[Nightmare]

"Moving on…." Tilo coughed.

"Today, I will be testing your battle strength.

You may use whatever means you have available to land a substantial hit on me in ten attacks."

Marie narrowed her eyes at Tilo.

"That includes using your Nightmares to their farthest potential.

However, if you use your Nightmare dangerously, you will naturally face the consequences."

"Does that…." Charlotte began hesitantly.

"Charlotte. Try your hardest to execute the man ruthlessly." Helix answered.

He gave her a serious expression that communicated how serious he was being.

"That's right." Tilo confirmed.

"In ten attacks, if you have not hit me, I will beat you ruthlessly for trying to kill me.

That's a fair exchange, is it not?"

Charlotte gave Tilo a quizzical expression.

"If a woman tries to kill me, I'll break their spine.

That proves that I'm not a simp." Helix sighed.

"If a student does something stupid, Tilo will beat them, period.

Remember that the word [simp] does not exist in Myriad."

The women shuttered lightly.

"What about the arena?" Marie asked.

"It's protected with general barriers to absorb damage." Tilo explained.

"However, the ground is not protected, and the outside barriers only go so far.

So while you can use [Shatter] to a degree far greater than you're used to, promoting a real earthquake is still unwise."

Marie nodded with resolve in her eyes.

"Then can I go first?" She asked.

Tilo looked at Marie with surprise.

However, none of the others seemed like there was anything unnatural.

"... Yes." He replied suspiciously.

"There are wooden weapons you can use.

Please let me know when you're ready."

Marie walked over and picked up a wooden shortsword.

Helix's heart thumped and cried for joy when she didn't pick up a rapier.

Fighting against real swords wielded by cheats with a rapier is nothing short of suicide.

He was glad she didn't choose cliche [trashy classiness] as her fighting style.

"I'm ready." Marie replied immediately without hesitation.

She tested the shortsword a few times to ensure she understood the weight.

Otherwise, she was satisfied.

"Hmmm. Alright, then. Everyone, stand back!" Tilo announced.

"Once they're in the moderately safe zone, you may begin."

Helix and the others walked back to the dome's entrance, where a Level 5 barrier was set up.

After confirming they were inside it, Marie turned to Tilo.

A split second later, she kneeled and touched her hands to the ground.

[Quake].

Tilo's eyes went wide.

"She's using an earthquake spell!?" He cried under his breath.

A ripple of earth moved through the dome as though a leaf touched water.

Tilo avoided the ripple and jumped into the air to assess the situation.

To his shock, an earthquake wasn't occurring.

Something far more unbelievable was taking place.

Just as minor ripples follow main ripples, Marie's [Quake] was followed by dozens of tiny rolling fluctuations.

Out of curiosity, TIlo allowed himself to fall to the ground.

As soon as he did, he understood the mind-bending nature of what was happening.

Just as Helix's Ghost Walker Trigger spell threw Tilo off-balance, Marie's Quake created light vibrations that made him nauseous.

Once he was slightly acclimated, his eyes widened when he saw Marie flying at him with her sword.

"Heh. Not bad." Tilo chuckled.

The man lifted his sword to block her strike.

He accomplished the task effortlessly and continued to do so.

However, he was shocked to learn that she saw him attacking just fine.

She had adjusted her body's movements with the vibrations.

Helix watched the battle with an evil grin.

Tilo saw his expression and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"I know you had something to do with this.

Just wait until I take out my frustration on you." He chuckled with madness in his eyes.

"[Jagged Edge]."

A barrier of jagged rocks shot up from Tilo's back, preventing him from moving backward.

"Hah! Not bad!" He exclaimed.

Tilo jumped into the air and hopped into the tip of one of the rocks.

"This is just as hard as I thought it'd be!" He chuckled as he hopped from tip to tip.

The jagged rocks were vibrating, making his center of balance break apart.

However, Marie watched in shock as he nimbly hopped from rock to rock and continued to avoid her strikes.

"[Shatter!]" Marie yelled while dropping to the ground and pressing her left hand against the earth.

The jagged rocks started exploding [outward] from each direction.

It boxed him into an exploding hellscape of shrapnel.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck." Charlotte exclaimed with a wincing face.

"Good try, missy. A+." Tilo chuckled.

"When she wakes up, I'll have to remind her that it's easy to find the one area that won't get hit with shrapnel when your enemy is five feet away."

Helix walked up with a hopeless smile and picked Marie up princess carry style.

"Wheeeeeeew! Hellie, I demand that treatment when I'm broken and bleeding." Charlotte whistled.

Helix gave her a wry smile.

"Sure thing, Charlotte. I'll make sure to do that." He chuckled as he laid Marie's body down.

"Who's next?" Tilo asked.

"I'd like to go next, if you don't mind." Riley called out.

Tilo raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm. That's surprising. I was certain that blondy would be the one itching to fight." He muttered under his breath.

"Of course! Please choose your weapon."

Riley walked into the arena and put her beautiful brunette hair into a ponytail.

Then she walked over to the sword that Marie dropped and tested its weight.

"I think that this one will do." She whispered to herself.

Tilo watched the young woman with interest.

He was surprised to learn how bold and decisive Marie was.

Now he was staring down Riley, who was an enigma.

He knew nothing about the young woman in front of him.

She was quiet and reserved.

Usually, her type was self-conscious.

However, she was extremely forward in the politest way.

It was as though she was confident in herself and completely content.

It was bizarre.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

Riley bowed to him politely.

"Yes, I am. Let's begin."

—

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