Rest’s eyes widened at the sight of the man who had suddenly appeared.
"Wilhelm Lyubase. What are you doing here...?"
The newcomer was the strongest student in the first-year Knight Department.
He was Wilhelm Lyubase, the boy often referred to as the 'Woman-hating Sword Saint.'
It was an entirely unexpected arrival. Caught off guard by a helping hand he hadn't counted on, Rest stood frozen for a split second.
Seizing that opening, one of the Corrosion Beasts lunged.
"GYAO!"
"—!"
Rest moved to intercept the leaping monster with magic.
However, Lyubase was faster.
"Almacain Blade Dance Arts... 'Scattered Petals.'"
In an instant, a flurry of slashes filled the air.
The Corrosion Beast was dismantled mid-flight, its remains falling to the ground in pieces.
"He's fast...!"
Lyubase’s movements were incredible. His speed rivaled Rest even when he was using [Super Accelerator].
On top of that, he had effortlessly carved through the beast’s body, despite its remarkably tough hide.
(And that sword... it looks like a Japanese katana. A blade specialized for slashing?)
"You’re... Rest, wasn't it? A friend of that woman."
By 'that woman,' he surely meant Yuri Catreia—the friend who followed Lyubase around like a shadow every time they had a Swordsmanship lesson.
"I suppose so... Yuri is a friend of mine."
"Why are you out here? This isn't a battlefield for first-years."
"I could say the exact same thing to you..."
Lyubase was a first-year himself.
What was he doing this far out on the front lines?
"If you're just going to stand there, you should leave. I’ll take over from here."
"I'm not about to hand over a vital fight to someone I've barely spoken to. I appreciate the help, but... shouldn't you be the one to retreat?"
Rest shot back at him.
Technically, the boy had saved him, but Rest would have blocked the attack with magic even without his intervention.
Lyubase was a swordsman. He had a terrible matchup against Corrosion Beasts, whose saliva could melt weapons. Rest’s warning for him to escape was genuine.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
As they spoke, several Corrosion Beasts spat high-pressure streams of saliva.
"[Star Eater]"
"'Heaven-render'"
Rest conjured a dark star to swallow the saliva closing in on him, erasing it from existence.
Lyubase, meanwhile, cleaved the liquid streams in two with his blade. The divided saliva splashed harmlessly away in opposite directions.
"He cut through liquid...?"
Even after slicing through corrosive saliva capable of melting metal, Lyubase’s sword showed no signs of damage or decay.
It seemed he was reinforcing the blade’s durability by coating its surface in high-density mana. It was a common technique for knights and warriors, but Lyubase’s execution was far more refined than any other Knight Department student Rest had seen, including Danila.
"You erased the enemy's attack...? You use strange magic."
Lyubase knit his brows in turn.
He looked skeptical as he regarded the unfamiliar magic Rest had just displayed.
"This isn't exactly the time for a casual chat..."
Rest decided to fire off a wide-range spell to keep the enemies at bay for a moment.
"[Thunderstorm]!"
Lightning rained down like a torrential storm, striking the monsters.
It was a high-tier area-of-effect spell. Its range was massive, but its individual power was relatively low. Against the magic-resistant Corrosion Beasts, it served as little more than a diversion.
"Excellent."
Lyubase kicked off the ground.
Taking advantage of the openings created by the lightning, he closed the distance and began methodically cutting the beasts down.
"Magic is convenient. That was good support."
"I wasn't exactly intending to support you..."
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A Corrosion Beast tried to ambush Lyubase.
Rest fired a precise spell from afar, crushing the attack before the beast could launch it.
"Almacain Blade Dance Arts... 'Fragment.'"
Lyubase cut down another monster.
His swordsmanship was simply fast, and simply strong.
It was the pinnacle of a swordsman’s craft—an ideal level of skill that no teenager should have been able to reach.
(He really is a genius swordsman... Is he some kind of protagonist?)
Rest provided the magic, and Lyubase swung the sword.
The situation was unexpected, but the battle had become significantly easier.
Rest hadn't realized just how much a difference coordination with a partner could make.
(I didn't think teamwork would be this vital... I might need to rethink a few things.)
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
While Rest and Lyubase were occupied with the minions, Subnock began to lumber across the plain as if it had lost all interest in them.
Ignoring the pair, it started heading straight toward the Plain Entrance.
It would have been a relief if it were retreating back into the wilds, but Subnock was walking in the exact opposite direction.
"Shit... I'm not letting you go!"
"Hey, you...!"
"I'm leaving the rest to you! Take care of these guys!"
The number of Corrosion Beasts had already been cut by more than half.
Lyubase would be more than capable of handling the remnants on his own.
"I'm counting on you! I have to stop that thing!"
Activating [Super Accelerator], Rest kicked off the ground and took off at a blinding speed.
He felt a bit bad for Lyubase, but there was no other choice.
Leaving the battlefield to a boy who wasn't even his friend, Rest sprinted off to hunt down Subnock.