Afraid to Wake Up and Find It Was All Just a Dream (Continued)
"They dare to invade our base! This is a provocation against the Far East Magic Society, a death wish!"
Dekomori Sanae clenched her fist.
"You can go ahead, I'll leave this matter to you."
After mentally assessing the risks, Hasegawa Izumi waved his hand.
The fact that the other people are still alive indicates that this evil spirit does not yet have the intention or ability to kill, and is still within a controllable range.
So he simply became a hands-off manager.
"Um."
Nibuya Morika nodded solemnly.
"Club President, leave it to us."
Natsukawa Masuzu smiled slightly, his face showing a look of great interest.
This is a valuable experience.
They all wanted to try it out, see how much progress they had made during this period, and verify the results of their practice.
No one was born standing in the sky...
To become stronger, to keep up with Hasegawa's pace, they must do the same; they cannot back down.
"Oh no, oh no, something terrible has happened!"
In the corridor on the second floor, a beautiful upperclassman dressed as a Miko was pulling a young girl along as they ran for their lives, with a faintly glowing amulet hanging from her chest.
"Senior, why are you so panicked?"
The younger female student found her actions somewhat baffling.
"This is a talisman my mother-in-law gave me. It can protect me when necessary. Just now, it suddenly got hot, which means we are in danger! The power of the talisman is limited, and we must escape as soon as possible!"
Atenbo Yume pointed to her chest with her other finger, looking anxious, and gave a brief explanation.
"Damn it, why haven't I reached the stairwell yet? Is it that far? No, could it be... Ghost Wall?!"
She kept her eyes fixed ahead, and gradually noticed something was wrong.
"Ghost Wall? So, senior, we've been attacked by ghosts? And we can't escape?"
The junior student noticed this unusual situation, and her expression changed immediately.
"No problem, no need to rush. As long as the members of the Far East Magic Society discover the situation here, we'll definitely be safe! Until then, we can only hope it can hold on..."
Atenbo Yume turned to comfort him, then looked down at his amulet, its light growing dimmer, and a surge of tension rose in his throat.
There was nothing she could do but pin her hopes on someone with power.
But what if the members of the Far East Magic Society leave beforehand...?
At this moment, fear also arose in her heart.
What she and her junior classmate couldn't notice was that this emotion turned into a wisp of black smoke and drifted away to a place not far away.
Right at the heart of the Ghost Realm.
The ghostly figure formed by the energy aggregate opened its mouth wide, slowly inhaling more than a dozen wisps of black smoke, which then gradually transformed into a withered and crude entity, resembling a scarecrow, holding a scythe capable of reaping fear.
It is Fear Spirit, formed by the aggregation of numerous ghostly energies and the devouring of many people's fears.
"Babble..."
The Fear Spirit suddenly opened its eyes and sensed that there were still living beings moving within its own ghostly domain, which piqued its interest.
Strangers often bring more fear!
Second floor.
After realizing they couldn't escape, Atenbo Yume and her junior pushed open a classroom door, then closed it behind them and hid inside.
There were two students left in the classroom who had stayed behind to clean, but both of them were unconscious.
"God bless! Heaven bless! The will of the earth bless! Bless me and my senior..."
In such a quiet atmosphere, where you could hear a pin drop, the frail-looking junior clasped her hands together and kept praying softly for peace.
This kind of thing is obviously useless.
However, Atenbo Yume knew that her junior was in a bad mental state, so she did not stop her.
"Creak..."
Just then, the door was pushed open without warning, and the previously secure lock didn't react at all.
In that instant, she immediately realized what she was about to face.
'I'm doomed, I haven't even experienced true love from Hasegawa yet...'
At the entrance, the Fear Spirit felt the overwhelming surge of terror and was quite pleased.
Just as it was about to give the other party a deeper stimulation, it suddenly sensed something and looked to the side.
The barrier formed by the ghostly energy rippled like water, and four figures emerged from beneath the stairwell.
"I didn't expect to see the main character right away...!"
The four members of the Far East Magic Society instantly realized the situation. Without saying much, they all made their moves in perfect unison.
"Hado No. 4, White Lightning!"
Nibuya Morika raised his right hand, a bolt of lightning flashing from his fingertips, and sped away.
The body of the Fear Spirit was instantly pierced by lightning.
Thunder, being the extreme of Yang, naturally suppresses the Yin-attribute ghostly energy.
Therefore, despite its body being covered in thick ghostly energy, it could not escape the effects of the lightning strike, and its body was paralyzed for a moment.
It was at the same moment this move was launched.
Dekomori Sanae, propelled by the electric current, seemed to transform into a streak of lightning, arriving before it.
That move wasn't meant to cause damage, but rather to create an opening.
"Take this!"
With crackling lightning coiling around her right hand, Dekomori Sanae roared wildly and unleashed a powerful punch.
"God of Thunder's... Iron Fist!"
The immense force accompanying the thunderous roar blasted the Fear Spirit away, its body crackling with electricity and inflicting additional damage.
The effect is outstanding!
The girls could see that the intensity of the ghostly aura surrounding it had suddenly weakened considerably.
"You deserve to die! You lot!"
The sound of drafts came from the mouth of the Fear Spirit.
"Fear Crows, devour their flesh and blood!"
It floated in the air, and with a casual wave of its hand, ghostly energy transformed into crows that flapped their wings and flew out. Their terrifying blood-red eyes made them seem not only like birds that could only bully the weak, but also like apex predators high above.
Takanashi Rikka walked forward, holding a wooden sword in her hand. It was the 'Sword of Dugu Qiubai' that she had borrowed from the club and that the Sage had once used.
At the same time, she opened her scarlet eyes, and the magatama swirled around them.
"You are the one who should be afraid."
"Secret Sword Moon Shadow"
The girl murmured softly, combining her teleportation technique with her swordsmanship, leaving behind several afterimages. Each figure unleashed a different yet similar sword style.
The crows were slashed in two by crescent-shaped cuts, then vanished into thin air like dust.
"Now it's my turn!"
Natsukawa Masuzu, who was taking the last step, had an eager expression on her face.
Suddenly, the figure in her eyes turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.
The next moment, the Fear Spirit appeared behind her in a flash, raising its scythe high to reap lives.
'Strike first, strike hard!'
'Target the weakest!'
The Fear Spirit absorbed many thoughts of fear and gained a lot of information, which enhanced its intelligence and brought it closer to being human.
"Oh no!"
Natsukawa Masuzu turned her head and saw a look of fear on her flawless, beautiful face.
However, the Fear Spirit, so close at hand, found itself unable to absorb this emotion.
Because this is nothing more than a disguise for the Greedy Witch.
"I was just kidding."
Natsukawa Masuzu gave a teasing smile.
A bluish-purple figure had already appeared in front of her and blocked the scythe with one hand.
Although her Star Platinum appears to be female, she believes that in terms of stats at the same stage, it is by no means inferior to the one she remembers.
"Kill it!"
Star Platinum's other hand moved instantly, unleashing a Divine Speed punch that was impossible to dodge, striking the face of the Fear Spirit.
Immediately afterwards, the other girls gave it no chance to catch its breath and launched another series of attacks.
The Fear Spirit needs time to 'transfer,' but in this wave-like rhythm, it is ultimately powerless to fight back, suffering repeated defeats, and the ghostly energy that clings to it is gradually exhausted.
Two heads peeked out from the classroom door.
"It's over? The members of the Far East Magic Society are amazing! Is this what Ability User? This is the first time I've ever seen one."
The female student was dumbfounded.
"How enviable!"
Even as an outsider standing so close to the door, Atenbo Yume couldn't help but feel envious.
The members' strength is already this exaggerated, so what if Hasegawa-kun went all out?
I can't even imagine it!
Just as they were lost in thought, an unexpected turn of events occurred at the very last moment of the battle.
"Feel the final fear!!"
The Fear Spirit, having been attacked repeatedly, let out a furious roar of resentment and exploded, scattering the power of fear it had absorbed in all directions.
The four girls from the Far East Magic Society, who were trying to avoid it, were the first to be affected, and inexplicable feelings welled up in their hearts.
What are the things that a human being fears?
High altitude? Social interaction? Loneliness? Violence?
Illness? Aging? Death? Darkness?
A deep-sea behemoth? An enclosed space? A dense array of objects?
All sorts of things, strange and wonderful.
But for them, the greatest fear now is 'loss'—losing the power they truly possess.
They were terrified that one day they would wake up and discover that it had all been a dream.
For Takanashi Rikka, possessing this power is essential for her to find the 'Invisible Boundary' and reunite with her father.
For Nibuya Morika, only by possessing power can she prove that her time has not been wasted and that everything she has done has meaning.
For Dekomori Sanae, power means having everything.
For Natsukawa Masuzu, only real and undeniable power could resist the behemoth that is the Natsukawa Family.
Just as they were trapped in a maze of consciousness created by an atmosphere of fear.