472 Chapter 472: School Nigh (2/2)

”Bat-type monsters normally aren't this bold. They should know that it's suicidal to attack Saint Teresa Academy directly. Do you think there's some kind of trap or plot behind their raid?”

Like I said…save this kind of discussion before you enter the battlefield, not when you're already on it. Shouldn't you be watching out for the bats instead of standing around casually and talking so loudly in such a wide, open space where sound could easily travel unimpeded?

Seriously, are these mages fucking amateurs?

Fortunately, it didn't take them long to realize that they should be on the lookout, and they stopped their conversation and flashy movements for a second to watch for enemies. Zhao Yan glanced around, her expression uneasy as she cleched her fists anxiously.

”It's been almost a year since we've joined the Guang Zhi Yi Sect…I hope we'll accomplish the mission safely and without casualties this time as well…”

Zhao Yan was actually whispering to herself, so softly that even my Corvus had to strain to pick up her faint words despite his acute sense of hearing. Evidently she and her sister had been through several grueling battles throughout the past year, and her sentiments matched her practical attire. On the other hand, her sister was…well, the less said about the amateur who was more interested in cosplay than fighting, the better.

”Bat-type monsters, huh?”

I shook my head, feeling annoyed. The four of them couldn't even be bothered to identify the exact species of bat-type monsters, and merely referred to them generally as such. There were so many bat-type monsters in existence, and I wished they could at least provide a clue as to what they were facing. They ranged from the tiny rank F Swarm Bats to the rank C Vampire Bats capable of using blood magic. While you couldn't underestimate the rank F Swarm Bats and I wasn't going to make the mistake of claiming that one was weaker than the other, it was a given that you needed completely different tactics to fight against each type of bat monsters.

”They're here. Get ready!”

A flurry of movement at my Corvus's peripheral vision confirmed Yi Shen's warning. I suppressed the urge to disguise myself as Batman and pop out of the shadows to scare the living hell out of both friends and foes, knowing that it wasn't my turn to step up to bat yet.

Besides, I was still exhausted from the Spartan training session I had just gone through with Adrian and Melina, so I would be pretty useless in combat until I recovered enough mana. That was why I decided to sit back and enjoy the show…except that it wasn't enjoyable. From the moment I saw their tacky outfits, I should have known that something was up…

To compound my exasperation, the four of them made quite a show to draw their weapons. Hey, hey! You guys aren't posing for some magical girl anime, you know? There was no need for one panel per person. Why so dramatic?!

That wasn't the worst thing.

To my chagrin, Yi Shen drew two guns, each a sleekly designed silver revolver with fancy symbols grafted on its metallic surface, and began firing both pistols at the same time.

Yup. You read that right. Yi Shen was firing two pistols simultaneously.

It might look cool, but it was highly impractical and ridiculous. I mean, how the hell does he aim? There's a reason why the police and soldiers were trained to fire only one firearm at a time! It's impossible for you to aim down the sights of two guns at the same time! The only time you would do that was if you fired from the hip.

Okay, some people might give the excuse that Yi Shen was using some sort of auto-aim spell. I certainly could implement such a function on my glasses – so instead of requiring to stare down the sights of either firearm, I could track both targeting reticles that were displayed holographically on my lenses. That was how I took aim with my arrows sometimes.

However, as much as I wanted to allow Yi Shen that excuse, his aim was totally off. Despite firing into a mass of monsters where it would be impossible to not hit anything, he actually missed more than half his shots. Yeah, more than half his shots. His horrendous aim put even the most inaccurate of Stormtroopers to shame. Hell, even Orks with their ballistic skill of 5+ had better aim than Yi Shen!

And if you were going to miss half of your shots anyway, why not just stick to using one freaking pistol and actually put in the effort to aim properly?!

The only saving grace was the power of Yi Shen's shots. When they did hit, they obliterated the monsters instantly, blowing them up into shreds of flesh and blood. Speaking of which, the monsters turned out to be tiny Swarm Bats, each no bigger than the palm of my hand, with razor-sharp wings stretching out of their ball-like bodies. Claws and fangs gleamed in the darkness, illuminated by their red eyes, but they were almost blind, relying instead on supersonic senses and superb hearing from their pointy ears.

The guy was strong, no doubt. If he would just throw away one gun and aimed properly, he would actually be a force to be reckoned with. The mana he exuded was tremendous, and even though he missed half his targets, he was swift and agile, dodging every one of the speedy Swarm Bats' attacks. His movements were polished, I had to admit. No wasted movement there, minimal repositioning and lightning fast reflexes.

The next issue that bugged me was Kai Lin. Okay, so she was extracting a whip from her belt in an unnecessarily big move that belonged more to theater than real-life combat, but she was quick to lash out at the incoming Swarm Bats. With much more success than her leader. I'll give her that.

But her movements…oh, heavens! Her movements!

I could only shake my head as Kai Lin stumbled atop a fence surrounding the park, having used the narrow metal structure as a platform for her already notoriously unstable footing. If she didn't bring her high heels to heel soon, or better yet, ditch them altogether, she was going to hurt her feet. Actually, I could already see the significant amount of damage her high heels were dealing to her feet. Is looking good worth injuring your feet and placing your life at risk in the middle of a battle?

Well, at least she was giving the Swarm Bats a whipping. Her golden whip curled and flicked out, slicing through the tiny monsters with razor-sharp mana that coated the deadly leather. Her performance was coming at a cost, though. Thanks to Corvus, I could see the blisters and swelling on her feet, underneath those stupidly fancy shoes.

And the last was…Ji Yan.

Her frilly dress was nowhere near appropriate for combat. Hell, she looked like she should be going for a tea party in a western-styled manor than fighting in a park against monsters. Her mana was impressive, as was the other three's, but that was the extent of their combat abilities.

In battle, she was far worse than the impractical Kai Lin or even the horribly inaccurate Yi Shen. She was bumbling with her attacks, and even though she succeeded in taking down many of the Swarm Bats thanks to her strong strikes with her chain and hooks, several managed to evade her extending chain and dove through the opening to get to her.

Why the fuck was she wielding such an unwieldy weapon to begin with!?

”This is bad!”

Ji Yan realized the danger she was in when she wasn't able to retract her weapon in time to defend against the attack. Before she knew it, the Swarm Bats were upon her, their slavering jaws open to sink their fangs into her soft flesh…