That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B!

”Awoooo!”

Toby, the dog-like mage of Lamia Scale, howled at the top of his lungs, launching himself forward with an unexpected, explosive speed. ”I am going to defeat you, oon!”

As Jura’s opening magic shattered the street, the members of Heavenly Blue were naturally separated, paired off against Lamia Scale in a series of duels. Sorano found herself face-to-face with Toby, Lamia Scale’s close-combat specialist.

”Paralysis Claw: Mega Jellyfish!”

Toby roared as his fingernails elongated into wicked, razor-sharp talons dripping with a dangerously vibrant green hue. The claws were heavily poisoned; a single scratch was guaranteed to deliver a paralyzing shock to the nervous system.

For all his eccentricities and sheer stupidity, Toby was not a weak mage. Yet, facing Sorano?

”Now you’re at my mercy, oon!” Toby swung his claws in a wide, glowing green arc.

Sorano merely took a casual half-step to the side. With zero wasted movement, she flicked her rapier, lightly stabbing Toby in the ribs.

”Ah!”

Toby yelped, stumbling backward before collapsing onto the cobblestones in a twitching, paralyzed heap.

”...I didn’t even stab you that hard, you know?” Sorano muttered, speechless.

”Ah... when I grabbed my wound, my own fingernails scratched my side... so I paralyzed and poisoned myself, oon...” Toby confessed shyly from the dirt.

”....”

Sorano took a long, deep breath, rubbing her temples as she looked at the battlefield. Her opponent had literally defeated himself.

”You’re my opponent!”

Nearby, Yuka dashed forward like a seasoned martial artist, both of his palms glowing with a pulsing blue light.

Meredy, entirely unbothered by his approach, casually drew her bow and fired a swift energy arrow.

”It’s useless!”

Yuka thrust his hands outward, projecting a massive, transparent wall of shimmering wave energy. The moment Meredy’s arrow struck the barrier, it fizzled out, completely neutralized.

”Oh?” Meredy tilted her head.

”This is my magic!” Yuka puffed his chest out proudly, boasting as if the match were already won. ”Wave Magic! By generating transparent shockwaves from my hands, I create an absolute nullification field. Any magic that touches it is instantly dispelled! As long as you rely on spells, your attacks are completely meaningless! I am the Anti-Mage! Give up!”

Anti-Mage. It was an epithet he carried with immense pride. What could a mage possibly do when stripped of their magic? To Yuka, they were entirely helpless.

”Hm....” Meredy thoughtfully rubbed her chin before drawing back her bowstring a second time. ”Try this one, then.”

”Huh?”

Suddenly, an unfathomable density of magic power surged into the glowing arrow resting on Meredy’s bow. The energy was so concentrated that the very tip of the arrow began to violently rotate like a drill, exuding a lethal aura that sent a visceral chill down Yuka’s spine!

Twack!

The string snapped forward, launching the spiraling bolt of pure destruction directly at him!

”Wave Shield!” Yuka screamed in panic, desperately pouring every ounce of his energy into a thicker, larger, and far stronger barrier.

Shatter!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The anti-magic shield shattered like cheap glass. Yuka was caught in the devastating shockwave, blasted into the sky like a ragdoll before crashing into the distance, instantly knocked unconscious.

”Toby! Yuka!” Sherria gasped, stunned by how quickly her veteran teammates had fallen.

”Are you sure you should be getting distracted right in front of me?” Flare asked smoothly, resting a hand on her hip. ”You’re incredibly lucky I’m kind enough not to attack you while your back is turned.”

If Flare had been the type to fight dirty, Sherria would have already been eliminated.

”...Thank you.” Sherria swallowed hard. She had never imagined her teammates would be wiped out so effortlessly.

”Don’t worry about it,” Flare smiled sweetly. ”Just go ahead and make your move. That way, you can join your friends in the medical ward right after I defeat you.”

Despite Flare’s taunts, Sherria didn’t lose her temper, nor did she harbor any delusions of superiority. Toby and Yuka were down. Sorano and Meredy were now entirely free. If those three decided to gang up on her, it would be an absolute massacre.

”Thank you for waiting,” Sherria said, bowing her head slightly. ”But even so, I won’t give up so easily! I’m definitely going to win!” She had made a promise to Wendy, and she was determined to give this final event absolutely everything she had!

Taking a deep breath, Sherria puffed her cheeks out, looking incredibly cute. Yet, the magical energy gathering in her lungs was anything but adorable.

”Sky God’s Bellow!”

With a fierce roar, Sherria exhaled a massive, destructive tornado of pitch-black wind, tearing up the cobblestone streets as it hurtled toward Flare!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hmm... God Slayer Magic, huh? Finn mused from his own battlefield. He could have easily taught Flare a similar ancient magic if she wanted it, but the true strength of a spell depended entirely on the user. Even if Flare’s fabric magic seemed fragile against the devastating black winds of a God Slayer, dealing with this attack was child’s play.

”Spiral Weave,” Flare commanded softly.

Her crimson obi unfurled, instantly coiling and hardening into a high-speed, spinning drill designed to puncture and tear through anything in its path!

Bzzzz!

The crimson drill collided with the roaring black tornado, effortlessly slicing through the chaotic wind currents and tearing the God Slayer’s spell apart from the inside out.

”Ah.” Sherria gasped as her ultimate attack was systematically dismantled. The drill surged right through the lingering winds, stopping mere inches from her face.

I’m sorry, Wendy. She had thought she could do better, but the gap in power was simply too vast.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

”Geez, that girl is ruthless,” Ultear sighed, watching Flare eliminate Sherria without a second thought.

Then again, Ultear knew that Sherria was incredibly durable. Getting locked in a battle of attrition with a Sky God Slayer who could continuously heal herself was beyond troublesome. While Flare would never lose, dragging the fight out and repeatedly beating down a young girl who kept regenerating was arguably much crueler. Ending it in a single, overwhelming strike was genuine mercy.

”DON’T IGNORE ME!”

As Ultear looked away, an enraged Lyon lunged forward to launch his own assault!

”Ice Make: Dragon!”

A massive, chilling magic circle erupted from his palms, unleashing a gigantic dragon sculpted from solid ice. The beast charged forward, intent on crushing Ultear beneath its freezing mass!

”RRRRAAAAAAAA!”

The ice dragon let out a hollow roar, but the spectacle was deeply ironic to Ultear. Using ice magic against her? She knew exactly who Lyon Vastia was; she had manipulated him like a pawn years ago on Galuna Island. She idly wondered how he would react if he knew her true identity.

Well, it’s not like I’m going to tell him, she thought dryly. The past was in the past, and as a Time Mage, Ultear was far more interested in moving forward.

”Hmm?” Lyon blinked in confusion.

The massive ice dragon had suddenly frozen in its tracks, seemingly paralyzed mid-charge.

”Huh?!”

Before Lyon could process the anomaly, the ice dragon shattered into a million harmless, glittering fragments.

”What’s happening?!” Lyon panicked, stumbling backward.

”You lost,” Ultear stated.

”Eh?”

Suddenly, Lyon realized the truth. Thick, thorny vines had silently erupted from the ground, wrapping around his limbs and completely encasing him in an inescapable cage of briars.

”How?!” Lyon gasped. When had she cast this? How had she trapped him in her briar magic without him even noticing?!

”That’s a secret~!” Ultear smiled gracefully.

The briars tightened, immediately siphoning away Lyon’s magic power.

”AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

As for how she had pulled it off? By subtly applying her magic, she had rendered the creeping vines invisible, masking their presence until it was far too late for him to escape.

With the majority of Lamia Scale effortlessly defeated, the grand stage was finally set. The climactic clash between Finn and Jura Neekis was about to erupt!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!