Kuro was facing a rough quarter of an hour.
His battle against the [White Corps], who used [fire] magic, was lasting longer than expected.
"(How much [mana] does this guy have!? It's more than what I and Hajime have combined!?)"
With a leap, the 17-year-old narrowly avoided a fireball in the shape of a sphere that was about to hit him in the head. Several backward somersaults allowed him to evade other attacks as well.
"Stop running away, coward!"
"A murderer doesn't face their opponent head-on, asshole!" (Kuro)
"HAAAAAAA"
Despite the amused tone his stepbrother Cloe's, the battle he was experiencing was not going in his favor.
Immediately after drawing his weapon from his shadow, Kuro found himself forced to abandon it.
Apparently, his enemy was more than capable of manipulating the heat, which his flames emitted, to make his young [mage]'s scythe incandescent.
At this moment, the two were confronting each other all over Yuki Mikan's house, tearing apart everything in their path.
"(The more things burn, the more the flames increase, the harder it gets for me to dodge his attacks! They're starting to come from every direction, at the same time!)"
Avoiding another deadly strike, the student of Fumio tried not to think about how much he was sweating.
"(Recap: Generates fire attacks, not too hot, but capable of producing kinetic force that surpasses Hajime's punches! He can manipulate the flames and heat around him, heating my scythe until I burn my hands... and he's probably doing the same with me... It's becoming increasingly difficult to think! It feels like I have a fever of 40!)"
Kuro's reflexes were becoming less sharp, while his enemy's attacks increased in power and speed with each of his steps. After a few minutes, he even struggled to stand.
"(I can't hold on… I have to… ah, this will really hurt if I follow through. I hope I'm not wrong.)"
Using his remaining strength, the 17-year-old leapt toward the [White Corps], who was more than ready to reach him.
"Got you!"
Several small fireballs hit the young [mage] head-on. It was a devastating blow that sent him flying straight into a wall, which did nothing to slow his momentum.
"F-failed..."
Despite his words, Kuro had taken a hard hit. His equipment had protected him well so far, but it hadn't saved him from the burns covering his body, nor from the broken bones.
Fortunately, however, his idea was correct. The wall he had broken through was the one separating the indoor pool of Yuki Mikan's house.
Memorizing the building's layout had been one of his duties, as he was the only one who would act inside.
As he fell into the water, he immediately felt better. The high temperature of his body dropped instantly when he touched the pool, causing a small thermal shock. Before reaching the bottom, Kuro was already ready to fight again.
"(It seems water can cancel out that guy's power… Now for the second round!)"
Without wasting time, the stepbrother of Cloe used all his strength in his legs to jump out of the pool, while throwing knives at the enemy who was about to emerge from the hole in the wall they had made.
Two of the three weapons missed, but the third knife pierced the [White Corps] in the shoulder.
"Now you're mine!" (Kuro)
"Damn murderer!"
Before he could recover, the young [mage] reached him and struck a precise blow to the throat, knocking the wind out of him.
"Let's see how you swim, [White Corps]!"
The rival of Hajime used Shadow Step, bringing his opponent into the pool with him.
"(Now he drowns!!)"
Kuro took the [White Corps] from behind, who didn't seem able to use his power while submerged in water, and stabbed him in the side, twisting the blade as much as possible in the wound to increase blood loss and pain, trying desperately to surface and get out of the pool.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"Shut up!"
Using his other arm, the stepbrother of Cloe grabbed the [White Corps] by the neck and began dragging him to the bottom of the pool.
The man tried to free himself while screaming in pain, bleeding out inside the pool. His panic prevented him from maintaining air in his lungs, which filled quickly with water.
"(Damn it, die! You made me waste enough time!)"
It took several seconds before the [White Corps] drowned. Kuro released his body and swam upward to breathe again.
"Baaaaah!!! Uuuuh... damn, all this chaos just for that spoiled brat! I hope Hajime doesn't let her escape!"
The 17-year-old reached the edge of the pool, stopping briefly to look at the wounds he had sustained in the fight. He was worse off than he thought.
"(If I had been in normal clothes, I'd be like a piece of charcoal right now… adrenaline is leaving me, while the pain worsens… I have to help… no! I'd just be a burden to them! I need to get to the meeting point before my legs give out!)"
With immense effort, the boy managed to get up and leave the villa, avoiding the crossfire that was tearing apart the entire property.
*****A few kilometers away, the last SUV of the three parked in the garage was speeding across the dirt road at maximum velocity.
"Faster! We need to reach the city as soon as possible!"
"If I go any faster, we'll go off-road! This is the limit!"
"The phones still have no reception! Stay alert!"
As they put as much distance as possible between themselves and the villa, the [White Corps], giving orders to his subordinates, couldn't help but worry.
"(Could that guy have hit Mikan-sama?! Why did he let her go! I don't understand!)"
Unknown to everyone, a drone was automatically following the vehicle while its owner, Kohaku, was busy supporting Cloe and Kimiko in their fight.
Reached a certain destination, the device sent a signal to a specific phone.
"Finally! [Overwrite]: [Physical Enhancement]!"
Hajime had eagerly awaited this moment, praying for the safety of all his companions as he prepared to eliminate Yuki Mikan, according to the plan.
The boy was on a hill, from which he could easily see the route taken by the SUV.
Using his strength, Goto's stepson began pushing a pile of large logs, which he had cut with his weapon before the mission started, with ease.
The cut logs started rolling down the hill Hajime had previously cleared of obstacles.
"Two more kilometers and we'll—"
"Watch out!"
The warning to the driver arrived too late. Even if it had come earlier, no one could have avoided the vehicle being hit.
The metal deformed along the side, despite all the extra protections on the vehicle.
The vehicle was pushed off the road, tumbling down a slope. The [Grimorio] user was already in pursuit, fully aware that he had to ensure his target's death.
"(They're definitely alive, at least the [White Corps], if they used [armor]. Someone probably protected Yuki Mikan, not to mention that this car had maximum protection level.)"
The young man's thoughts were quite accurate. A normal SUV would have been completely destroyed, but this one was only slightly dented on one side.
"kkkhkkk"
"Mikan-sama! Are you okay!?"
"I think she's unconscious!"
The leader of the [White Corps] quickly took command. Not wasting time, awaiting the arrival of another enemy.
"You two, get her out of here and head south! Reach the city and call for reinforcements! Hajime and I will hold off anyone who has attacked us!"
Getting out of the vehicle along with one of his colleagues, the man immediately noticed someone approaching their position, taking advantage of the darkness of the night.
"Here he comes!"
"I've got this!"
"[Overwrite]: [Physical Enhancement]!"
Using his powers to increase his speed, Hajime halved the distance between himself and Mikan's two guards.
One of them tried to create a small dirt wall in front of the boy, who easily jumped over it.
"I've got you!"
Waiting for him at the top was the leader of the [White Corps]. His hands were covered with a layer of pure [mana], shaped like two very sharp blades.
With [Tepes], the young [mage] blocked the attack that could have killed him. But he was pushed back several meters.
"(He's stronger than I thought!)"
"Help the others! I can handle him alone!"
Preparing his katana, Hajime stood back up, clashing with his opponent.
"(I can't waste too much time with this guy!)"
Meanwhile, the remaining three [White Corps] were pulling Yuki Mikan out of the wreckage of their vehicle.
The woman began to wake up during the process. Her breathing was irregular, and her face was pale.
"Mikan-sama, you have to wake up! We need to get out of here!"
The daughter of the vice admiral suddenly opened her eyes, panic painted all over her face. With a scream of fear, the [mage] unleashed a torrent of [ice] magic from her body.
"Mikan-sama! Don't do it!"
There was an explosion of pure ice. The three [White Corps] near the woman and the vehicle were frozen instantly. Only Goto's stepson and his opponent had time to try to avoid death.