"It's time to put an end to these clowns."

"Loid, you've been quite busy, haven't you?" Alfred addressed Loid, turning his attention to the students gathered around him.

Loid lowered his head, a sly smile forming on his face. "So, you trapped me, huh? Sending Edward first to deceive me like this? As expected of you."

"He sure is stupid," I remarked casually.

"Yeah..." Eric nodded in agreement.

I turned to Eric and asked, "When did all of you arrive on this floor?"

Eric pondered for a moment before responding, "Hmm, I'd say a few hours ago. Originally, I was planning to move on and search for Milleia's group after completing this floor, but we heard some commotion and stumbled upon you here."

"I see." It was fortunate that they had arrived when they did.

"By the way, something happened, didn't it?" Eric inquired, noticing the complex expression on my face.

"I..I will tell you later it's better."

Eric was also a childhood friend of Louisa, so it was best to postpone sharing the news with him for now.

"Okay," he replied, acknowledging my words.

Alfred, Layla, Carla, and Thomas were all present, so it was wiser to keep quiet for the time being. As for Loid, I had no doubt that this bastard held no genuine affection for anyone but himself.

"You should give up, Loid," Layla stepped forward, her hand gracefully waving through the air, eliciting uneasy gulps from the surrounding men. "His Highness won't need more than a minute to take care of all of you."

"Oh!" Layla's expression suddenly shifted, her hand covering her mouth as she noticed Carla, who was bound and unable to respond. "Oh my! Carla, what happened to you?" Though she feigned concern, it was evident that Layla took pleasure in Carla's predicament.

Carla, with her hands tied, glared at Layla, her eyes filled with daggers. She remained silent, unable to offer a response.

This girl never ceases to irritate people.

"It's a clever plan, but it won't be enough to stop all of us, Alfred," David interjected, standing with his arms crossed, a smile playing on his lips.

We only end up in the same place by chance though?

"....."

Silence settled as the atmosphere became more and more tense.

As the confrontation intensified, it was clear that the battle lines were drawn. Loid, David, and Tyler, accompanied by their group of students, faced off against Alfred, Layla, Eric, Carla, Thomas, and me.

Without hesitation, Loid exchanged a brief glance with David and Tyler before launching himself towards Alfred, propelled by a gust of wind.

No.

He was aiming for Alfred.

"I'll handle him. Take care of the others!" Alfred commanded, swiftly unsheathing his golden sword, crafted from branches of Eden's Tree, similar to Aurora's weapon.

Our other teammates looked with shining eyes at Alfred who seemed like a true leader to them. The girls—be it from our team or the ones under Loid's orders also squealed happily.

I couldn't help but cringe at the sight.

I wanted to shout, "Don't give me orders!" but I refrained from stooping to that level, considering the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Layla responded, clenching her fists tightly with an enthusiastic smile. "I will burn to crisp David and stupid one right away!"

You don't have to go that far, Layla.

And isn't that too cruel to call Tyler, 'stupid one'?

Whatever. Even he must be not aware that Layla was speaking about him.

-BOOOOM!

The clash between Alfred's golden sword and Loid's longsword sent shockwaves through the air.

"I won't hold back just because it's you, Alfred," Loid taunted with a smirk, displaying a hint of the camaraderie they once shared.

"The feeling is mutual, Loid," Alfred replied, matching Loid's smile.

What's with this scene?

Is that a show of rivalry?

Why does it feel so cringeworthy when it involves Alfred and Loid?

"Don't get distracted!" Tyler shouted, swinging his greatsword in my direction.

"Septem Treina," I sighed, swinging my staff simultaneously. "Sweep."

I furrowed my brow as a tremor coursed through my entire body after the impact. Tyler possessed Hercules' Legacy, granting him immense strength. His body was anything but ordinary. I could sense that his greatsword weighed several hundred kilograms, yet he wielded it with ease.

"Hmm?" I turned my gaze to the left and noticed David making a beeline towards Layla.

Ah, I see.

Loid targeted Alfred, the "strongest."

Tyler focused on me, considering me a threat.

And David zeroed in on Layla, exploiting his elemental advantage over her.

But...

I shifted my attention to Eric, who was fending off the onslaught of mobs rushing towards him.

"Eric!"

"Huh?" Eric pummeled a foe with a fierce punch before glancing in my direction. "What's up?"

I smiled at him and pointed towards Carla and Thomas, who were restrained with five students each, ready to pounce at the slightest movement.

"Free them," I urged. Eric looked at Carla and Thomas, who were on the verge of snapping under the strain. The five students surrounding them remained vigilant, poised to attack.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked, aware that the already "out of control" situation would become even more chaotic if we released Carla and Thomas, who belonged to a different group.

"Do it. It'll be fun," I replied with a mischievous smile, infusing Ruah into my staff to push away Tyler.

Eric's expression twitched momentarily, but he eventually grinned. "I suppose!" With a burst of bright red light, he propelled himself high into the air.

-Bam!

A reddish shockwave emanated as Eric propelled himself towards Carla and Thomas with tremendous speed.

"Hey! It's Eric!"

"Stop him!"

"How dare he?!"

"I'll use you as a meat shield, you bastard!"

The individuals guarding Carla and Thomas frantically launched attacks, swinging their weapons in a desperate attempt to halt Eric's advance. However...historical

-BOOOOM!

Eric delivered a powerful punch, shattering the air and sending a burst of reddish energy that sent everyone hurtling away, except for Carla and Thomas.

"Phew..." Eric landed gracefully on the ground and moved swiftly behind them, removing the metallic ropes that bound their hands. The bindings were tight, and forcing them off could have caused severe wrist injuries. "I'm going to set you free. If you have an ounce of pride, you'd better help us defeat Loid and David."

Thomas stood up, rubbing his wrists and glaring at David, who had caught him off guard. "Don't worry about that. I'll tie him up naked on this tree."

"I see..." Eric nodded, observing as Thomas charged towards David, who was currently engaged in combat with Layla.

Carla, too, rose to her feet, a fierce gust of wind swirling around her as she fixed her gaze on David—or so it seemed...

?α?dαs ηθνε| "I'll deal with this b*tch!"

"C-Carla?" Eric stammered, taken aback by the sudden insult coming from a Duke's daughter. He watched in disbelief as Carla rushed towards David.

-BOOOOM!

Thomas caught David off guard, swiftly binding his legs with vines and slamming him onto the ground. "Wha-argh!"

"UGH!" Carla mercilessly stepped on David's prone body and then leaped towards Layla.

Wide-eyed, Layla swiftly erected a wall of red fire to shield herself.

"Die, Layla!" Carla shouted, swinging her sword with a fierce whirlwind swirling around it.

-BOOOOM!

As Carla's sword collided with Layla's fiery barrier, a powerful explosion erupted, sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings. The force of the impact caused the ground to tremble, creating cracks in its surface.

Layla gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing as she maintained her defensive stance against Carla's relentless assault. The wall of fire flickered and wavered under the strain, but Layla managed to hold her ground.

Damn..

She is sure angry at Layla.

She might not have taken kindly to Layla's laugh.

Honestly I expected Thomas and Carla, both of them to help us against Loid and his army of clowns but whatever.

In the midst of the chaos, the clash between Alfred and Loid continued unabated. Each strike reverberated through the air, creating a dazzling display of light and sparks.

Alfred's golden sword, infused with the power of Eden's Tree, emitted a radiant glow, pushing back against Loid's relentless attacks. The clash of their blades sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, causing the students around them to stumble and lose their footing.

The forest which was the current battlefield really had become a mess. Trees, leaves, trunks were flying everywhere and explosions rang here and there.

"Edwaaaaaaard!" Tyler shouted uselessly loudly and swung his sword-

-Bam!

But Eric, having freed Carla and Thomas, swiftly rejoined the fray. He leaped into the air, his body enveloped in a crimson aura as he soared towards Tyler, who was still locked in combat with me.

He kicked away Tyler and joined me. "You can leave him to me," he said and glanced at Loid and I followed his gaze. "We should better finish this battle quickly, Edward. We are wasting time. I have a bad feeling. Elona, Miranda and Milleia are still up there."