[Valeria PoV]
The four of us pursued that pervert into the forest. So far, all he's done is run. We have to hurry, defeat him, and get back to help the others who are struggling against those giant birds.
I have no idea how that man managed to coordinate those birds to attack the two Clans, but it doesn't matter now. We need to focus on taking him down.
"Accel...!" Brian blurred toward him instantly.
The pervert spun around and parried Brian's punch. Just as he was about to counter, Geralt nimbly joined the fray, forcing the man to retreat immediately. I quietly took aim, preparing to blast him with a spell. However, he glanced right at me.
'Fire Ball!'
The man dodged again by leaping to the side. My fireball hit a tree instead, setting it ablaze.
Again—how did he know I was about to attack? With Voiceless Incantation, my magic activation should be undetectable, especially while he's focused on Brian and Geralt. Yet, after parrying them, he shifted his focus to me as if he'd known exactly when I'd cast.
Fine then. I'll shoot when his movement is locked and dodging is impossible. For that, I'm counting on you two, Brian and Geralt.
Brian and Geralt charged simultaneously. Brian's left hand glowed as he threw a left hook. The man ducked easily. However, Geralt was already poised to strike with a flaming kick aimed at the right side of the man's face. The pervert reacted instantly, jumping backward.
If I attack now, the same thing will happen. I need a different spell.
'Earth Wall'
A wall of earth rose directly behind him, cutting off his retreat.
— Bam!
Geralt's kick connected, but the man blocked it with his right arm. Brian immediately followed up with a light magic-infused punch. Once more, the man evaded just in time. His legs suddenly glowed with the same light as Brian's.
He can use Accel too!?
The man grabbed the right hand Brian had used to attack, then swept Brian's right heel, sending the blonde-haired boy face-first into the dirt. I wanted to help, but I was terrified my magic would hit my allies.
Geralt fired a Fire Bullet before the man could follow up on Brian, but the man dodged it effortlessly. His legs glowed again, and he was suddenly flanking Geralt's right side.
— Bam!
The man landed a heavy punch to Geralt's right ribs, sending him flying into and through the earth wall I had built.
'Lightning Bolt'
A flash of green lightning streaked toward him. He dodged easily, but it bought enough time for Brian to scramble up and launch a barrage of attacks. Behind me, Ariel started running toward where Geralt had been sent flying. It looked like she was going to heal him.
I saw the man smile. It gave me a terrible feeling.
"Damn it! All you can do is run and hide!" Brian barked, frustrated that not a single one of his strikes had landed cleanly. The man continued to weave through Brian's punches and kicks.
"Brian! Don't give him room to dodge!" I shouted, preparing a spell. "This is going to sting a bit, so get ready!"
"Just leave it to me!" Brian yelled, never ceasing his assault.
We have a Healer, so I shouldn't worry even if my magic clips my allies. Our enemy is just one man.
'Earth Barrage!'
The ground around me lifted and shot toward Brian and the pervert. I intentionally used a wide-area spell. Both were caught in the crossfire; one of the stones hit the man, sending him tumbling deep into the woods. Brian clutched his head, blood trickling down his forehead.
"Sorry, Brian!" I felt a pang of guilt.
Brian looked back at me and grinned. "Don't worry about it, Valeria. As long as we take Raul down, I don't care if I break every bone in my body!"
Well... that's Brian for you. His brains might be a bit lacking, but when it comes to courage, he's second to none.
"Brian! Are you hurt? Where's Raul?" Ariel rushed over to heal him. Geralt also appeared to have recovered from that powerful rib strike.
"Ah, you're right! We have to defeat him now!" Brian exclaimed, suddenly remembering we still had to catch Raul.
"He was blown into the forest, let's go!" I led the way.
After Ariel finished healing Brian, the four of us entered the woods. I saw a tree that was nearly knocked over; it looked like where Raul had impacted. We could also see faint footprints in the dirt where he had fled.
"Let's hurry and catch him! I'm sure he's not far!" Brian shouted, taking the lead.
We followed the tracks, but they ended abruptly at a massive tree.
"It looks like he started moving through the branches to avoid leaving a trail," I surmised. I noticed a branch that looked like it had been stepped on. "See? He really did escape through the trees," I said, pointing at the branch.
"Fine then, we have to hurry! Don't let him get away!" Brian yelled, running forward again.
We followed the "trail" in the canopy. However, for some reason, my bad feeling only intensified.
"Turn right!" Brian called out, his eyes glued to the branches above, searching for more signs.
But the tracks vanished after a few moments. We searched the trees and the ground, finding nothing.
"Look!" Brian pointed at a tree. "That bark looks like it was stepped on, right?"
Yes... it was very clearly an academy boot print. But if a trail is too clear and detailed, unlike a normal footprint, it might be a fabrication.
Let's think—why would he create a fake trail on a branch?
I watched Brian, Geralt, and Ariel focusing entirely on that branch.
"..."
I frantically looked around and spotted a figure approaching us at incredible speed. Somehow, his movements were completely silent. He was smiling when I realized he was there. I prepared to activate a spell.
— Bam!
Ughhh... I didn't have time. The man landed a punch squarely on my face.
My body was sent flying, rolling across the ground. This was the first time a student had landed a clean hit on me. I tried to push myself up and saw the carnage. He had just kicked Brian in the face with brutal force, sending him flying as well. Geralt tried to counter, but the man dodged with ease and countered with a punch to Geralt's face.
I reached out, intending to fire a wind spell. But the man realized what I was doing. He immediately rushed toward Ariel.
"Cih, Ariel! Get away from him!" I couldn't use my magic; Ariel was our Healer. If she went down, we'd have no support.
"I'm trying, but Raul is sticking to me!" Ariel cried out, still trying to run.
Ariel is a Priestess with a weak physical build compared to Raul; it was only natural she couldn't outrun him. We had to help.
"Brian, help!" Ariel screamed.
Brian stood up, a golden aura beginning to radiate from his body. Is he finally using his Codex?
"Get away from her, Raul! Unless you want to be finished by the technique that beat you in our last duel!" Brian roared, truly enraged.
Raul only responded with a mocking smirk.
"Rahhhhh!" Brian focused his mana, clearly preparing an all-out strike. He blurred toward the man at high speed.
But the pervert grabbed Ariel's arm and pulled her in front of him as a human shield. Brian screeched to a halt, his fist stopping inches from Ariel's face.
Seizing the opening, the pervert activated Temper on his leg and delivered a devastating kick to Brian's face, sending him crashing into a tree with enough force to topple it.
"You coward! Fight fair, Raul!" Ariel shouted, pounding her fists against the man's chest.
Of course, her punches probably felt like nothing to him. The pervert then swept Ariel up and carried her in a bridal carry. Ariel struggled, but her strength was no match for his.
The man then ran toward me. I had to save Ariel and take this bastard down.
'Mud Trap!'
I activated a spell to bind his legs without hurting Ariel. But before the ground could catch him, the pervert had already leaped.
It happened again. How does he always read my magic despite my Voiceless Incantation? Does he have a Codex for reading magic and movement?
In mid-air, the man raised one leg high above his head, a glow enveloping it.
'Earth Wall!'
A defensive wall of earth rose in front of me to block him. But the man shattered my defense with his foot.
— Bam!
He kicked me in the head with his other foot, a strike of immense power.
I started to lose consciousness... this is so embarrassing... defeated by someone who isn't even using his Nature Mana...
Damn it...
"Wait... what are you doing with Ariel? Where are you taking her?"
Ariel was still struggling in his arms. She went limp after the pervert struck the back of her neck.
He looked into my eyes one last time before carrying Ariel away, disappearing into the forest. I heard a commotion in the distance. It sounded like the rest of our members were finally arriving after finishing off those giant birds.
"Valeria! Are you okay?" someone asked.
"Ughh... hurry, catch that pervert," I said, drifting on the edge of consciousness. "He... kidnapped... Ariel..."