ALMIGHTY

Chapter 13: Sudden Awakening

"...Kaede?"

Horu stared at the individual who shot the arrow that emerged from his shoulder, its tip painted with blood.

At this point, he didn't even feel the pain that emanated from his shoulder.

His nerve system was suppressed by the appearance of this individual.

He was startled.

"Who?"

She responded confused by Horu's muttering.

It was then, that Horu, yet again, realized that wasn't the same individual he knew.

This wasn't the same Kaede from his youth.

Thus he refrained from saying anything stupid. But even so, somewhere inside him was a version that had to confirm.

"Kaede Umazugawa. Is that you?"

"I'm sorry, but you're mistaking me for the wrong person."

She took an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back and shot it at the injured Horu.

This time, the arrow didn't land. Horu dodged it by a hair's breadth.

If it weren't for his training with Mei, who could move between higher dimensions without time so much as passing, his eye would've been scarred.

Horu vanished from his position, only to appear right behind the girl who he thought to be the parallel version of his crush. He utilized the same technique that he practiced during training.

"Eh..."

The girl couldn't react to Horu's sudden speed.

His partner was on the losing side of the battle, so it was only natural that Horu would've been on the same level.

So she thought.

The former also found it strange that he moved at incredible speed without uttering a single word.

After making his move, he appeared at his previous position with a grin on his face.

"If I win this fight, will you tell me your name?"

He stared intently as to persuade her to go along with the deal.

"Sure. But after I wipe that... Huh?"

The girl was just about to put an arrow through his face when she noticed that all of her arrows had disappeared.

"Like, who brings arrows to a magic school?"

Horu provoked the girl.

He removed his hands from his back, only to reveal the arrows that were supposed to be in the girl's quiver.

However, it wasn't a smart move.

The girl's expression turned eerie. An aura emerged from her body and her demeanor transformed completely.

"I'll kill you!"

Nope. Not the Kaede that I know!

Horu got terrified of the girl's aura alone. The grin on his face disappeared within an instant.

Truth be told, Horu only knew one skill, which was the unknown skill that increased his speed.