?Adrian Dolphis, his confidence swelling, continued his advance while disregarding my presence entirely. The broken section of the wall behind him began to gradually repair itself, enclosing us within this confined space.
"Elizabeth and Cain," Adrian mused with a smirk, paying no attention to me. "Seems like we've lucked out."
"Lucked out?" Cain questioned, a hint of puzzlement in his voice.
"Indeed, just look," Adrian gestured toward Jennyfer. "Three Location-Cards for the three of us. We just need to grab hers."
I noticed, but it didn't bother me. In fact, it might just be his mistake and my opportunity.
"Adrian, there are four of us being assessed," Elizabeth sighed, aware of Adrian's deliberate disregard toward me. He didn't see me as a threat at all.
"What? Him?" Adrian waved a dismissive hand in my direction. "Come on, it's practically a guaranteed win. Let's move on. I'll handle the Senior. You just watch."
His steps conjured water, but unlike David's, it bore a distinct greenish hue, emanating a palpable sense of danger.
As he advanced, multiple tentacles surged from the water below him, wriggling like living entities before hurtling toward us with incredible speed.
But their target wasn't me—it was Jennyfer.
Without a hint of movement, she vanished in a streak of lightning, deftly evading the attack aimed at me.
I sidestepped quickly, narrowly dodging the incoming tentacles.
"Huh?" I furrowed my brow, observing the writhing tentacles suddenly changing direction, now zeroing in on Jennyfer's new position.
Shifting my focus back to Adrian, the realization dawned on me.
Adrian deftly controlled ten water tentacles, five of which pursued Jennyfer while the remaining five formed a protective barrier around him. They also occupied some of Jennyfer's allies who attempted to confront him.
"You should just surrender," Adrian taunted with an arrogant laugh, redirecting seven tentacles to relentlessly pursue Jennyfer.
Jennyfer suddenly propelled herself onto the ceiling, and with a powerful stomp, she changed course, hurtling toward Adrian at remarkable speed.
"Anuket's Barrier," Adrian swiftly conjured a wall of water, its tentacles resembling wriggling needles poised to stop Jennyfer's oncoming charge.
Jennyfer extended her hand, summoning crackling lightning that coalesced into a lance. "Second Form."
Adrian widened his eyes sensing the imminent threat, swiftly drawing a circle. "Anuket, raging waters!"
The resulting shockwave wasn't exceptionally powerful, but the blast of searing crackling water splashed onto all of us, drenching and jolting us with lightning. Jennyfer's allies were affected, momentarily disoriented, and it was this momentary lapse that Cain and Elizabeth exploited.
"Redgrave Art, Blood Wave!" Cain's crimson eyes gleamed red as he swung his sword at Jennyfer, who leaped away and countered by drawing her own sword, slicing through the blood wave.
However, Jennyfer's focus shifted abruptly as she sensed a dark mana emanating behind her—from Elizabeth.
Elizabeth drew a magnificent crimson circle, perhaps one of the most beautiful circles I'd ever seen, reminiscent of the typical Vampire race circle, yet uniquely magnificent compared to Cain's.
"Chiroptera Danse," Elizabeth intoned, summoning dozens of bats with razor-sharp fangs from the circle, hurtling toward Jennyfer's exposed back.
Simultaneously, a colossal water tentacle surged from below, aiming at her waist. Caught off guard by the onslaught from left, right, and below, Jennyfer had to make a decision.
They hadn't planned it, but they managed to create a perfectly timed attack. Now, Jennyfer had to sacrifice something.
I observed as Jennyfer adjusted her stance slightly, evading the tentacle by a hair's breadth before plunging her sword into the ground. "Fourth Form. Lightning Wave."
The Lightning Wave dispelled Cain's attack, and while it couldn't neutralize every bat sent by Elizabeth, Jennyfer swiftly recovered her sword, slicing through the airborne mammals one by one, though a few managed to scratch her.
After a nimble leap, she landed on the ground, but a frown marred her face as she glanced down at her waist—two of her Location-Cards had already been pilfered.
"Close call, but thanks for the challenge," Adrian waved his card with a smirk, departing from the floor as a rift opened briefly and closed on its own.
Then, the second one.
I observed Elizabeth showing her card triumphantly to Jennyfer before making her exit. It seemed she used one of her bats to snatch the card, not just inflicting harm but aiming for disqualification.
Elizabeth was on her way out but gave a parting smile to both me and Cain, leaving us with a perplexed expression. "Good luck."
Surprising. I wouldn't have minded if she had cheered only for Cain, but acknowledging me as well? What a considerate girl.
"I won't be holding back," came Cain's declaration.
True, with only one Location-Card left, there was no room for restraint.
Surveying the scene, I noticed that Jennyfer was still in peak form, and eight of her companions stood ready. I sighed and raised my sword, coating it with Ruah. Bending my knees, I pointed the tip at Cain.
A slight smile adorned my face at her words.
'Aren't you curious about what Nevia taught me?'
Accepting that as a yes.
"First Movement," I narrowed my eyes as white sand swirled around my blade.
"What are you doing!" Jennyfer sensed something awry and attempted to stop me, but I pressed on.
I gritted my teeth as the aura of that troublesome deity enveloped me, hastily canceling the attack and leaping away to dodge a lightning bolt that pierced through the ground.
It shattered through the thick protective layer covering the ground.
Jennyfer, with a frown, watched in disbelief. Even though she wasn't directly responsible for the attack, it emanated from her, creating an awkward silence that hung in the air.
Still frowning, Jennyfer sighed and conjured another Location-
Card from the void. She threw one to me and the other to Cain. "You both pass."
"Huh? Shouldn't there only be three winners?" Cain questioned, a bit puzzled.
"I know, but you both demonstrated enough for me. I'll talk to the professors. Don't worry," Jennyfer assured, turning her attention to her companions. "Let's clean up this mess first."
I exchanged a look with Cain before we left the floor.
As we walked out, I felt Cain's gaze piercing my back, making me uncomfortable. To ease the tension, I spoke up. "Congratulations to both of us."
"I'm not happy about this outcome," Cain stated coldly before walking past me.
He should be pleased; he wouldn't have won against me.
I pondered this as I began to walk away but then realized I lacked the knowledge on how to reveal the location like Elizabeth did. I grumbled slightly before following Cain.