"Haha… Truly, what a ridiculous knight you are."

McHart let out a hollow laugh, trying to mask his frustration with a facade of nonchalance in response to Ethan's unwavering determination. However, the forced smile on his face quickly faded as he extended a dark, menacing hand and launched a fresh attack.

"If dying together here is your wish… then I have no choice but to grant it!"

Abandoning any attempt to persuade Ethan to leave, McHart immediately activated his unique ability, initiating an assault. Naturally, neither Ethan nor I could afford to sit idly by as his attacks rained down on us, so we each gripped our weapons and prepared for battle.

"Hands of darkness! Tear those wretched fools apart!"

-Shhhhk!

-Shhhhk!!

At McHart’s command, six or so shadowy hands emerged from the surrounding darkness, clawing their way toward us. It was the same technique I had fallen victim to when I was first trapped in McHart’s mental world.

Back then, I had been unable to respond because I was enveloped in complete darkness. McHart’s shadowy hands, created from the surrounding gloom, were most effective in pitch-black conditions, where their reach and power were magnified.

Though the current surroundings were dim, they weren’t nearly dark enough to give McHart’s shadows the same advantage as before. We had ample time to spot the approaching hands and prepare a defense.

"Ethan! Let’s use the third stance! I’ll cover the front and anything coming from below!"

"Got it, Lillis! I’ll handle the rest!"

Given the nature of the attacks, there were more coming from behind us. These attacks were more sudden and required sharper reflexes, but it wasn’t that I was putting Ethan in more danger. As a swordsman, Ethan had far better instincts than I did, so I trusted him with the role that required quick reactions.

On the other hand, my lower center of gravity made it easier for me to deal with enemies crawling from the ground, which was why we chose this third stance to counter McHart's attack. It was a formation we had often used during our practical monster-hunting classes, where we faced incoming waves of monsters together.

-Swish!

-Shhk!

In our well-practiced stance, Ethan’s sword and my daggers sliced through the shadowy hands one by one. We defended our assigned positions, focusing on repelling the immediate threats.

Indeed, there was no one I could trust more to watch my back in this world than Ethan. It wasn’t just a matter of strength; it was about the bond we had formed as partners over a long period.

-Stab! Crackle!

My magic-imbued dagger pierced through one of McHart’s shadowy hands, and the light that spread from the wound caused the hand to dissolve into nothingness. This was the effect of "The Everlasting Flame," one of my secondary support spells. Normally, this magic was just used to light the way in dark places like forests or caves, but against an enemy with a darkness attribute, it could be used as an offensive spell.

I had spent nearly all of my remaining skill points to learn this magic, but it was necessary. After all, surviving this fight was the only way to level up or learn new skills later.

After a few minutes of fighting, we had grown accustomed to slicing through McHart’s shadowy hands, and before long, Ethan and I were cutting them down faster than McHart could summon them. As a Sword Expert, Ethan was already capable of holding his own against McHart, even in a one-on-one battle. With my magical support, the tide of the battle had clearly turned in our favor.

Even though this space was advantageous for McHart’s unique magic, the half-dozen shadowy hands he could summon weren’t enough to overpower us. As intimidating as those hands might have looked—like something a final boss would use (which, in truth, they were)—their actual power wasn’t all that impressive.

The hands were designed to restrict movement and drain magical energy from their targets. In the game 『Luminor Academy』, they were difficult to deal with only because you had to control all four party members manually. But as long as everyone did their part, defeat was out of the question.

-Shhk!

"Damn you, you wretched…!"

McHart, who had been maintaining a facade of calm while continuing his attack, was now visibly panicking. He seemed to realize that if he didn’t finish us off quickly, he would be the one in danger.

Time was no longer on McHart’s side. His magic reserves couldn’t sustain this space much longer, and once his energy was depleted, the battle would end in our favor. Besides, by the time that happened, Agnes and Cerista would likely have arrived. Even if Antonio was holding them up, a hero’s basic physical prowess would be more than enough to deal with someone like Antonio.

As the number of shadowy hands McHart could summon dwindled from six to three, Ethan and I began to plan our final move to take him down.

"Ethan, I think he’s reaching his limit."

"Got it. I’ll cover you, so take a moment to—"

"No, I mean he’s reaching his limit, not me. The frequency of his attacks is dropping, and he’s only summoning half as many hands as before."

"Oh."

Understanding dawned on Ethan’s face, and he nodded, ready to execute our final strategy against McHart.

"Let’s go with the fifth stance. It’s the one we used when hunting the Soul Hounds in the Black Forest."

"Confirmed, Lillis."

"And as I mentioned before we started today, we can’t just kill him outright."

"…I’ll try."

Whether he meant he would try to subdue McHart without killing him or resist the urge to kill him on the spot, his answer seemed to carry a double meaning.

Even though the plan was to defeat McHart, killing him outright would cause complications. We needed to reveal his demonic nature in front of everyone before dealing the final blow.

With the plan in mind, I signaled to Ethan, who immediately closed the distance between him and McHart with both swords drawn, marking the start of our "fifth stance."

-Dash!

"…!!"

Ethan sprinted straight toward McHart, the priority target, closing the gap in an instant. McHart’s eyes widened as he watched Ethan charge at him like a moth drawn to a flame.

But then, a sly smile crept across McHart’s face as he continued his assault, refusing to back down. Countless shadowy hands shot up from the ground, trying to seize Ethan as he approached.

"Did you think getting close would give you the advantage?! I expected more from someone who seemed skilled with a sword, but in the end, you’re just another fool who only knows how to swing it around!"

McHart’s unique ability grew stronger the closer he was to his target. Like all demonic magic, dark magic was most potent around its caster.

This was particularly true for McHart’s shadowy hands, which were more effective the closer they were to their master’s body, where the shadows were the darkest.

But that didn’t mean McHart had gained an advantage over Ethan.

No matter how much stronger McHart became in close combat, Ethan was still the superior fighter, even accounting for that.

-Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!

Ethan dashed forward, slicing through the shadowy hands with the force of a Sword Expert’s strikes. The hastily summoned shadows shattered into pieces after only a few blows.

The slight increase in McHart’s power wasn’t enough to overcome Ethan. That was the power of a Sword Expert in 『Luminor Academy.』

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters. As the distance between Ethan and McHart closed, McHart’s attacks grew more frantic, but Ethan either deflected or cut through them as he continued his advance.

‘Ethan can handle this on his own for now.’

There weren’t many opportunities for me to assist, so I had to be careful with my timing.

If I intervened at the wrong moment, I might inadvertently put Ethan in danger. And even if that didn’t happen, I only had three chances to use my magic, so I had to use them wisely.

"Now, die…!!"

-Kwabang!

‘Now…!’

As McHart unleashed his final desperate attack, a massive hand erupted from the ground, hurtling toward Ethan. Recognizing McHart’s move, I immediately threw one of my daggers at the colossal hand.

"Ethan! I’ll handle this one!"

"Understood!"

My Blackwood-engraved dagger flew through the air and embedded itself in the hand that was about to grab Ethan. The "Everlasting Flame" stored within the dagger activated, causing the hand to shatter into pieces.

With the gap between Ethan and McHart now almost closed…

"Don’t come any closer…!! You monster!!"

In a last-ditch effort, McHart summoned three more hands from the ground, the final remnants of his power, sending them toward Ethan from the front and sides.

Having anticipated this final pattern, I hurled my remaining two daggers and shouted to Ethan.

"Just cut the one in the middle, Ethan!!!"

Nodding as if he understood, Ethan’s head dipped slightly.

Though it was hard to see his expression from the back, I was sure of it.

My two daggers flew straight toward the hands on either side of Ethan, destroying them, while Ethan did as I instructed and sliced through the middle hand.

-Shhk.

With all the obstacles between Ethan and McHart eliminated, the two clashed, swords meeting in a burst of sparks.

…And when the dust settled, the only one left standing was Ethan.