A faint breeze passed through the training grounds, carrying with it the tension of the upcoming battle.
Horobi stood quietly, his gaze fixed on Mio and Liora.
"…Hey. Will you two finally tell me what that was?"
His voice was calm, but there was unmistakable curiosity in his eyes.
"I've never seen anything like it before. Honestly… you both did something incredible."
Liora smiled lightly, brushing her hair back.
"We thought you were practicing a double spell," she said casually. "But that's not something we can do."
Mio nodded, continuing her thought.
"So we figured… if we can't split mana like you—then why not try merging it instead?"
For a moment, silence lingered.
Then—
Horobi let out a quiet breath.
"You think you just cast two spells at the same time?"
His eyes sharpened.
"No… you did something even great mages wouldn't dare attempt."
He raised his hand slightly, as if recalling the sensation.
"I split my mana. Like breaking an atom apart."
A faint pause.
"Splitting is simple. All it takes… is power. And destruction."
Mio and Liora exchanged stunned glances.
"…Then what did we do?" they asked in unison.
Horobi's voice lowered.
"You merged it."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
"Two different souls… bringing their mana together into a single point."
He looked at them directly.
"In scientific terms… that's called nuclear fusion."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Two tiny sparks… becoming a sun."
Mio's breath caught.
Liora's expression stiffened.
Horobi continued—
"Remember this well. A split spell can erase a city…"
His tone deepened.
"But a merged spell… has the potential to create an entire universe."
A pause.
"It's four times more powerful than splitting."
Then—
"…and just as dangerous."
His gaze turned cold.
"If your timing is off by even a fraction—just 0.1 seconds…"
"…you both would've turned to ash."
-------
"…What?"
Mio blinked, still trying to process everything.
"We didn't do anything like that… we were just trying to surprise you."
Liora nodded in agreement.
Horobi studied them in silence.
"In theory… what you did shouldn't be possible."
Liora narrowed her eyes.
"Then what exactly did we do?"
Horobi spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully.
"Magic is born from mana… and every individual's mana is unique."
"Its flow. Its nature. Even its frequency."
A brief pause.
"To merge two spells… both sources must be perfectly synchronized."
Mio whispered, "…Synchronized?"
"Same wavelength."
"Same origin."
"Same flow."
Silence fell.
Then—
Horobi's gaze sharpened.
"But your mana… shouldn't match."
Liora crossed her arms, irritation flickering across her face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Horobi didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he watched them carefully.
"…That's the problem."
A quiet breath escaped him.
"For a moment… your mana felt identical."
Time seemed to freeze.
"…What?" Mio whispered.
Horobi looked away slightly.
"I don't understand how… but it felt like…"
His voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"…you were both drawing power from the same source."
A heavy silence followed.
Mio and Liora exchanged glances.
Neither of them had an answer.
------
After a moment, Horobi spoke again.
"…I didn't pay attention to it before."
They looked at him.
"But now that I think about it… Mio, your mana has been changing."
Mio frowned.
"Changing…?"
"It was subtle at first. Barely noticeable."
"…but it kept evolving."
His gaze shifted to Liora.
"But yours never showed any change before."
Liora tilted her head.
"Then what changed now?"
Horobi's expression hardened.
"…Now yours has changed too."
A pause.
"And the strangest part…"
He looked at both of them carefully.
"…is that now, your mana feels almost identical."
Silence.
"That… doesn't make sense," Liora muttered.
"I never noticed anything like that," Mio added softly.
She looked at Liora.
"…Then how can your mana be like mine?"
Liora exhaled slowly.
"…That's exactly what I want to know."
------
Mio suddenly clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright, enough of this. Let's go. The class battle is about to start."
"Yeah," Liora nodded.
But she glanced at Horobi.
"…Still thinking about it?"
Mio grinned.
"Why overthink? We're going to win anyway."
Liora smirked.
"Last time we were on different teams. This time—we're together."
She pointed ahead confidently.
"You just handle Tua. We'll take care of everything else."
Horobi sighed.
"That kind of thinking… is exactly how people lose."
He stepped forward.
"There's a high chance every group will target us first."
"…because we're the biggest threat."
A brief pause.
Then—
Mio smiled.
"Even then… we'll win."
Liora nodded.
"Of course."
"…Let's go."
The Forest Battlefield
The arena gates opened.
Light swallowed the groups—
—and in the next instant, they stood in a vast, living battlefield.
Mountains stretched into the horizon.
Rivers shimmered under sunlight.
The forest breathed with life.
"Wow…" Mio's eyes sparkled.
"This place is beautiful."
She turned slowly, taking it all in.
"If this wasn't a test… I'd stay here forever."
Liora crossed her arms.
"Done sightseeing?"
Mio pouted.
"You're no fun."
Behind them—
Mare groaned.
"Can we focus already?"
Liora smirked.
"Didn't you lose instantly last time?"
Mio added,
"I lasted way longer against Horobi than you."
"Explain that."
Mare froze.
"…Why do you two always bully me?"
Laughter echoed.
A moment later—
The mood shifted.
"So… what's the plan?" Danzo asked.
Horobi looked ahead.
"…We're being targeted."
Silence.
"So we need to move carefully."
Erish stepped forward.
"Then let's not move at all."
Everyone looked at her.
"We wait. Let others eliminate each other first."
Danzo frowned.
"And if they find us?"
"Then we stay together… and fight."
A pause.
"…We stay in the forest. And watch."
Horobi nodded slightly.
"…Good."
"Anyone got scouting abilities?"
Danzo raised his hand.
"I have Huto."
A small creature appeared in the air.
Loki smirked.
"That bird?"
Danzo snapped.
"It's NOT a bird."
"It's Huto."
"…and it's wind-type."
Horobi spoke calmly,
"You can connect with it."
Danzo blinked.
"…What?"
"You can see through it."
Silence.
"…Seriously?"
Horobi nodded.
Danzo's eyes lit up.
"I'm definitely learning that."
Meanwhile…
Deep within the forest—
Tua stood silently.
"…Horobi."
His fist clenched.
A nearby student spoke.
"He's your cousin, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Then why the hatred?"
Linksan stepped forward.
"Because only one of them can become the next leader of the Enma Clan."
The group fell silent.
"…And that person… is supposed to be Horobi."
Tua's gaze darkened.
Soon after—
Class D appeared before them.
"We want to make a deal."
Tua's eyes narrowed.
"…Speak."
"You couldn't defeat Horobi alone."
In an instant—
Tua grabbed him by the collar.
"You think I can't?"
"…That's not what I meant!"
He gulped.
"He was alone before. Now… he has his entire team."
"…including those two."
Silence.
Linksan stepped forward.
"…He's right."
Tua released him.
"…Continue."
"We team up."
"…We help you win."
"And in return?"
"We surrender. You take first. We take second."
A pause.
Tua smiled faintly.
"…Interesting."
Back to the Forest
The wind slowed.
The forest grew quiet.
Too quiet.
"…They're close," Horobi said.
A heartbeat later—
Whoosh!!
"Above!"
A massive spike crashed down.
BOOM!!
Mio blocked it instantly.
"…That was weak."
Shadows emerged.
Class D.
Battle Begins
"My name is Karf," one stepped forward.
"Fight us fairly."
Horobi moved—
—but Liora stopped him.
"No need."
She pointed ahead.
"Handle them."
Danzo stepped forward.
"Gladly."
"Earth Spikes."
The ground erupted.
The battle exploded into motion.
Fire.
Wind.
Water.
Impact after impact echoed through the forest.
Horobi Moves
A sudden attack from behind—
—but before it could land—
He moved.
No—
He vanished.
And appeared.
Impact.
The enemy was sent flying into a tree.
Unconscious.
"…Too slow."
Silence fell.
Moments later—
The battlefield burned.
"Abyss… Flame Charge."
Fire consumed everything.
Screams faded.
Silence returned.
"…Done."
------
Aftermath
Not long after—
Tua arrived.
His eyes scanned the destruction.
Burned earth.
Shattered ground.
"…Horobi."
His fist slammed into a tree.
"That bastard…"
"…always ahead of me."
Linksan looked around.
"…Who were they?"
Tua turned away.
"…Doesn't matter."
A cold smile formed.
"The result… won't change."
"…Let's move."