The students had scattered. Lamia truly wondered if any of them were ready for what was coming. They all had potential, but talent is as useless as a dull blade if the wielder lacks the strength to swing it. She stood there, watching the sand slip through the hourglass.
Then the memories rose like the stench of sewers. "You were my worst mistake… He ruined my dreams and my future, and you—you are living proof of my miserable life… I hate you more than anything in the world, but at least, as a mother and as a woman of this world, I owe you one favor… Marrying a man is the worst chain there is. We have to live for him, give him an image, give him a child, for him… Never be too beautiful, never be too imperfect, don't speak too much but don't be too shy, know your place, raise the children… Aaaah, I'm going to die sad, full of regrets, knowing I gave birth to such a monster! Throw that drawing away and stop looking at me with that stupid smile! Why do you exist?… I wish you had never been born… or at best… that you had been a boy."
She was angry. First her father still wants to control her life as if she belongs to him, and now her mother's memory comes back to haunt her? A thick, bitter laugh escaped her mouth. "An idiot who was driven to suicide because another woman could give her what you never could."
The last grain of sand fell. Lamia smashed the hourglass with a single strike, shattering it. She leaped into the air with wind magic, mixed lightning with fire, then slammed both into the ground like a hammer. The first twenty students who hadn't managed to hide properly were paralyzed, hit, and eliminated.
"Woooow, incredible magic! That was pure art!!"
Lamia glanced at Ben, then calmly advanced toward him. Ben panicked and launched a special attack: a giant fist as hot as lava. The ground melted, but Lamia dodged easily. She was surprised that a commoner already had such good control over his main ability, even if he'd messed up the execution. No time to strike again—several lightning spears flew toward her. The control wasn't bad, but it still needed work. The one who sent the attack was Oria, who seemed to handle the element much better.
One hour and thirty minutes remained. They wouldn't last long like this… or at least, that's what she thought. Because just seconds later, a force from the sky crushed her into the ground, creating an enormous crater. It was one of Miore's techniques: the power of space, gravity, and repulsion. When Lamia freed herself from the magic, the three had already vanished.
"Miore made friends? I thought she'd just be a hated student… Turns out she blends in perfectly. And she ran away fast, knowing she had almost no chance against me. Heh… clever little girl."
After that brief interruption, Lamia continued eliminating the easy prey.
Eventually, we return to the exploding cave. This time, Aria, Sasha, Leslie, Leonard, and Daniel ran together. Magic blades flew everywhere. Lamia gave them no time to breathe. Leonard activated his ability: the black cube, unique to the Grandcester family. The cubes could multiply or grow to crush, but Leonard used another feature: one face opened, and a column of black energy shot toward Lamia. She blocked it with several black cubes forming a defensive wall. Then she brought the cubes together into a black blade.
"Leo… you really tried that move against your own sister?"
She laughed, confident, but Leonard had disappeared. She realized he was using the forest to hide and strike. She respected that kind of tactic… so all was well.
Silence fell. Nothing.
Then, without warning, a pink ball-shaped rabbit bounced wildly around Lamia. She never took her eyes off it. When it attacked… it was soft. Her blade slid across its fluff like hitting a foam ball. The rabbit continued toward her face. At that moment, a violent impact rang out. Lamia's nose bled heavily. The rabbit, upon touching her face, was no longer soft. It felt like being hit by a cannonball straight in the face.
"An invocation magic that can change the physical density of the summoned creature? Interesting… I won't fall for it twice."
Green blades flew toward her. She blocked them all, even as the rabbit kept attacking. Sasha and Daniel were giving everything they had, but Lamia was already adapting. Aria joined them and summoned miniature stars. Their small size was compensated by incredible speed.
"For the sister of a hero, your abilities are quite basic. Heh… I suppose you haven't mastered Lumina Burst yet? Hmm… the blood of a commoner must be much thicker?"
As always, Lamia was utterly detestable. But they weren't doing all this for nothing. Leslie, at the back, had been charging her magic to unleash everything on Lamia. She was finally ready. Lamia, trapped by all these attacks, couldn't dodge. Scales appeared on Leslie's skin. She dropped her sword, unleashing a unique dragon of energy, exclusive to the Daven family, that crashed down on Lamia in a devastating strike.
The area was obliterated. Every student was exhausted. Aria looked up at the sky: twenty minutes remained, and twenty-four students were still in the game. Leslie stretched, still struggling to control this power. Sasha picked up her rabbit with a small smile.
Then, a hand emerged from the smoke. Lamia. Sasha had no time to react—she was about to be eliminated… But suddenly, Oria saved her at lightning speed. Not fully in control, the two crashed into the ground. Miore, Ben, and the rest of the students arrived.
Lamia stood without a single wound. Only a smile on her face. "Fifteen minutes left… I'm not going to let you breathe."