B9 - Chapter 37: The First Piece

One would expect the failure of a famous mercenary like Rex to dishearten the others from trying. It did not. If anything, they seemed even more determined to try their luck.

Viola soon understood the reason.

For a mercenary, it was exceedingly rare to get a chance to build a reputation or even rise through the ranks without risking their life. Compared to that, failing in such a civilized test without any drawbacks or injuries was nothing.

And fail they did.

"Failed."

"Failed."

"Failed."

One after another, the challengers were disqualified. And the more often it happened, the more impossible the challenge seemed to the untrained eye.

However, Viola saw the truth behind it.

She glanced over at Sebastian, who hadn't budged an inch. Similarly, she saw that the stronger fighters in every group were still holding back from challenging the twins.

But that didn't mean they were uninterested. Sebastian didn't even blink as he observed every single challenge. It was the most focused Viola had ever seen him.

And he wasn't the only one.

A few of the older mercenaries had the same look in their eyes. They weren't watching the contestants. They were watching the twins.

Every failed challenge revealed something.

How quickly Keiran reacted. How far the [Space Lock] reached. How much force it could suppress. Which attacks he bothered to stop and which he ignored. When Kallen moved and when she remained still.

The people rushing forward thought they were taking their chance.

The people waiting were using them to learn.

In noble circles, such behavior would have been seen as cowardly and invited mockery.

Yet these men and women clearly didn't care. They weren't nobles in the first place; they were hunters, people far more familiar with matters of life and death than honor and face.

That's why they felt no shame in observing their enemies from the sidelines until they found a weakness to exploit. Or, at least, letting the others tire them out first.

Such was the law of the jungle.

"Failed."

...

After a few more attempts ended the same way, someone from their group stepped forward. Grent rolled his shoulders and walked out.

"Did you discover something?" Sebastian asked from behind.

Grent didn't turn back, but his answer could still be heard. "Just a hunch."

Viola watched as the Bone Mage strode toward the invisible line. She inwardly cheered for her teammate, but she had little hope of him actually passing.

Grent was a competent fighter; she would give him that. He had a comprehensive skill set that worked well in actual combat and synergized well with his team, but... he was a mediocre Mage. His Bone Magic, despite having reached the level of Grand Mage, was crude.

More importantly, though, his compatibility with his enemies couldn't have been worse.

Bone Magic was arguably the strongest defensive affinity, but that was absolutely useless in a battle against Time and Space. The twins wouldn't even attempt to attack him. They simply needed to tie him down for a minute.

The battle started exactly as Viola had expected.

Grent, that immobile oaf, was caught by the [Space Lock], just like all the others had been. But thanks to his superior tier, he managed to push through with brute force. His speed was comparable to Rex's, suggesting that they were at a similar level. However, if that were all he had to rely on, it wouldn't be enough, just as it hadn't been for Rex.

While Grent slowly fought his way through the locked area of space, Viola calculated her own chances in this fight. She imagined herself fighting the twins, running the calculations in her mind.

Her gaze locked onto Keiran. He was... fast. But not as fast as her. If she gained enough momentum before even reaching the invisible line that started the challenge, she liked her chances of avoiding the spell altogether.

The place they were in was a large room, completely unusual for a reception area. The walls and floor were also exceptionally sturdy, leading her to believe that the building used to be a factory or workshop of some kind.

It was a good battlefield for her. High ceilings and enough open space. She could stay at the periphery of their effective range, circle around them, and bombard them with attacks from all directions. Based on what Keiran had shown so far, she was confident she could keep out of his grasp while forcing him to expend more Mana than she did.

That left...

Her gaze moved to the girl wearing the fox mask.

Her Magic was harder to predict. Especially whatever form of foresight she possessed. If she could see her opponents' movements ahead of time, then all the speed in the world would be useless. And if speed was useless, then Viola had already lost the fight... unless she...

Viola shook her head the moment the thought came to her.

She was certain she could win if she used [Windt?nzer]. There was speed, and then there was SPEED. [Windt?nzer] belonged to the latter category. Her family's signature spell allowed her to break the barriers of what was commonly accepted as possible, to a point where even knowing an attack was coming often wasn't enough to prevent it.

If she were to use it... she could likely touch their robes before they could even release their first spell. It would be over in an instant.

But it would not be worth it. [Windt?nzer] was simply too recognizable. And even if they couldn't be certain, rumors would spread. She would garner too much attention, too much scrutiny. And, in the end, the news would reach her family.

She didn't doubt for a second that dozens of eyes observed every little movement happening inside the Hohenheim estate. Every rumor would be examined, and eventually, she would be discovered.

No. Revealing herself here would defeat the entire purpose of coming.

Though she would have liked to remain with her current group and have one of them ascend to the position of Group Leader, she wouldn't blow her cover to make it happen. She didn't want to lead in the first place.

Making up her mind, she returned her full attention to the fight. Grent had come to a halt roughly five steps away from the twins. Half the allotted time had already passed.

For a moment, the giant simply stared, and then...

"Hyaaa!"

With a great heave, he raised his arm as fast as he could. His hand opened, and dozens of tiny objects soared into the air.

Here is the provenance: NovelPhoenix carries the author's chapter, while this page presents it without consent.

Viola focused on the projectiles. They looked like tiny hedgehogs, about the size of a marble and completely made of bone. Viola imagined that it would be quite painful to step on one of them, yet they failed completely as projectile weapons. With how light they were, none of them would cause any real damage.

On top of that, Grent hadn't even thrown them at the twins, but... up into the air.

Viola watched as dozens of spiky caltrops spread out in the air. Finally, when their momentum was spent, they stopped before gravity took hold of them. Like raindrops, they fell toward the twins, far too many to avoid.

It was a good attempt, but...

Keiran raised his hand.

Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng!

Just like raindrops, the projectiles impacted against an invisible roof. There, they remained, suspended in midair.

Grent roared and put all his strength into fighting against his invisible bonds. The floor beneath his feet groaned from the strain, but it was no use.

Viola scowled at the scene, wondering what her companion had tried to accomplish with this attempt. [Spatial Barrier] was one of the most fundamental spells of any Space Mage. Grent would have known that. So why would he...

Hoh...

A glint passed through Viola's eyes.

She looked at Kallen first.

The girl hadn't done anything throughout the entire fight.

Then her gaze moved to Keiran.

He was maintaining the [Space Lock] on Grent while also holding the [Spatial Barrier] above their heads.

Two spells.

And both of them were his.

That was what Grent had wanted to see.

His challenge had been a test.

Not of whether the twins could stop the caltrops. Of course they could. Grent had known that before he threw them.

He had wanted to know who would stop them.

Kallen hadn't lifted a finger.

Keiran had been forced to personally defend them.

Viola's eyes narrowed behind her hood.

So that was it.

The twins weren't some seamless existence sharing one inexhaustible pool of Magic. Keiran had his tasks, and Kallen had hers. More importantly, Keiran couldn't simply ignore outside pressure while maintaining the [Space Lock]. If enough attacks forced him to divide his attention, then there had to be a point where something would give.

His concentration. Or one of his spells...

The sound of the alarm interrupted her thoughts.

Rrrrrriiiiiinnnnggggg!

"Failed..."

The same word as always, but the atmosphere seemed different somehow.

Because this time, it wasn't entirely true.

Grent walked back toward his team with far more energy than any of the others before him. Though he might have failed the challenge, he certainly hadn't failed his objective.

"Saw that?" he asked the moment he returned.

Both Viola and Sebastian nodded.

They had both seen it.

For the first time, the twins no longer looked invincible.

They looked like a puzzle. And Grent had just placed down the first piece to solve it.

***

"I'm sorry," Kallen sent mentally.

A moment later, she felt the single earring on her left ear pulse, and her brother's voice reached her. "It was only a matter of time until they figured something out."

"But still..." Kallen sent back, half pouting, half serious. "Did it have to be over such a stupid trick?"

She heard her brother chuckle. "I thought it was rather clever. Do you think he knew, or was it just a lucky coincidence?"

Kallen gazed at the back of the ugly man, who was skipping back to his group like an excited schoolgirl. She couldn't help but frown at the sight.

That seemingly boneheaded guy had just revealed her biggest weakness. Unlike her brother, she couldn't affect an area with her Magic, nor could she manipulate more than one or two projectiles at once. Against any sort of bombardment, most of the strain would inevitably fall on Keiran.

"A strong suspicion, I'd say."

"Quite admirable," Keiran replied a moment later. "To sacrifice himself to give his team a better chance."

Kallen remained quiet. Despite greatly disliking the fact that one of her weaknesses had been laid bare, she couldn't disagree. This was exactly the purpose of the challenge, after all.

It was never meant to be overcome with brute strength, but with teamwork, brains, and patience.

Those were the qualities that would make for the best team leaders. Naturally, personal strength couldn't be missing either. But those who lacked even that much strength would never reach the point where their strategy mattered.

"You think one of that group will try next?"

Her gaze shifted from the large Bone Mage to the rest of his group.

There were the two Fire Mages who seemed to be a couple, a tall man and a woman standing close together. Then there was the Summoner with his winged lion, who appeared to be their leader, and...

A young woman with crimson hair.

Kallen stared at her for a long moment.

"How shameless..."

"Who is?"

"That girl. Did she really have to come here looking like that?"

Keiran remained silent for a moment. "Kallen..." His voice was serious. "Didn't we talk about buying the same dye not too long ago?"

"That's different..." Kallen refuted. "We ARE Von Hohenheim. Who else but us has the right to wear that color?"

"Is that how it works?"

"Yes!"

"Then why does the Master sell that dye to everyone?"

"That..."

Kallen faltered for the first time.

"Could it be..." her brother said in a teasing voice, "that you are simply jealous?"

Kallen was silent for a moment, then countered with the most logical and level-headed argument she could come up with.

"Shut up."

Her brother chuckled again. "Whatever the case, I reckon our winning spree is coming to an end soon."

Kallen nodded silently. Despite the endless hours she spent inside the Mana Purifying Device every day, she had yet to break through to the level of Grand Mage. The same was true for her brother, who had sworn not to outpace her.

They had already advanced far into the realm of True Mages, with excellent teachers and even better resources, but a great number of people present were still stronger than them. Enduring for an entire minute against some of those monsters was only possible because of Keiran's absurd Mana reserves and their excellent synergy.

Just then, a new contestant stepped forward. He didn't belong to the group they had just observed, but he was one of the contestants they had been watching out for.

"...Who was that again?" Keiran asked via the earring.

Kallen tried to recall the information as best she could. "His name's Rollo... or something. Grand Mage level. Metal affinity."

"Was he the one who moonlights as a crafter?" Keiran asked.

"No. I think he's the one with the flying weapons."

Keiran winced. "This is gonna be tough..."

Kallen nodded. If the man had any brains, he would...

The moment she thought about it, Rollo deployed his weapons before even starting the timer. Five short swords flew from the hidden scabbards behind his back and spread out throughout the room.

"Damnit..." Kallen cursed silently.

Rollo stepped over the line and was promptly frozen by her brother's Magic. But the lack of struggle on the challenger's part and the slight smile curling his lips already told her that he didn't mind in the least.

Meanwhile, the five swords attacked from different angles. All of them were outside the area affected by the [Space Lock].

With that, another of their weaknesses had been revealed. Keiran couldn't actually affect a very large area with his spell. It merely seemed that way because he usually moved it along with the challenger.

"What do we do?"

Kallen instantly accelerated the Time around herself. It gave her time to think and search for the closest Fate Line. She saw a glowing line connecting her to the five approaching swords and mentally grasped it. The moment she did, a scene flashed before her eyes.

In this Fate, she stopped two of the swords with her [Time Manipulation]. Another two were blocked by a well-placed [Spatial Barrier]. However, the last one slipped past and nicked her brother's arm.

Rejected.

She grabbed the Fate Line again.

Now, augmented by her knowledge of the final sword's path, she managed to stop it in time, but the conclusion was still the same. One of the two swords blocked by her brother had only feinted the attack before changing direction and slipping past the barrier. This time, it struck her leg.

Rejected.

She tried again.

This time, she accounted for the feint, only for another sword to abruptly reverse its path. In the next Fate, one circled behind them. Then another slowed for half a heartbeat before shooting forward the moment she committed her attention elsewhere.

Rejected.

Another Fate, another failure. Again, and again, and again.

Yet with every failure, she learned something.

Kallen felt the familiar pressure build behind her eyes. It warned her that she was getting close to her limits. She would have to stop soon; otherwise, she would overdraw her Core, and that would be the end of her. She could recover between matches, but only if she remained within her limits.

She grabbed one last Fate Line.

Another scene flashed through her mind.

There.

A moment later, she returned to the present, a gleam in her eyes.

"Release him," Kallen ordered her brother.

There was no hesitation. The pressure around Rollo vanished instantly.

Kallen already knew that the challenger couldn't attack personally while controlling all five of his swords. More importantly, she now knew every trick he would attempt.

The first sword suddenly changed direction.

Kallen parried it.

A second came for Keiran from behind. Before she could even finish the warning through their connection, a [Spatial Barrier] had already appeared in its path.

The third feinted high before diving for her leg.

She stepped aside.

The fourth slowed.

Kallen didn't take the bait.

The fifth circled behind them.

Keiran moved before she told him to.

The timer ticked down. Slowly but steadily.

And for every trick, every attack, Kallen had an answer ready. She watched as the confident smile on the challenger's face slowly faded, all his maneuvers parried, dodged, or otherwise thwarted.

Kallen put on a calm front, but in truth, sweat was running down her forehead, and her entire back was drenched. Once again, she was thankful for the mask, which kept everyone from seeing how much she was really struggling.

The final five seconds.

The swords went crazy. And yet, she kept up.

Four. Three. Two.

Kallen pushed her brother out of the way before rolling to the side herself, but...

Rippppp!

The swords halted in midair.

Rrrrrriiiiiinnnnggggg!

At the same time, the alarm went off.

The entire hall fell still. All eyes locked onto the same place.

Her.

Kallen looked down at her sleeve.

Torn.

Her sleeve was torn.

She raised her gaze to the challenger, whose earlier smile had completely vanished. His eyes were now just as disbelieving as everyone else's.

Kallen swallowed her grievances and spoke into the silence.

"...Pass."