Chapter 45: Defeat
Now, instead of fighting alone, Kaiser stood together with his familiar.
Across from them, Cherry calmly rested one hand on the shoulder of her ghost knight while the spectral mage floated quietly at her side.
Three against three.
The forest fell silent once again.
Neither side moved immediately.
Cherry quietly observed Kaiser.
Kaiser calmly studied Cherry and her two Wraiths.
The battle began a few seconds later.
Kaiser attacked first.
His Spectral Blades shot forward from every direction.
At the same time, Rite flew into the sky while the Specter Knight charged toward the Ghost Knight.
Cherry remained completely calm.
The spectral mage beside her slowly raised its staff.
A translucent barrier appeared around Cherry.
The incoming Spectral Blades struck it one after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Not a single blade broke through.
Meanwhile, the Ghost Knight stepped forward.
It raised its enormous shield and met Kaiser’s Specter Knight head-on.
Boom!
The two heavy weapons collided.
The impact shook the surrounding forest.
Rite dived from above, releasing a storm of spectral feathers.
The spectral mage calmly waved its staff.
A wall of ghostly flames appeared in the air, burning away the incoming feathers before they could reach Cherry.
Kaiser frowned.
Every attack he launched was being stopped.
Cherry still hadn’t made a single move herself.
She simply stood there while her two Wraiths fought for her.
Several minutes passed.
Kaiser’s Mana continued to fall.
Cherry’s expression remained relaxed.
Eventually, the Specter Knight became unstable.
Its body began breaking apart.
A few seconds later, it completely collapsed into Soul Mana.
Without its support, the Ghost Knight immediately charged forward.
Boom!
Kaiser was forced backward.
Before he could recover, dozens of ghostly chains shot out from the spectral mage.
They wrapped around his arms and legs.
Kaiser struggled.
The chains refused to break.
Cherry finally spoke.
"You’ve already used too much Mana."
"You can’t win this fight."
Kaiser smiled helplessly.
"I know."
The Ghost Knight pointed its sword at him.
The next moment, Kaiser’s body began glowing.
He had been defeated.
His body dissolved into countless particles of light.
...
Kaiser slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the classroom ceiling.
Around him, many students had already returned.
Some looked frustrated.
Others looked relieved.
At the front of the classroom, on the large screen it was showing the other remaining alive students.
A familiar voice came from beside him.
"So..."
"You lost to the Crimson Witch."
Kaiser turned his head.
Ryder was sitting nearby with his usual calm expression.
There was the faintest hint of a smile on his face.
Kaiser looked at him for a second before replying,
"At least I lasted until I was almost out of Mana."
Ryder raised an eyebrow.
"So that’s your excuse?"
Kaiser shrugged.
"It’s the truth."
Ryder gave a quiet chuckle.
"Sounds like the words of a sore loser."
Kaiser rolled his eyes.
"And yet you still lost to me."
Ryder’s smile disappeared for a moment.
The nearby students quietly looked at the two of them, wondering if another fight was about to start.
Ryder looked at Kaiser with a blank expression.
"You didn’t beat me fairly."
Kaiser raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Ryder nodded.
"You hid the fact you had a familiar from the start."
"And at the end..."
"You had your familiar ambush me."
Kaiser smiled.
"Everything you said is true."
Kaiser grinned as he looked at Ryder.
"Now who’s making excuses?"
Ryder clicked his tongue.
"We’ll fight again."
"Let’s see if you can still smile so confidently then."
Kaiser nodded without hesitation.
"Sure."
"I’ll just beat you again."
Ryder snorted.
"We’ll see."
He leaned back in his chair and looked toward the large screen again.
"I won’t lose a second time."
Kaiser smiled.
"I’ll remember that."
The two stopped talking and turned their attention to the remaining battle.
Only four students were still inside the Death Realm.
Cherry Heimball.
A tall Death Knight wielding a black spear.
A Necromancer controlling several powerful undead.
And a Curse Master covered in dark runes.
The shrinking border had forced all four of them into the same area.
Leoness watched with interest.
"Now this should end quickly."
On the screen, the Death Knight charged first.
Her black spear shot toward the Necromancer.
The undead immediately rushed forward to intercept her.
At the same time, the Curse Master raised both hands.
Dark curses spread across the battlefield.
The undead became weaker.
Even the Death Knight’s movements slowed.
Cherry calmly stood behind her two Wraiths.
She watched the others fight without interfering.
Kaiser nodded slightly.
"She’s waiting."
Ryder glanced at him.
"For what?"
"For them to waste their Mana."
Ryder looked back at the screen.
"...That’s exactly what you did."
Kaiser smiled.
"And it worked."
Ryder clicked his tongue again but didn’t reply.
Several more minutes passed.
The Necromancer was the first to fall after all of his undead were destroyed.
Soon after, the Curse Master was defeated by the Death Knight.
Only Cherry and the Death Knight remained.
The entire classroom became quiet as everyone focused on the final battle.
Inside the Death Realm, the Death Knight slowly raised her black spear.
Cherry remained where she was.
Her expression didn’t change.
The Ghost Knight stepped forward and raised its shield.
At the same time, the Spectral Mage lifted its staff.
The Death Knight attacked first.
She rushed forward with incredible speed.
Boom!
Her spear crashed into the Ghost Knight’s shield.
The impact shook the ground.
The Ghost Knight slid back a few steps but remained standing.
At that moment, the Spectral Mage cast a spell.
Several ghostly chains shot toward the Death Knight.
She quickly cut them apart with her spear.
But that brief delay was enough.
The Ghost Knight swung its massive sword.
Boom!
The Death Knight blocked the attack, but the force pushed her backward.
She immediately counterattacked.
Her spear pierced straight toward Cherry.
Before it could reach her, another barrier appeared.
The spear stopped just short of Cherry.
The Spectral Mage calmly cast another spell.
Ghostly flames surrounded the Death Knight from every direction.