164 The Final Day

"—Found them. Shari, I’m counting on you to scan the perimeter."

"On it. All clear for now. But you know the drill, right?"

"Yeah."

After cutting through the thick of the forest, we finally emerged into a clearing and spotted Allen and Cynthia. They were already locked in combat with another pair.

Interestingly enough, Allen was wielding a shield. Cynthia, on the other hand, was empty-handed. Not that it mattered; she never used weapons anyway, so it wasn't like she was at a disadvantage.

Out of the remaining participants, the only ones worth worrying about were Duke and Lilith. The rest were likely shivering in some hole, terrified of being expelled for a second time. They probably didn't have any points worth stealing, so there was no point in hunting them down.

"What’s the move? Do we jump in?" Shari asked.

"No, we wait and see."

My blood was still boiling over that fruit fiasco from earlier, but I knew charging in now wasn't the smart play.

Shari was better at detection than I was, but even so, Duke and Lilith were masters of erasing their presence and Mana. Ever since Lilith’s "awakening," she had become practically invisible to our sensors. A muscle-bound freak and a girl capable of high-speed movement appearing out of thin air... yeah, that was a headache I didn't need.

Besides, I doubted they’d be able to drop Allen and Cynthia right away.

『Al Iria: First Dropout. Plate transferred to Cynthia Violetta.』

I glanced at Shari. She didn't look hesitant at all.

"I'll set some traps around here, just in case," she whispered.

"Good idea."

It was the obvious move. Of course, things might have been different if this were a fight where Allen was actually at risk of expulsion, but for now, we had the luxury of caution.

Shari placed her hands on the ground. Her Mimicry Magic had improved so much it was terrifying; seeing through her decoys was borderline impossible now. It was a shame we didn't have any Mana-boosting items, but even without them, she was more than capable.

Still, I was glad we’d managed to secure our "weapon" before the final showdown.

Not moving, huh?

After taking down one more opponent, Allen and Cynthia just stood their ground, waiting. They were likely conserving Mana while they waited for the next announcement. By standing out in the open, they were clearly signaling that they were on guard against us and Duke's team. Now that Carta and Olynn had been knocked out, they didn't have to worry about long-range snipers anymore.

"Alright, Shari. This is going to be a long one. We wait here so we don't get third-partied."

"Third... partied? What’s that?"

"It’s a gaming staple. Come on."

"?" Shari gave me a look. "Weiss, you say the weirdest things sometimes."

"Maybe I do."

————

——

—

With about two hours left on the clock, the announcements finally started picking up. It was probably the stragglers and hiders finally being forced into a meat grinder. The broadcast mentioned several expulsions; this exam really didn't believe in mercy.

Finally, Allen and Cynthia began to move. They weren't looking to defend this spot anymore; they were going out to harvest more points.

"Let’s go, Shari."

"Got it."

We trailed them, keeping our distance. It would have been a pain if they’d taken to the sky, but they seemed intent on saving their Mana. Shari and I were among the top performers in the Tracking Exam, so I wasn't worried about them spotting us.

Eventually, Allen and Cynthia stopped and threw themselves into an ongoing skirmish. They were planning to rack up points in one fell swoop.

—But.

"Now’s the time. Let’s go!"

It was the perfect opportunity. Or so I thought, until I felt a presence directly behind us.

The hunter and the hunted. Chloe’s words echoed in my skull.

"Goodbye, Shari-san."

Lilith appeared out of thin air, driving a knife straight into Shari’s neck.

But "Shari" simply dissolved into a puddle of slushy water.

"What!?" Lilith gasped.

"Now! Shari!"

The real Shari, positioned high in the sky, unleashed a Mana Cannon with everything she had. It was a full-power strike, bolstered by a Spirit's enchantment.

We were never targeting Allen and Cynthia. I knew Duke and Lilith were out there somewhere, and I’d operated under the assumption that they were already watching us. I didn't underestimate them for a second. In fact, because they were so good at masking their presence, I gave them the respect they deserved as enemies.

I’d bet on them targeting us the moment we moved, so I’d had Shari spend the afternoon creating a humanoid decoy with Mimicry Magic. It took until evening to make it perfect, but the payoff was worth it.

In a flash, Duke stepped forward, deploying a Defense Formula to shield Lilith.

But I’d predicted that too. And more importantly—I could see it.

"—Sorry, Duke."

I lunged with my Rapier. It was a fragile weapon, but its speed was unmatched. I aimed to pierce Lilith’s heart in a single, blurring thrust.

The blade extended rapidly, but Lilith’s reaction speed was nothing short of monstrous. She brought both palms together in front of her chest, attempting to catch the blade. My attack wasn't something you could just catch, but the friction was enough to slow the momentum.

In that Narrow Margin, Duke managed to shove Lilith’s body aside.

Damn!

Lilith was incredible. She shouldn't have had a millisecond to think, yet her reflexes had covered her vitals perfectly. She must have realized exactly where I was aiming the moment I moved. Normally, a person would try to dodge, but she didn't; she’d put her entire life in Duke’s hands.

My Magic Eye allowed me to see one second into the future, but it had only shown me Lilith raising her hands. Maybe I should have targeted Duke instead.

Their coordination was insane. They’d clearly been training like hell together. Still, it wasn't like I hadn't planned for my initial strike to fail.

"—Blessing of Healing and Impulse of Destruction!"

"—Blessing of Healing!"

We chanted in sync, and I felt my power explode. I pushed my Power Up to its absolute limit.

That wasn't all. Shari’s traps began erupting from the ground beneath their feet. Mana Cannons infused with fire, water, wind, and Earth surged upward, locked on by Homing Magic. Individually, they weren't lethal, but they carried elemental debuffs. Trying to dodge me while defending against those? Impossible.

"Debibi!"

High above, my familiar Debi added to the chaos, firing a Dark Wave Cannon.

I wasn't letting them go. Not a chance. I hadn't underestimated their physical prowess for a second. The moment they showed themselves, I was going to bury them.

I pushed my Magic Eye to the brink, determined to shatter any defense they threw up. But to my horror, Duke’s movements were perfectly accounting for every variable. Residual images blurred together as the future branched into a dozen different paths.

I kept swinging my Rapier at Duke with every ounce of speed I possessed.

Right hand, right leg, left hand, left leg.

I was landing hits—dealing massive damage—but he was successfully parrying every single fatal blow.

"RAAAAAUGH!!!!!"

Duke wouldn't go down. He slammed his fist into the earth, blending his Mana into the rising dust to create a smokescreen. My Magic Eye was useless if I couldn't see him. Did he know that? No, he couldn't have. It was pure instinct.

A fist lunged out of the dust cloud. I crossed my arms to block, but the sheer force of the impact sent me reeling. I realized I couldn't win a contest of pure strength, so I used the momentum to leap backward, putting distance between us.

I skidded back nearly forty meters before Shari slid in behind me, using an enchantment to steady my footing.

I stared ahead at Duke and Lilith. They were both battered and clearly bleeding Mana. By all rights, they should have been unconscious. And yet, they stood.

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

That look in his eyes... that voice... it wasn't the Duke I knew. A total stranger was staring back at me.

Suddenly, Allen and Cynthia charged in from the flank, aiming for the wounded pair. But to my shock, Duke and Lilith swatted them aside like they were nothing. Allen and Cynthia were sent flying.

Just what kind of training did these two do?

Interesting. This is getting very, very interesting.

"Shari, this is it. The final round. We’re going all out."

"Ready when you are."

They were more than worthy opponents. I was going to beat the living hell out of them and take that top spot again.