314: T-Minus Five Minutes

This was five minutes before those mana blades came screaming toward us.

Back at the faculty’s starting position, Teacher Milk was wearing a smile that could only be described as utterly fearless. Darius, however, was busy knitting his brows as he watched her.

“Are we really going through with this?” he asked, his voice heavy with hesitation. “I’m starting to feel a real pang of guilt here...”

“If you don’t have the stomach for it, I’ll do it myself,” Milk shot back. “But remember, this is for the students’ own sake. We can teach them exactly how ‘shitty’ negligence and arrogance can be—and we’re going to do it in a single blow.”

“...I mean, I suppose you’re right, but still...”

“The only reason you feel so bad is because you know exactly how many of them are about to get pulverized, right? That’s exactly why we have to do this. Steel your heart, Darius.”

As Milk tossed those harsh words his way, Darius could only offer a helpless shrug.

Watching their exchange with a cheerful grin was Teacher Coco.

“My, my! As expected of Teacher Milk. You’re practically a paragon for educators everywhere. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give it my all too!”

“Yeah. I’d appreciate that.”

“I cannot say I agree with this method,” Teacher Chloe added, her voice as cool as ever. “Wiping out a massive number of students in one strike is a far cry from what I would call ‘education.’ —However, I do find the concept... interesting.”

Chloe wasn't the type to smile, but for just a second, the corners of her mouth twitched upward. Even for someone who viewed the world through a lens of cold logic, Milk’s opening move was completely outside the realm of her predictions.

And that, apparently, was "interesting" to her.

Darius gave his own cheeks a couple of hard slaps to wake himself up, then hoisted his greatsword into a ready stance. As his mana began to surge, Teacher Coco laughed, her pipe still clenched between her teeth.

“Man, that’s some seriously off-the-charts mana, just like always. You’re definitely the last person I’d ever want to pick a fight with.”

But unlike a moment ago, Darius was now purely focused. He didn't even seem to hear Teacher Coco’s voice; his entire being was centered on the distant horizon where we were all waiting, blissfully unaware.

Noticing his shift in demeanor, Milk let out a small, satisfied smirk and called out to the other two.

“Darius and I will launch the initial strike. Teacher Coco, can you sharpen the mana we send out?”

“Roger that! I’ll weave an unblockable magic formula into the mix.”

“Thanks. Teacher Chloe—”

“I just need to teleport the blades once they reach the halfway point, right? Understood,” Chloe said, cutting Milk off as she anticipated the instruction.

Milk didn't get angry at the interruption. If anything, she looked delighted as she let her own mana flare up to its peak.

Ah, I really can leave everything to these three.

“Darius, I’m going to layer my power on top of yours. Don’t you dare hold back.”

Darius didn’t offer a verbal reply. Instead, he answered by letting his mana surge even more violently than before.

Ten seconds before the match officially began, Darius swung his greatsword in a massive horizontal arc. It was a movement so refined and efficient that it defied his hulking, boisterous physique. He’d even calculated the timing perfectly so the strike would land exactly when the clock hit zero.

The moment the dust kicked up, it clung to the swing, manifesting into a literal blade of magic. In that split second, Milk added her own power to "hone" the edge, Teacher Coco remotely infused the formula, and Chloe held out her hands to warp the magic across the battlefield—.