Chapter 146.2: Part 2

I took a slow, deep breath and went over the information I had on Charelei.

According to Baltan and Samuel, she specialized in Magic.

Even Baltan had acknowledged her as 'strong,' so there was a high probability that she possessed some kind of powerful ability.

Perhaps...

"Are you on the same level Mr. Samuel?"

[...It's not a realm that can be easily categorized, but perhaps she's similar.]

Samuel had achieved a new level of power after obtaining that suspicious book.

He hadn't fully recovered and was still residing within me, so he couldn't show me the full extent of his power.

But...

'I might be able to see it this time.'

Samuel had said that Charelei was on a similar level to him.

That meant she was worth getting excited about.

And so, the tension mounted.

...Although Sytan had implied that the order of the matches was random, there was a high probability that this was the Headmaster's second criterion at play.

Charelei was said to be the strongest of the third years, wasn't she?

It was uncertain whether she was stronger than Baltan, but there was a high chance she was on par with Besaha, whom I had fought in the human world.

That's why I couldn't help but be nervous.

Back then, I wouldn't have been able to defeat Besaha without Absolute Stealth.

And now, I was in a situation where I couldn't use any Chaos Attribute skills like Absolute Stealth...

...This was going to be tricky.

Therefore, neither Charelei nor I made a move, locked in a stalemate.

She probably wasn't going to rush in blindly, not without a good grasp of my abilities.

In my previous match, I had ended things swiftly using only my Assassination characteristics.

As a result, the third years who had gained the privilege of a bye but had also missed the opportunity to gather information on me.

As the standoff dragged on, Charelei was the first to break the silence.

"You first, junior."

"Hmm..."

She tapped her staff on the ground as she spoke.

Her tone was slightly provocative.

After a moment of contemplation, I made up my mind.

"Very well."

And with that, I unleashed my unique talent.

I targeted the staff in Charelei's hand.

And then,

'Move—'

In an instant, I dove into Charelei's space.

Her blue eyes widened in surprise.

But mixed in with that surprise, there was another emotion in her eyes.

The emotion Charelei revealed was...

"You fell for it."

...A kind of elation.

Crackle—!

Before I could even attempt another Exchange, electricity surged from the ground.

But I had come prepared.

'Black Rose.'

I swiftly formed a black vortex in my hand and slammed it into the oncoming current.

Crackle—! Boom!

Electricity and black petals clashed, creating a raging storm.

I winced at the tingling sensation that ran up my arm.

And then...

'...This is bad.'

I quickly turned my head, sensing an immense energy behind me.

While I was busy blocking the electric current from the ground, Charelei had begun casting a new spell.

But...

The way she was casting it was completely different from usual.

"That's..."

[It's the same realm I've achieved.]

Samuel's confirmation.

My shoulders trembled slightly.

Charelei wasn't casting magic in the conventional way. She was using the 'tattoo' engraved on her body.

The tattoo was on the back of her hand.

But that same tattoo had appeared on her back.

This was the next level of magic that Samuel had spoken of, a level beyond the conventional methods.

Magic cast through the use of tattoos.

And then...

*Fwooosh—*

The clouds that had been floating peacefully in the clear blue sky began to distort and break apart,

Transforming into a bolt of lightning that shot down towards me.

"She's insane."

Frozen in place, I could only manage a single word.

Was she expecting me to block that lightning bolt?

"..."

A battle against the strongest of the third years.

As expected, it wasn't going to be easy.

'What should I do?'

Position Exchange had leveled up, drastically reducing its time.

But using both Black Rose and Position Exchange simultaneously was no easy feat.

And the electric current from the ground showed no signs of stopping.

...What was I supposed to do?

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