'This is insane!' Gizel cried in her head as she came to a sliding halt after blocking what seemed like the tenth blast from the golem.

It was relentlessly aiming at the school rather than her and because it has a definite direction of attack, she couldn't predict its movement.

Breathing a little heavily, she stared at the being before her.

Her left baton was destroyed in an attempt to deflect the attack.

The school building would have received some damage in that failed attempt if only someone wasn't protecting it with a barrier from the inside.

The green-haired girl couldn't bear to let this continue. She couldn't lose her chance to be a part of the contest. She couldn't allow herself to shame her family!

"Here it comes," she gritted her teeth as she summoned another barrier on her left hand and her right hand tightly holding the baton.

Her pulse pounding as the golem's head glowed again.

Another blinding beam shot toward her—she raised her left arm, the fresh barrier flaring to life just in time.

*BOOM!*

The shockwave threw dust everywhere, the ground trembling under her feet. Gizel slid back, coughing as small rocks scattered around her boots.

The golem didn't stop. It roared, its core pulsing brighter, and another shot followed.

She jumped sideways, the blast grazing her shoulder and scorching the ground. Without wasting a second, she dashed forward—her baton spinning in her right hand, deflecting a stray beam that came from above.

*Bang!* The impact shook her wrist, but she didn't falter.

'It's faster now,' she thought, ducking under another beam that tore through a tree behind her. She spun, raising another barrier mid-air, letting the beam split and shoot off harmlessly to the sides.

Her body moved on instinct—block, roll, jump, slide. Every movement clean, sharp, desperate.

To anyone watching, it looked like she was fighting just to stay alive, blocking the shots at the last second, barely holding her ground. But in truth, every step she took, every spin of her baton, every barrier she summoned—was carefully placed.

The air shimmered faintly, unnoticed, as thin transparent walls began forming around the golem.

The creature growled, raising both arms, energy charging in its head once more.

Gizel gritted her teeth and sprinted back between it and the school building—her boots scraping the ground, her left arm bleeding slightly from a stray burn.

She stopped, facing the monster head-on.

The golem roared, firing another massive beam.

*BOOOOM!*

The beam shot forward—only to hit something invisible mid-air and ricochet sharply to the right.

Then again—*BOOM!*—it bounced off another unseen wall, then another, the sound echoing like thunder.

The light flashed back and forth in a violent frenzy, each impact shaking the ground harder than the last.

Gizel stood still, eyes locked on the creature.

The final rebound came straight back—*CRAAASH!*—and tore through the golem's head, leaving a massive, smoking hole where its core once glowed.

The hulking body froze, then slowly crumbled into pieces.

Gizel exhaled, lowering her hand. "That's… what happens when you corner me," she muttered, her lips curling into a faint smile.

She stepped forward as she saw the being's body melting into a muddy batter and a dark orb resting on the ground.

She picked it up, her shoulders relaxing.

Just then—*BOOOOOM*

The ground shook. That explosion came from the dormitory section.

She held the orb tightly in her hands and advanced towards the dormitory.

….

"Gha!" Natalie cried, blood spilling from her lips as her body slammed into a tree. The impact cracked the bark, and she slid down, gasping. Her left shoulder hung limply—dislocated. Her face was bruised, her vision shaking.

The golem before her wasn't normal.

Its movements were sharp—almost human. Every step, every swing carried a strange rhythm, as if it could *read* her next move.

She had fought monsters before, but this thing… it fought like a trained warrior.

Each time she lunged, it was already there—blocking, dodging, countering.

She had yet to land even one clean hit.

Her jaw tightened. The frustration burned hotter than the pain.

*DOOOM!*

A massive shockwave rippled across the field, shaking the ground beneath her.

Across the clearing, Kevin was locked in his own battle. His opponent was a brute—a hulking golem swinging a mace larger than his entire body.

Kevin's chest rose and fell heavily. Sweat and blood mixed on his face, a thin trail of red sliding down from his temple. His grip on his sword trembled, not from fear, but exhaustion.

Since it was night, he couldn't use *Emission*—his sunlight-based ability to heal. His body was running on willpower alone.

And the golem's body… it was like iron. Every strike barely left a mark.

Then it moved.

The golem's massive frame crouched low before leaping into the air—its shadow swallowing Kevin whole. The mace gleamed under the moonlight as it came down with bone-breaking force.

Kevin's pupils shrank. He tried to move, to roll away—

"Huh?!—"

Something wrapped around him. The other golem—the one fighting Natalie—had suddenly coiled its limbs around his torso like a snake.

Kevin's heart stopped for a beat. The air trembled.

The mace was already descending.

'Shi—'

*TNG!*

A deafening metallic clang ripped through the night. Sparks burst like fireworks.

The mace was knocked away, crashing into the ground beside him, leaving a crater.

Kevin blinked, his ears ringing. His gaze darted to the side—

—and there she stood.

A green-haired girl, one arm raised, barrier fading from her palm like shards of glass.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Gizel shouted, her voice slicing through the chaos.

Kevin didn't hesitate. He dropped his sword, twisted his body, and grabbed the golem clinging to him by its head.

Muscles strained. The ground cracked under his boots.

With a guttural roar, he yanked it upward and threw the golem over his shoulder. The thing smashed into the dirt with a thunderous crash, breaking the earth beneath it.

Dust billowed. The night echoed with the sound of shattering stone.

Kevin exhaled sharply.

Just then, a shadow appeared above him.

Kevin looked up and saw the bigger golem was already about to punch him.

However, this time, someone else intercepted that attack,

"HAA!" Natalie slammed her shield on the ground and a vibrant dome shimmered to life, protecting Kevin.

The golem, having his attack blocked, turned towards the girl, its eyes glowing with murderous intent.

Natalie snarled, "Now this is the kind of fight I enjoy." She cocked her fists and got into a fighting stance.

On the other hand, the smaller golem also got back up on its feet, its eyes now on Kevin.

The raven-haired lifted his sword and wiped his lips.

"Alright, no more losing now."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Bro is like Escanor but a lot weaker.

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