265: Determination

—Debi.

"Debibi!"

I summoned Debi and sent him charging straight into the fray.

Roz’s brow furrowed as he launched a counterattack, but Debi intercepted the strike with a Shield.

"A familiar... using chantless magic?" Roz muttered, sounding genuinely caught off guard.

"Debibi!"

Originally, the little guy could handle Dark Magic, but high-rank spells had always been way out of his league. This, right here, was the fruit of our grueling special training.

Without missing a beat, Debi fired off sticky Dark Threads at Roz’s feet, imbuing them with Weight Magic.

The restriction might only last for a few measly seconds. But in a duel like this, those seconds were the line between life and a very messy death.

I seized the opening and unleashed my One-Hit Kill.

I aimed for his torso, channeling so much Mana into the strike that no mere Katana could ever hope to parry it. Even if he tries a Forced Teleportation, I'll just hunt him down and slice him again with Time Lapse.

This was it. The end—

"—Peach, send me."

In the blink of an eye, Roz was gone.

My wind-enhanced strike sliced through thin air, hitting absolutely nothing as he vanished from the spot. Then, I felt it—a sudden, massive surge of Mana behind me.

Target: Roz has appeared.

Cecil’s voice rang out a moment later.

It was a magic that hadn't existed in the Original Story. —But damn it, this was exactly what she’d predicted would happen.

“Teleportation Movement?” I had asked her.

“It’s just a hunch,” she’d replied, “but I suspect the commander-class enemies will teleport to the vicinity of the Artifacts.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Think back to the last Large-scale Invasion. The enemies Eva and Teacher Milk were fighting just... vanished, remember? There’s clearly a mechanic at play we don’t fully understand yet. But a move like that has to have a 'condition' attached.”

“Then we need to change our formation. I’ll stay by the Artifact—”

“No, it’s okay. Please, Weiss, leave that to me.”

“...I’m sorry, Cecil, but I can't risk that.”

“Trust me. I won’t lose. Not again.”

Look, I love the girl, but in the Original Story, Cecil Antwerp’s combat stats were—to put it bluntly—absolute garbage. Her brilliant mind was still there, sure, but it wasn't like her Mana reserves had magically skyrocketed.

Her physical abilities had certainly improved thanks to Chloe’s hellish training, but even so, I didn't think she could actually defeat a General of the Demon World. If I moved now, I could probably make it in time... but doing that would mean I didn't trust her.

The monsters were still swarming, and Cynthia was fighting desperately just to hold the line.

Damn it. There’s only one real answer, isn't there?

"—Weiss, are you sure about this?" Cynthia asked.

"Yeah. But we’re finishing things here, and we’re doing it fast."

"Understood. It'll be fine. Cecil won't let herself be defeated again."

Afterword

Next time: Cecil awakens!

Once this battle wraps up, we’ll be heading back into the Academy Arc. I’m planning lots of interactions between the Teachers and Weiss’s party, plus some fun scenes with new characters! ☺

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I Reincarnated as a Lazy and Evil Noble, and After I Destroyed the Scenario, I Became the Strongest with Extraordinary Magic Power

Release Date: March 29, 2024 (Tuesday) (Scheduled for both physical and digital versions) Label: Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Illustrator: Rein Kuwashima-sama

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