed forward, his sword glowing with a dark aura. He shoved past Vivian and Noah with ease, heading straight for Jin.
But before Lenny could reach him, Theodore appeared in a blur of motion, intercepting him. With the broken hilt of his sword, Theodore parried Lenny's strike and followed up with a fiery punch that landed squarely on Lenny's jaw.
Lenny staggered back, spitting blood. His expression twisted with frustration, and his aura began to fluctuate wildly. "You little runt!"
Jin, calm and composed, loaded another arrow. He fired two shots, the arrows whistling through the air toward Lenny. Lenny dodged them with remarkable speed, but his relief was short-lived as Jin smirked, raising his hand.
The arrows, now controlled by Jin's ice mana, changed direction mid-air and chased after Lenny.
"What the—?!" Lenny cursed, slashing at the arrows in desperation. One shattered into shards of ice, but the other grazed his shoulder, freezing a portion of his armor.
"You're not getting away!" Jin shouted, his voice filled with newfound confidence.
Realizing the danger, Lenny shifted his focus. He summoned two more slime soldiers, their gelatinous forms hardening into armor. "Let's see how you handle this!"
Noah dashed forward, his water sword glowing as he unleashed a technique. "Azure Serpent Strike!" he yelled, summoning a sleek, snake-like flow of water that twisted through the air. It pierced straight through one of the slime soldiers, dissolving it into a puddle.
Meanwhile, Theodore charged at Lenny, his fists engulfed in purple flames. He threw a flurry of punches, each strike aimed at breaking through Lenny's defenses. But Lenny's skill with the sword proved superior, as he parried Theodore's attacks with ease.
"Is that all you've got?" Lenny sneered, shoving Theodore back with a powerful swing.
Jin fired another arrow, this time aiming for the queen's second leg. The arrow struck true, freezing her limb solid. She was now immobilized, roaring in fury as she struggled against the ice.
"Elisa! Now's your chance!" Jin shouted.
Elisa didn't hesitate. Using her gravity mana, she leaped onto the queen's massive body, slashing at her arms to weaken her grip. The queen fought back, swiping at Elisa with her remaining free limb.
"Damn it!" Elisa muttered as she narrowly dodged a strike. "Jin! I need more arrows!"
Jin cursed under his breath, checking his quiver. It was empty. "I'm out!" he yelled back, frustration clear in his voice.
As Theodore and Lenny continued their fierce exchange, Lenny began to gain the upper hand. His strikes were faster, stronger, and more precise. Theodore, still drained of mana, struggled to keep up.
"Come on, Theodore," Lenny taunted. "You're fighting on fumes, and it shows. Just give up already!"
But before Lenny could land a finishing blow, Vivian intervened. She darted in, her movements fluid and precise, and unleashed a flurry of ice spears.
"You'll have to go through me first!" Vivian snapped, her usually timid demeanor replaced by fierce determination.
Lenny deflected her attacks, but he couldn't help but smirk. "Not bad, little mage. But you're still too slow."
Vivian's speed and agility, however, caught even Theodore off guard. (She's… incredible,) he thought, impressed by her seamless movements and sharp instincts. (How did she get this strong? It's like she's a completely different person.)
But even with Vivian's help, Lenny's experience and power kept him ahead.
Lenny's frustration boiled over, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "It's over, you stupid brats!" he roared, his bellow sending a shockwave that blasted Theodore, Noah, Vivian, and Elisa backward like ragdolls.
Elisa was the first to leap back to her feet, sprinting to her fallen companions. "Are you all okay?" she asked, her voice trembling with concern.
They nodded weakly, rising to their feet with ragged breaths. Theodore wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and glared at Lenny.
The sight before them was horrifying. Lenny's body was no longer fully human. His limbs twisted and bubbled grotesquely, his flesh shifting into a semi-gelatinous form. Tendrils of dark magic pulsed through his translucent body, and his face was contorted with malice.
"Stupid children," Lenny sneered, his voice guttural and inhuman. "You should've run while you had the chance. Now you'll all pay for your defiance!"
"How… how is that possible?" Jin stammered, clutching his bow tightly. His voice shook as he shielded his eyes from the swirling wind and oppressive aura radiating from Lenny. "How can a human possess a monster's abilities? And that energy—it's… it's black magic!"
"Black magic?" Elisa echoed, horrified. "I thought that was just a myth!"
"Clearly, it's not!" Jin yelled over the howling winds. "And more importantly, that thing isn't our teacher anymore. Maybe it never was! Mr. Lenny—he's gone. This… this is someone, or something, else!"
Theodore's eyes narrowed as he listened, impressed. (Jin's sharper than I gave him credit for. He's completely piecing it together…)
"This is bad!" Noah shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "He's overpowering us—what do we do?!"
Before anyone could answer, Lenny's body began to deform further. He staggered backward, his gelatinous form merging with the remnants of the slime queen. The two fused together, their bodies twisting and bubbling until they formed a grotesque monstrosity—a towering figure with Lenny's face but a body of pulsating slime.
Lenny screamed, his voice warped and amplified, carrying a sinister energy that shook the earth beneath them. "You should've stayed in your place, you insolent children! Now… TREMBLE!"
The fusion's mana surged, radiating green and purplish light, overwhelming in its intensity. The oppressive aura bore down on them, and the air grew heavy with despair. Lenny's twisted form unleashed a skill—Fear Dominion.
Elisa, Jin, Noah, and Vivian screamed as the wave of fear crashed over them. Their bodies convulsed, their legs giving out beneath them as tears streamed down their faces. They couldn't stop trembling, their minds overwhelmed by visions of death and despair. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, unconscious, their willpower completely shattered.
Theodore stood alone, his breathing shallow but steady. Though the fear pricked at his mind, it didn't consume him. He had already experienced such terror before, and his will had grown stronger because of it.
He smirked, keeping his crimson eyes locked on Lenny.
"What's the reason for that smug grin, brat?" Lenny's voice boomed, his monstrous form towering over the boy. "I see the fear didn't break you, but no matter—you're out of mana, and your friends are nothing but dead weight now. You'll die alone!"
"How arrogant, Lenny," Theodore said, his voice calm yet cutting.
Lenny's expression twisted in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Theodore's smirk widened, his crimson eyes gleaming with an unnerving confidence. "You wouldn't understand. This whole fight has been my experiment—and you've been my test subject. Watching you fall deeper into this transformation helped me understand something crucial. And now… I think it's my turn to tell you…" He paused, his voice dripping with mockery. "I'm bored of playing with you."
Lenny froze for a moment before erupting into deranged laughter. The trees around them trembled, and the ground cracked under the weight of his voice. "Bored?" he sneered, his monstrous grin spreading unnaturally wide. "You really think you're in any position to mock me? Is this some pathetic bluff? Or are you just trying to make yourself feel better before I crush you?!"
Theodore didn't respond immediately, his gaze steady and unwavering. Behind the calm exterior, he could feel his body screaming in exhaustion, but he refused to show weakness.
His fingers flexed over the broken hilt of his sword, and he allowed his aura—what little mana he had left—to flicker faintly. The purple flame danced at the edge of the blade, weak but persistent.
"Do you know the difference between us, Lenny?" Theodore finally said, his tone icy.
"What are you babbling about now, brat?!" Lenny snarled.
"The difference is simple," Theodore continued, his voice growing sharper with each word. "You rely on borrowed power. It's not yours. You let your greed consume you, turning yourself into a monster because you thought it would make you unstoppable. But me? I don't borrow power. I create it."
Lenny paused, taken aback by the intensity in Theodore's voice.
The young prince straightened his posture, the smirk never leaving his face. "And that's why, no matter how much stronger you think you are, you'll never win."
"Bold words," Lenny hissed, his voice dripping with venom. "But let's see if your little speech saves you when I rip you apart!"
Lenny lunged forward, his massive, slime-covered arm stretching unnaturally as it aimed to crush Theodore.
Theodore tightened his grip on his broken sword and charged forward, his purple flames igniting once more, burning brighter than before. "Bring it on!" he roared.