[Valeria POV]
The four of us chased that Perverted Man deep into the forest.
He had been doing nothing but running away from us this entire time. We needed to defeat him quickly and go help the other members who were struggling against that giant bird.
I had no idea how that man had managed to manipulate the bird into attacking both Clans, but that was no longer important.
Right now, we needed to focus on defeating him.
"Accel!"
Brian immediately shot toward the man.
He turned around and blocked Brian's punch. Just as he was about to counterattack, Geralt swiftly joined the assault, forcing the man to retreat.
I silently took aim, preparing to shoot him with magic.
But he glanced in my direction.
Fire Ball!
The man dodged again by leaping to the side. My fireball struck a nearby tree instead, setting it ablaze.
Again.
How could he know that I was going to attack at that exact moment?
With Voiceless Incantation, the activation of my spell should have been completely undetectable, especially since he was supposed to be focused on Brian and Geralt.
Yet after blocking and dodging attacks from both Brian and Geralt, he immediately shifted his attention toward me as if he already knew I was going to attack.
In that case, I would have to shoot him when his movements were restricted and dodging became difficult.
For that, I would have to rely on the two of you, Brian and Geralt.
Brian and Geralt charged simultaneously.
Brian's left hand began glowing as he threw a left hook toward the man's face. However, the man easily dodged by ducking beneath it.
But Geralt was already prepared.
He swung a flaming kick toward the man's face from his right side.
Yet the man swiftly avoided it by jumping backward.
If I attacked him now, the same thing would happen again.
I needed to use a different spell.
Earth Wall.
A wall of earth suddenly rose behind the man, preventing him from retreating any farther.
Bam!
Geralt's kick struck his body, but the man managed to block it with his right hand.
Brian immediately followed up with a glowing punch.
Once again, the man narrowly avoided it.
His legs suddenly became enveloped in the same light that surrounded Brian.
So he could use Accel as well.
The man grabbed Brian's right arm—the same arm he had used to attack—and kicked his right heel out from underneath him.
Brian's body flipped over and crashed to the ground.
I wanted to help them, but I was afraid my magic might hit my own allies.
Geralt then fired a *Fire Bullet* before the man could continue his attack on Brian.
But the man easily dodged it.
His legs glowed once again, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared beside Geralt.
Bam!
The man drove his fist into Geralt's right ribs, sending him flying backward into the earthen wall I had created.
The impact shattered it.
Lightning Bolt.
A green bolt of lightning shot toward the man.
He easily avoided it, but the attack gave Brian enough time to get back on his feet and resume his relentless assault.
Behind me, Ariel began running toward where Geralt had been sent flying.
She was probably trying to heal the injuries caused by that man's attack.
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I noticed the man smiling.
For some reason, that gave me a very bad feeling.
"Damn it! All you can do is run and dodge!" Brian shouted angrily, frustrated that not a single one of his attacks had landed cleanly.
The man continued dodging Brian's punches and kicks one after another.
"Brian! Don't give him any room to escape!" I shouted while preparing another spell. "This is going to hurt a little, so be ready!"
"Leave it to me!" Brian replied without slowing down his assault.
We had a Healer, so I shouldn't have to worry too much even if my magic hit one of my allies.
Our enemy was only one person, after all.
Earth Barrage!
The earth around me rose from the ground before shooting toward Brian and the man.
I deliberately used a spell with a wide area of effect.
Both of them were caught in the attack.
One of the rocks struck the man, sending him flying deep into the forest.
Brian clutched his head as blood began flowing from his forehead.
"Sorry, Brian!"
I felt slightly guilty.
Brian turned toward me and smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Valeria. As long as we can defeat Raul, I don't care if I have to break every bone in my body!"
Well...
That was Brian for you.
His brain might be a little... short on intelligence, but when it came to courage, there was no one who could surpass him.
"Brian! Are you hurt? Where's Raul?"
Ariel hurried over to Brian and began healing his wound.
Geralt also appeared to have recovered after taking that powerful punch from the Perverted Man.
"Ah, you're right!" Brian suddenly realized. "We still have to defeat him!"
"He was sent flying toward the forest. Let's hurry and chase him."
After Ariel finished healing Brian, the four of us entered the forest.
I could see a tree that looked as though it was about to collapse.
It seemed Raul had crashed into it after being sent flying.
We could also faintly see footprints in the dirt, leading in the direction he had fled.
"Let's hurry and catch that bastard! I'm sure he can't be far from here!" Brian shouted as he began running ahead of us.
The four of us followed Raul's footprints.
However, the trail suddenly ended at a massive tree.
"It looks like he started jumping from tree to tree to avoid leaving footprints on the ground," I thought.
Then I noticed a branch that looked as though something had stepped on it.
"Look. He really did escape by jumping from tree to tree."
I pointed toward the branch.
"Then we need to hurry! We can't let him escape!" Brian shouted before running ahead again.
We continued following the traces Raul had left among the trees.
Yet, for some reason...
I had a bad feeling about this.
"Turn right!" Brian shouted, his eyes still focused upward as he searched for Raul's trail.
But after following it for a while, Raul's trail suddenly disappeared.
We searched both the branches above us and the ground below.
Nothing.
We couldn't find a single clue.
"Look!"
Brian pointed toward one of the trees.
"That branch looks like it was stepped on, doesn't it?"
Yes...
It was clearly shaped like the mark left by an Academy shoe.
But if it was *that* clear and detailed, unlike an ordinary footprint, then perhaps...
It could have been deliberately created.
Let's think.
Why would he deliberately create a fake footprint on a tree branch?
I looked at Brian, Geralt, and Ariel.
All three of them were completely focused on the branch.
"..."
I immediately looked around.
Something was approaching us.
A figure was moving toward us at incredible speed.
And strangely enough...
His movements made absolutely no sound.
He was smiling when he realized that I had noticed him.
I immediately prepared to activate a spell.
Bam!
"Ugh!"
I didn't have enough time.
The man struck my face with a punch before I could activate my magic.
My body was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground.
This was the first time another student had ever landed such a clean punch on me.
I forced myself back onto my feet and looked around.
The man had just kicked Brian directly in the face, sending him flying just like me.
Geralt attempted to attack him, but the man easily dodged before countering with a punch to Geralt's face.
I stretched out my hand, preparing to fire a wind spell at him.
But the man realized what I was about to do.
He immediately rushed toward Ariel.
"Cih, Ariel! Get away from him!"
I couldn't use my magic.
Ariel was our Healer.
If she went down, there would be no one left to support us against the Perverted Man.
"I'm trying, but Raul keeps following me!" Ariel shouted as she continued running.
Ariel was a Priestess whose physical abilities were considerably weaker than Raul's.
Of course she couldn't outrun him.
We had to help her.
"Brian! Please!"
Brian slowly rose to his feet.
A golden aura began radiating from his body.
Could he be using his Codex?
"Get away from her, Raul! Unless you want me to finish you with the technique that defeated you in our previous duel!"
Brian looked furious.
Raul simply responded with a mocking smile.
"Raaaaah!"
Brian gathered his mana.
It seemed he was preparing to attack with everything he had.
He then launched himself toward the man at incredible speed.
But the Perverted Man grabbed Ariel's arm and pulled her in front of him.
He used her as a shield.
Brian suddenly stopped his attack.
His fist came to a halt directly in front of Ariel's face.
The moment he saw the opening, the Perverted Man activated Temper in his leg and kicked Brian's face with tremendous force.
Brian was sent flying again, crashing into a tree hard enough to knock it down.
"You coward! Fight fairly, Raul!"
Ariel looked furious as she repeatedly struck her fists against the man's chest.
Of course, her punches didn't seem to affect him at all.
The Perverted Man then grabbed Ariel's arm and lifted her into his arms in a princess carry.
Ariel struggled desperately, but her strength was nowhere near enough to break free.
The man then started running toward me.
I had to save Ariel and bring that bastard down.
Mud Trap!
I activated the spell beneath his feet, intending to stop him without harming Ariel.
But before the earth could trap his legs, the Perverted Man had already jumped.
Again.
How?
How could he always read my spells even though I was using Voiceless Incantation?
Did he possess a Codex capable of reading his opponent's magic and movements?
While airborne, the Perverted Man raised one leg above his head.
A brilliant light surrounded it.
Earth Wall!
A wall of earth rose in front of me to block his attack.
But the man shattered my defensive spell with his leg.
Bam!
His other foot struck me directly in the head.
My consciousness began to fade.
This was so humiliating...
Defeated by someone who hadn't even used his Nature Mana.
Damn it...
"Wait... What are you going to do with Ariel? Where are you taking her?"
Ariel continued struggling in the man's arms.
The Perverted Man struck the back of her neck.
Her body went limp.
Just before she lost consciousness, she looked into my eyes one last time.
Then the man carried her away from the forest.
I could hear noise coming from the distance.
It seemed some of our other members would soon arrive after dealing with the giant bird that had attacked us earlier.
"Valeria! Are you okay?"
One of the members rushed toward me.
"Ugh..."
I was barely able to remain conscious.
"Quickly... chase that Man..."
My vision was already fading.
"He... kidnapped... Ariel..."