Downpour

Lichta looked at Rabiñe, who was stubbornly refusing to admit his injury, and a hint of impatience flashed in his dead fish eyes. He was too lazy to waste any more words, so he pressed one hand to the ground again, preparing to use the most direct earth magic to completely silence these two noisy brats.

"What's the use... You try it, old man!" Rabiñe stood inside the ice wall, his eyes filled with provocation.

The moment the earth elemental magic began to gather--

The ice wall that had previously encased the two of them suddenly cracked open with a "crack" on the side closest to Lichta. An inconspicuous, scroll-like object slid out of the crack and landed at Kanne's feet.

"What is that..." Lichta paused, her brow furrowing slightly.

Without giving him time to think, Nie suddenly raised his head, which had been hanging low, and his staff burst forth with astonishing magical light, pointing directly at the scroll!

"Seal Released - Rainstorm Pear Blossom Magic!"

The scroll instantly turned to dust, and in the next instant, countless sharp water arrows composed of highly compressed water elements shot out in a fan-shaped arc like a storm! The area was so vast that it was almost impossible to avoid!

A flicker of surprise crossed Lichta's eyes, but he reacted swiftly. "Hmph!" he snorted coldly, his hand pressed against the ground, channeling his magic rapidly. A thick wall of earth rose up with a roar, blocking his path.

Dense jets of water struck the earthen wall, producing muffled crackling sounds and splashing water everywhere, but they failed to penetrate.

"So your ice walls are just to defend against the aftereffects of your own magic?" Lichta's voice came from behind the earthen wall, tinged with understanding and mockery. "These one-time-use magic scrolls must be quite expensive, right? And judging from your appearance, your magic power is almost depleted. And what else..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed.

"No... this water... is for..."

Lichta looked up abruptly.

Suddenly, Kanne appeared, having somehow ascended into the air using Flight Magic. Her eyes were incredibly focused, her hands gripping her staff tightly, pointing it at Lichta. Before her, a colossal water sphere, hundreds of meters in diameter, had taken shape, resembling a second lake suspended in the sky, casting a suffocating shadow. The surface of the water sphere surged with turbulent currents, containing terrifying weight and magical power.

"Water mages can control water..." Lichta's voice held a hint of surprise, yet remained exceptionally clear, "So where did this scroll come from?"

Rabiñe forced a smile tinged with pain and smugness, "A life-saving item redeemed with academy contribution points... What, not going to call it an old-fashioned tactic anymore? By the way, I used my last bit of magic to temporarily freeze your ankle. It only lasts for a moment, but it's enough to leave you nowhere to escape."

Rabiñe looked at him. "So, this move by Kanne is the true definition of what you just mentioned, 'an attack using overwhelming mass caused by matter.' Are you afraid of that?"

Lichta tried to move, and sure enough, he felt his feet sink. The faint ice crystals were shattering, but it was enough to kill him. He looked at the huge water sphere crashing down from above, like a small lake, and sighed expressionlessly, "... It's unnecessary. Where do I have to escape to?"

A honeycomb-shaped Defensive Magic circle instantly formed in front of him, attempting to resist. However, under the crushing force of that pure, massive volume of water, the delicate Defensive Magic was as fragile as paper, merely flashing symbolically before collapsing instantly, as if it had only made a brief appearance.

The next moment, the giant water sphere crashed down!

"Boom--!"

Like a flash flood, Lichta's figure was instantly swallowed up by the merciless torrent.

On the other side, Frieren quietly watched Duncan, who was tied side by side to the same large tree trunk with magical ropes, and Laufen, who was already bound.

Duncan was slightly out of breath, clearly having gained no advantage in their brief exchange. Laufen, on the other hand, looked helpless.

Just then, Frieren seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky in the direction of Rabiñe and the others. "The barrier analysis is complete... tsk, but it seems we won't need it."

She could sense the astonishing water magic erupting from that direction. "These two children are stronger than I imagined," she murmured to herself. "But since I've already analyzed them, I might as well say hello."

As she spoke, she raised her free left hand, and a tiny, extremely bright point of light gathered at the tip of her index finger, which she then gently traced across the sky.

A thin but incredibly sharp ray of light shot into the sky, instantly disappearing into the invisible barrier in the heavens.

Far away.

Sense silently watched the direction of the battle. "Genau."

Genau, holding a teacup, said confidently, "Don't worry, even if the world turned upside down, the barrier set up by Lady Serie couldn't be broken. That's absolutely impossible."

Sense didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone flat and emotionless. "It's been broken."

The moment she finished speaking, a tiny crack appeared out of thin air on the barrier, then spread rapidly like shattered glass, finally disappearing with a "crack" into countless specks of light.

With the barrier gone, the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky seemed to have found an outlet, and a torrential downpour instantly poured down.

Rainwater poured directly onto Genau's head and also fell into the teacup he was holding.

"..."

Meanwhile, Sense, who had somehow managed to set up an expensive-looking, ornate umbrella with delicate lace trim, stood gracefully to the side, completely dry.

Genau: "... Impossible, absolutely impossible."

He looked at the rainwater mixed in with the cup, then looked up at the sky. "Sense, that elf... what's his background?"

Sense's eyes drooped. "Frieren 'Ruby master, the one who wielded the Proof of the Holy Staff."

Genau was silent for a moment, then wiped the rain from his face. "... That's not surprising, not surprising at all... So it's the third Great Mage."

He paused, looked at the umbrella in Sense's hand that was clearly big enough for two people, and couldn't help but ask, "So, Sense, aren't you going to let me use your umbrella?"

Sense remained expressionless, his tone flat. "Not enough for two people."

Genau: "..."

The headquarters of the Continental Magic Association, atop a high tower.

Serie sat gracefully on her magnificent throne, her right hand lazily resting on her cheek. She seemed to see everything that was happening in the examination hall through endless space.

"Frieren..." A faint, yet intensely interested, smile curved her lips. "What an impressive 'greeting.' I hadn't paid much attention before, but now it seems she can be... quite interesting."

She spoke softly, as if stating a truth. "That's why it's said that a true mage can never stop moving forward. In the world of magic, the so-called 'reversal of heaven and earth' is not impossible."

Inside the examination hall in the basin.

Frieren flashed and flew to the side of Rabiñe and Kanne, who were slumped on the ground, exhausted. Rain soaked their hair and clothes, but their faces showed exhaustion and excitement after victory.

"You won." Frieren's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible approval. "Hurry up and get out of here. There are still about two hours until the sunset rendezvous. Conceal your magic and hide."

Kanne, panting, gave a weak laugh, "Frieren... we no longer need to hide; our magic is completely exhausted."

Frieren blinked. "Really?"

She looked at the two disheveled but bright-eyed children, smiled gently, and reached out to ruffle their wet hair.

Rabiñe turned his head away somewhat uncomfortably. "Don't touch me." But he didn't actually move away.

Kanne chuckled sheepishly, enjoying Frieren's head pat.

Someone in the distance shouted, "I want one too...!"

On the other side, the floodwaters gradually receded.

Duncan used his legs to hold Lichta Laufen, who was nearly swept away by the current, while she remained tied to the tree, her body swaying with the current.

The current slowed slightly, Lichta leaned against the wet tree trunk, spitting out a few mouthfuls of water. "Sorry."

Duncan looked around at the chaotic scene, rain streaming down his brown hair. "There's nothing we can do about it. If I were in his shoes, I couldn't imagine defeating a water mage in this kind of flood."

Looking at the gradually clearing sky, Lichta sighed, "Just two more hours... It's all over."

Duncan shook his head and looked at Laufen, who was also bound but seemed to have some strength left. "Laufen, we've both almost run out of magic. You should still have some strength left, right? Can you untie these chains?" He gestured to the magic ropes binding the three of them.

Laufen shook his head. "What a joke, old man. These magic chains are ridiculously strong; I definitely couldn't do it."

Duncan paused for a moment, looked at the thick tree that had bound them, and said, "Then cut it down."

Laufen: "..."

She didn't answer, but silently gathered the little magic power she had left, forming a thin, sharp blade, which she aimed at the tree trunk.

"Click."

The massive tree, requiring several people to encircle it, snapped in two, and the magical ropes binding the three of them loosened naturally. Laufen landed, dusted himself off, and said, "Alright, now I don't even have the magic to maintain High-Speed Movement."

Rain soaked the three of them. Duncan wiped the water from his face, looked at Lichta and Laufen, and suddenly asked, "Lichta, Laufen, what do you think a typical Court Mage would do in this desperate situation?"

He didn't wait for their reply, and continued speaking to himself, a glint of undeniable authority flashing in his cloudy eyes:

"They will... struggle ugly until the very last moment."