Kane rested his ax on his shoulder. His eyes darted around the downed Zumi and Athera, then finally stopped at Calypso. “It seems like I was too late. Don’t worry, I’ll make this one quick.” He pointed his weapon at the opponent.

“Have you… completed it?” asked Zumi with a weak voice.

“Yeah, now I can feel my mana circulating in my body,” answered Kane.

“Ahahahaha!” Calypso laughed, gaining attention from the two. “A half-oni has boldly claimed that he has mana? I believe your head had messed up during that battle.”

“You can be the first one to have the taste of my spell, sissy prince. Although, I must use my ax so this ends fast.” Kane’s eyes lit up. An invisible yet menacing aura emanated from them.

Calypso shuddered for a moment. His face contorted. “You are deeply mistaken if you think you can achieve victory against me easily, especially with that injury.”

“I only need one arm to beat an arrogant kid like you.”

“How insolent!” Calypso shouted in fury. Two deep blue magic circles flashed.

“Attention! Please heed this emergency announcement.” A hoarse but feminine voice interrupted both Kane and Calypso. It originated from the bat that functioned as an observer.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, an additional rule must be implemented at short notice. Here is the following new rule: “Should any participant choose to assault other fellow participants, he or she ought to use their magic power. Any physical contact that is not under spell influence is strictly prohibited”,” announced Teresa in a flat tone.

“Those kids won’t understand this message, Reynar,” whispered Teresa in the background. The sound of crumpled paper being thrown away emitted from the bat. “Basically, go nuts with your spells, don’t fight like a brute. You’ll be disqualified immediately if you break this rule. Sorry for taking your time and good luck.” The voice ceased.

Silence descended upon the area. Both Kane and Calypso put a blank expression after hearing the announcement. A moment later, Kane yelled, “Are you kidding me!?” He furrowed, clenching his teeth. The rule put him into a very disadvantageous situation. It was obvious that Teresa was watching and decided to mess with him.

“Ha, it appears the new rule had severely handicapped your strength. I doubt that you knew any spell so just admit defeat already!” Calypso sneered.

“Oh, I know a spell.” Kane extended his right arm. Even with the severe injury, he was able to move his arm with some limitations. A red magic circle appeared in two seconds.

“What in the—” Calypso stuttered.

“Unranked fire spell: [Lesser Firebomb]!”

Kane’s palm shot a flaming black sphere. It had a straight trajectory then it bounced off the ground after a short distance. The sphere landed on the ground once more, triggering an explosion in a small radius, leaving behind a trail of black smoke.

“Ahahahahaha! You actually learned that joke spell! As expected from a half-oni,” Calypso cracked up, covering his face.

“A joke spell?” asked Kane. He had never heard of this term before.

“Ahh, well. I’ll explain since you’re utterly deplorable.” Calypso wiped his tears off. “[Lesser Firebomb] is, in reality, a decent spell and has a short cast time. However, its range is abysmal and its projectile is so sluggish, a baby could dodge it with ease! It also has considerable mana cost for such a meager effect.”

Kane stroke his chin. He was convinced with the explanation, but he decided to ask Zumi for confirmation, “Is what he said true, Zumi?”

“It’s true…” Zumi nodded. She proceeded to plant her cheek on the ground. “We’re finished…”

“Perhaps this is karma for your mockery. I shall end you swiftly from this shame.” Calypso chanted and shot two ice spears. “Rank 1 water spell: [Icy Spear]. Full power!” They were bigger and faster than before.

Upon entering Kane’s ax range, he swiped with his weapon. It immediately shattered the spears. They were tossed aside as if it was nothing.

“My favorite spell… vanished just like that?” Calypso dismayed. “And isn’t that violating the new rule?”

“The rule didn’t say that blocking a spell with a weapon is not allowed. Now, it’s my turn,” said Kane nonchalantly. The spell was simply too slow for Kane’s eyes. He then pointed upward and launched a couple of [Lesser Firebomb] in succession. They lobbed onto where Calypso stood.

“Even if you attempt to cover the distance by lobbing them, it becomes easier to dodge them!” Calypso dashed forward. A series of explosions occurred far behind him. He chanted other double spells. “Rank 1 water spell: [Glacier Wall] times two!”

Two long ice walls erected from Kane’s right and left, pinching him between them. Due to the narrow gap, his movement became restricted so he ran toward the enemy. He extended his ax frontward. Calypso shot a barrage of ice spears. However, Kane deflected them with ease as he advanced. It only took a while before he reached Calypso.

“You can’t dodge if I shot it from here, right?” Kane pushed his right palm forward and cast the spell.

*Boom!!*

An explosion was detonated between the palm and the prince. The thick smoke covered the two, unsure of the result. As the smoke faded away, only one of them could be seen standing. The ice wall too started becoming a mist.

“Phew. I should never have done that. Ow, this is painful,” said Kane, twitching his right hand. It was charred and had several small open wounds. Fortunately, he could still move his fingers.

Meanwhile, Calypso was blown back, still standing. The explosion tore a big hole in his suit, exposing his stomach. A spot on his white skin, though small, was also charred.. The blue aura he had before was gone. “H-how could this joke spell possess such strong firepower!” He covered the black spot while grimacing.

“Hell if I know.” Kane shrugged. “Anyway, this spell isn’t that bad after all. I quite like it.”

Calypso forced a smile and provoked, “Attempt that once more, I dare you.”

“No, thanks. I have a much better idea.” Kane put his black palm facing skyward. The firebomb was propelled up in the air. After reaching a certain height, It dropped onto the ground, pulled by gravity.

“A suicidal move?” Calypso convulsed.

Kane put his weapon behind his neck. “No. This is for you.” When the ball almost landed, he swung the ax wide, hitting the ball. The projectile traveled at high speed, even faster than the previous ice spears. By the time Calypso saw this, the ball struck him and exploded. Once again, he was blown away by the violent wind.

“I won’t let you rest!” Kane repeated the same move. However, Calypso managed to get up despite his now pitiful appearance and leaped to his right. The ball hit the ground and exploded afar from him. He ran toward the trees, hiding among them.

“Heh, have you become a coward? Where’s that previous bravery?” sneered Kane.

“S-silence! Protecting oneself behind cover is a viable and respected tactic,” Calypso shouted from behind one of the trees.

Kane clicked his tongue and murmured, “This is annoying. What should I do?” Suddenly, another idea popped up in his mind. He repeated the move once more, but this time, he shot two firebombs in quick succession. Hitting the firebomb one at the time, Kane propelled them at the prince's location.

The first projectile destroyed the cover, exposing Calypso to be in a vulnerable position. The second one hit him directly. He collided with another tree in the vicinity and produced a loud thud. The battered Calypso leaned against the bark with his head facing downward. Blood dripped down from his head. It was unknown whether he was still conscious or not. And so Kane approached him to check his condition.

“I must say, that was an interesting battle, prince. Oh yeah, I won’t call you sissy anymore because you’re quite capable despite your age,” Kane chuckled. “Looks like you can’t hear me. Well, I’m gonna take your cores.” He reached out for the pouch that hung on Calypso’s belt and took it.

A hand grabbed Kane’s tribal wear and yanked it. Calypso opened his eyes, forced a grin. He hovered his palm toward the swollen arm and said, “Surrender at once… If you wish to… have your arm intact.” He began to chant the [Icy Spear] spell.

Kane stared at the prince and raised his brows. “You have good tenacity. But-” With his right hand, he pinched Calypso’s philtrum and his lower lip, sealing his mouth shut. The magic circle faded when he stopped chanting. “-it’s useless. Here, an escape shard for you.” Kane threw the shard beside him. It had been in his pouch all this time.

“Use that immediately or I will cast several [Lesser Firebomb] toward the sky so it’ll land here directly above you. I will be at a safe distance, of course. I promise it won’t be lethal.”

Calypso contorted. His eyes bulged. He let out a muffled scream. No matter how much he struggled to remove the pinching fingers, his strength did not bother Kane at all.

“In a count of three, I will cast the spell. One,” Kane counted.

Calypso eyed the shard. He tried to grasp it, but he failed several times. His arm was too weak because of the previous explosion.

“Two.”

Calypso knocked off the shard unintentionally. His muffled screams became louder. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

“Three.” Kane began to chant the spell. However, the prince finally grasped the escape shard. A green beacon lit from his hand. Calypso closed his eyes, let out a sigh from his nose.

Yet, the firebomb was launched anyway. Calypso screamed again, but this time was clearer because Kane had released the pinch.

“Sorry, I stopped the chant halfway yet the spell still appeared so… good luck. I hope you escape in time!” Kane fled the scene, leaving Calypso behind without looking back.

The loud cry was followed by a bang from behind. Kane was uncertain whether the prince was hit by the spell or not, but he didn’t care. His mind was preoccupied with a sudden headache after he cast the spell. It lasted for a while.

“Kane, you’re back… Did you win?” Zumi asked. “The twins suddenly… were taken away by the green light.”

“Yeah, I’ve defeated him. I even took his pouch,” replied Kane while examining the dislocated shoulder. The skin area was red and swollen.

“That… is a relief…” Zumi rested her head against Kane’s left arm, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she woke up and said, “Ah! I was too sleepy and my shoulder hurts so…”

“It’s alright.” Kane smiled and turned solemn in a few seconds. “Anyway, we must treat your shoulder immediately. Bite this hard and don’t let go.” He placed the ax’s handle onto her mouth.

“What did you mean—” Before Zumi could say more, it was already shoved into her mouth.

Kane pushed her down so she lay on the ground. He then whispered, “This is going to be painful, but you’ll be grateful afterward.” He raised his left fist and slammed it onto the dislocated shoulder.

“!!!!!” Zumi clenched her jaw. Her strong bite left a mark on the wooden shaft. She hadn’t cried upon receiving the injury yet right now, her tears and mucus flowed profusely.

“There, your shoulder has returned to the normal position. It doesn’t mean it’s fully treated so we should visit a doctor or a healer,” said Kane. He removed the ax from her mouth and tucked it inside of his tribal wear.

Zumi wiped her the fluid secretion from her orifices. Glaring at Kane, she muttered, “Kane, you… monster…” She then realized he was already near Athera so she decided to lay down.

Athera slowly opened her eyes. When she woke up, the elf saw Kane in front of her. Startled, she backed against the rocky wall. “K-Kane? How long have y-you been standing there?”

“Just a moment ago.”

“Then, where’s the prince?” she asked again, avoiding eye contact. “A-and, is Zumi alright?”

“I’ve defeated him and Zumi is going to be fine, I think,” replied Kane. He stared at Athera’s thigh wound and said, “Sorry I was too late to help you two. That meditation took a long time.”

“No problem… At least you’ve won. I knew you would.” Her lip curved upward a bit. She stood up and started walking despite the fact that she winced every time she moved her left leg. Suddenly, Kane grabbed Athera’s arm and said, “Let’s go to the beacon. This time, we’ll take it slow.” He put her arm to wrap over his neck and walked at a brisk pace. Little did he know of the expressions the girls were currently making.

The observing bat who watched the three from the tree flew away.