[Nightmare]

"Begin!"

"[Cyclone]." Riley whispered.

The shrapnel left behind from [Shatter] flew at Tilo in a torrent.

"Hah! You have a complementary skill set!" Tilo laughed in glee.

Riley narrowed her eyes with an unreadable expression.

Tilo hadn't moved.

He wasn't dodging, either.

The man was standing, surrounded by a barrier, as the rock fragments crashed against it violently.

Helix watched the proceedings with interest.

Riley burst from her position with her sword in her hand.

Most barriers could keep monsters, magic, and projectiles out.

However, it could not stop a human being from entering.

"[Wind Wall]." Riley called out with her left hand pressed forward.

Tilo lifted his hand to block the incoming attack.

Wind Wall created two walls of wind that created a tunnel for Riley to run through.

No projectiles could pass through.

However, it was highly dangerous to use near fire.

Tilo was anticipating the strike to come from in front of him.

The strategy was simple.

The cyclone was raging out of the barrier.

Riley would enter the barrier and force Tilo out.

A single rock would scratch him, and it would be over.

That was the general strategy.

However—

"[Dancing Wind]!"

When her body was only a few meters away, the cyclone bent around her movements.

"Hah! A marvelous bluff!" Tilo called out.

Riley sliced through the barrier at a frightening speed.

Her skill with a sword was also remarkable.

"Excellent!" Tilo cried out.

Charlotte's eyes widened—

—and then they fell lifelessly toward the floor.

Tilo had knocked her out the second that she entered the barrier.

"That was stunning." He announced with a charming smile.

"A+. You did not let Marie outshine you in the slightest."

Charlotte frowned when he watched Helix carry Riley back.

"That fight was half as long and anti-climactic." She whined.

"It's because her strategy was strong and highly adaptable to any situation." Helix said with a slight smile.

"Huh?" Charlotte asked.

"Just like Marie's ripple quake, she can use her cyclone wind dance combo in any battle." He explained.

"The only thing it lacked was swordplay and agility, which you'll all improve soon.

Riley wasn't beaten by strategy. She was beaten due to a lack of fundamentals. Don't worry."

Helix looked at her with a gentle smile.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

Charlotte fidgetted nervously.

"I…." She began with an anxious expression.

"If you kill master, Tyrene and I will celebrate that a new grandmaster was born.

The world will be stoked to know an 18-year-old has claimed the prize." Helix joked.

Charlotte crossed her arms and huffed.

"Seriously, Charlotte. If I messed up my first round, I would have died." He laughed.

"Take it seriously, or you will get roasted."

Charlotte nodded.

"Are you ready, girl?" Tilo asked.

Charlotte looked at Marie and Riley, knocked out cold on the ground next to her.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. If you play with fire, you'll get burned. Remember that."

Tilo shot her an unenthusiastic expression.

However, he saw that Helix was not smiling.

"What is your Nightmare? I know it's a fire element, but I restricted my knowledge." Tilo asked.

"It's called Exodus Blaze." Charlotte replied with sharp eyes.

"Hmmm. I've never heard of that before." He commented with his hand on his chin.

"If you don't take it seriously, you'll be one more person less that has." Charlotte replied.

"Bold words, little lady. Let's see if you can back them up." Tilo replied with sharp eyes.

"You may begin when—"

"[Exodus Blaze]!"

"Gahhhhhhh! What the fuck!" Tilo cried.

"Good thing I set… up… this… barrier…."

Tilo was smashed against the ground as a raging torrent of vibrant blue fire blasted against his barrier.

One element that could not be stopped by a barrier—gravity.

Gravity is a constant force that allows humans to walk and interact.

Changing the gravity in an area affects everything equally.

"Damn! This Nightmare's only purpose is to murder someone and leave behind no evidence." Tilo chuckled.

The Level 3 charge barrier he set up specifically for Charlotte began to crack.

Wind magic was pressing the fire against the barrier, and gravity was locking him into place and pressurizing the heat.

The flames were stronger, hotter, and more devastating.

"Haaaaaaaah. To think I'd have to try again." He chuckled.

"I suppose that boy wouldn't hang around just any women."

Tilo moved against gravity to pull out a magic circle disc.

"[Suffocate]." Tilo said as he sucked in a deep breath.

Then he dropped another circle.

[Dissipate].

Something extraordinary happened.

Charlotte's unstoppable raging wall of vibrant blue death flames instantly ceased to exist.

The wind stopped too.

"Where'd he—guuuuuhl."

Charlotte fell to her knees after receiving a karate chop to the back of her neck.

"Damn. That's a brutal Nightmare!" Tilo laughed next to her.

"Five stars for listening to the murder master's advice too."

The man shot Helix a murderous glance.

Helix sighed, knowing what would happen next.

"Ow… that hurt." Charlotte whined while rubbing the back of her neck.

"What? Did you want a hug?" Tilo replied mockingly.

"Yes! As a matter of fact!" She huffed.

A split second later, Charlotte flung herself into Helix's arms.

"Waaaaaah. Hellie! Master's mean!" She cried.

Helix gave the overly dramatic woman a hopeless smile.

Her acting was so atrocious that Tilo's poker face crumbled.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so mocked.

"Anyway… let's wait for the others to wake up. Then we'll review." Tilo announced.

"Wait! We don't get to watch Hellie fight!?" Charlotte cried indignantly.

"You do get to watch me fight." Helix sighed.

"Master is waiting for you all to wake up.

He wants an audience when he beats me senseless."

Charlotte's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Then you should beat him up!

You have a group of women to impress!" She replied with a devious smile.

Helix gave her a wry smile.

"Trust me. I try to win every time."

Charlotte gave him a hopeful expression and pleading eyes.

"But… I'll try harder." He sighed.

Charlotte's eyes lit up.

"You better!" She declared.

"Yeah, yeah." He chuckled.

The two chatted for about twenty minutes alone before Marie woke up.

It was nice to catch up alone, and they both enjoyed it.

Marie joined in once she was awake, and Helix filled her in on what was happening.

Five minutes later, Riley woke up and got the same breakdown.

"Hey boy! You have some girls to impress." TIlo taunted.

"Are you ready to experience the fruits of all of your hard work?"

Helix chuckled bitterly.

"Master. If I got any reward from doing good besides an extra 5% increase in your power, I'd be happy." He sighed.

"5%?" Charlotte asked.

Helix gave them a wry smile.

"Master is Level 189."

Their eyes went wide with shock and astonishment.

"That's right." Helix chuckled.

"We've been here a few months.

We take fast growth for granted.

However, master has been developing his craft for fifty years."

He pointed at Tilo.

"That man is an absolute badass.

Just making him sweat is an honor."

Tilo gave Helix a wry smile, saying, [you're not ass-kissing your way out of this, boy].

Helix looked at his girlfriends.

"That's why I'll happily take an ass beating. After I make him sweat... profusely." He grinned.

—

Power stones and grammatical errors = more content. :)