097: Four-Way Confrontation

The safe zone was shrinking.

I’d expected the finale to be a chaotic free-for-all, but Shari remaining until the very end was a genuine curveball. Based on my knowledge of the game, I’d pegged Carta as the final survivor.

But Cynthia had forced a double-knockout to take her down.

She probably pushed herself that hard just for my sake.

I knew that much, at least. If that was the case, then the only way to repay her was to bring home the championship.

I needed to move to the final area immediately, but the remaining contestants were nothing but trouble. There was Duke, a specialist in close-quarters combat; Shari, who had likely turned the final zone into a minefield of traps; and then there was Allen. Not only could he use Carta’s flight magic, but he had access to combinations I couldn't even begin to guess.

Even with the recoil of overusing his skills, he has the biggest advantage here.

But—god, this was fun. What an exhilarating mess.

In terms of pure combat power, Shari was the easiest target. But she knew that. She’d shown her face and protected Duke because she knew her traps alone wouldn't be enough to stop us. Her goal was to seize the high ground and force the three of us to whittle each other down. Plus, she was still hiding an Artifact.

In the Original Story, Duke had been a top-tier performer in every exam. Seeing him crush Olynn and Lilith earlier proved he was even stronger here than he was in the game. And knowing Lilith, she was probably back at the camp feeling sick with guilt for losing.

For her sake, I absolutely cannot lose.

But what was the right opening move—?

"Ah, to hell with this! This is way too tedious! I’m done thinking! I’m just gonna deck whoever’s closest!"

Duke’s roar shattered my internal debate. He sounded like he was mocking my very attempt at strategy.

Hah. Must be nice being that simple-minded.

But, well—maybe he has the right idea!

With the edge of the Forbidden Area creeping up in my peripheral vision, I lunged at Duke. He thrust out his right fist to meet my blade. Without a second’s delay, his left fist whistled toward my ribs, but I didn't budge. I manifested an Unnatural wall to intercept the blow.

"Heh, isn't that a little cheap, Vai?"

"Maybe so!"

I drove a front kick into his gut. The force sent him flying backward, but the brute didn't even fall; he skidded across the dirt and dug his heels in.

In that exact moment, a blade swung toward the back of my neck. Allen.

My Inviolable Domain (Barrier) flared to life, magic circles manifesting in mid-air. Since it was an automatic defense, the mana consumption was hideous, but Coco’s prior assistance had mitigated the drain significantly.

"—Time Lapse."

I spun around, but in the blink of an eye, Allen’s pupils turned pitch-black. He shattered the Barrier’s formula instantly. Without losing an ounce of momentum, his sword came straight for my face.

"You copycat bastard!"

I caught the strike with my Dual Sword. The sheer pressure behind the blow was heavier than I’d anticipated. Behind him, the shimmering wall of the Forbidden Area was closing in.

"Crap, I’m out! See ya!" Duke yelled.

Shari’s presence had vanished, and Duke, showing the kind of flexibility only a moron could possess, immediately retracted his "fight everyone" statement and retreated.

But Allen didn't budge. He likely intended to use the advantage of his Flight Magic to pin me down against the encroaching zone.

"This is fun, Allen, but let’s finish this over there!"

"I’m not letting you go—Weiss!"

Allen and I traded blows while sprinting forward, dancing on the razor-thin line where the Forbidden Area brushed against our heels. Every time the boundary touched us, a frantic system countdown echoed in my head. A few times, I was certain we were both about to lose every single point we’d earned.

"Heh, you’ve really leveled up, Allen!"

"Yeah! Because I’m... I’m going to beat you!"

He was stacking multiple layers of Power Up. Was he just ignoring the side effects? Is he insane?

Sorry, pal, but I’ve got a partner I can actually rely on.

"Debibit!"

"—What?!"

Debi, who had been tailing us in total silence, lunged from the shadows and tackled Allen. I’d pumped more mana into the little guy than usual, so his grip was like iron.

I used that opening to manifest a staircase of Unnatural walls in the sky and sprinted upward. I had no idea what kind of nightmare traps Shari had laid on the ground, and I wasn't about to find out.

"—See ya, Allen."

The shrinking boundary finally swallowed him. I could practically hear the countdown screaming in his brain. I kept sprinting through the air without looking back until—Boom!

An explosion rocked the air behind me. I recognized that formula even from a distance.

Heh. Is that kid actually mimicking a Pseudo-Demon’s technique now?

At the same time, I felt my connection to Debi wink out. He hadn't died, though; his mana didn't disperse. After a temporary forced despawn, his essence flowed back into my body. I couldn't call him back out immediately, but he’d done his job.

Sorry, Debi. I’ll make sure to get us that victory.

The final safe zone appeared ahead. It had been a forested area, but now it looked like a wasteland. Duke—that absolute idiot—had "politely" cleared the terrain by punching the trees into splinters. He was probably trying to trigger Shari’s traps early.

Helpful, but I still can't see where she’s hiding.

This was it. The final stand.

[Area shrinking. Area shrinking.]

This exam was deviously designed. If you aimed for the top, the risk of losing all your points skyrocketed. I’m sure some students had chosen to lose early just to secure their current rank. But for people like us, who only cared about Victory, the danger was part of the prize.

I glanced back to see Allen flying toward me at high speed, fresh out of the Forbidden Area. Fighting him in the sky was a bad move. I deactivated Unnatural and dropped to the ground, only to hear the unmistakable click of a trap.

Shari was using the power of spirits. Even with my Time Lapse, seeing through her work was nearly impossible—especially lately, given how much her Concealment Magic had improved.

Vines made of pure mana shot out of the earth, shackling my arms and legs.

"Oh? Look who’s on the receiving end now! Weiss!"

Duke was charging in, sensing a golden opportunity. But this tiny, cramped zone was exactly what I’d been waiting for. I coated my body in darkness mana, shattering the vine traps, and slammed my palms onto the soil.

• Blessing of Healing and Impulse of Destruction. *

The area wasn't that large. As the magic circle expanded to cover every inch of the zone, I wove in a specific, irregular formula.

And then—KABOOM!

The world turned into a kaleidoscope of magical violence. The earth swelled, plants lashed out like whips, water surged in a miniature tsunami, and gouts of flame erupted in a series of deafening explosions. Everything in the vicinity was attacked indiscriminately. It was a localized natural disaster.

Shari... just how long were you setting this up?

Given the sheer number of traps, she must have poured the entirety of her Artifact’s power into mana enhancement.

"Wh-what the hell is this?!" Duke screamed.

"Ugh!" Allen groaned as he touched down.

The formula I’d added was a "pseudo-humanoid" mana signature. By tricking the traps into thinking they’d been triggered by a target, I’d forced Shari’s entire layout to detonate at once.

Still, I was stunned. She must have predicted exactly where the final zone would be. This wasn't impromptu; this was a calculated masterpiece.

Haha! You guys are seriously incredible!

I swung my sword at Allen, who was currently occupied with not dying to the elemental chaos. Since I’d excluded myself from the "target" parameters of the traps, I was the only one who could move freely.

Suddenly, Shari burst from the ground, lungeing at Duke. She must have realized that with her traps gone, this was her only window.

"I’m winning this!" she cried.

"Hah! Bring it on, Shari!"

Duke was fighting for his life.

"What’s the matter, Allen? Is that all you’ve got?!"

My provocation must have hit home. Allen burned a massive chunk of mana to stabilize his flight. He knew that if he didn't break out of the chaos now, he was finished. He stacked Power Up, chanted Flash, and brought his sword down. I felt a sudden, bone-chilling cold.

It was the Holy Sword, imbued with Cynthia’s absolute-zero attribute. It was a disgusting pile of "cheat" abilities.

I caught the blade. My Dual Sword began to freeze instantly, but I used Time Lapse to unravel the formula and halt the frost.

The area shrunk again.

"I won't lose! I... I won't lose!"

"Yeah? Me neither!"

Cynthia and Lilith believed in me. Debi had sacrificed himself for me. Cecil had grown stronger just to face me.

I will win.

I parried his blade with enough force to create an opening.

"—Fast Movement."

It was the high-speed magic Ciel used. I activated it while kicking off an Unnatural wall. It was a rocket start. The moment my foot made contact, I became a projectile.

A finishing thrust.

Allen was wide open. But the protagonist wouldn't go down that easily.

—Shield.

To my amazement, he manifested the exact same defensive formula Coco used. And he did it four times in a row, stacking them like armor.

"You really are something else!"

My blade slammed into the first Shield. It shattered with the deafening sound of a thousand glass panes breaking at once. I used Time Lapse to delete the second layer instantly.

But my blade ground to a halt at the third. Cracks spider-webbed across the surface, but it held.

"I! WILL! WIN!"

Allen regained his footing and swung a horizontal slash aimed at my throat. It was incredibly fast.

I didn't dodge.

My Inviolable Domain (Barrier) triggered automatically, catching the blade. Neither of us backed down. We’d both abandoned manual defense, entrusting our lives to our magic while focusing entirely on the kill. It was a race to see whose blade would reach the heart first.

"Weiss—!"

"Allen—I’m taking the win!"

Suddenly, I felt Shari’s presence closing in from behind.

[Duke Billian, eliminated. Points awarded to Shari Elias.]

The announcement echoed.

Shari! You were supposed to be out of the running!

Duke was strong—monstrously so. No matter how much she’d improved, she shouldn't have been able to bridge that gap.

Did you surpass the Original Story too?!

I didn't have the luxury of looking back. I knew she wasn't aiming for Allen. She was coming for me. In that case, I had to end this now.

"Allen—this is it!"

I smashed through the third Shield and reached the fourth, pouring every drop of my mana into my blade. At the same time, I felt Shari’s sword bite into my back.

A second Barrier flared up, protecting me, but Shari’s strike was terrifyingly heavy. She’d put everything into this one hit. She’d gambled that I couldn't turn around, abandoning her own defense to put every scrap of mana into the tip of her sword.

"I’m... winning..." Shari gasped.

Both she and Allen were giving me everything they had. Cracks began to form in my final Barrier. The Forbidden Area touched all three of us simultaneously.

But—.

"—I. Will. Never. Lose!"

My sword shattered Allen’s final Shield and pierced his chest.

In that same heartbeat, Shari’s blade shattered my Barrier and struck my back. Mana began leaking from my training suit at an alarming rate.

But I knew her. I knew Shari better than she knew herself.

I deliberately pulled my finishing blow on Allen and used a blast of magic to blow him away. He was sucked into the Forbidden Area like a ragdoll. Within seconds, he would lose every point he had.

"—Allen!" Shari cried.

She was smart. She saw what I’d done, and for a split second, her focus shifted to him. Her strength wavered. I spun around, snapped her blade with a heavy strike, and drove my sword through her heart.

[Shari Elias, eliminated. Points awarded to Weiss Fancent.]

"Allen... Allen..."

The forced teleportation kicked in, and Shari’s body began to fade into light. Even as she lost, she was reaching out toward Allen rather than worrying about herself.

I whipped my head around to look for him.

What?!

A massive Mana Cannon was screaming toward me. Even as he was being blown into the abyss, Allen had squeezed out his final dregs of strength to fire Carta’s signature move. A normal person would have used their magic to fly back into the safe zone to save their points.

But he didn't care about the points. Until the very last second, he was trying to take me down.

"You really are... one hell of a guy! —Full Shield!"

The magic wouldn't reach me. If I hadn't trained with Coco, maybe—just maybe—I would have lost. A fortress of magic enveloped me, blocking the Mana Cannon. It was a meticulous formula, reinforced by the blessings of both Light and Darkness.

The beam shattered against my defense, dispersing into the air. At this rate, Allen was going to be eliminated by the zone and lose everything.

But I wanted a total victory.

"—Allen, it’s my win."

I muttered the words softly as I fired a thin, needle-like Mana Cannon straight through his heart.

[Allen, eliminated. Points awarded to Weiss Fancent.]

The Forbidden Area finally swallowed me whole.

[Battle Royale concluded. Winner: Weiss Fancent.]

---

When I returned to the beach, the entire lower class was waiting. Cynthia and Lilith were the first to reach me.

"Welcome back, Weiss," Cynthia said, her voice warm.

"Yeah. I’m back."

"I saw everything! You were so cool!" Lilith added, beaming.

"...Saw everything?"

I looked past them to see Coco. She was maintaining a holographic projection magic, showing the final battle to the whole class. Apparently, she’d set up "recording zones" in advance.

...Now that she mentioned it, I did recall her saying something about that.

"Dammit, Shari! Blowing me away like that was a total foul!" Duke barked from the sidelines.

"It’s a match, Duke. Besides, I would have won even in a fair fight," Shari retorted.

So that was it. She’d used an Artifact—a bracelet I didn't recognize—to blow him out of the zone at the cost of her own points.

Then, a familiar figure approached.

"Weiss. Next time, I’m the one who wins."

Allen was smiling. A genuine, carefree smile. The kind that made you realize this guy just got stronger every time he tasted defeat. And he never, ever looked back.

Seriously, how do you even break this guy’s spirit?

"Also, thanks for—"

"Shut up. I just wanted your points," I snapped, cutting him off and looking away. I didn't need a heartfelt moment. I just wanted my win.

"Weiss."

Teacher Milk walked up to greet me.

"...You actually worked hard for once."

"If you'd finished it on the first day, I would have given you a hundred," she added with a smirk.

"Haha... I bet."

Man, she was tough. These kids are way stronger than they were in the game! I wanted to whine, but I knew she wouldn't care.

"But... well done."

"—Thank you."

Cecil was there too.

"Fancent-kun, congratulations."

"Yeah."

I hesitated, then decided against saying anything more. I’d defeated her. Anything I said now would just sound like gloating.

"I’ll win next time," she said firmly.

"Hah. I look forward to it."

"...So, do you want to play Battle Universe tonight?"

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

"Just because."

"Maybe next time."

"No fair..."

"Let me enjoy my victory for one night, Cecil."

She looked genuinely dejected. I suppose she wasn't used to losing a serious fight and having it end there. But I wasn't giving up this afterglow.

The tension of the exam began to melt away. Cynthia was chatting with Carta; Lilith and Olynn were laughing with Duke. The rest of the class was much the same. In Noblesse, bonds were forged through combat. No grudges, just mutual respect after a hard-fought battle. That was why the game had been so popular.

"The ship is departing soon. Weiss, shall we?" Cynthia offered her hand.

Lilith chimed in immediately. "Lord Weiss! Let’s have a long, relaxing soak in the bath tonight!"

"I don't really follow your logic, but yeah, a hot bath sounds like heaven."

I’d definitely pushed myself too far this time. I was going to spend the rest of the day in total Sloth.

"Weiss! I’ll tell you about your reward in a few days!" Darius called out from the deck.

Right, I’d almost forgotten about that. I wondered what it was. Knowing the faculty, I could probably expect a pretty substantial "carrot."

We boarded the ship and set sail. Lilith went to grab drinks, leaving Cynthia and me alone on the deck. I leaned against the railing, watching the uninhabited island shrink into the distance.

Winning this exam was notoriously difficult in the Original Story. But I’d cleared it.

My goal wasn't just to avoid my own destruction anymore. It was to protect the people who looked up to me.

"Cynthia, thank you. It was thanks to you that I could go all the way."

"...I don't know what you mean," she said, teasingly.

She knew. She just didn't want me to feel indebted. Seriously, I didn't deserve a fiancée this good.

"I love you, Weiss."

"Me too, Cynthia."