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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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As if reflecting their burning fighting spirit, the red mana engulfing Regret intensified, and the blue light surrounding Lyla expanded.
Just as their clash was about to reach its climax, the stalemate was broken not by either of them, but by an external force.
A resounding boom.
Black smoke billowed from within the barrier where the robed girl had been standing moments before.
A glimpse of a blond-haired boy sprinting towards the finish line told the silent story of what had transpired.
‘How…?’
Before Lyla could even process how the barrier had been breached and the girl defeated, her body moved instinctively.
Mid-Rank Wind Cloak.
A refreshing breeze lifted her into the air and a powerful gust propelled her forward.
While the Low-Rank Windwalk merely aided running, the Mid-Rank Cloak allowed for low-altitude flight.
Lyla, transformed into a whirlwind, pursued Chrom.
But Regret wasn’t about to let her go.
Her already superhuman leg strength was further amplified by mana reinforcement.
The five-meter gap between them vanished in two strides.
Regret’s Impact Amplifying Hammer swung mercilessly.
Lyla had no choice.
If she let Chrom escape, she would lose.
But the price of exposing her back to Regret, a formidable opponent, was steep.
Lyla felt mana gathering around her, forming a spell.
But it was too late.
There wasn’t enough time for a Barrier.
Even a Shield would be shattered by Regret’s hammer.
Regret was certain she had Lyla.
Then, a ball of fire appeared before her, shattering her confidence.
‘That crazy princess!’
She cursed inwardly, but there was no turning back.
Gritting her teeth, Regret swung her hammer at the Mid-Rank Fire Sphere, and a massive explosion engulfed them both.
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“I did it…!”
Chrom whispered in triumph as he ran through the forest.
His plan had been risky.
Using Attribute Stones to blast a hole under the barrier protecting Lyla’s teammate and then attacking through the opening would have failed if the girl had reacted in time.
But it worked.
The girl’s trust in the High-Rank Magic Barrier’s impregnability had dulled her senses.
Two marks glowed faintly on Chrom’s bracelet, one from Alphonse’s team and one from Lyla’s.
Reaching the finish line now meant victory.
‘Wow, I didn’t expect them to be that strong.’
Regret, the Nameless War Ghost, already a formidable combatant, had been further strengthened by years of training and Chrom’s enhancements.
Lyla, the Heir of Red and Blue Blood, possessing the highest base stat total in the game, coupled with a mana score of 10 – however she achieved that – was a force to be reckoned with.
Chrom knew they were strong, but witnessing their battle firsthand was a different experience.
He had never seen Regret fight at full strength before.
She had long surpassed Sir Kelin, who had taught them the basics of combat, and even the most skilled students at the Academy couldn’t push her to her limits.
‘The original Nameless War Ghost would have been a good rival for Crow, but Regret is on a whole different level.’
Perhaps Professor Istal could match her, but their positions were too different for a proper comparison.
Chrom had initially planned to create a one-on-one scenario for Regret and the princess, hoping for a decisive victory for Regret.
But this outcome wasn’t bad either.
While less impactful than a direct victory, Regret’s display of power would pique Lyla’s interest in both her and Chrom, who had orchestrated the initial encounter.
And Regret, having faced a challenging opponent, would be even more motivated to improve.
A worthy rival was the best catalyst for growth.
‘If I can get Lyla interested in Regret’s strength, and then slowly guide her, teach her how to become stronger…’
As he indulged in these pleasant thoughts, the red glow of the finish line came into view.
He pushed himself harder, then stumbled as his foot caught on a tree root.
Even with his enhanced physique, he managed to stay upright, but the brief interruption—
—saved his life.
A cool breeze, almost refreshing, turned into a gale.
A terrifying projectile of mana, tearing through the air, slammed into the ground where he would have been a moment later.
“Oof!”
The shockwave sent him tumbling, but he quickly recovered with a practiced roll, a testament to the training he had squeezed in between his family’s errands.
He looked back, a look of disbelief on his face.
“…That’s quite the…wild look, Lyla-nim.”
Lyla’s appearance was shocking.
Her elegant dress, a perfect blend of grace and practicality, was torn and scorched.
Scratches and cuts covered her exposed skin.
She brushed back her disheveled hair and said,
“Yes, Chrom. Thanks to you, I’ve had many…unique experiences today.”
She smiled, as beautiful as ever, but Chrom felt a chill run down his spine.
A primal fear, like standing before an erupting volcano.
He forced his trembling legs to stand firm and meet her gaze head-on.
He couldn’t show weakness, even if it was just a bluff.
“You look exhausted. Why don’t you rest for a bit? This will be over soon.”
“Thank you for your concern. I would appreciate it even more if you conceded.”
“Ah, I can’t do that. It’s always more frustrating to lose something you almost had.”
“Perhaps, but it’s a small price to pay for your safety.”
Chrom smiled.
Lyla smiled back.
“Then I have no choice.”
“No, you don’t.”
Boom!
Chrom threw a Wind Gem, detonating it in front of Lyla, unleashing a Mid-Rank Wind Sphere.
The same attack that had turned the tide against the Fendevig siblings was now harmlessly absorbed by Lyla’s High-Rank Magic Shield.
But the split second it took her to block it was all Chrom needed.
“WOOOO!”
Pouring every last drop of mana into Reinforcement, he sprinted towards the finish line.
His body screamed in protest, the strain of the excessive enhancement pushing him past his limits.
But he had to.
It was the only way to escape the relentless barrage of mana bullets.
‘I’m not losing now!’
He ran, ignoring the tearing muscles, the cracking bones, fueled by sheer willpower.
There was no time for potions.
No time to look back.
He even ignored the impact of the mana bullets hitting his back, his reinforced body absorbing the damage.
Stopping meant losing.
A moment of hesitation, a single lapse in concentration, could be fatal.
It was a race to the death.
But the world wasn’t so kind as to reward mere determination.
“This is the end!”
Realizing a single attack wouldn’t stop him, Lyla conjured a massive sphere of mana.
High-Rank Mana Bombardment.
A destructive force capable of obliterating hundreds with a single blast, wiping out everything in its vicinity.
Dodging was impossible.
Defending was pointless.
The finishing blow was about to consume Chrom—
“Not if I can help it!”
Regret, her body just as battered as Lyla’s, yelled from behind.
But it was too far.
Even her throwing knives wouldn’t reach from this distance.
So, here and now—
KABOOM!
Regret slammed the Impact Amplifying Hammer into the ground.
The magic tool, already weakened from the fight with Lyla and the direct hit from the Fire Sphere, shattered, but the recoil launched Regret forward like a cannonball.
Feldhaus’s Summoning Gauntlet summoned its third and final dagger.
Putting all her strength into the throw, Regret hurled it towards Lyla.
Her unstable posture, the extreme range, and the accumulated damage made the throw less accurate than usual, but the steel blade pierced Lyla’s shoulder and disrupted the activation of her spell by a fraction of a second.
Rumble!
The sphere of mana, growing in size, began to pull everything around it into its vortex.
But before it could reach Chrom, his feet crossed the red line marking the finish line.
As if paying the price for all the reckless movements up to now, Chrom, Regret, and Lyla collapsed onto the ground simultaneously.
A familiar voice echoed through the clearing.
[And that’s it! With the first team crossing the finish line, the exercise is officially over! The winning team is—Chrom Midas’s team!]
The long, grueling group project was finally over.
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