Chapter 55: Clash with Classmates
“Hitoshi-dono. Please do not listen to the words of a criminal. The knights who were supposed to hold us back have not appeared. They must have been killed to make it this far.”
The one who interrupted our conversation was Henning, the leader of the knights, wielding a massive sword.
“Guh… What did you say…? They killed the knights?”
Manaka’s complexion changed instantly, and I couldn’t deny it either. I hadn’t held back to ensure they stayed alive, and it was possible that some had met an unfortunate end. However, this was a world where killing was the norm. I had nearly died myself, and so had Rio.
The other classmates also wore pale expressions, perhaps indicating their lack of resilience to the reality of murder. After all, they were just ordinary high school students before all this, so it was understandable.
Henning readied his great sword, while Waldemar raised his shield. Meanwhile, Daphit began to chant.
“I’ve heard they use a strange magic that pins metal armor to the ground. Be careful.”
As Henning issued his warning, the other knights and mages began to move in to surround us. I wanted to talk a bit more with Manaka, but it seemed impossible now. Waiting to be surrounded felt foolish, especially since it was clear that our classmates wouldn’t allow it.
“Shuu! Incoming!”
With Rio’s shout, magic power surged from the Mage Division. At the same time, it seemed Rio had activated a Gravity Field, causing me to feel a counteracting force of gravity automatically applied to myself. I considered deploying a Magic Disruption Field, but the distance to the mages was a bit too far.
“Ice Javelin!”
“Earth Blast!”
Magic projectiles composed of ice and stone hurtled toward us. With Rio’s Gravity Field in effect, their aim would be thrown off. I braced myself just in case they reached us. If they did, I would swat them down. However, there was no need for concern; Rio expertly redirected all the ice and stone, causing them to crash harmlessly to the ground.
“What!? They fell!?”
While I was still processing this, I leaped forward to engage the Heavy Knight. He looked sluggish, but if I could take him down, the rest would be much easier. I concentrated magic power in my left hand. As I envisioned an explosive force, I felt the magic power being absorbed by the Crimson Dragon Gauntlet. Imagining an explosive magic spell due to its fire and earth attributes, I shouted—
“Uoooooohhh!!”
I slammed my left fist into the Heavy Knight’s massive shield. At the same moment, I released the accumulated magic power within the gauntlet. A deafening explosion echoed, and a blinding flash threatened to overwhelm my senses. But it was only for an instant. When the flames subsided, I saw the Heavy Knight, who was supposed to be immovable, blasted back about five meters, landing hard on his back.
Waldemar lay bloodied on the ground, next to him the enormous shield, now deformed with a gaping hole in its center.
“…Huh?”
Henning’s voice escaped in a daze as he beheld the scene.
“Dammit, don’t let him attack! Charge!”
True to his role as leader, he quickly regained his composure and issued the next command.
“Uoooooohhh!”
At Henning’s shout, the Heroes charged toward us, their faces pale. They looked like they had lost their fighting spirit, but perhaps they had been tempered by their experiences as knights. Quite impressive, really.
The Berserker Oda, a close-combat specialist, approached Rio, his belly jiggling slightly as he moved. However, he was quickly ensnared by the Gravity Field and fell to the ground. Hino, witnessing this, slammed on the brakes but was too late, meeting the same fate.
“Dehuh…”
Has he lost the ability to speak anything other than laughter?
“W-What the hell is this?!”
Henning swung his great sword down at me in a diagonal slash. It was fast enough, but not fast enough to catch me. I sidestepped to the left and dodged, stepping in to deliver a punch to his side. However, he managed to evade my strike as well.
“Flame Javelin!”
At that moment, a spell shot forth from Manaka. Henning, having regained his stance, rushed in with a delayed attack, but I positioned myself to face Henning while turning my back to the incoming magic.
“—What!?”
“Dispel!”
As I blocked the Flame Javelin with my shield, the long chant from the large bird activated a spell that nullified magical effects.
“I can move!”
It was a spell that removed buffs and debuffs, and it seemed to have an effect on the Gravity Field as well. I could see Oda and Hino starting to move again. If this continued, Rio would become a target, but sensing the magic power swelling from her, I decided against intervening. Still, it was quite the revelation that such a spell could nullify even that. I pondered this while continuing to fight.
“Ugh!”
I struck the belly of Henning’s great sword with my right fist, propelling myself high into the air.
“I’m coming!”
At that moment, Rio unleashed her magic, sending a shockwave radiating horizontally from her waist.
“Guh!”
Oda and Hino, who had been closest to Rio, were violently thrown back, and Henning was also knocked off balance, rolling away.
As I landed near Rio, I took a moment to survey our surroundings.
It seemed the shockwave had reached the knights who had been surrounding us, causing many to topple over. The mages, however, appeared largely unaffected, maintaining their composure.
“Well, at least one of them is down.”
Feeling as though we had a moment to regroup, I glanced at the fallen Heavy Knight and then turned to Henning to say so.