The knight charged forward, her blade colliding with John's swords. He was immediately sent flying back, but he managed to reorient himself and push off a wall, flying back into battle. His attack was easily blocked by her shield, but he wasn't here to do damage.

Prota had already fallen back, preparing her new combination of spells. It was taking time, but the knight seemed to be focused on John, so time was something she had. Like the knights before, she was having a hard time extracting much mana from the enemy, but that was ok. Her staff had more than enough to carry her through this fight.

Meanwhile, John was starting to be pushed back. Each of the knight's swings were heavy, threatening to knock John's weapons out of his hands. It was a miracle he had yet to be disarmed, but really, he was just stalling for time anyway.

His tricks didn't really help him here. For the first time since his fight with Doctor, he was feeling at a loss as to what to do.

Readjusting his [Infinity] multiplier wasn't going to help. Unlike his fight against Haze, the goal of this fight wasn't to land a hit; it was to kill. Moreover, Haze had been going easy on him. This opponent was definitely trying to end John's life, and with that much power behind her blows, minor readjustments wouldn't mean much. It was like trying to kill an ant that readjusted its speed; it might seem abnormal, but ultimately, you could just step on it and be over with it.

It was hard to reassign his power to various aspects of his body as well. If he sacrificed even a single attribute, he would immediately fall. He needed his reflexes to respond to the attacks. Sacrificing speed would result in him being unable to move his body in time, and sacrificing strength would result in his guard being smashed through.

In the end, all he could do was survive by the skin of his teeth.

"Hey, wanna talk this through?" John panted as he danced around the hall.

The knight remained silent.

"Oh, come on. Surely you've got something to say."

John went quiet after that, and the only remaining sounds were his laboured breaths, the clashing of metal against metal, and the stomping of feet.

This was infinitely harder than fighting the cultist. The timing had to be impeccable. Had John been a better swordsman, this might've been easier. Proper sword techniques might've allowed for easier parries or counters. But John wasn't about that. He simply swung his blade in the way that worked best for him.

Regardless, at the end of the day, the results would've been the same.

The swords were sent flying out of his hands, and he was knocked back as the knight bashed him with her shield. She quickly leapt after him, barely missing his head as she plunged her blade into the ground.

"Are we for real?!" John raged, rolling out of range. "I fuck up once. Once! And I get punished this badly?"

His heart was beginning to pump hard. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. This was getting dangerous. He opened his hands, his blades reforming within them, and he was rearmed once more.

"...interesting."

That was the only word that came out of the knight's mouth. She charged in again, and John met her head-on, using both his blades to hold her swords back.

"Prota! Now!" he yelled.

He was normally against calling out his attacks, but he wasn't going to hold out for much longer. Thankfully, she was ready.

John felt the air near his hands turn cold as frost gathered on the knight's armour. Absolute Zero. Her movements grew slower, her strength growing weaker. He leapt back just in time to watch a blue ice bullet fly by, aimed right for the knight's heart.

And then it failed.

Her armour began to glow with a dozen magic circles as the spell was sent flying right back toward Prota, who managed to dodge just in time. Suddenly, the frost on the knight shattered, and she was once more back in action.

"You." Her helmet turned toward Prota. "I'll keep you in mind."

Chills went down the siblings' spines. This wasn't an ordinary enemy.

"Prota! Move!"

The knight leapt toward the little girl, who was already running away, doing everything in her power to stall the unstoppable force headed her way. Suddenly, the battle had taken a whole new tempo. John was no longer there to stall. He was desperately trying to get the enemy off his sister, but his swords did no damage. Every time he swung at the armour, it glowed with magic circles, and his blades bounced off.

"You cannot do nearly enough damage to penetrate this armour," the knight said as John swung yet again. "Give up. You do not have the power to win."

John's eyes widened. She hadn't said it was impenetrable. She'd said they didn't have the power.

That just meant they needed a stronger attack.

[Prota] he messaged. [Flashbang.]

He pulled a flashbang out of his pocket dimension. At this point, nobody was watching him save for the knight, and that meant he didn't care if his powers were found out or not. Pulling the pin, he tossed the thing like a baseball, right in front of the knight's visor.

"Prota!" he yelled.

She threw herself to the ground and covered her ears just as the thing went off. This wasn't a normal magnesium flashbang. It was a device that created a terrible light and noise. John opened his eyes to see the knight staggering around, disoriented from the surprise attack.

"Prota, please tell me you have something stronger," he panted as they regrouped.

Prota's eyes widened.

"That armour. It's penetrable. You just need something stronger. So please, tell me you have something stronger."

She frowned ever so slightly. There was something she and Sofya had been working on. In order to practice her compounding of mana, Prota had attempted to make a Frozen Bullet using a Blossom of Ice instead. The idea was that each shard of the Blossom would be made of blue ice, making an incredibly lethal attack.

Unfortunately, the attack took so much concentration that she couldn't slow down time. She'd have to channel her mana for a whole two minutes to pull it off.

"I… I can try," she said quietly. "But it's hard."

"How long?"

"Two minutes."

John grimaced. That would be hard.

But not impossible.

"Start," he ordered, sprinting toward the knight.

He started a timer in his system. Two minutes. That was all he needed.

She was almost recovered, but John didn't give her any time to gain her bearings. He tossed his swords to the side and picked her up, throwing her into the golden thrown. Her increased strength did not equate to increased weight.

"Eat shit, dickhead!" he yelled, leaping after her.

What he was doing was incredibly risky, but it was the only thing he could think of. He had to play dirty. No swords. No survival. He needed the knight's attention on him.

[1:20]

"You!" the knight growled.

"That's right," John taunted. "You just got suplexed by a child. How does that feel? Gonna put me in time out?"

"Accept your punishment!" the knight roared.

"Yeah, your mom accepted my punishment real good last night," John grinned, barely dodging a lethal blow. "She loved it."

"You dare?!"

[1:08]

It was a childish taunt, but it seemed that someone as upright and strict as this knight was easily affected by it. Good. Very good. The knight had forgotten about Prota. She was probably humiliated at having been caught off guard by the flashbang, and John's taunts were keeping her ever so slightly unhinged.

[0:40]

"Swing!" John yelled just before the knight swung her blade. "Good girl!"

"You-"

"Aw, is the big baby mad? That's right," John said, panting, dodging, doing whatever it took to stay alive. "Keep trying to kill me like a good doggy. Do you do tricks for your master, too? Do you slobber all over his-"

"Enough!"

[0:15]

Infuriated, she upped her speed, something John hadn't been ready for. Her armoured fist slammed into John's stomach, smashing his bones and sending him flying into the wall. A spurt of blood gushed out of his mouth as he fell to the floor, crumpling to the ground.

[0:08]

"You will pay for the words you've said!" the knight roared, now enraged.

"Five…" John gasped, his consciousness fading.

"What?" the knight frowned.

"Time's… up…"

[0:00]

Suddenly, something hit her in the back. John watched as the runes activated, but before they could do anything, a giant explosion of ice expanded, shards of blue ice piercing through the knight's chest. John couldn't see her face, but she fell next to him, the armour clanging as it hit the floor.

"John!" Prota yelled, running over.

She immediately used another charm, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he felt his body putting itself back together. [Determination] was keeping the pain out, but it was a relief to be able to breathe and move normally again.

"We did it," he sighed, sitting up.

Prota nodded. She was somewhat exhausted from having cast such a large spell, but it'd worked.

They'd taken out the knight.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the armour began to glow. John stared with wide eyes, but his body wasn't fit enough to dodge or guard against the attack.

"John!" Prota yelled.

She immediately threw up a wall of ice to protect him, but in the process, forgot to protect herself. The armour exploded, throwing her back like a rag doll.

"Prota!" John yelled.

He ran over, but she'd already used the charm to heal herself. Only one sapphire remained bright.

"Haah… that's dirty," John muttered, looking at the remains of the explosion.

There wasn't even a body left to see.

"That's fucked up."

~~~

"Leora," Lupin said, running with all his might.

He had to stay hidden, though. They both did. To interfere with the affairs of mortals was forbidden, even for beings such as they.

"I know. We need to hurry."

Lupin grimaced. "He'll die if we don't reach him in time."

"I know."

The two Mystics continued to move in the darkness of the night.

~~~

John and Prota ran to the room Emotor had disappeared through, barging in to find… nothing. It was simply Emotor, waiting patiently. However, as the two of them entered, panic filled his eyes.

"What the- how are you here? What happened to the knight they sent me?"

"She's dead," John growled. "You can say hi to her yourself."

"No- no! You can't do this!" Emotor yelled, falling back. "You can't do this to me!"

"Why not?"

John's eyes were cruel as he stepped forward. A knife fell into his hands. It was a simple one, just a kitchen knife, but the intent was to threaten rather than kill. His expression was cruel.

What he didn't know was that Prota's eyes were even crueller.

"John," she said quietly.

He turned back, surprised.

"Prota?"

She stepped forward, staring at the noble, who was now shaking. Well, that was simply the way the man was. He was all show and no substance. Without anything to back him up, he was just a weak, cowardly man.

Now, the tables were turned. He was the one cowering on the ground, and Prota was the one looking down, seeing nothing but a monster.

She still remembered what'd happened that night. How he'd been ready to beat her up. To cut her apart.

Stepping forward, she delivered a kick to his stomach. The man barely flinched.

"That… I don't think that's going to-" John started, but then shut up.

A giant block of ice slammed into Emotor, sending him tumbling across the small room. She walked up, hitting him with another block of ice. Then another. And another. Over and over, pumelling him until the man's skin was blue with bruises, snot and tears running down his face.

"No more! You can't do this to me!" he screeched.

"Shut up," John sighed, but ultimately, he was nowhere near as upset as Prota.

His anger was violent, yes. But his nature prevented him from being too upset. True rage wasn't something he could really feel. It simply wasn't possible.

Prota, however, had no such reservations. She was still, in some ways, a child.

Rage easily consumed her mind.

"John," she said quietly, sticking her hand out.

"Huh?"

"Knife."

John's eyes widened. "Prota, I don't-"

"Knife."

He grimaced. She knew she was acting out of hand, but she didn't care.

So, to her surprise, John stepped forward, kneeling down.

"Hey. I wanna ask some questions."

"H-huh?"

Emotor must've sensed some kind of mercy, because he looked up hopefully. He must've sensed a chance at life.

"Why… why what?"

"What's the point? What do you gain out of all this?" John said, waving his hand. "You torture people. You cause suffering. You cause pain. For what? What's the point?"

"The- the point? It's… it's fun?"

The noble began to giggle.

"Yes, yes, it's fun! Lots of fun! Don't you just love it when the hope drains from their faces, when they realize there's no way out, when a world of pain enters their eyes and into their heart? It's an amazing feeling, is it not? Why shouldn't I do it? Why can't I do such a thing? What's stopping me? It's my right! It's my-"

"Alright. That's enough out of you."

Prota didn't even look at John's reaction. The rage had driven her blind and deaf, her mind calling for only one thing.

"Here," John said quietly, putting something into her hand.

It was an old, rusty knife. The tip was pointed, but the blade was dull. Bits of metal poked out and were flaking off. The edge was serrated unnaturally due to corrosion.

"Do what you will."

If anybody deserved it, it was this man. This noble, who abused power for no reason other than stupidity. Who tortured others because he believed it was his right. Who firmly internalized the idea that he was superior to others, who saw nothing wrong with treating other people as nothing but trash.

Emotor Wynton. Four years of struggle ended here.

"You."

Prota got close to Emotor, who was still shaking.

"Demon slayers! That's us!" one man roared, waving a large knife. "We'll be the prophesied hero! Riches and fame beyond measure!"

"Yes! Slay the demon!" the other man yelled, then fell over, completely wasted.

Her voice was cold.

"You are a demon."

"No! That's you! You're the demon! That's right! You're the demon of-"

Emotor screeched in pain as Prota's small hands drove the knife into his arm. She wasn't good with weapons.

But that just made the process more painful.

"I. I will slay the demon," Prota said, her eyes glowing cold with vengeance.

Over and over, she plunged the knife into his body until his screeches faded. Only when John put his hand on her shoulder did she stop. She turned around, her face and hands bloody. The auto-cleaning function of her cloak had already started removing the bloodstains.

"...John."

"I understand," he said quietly.

John could've easily made the man's death more painful. He had plenty of tools for torture, and while he didn't particularly care to use them, it would've made Emotor's death more satisfying. The [Author] would have allowed it, surely.

But he hadn't said anything. This was the most he'd let Prota do. He didn't care about the [Readers] or their satisfaction.

This wasn't about how much Emotor could suffer. In John's eyes, the man was a [Character] anyway. The only thing he cared for was his death, and maybe his humiliation at most. The man had died in a pitiful manner, without peace or honour. That was enough. What mattered more was that Prota found her peace. If she did any more, it would no longer be about settling the score.

It would be about pure revenge, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

Emotor was dead. His mind was completely gone; it would be impossible to meet him again. After all, he was just a [Character]. Now that he'd been removed for the [Story], there was nothing like an afterlife for him.

Just… nothingness.

And that was all.

They walked out of the room, leaving the noble behind. Four years of revenge.

It ended here.

They were about to leave the throne room when something felt off. Both of them felt it.

A chilling, powerful presence.

"You noticed. Aw. Too bad."

From the shadows emerged Lupin, hobbling on his cane.

John felt his heart drop in his chest. They couldn't deal with a Mystic. Not now. Why? Why was this stupid god here? This should've been the end of the arc. They got revenge. They got their satisfaction. If this were really a [Story], they were meant to walk off into the sunset, one less burden on their shoulders.

True fear began to rise in John's chest. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.

The [Author]. They were playing with their shenanigans here. This wasn't part of the original [Plot].

This… this was his fault.

"What do you want?" John said hesitantly.

"You killed Emotor. I was hoping he would live, but I suppose he served his purpose."

"So you're just throwing him away?" John said, shaking ever so slightly.

"Sure."

John gulped. "Now what?"

"It's a shame, but you'll have to die now," Lupin said, withdrawing his blade.

"Prota! Back!" John yelled, pushing her away.

He withdrew his blades and blocked the attack. It would've sent him flying, but the fear was giving him an edge.

[Determination activates! New limit: x10000]

Combined with the mana pill Arthur had given him, that was a multiplier of one hundred thousand. Just enough for him to stand his ground.

The two engaged in furious battle, with John just barely standing his ground. It was a futile fight, though. He just wasn't at the level where he could do anything about this.

Suddenly, Lupin stopped fighting him and turned.

"You," he growled.

Prota had been preparing a spell in secret, but the Mystic had noticed it. He flew toward her, sword stretched out.

"Prota!" John yelled.

He was too slow. Well, there was still something he could do.

He threw himself in front of his sister, catching the blade with his arm. The rapier pierced clean through, but it was enough.

Prota was safe.

"Tsk," Lupin grunted, falling back.

John's eyes widened as the Fighting instructor prepared to charge in once more.

"...you're not Lupin."

"What?" Lupin frowned. "You're crazy. Listen to yourself. Do you think someone would have the balls to impersonate a Mystic?"

"Another Mystic would," John said, his heart pounding in his chest. If he was wrong, there was a good chance Lupin just killed him right here and now. "And it wouldn't be hard, either. Most mortals wouldn't be able to tell the difference, right?"

It wasn't Lupin. It couldn't be. Everything was adding up.

This "Lupin" didn't fight like the wolf. His sword movements were as sloppy as John's were, his footwork messy. When John had thrown himself forward, he hadn't redirected the blade to aim for a fatal strike, and the way he spoke was all weird. The real Lupin would never make stupid mistakes like this.

But there was one Mystic who could shapeshift. One Mystic who knew John, who excelled in magic circles.

And if he thought about it, things lined up. The surveillance and security systems were all magic circle based. The term "runes" was used for convenience, but now that he thought about it, if such things were a separate topic, wouldn't it be taught?

No, runes were magic circles. And then, by that logic, the one who was best with magic circles would be in charge of all of those systems, right? And if cultists had been allowed into the school, then there was only one person who would've had control over all of that.

"Hikari. It's you, right?"

Lupin grinned a sharp, toothy grin as his form began to shift. Soon, all that was left was a short dwarven catgirl, the same form Hikari had taken the first day they'd met John.

"Clever boy. Shame that brain won't be used for long."

John clenched his teeth. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up for.

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to keep it up for long.

The wall broke down, two figures bursting through the dust and smoke. They landed in front of John, taking a defensive stance.

"Lu- Lupin? Leora?!" John exclaimed, eyes wide.

Even Prota couldn't believe what she was seeing. What was going on? Both she and John had believed that Lupin and Leora were cultists. But while they were in fact here, they weren't attacking.

They were protecting them from Hikari.

"I'm glad we arrived in time," Leora said, not taking her eyes off the opponent for even a second.

"I see my lessons have served you well," Lupin grunted. "Good work, boy."

"But- what- huh?" John stuttered.

"We have much to discuss later," Leora said. "But for now, we should deal with this traitor."

For the first time, he'd been caught completely off guard. He couldn't even blame it on the [Author] this time. There hadn't been any definitive hints as to who the spy was. He'd assumed it was Leora and Lupin, but there might've been just as many hints pointing to Hikari.

That was the problem with Scholaris. The school was too big for him to see everything. There could've been hints all over the place, ones he wouldn't be aware of.

For the first time, he wished his [Reader] trait were a little stronger.

It didn't matter. He watched as the Mystics did battle. Truth be told, he couldn't keep up. His fear had vanished as soon as the Mystics had taken over, and with that, so had [Infinity].

For some reason, they weren't going at full strength. He assumed that, if they were, this building would've been long since destroyed. However, the room remained intact. Many craters and cracks formed, but the four walls otherwise remained standing.

Still, it was incredibly impressive. Leora's magic was almost beautiful to watch, even for John, who understood nothing about mana. Prota watched with shining eyes as she saw the theory Sofya had been teaching her come to life.

Lupin's movements were similarly impressive. His sword flashed in and out with grace, easily slicing at the enemy as if the blade were alive. Explosions surrounded him, but he paid them no notice as he continued to charge forward. Occasionally, blades of magic would appear and strike at the enemy.

Aura blades.

Hikari, too, was impressive, although John hated to admit it.

He had yet to really see magic circles be used in active combat. He knew they were impressive. Teleportation, reanimating the dead and traps were things he'd been exposed to, but those had all been very situational.

Hikari was fighting in a completely different manner. Scrolls would drop into their hands, firing off spells capable of blocking Lupin's attacks or matching Leora's power. Occasionally, Hikari would even draw circles on the ground, catching the wolf in a snare trap or the phoenix with a blinding light.

They were Mystics for a reason. They were strong. Incredibly so. If Hikari had chosen to go all out against John from the start, it would've been over before he could've done anything at all.

"Prota," John gasped, falling back. "I… damn. That was close. Way too close."

He felt a shiver run down his body. If he'd [Reset] here… damn.

Still, the Mystics fighting was a sight to behold. He had yet to see anything like it. And the two on their side were overpowering the one enemy that had seemed so threatening before.

"Give me a warning before you throw something that strong my way, ok?" John sighed to Zero. The soul wasn't present due to the mana pills, but he was probably reading these words. "Just so I can prepare myself."

He looked up again. The wolf and the phoenix had almost overpowered the cat. Just a few more exchanges. Just a few more blows. It was impressive to watch, but John wanted this to be over.

"Hikari Dormier," Leora announced as the cat was backed into a corner. "For colluding with the demons and betraying the goddess, you will be imprisoned for your crimes."

"Haah… haah… that's if… nyow can catch me."

A pill emerged in Hikari's hand. John's eyes widened.

The same pill that'd been embedded in Draco's head.

"No!" he yelled, but it was too late.

Silently, the pill was swallowed.

The cat didn't turn into a demon. There wasn't a wave of energy or some kind of aura that knocked people off their feet. But even from this distance, John and Prota could feel the difference in strength.

This was something different.

"Hikari!" Lupin yelled, his grey eyes beginning to glow. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No," Hikari grinned. "But I can do this, now."

The Mystic vanished, reappearing above Lupin and Leora, paws tapping the tops of their heads. In an instant, their hair took the shape of a magic circle, a flash of light striking the both of them.

"What- what is this?" Leora exclaimed, trying to move.

"Something I cooked up, nya," Hikari grinned, walking forward. "I can manipulate your bodies and form magic circles with them. And if the magic circle is made of your body… wouldn't it be unbreakable? Don't worry. I won't kill you yet."

"You… you traitor!" Lupin growled.

"Nyo. I'm the good guy. Because I'm on the winning side. You're just too blind to see it."

John panicked. Why hadn't Hikari lost control? Why weren't they turning into a demon? He didn't understand. And why had Lupin and Leora lost? What was the point in bringing them in for a mere moment if they were just going to be defeated?

He grit his teeth as he gripped his swords. Prota held her staff, preparing a spell. But they both knew it was pointless. They couldn't do anything against this god.

For once, John was lost. Death meant defeat. What was he supposed to do?

Hikari turned to John and Prota.

"Nyow. What to do with these naughty children?"

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