Chapter 20: Investment 20— Brutalization by Vines and Clearing Her Name

"How can a human possess such an enormous amount of mana?" Renshi gawked. It was the first time he had ever seen anyone with that much mana.

"Deria," Seria called, stretching forth her hand.

"Okay, Seria," Deria slapped her hand against hers.

"Taumus, you can disengage your barrier now," Elliot mumbled.

’Tsk, I guess there won’t be any action for me today,’ he grunted inwardly.

Taumus let down his shadow barrier.

"Whoa, today I get to witness not just one or two of the Four Seasons in action, but three. That’s not something you get to see every day," he beamed with excitement, eyes sparkling.

"Why are you letting down the barrier?" Renshi asked.

"Beats me," Taumus replied.

A wide magic circle appeared underneath their feet. Wisps of mana could be seen all around them. At the centre of it all were Edith and Seria, bustling with subtle mana.

"Tier 12 combo spell!"

They both stretched out their unconjoined left arms forward as wisps of dual-coloured mana flowed around their conjoined right hands.

"Hymn of Bale!"

Golden light beamed from the spell circle. A barrier erected from around each corner of the spell circle until it covered them whole.

"Bestie, give it your best shot," they both called out to Edith, assuring her that no damage would be inflicted on them.

"I love you guys," she blew them a heart.

"You go girl!" Taumus also hyped her up from below.

"Now that they have given such support, I can’t disappoint," she thought.

"Prepare to be destroyed, you wrench!" Vena rasped.

"Caledon Explosion!"

The lightning sphere retracted into her body and then exploded outwards with tremendous force.

"14th-tier spell: Flora Symposia," Edith whispered. The ground underneath her feet down to the lower layer of the arena was filled with different sorts of flowers in a blur.

In the next instant, just as the explosion was about to reach the arena, it suddenly dissipated as if it were sucked up by something.

"What happened to my attack?" Vena fell down from the sky, weak and devoid of all her mana. She then landed onto a bed of flowers.

"Oh, that. Those little guys sucked it up to sprout," Edith jumped down and landed beside her.

"The best defeat for your type is mercy. I want it to echo in your soul forever that I negated your strongest attack without having to kill you," a terrifying grin tore across her face. "And I allowed you to lay upon my flowers." She looked at Vena not with eyes of pity, but disdain.

"Tsk. We created a barrier for nothing,"

Deria pursed her lips. "Why does Edith have to be such a bitch?" she muttered.

"I don’t know about you, but I am satisfied it ended this way and that she didn’t use any attacks or higher-tier spells," Seria smiled as she turned her head backwards.

"Didn’t you feel a strange presence watching the battle?" she stated with a slight undertone.

"I did, but I thought it was the student council members. But I guess it wasn’t just them," Deria rubbed her temples as she let out an exhausted sigh.

"When it comes to being ruthless, Edith is the best amongst us," they both chuckled.

"I guess it’s all over now," Renshi was ever so glad the nightmare had ended.

Elliot drew his sword and streaked to the top chamber of the arena. He unleashed a diagonal slash. Petals spread from the point of contact with the sword against an invisible obstruction.

Black light beamed across the arena to the left side of the top chamber.

"Tsk. I didn’t expect them to see through my concealment spell." A male shrouded in a black coat appeared, his face blurry due to the hood that covered his head and a disruption induced to prevent proper identification.

He clenched his teeth in anger over the fact that they saw through his cloaking spell.

"Nice going, Elliot. I couldn’t identify their position. Must be someone very skilled," Deria stated very loudly.

"It wasn’t me who found him, it was Taumus," Elliot mentioned.

Earlier, Taumus signalled him of the location of the strange presence they all felt in a way that would not cause anyone to notice, including the strange presence.

"Who the hell are you and what’s your connection with her?" Elliot pointed his sword towards the mystery man while pointing his other hand towards Vena.

The man did not reply.

"Didn’t you hear me?" He clutched the hilt of his sword.

"I have nothing to say to you who do not belong to the cause, but instead stand against it." His voice sounded firm and convincing. It made no room for error, just superiority.

"That’s not an answer," Taumus grimaced.

The mystery man’s mana felt sinister, the same as Vena’s when she drank that potion. He paid Taumus no mind. Instead, his eyes drifted towards the weakened Vena.

"She has decided that you have served your purpose. And we no longer have any use for you," he said those words with pure disgust at the sorry state Vena was in.

"Please! One more chance. I beg of you. Don’t send me back to the infernal darkness!" Vena exclaimed with pain and fury.

"But that’s where trash like you belong." He shattered a dark orb in his palm.

A surging pain corroded Vena’s entire being. She screeched as teardrops fell scantily from her eyes.

"Wait! Is she about to explode?" Edith walked backwards away from her and entered into the barrier that Deria and Seria created.

"You crazy bastard!" Elliot charged headfirst at the mystery man. As soon as the tip of the sword came into contact with the man’s chest, he vanished into black fog.

Vines wrapped around Elliot’s leg and dragged him into the barrier moments before Vena exploded with a BOOM.

Which caused the ground to quake. A tingling sound echoed in their ears.

"I guess the barrier proved to be useful after all," Deria chuckled.

"Thanks for the save, Edith," Elliot gave her a thumbs up.

"You owe me one now," she grinned widely. It was obvious she had ulterior motives.

’Scary,’ Elliot said, completely dumbfounded.

The student council’s core members walked into the arena carrying an aura of superiority as usual. Other students ran after them.

"I heard there was a big fight happening in the arena."

"The student council is here, so it’s most probably not a lie."

"What’s up with the loud noise from earlier?"

"Holy shit! Look at that large crater at the centre of our precious arena."

"My god! What happened over here?" a female student gawked.

"Seems like an explosion to me," another male student replied to her.

"I know, and that was a rhetorical question," she hissed.

"Seria Ale Migalison has been cleared of all charges due to the recent information we received and confirmed with our eyes," Leonard’s voice carried.