“Arrrrghhhhh!!!”

Vaizer’s scream pierced the air as he felt his body being assailed by uncontrollable energy.

It felt like all his nerves were tangled in a twisted knot.

His veins and arteries seemed to have exploded uncontrollably, and everything in his insides were in a frenzy.

‘W-what is—?!’ Vaizer’s eyes bulged as he felt everything tear apart from within.

“H-huh…?”

His entire body became paralyzed too, and he found himself losing control over all mobility and sensory functions.

His vision blurred and his ears rang. His brain pounded, and everything simply felt WRONG!

‘W-what… I don’t… understand…’

“Great work, guys.” A voice sounded behind Vaizer, but he couldn’t tilt his head to see the owner.

As his footsteps approached, the Beastfolk felt dread and powerlessness. A strange sense of fearful foreboding assailed his being.

“No problem.” A voice sounded right beside Vaizer, and a kid appeared.

The very same kid that he was looking for!

“It took all of my self control not to react despite what he was doing, though. Look at Miss Vida’s current state.”

The kid seemed angry, and he was referring to the approaching footstep that became even closer.

“Haha, I apologize. I also didn’t expect things to get so intense. Fortunately, we were able to get to a resolution.”

The man finally appeared from behind, tapping Vaizel on his shoulder as he made his appearance in front of the paralyzed Beastfolk.

‘Y-you!!!’

Right in front of Vaizer, smiling ever so confident, was the human who collapsed due his inability to withstand his Mana Pressure.𝚘𝚟𝐿xt.𝐜𝗈𝑀

‘H-how…?!’

Was he faking it? Was everything a trick?!

“I know what you must be thinking, but no. I actually fainted because of your Mana Pressure.” Maro, the red-haired human laughed in slight embarrassment.

‘T-then how?!’ Vaizer wanted to twitch his eyes, but they wouldn’t move.

“I just woke up much earlier than you thought. Thanks to Aloe’s protective and restorative Spell, I was able to observe your battle for some time. Thanks to that, I was able to devise a countermeasure.”

Vaizer was silent, but a lot of questions squirmed within him.

Ever since he fought his opponents, especially Aloe, it never seemed like there was any form of teamwork going on.

‘What countermeasure is he talking about? Didn’t they all just attack me desperately?’

“Haha, of course you’ll be confused. I can’t see any reaction since your face is completely paralyzed, but it’s just a guess.”

Vaizer was dying of shame, but curiousity still got the better of him. He wanted, so badly, to know what had just happened.

“Asa, could you help me heal Aloe?”

“I don’t know any Healing Magic.”

“I didn’t say you did. You know what? I’ll just do it myself. Watch over the prisoner.”

Maro left Vaizer without explaining, and then moved over to where Vida remained unconscious.

He brought out a vial from his pouch—a Magic Item that protected its contents from being damaged, and also preserved them in their best state, while also having a vast space within it.

The vial was glowing yellow, and it was to help restore Vida’s Mana so she could self-heal.

He brought out yet another vial, a potion that boosted recovery and healed the one who consumed it. As a result, Aloe’s body glowed and she commenced her healing process.

“You did a good job, Aloe.” Maro smiled at the sleeping young woman.

He had never felt any prouder of a partner. Not only did she risk her life, but she exceeded his expectations.

Truly…

‘Well done.’

… She was strong!

*

*

*

What had happened was simple, yet a somewhat nonexistent display of teamwork.

Initially, Asa and Aloe were planning on simply giving their all until they defeated their opponents.

Asa was going to do his best to catch up to Aloe and help in any way he could. He strengthened himself to the limits, and used his Null ability.

While he was trying to catch up to his opponent, though, he heard Maro’s voice in his head.

All he had to do was follow a plan, and Vaizer would be defeated. He was skeptical about it, but once Aloe was connected to the three-way communication—and she agreed—Asa had no choice but to go along with it.

The plan involved Asa taking some vials from Maro—though he didn’t know their functions—and splatter them on Vaizer at intervals.

He had five vials, and after a specified interval, on Maro’s command, he would douse Vaizer with the next round.

Fortunately, Vaizer was too busy with his fight with Aloe to care about being splattered with liquid. Also, since Asa could simply pass through any form of destruction while remaining invisible, he was perfect for the job.

That was what he had to do.

His last vial was spent when Vaizer stood atop Aloe, in victory and the cumulative effect seemed to manifest not long after.

As for Aloe, her duty was to simply engage Vaizer as much as possible. Maro suspected the beastfolk had an Arcana so the plan was for Aloe to push him to the point of utilizing it.

If it turned out Maro was wrong, then it was still good.

Why?

Because that would only make Vaizer all the more screwed.

Once he used his Arcana’s ability, Maro would know what they were dealing with and locate the position of the Arcana. Once the location was deciphered, Asa’s second job was to retrieve it as soon as the enemy became paralyzed.

Sure, there was more chaos than expected.

The plan was almost ruined die to Asa’s boiling annoyance as well. Fortunately, his form made it impossible for anyone to sense even his bloodlust.

Regardless, they succeeded.

Vaizer was successfully captured thanks to the new and improved Mana Shock concentrate Asa doused on him, causing his entire body function to stop.

All in all, while being extremely, it was a successful fight.

*

*

*

“I bet you’re dying of curiousity, aren’t you?” Asa grinned at the oblivious beastfolk.

The boy was currently holding the Arcana he swiped from Vaizer.

‘Who would have thought it would be in his hair? Smart move.’