I pour mana into the spell formula I'd constructed.
[Thunder Arrow] flies straight toward the robed woman.
With her agility, she'd dodge something like this easily.
In fact, I need her to dodge.
Ideally with the bare minimum movement.
"Stalling just to build an intermediate magic? Are you bad at spell construction? No, probably not."
She mutters something while dodging with the smallest motion possible.
Perfect.
Right now, she should think the [Thunder Arrow] is a feint, with the real threat being something else.
Focus all your attention on my every move.
In human combat, what's crucial is how well you can catch the opponent off guard.
A single surprise attack can decide everything—just like how [Earth Shock] took down three of them.
The thunder arrow passes beside the robed woman and strikes the [Reflective Wall] I'd placed behind her—redirecting it to attack her from the back.
"—!?"
She notices at the last instant and dodges again.
But that's not the end. I activate multiple [Reflective Wall]s to surround her.
Each time it hits a semi-transparent wall, it changes direction—attacking her repeatedly.
After dodging a few times, she gives up evading and blocks with a mana barrier.
"[Status Up][Septuple]...!"
The moment her movement stops, I activate my current maximum [Layering]—[Septuple]—boosting my physical abilities to their limit, then kick off the ground to close the distance in an instant.
(Tricks and combos will probably get blocked. —Then I'll overpower her with pure force!)
Once in sword range, I swing Schwarzhaese from left to right.
She's trying to block with her staff like before.
(I'm cutting through the staff along with it!)
Right before contact, I activate [Instant Capability Super Rise: Impact], intending to smash everything together—
But this time, the robed woman doesn't take it head-on. She lightly leaps backward while receiving the slash.
As a result, she's sent flying back hard—distance opens up again.
"Match over."
The robed woman says that with a smile as she flies backward.
From my front, back, left, and right, [Explode] activates—while from above, [Mjolnir] prepares to strike...
(The activation time is nowhere near enough—it'll probably dispel soon, but that's not the issue right now!)
"—! [Magic Sword Fusion: Alteration]! [Fifth Form: Mont Fünf]!"
Realizing I can't dodge, I convert Schwarzhaese to mana and shape it into a shield.
I raise the shield overhead—pitch-black mana envelops my surroundings.
The instant the attacks hit, I activate [Instant Capability Super Rise: Impact]. A thunderous roar shakes the air, but I somehow endure it.
When the surrounding black mana dissipates, the smell of scorched earth stings my nose, and smoke blankets the area.
"Reflecting magic to counterattack—quite an interesting style. But this is my win. No way you could endure that many special-grade magics at close range simultaneously... Sorry. This is for saving the world too. I hope this buys us enough time..."
The robed woman speaks as if victory is already hers.
"Master!!!"
"No... I don't want you to die, Orun-san..."
Screams rise from my disciples.
I want to reassure them immediately, but there's something I need to do first.
The opponent is completely off guard.
She was even stronger than I'd anticipated.
In that moment, I seize a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
I absolutely cannot waste it!
The instant the robed woman shifts her gaze toward her comrades...
"[Space Leap]...!"
I move to her blind spot—directly behind her.
"—!?"
"[Zero Form: Mont Null]."
I turn Schwarzhaese into formless, fluid mana and bind the robed woman with it.
"Eh, this mana...!?"
With that murmur, the hood covering her face slips off during the restraint.
What enters my view is a woman around my age with shining, lustrous silver hair.
The moment I see her, an inexplicable something surges up inside me.
(What is this feeling...? —No, not the time to think about that.)
As I prepare my next move, intense killing intent comes from my side.
Looking that way—I see someone rushing toward me at high speed through the hole I'd made in the wall earlier, launching an attack.
Up close, it's a girl I've never seen before.
"—!"
I dodge the attack and put distance between me and the robed woman. The girl positions herself protectively in front of the woman, glaring and threatening me.
(More reinforcements...?)
The girl and I lock eyes in a standoff.
The silence is broken by the robed woman.
"Ahaha... Ahahahaha! What is this? What's going on? No—it's obvious. That old bastard and that vile woman are behind this, aren't they? Ahaha! ————Don't screw with me! How much more do you have to toy with people before you're satisfied!!"
The robed woman screams with raw emotion.
But it doesn't feel directed at us—it's aimed somewhere else entirely.
(...What the hell? Suddenly...? —And what is this feeling...!)
I'm bewildered by her sudden change, yet at the same time... I feel an urge to reach out to her as she seems to be suffering.
I forcefully suppress my emotions with reason, take a spare sword from my storage magic tool, and ready myself again.
"Wait, Orun... I have no intention of fighting anymore. I can't fight you... Could you let us go? I promise we'll pull the others out of the Great Labyrinth too."
The robed woman speaks in a voice so calm it doesn't match the battle—pleading to be spared.
(Why are you talking to me so familiarly...!)
The emotions I'd suppressed surge up again.
At the same time, something inside me insists I should finish her here.
While I'm confused by my own state, the situation worsens further.
First, the black mana reverts to black sword form—releasing the robed woman's restraint.
Next, the three I'd knocked unconscious earlier start regaining awareness.
Fighting five-on-one now gives me poor odds.
If they're willing to withdraw, that's more than I could ask for.
"......"
I lower my stance and store the sword.
Still, anticipating a surprise attack, I stay maximally alert to their movements and mana flows.
"...Thank you. I hope the next time we meet, it's not as enemies. See you later... Orun."
After those words, the five figures begin to waver—like reflections on rippling water.
Then they gradually fade away.
No unnatural disturbances in the surrounding mana flow or air currents.
They truly vanished somewhere.
◇
"Master..."
After retrieving Schwarzhaese, I head to my disciples. Carol has regained consciousness.
"Carol, good. How are all three of you feeling?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm okay too."
"Me too—thanks to Master's [Heal]."
No visible injuries on any of them, and they don't seem to be lying.
"I see... Sorry for putting you in danger this time. You can complain as much as you want later—for now, let's head back."
"Complain!? We were the selfish ones insisting on going alone! It's not your fault, Master!"
"Yeah. Just coming to save us is already more than enough..."
"Um, Master... do you know that robed person?"
"——No, I don't... I've been in the newspapers a lot lately. She probably just recognized my name from that."
I could've handled the first three or the girl who intervened midway without issue—but that robed woman was in a league of her own.
(I wasn't being arrogant, but there really are people stronger than me... As I am now, I can't protect what I want to protect. I need to get much, much stronger...)
For the sake of protecting what's important, I resolve to become even stronger.