High in the monitoring gallery, Victor leaned forward, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the railing.
Is this it?
He wasn't about to break protocol and rush in. He was simply calculating the exact response time of the academy's rescue mechanisms in case of a fatal emergency. The screening rules were absolute, even for an S rank investment target. But that didn't mean he was going to let a valuable asset bleed out on his watch.
Just as the distance between Mia and the beast closed to three meters, a girl with short hair crashed into the fray from the flank.
"Get down!"
Mia dropped instinctively.
A jagged rock shield materialized, skimming mere inches above her hair.
CRACK!
The projectile slammed directly into the Black Horned Hunting Beast's lower jaw, violently jerking its head off course. Mia used the opening to roll away, while the girl skidded backward from the recoil.
"Didn't you tell me to run?!" Mia climbed to her feet, staring at her.
