119: A Ray of Light

“Hehehe. I wonder, now that you can see them, do you actually think you can fight them?”

The woman smiling so gleefully was none other than Eva Avery, the strongest female character in the Original Story.

The countless arms she manifested had already surpassed the limits of human comprehension. Each one possessed a different elemental attribute and surged with a level of magic power that put even Eleanor to shame. It was entirely possible she could fire off a different spell from every single hand simultaneously.

To make matters worse, Eva could use Flight Magic.

Blowing her out of the arena for a ring-out victory was normally an impossible task. Unless I could inflict enough damage to render her unable to fly—the way I had with Sierra and Eleanor—it was a lost cause. And against her? That was a very slim hope indeed.

The more I think about it, the more I realize she’s perfect. Those damn Noblesse developers really went and created a monster, didn't they?

“A few people have been able to see my ‘hands’ before,” Eva mused. “But everyone stops in their tracks just like that. In the end, they realize thinking is useless and just charge in blindly. That’s always the end of it. So, Junior-kun... what are you going to do for me?”

Eva was bored. She was just like Cecil—someone who had no rivals left in Battle Universe.

But that boredom was her only weakness. The key to victory had to be hidden in there somewhere. I just had to find it in the heat of battle.

“I’ll teach you what defeat feels like,” I bluffed. “Since you’re clearly a stranger to the concept, Eva-senpai.”

“Hehehe, how interesting! No one has ever dared to take that attitude with me before!”

Whether she actually liked my bravado or was just amused by it, Eva didn’t move an inch. Instead, she extended her countless hands. These limbs made of magic power stretched and contracted freely, moving with a sinister will of their own.

I focused on evading, parrying the arms I couldn't dodge with my blade.

“A-And there it is! Eva’s invisible onslaught is hammering Weiss! Is the legend of the top lowerclassman about to meet its end here?!”

My breathing was shallow and ragged as I fended off the continuous attacks. Just blocking them drained my magic power for defense. Still, I didn't let my mind stop for a second.

Think, think, think! What do I need to win this right now? What do I actually have left in the tank?

And then, it hit me. A single, desperate ray of light.

“Well? What’s the plan? Is this the end?” Eva asked.

“Not a chance!”

I repelled the cluster of arms and intentionally put some distance between us. I pointed my hand toward the sky and chanted the spell.

“Dark Rain!”

Magic power surged upward like a serpent before bursting into a cloud. A hail of black magic bullets came raining down.

“Is this your big play?”

Eva gathered her arms above her like an umbrella, emerging without a single scratch.

That was fine. It was exactly what I’d expected.

“...Hmm, I see,” she murmured.

“A black rain is pouring down! Eva blocks it all effortlessly, but—wait, what?! The arena is being pulverized! It’s full of holes!”

I wasn't done yet. I began firing invisible slashes at the ground in rapid succession. The already-shattered arena disintegrated further, crumbling into scattered fragments.

“Ah, I see. You want to win by dropping me out of bounds,” Eva noted.

“Maybe, maybe not. Debi!”

Debi, who had been waiting in the air above, lunged at Eva. Since I was sharing my visual information with him, he could see the arms just as clearly as I could.

“Debibi!”

The magic arms lashed out at him, but Debi repelled them with his whip. Thanks to the effects of Magic Turbulence (Enroute), the power of her arms was visibly weakening.

The remaining arms swiped at me. I blocked them and struck back, but my true target remained the same: the arena floor.

“My, you certainly are thorough.”

Eva could have protected the floor if she wanted to, but she chose to use Flight Magic to hover higher instead. She had absolute confidence that she wouldn't fall.

In contrast, the only card I had left to play was standing on an Unnatural wall.

By now, the arena floor was gone. It no longer held any recognizable shape. Eva floated in the void, drifting toward me. I stood precariously atop my Unnatural platform, but trying to chant while defending against her attacks was a nightmare. From here on out, the difficulty was going to spike.

“Now then, show me what else you’ve got! Entertain me!”

“I told you already. I'm showing you defeat.”

In the next moment, I deliberately dispelled my Unnatural wall.

I plummeted toward the out-of-bounds area, and the countdown began. Even though she looked surprised, Eva didn't stop her assault. She probably had no idea what I was planning, and that was exactly what she found so fun.

But this was the exact situation I had been aiming for. I pictured my training with Tura. I took a deep breath. I visualized creating a scabbard out of pure magic power and sheathing my sword within it.

If I had attacked normally, Eva would have dodged it in a heartbeat. But right now, she was practically begging me to do something "interesting."

Put everything into it.

“One-Hit Kill!”

In an instant, a vacuum slash tore through the air. It was a weave of darkness, light, and wind, laced with Formula Destruction.

Eva tried to catch it with her arms. One wasn't enough. Two, three... it took four arms to finally halt the momentum, but the edge of the blade was still inches from her.

“Good! This is wonderful! You really are interesting, Weiss Fancent!”

When the count hit seven seconds, I kicked off the air and lunged toward her. But I was nothing more than a decoy.

While her attention was on me, Debi had cut off his magic signature and moved silently behind her. In that split second, I transferred almost every drop of my remaining magic power to him.

The greatest advantage of Subjugation was the ability to redistribute magic power instantaneously. However, it meant I couldn't pull him back into his spirit form. I was effectively charging in while completely drained of mana.

Eva’s eyes widened slightly. My plan to draw her focus was working perfectly.

“Debibi!”

Debi was ready. Buffed by my magic power and wielding his whip, he struck. Eva realized the threat and diverted her attack toward Debi instead of finishing me off.

That tiny shift in her consciousness delayed her reaction by a fraction of a second.

Everything was in place. Debi’s attack pierced through her defensive arms and connected with Eva herself. At that exact moment, I triggered Magic Turbulence (Enroute).

Debi had poured his very life force into that whip. The moment the strike landed, he ran out of magic power and dispersed into mist. Even though he was a summoned creature, he had an ego. Even if he was immortal, he had to feel fear. Yet, he had carried out his mission faithfully.

Actually stripping Eva of her magic power was impossible for someone at my level. However, Flight Magic was a delicate, high-level technique. If the surrounding mana was sufficiently disturbed, even someone like Carta couldn't stay airborne.

That was the "key to life" I’d earned from the trade-off involving Cynthia’s withdrawal. Carta was a genius of flight—the Original Story made that very clear. I had gambled on the fact that no matter how much of a cheat Eva was, the game’s core settings wouldn't let her surpass Carta in that specific field.

My gamble paid off.

With her mana flow disrupted, Eva’s Flight Magic failed, and her body listed heavily in the air. Yet, she still had that smile on her face. She looked genuinely thrilled to have been hit by an unexpected attack.

Even as she fell, she directed her remaining arms toward me. She intended to drain what little magic I had left—to knock me unconscious before we hit the ground.

Not happening.

I used the final, pathetic scrap of magic I had left to manifest an Unnatural wall, using it as a springboard to soar above her. In a standard battle, such a pointless move would never result in a win.

But this was a match. I just had to win the ring-out.

Eva looked genuinely stunned. She’d probably expected me to clash with her head-on one last time. That surprise was my ray of light.

“I’m... winning this!”

I threw myself onto Eva from above. I grabbed both her shoulders and held on tight, using my weight to pin her as we fell toward the abyss. The blades of my Dual Sword had already flickered out; I simply didn't have the mana to maintain them.

“Ufufu, how delightful. Tell me... why are you being so serious? This is just a sports festival.”

“I can’t afford to lose. No matter who I’m up against!”

“...I see. I like that.”

But the real struggle was just beginning. I didn't know how long her magic would stay scrambled. It certainly wouldn't last the full ten seconds. This meant whoever hit the ground first would lose. To ensure the outcome couldn't be overturned, I used every ounce of physical strength I had left.

Suddenly, for some reason, Eva relaxed.

We plummeted together. Naturally, Eva was the one who hit the ground first. She stayed there, sprawled on the floor without moving, that same smile still plastered on her face.

The countdown finished. The stadium was silent. And then—

“The winner is the Red Team’s Weiss Fancent! And with the points from this final match, the overall winner of the Sports Festival is the Red Team!!”

“Whaaaaaaaaat?! Eva lost?! You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“Wait, why didn't she move at the end?!”

“No, look, she couldn't use her magic because of that summon's attack! If there weren't a ring-out rule... she definitely would’ve won!”

I had won. But at the very, very end, it felt like Eva had simply given up on the victory. If she had actually gone all out, I don't want to think about what would have happened to me. This was the only way I could possibly beat her within the rules.

It went according to plan, but the ending felt strangely abrupt. Eva stood up, her smile returning once more.

“Why did you... at the end...”

“Those eyes of yours,” she interrupted. “They reminded me of an old friend.”

I blinked in surprise. Eva never talked about her past. That was the one absolute rule of her character, and even the Original Story had respected it. Yet, she had seen a shadow of someone else in me. Whether that made her happy or sad, I couldn't tell.

“I’m sure I must have put in some effort to win once upon a time,” she mused. “But I suppose I forgot somewhere along the way. Maybe I should try a little harder from now on.”

“...You mean you can get even stronger than this?”

“Indeed. Wouldn't that be interesting?”

“Haha... yeah, I guess it would.”

The great Eva Avery, talking about putting in effort? Honestly, I felt more like laughing than being afraid. Still, as a fan of the game, this was some top-tier unreleased lore.

“Well then, Weiss Fancent—let’s play again sometime. Next time, let's have a real fight, not just a match.”

“Yeah. I’ll make sure to get strong enough so I can actually keep up.”

Eva departed gallantly.

The sun was blinding. I couldn't feel a single trace of magic power left in my body. I had used everything—not a single fragment remained.

Sierra and Eleanor walked over to me. Oh right... we were a tag team. I’d completely forgotten.

“Not bad, Vai.”

“Well... I think I did alright. For once.”

“That was amazing! I can't believe you beat Eva-chan!”

“Haha. More importantly, did you two make up?”

“We weren't fighting to begin with,” Sierra said. “But... it looks like Eleanor is getting stronger too.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened at Sierra's words, and she looked absolutely radiant. Being recognized by her sister was clearly the highlight of her day.

“Ehehe, I love you, Big Sis!”

“Hmph. You’ve still got a long way to go. If this hadn't been in an arena, I would have had plenty of room to spare.”

“Uu... but I’ll do my best next time too!”

“I’m sure you will. Let’s both work hard, Eleanor.”

In the end, all’s well that ends well. I couldn't exactly say I’d defeated Eva in a fair fight, but it was still a massive achievement. I’d done the best I could with what I had.

With this, all the major Noblesse events for the year were over. Next, I would be an intermediate-year student. Everything up until now had just been the Prologue. I had to keep my guard up.

The usual smiles were there to welcome me back.

“Weiss, wonderful job. I never doubted you for a second.”

“Lord Weiss, you were incredible! A genius! The strongest!”

“Yeah, I’m starting to think so too. Just kidding. Cynthia, Lilith... it’s all thanks to you guys.”

The only reason I’d been able to keep pushing myself this far was because Lilith was always there, cheering me on from the sidelines. Even during the brutal training sessions with Teacher Milk, she had been my devoted support. And thanks to Cynthia, I’d been able to find that one ray of light and bet everything on it.

This wasn't my power alone.

But... just for today, I’m going to let myself get a little carried away and soak in the afterglow of victory.