Cornered between her past enemies and allies, Ena scrambled her head looking for opportunities she could use herself, and how she would use them.
While it was important for her to predict her opponent's next move, it was also important to know which move she needed to make as well. By acknowledging her current weaknesses in that way, she accomplished two things at once.
Despite that logic, though, there was a major problem that she couldn't overlook: escaping without repercussions.
'… This sucks. This is practically the same as the first section.'
Using the internal energy she had regained, accelerated her mind to create six total scenarios. Yet the outcomes she received were far from satisfactory, with each one resulting in her getting four new flags for her collection.
She gritted her teeth as she realized the severity of the situation.
'I already wasted a lot of my internal energy on those simulations. No, even if I hadn't used them, the outcome would have been the same.'
With twelve flags engraved into her entire being, she was already at a tremendous disadvantage. Now, while adding four more might not seem significant, it will be in the next section. If she were unlucky with which restraint was liberated, with the probability of others instilling their flags, the worst-case scenario was having only one chance left, leaving her with 24 flags in total.
By that amount, even if she were to unlock three of her restraints, she still wouldn't be that confident in passing.
'In the end, I'm always the one at a disadvantage.' She sneered instinctively before taking a deep breath.
'Fine, if I'm always going to be at a disadvantage, then I'll take the one that has the least amount of it!'
Gathering her remaining internal energy, she sprinted to one of the four with all her might before she lifted her feet off the ground and sent a dropkick towards the participant. almost reacting to her attack, the participant raised his arms to protect himself.
Although he could react to Ena's incoming attack, it was at a point where he could barely protect himself, with the only part he could save being his own chin.
'The annoying one is gone… Now I have to deal with the rest.'
In truth, she did create the scenarios for each decision she made, but it was only up to this point. That was why she chose this option rather than the other five.
It was a gamble she was willing to take.
Immediately afterward, she landed her attack on the participant's face and dragged him to the ground. The other three began their pursuit and reached their hands out toward Ena.
The reason she had attacked him first was that he had an annoying ability.
Joules Gale. He was one of Ena's allies during the second test.
He was one of the cautious ones, not revealing their overall ability until the fight began. It was then that Ena saw that his ability, which had been vanishing from her sight, only appeared once he was sure he was in a positive position.
Out of the six simulations she processed in Ena's mind, he would always be surprised at the climax of each escape, leaving her in the worst plausible scenarios.
'All because of his nuisance of an ability.'
While she had no problem facing it directly, with the constraints taming her, she had no way to counter it when she was cornered.
But by dealing with Joules first, even if she was still rather trapped, she had more room to breathe.
With him trapped on the ground with her shoes pinning him in place, the other three made their move and rushed toward the semi-pure, trapping her in all directions.
Now that the easy part was finished, the repercussions began.
At the sole of her foot, Joules gripped her heel tightly, waiting for the three-second mark to pass. And then, a new flag was set on her foot.
Although she had to welcome a new flag, it was a sacrifice she needed to make. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her remaining internal energy and slipped past their assault. Right after, her tracks were delayed by an arrow sent from a distance, making her duck from the incoming hand from behind.
In a delicate motion, she swept the pursuer's leg and stepped aside to let them fall. At that point, Ena kicked her towards the others.
Looking at the timer, she saw only five minutes remained until the next section, which made her feel rather relieved, but also restless at the same time.
Just as she was about to reposition herself, Ena felt the side of her body being hit by immense pressure, causing her to be sent flying across the room. Holding her breath, Ena felt the force of the kick getting sent back at her the moment she hit the wall, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.
'What?!'
Ena glared forward to identify the person who kicked her. There, she saw the double-sided great axe once again. It was none other than the strongest one in the room, in terms of physical ability.
'Ranya… That midget really knows how to settle a grudge. Argh! That hurts so much…'
Viewing her silhouette through the mist caused by Ena's impact, she glared silently at the small girl who held a giant axe in her palm. At first sight, Ena viewed it as rather uncanny; while she had the strength to wield the weapon, she was nearly half its size.
'That goddamn woman… Wait, no, that's practically a compliment to her. She doesn't even meet the height standard for that title.'
Just like Joules, she was in the same test as her.
'Looking at her expression, she must be really mad.'
However, unlike Joules, Ranya was not on the same team as her; rather, she was her opponent. An awkward expression made its way to Ena, averting her gaze elsewhere as she was glared at by the midget. Not because she was scared, but because she felt quite guilty for her actions.
'Honestly, after what I've done, this makes sense. BUT, it's not my fault she was my enemy! I thought she would be at least half as good as I am. I didn't think it would be that one-sided!'
While she felt guilty for her actions, it was only for a fleeting moment.
'Come to think of it, didn't she try to say something to me back then?'
That was right. However, before Ranya could even speak a single syllable, the moment the wall in the second test had completely scattered, she was attacked by Ena. And while she tried to retaliate, she quickly figured out that it was a futile attempt.
Ena was rather shameless in her approach. Although she had many chances to kill her, she had purposely beaten her until she was fidgeting in a corner like a trapped mouse gazing at a massive human.
The same was true for the mannequin in her first test. Beating the mannequin until she realized the severity of her situation and ended it quickly.
Why?
Because she was frustrated, so frustrated that she took out most of her anger on the participant known as Ranya. While her way of venting was rather eccentric, she held no shame for it whatsoever. Perhaps it was because she was in a test, or because Haruo also beat her up whenever she made a mess during their travels, that she felt no remorse.
You could even say that she found it pleasing.
'If you're going to glare at me, glare at Kilian. It was his fault I was this stressed, anyway.'
"By the way, did you get shorter? Your axe seems bigger compared to you. Then again, you're not really mature enough to be that tall, anyway."
Ena shouted at Ranya, holding the same shamelessness she had carried when she first assaulted her.
"You…!!"
"Oh, so you're still the same height. My bad, it's just the fact that your weapon seems so colossal next to you. It creates the illusion that you've got smaller or something."
"YOU BITCH!!"
Unable to keep her composure, Ranya charged toward Ena, swinging her axe in a horizontal line. Giggling to herself, Ena jumped to escape the slash. Because she evaded the attack, the axe stuck in the wall, making it difficult for Ranya to pull it out.
Landing on the flat of the axe, Ena gave a slight smirk to Ranya before sending her a foot to her face.
Amidst Ena's attack, another arrow lunged at Ena's shoulder. Unbeknownst to her, she suffered the injury caused by the arrow. A slight groan escaped Ena's lips as she surveyed the room for the archer responsible for the arrow.
In the far distance of the room, a hooded girl, obscured by the shadows of each participant, was sprinting with a bow that was at least the same size as hers.
It was Juliette.
"Tsk! I missed." She mumbled to herself.
Ena grabbed the arrow attached to her shoulder before ripping it out of her flesh, making blood spew out of her wound, staining her white clothing with her blood.
"One of the annoying ones," Ena muttered, trailing the girl's movements across different areas.
While Ranya was the strongest among the 19 participants, there were only three people who made Ena struggle within the first and second sectors. Juliette was one of them. Because of their interference whenever Ena was being chased, Juliette was the one who supported them and helped corner Ena, like Joules.
Before she could act, an alarm rang through the room.
"Already? It was just about to get to the good part! Such a waste. Well, there are still three more sections anyway. Till then, how about you all take five minutes?"
The speaker announced before going static once again.
[All types of weapons are now permitted.]
Ena's expression brightened, hearing those words enter her ears. And immediately after, she willed her emperor blades to be summoned, and without mistake, they appeared in her hands.
Seeing her blades once again, she felt a curve rising on her face.
'I never thought there'd be a day when I would miss these.'
Instinctively, she swung one of her blades. Despite having suffered an injury to her shoulder, the excitement seemed to wash away the pain.
However, although she could move her arms to some extent with the pain easing, her arm still felt heavier than she expected. That wasn't all, but if she were to overexert herself, her injury might worsen, making blood spew out even more until she either passes out or dies entirely.
It wasn't an outcome she desired. Even if this test didn't mean much to her, it was still a necessity for her to pass it.
And even if she did have the choice to avoid it, she would still choose to take it. All because Haruo was also taking it, and also because she was broke.
'So in the end, I still don't have a choice… As much as I hate that bastard, he sure knows how to entice people with money! Divisions better be worth it!'
***
Behind the screen, both Kilian and Haruo sat as they continued to watch Ena from the outside.
"If you have something in mind, it's better to say it, don't you think?" Kilian spoke, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
"There really isn't anything I could hide from you, is there? Aside from Seiji's grave, you can practically read me like a book."
"With an ability as demanding as mine, you'll need to learn how to read people more properly. At some point, I even learned how to read minds, but now it's useless for someone like me, because there is some information that can't be read unless spoken aloud…"
Siippp.
"You'll need to learn how to read people, too. In terms of ability demand, yours far surpasses mine. So, that aside, will you tell me what's on your mind now?"
"… You know, I always wondered why you couldn't just turn us into outright slaves without any cost. Then I came to realize—or, at least remembered—that magic contracts have a unique trait about them…
It's that it's never unfair unless consented to. In return for our obedience, you gave us your support and a fair amount of freedom."
"Oh?"
"While that's the standard for a magic contract, what confuses me more is that you're someone who isn't. I'm sure for someone like you, you have enough power to enslave us entirely, so why are you supporting us?"
Kilian laughed heartily at his question, spilling some of the tea out of his cup, but never dropping to a certain height. After completing his laugh, he scooped the spilling tea from the air, making it seem like he never spilled any of it.
"You are right about one thing, haha… I am supporting you, but what makes you think it's an enslavement contract?"
'Well, it might as well be one with the amount of cons on the contract.'
"But you aren't wrong either. Just like you said, contracts must be entirely fair, unless consented. However, due to that reason, I can't just create a contract without any benefits for myself. All contracts must benefit not just the beneficiary but also the benefactor, vice versa."
"So you're saying that the compensation you received is my obedience to make that contract?"
"No, I just added that condition because I was bored. However, all in all, this is more of an investment. If I support you, you will support Marion. When the day comes when I disappear, then that is when my compensation comes in, where you support Marion."
"…"
"That day isn't too far, either. Since you are Seiji's disciple, your worth is more valuable than you think. Even if he didn't see potential in you, it doesn't mean he didn't see usefulness in you.
Besides, that man has debts he still hasn't repaid. So, to repay all of it, I decided to transfer all his debts to his disciple. I think we're even now."
"Then why include Ena and Taiyo?"
"Well, for that brat, it wasn't really my intention; she just got caught up in it, but still useful either way. And as for your brother… Even if he didn't receive his teachings, he is still a child raised by Seiji. He has his own worth."
With his last sentence, his gaze changed for a moment until he fixed it before Haruo noticed.
Haruo, analyzing his words, could only sigh as he sank deeper into his chair.
'Doesn't matter if he's lying or not, anyway. While he still seems suspicious, I can tell that most of his words are true, probably.'
"I swear on our contract, not a single word I had mentioned was a lie."
'Ah, right, he can read minds to a certain extent. Well, this is good for me, at least everything he said was true.'
With that in mind, Haruo fixed his gaze on the screen once again as the next sector was about to begin.