Chapter 31
"Lightning"... You still can't do it, can you?"
Scarlet gulped, her face twisted in humiliation.
Lower-tier basic spell: "Light"
Lower-tier: "Light"
Intermediate-tier: "Light Arrow"
Advanced-tier: "Lightning"
From Scarlet's reaction, she can only use up to intermediate-tier, right? Despite acting all high and mighty while bullying Ellie, she can't even use advanced-tier spells?
Don't make me laugh.
"Wha... wha... what are you saying......"
"Can you do it...? Or can't you...? Which is it!?"
If you can, hurry up and do it!
Show me!
"Shyaaaah!"
A Little Lizard leaped over the "Sand Wall" Gargaine had created and attacked Ama Kuso. Ama Kuso frantically began chanting "Shark Tail," but the enemy sensed it and swiftly sidestepped, extending its tongue.
"Uwaaaah!!!!"
The elongated tongue coiled around Ama Kuso's ankle, lifted him into the air, and hurled him away.
"Damn it......!"
Professor Harshüge's face turned pale while maintaining his "Lightning" chant.
If the professor went to help now, the light barrier would disappear.
I quickly circulated mana through my body with the image of wind and fired the smallest "Air Hammer" at Ama Kuso midair.
The wind fist struck Ama Kuso in the opposite direction of his trajectory, pushing him back into the safe zone of light.
"Wind!"
Ariana immediately conjured wind beneath him, cushioning his fall.
"Wind Sword!"
I launched a wind blade, imitating an iai strike, at the Little Lizard that had cleared the earth wall.
The Little Lizard thrashed violently before collapsing, its skull split open.
"Not bad!"
"Amazing..."
"Heh..."
Gargaine, Ariana, and Surume gasped in awe.
Good thing it worked. If I'd failed, Ama Kuso would've been Bone Lizard fodder. All thanks to training with Amy, Clarice, and Barry.
"Debussy's been paralyzed!"
The professor shouted, drenched in sweat.
Ama Kuso was convulsing, his eyes rolled back.
"Scarlet! Switch now!"
"P-professor... I..."
"Hurry up!!"
"I can't use 'Lightning'! I still can't do it!!"
Her pride shattered, Scarlet screamed through tears, her signature curls disheveled.
"Then heal him!"
"Heal...?"
"You can use intermediate-tier 'Heal,' right!?"
"...Yes."
"Then hurry!"
With Professor Harshüge at the center, Ariana, Gargaine, and Surume fought the Little Lizard swarm upfront. Scarlet and I were at the rear, Ama Kuso to the left.
Scarlet crawled toward Ama Kuso, but a fresh Little Lizard landed before her after scaling the earth wall.
"Noooooo! Stay away!!"
Scarlet shrieked, wildly swinging her staff and spamming "Wind Break" repeatedly.
"——————!!"
That idiot!
She'll drag Ama Kuso into this!
I stood to punch some sense into her, but Scarlet collapsed from mana exhaustion.
The Little Lizards hit by her "Wind Break" spam also dropped dead.
Damn moron!!
"Ellie... I can't...!"
"Lightning!!"
Raising my stick, "Lightning" flickered. The overlapping light from the professor and me briefly staggered the Bone Lizard.
The professor, on the verge of collapse, gasped and dropped to his knees.
"Gwaaah!"
Surume, barely hanging on with just his buster sword, was sent flying by a Little Lizard's swing. His chest plate split cleanly, blood gushing from the claw marks.
Maintaining "Lightning," I checked Surume's wound.
Probably not fatal. An advanced light spell like "Cure Light" could fix it.
The professor, panting and pale, cast "Cure Light" on Surume's chest. Soft light enveloped him, stopping the bleeding and restoring his color.
Then, mustering his last strength, the professor stumbled to Ama Kuso and used "Cure Light," stopping his convulsions. Impressive mana control.
"Ellie... Sorry... I can't switch..."
"Bald Professor!!!!"
Professor Harshüge finally collapsed from mana depletion.
"Lightning" flickered on my forehead, despair mounting.
Shit shit shit!
What now!?
Five Little Lizards remained upfront.
Two-meter lizard corpses littered the ground.
The professor was down, Surume unconscious.
Ama Kuso and Scarlet were still out.
The Bone Lizard...
Refusing to give up, it rammed the light barrier. Its ten-meter, two-meter-wide frame sent shockwaves up my arm.
Over ten meters long.
Lower-tier advanced spells won't work, as Ama Kuso proved.
And I can't use white or sky magic.
No way to win normally. This thing probably requires a team of elite mages.
Only one option left...
"Ariana! Gargaine!"
"Yeah!"
"What...?"
Both were nearly out of mana, covered in scrapes.
But they still answered, refusing to quit.
"Buy me one second to push it back! I'm unleashing my trump card!"
Maybe learning, the five Little Lizards surrounded them instead of attacking individually.
They nodded, glaring.
"Got it!"
"Let's do it..."
"Ariana, take the small ones."
"Understood..."
Sensing the counterattack, the Lizards pounced simultaneously.
Ariana backstepped, swinging her staff wide.
"Confusion Dust"
A cloud of scales erupted, engulfing the Lizards.
Gargaine roared, spinning his Iron Hammer like a top with centrifugal force.
"Sand Wall!!!!"
Earth clung to the hammer, swelling rapidly as his spin accelerated, the weapon now larger than him, roaring with speed.
"YEAHHHHHH!!!"
The Iron Hammer with an earth clump, having reached its maximum speed at the edge of the light's range, struck the Bone Lizard's right cheek as it clenched its jaw.
——BAGAAAAAN!
With a violent crashing sound, the Bone Lizard was sent flying backward.
"This good enough......"
Gargaine collapsed, his mana depleted.
"Ellie......"
It seemed Ariana's magic consumed a considerable amount of mana.
"I've got no choice!!!"
I can do it. If it's me, I can do it.
I'm the one who went toe-to-toe with monsters in the business world.
Doesn't matter if it's another world!
I undid the "Lightning" forming a wall of light and tossed away the bothersome stick disguised as a staff.