343　The Solitary Strongest (Weiss)

Milk Abitus was the strongest player in the Original Story, and by far the most popular.

In most works of fiction, a character's physical beauty is usually the main draw, but when it came to Teacher, the fans loved her specifically because she was such an overwhelmingly powerful badass.

A person who perfectly combined beauty and might—that was my master.

“Weiss, you’ve grown quite strong. I never truly imagined I’d take on a disciple in this life. To be honest, when we first met, I only did it for the money. But now, I find myself grateful to my past self—grateful for the joy of forging a worthy rival with my own two hands.”

Tens of minutes had already ticked by since Coco and the others vanished via Teleportation Magic.

Malice was watching us from the sidelines, looking more than a little stunned.

And why wouldn't she be? After all, the two of us were fighting while... holding back.

It wasn’t like we were just playing around, though. This was my own ego talking, I know, but it was my way of showing her my gratitude.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, Teacher. You actually listened to my selfish request to become your student. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived half the things I've been through.”

That wasn't hyperbole, either. I’d dodged death by the skin of my teeth more times than I could count, and every single time, it was because Teacher Milk’s fundamental lessons had saved my neck.

That’s why this fight had served as a confirmation—a way to prove that the things I once found impossible were now finally within my reach.

Teacher seemed to understand that perfectly; she had been matching my movements, swinging with the exact same sword strokes.

But then, as if to signal that the warm-up was over and the real fight was beginning, she let her mana surge.

A membrane of water shimmered into existence, flowing from her body until it enveloped her completely.

This was Teacher Milk’s Absolute Defense.

Unlike an Inviolable Domain (Barrier), this technique was active at all times; she simply minimized the mana consumption by thinning the layer to its absolute limit.

The fascinating thing was that Teacher Milk actually grasped the concept of "burning" through her mana.