Teacher Rhein's ability is actually quite straightforward. When she removes her glasses, she can summon multiple clones of herself. These clones share the same abilities, emotions, and memories as the original. Naturally, she uses this power to perform surgeries more efficiently... Of course, such an ability can't be known by just anyone. Given the current situation, the Holy See would likely brand her as a heretic Sorceress. Even with this power, her clones aren't much stronger than her original self. Against the Holy Knights, they'd still get beaten up.
It's been about ten minutes since Teacher Rhein kicked me out of that classroom. The situation around here seems to have calmed down. The Black Beast appears to have been lured away by Julia.
Under these circumstances, the people on the first floor started getting restless. After all, if this cage of flames isn't cleared, it's hard for them to escape.
"Teacher Rhein... isn't she done yet?" Senior Rachel handed me a wooden bottle she was holding. It was just plain water distributed by the student council. Currently, most departments of Gloria Academy of Magic have completely shut down. The only functioning unit now is the student council in this teaching building. The members maintaining order here are also from the student council.
This Black Beast attack exposed the inadequacies within Gloria Academy of Magic's internal structure. Most Mages couldn't retrieve their wands, making accurate spellcasting impossible. Naturally, they had no choice but to huddle in this place, waiting for the Holy See to rescue them.
"She should be fine... If Teacher Rhein is performing the surgery on herself, it shouldn't be too serious..." "If that's the case... that's really great..." "Mm..." I nodded and glanced at my senior. Senior Rachel then pulled over a chair and sat right next to me.
"Senior Rachel, why aren't you with your family? It's clearly safer over there at a time like this." "No... actually... um... I feel... safest when I'm with you..." Senior Rachel's face flushed slightly. But from my perspective, she looked even more captivating now.
"Huh?" This atmosphere felt a bit awkward... Could this be the legendary confession? From many angles, Senior Rachel seemed to have feelings for me, but for some reason, she couldn't say it out loud.
"Um... don't get the wrong idea! It's just... just... you're my only male friend! So... um..." Sensing her words were inappropriate, Senior Rachel flustered to explain. But her increasingly red face betrayed her true feelings.
Alright, if this continues, will a love triangle mess erupt? After all, Teacher Rhein's clones are all inside the room performing surgery. They should be able to hear sounds from outside. If so, would I be caught in this romantic chaos? But probably not... Teacher Rhein doesn't seem like the jealous type. Still, I can't let my guard down. Brother Sei's life taught us that some women who appear calm on the surface might have deeper emotions than average. My heart was unmoved. In fact, I still wanted to chop off Nosad's head... A strange chill crept up my spine.
"Senior Rachel... actually, I..." Just as I was about to state my position, the surrounding pillars of flame shattered like glass hit by a stone. Clearly, this wasn't Julia voluntarily canceling her magic. It was forcibly interrupted, likely meaning Julia had lost consciousness... Considering the Black Beast that followed her when she left earlier, Julia's chances looked grim.
Clatter... The bottle in Senior Rachel's hand dropped straight to the ground. "Julia!" I didn't catch what Senior Rachel said after "Julia," but I was sure it was some kind of spell incantation.
The cage of flames shattered abruptly. Just as the people on the first floor thought they were safe, three Black Beasts suddenly emerged from between the teaching buildings. The crowd below immediately panicked and scattered in all directions.
"Senior Rachel, you should..." After glancing at the scene below, I turned back to tell Senior Rachel to evacuate first while I stayed with my teacher. But at that moment, Senior Rachel's height began to inexplicably increase. Her spine bent slightly forward, and her eyes glowed with an eerie green light as they blinked.
"Aaah..." Supporting herself on the ground with her hands, Senior Rachel let out a pained cry. But mixed in that sound wasn't a girl's voice—it was a low growl, like a beast spotting its prey.
In less than a minute, Senior Rachel's clothes vanished without a trace. In their place grew white fur—soft and silky-looking fur. Her familiar face completely disappeared, replaced by a wolf-like visage... or rather, a wolf's face.
Within that minute, I watched as Senior Rachel transformed at a visible speed from a human into a giant wolf about one meter tall.
The wolf's entire body was covered in silvery-white fur, reflecting dazzling light under the moonlight. Finally, a short horn grew directly on the giant wolf's forehead. Sparks of electricity crackled continuously from that horn.
"Junior Nosad, please move aside. I need to deal with those Black Beasts first..." The giant wolf's mouth didn't even open, yet I heard Senior Rachel's voice. It didn't come from my ears—it appeared directly in my mind.
"O-okay..." I stared dumbfounded at the giant wolf that was Senior Rachel, but my body obediently moved to the side. Then, Senior Rachel leaped directly down from the corridor. The moment she jumped, dozens of silvery-white lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the area around her landing spot. At the same time, she raised her neck toward the sky and let out a piercing wolf howl.
