Chapter 316: Mana Interference

[Intermediate-year Student, Edol Baden — Eliminated.]

[Intermediate-year Student, Nergy Effis — Eliminated.]

[Intermediate-year Student, Orirule Gibdia — Eliminated.]

Thirty minutes had already ticked by since the start of the match.

And honestly? The sheer scale of this wilderness was horrifying. The dust was absolutely brutal; visibility was so poor that a human figure just a few hundred meters away was little more than a flickering blur.

Luckily, I’d anticipated some level of environmental disaster, so we were all wrapped in beige-colored hoods. We kept our mouths covered and used mana to shield our eyes from the grit.

"Cynthia, Lilith, Luna—everyone okay?" I called out.

"No issues here, Weiss-sama," Cynthia replied smoothly.

"I’m fine!" Lilith added.

"I-I’m hanging in there, barely!" Luna squeaked.

But damn, keeping up a constant flow of mana just to see requires an exhausting amount of concentration.

With visibility this trashed, we weren't going to spot a Shrine unless we practically tripped over the thing. All the while, the announcements of the eliminated students continued to drone on intermittently.

Normally, I’d just pop my Dark Eye and scout the area, but I’d run into a major snag: to my absolute shock, there was mana interference mixed right into the dust clouds.

It’s probably Coco. She was likely hitching a ride on the sandy winds to broadcast the interference. It felt exactly like trying to listen to a radio with localized static—fragmented pulses of mana hammered against my brain like white noise.

It wasn't even high-level magic, but the ingenuity behind it? That was on a whole different level. First that crazy opening attack, and now this. Every single move the faculty made was a lesson.

I’m definitely going to get stronger because of this match. Like, a lot stronger.

I wasn't the only one feeling it, either. Most of the survivors were likely reaching the same realization. There's a world of difference between what you learn in an exam, what you learn in a sparring match, and what you gain from the desperate pressure of a real struggle.

This fight was starting to feel suspiciously like a battle against a Demon King. You don't know where the enemy is. You don't know where the next blow is coming from. And the moment you take one down, you have to sprint to the next ally's side. Honestly, the people at Noblesse really knew how to dream up some "interesting" games.

Suddenly, I realized "something" was blocking my line of sight. I skidded to a halt and threw up a hand signal to the girls.

"Weiss? What is it?" Cynthia asked, pulling up beside me.

"There's a massive rock up ahead."

"Is there...? I can't see a thing. Your eyes really are incredible, Weiss-sama."

"I'm just boosting my vision with mana," I admitted. Though the headache from the static is very real. "If I push it any further, I might trip their detection net. Luna—"

"Right! I'll go take a look!"

——————————————————

'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)

(Planned for both paper book & electronic)

【Amazon link & with illustrations】

https://twitter.com/Kikuchikaisei/status/1755186344601804896