Magus Supremacy

"Where did they go?" Vanica shouted, her eyes scanning the surroundings frantically. Vorden stepped forward, carefully inspecting the spot where the beasts had sunk into the ground. Suddenly, a sharp paw shot toward his neck, moving so swiftly that he couldn't dodge in time.

"Vorden!" Greg screamed, rushing forward to help, but it was too late.

"Lightning Creation Magic! Lightning Armour!" Grey shouted as he sprinted toward the scene, his body starting to radiate a bright blue light.

He was at least three meters away from Vorden, but just in time, the armor was completed. Grey was now encased in lightning gauntlets and boots. Bang! A loud crack filled the air as his speed surged. In a flash, he reached Vorden and yanked him backward by his robe's collar just as the beast's claws were a hair's breadth from Vorden's neck.

A wind blade appeared in Grey's hands as he swung it forward, aiming to slice off the beast's paws. But the creature swiftly retreated back into the ground.

"Th-that was a close call..." Greg gasped, his heart pounding so loudly it could almost be heard.

"What the hell were you thinking charging in like that?!" Grey snapped, his voice harsh. Vorden shot him a glare, unshaken.

"Did I give you the right to talk to me like that just because you saved me?" Vorden growled.

"Uhm... guys…" Vanica's voice trembled as she called out.

"What?!" Grey and Vorden shouted in unison, spinning toward her.

"Look!" Vanica pointed urgently, and they turned to see two of the beasts emerging from the ground. In a flash, they charged toward the two quarreling individuals.

But before they could reach them, a barrier appeared just in time, stopping the beasts in their tracks.

"Good thing I was on time," Arthur huffed, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Thanks," Grey replied curtly. "That's how you thank someone who helps you," he added, glaring at Vorden.

"Will you stop acting like everyone's boss and focus on what's on the ground?" Jay shouted.

"Oh!" Grey finally noticed the shadows rippling on the ground, covering a span of about seven meters. "You're on your own with that," he said, nonchalantly floating a few meters above the ground as wind began swirling around him.

"What the hell does that mean?!" Raze shouted, frustration evident in his voice as he watched the beasts sink back into the shadows.

"You want to know what 'mana skin' is about? Now's your chance," Grey said with a smirk, hovering higher. "Good luck, weaklings."

"What?! You're leaving us to deal with this?!" Greg shouted in disbelief.

"What, were you relying on a peasant to save you?" Scarlet scoffed, crossing her arms as the shadows around them writhed, more beasts emerging from the ground. They all stood together, eyes darting around in preparation.

"Didn't need him," Greg muttered, lightning crackling in his hands as he braced for battle.

"Good," Scarlet replied with a nod. 'But he's the only one who can move better than us right now. How are we supposed to defeat a dozen beasts when we can barely move?'

Without warning, six Shadow Panthers emerged, dashing toward the students, all of them charging their magic.

A shadow panther lunged toward Greg. He shot out a bolt of lightning, but at the last second, the beast disappeared from view and reappeared in his blind spot. It struck him hard, sending him skidding several feet.

"Shit!" Greg cursed, lightning crackling around his arms. "Where the hell is our shield?"

"Uhm, the shield's a bit busy," Arthur called out, his voice strained. He blocked a blow from an SP, the shield around him reverberating slightly from the impact. 'For my shield to hold, this beast must be around level 4,' he thought, focusing his attention. Then, two fireballs struck the SP from behind, forcing it to retreat.

"Thanks, Scarlet!" Arthur called, watching as she moved swiftly to assist. But her speed was limited by the oppressive pressure of the atmosphere, and an SP appeared behind her, swinging its claws to strike. She was too slow to react.

"Hold your breath!" Gordon shouted, his voice urgent. Scarlet did as instructed, and a purple mist enveloped the beast, disorienting it as it struggled to move. Scarlet shot a stream of fire at its legs, and the creature stumbled, its body growing weak before it fell with a thud, its mouth beginning to foam.

"You know, relying on your brawn and not your brain won't help you here," Grey taunted from above.

"Curse you, peasant!" Jay yelled, his hands summoning two blades of water as he dashed toward an SP. But the beast sank into the ground and reappeared behind him, stabbing him in the leg.

"Arghhh!" Jay screamed, turning around with fury, slashing at the air with his water blades. But the SP reappeared again from behind, striking him in the ribs and sending him skidding across the ground, spitting blood.

'Think, think, think!' Scarlet screamed in her mind, launching fireballs at the beasts, but they always disappeared into the ground and reappeared behind them.

"Mana skin... mana skin... mana skin..." Vince muttered, his body surrounded by a few dozen quills of metal. He was ready when a Shadow Panther charged toward him, but he quickly launched two quills at the beast. It vanished and reappeared, but before it could react, three more quills struck its eyes.

'Grey said it's protecting him, allowing him to move properly in this dense atmosphere. Mana skin... it must be related to surrounding the body with mana,' Vince thought as two metal spikes materialized in front of him. With a swift movement, he sent them crashing into the beast's head, killing it instantly.

With Gordon and Vince each taking down a Shadow Panther, only four remained.

Vince closed his eyes, trying to center himself. The others were still struggling, restricted by the oppressive atmosphere, but Vince entered a meditative state. In the calm silence of his mind, he could feel the flow of mana around his body. He reached deep inside, pulling mana from his core and pushing it outward with all his strength, expelling it from his body.

"What are you doing, Vince?!" Scarlet screamed, panic rising in her voice.

Vince snapped his eyes open just in time to see an SP looming over him, ready to strike. A soft glow surrounded his body, and the pressure in the atmosphere eased. In his hands, two metal swords materialized.

With a swift motion, Vince blocked the incoming blow, grunting under the weight of the strike. Then, metal began to form around his feet, and with a push, he shot upward, diving down toward the SP. His swords collided with its head, cutting it clean off as he slid down its body. Vince landed with a heavy breath.

"Congratulations, Vince! You unlocked mana skin," Grey's voice echoed from above.

"Uhm, Vince, what exactly is that?" Scarlet called, shooting fireballs as she fought off the remaining beasts.

"Guys, extend your mana outward and maintain control. The key is balance as you push it outward. You need to constantly supply it with mana," Vince called, his voice steady.

Greg was the first to react, his body crackling with lightning as he zipped around, dodging an incoming strike.

"Concentrate!" he barked, his eyes narrowing at the approaching beast.

The others followed suit, closing their eyes as they rooted themselves to the ground. Within seconds, their bodies began to glow softly, and they opened their eyes just as the last three beasts appeared, splitting off to face their new opponents.

'Oh?! They've unlocked mana skin too. Nice!' Grey thought with a smirk as he watched Greg charge forward, lightning blades in hand.

The remaining Shadow Panthers had no chance. In an instant, Greg's lightning blade cleaved through the air, striking one beast down, electrocuting it as his sword remained lodged inside its body.

"That's four down, two more to go," Greg muttered as Scarlet stepped forward. Flames surrounded her hands, and she shot a pair of fireballs at an SP. The beast sank into the ground but reappeared behind her. Without hesitation, she turned and punched the beast in the face, sending it skidding back. Then, a fiery spear materialized in her hands, which she hurled at the SP's head, killing it instantly.

The last SP met its end at Jay's hands. With Arthur's barrier blocking its strike, Jay quickly turned and plunged his water blade into its head, finishing it off.

With all the Shadow Panthers dead, the team stood, panting heavily, their bodies drenched in sweat, a few injuries marring their skin.

"Well done, weaklings," a voice echoed from above. Grey descended, his lightning armor still crackling with energy.

"F*ck you! Why didn't you help us?" Scarlet snapped in frustration.

"Did you need me to?" Grey shrugged. "You handled it just fine."

"What if we had died?!" Greg demanded.

"Did you? I thought you didn't need a peasant. So what's changed?" Grey grinned.

"Wait! Where's Raze?" Vanica suddenly shouted, scanning the area.

Raze stumbled out from behind a large rock. "Sorry, I couldn't help. My magic lets me copy other people's, but I hadn't touched anyone today, and I couldn't get close enough during the fight."

"You peasants are all useless!" Jay sneered.

A chilling sensation washed over the group, and the hairs on their necks stood up.

Turning around, they saw six more Shadow Panthers rising from the ground, their low growls sending a shiver through the group.

"Oh, come on! Give us a break!" Arthur groaned.

"There were twelve of them... I wondered where they went," Vince said with a grim look.

"Now you've got your answer," Vorden said, grinning.

"What do we…" Gordon began to ask when Grey stepped forward, his hands still casually in his pockets.

"You've all done your best. I'm glad to know my teammates aren't weaklings," Grey said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the beasts. "Leave this one to me. I'll take care of it."

'It's time to pay these beasts back for daring to attack the supreme mage and his friends!' he thought, a small dangerous smile appeared on his face as he stared at the beasts.