I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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Turbuck turbuck.

With the sound of footsteps, someone entered the gym.

An old man with a horse mask walked around the empty interior of the gym.

“Hmm. No one’s here?”

His deep voice echoed throughout the space. There was no one to answer his call.

Had they already quickly evacuated? Not lamenting this fruitless journey, the old man turned to leave the gym.

Turbuck turbuck.

Then, suddenly stopping, the Green Horse spoke.

“If you had continued hiding, you might have stayed safe. Why did you come forward?”

“Because you are a Mana user.”

“Interesting answer.”

Fizz.

Crackle.

Sparks erupted throughout the gym.

In the center of the whirlwind of lightning stood a girl with pink hair, glaring at the old man.

“You are quite the formidable opponent. This seems like it will be an enjoyable fight.”

Valentina chose not to respond.

As if this conversation with a Mana user was enough, she stretched out her hand immediately.

Blue lightning blossomed at her fingertips, charging at the old man like a wolf.

The Green Horse, unfazed by the attack, placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

His movements were so swift and precise that even the scene of him unsheathing his sword was barely noticed.

The strike of the katana, cutting through the lightning, rushed straight toward Valentina.

Jump!

With a light movement, the girl sprang into the air, gathering her energy, and released it as lightning struck down all around the gym.

The Green Horse, watchfully observing the lightning barrage, muttered.

“Cutting through lightning, you say?”

Swish!

The old man’s sword grew faster and faster. He counterattacked the lightning that struck him in the blink of an eye.

Valentina, frowning, began to move her own body.

The speed of the girl shooting down from the air was indeed like lightning.

No, she actually seemed to become lightning in that instant.

Her hands and feet faded, and pink lightning flickered wildly.

Like a natural disaster, the girl descended upon the ground, exemplifying unimaginable power.

“I am the Sword of the Wind.”

However, the old man was not any less impressive. The wind, imbued with the fragrance of nature, gently blew into the desolate gym and then suddenly transformed into a powerful storm.

Lightning clashed with wind.

Speed met speed.

For anyone watching the battle from the side, it would have been quite boring.

They probably wouldn’t even be able to capture the essence of the battle, let alone its process.

Only the scene of the gym gradually being damaged due to the fight remained as a testimony to how fiercely they were colliding.

At the exact same moment, both stopped simultaneously and glared at each other.

In contrast to Valentina, whose body was marked with minor wounds from the sword, the Green Horse showed no visible wounds.

However, in truth, it was the old man in a more critical state.

After enduring continuous electric shocks, his internal organs were beginning to fail.

Gasping for breath, the Green Horse spurted blood.

Yet, with a voice full of joy, he said.

“Wow… I never imagined there would be such a strong student. I might have unknowingly become arrogant.”

“Hah. Hah…”

Taking a deep breath, the old man straightened his shoulders and chuckled softly.

“I will reflect on this. And now, I will fight seriously.”

At that moment, a powerful wind, incomparably stronger than before, surged forth.

Ultimately, unable to withstand the wind blowing from outside, the ceiling of the gym flew away, and a green whirlwind slowly descended toward the old man.

It became impossible to see even a step ahead due to the swirling wind.

Valentina squinted her eyes, blocking the wind with her arm, and stared straight ahead.

Whoooosh!

The fierce storm subsided, and the gym fell into silence.

In the now-visible field of view, she saw the enemy staring at her, and the girl bit her lip.

There stood a majestic horse with an imposing posture.

A sacred, spirit-like figure composed of wind, the Green Horse.

The old man perched atop it said.

“I will start the fight again.”

*

Meanwhile, at the same moment.

A girl was trudging through the streets helplessly.

Inside the academy filled with chaos and despair.

She moved sluggishly, as if in a world completely detached from reality.

Eventually, her movements halted in the center of a vast gym.

The field, covered in lush green grass, was already strewn with the corpses of students.

In the midst of those corpses stood a man, lifting a supposedly still living student’s neck in one hand and hoisting it into the air.

With a slight grip of his hand, the student flailed helplessly, losing their life.

The man tossed the lifeless student aside like trash and turned his head toward a presence he sensed nearby.

“Hmm?”

Seeing the girl standing before him, the Gold Lion tilted his head.

The overwhelming difference in size, the corpses scattered around.

In this situation, the girl should have turned and fled without a second thought.

“What are you?”

The Gold Lion growled, and the girl muttered something incomprehensible.

“I don’t believe in such comforting ideas as holy water. But still, I have no choice but to drink it. Otherwise, I can’t…”

“Have you lost your mind? How dull.”

“Hey, can I ask you one thing?”

The aloof man’s eyes suddenly changed.

The presence of the girl before him had completely transformed.

An overwhelming aura.

She was a strong one, among the absolute strongest in the academy.

A chilling smile crept across the Gold Lion’s lips.

“Where is my teacher? Where is she now?”

The Great Mage. Lea asked the Gold Lion.

Of course, he would never answer her willingly.

“If you want an answer, defeat me, little one.”

“You are no match for me.”

“Ha ha ha! How amusing. That’s something you won’t know until you try. Plus, I pride myself on being stronger than that foolish Lizard.”

Behind Lea, endless infinite magic circles began to form.

Golden magic circles spun and flew toward the enemy as spells were cast.

The lion did not dodge the magic.

Instead, he confidently stepped forward, taking only one action.

He clenched his fist.

Finally, as the magic was about to near him, he thrust his fist forth to strike the spell away.

The clash of immense forces caused the ground to crack and the corpses to vanish in the aftermath.

As if that was merely a light greeting, Lea’s magic continued.

From north to south, east to west. All around the enemy, magic circles densely filled the space.

Without granting even a moment of leeway, the spells were activated simultaneously.

This time, an entire array of various types of magic targeted the lion all at once.

Fire, water, lightning, ice, light, darkness.

Considering the natural elements and their forms, it was an uncountable array of emanations.

Due to the overlapping spells, it was impossible to discern how the opponent had responded.

Only when the assault finished could one imagine the place where he had stood was the gym, unrecognizable now.

Amidst such a magical barrage, the Gold Lion remained steadfast.

He was not unscathed. He appeared battered and torn.

Yet, the lion laughed.

He was genuinely entertained by the current battle.

“Not bad. Quite fun.”

“Before you die, speak plainly. Where is my teacher?”

“Hey, little one. Do you know this?”

Instead of responding to Lea’s question, he began discussing a completely unrelated topic.

“Our Mana users consume mana stones, and based on that power, we grow stronger. Originally, our abilities amplify those we had as humans, but over time, the heart and core become one. We begin fundamentally changing. Eventually, we become something between a human and a monster.”

“I get that you’re a filthy, inferior hybrid.”

Despite the girl’s taunts, the Gold Lion continued his explanation.

“No. Not a hybrid, a perfection. We have transcended inferior humans, evolved into a new species. As a result, we awaken once more.”

As he finished speaking, the man’s appearance began to gradually change.

Sharp claws sprouted from his solid hands, fur thickened all over his body, and muscles enveloped him completely.

His jaw elongated, fur sprouted, and a mane emerged.

Having completed his transformation, the man became a perfect lion-human figure.

Lea, watching in real-time, muttered.

“…You really have become a hybrid.”

Even as she said that, the girl heightened her vigilance to the maximum.

The pressure felt was indeed a whole different level from before.

Yet, nothing changed.

In the end, if one faced her magic, anyone would…

Disperse.

When she lost sight of her enemy, she hurriedly glanced around but found no trace.

“Here.”

Bam!

The Gold Lion’s fist flew directly at her.

Clang!

Crash!

The hundreds of layers of protective shields she had prepared shattered effortlessly.

In the end, the fist landed on the girl’s face, sending Lea flying and crashing into the school building.

The Gold Lion, intending to follow where the girl had been sent flying, looked down in puzzlement as he couldn’t move as he willed.

A rainbow chain was wrapped around his ankles.

No matter how much strength he exerted, it wouldn’t budge.

Soon, the sky began to turn a deep red.

A meteor descends from above the clouds.

Lea, buried in concrete debris, watched the scene unfold and said.

“Just die.”