The abnormal freezing didn’t last long.
Long before the challenge began, they had swapped their equipment and used magic to bolster their ice resistance to deal with Ophelia.
A few seconds later, the ice shattered, revealing nine people who were pale-faced, shivering, and barely able to stand. Their weapons had fallen from their hands, their mana had scattered, and the eyes they turned toward Ophelia were filled with terror.
‘Is this power for real? Are you really a freshman this year, or some professor pretending to be young just to crush us?’
But just as they were about to surrender, Horn’s eyes suddenly twitched. Deep within his crimson pupils, a flicker of black flame seemed to flash for an instant.
“ROAR — !”
A roar that sounded barely human suddenly exploded. Immediately after, a violent combat aura, crimson mixed with an ominous black energy, erupted. His presence surged instantly.
“Is this Berserker Form? Senior Horn’s Berserker Form?” a knowledgeable upperclassman cried out.
“No! Berserker Form doesn’t turn combat aura that color! This is…”
Ophelia frowned slightly. As she watched Horn, whose aura was running wild like a mad demon, a trace of confusion flashed in her ice-blue eyes.
‘Die… Die!!!’
Horn seemed to have completely lost his mind. Only a frantic, obsessive desire to defeat the person before him remained in his head.
He slammed his foot down, shattering the ice. His figure transformed into a blur of intertwined crimson and black. His greatsword let out a piercing howl as it tore through the air, slashing at Ophelia at several times his previous speed.
This time, Ophelia drew her sword. Her ice-blue longsword left its sheath, precisely parrying the violent strike.
*Clang — !*
An ear-piercing screech of metal on metal rang through the arena. A visible shockwave rippled out from where the swords met, sending ice shards at the edge of the stage flying once more.
Fine cracks appeared on the ice beneath Ophelia’s feet, but her stance remained as steady as a rock.
When his strike failed to land, Horn roared and launched a series of continuous slashes. His greatsword became a storm of crimson and black. Every hit was heavy and infused with devastating power.
Ophelia’s movements were ethereal, her sword-light flowing like water. She wove through the violent offensive, parrying each blow. Every collision erupted into an incredible surge of chaotic energy.
Her swordsmanship was concise and efficient, often neutralizing the opponent’s greatest strength with minimal effort. However, Horn’s current power and speed were indeed staggering. For a moment, he actually fought her on equal ground. Sword-light and combat aura clashed frantically, creating a dazzling display.
The audience watched with their hearts in their throats, never expecting the situation to take such a turn.
Lilian’s and Emma’s hearts raced again. Camilla stared intently at the stage, her frown deepening.
‘Something’s wrong… very wrong.’
The combat power Horn was currently displaying had completely exceeded the scope of Berserker Form.
The violent nature of that crimson-black aura reminded her of a side quest in the Alchemist class line of the game. The Eye of Truth had secretly developed and sold a forbidden drug called the Black Skeleton Drug. Those who took it would gain power far beyond their rank for a short time, but the cost was permanent damage to their soul and potential. In severe cases, the user’s life force would be exhausted, leading to immediate death.
Looking at those writhing dark-red veins under Horn’s skin and his increasingly unstable aura… it was a perfect match!
‘If it’s a modified or high-concentration version of the Soul-Burning Potion… even if my sister wins, Horn might drop dead right after the drug’s effects wear off.’
‘This isn’t a normal challenge anymore. This is murder — both for Horn himself and for my sister, who might accidentally kill him!’
‘I can’t let him die here.’
Camilla’s eyes sharpened. She quickly fished a small, flat metal flask from her bag. Inside was one of the Universal Neutralizers she had prepared earlier to handle various situations. It was specifically designed for emergency treatment of internal energy rampages or poisoning. It had a certain stabilizing and purifying effect and could mitigate most alchemical potions.
However, if she just threw it over, it would definitely be blown away by the shockwaves of the battle. She needed a more discreet method… She looked down at Rimuru, who was poking its head out from the opening of her bag, and quickly sent an order through their mental link.
Rimuru understood immediately. Its pink body wiggled slightly. Within a few breaths, it split into three thumb-sized, lighter pink sub-bodies.
Camilla pulled the plug from the metal flask and carefully poured the viscous, pale-gold liquid into the “little mouths” opened by the three sub-bodies.
The sub-bodies enveloped the liquid, their bodies glowing slightly as they perfectly masked the potion’s scent.
“Go, get close to that big red-haired guy and splash the liquid on him. Ideally on his mouth, nose, or any wounds,” Camilla whispered her command while using her body to block the view of the nearby spectators.
Three small pink dots slipped silently from Camilla’s feet, blending into the mixture of ice and water on the ground. Using the shadows of the ice pillars and the chaotic energy currents on the stage as cover, they moved swiftly and discreetly toward the two people locked in fierce combat.
On the stage, Ophelia and Horn had already exchanged dozens of rounds. Horn’s attacks were becoming increasingly frantic, completely disregarding the cost. However, Ophelia’s swordsmanship was becoming more and more effortless. She seemed to be observing and adapting to the rhythm of his rampage.
Ice-blue sword-light occasionally left shallow marks on Horn, but they were barely held back by that layer of crimson-black combat aura.
Just then, taking advantage of the cover provided by the ice mist and rubble kicked up by a violent collision, the three pink dots launched themselves into the air, rapidly approaching their target.
Horn’s entire mind was focused on Ophelia. Combined with the chaotic aftermath of the battle, he truly didn’t notice.
Two of the sub-bodies crashed into his neck and arm, instantly shattered by his protective combat aura, but the pale-gold liquid they carried splashed out and touched his skin.
The third sub-body was accidentally stepped on and crushed, but the first two had already completed the task.
The liquid touching his skin seeped in rapidly. The pale-gold medicinal power felt like a cool stream as it made contact with the violent, burning crimson-black energy inside Horn’s body.
Horn’s frantic movements suddenly stalled. The boundless power within him, which had felt like it was about to set his soul on fire, was suddenly doused like a fire hit by a bucket of ice water. It began to recede rapidly. The madness in his crimson eyes was gradually replaced by intense pain and confusion.
“Ugh… ah!”
He let out a pained, weak groan. His surging aura deflated like a leaking balloon, instantly dropping back to Rank 5 and continuing to slide downward.
The greatsword in his hands became incredibly heavy. His previously smooth and violent offensive came to a screeching halt.
Although Ophelia didn’t know the reason, her battle instincts allowed her to seize this fleeting opportunity.
A flash of ice-blue sword-light pierced through Horn’s scattered defenses. The flat of her blade struck his breastplate with a heavy blow.
*Bang!*
Horn’s massive body flew back, tracing a perfect parabola through the air before slamming heavily onto the edge of the stage over 10 meters away.
He struggled twice, trying to stand up, but suddenly opened his mouth and vomited a large pool of viscous, dark-black liquid. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he fell completely unconscious.
The battle was over.
The entire arena fell into silence once again, but this time, the silence was filled with confusion.
Everyone had seen Horn’s sudden weakening and him vomiting blood at the end, but most assumed his Berserker Form had simply reached its time limit, allowing Ophelia to take the chance to defeat him.
However, a very small number of people realized something was wrong and stared intently at the pool of mysterious black liquid on the ground.
Ophelia sheathed her sword and looked at the unconscious Horn. Her ice-blue eyes narrowed slightly, lost in thought.