Vira choked the motionless Mika.

"S-stop!" Ophelia yelled desperately as she was still pressed into the ground.

A drop of sweat rolled down Vira’s cheek. She suddenly got goosebumps as her instinct kept pestering her to kill Mika.

"!"

Her eyes widened when Mika’s halo returned.

[1 minute and 11 seconds left.]

"Shit! What’s that light?!" Vira groaned, covering her eyes from the light that was emitting from Mika’s body.

The whole place was engulfed in that light for a moment.

[Body modification complete.]

This marked the second time Mika would use this technique which he learned after receiving the fourth installment.

[Mindset modification complete.]

The first time was when Mika had to survive against his greatest enemy who was summoned by another A-rank demon called Deara.

[Ability modification complete.]

He was him but at the same time not.

[Knowledge and experience transfer complete.]

Aside from his outer appearance, he did not feel like the Mika everyone knew.

[Entering pinnacle mode now.]

The light dispersed.

And at the same time, Vira’s entire body shivered as she sensed a new presence.

[Starting countdown for the pinnacle mode.]

[10.]

"What...?"

She stared at the man standing in front of her.

There was an older version of Mika who was clothed in completely white clothes and whose face appeared even more indifferent and cold.

That was the peak version of Mika. A version from the far future.

[9.]

For a short moment, Vira wondered why Mika’s arm was up with a bloody Excalibur pointing to the sky. However, she then shifted her gaze to her right arm, or rather, the spot where it should usually be.

"AAARGH!" she suddenly began to scream frantically after realizing that her arm was cut off.

Meanwhile, Ophelia stared at Mika flabbergasted. Because Vira was distracted, she canceled her gravity-manipulating ability on Ophelia. However, Ophelia still did not get up.

She, too, was shaking in the presence of Mika’s strongest version.

And not just her, everyone who was fighting looked in their direction, ceasing their fighting for that moment. Most of them were stunned by the fear-installing presence, whereas a few saw hope.

[8.]

Everything happened in a flash.

"Bluergh!"

Blood gushed out of Vira’s mouth when Mika stabbed her right in the stomach.

Mika pulled Excalibur out and was about to finish her but Vira hurriedly turned up the gravity on Mika. Normally, an average person would be already crushed but Mika was still standing, albeit with great struggle.

[7.]

He stabbed his sword into the ground.

Then, light shone from the blade.

"N-no way...!"

Mika was freed from the pressure.

[6.]

Drawing a sword, which resembled the sword the young Mika possessed and which was hidden underneath his robe, Mika cut off Vira’s other arm.

"DAMNIT!" Vira yelled with bloodshot eyes as she was in great pain.

She used her ability again on Mika.

"What?" she muttered baffled.

[5.]

[4.]

[3.]

Mika remained unfazed as her ability was not activated. Thus, he kept slashing her until she was a bloody mess with cuts all over her body.

The tables had turned completely with Vira now on her knees.

She colored the soil beneath her instantly in a dark red.

[2.]

Standing in front of her, Mika raised his sword for the last time.

"..."

Vira looked up but the shining light from the stuck Excalibur was still blending her.

"I..."

[1.]

"I refuse to die like thiiiiisss!"

As Mika’s sword was coming down, Vira made one last desperate attempt and dodged.

"Argh!"

The blade slashed her left eye and cheek as she backed away.

"..."

Mika chased after her with his sword and arm retracted.

"!"

Vira prepared for the worst, knowing that she could not evade the incoming attack.

[0.]

However, before Mika reached her, he transformed back to his current self.

He fell on his face and was now right in front of her feet.

"..."

Even Vira was perplexed.

"If I had only one second more...!" Mika lamented strained.

Excalibur also stopped shining.

"This is bad..." Ophelia muttered shocked.

Previously, she could only lie on the ground and watch but now things changed. If she would not do anything, then Mika would die.

Therefore, she gathered all her remaining strength and tried to get up.

"Hngh!"

But she was stuck in the ground again.

"Keh...!"

Mika, too, returned back to the state where he would be constantly feeling the pressure crushing him.

"So that’s it, huh?" Vira said with her cold and sharp tone again.

Especially her gaze was filled with wrath and menace.

"Uff!"

Vira stomped on Mika’s head and twisted her heel on it.

"In the heat of the moment, I couldn’t realize it but was that also Excalibur’s work?"

The people around near the academy slowly began to pick up their weapons again after Mika transformed back.

Belian and the other Loogam students tried to rush over but were hindered by the enemies whose morals got boosted again.

"So you’re able to negate everything in a certain space without needing to touch the person or object? Then, why didn’t you do so earlier? Were you mocking me?" Vira added without a single break between the words.

"..."

Mika’s head was buried deeply, making it impossible to utter a sound. And even if he could, he could not explain what just happened.

Now, Vira was just venting her pent-up anger and stomped on his head multiple times without saying anything and without showing the anger on the face.

The entire academy grounds were trembling from the pressure.

"I’ve made up my mind. I will kill you."

Vira had to cough out blood on Mika.

"Shit...!"

In her current state, it was a wonder that she could still stand.

"I can’t die yet...!" she muttered bitterly.

[34 seconds left.]

"?"

Mika charged his body with lightning.

"Useless struggle."

For the last 30 seconds, Mika had to give it his all.

Following that, he let his magic go on a rampage.

"Tch!"

Vira distanced herself and evaded the barrage of arrows and spears out of light which came from above. Even the light pillars, which rained down straightly, did not hit her.

And unlike the last times, Vira did not lift the effect of her ability on the entire space, continuing to crush Ophelia and Mika.

[9 teleportations left.]

Once Vira was away from him, Mika teleported himself to Excalibur and then to Vira.

[Starting Time Manipulation.]

Now, Mika perceived the world slower.

He may still feel the constant force on him but he did not care.

Every time he was getting pushed down, he used his teleportation.

"?!"

From Vira’s point of view, it seemed like Mika was vanishing from one spot after another all the time.

"Hngh!"

[2 teleportations left.]

But Mika soon found an opening and thrust Excalibur into Vira.

"Y-you damn...!"

Wildly, Vira turned around while launching a sidekick.

[1 teleportation left.]

Mika was standing on the other side of her.

He was completely fine now as he found the solution to her ability.

"..."

Vira blankly looked down to her stomach where Excalibur was poking out.

[Time Manipulation ended.]

[12 seconds left.]

"As long as Excalibur is stuck inside your body, you won’t be able to use your ability..." Mika explained, breathing raggedly.

"You piece of shit..." Vira said weakly.

It was even more cruel as she did not have any arms anymore to pull the sword out.

"Were these your last words?" Mika asked calmly.

Everyone’s eyes, even those of the ones who were fighting in the vicinity including Belian and the rest, were glued to Mika who was raising his other sword.

"So that’s it, huh...?" Arnold huffed with a faint smirk from afar.

He and the others from the North were slowly accepting their defeat.

"Go, Mika!" Lily cheered on.

"Finish her already!" Lisa shouted with a smile.

"..."

Belian and Sylvia silently smirked in his direction.

"You bastard! You damn angel! I won’t forgive you!"

Even during her last breaths, the blood-vomiting Vira would curse Mika.

"Not like this! I refuse to die like this! I am Vira, the number one A-rank! I am the closest to an S-rank! This is not how it should end!"

[5 seconds left.]

"Be quiet already."

Combining both lightning and light on his blade, Mika cut Vira in two.

[Well done. She is dead now.]

Hearing those words, Mika felt relieved.

As his transformation became undone, he fell down.

And before he closed his eyes, he heard the people’s cheer and his friends rushing over to him.

But he had no strength left to entertain them so he closed his eyes with a faint smile on his face.

"Heh, looks like I didn’t even need to lift a finger here." Elsa stated impressed and with a warm smile after she finally arrived at the scene.

Now, Youra’s north, south and east were secured, leaving only the west behind.

But the battle in the west was about to conclude as well as the royal family was setting their internal dispute.