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Tenth Apostle.

Urese.

Urese has three unique traits.

[Miniaturization][Sturdiness][High-Speed Movement]

With a tiny, solid body, it moves at high speed.

Its speed is so rapid that it resembles a bolt of lightning.

This is the definition of Urese.

The moment Urese appeared, Sharine sacrificed her staff and cast a spell.

Sharine had also seen Urese when Iris’s team was fighting.

Thus, she cast a large-scale spell with the intent to finish it from the start.

[Kwakhakakakakaka!]

As the white flame engulfed everything around, trying to burn Urese—

Urese’s figure vanished.

Kuhung!

With a thunderous sound echoing, Urese appeared right in front of Sharine.

It spun ferociously, attempting to penetrate Sharine.

[Kagagagagagakng!]

However, just before it could reach her, a shadow shot up to block Urese’s attack.

The shadow of Card stretched long, barely stopping just before it reached Sharine’s face.

What stopped Urese was Card’s shadow magic.

“Whew!”

Card gracefully twirled the staffs he held in each hand as if dancing.

At that moment, Urese rebounded from the elasticity of the shadow.

Sharine’s eyes widened.

Even when aiming her magic, she realized that Urese was faster than her imagination.

Urese would evade at the slightest sign of Sharine trying to cast a spell.

No matter how powerful Sharine’s magic is, if Urese can see her casting it, hitting will be impossible.

Moreover, Urese’s trait of sturdiness provides unreasonable defense to it.

Even with the relentless attacks from Iris, Urese withstood hits dozens of times.

Even if it’s Sharine’s magic, if it isn’t the right fit, it won’t bring down Urese in one hit.

[Crack!]

In the meantime, time passed.

The mere 3 minutes had crept closer to 2 minutes.

“It’s too fast!”

Seron, who had chased after Urese, groaned.

No matter how fiercely she swung her axe, she couldn’t land a hit on Urese.

“Gah!”

Instead, Seron found herself getting battered by Urese and rolling on the floor.

If Grantoni hadn’t created bone armor for defense just in time, she would have been knocked out in one hit.

Everyone began to feel anxious.

Urese was an opponent we could catch if we just took our time.

However, the pressure of time made everyone impatient.

Card conjured shadows.

Grantoni activated soul magic.

Seron’s axe was on the verge of exploding.

Sharine prepared to cast magic once more.

But.

It wasn’t enough to catch Urese in 3 minutes.

That’s why.

I prepared for today.

My head touched the sky.

“Sharine, use defense magic with everyone.”

My warning echoed quietly.

Card noticed something and began to whirl the shadows.

“Gack?!”

Seron was drawn to Card, Sharine, and Grantoni, entangled in shadows.

At that moment, Sharine’s defense magic activated.

Urese, sensing something strange, zigzagged through the air with a thunderous roar.

Urese was moving so fast that it was nearly invisible.

In that battlefield.

I raised my hand above my head.

In that hand was a single ring.

[Crack!]

In the flowing time now enveloped in silence.

Dark clouds began to gather in the sky.

One by one, those who sensed something looked up at the sky.

The skies began to darken, as if a rainstorm was approaching.

Urese, no doubt, was faster than I could keep up with.

But no matter how fast it was.

Urese was an illusion created through the magic of the arena.

Its wings were trapped within the cage that was the arena.

This meant it couldn’t escape outside the arena.

[Kuhung!]

And this meant.

[Kuhuguguguuuung!]

If it swept through the entire battlefield, it could not avoid it.

This was my final move prepared for now.

“Come.”

[Calling the Newborn Thunderstrike]

[Flash!]

A beam of blue light consumed everything in the arena.

Amidst the flash.

The defense magic that obscured the view shattered, and astonished people rushed past.

However, even amidst that astonishment.

There was someone with wide eyes, taking in the spectacle.

The storm of blue electricity swept through the arena.

―――――――――――!

Everything was painted in pure blue.

The pressure of electric currents flowing over my steel skin pressed down on my body.

I felt as if the pressure would drive me insane.

[Crack!]

Even now, time flowed without stopping, forcefully tethering my mind.

In the world now tinted blue.

I saw Urese, swept up in the charge of lightning.

Urese, caught in a state of electrocution, couldn’t move, fixed in place.

Urese lacks any abilities linked to lightning, contrary to its name.

Instead, to catch it while moving like lightning, I had to wield the same speed.

While Iris resolved it through brute force.

I borrowed the power of the newborn.

Still, thanks to Urese’s trait of sturdiness, it survived even the lightning strike.

[Thud!]

Within the storm of energy, my foot extended forwards.

As letters were inscribed onto my steel skin, light began to materialize.

I reached my hands upward.

The electric currents flowing over my steel skin were forcibly sucked into my grasp.

In response, a spear painted in blue energy formed in my hand.

[Magic Engraving · Lightning Spear]

The goddess’s blue lightning grasped in my hands.

Two things were needed to penetrate sturdiness.

A powerful attack that can disregard sturdiness.

Or penetration power that pierces through sturdiness itself.

That’s why I prepared it.

The strongest spear that could pierce through anything.

The electric currents fiercely attracted my steel skin.

Mysticism and magic engravings simultaneously manifested, amplifying the magic’s power.

[Thud!]

With my foot pounding the ground, I exerted strength in my waist.

[Crick!]

Swinging the lightning was a task that twisted my shoulder.

If that was the case, I would throw in more force.

The magic engraving etched onto my elbow activated once again.

[Kwahng!]

With an explosive activation from my elbow, my arm swung with all its might.

The blue flash, freed from my grip, raced through the sky and struck Urese.

[Kwakhakakakakakakakaka!]

The spear of current embedded itself into Urese, sending it flying to the very end of the arena.

Yet, at this moment, my eyes widened.

The lightning spear had surely pierced Urese.

Urese wouldn’t be able to withstand the lightning spear and would ultimately perish.

[Crack!]

Yet the time reflected in my eyes now showed barely above 5 seconds left.

Lightning spread, fracturing Urese slowly.

But it seemed I was just a bit short on timing to finish it off completely.

My body had no remaining strength.

Naturally, neither did my mana.

At that moment, I could only hope that Urese would die quickly.

Right in front of Urese.

There was someone wielding an axe.

In the blue flash, a head of red hair danced wildly.

Beneath that head, a shining forehead was clearly visible.

Seron Parmia.

She was there.

When had she come there?

Seron, who dashed out from Sharine’s defense magic, was draped in shadows and bone armor.

Seron reached that place thanks to the support of Card and Grantoni.

At this moment, I realized.

I wasn’t the only one who wanted to take first place; everyone did.

An explosion enveloped the axe she swung down.

“Destroy it!”

Seeing this, everyone, including myself, cried out in their hearts.

And in response, Seron’s axe resolutely struck the fracturing Urese.

[KWAAAAAAANG!]

With the explosion, the flash of lightning faded, and smoke began to rise.

I, collapsing in the same stance as when I swung the spear, gasped for breath.

Having been hit by lightning and clenching it in my grasp, black smoke poured from my mouth and body.

Due to the magic dispelled by the lightning, the external guests and students became visible.

Yet, none of them parted their lips.

Only silence enveloped the arena.

In the midst of my muddled thoughts.

I was solely fixated on one spot.

Slowly, the surrounding smoke began to clear.

Seron lunged toward me, having thrown her axe aside.

“Hanon!”

For the first time, she properly called my name as she rushed to embrace me.

With her arms wrapped around me, she leapt joyfully.

Realizing this, I lifted my head.

31 minutes 20 seconds.

There was barely a second left as the stopped time appeared before my eyes.

My eyes widened.

Seron’s final axe, supported by everyone, had taken down the dying Urese.

“Ha, haha.”

Laughter flowed uncontrollably from my lips.

We had defeated Iris’s team.

“Khahak, Wang Non!”

“Wahaha, we really did it.”

“Phew, I hate being anxious!”

Card rushed over, ruffling my hair messily, while Grantoni and Sharine trudged over.

Since it was a victory we could grasp thanks to everyone’s presence.

I felt something swell up in my heart.

“Whewihih, a pocket money raise!”

Looking at Seron’s silly grin, I felt my excitement fade.

In the distance, familiar faces came into view.

The lazy genius Ban nodded with an expression of expectation.

Isabel, perhaps feeling competitive, clenched her fists tightly.

First-year students Aisha and Poara cheered for our achievement.

And then I caught sight of Iris.

The members of Iris’s team looked at us, their eyes brimming with disbelief.

However, Iris gazed at me with unreadable eyes.

Lastly.

From the chair he was sitting on, the living history of the Empire, Whitewood Duke, stood at attention.

He had shown everything that needed to be shown.

All that remained depended on how they would react.

“Hanon team, 31 minutes 20 seconds.”

At that moment, Veganon’s voice announcing the results rang throughout the arena.

“Currently, first place for the second-year students.”

It was the moment our victory became assured.

＊＊＊

Immediately after our team’s group battle ended.

I collapsed right then and there.

Not that I had lost consciousness.

I simply had no strength to move left, so I was forcibly taken to the infirmary.

Having tirelessly fought until the seventh apostle and then absorbing the lightning, it was a miracle I could still move.

Afterward, Isabel’s team had worked hard, but they ended up in third place, following Iris’s team.

No one emerged afterward to overturn our results.

Thus, our team safely secured first place.

Lying on the infirmary bed, I quietly stared at the ceiling.

Earlier, Professor Veganon had scolded me a bit.

No matter how much it was an exam, he said that I overexerted myself excessively just like last time.

As far as I was concerned, I could only give my all once, and it was unavoidable.

‘And even though I was ready, it was still a tight call.’

I planned thoroughly, employing all the knowledge I possessed, intending to win outright.

Yet I managed to squeeze out just a bit over a second.

This was attributable to the differences arising from the game and reality.

And it was due to such differences that everyone’s unexpected help arrived.

‘I have to prepare even more.’

The scenario has only just entered the midpoint.

With plenty of paths still ahead, I must certainly surpass the absence of Lucas as well.

I raised my body, which had been leaning against the bed.

Because I thought it was about time to start.

Knock knock—

No sooner had I thought of that than a knock sounded.

“Come in.”

With my response, the door creaked open.

There stood a tall man wearing a monocular eyepatch.

And a woman with flowing white hair walked in behind him.

With a body so alluring that at first glance she seemed to be in her early twenties.

Yet her true nature was that of an old sage who had lived alongside the Empire.

Thud!

Upon standing tall in the infirmary, she fluttered her cloak.

“Nice to meet you, boy.”

Whitewood Duke.

Laxid Anavecia.

“Didn’t give prior notice.”

Finally, the corners of Whitewood’s mouth twisted up ominously.

With that, a crushing pressure began to fill the space.

Just facing her made my shoulders feel weighed down.

It felt as if my knees were being compelled to the ground.

“To harbor mysticism is a death sentence under Article 253 of the Niflheim Empire Law.”

Excuse me?