''I would love to use my Grimoire''s [Analyze], with my staff''s [Link] and [Activation] effects, to counter Stefan''s abilities, but…''


    Doing that against an Arcana was a tall order. Perhaps that would have worked for other Spells, but Elrich was unsure.


    He would simply use them when the need called for it. His major options in this battle were his Arcana, the many items that heightened his raw power, and the ne that would shield him. He also had his rings—each having various elemental attributes that would be somewhat useful depending on the situation.


    His Familiar had many uses—most of it involving precognition, battle analysis, weakness identification, information supply, andplete awareness of the details around him. His current mode also vastly improved his cognitive ability, so he could think very fast; much faster than his body could move.


    His Familiar, while not having any major offensive ability, was perfect for support!


    ''The Gem on my forehead can allow me to redirect an attack—but depending on the intensity of the attack, I don''t know how many it can handle before expiring.''


    Stefan was far more powerful than his precious opponents, so he was unsure of how the battle would go. However, Elrich didn''t despair. After all, he wasn''t alone.


    Maria was right beside him, and based on raw power alone, she was pretty much his match. He wondered how someone so young could possess such prowess, but this wasn''t the time to delve into such things.


    Besides, their enemy was about the same age as Maria, and his power appeared to exceed theirs—at least on an individual level.


    ''Working together, using our Arcanas… we can win!'' With this in mind, Elrich signalled to Maria and she made the first move.


    *


    *


    *


    >VWUUUUSSSHHHHHH!!!<


    Maria sped through the expanse of space between her and Stefan, instantly appearing right behind him.


    "Not bad." The boy arrogantlymented.


    At that very moment, Elrich teleported in front of the target. Both he and Maria coordinated their strikes, prepared to destroy Stefan. However—


    ''Fools.'' He grinned, perfectly capable of sensing both Maria and Elrich as they closed in on him.


    >BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!<


    With a surge of power, he sent Maria and Elrich flying away—at least, he was supposed to.


    However, the moment he tried this, Elrich had already teleported Maria and himself far away from Stefan, thus wasting the attack.


    "Smart move. Running away from me like that." Stefan grinned, watching them from their distance.


    Thanks to Elrich Lendertwale''s teleportation ability, they could easily evade attacks. Thus, making their increased mobility very difficult for Stefan to counter.


    ''Hmph! Is that what they really think?''


    He watched as the two prepared another set of attacks—this time from their distant range.


    Maria''s energy appeared to be condensed into the form of a spear, while Elrich was using ten different elements to form a massive sphere. Both were dangerous attacks—and they were sure to cause considerable damage to any target.


    ''But I can easily repel it. What are these idiots thinking?'' Stefan thought to himself in disappointment.


    It was as though they were using their abilities without much thought. It ruined the experience for him.


    "Whatever." He stretched out his palm, and a ck orb appeared in front of him. Crimson cackles formed all around him, and the orb kept expanding,


    "I''ll y along with their farce."


    Both Maria and Elrich released their attacks, and they shed with that Stefan''s.


    >BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!<


    A st ascended to the sky and burrowed itself into the earth. In mere moments, the area around them was covered in char and smoke.


    >WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!<


    Emerging from this smoke were Elrich and Maria, once again choosing to attack Stefan with their joint efforts.


    ''My senses transcend sight alone. Even with the smokescreen, I can clearly sense them.'' He nearly sighed.


    The moment they struck, he utilized his repulsion once more, and this time, while Maria teleported away, Elrich took the hit.


    >BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<


    As expected, he was sent crashing into the ground.


    He quickly picked himself back up, though. Once he recovered from Stefan''s absolute defence, Elrich returned to Maria''s side with a brilliant smile on his face.


    "What are you idiots up to?" Stefan asked in exasperation.


    So far, they were hardly putting up a challenge. It was almost too boring.


    "Come on, Maria! Onest time." This time, both Elrich and Maria teleported right in front of Stefan.


    They prepared their attacks once more, and this made the boy extremely upset.


    ''Are you kidding me?!''


    He decided to get a bit more serious, utilizing his power of motion to halt both Elrich and Maria in their current position while sending his push ability to decimate them.


    However—


    "U-uh…?"


    —It didn''t work!


    "What?!"


    While he was in this state of shock, Elrich and Maria swiftly unleashed the trap they had been preparing for Edward from above.


    A beam of light—like a kaleidoscope pir of many colours—descended from above and consumed their target.


    >BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!<


    With Stefanpletely baptized by the pir, and its influence spreading to consume Elrich and Maria, both vanished from their position and retreated a far distance away.


    "Haa…" Elrich heaved a sigh.


    Even though he was used to the basics of his abilities, and even got around to mastering a few other tricks, using the Arcanas in quick session—especially in split-second intervals—was a bit of a bother.


    If it weren''t for the abilities of his Familiar, he wouldn''t be able to keep up with such speed. Still, it seemed they had dealt their first strike.


    And it was all thanks to their cooperation.


    *


    *


    *


    Maria''s Arcana, [The Pope], created a purification effect that eliminated anything considered evil, and as such, anythingbelled with malevolence. It was especially effective when battling Nether.


    This contrast allowed her to nullify Nether and its influence.


    Just as it was possible to operate an Arcana using Mana or Miasma, Nether apparently also worked. Since Stefan was using it, Maria could nullify it—at least that had been their belief.


    To test this out, she encased Elrich in her energy and allowed him to intentionally receive Stefan''s attacks head-on.


    Of course, Elrich was sent flying—but only as an act. The Arcana''s effects didn''t work on him. Through this short interaction, they were able to figure out a way to escape the influence of Stefan''s power.


    Who else could have thought of that? Maria was Stefan''s natural enemy.


    "You…" Stefan emerged from the light pir, a little roughened by its impact.


    His wounds soon healed, however.


    pǎпdǎ Й?νê1,сòМ "I''m done ying. Why don''t we kick things up a notch?"


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    New book release announcement!!!


    Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you''ll love /book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205


    Cheers!