“It’s time to give my verdict.”

As I stood before all nine participants of the recently concluded challenge, a lot of thoughts swarmed me.

Sure, we had a very touching moment encouraging Serah after watching her blow up the entire Hive, but in the end, this was a mission with the highest sets of stakes that we planned for.

To ensure it was a success, I had to be strict with the grading.

“Beruel, Aurora, Gerard, Z’ark… you weren’t able to completely eliminate your foes due to the interruption, but with enough time, I’m confident you would have done so. You pass.” I began with the obvious.

“Maria and Serah. It goes without saying that you three pass. You have immensely destructive abilities, and we need all the firepower we can get when we face Legris.”

I had already suspected that these two had grown stronger over the years, but seeing it with my own eyes was enough to prove it.

‘I didn’t know you had developed your Original Magic, Maria. I guess you wanted to surprise me.’ Well, it worked.

And then there was Serah. Her destruction of the entire Hive was unexpected, but in a way, it worked to our advantage.

‘I’m happy to see that we have a few who can rival the power of the ones who were displaced.’ I nodded at the two of them.

“You pass.”

My gaze moved to the two who, in all honesty, stole my attention the most.

“Ana and Lemi… what can I say?” I truly didn’t know how to properly express myself to these two.

Ana fought like I would; as a Magic Scholar. She utilized the least amount of Aether, achieving the best results possible. Her ability to think on the spot and strategize on the appropriate Spell to use was just spectacular.

I had never been prouder of her ability at combat. Rather than just pouring energy into one’s attacks, it was better to utilize it to the best measure.

‘I guess people like Maria and Serah couldn’t bother with that since they already have so much energy to spare…’

In any case, Ana was a fine addition to the team based on her strategic mind and impressive use of Spells.

‘And then there’s Lemi…’ My gaze fell on her, and I found myself gulping hard.

How in the world did she learn Spellcraft?!

‘She calls it Absolute Domain, but it functions exactly the same way Spellcraft does!’ My mind pounded as I stared at her.

It made me realize just how similar we were, and how far she had come since our last interaction ten years ago.

Of course… I’d never tell her that. 𝗈𝒱𝓵xt.𝔠𝓞𝓜

Not yet, anyway.

‘Plus, her application of Spellcraft, containing her energy inside a dome in order to protect it from interference from Nether… it’s genius.’

Both her and Ana made me pleased to see intelligent strategies successfully implemented in the battleield.

“You both pass. I was impressed with the way you used your abilities.”

I watched them both break into smiles, though Lemi seemed to be hiding hers quite well.

‘Who are you fooling? Pfft!’ I subdued my chuckle and glanced at the last person on the roster.

“Jerry…”

All focus was on him at this point, and his gaze was currently locked on his feet. It seemed he didn’t have the courage to look me in the eye or to spout out the brave words he uttered the last time.

He must have understood the difference in ability between himself and everyone else present.

“You surprised me the most, Jerry. You’ve improved greatly since the last time we met, and even in the fight, you desplayed tenacity and an unwillingness to give up. It reminded me of the Inter Class Exchange we had back in Ainzlark.”

Even back then, he had the same eyes.

“But I remember you were hurt, almost to the point of death, back then. Your unwillingness to give up put your life in danger then, as it did in this mission…”

For that reason alone, Jerry’s tenacity could end up being his weakness.

“I-I see…” He murmured, a small smile playing on his face.

“Yes. But Jerry, do you also remember what happened back then? When you held out for so long that you would have died if you continued for longer?”

“Wha…?” Jerry raised his head and looked at me.

His eyes widened in surprise, most likely because he saw my smiling face.

“I came to your rescue, didn’t I? Your actions inspired me. You moved me to take action, and I did. That was something no one else could have done.” I took a few steps closer to Jerry, placing my hand on his shoulder.

“You displayed the same bravery today. And all of us who watched were moved by it.”

I watched as Jerry’s eyes darted at everyone else, and they widened even more. He was probably shocked by how many smiles and nods of approval he was recieving.

“You aren’t fighting alone. We’re a team. As long as you hold out and don’t give up… we’ll be there to support you.” I removed my hand from his shoulder and formed a fist, hitting his chest softly with it.

“You pass, Jerry. Everyone passes.”

This was my strict evaluation of the mission.

“All fourteen of us will be leaving for our Original World now. We have already said our goodbyes, and we have strengthened our resolves for this moment.” I smiled as I raised my voice, ensuring my eyes met every single member I was responsible for.

I was determined to end this entire chapter once and for all.

“No matter what, we must win.”

I heard the words of my comrades bounce into my ears, all of them cheering and responding to my words.

Even Jerry cheered loudly, a wide smile etched on his face as he nodded violently.

‘No matter what… no matter the cost…’ I looked at everyone present, a smile still etched on my face.

‘… We have to win.’

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A

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Thanks for reading, everyone!

I ertainly hope for a happy ending for everyone present here.

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