Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

Kazue and Kurayami landed with force after the electrified charge that had thrown their enemies back. The tension in the air had yet to dissipate when, from the opposite end of the destroyed battlefield, Li broke into a full sprint toward them. His spellbook emitted residual pulses of fading energy as he canceled the double [Physica Naguru] enhancement.

Sparks still crackled faintly on Kazue's body, and Kurayami's fur stood on edge, steaming from leftover electricity. As soon as Li reached them, the girl turned her eyes to him with a quick nod and said.

"Looks like plan B might actually work. We just have to keep pushing."

Her voice was strained, but there was focus behind her tone. Li clicked his tongue in irritation.

"And what do you need me to do now?"

He asked, trying to catch his breath. Kazue pointed toward Hae-rin, who was recovering further off, her knees slightly bent, body already rising into defensive posture.

"Keep her away from him."

Kazue said, not bothering to mention either enemy's name.

"Not too far. Just enough for her to see and hear what's going on."

Li looked at her for a moment, expression hard.

"That's insane, you're basically asking me to pick a fight and deliberately drag it on with one of the strongest people here."

He said flatly. Kazue turned fully toward him now, raising an eyebrow.

"What, you can't do it?"

The question hit its mark. Li's eye twitched, and his mechanical iris lit up in a pulse of sharp red. His spellbook opened behind him with a mechanical sound, glowing brighter by the second as glyphs circled its edges.

"Are you kidding me? Who do you think you're talking to?"

The man said with a fierce grin. Kazue smirked in response and didn't wait any longer. Still mounted on her tiger, she directed him forward with a snap of her hand. The massive white beast roared and launched into a gallop straight toward Reginald's position. At the same time, Li raised his arm, invoking the next spell without hesitation.

"[Begiru Rakketen]"

He shouted, his voice echoing across the ruins.

Behind him, metallic canisters began to form in midair. Rough, rusted missiles—more mechanical than magical in appearance—materialized in two concentric rows, lined vertically along his back. With a second command, all of them shot out in a burst of smoke and force, hurtling toward Hae-rin's direction with piercing whistles.

Kazue and Kurayami reached Reginald before he could recover fully from the impact. The moment he turned his eyes to them, the tiger was already mid-swipe, his claws surging forward in a horizontal arc. Reginald leapt to the side, barely dodging, though the claw tip tore through part of his coat. Kazue came right after, her fist charged with electricity and her mechanical gauntlet thrumming with energy. She struck downward, aiming for his chest. The fancy man twisted on one foot, allowing the attack to scrape past him, but the proximity and intensity of the blows were visibly forcing him into a reactive stance rather than his usual composed evasion.

Another claw from Kurayami came from the side. Reginald dropped to the ground and rolled to avoid it, landing on his knees and rising quickly only to meet another strike from Kazue. Her fist grazed his cheek, not with full force, but enough to send a shockwave through his body. Sparks crackled as electricity licked across his shoulder. He clicked his tongue and spun backward, breathing faster now, coat scorched in parts. His face remained focused, but his movements had lost the refined ease from earlier. He had not expected the tiger and girl to push him this much this quickly.

Meanwhile, Hae-rin had already begun to move to support him—but the moment she dashed forward, the first of Li's missiles exploded to her left. She evaded the shockwave effortlessly with a backflip, landing in a low stance and trying to assess the pattern. She moved again, heading closer to Reginald. Another missile fired near her feet. She jumped to the right, again unharmed. But as she sprinted, something strange became evident. The projectiles weren't homing in directly.

Several of them swerved past her completely, landing behind or beside her without hitting. At first, it appeared as if Li had simply misfired, but the pattern repeated. Every time she tried to run toward Reginald's location, the missiles would intercept her path, forcing her to slow down, retreat, or change direction. None of them actually touched her, but the precision with which they manipulated her movement was undeniable. She was being herded—kept at a specific distance, not close enough to engage, but not far enough to disengage entirely. It was an invisible wall built with explosions and timed threats.

Her expression shifted into a frustrated scowl. Every step forward brought another missile falling near her feet. Her momentum was constantly broken. She tried leaping upward to use the high ground of a collapsed structure, but the moment she did, two more missiles detonated midair in front of her. The blast didn't hit her, but forced her to twist mid-leap and fall into a roll to avoid the shockwaves.

Back on the other side, Reginald continued to evade the coordinated assault from Kazue and Kurayami. He managed to avoid another claw, but not a backhanded swing from the girl that grazed his arm. He hissed and spun, retaliating with a whip-like wave of air that pushed them back for a second—but they didn't stop.

Their pressure was relentless, and Reginald was clearly being pressed further than before.

Everything was going better than Kazue had expected. Her opponent was being pushed back constantly, and Hae-rin was clearly struggling. Kazue's eyes shifted quickly between them, tracking every movement, and the truth settled in her mind—Li was doing exactly what she had asked.

Hae-rin couldn't get close enough to help, yet she wasn't too far to lose track of what was happening to her partner. The plan was working perfectly. Kazue inhaled sharply and tapped her own cheeks with both hands a few times, trying to fight off the nervousness starting to bubble inside her chest. She knew exactly what needed to be done next, even if she wasn't exactly thrilled to do it.

She thought back to everything Chloe had explained, all the teasing antics and ridiculous strategies the pink-haired girl used to annoy Adam all the time. Kazue hadn't understood the point at first, but now, seeing how effective psychological tactics could be, it made a lot more sense. Still, knowing what to do and actually doing it were two very different things. Her throat felt dry just thinking about it. Her fists clenched tighter as she whispered to herself.

"Alright... let's see if this actually works."

Kurayami's attacks didn't stop, but he clearly lessened the intensity, moving more slowly and telegraphing his swipes on purpose. Kazue matched that change in rhythm. Her punches lacked their usual power, her stance now more upright and casual. She even let herself pause mid-motion, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. Then, with a soft cough, she raised her voice and looked directly at Reginald.

"You're pretty fast."

She said, her voice a little shaky.

"But I bet you'd look better fighting in something a little more stylish... maybe a black suit? With a tie?"

Her face flushed instantly, but she pressed on.

"It would match your... annoying elegance."

Reginald blinked. He tilted his head slightly and dodged another claw swipe from Kurayami, raising a hand reflexively to fix his coat collar.

"Excuse me?"

He asked, almost laughing as he parried a light punch from Kazue's gauntlet. The girl looked away for a second, pretending to inspect her nails—which were hidden beneath an armored glove—and shrugged.

"I mean... for an enemy, you're not that bad-looking. You should smile more. Not that I'm saying I like your smile or anything... but, you know... maybe someone else would."

The second the words left her mouth, Kazue cringed internally, her body visibly tense. She looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. And yet, somehow, she didn't sound unnatural. In fact, her awkwardness gave the act a strangely authentic charm.

Reginald laughed softly under his breath and leaned slightly back to avoid another half-hearted jab.

"Well, this is unexpected."

He said, brushing some dirt off his sleeve.

"Are we flirting now? In the middle of this?"

"I'm just... stalling."

Kazue said quickly, her face bright red.

"Right…"

He replied with a raised brow, smiling slightly.

"Stalling. Clearly… Well, I'm not so rude as to say no to such a pretty young lady."

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Hae-rin's expression was slowly collapsing into something much darker. Her eyes twitched with every passing second. The vein on her temple pulsed dangerously. Despite the explosions still falling around her, her attention had shifted entirely toward Kazue and Reginald's bizarre exchange. She jumped to the side to avoid another missile, then growled as she snapped her head back to Kazue's direction.

"What the hell is this...?"

Another missile struck near her feet. Then another clipped her side. She had been distracted too long. The third missile hit her dead-on, a direct impact against her right shoulder that exploded with a burst of smoke and force. Hae-rin screamed as she was thrown backward. Her body flipped twice midair before landing hard and skidding violently across the stone ground.

The blue flames that covered her body seemed to have mitigated the worst of it, but even so, she had clearly taken damage. She groaned and dug her fingers into the ground, landing in a crouch and immediately trying to rise to her feet again, panting hard.

Reginald saw it happen and immediately froze. His face shifted from amusement to concern.

"Hae-rin!"

He shouted, stretching out his hand toward her. A system notification blinked to life in front of him:

Without another second of hesitation, Reginald roared.

"Magnetic Force!"

Blue energy surged through his body as the skill reactivated instantly. His coat and hair fluttered from the force of the sudden pull. This time, though, Kazue was more than ready. She had been watching his every move, waiting for that exact moment. The second she saw the glow of the magnetic aura form around him, she gasped softly and deliberately threw herself forward.

She flung herself off of Kurayami in what could only be described as a dramatic tumble, arms flailing just enough to look genuine. She spun midair and twisted her fall so that she landed perfectly against Reginald's chest. Caught off-guard, he instinctively caught her in his arms, holding her bridal-style without even thinking.

Kazue blinked at him, her face completely red.

"Ah—oops."

Reginald's mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. His brain was clearly trying to catch up to what had just happened. They stood there in silence for a mere second, the energy of his magnetic skill still crackling faintly around them, but neither moved. Kazue looked down awkwardly, mumbling something under her breath. Reginald glanced away, completely flustered for the first time since the battle had begun.

The brief pause in the chaos ended in a flash. The man's moment of confusion barely lasted more than a heartbeat before the magnetic force of his own skill completed its effect. His body was launched sideways, still carrying Kazue in his arms, as Hae-rin, covered in a deep red aura, flew straight toward him from the other side of the battlefield.

But this time, their reunion didn't end with a graceful landing or synchronized pose.

The instant they got close enough, and before either could position themselves properly, Hae-rin's fist crashed directly into Reginald's face. Her body twisted in the air as she poured every last bit of her remaining energy into the punch. Her face contorted with fury, her teeth clenched, eyes wide with rage and embarrassment. The hit landed clean. Reginald's head snapped back, and his entire body was thrown back from the momentum. He lost his grip on Kazue as he stumbled backward and fell, skidding across the ground for over a meter.

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Kazue, caught off guard by the sudden impact and separation, rolled across the stone floor, trying to stabilize herself and not hit anything too hard. She managed to land in a crouch, a bit bruised but still alert. Her eyes went wide the moment she heard Hae-rin scream.

"YOU!"

The woman roared. Kazue turned her head and saw her, eyes blazing, fists trembling. Hae-rin launched herself toward her, uncaring of anything else around her. She moved with ferocity and speed, as if Kazue's words and presence alone had ripped open some inner fury she could no longer contain. But the woman's blind charge was her mistake.

From the far side of the battlefield, a final missile came shrieking through the air, trailing flame and smoke. Li's last shot. It wasn't as large as the previous ones, but it was fast and perfectly timed. Hae-rin's instincts kicked in just in time—she leapt to the side and avoided the explosion by inches. The missile impacted the ground, sending a wave of force and debris across the clearing.

However, her leap left her floating in the air for the briefest second.

That second was all Kazue needed. With a sharp breath and both hands clenching into fists, Kazue dashed forward and launched herself upward with the momentum of her entire body. Her right arm swung up in an arc, the metal of her mechanical gauntlet glowing brightly with built-up electricity. Hae-rin saw it too late. Unable to evade mid-air, she barely managed to cross her arms in front of her body in a defensive position as the punch connected.

The blast of lightning exploded on impact. Hae-rin let out a scream as her body twitched violently. The jolt coursed through her arms, chest, and legs, causing her body to tense and shake in midair before crashing back down to the ground.

Kazue didn't wait to see the result. She spun and sprinted away, calling out the signal with a loud, sharp voice.

"Now!"

Kurayami, who had been circling nearby, surged forward and picked her up without stopping. The girl swung herself onto his back and held tight to his fur as the beast accelerated again. At the same time, Li, who had been waiting with eyes locked on his book, heard the cue and acted immediately.

His spellbook burst open, radiant energy spilling from its pages as he shouted at full volume the name of his strongest spell.

"[Shin Kuria Draak]"

The air changed instantly, and from the glowing runes of the book, a massive stream of golden energy rose upward like a living serpent. The energy twisted and expanded, taking form as it ascended. Wings unfolded from the coiled shape, and a long serpentine body solidified in blazing arcs of raw solar power. The sky shimmered with heat as the enormous winged creature howled, then dove straight toward Reginald and Hae-rin.

The energy dragon didn't slow down. It struck the earth like a meteor, swallowing both targets in a brilliant column of blinding light. The sound of the explosion was deafening, a thunderous roar that rocked the battlefield and sent ripples across the ruins. Dust and fire burst outward in every direction, the force enough to make even Kurayami halt and crouch low to avoid the blast.

Kazue covered her face with one arm as she clung to the tiger's back, heart pounding. Li stood further away, staring into the growing inferno, chest rising and falling with every breath. He knew how much power that spell demanded. He had used almost everything he had left to cast it. For a second, no one spoke. There was no movement inside the massive wave of plasma. It looked like the end.

But the silence didn't last… The flames cracked. The heat distorted the air again, and then, slowly, the image of a figure emerged from the center.

Reginald was still standing. His coat was scorched, and his exposed skin showed signs of serious burns. His hair was a mess, and he looked visibly shaken. But he hadn't fallen. His hands trembled slightly, but they were locked onto something.

His staff… It had been stabbed into the earth in front of him, the tip buried into the stone. And around that point, the staff was spinning on its own, emitting a high-pitched whirring sound. A swirling column of wind rose upward from the base, spinning in a focused, disciplined vortex. That small, controlled storm had served as a shield in the final seconds.

At his feet, Hae-rin lay motionless for a second. Her eyes fluttered open. She was clearly hurt. Her body trembled from the residual electric shock and the blast. She looked up slowly, expecting to see nothing but devastation.

But what she saw was Reginald's back. He was standing between her and the explosion. His entire frame had been used as a wall, and he had taken the brunt of the attack for her. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Her hands clenched against the cracked stone floor. Then her lips moved, barely above a whisper.

"You…"

Reginald didn't turn. His eyes remained locked ahead, shoulders steady despite his labored breathing. His voice was tired but gentle.

"Are you alright?"

The man's smile lingered for a second too long after asking, and Hae-rin's reaction was immediate. She pressed her lips together, fists clenched at her sides, eyes unable to meet his. Her breathing was still ragged from the shock and damage, but she stood nonetheless, forcing her body upright. Reginald, noticing the tension in her stance, quietly deactivated the spinning mechanism of his staff. The wind surrounding them slowly died down. He lowered the weapon and leaned against it for support as he exhaled deeply.

"I don't have much energy left."

He muttered, half to himself, half to her.

"We shouldn't waste what we've got. We have a chance now. Let's finish this."

Hae-rin didn't move. Her eyes flicked toward him, wide, uncertain, sharp with some emotion she hadn't yet admitted. Reginald glanced at her, noticed her silence, and added.

"Whatever's gotten into you... if I said something that pissed you off, I'm sorry, alright?"

Hae-rin's hand trembled as she gripped the fabric of her uniform tightly. Her shoulders rose and fell once before she finally raised her voice.

"I like you."

The words hit like a punch to the gut. Reginald blinked. For a moment, there was no expression on his face, only stunned stillness. Then he chuckled awkwardly, almost relieved.

"You're kidding. That's not the time for jokes, you know? I mean, I never thought you were the joking type, but still…"

"I'm not joking!"

She snapped. Her voice was louder now. Her cheeks were fully flushed, her hands shaking.

"This isn't a joke, and I swear, if I had another option, I wouldn't be saying it here. But you want to know why I've been distracted? It's because our enemies figured it out. They figured out that I like you. They've been pushing it, jabbing at me, distracting me on purpose, and I can't help it."

Reginald's lips parted again, but nothing came out. He still didn't seem to know what to say, but Hae-rin didn't give him the chance.

"I've liked you for a while. Long enough that I was never going to say anything. But now it's being used against me in a damn fight. So I had to say it. Not for your sake. For mine. So it's not a chain anymore."

She looked away, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Don't answer. We'll talk after the scenario's done. I just needed you to know."

Some meters away, Kazue and Li had been watching from a distance. The girl, still on Kurayami's back, tapped the tiger's fur and exhaled.

"That's not good… We don't have time to waste. We finish this now."

Li glanced at her and nodded.

"Everything's already in place."

Kazue grinned faintly.

"Yes! Then give me one last boost."

Li pulled out his spellbook.

"Leave it to me."

Kurayami roared and charged, carrying Kazue toward the recovering enemy duo. Li raised both arms as Falk flew back to his shoulder. Together, they shouted the next incantation.

"[Ki Diaborosu]"

Energy exploded outward from the book and Falk's mechanical core at once. A pair of golden streams shot forth, wrapping around both Kazue and Kurayami. The air around them crackled. Their bodies flared with raw power. It wasn't lightning. It was pure Ki enhancement, magnified beyond normal limits.

Both of them activated [Electric Ki Generation] at the same time.

Their forms were consumed in arcs of electricity. Kurayami's entire body shone like a storm forged into muscle and fur. Kazue's arms and torso were coated in lightning so intense it left the air vibrating around her. Together, they didn't charge. They became the charge.

Elsewhere, Hae-rin had regained her breath, and Reginald sighed again, this time with more resolve. Despite the bruises, the burns, and the emotional confusion still lingering in the air between them, he stepped forward and extended his hand to her.

"Alright, let's do this. One more time. I'm trusting you."

He said softly. Hae-rin was still flushed, still visibly frustrated and overwhelmed. But she took his hand without hesitation. No more words. Her grip was steady and decisive.

Reginald raised his staff once more and drove it into the ground.

Wind gathered instantly. The compressed sphere of air grew around the staff's tip, denser and tighter than ever before. Hae-rin's body ignited in blue fire, burning from her arms to her legs. Reginald's energy answered with red fire, heat building from the core of his chest and along his back. The flames merged with the growing sphere. Pressure built. The glow expanded… But something was different this time.

Kazue's eyes caught a flash from the corner of her vision. A system window appeared before her:

Kazue narrowed her eyes.

"Perfect timing."

Reginald and Hae-rin moved together once again, stepping forward in tandem, arms aligned, breath matched, their movements as rehearsed and flawless as every other combined technique they had used so far. The twin flames rose higher than ever before—Reginald's red fire swirling fiercely around his back, and Hae-rin's blue fire pulsing with intensity across her limbs. Their synchronization was perfect, and it was clear they were preparing their most powerful attack yet. The air grew heavy, rippling with the energy of their combined skill, the compressed air sphere between them twisting violently as they began their final sequence.

But Kazue did not stop.

Kurayami roared beneath her and pushed forward, charging straight at them with a trail of lightning left behind in his wake. The enemy soulmates noticed her coming, but their momentum didn't falter. Hae-rin's voice echoed above the growing pressure, aimed directly at Kazue.

"Idiot! The same trick won't work twice! You won't shake me with words this time!"

Kazue smiled.

"I don't need to, everything's going just as planned."

She didn't wait another second. With a sharp breath and swift movement, she held her right arm in front of her and activated the item that had been prepared precisely for this moment. A rectangular shield with a golden dragon's head embedded in the center materialized in front of her with a heavy pulse of divine energy. As Kazue shouted the final words.

"From our leader, with love. Just as he predicted!"

The shield came to life, and the dragon's head roared.

An eruption of red energy chains exploded outward from the dragon's mouth, invisible to most senses but undeniably powerful. The moment they appeared, the chains wrapped around the bodies of both Reginald and Hae-rin, only to disappear soon after. Their momentum stopped instantly. The flames around them vanished. Their bodies froze in mid-motion, the energy sphere between them dissipating without a trace.

"What?!"

They both exclaimed in unison, eyes wide with disbelief.

But it was already too late. Kurayami reached them, crashing into both of them with full force. The impact was brutal. They were hit as if a car had slammed into them, and even before they could fall, Kazue jumped forward, landing on the ground and launching a flurry of punches directly into them one after the other.

"One!"

She shouted, her right fist crackling with electric Ki as it hit Reginald's chest.

"Two!"

She twisted and drove another into Hae-rin's ribs.

"Three!" "Four!" "Five!"

Each blow gained strength. Each punch shook the bodies of her opponents more violently. Guided by the [Lightning Duke's Knuckle Technique], the energy around her rose with every hit, lightning gathering at her feet and climbing up her arms.

"Six!"

She yelled, her voice rising as the air sizzled around her fists. By the time she shouted the eighth punch, the electricity from her Ki had expanded far beyond normal limits, sparking wildly in all directions. Hae-rin and Reginald, still locked by the seal, couldn't even raise their arms.

"Nine!"

Kazue's eyes were burning with resolve.

"Ten!"

She screamed, and at that moment, Kurayami's body surged with a new layer of energy. A glowing, jagged armor of pure electricity wrapped around him. Behind the tiger, a spectral chariot of thunder and light constructed itself in a blink, rising from the earth and settling onto Kurayami's back as if summoned by fate itself. Kazue stood on the chariot, holding glowing reins of light.

"Thunder Chariot!"

She roared, and Kurayami charged again. This time, the two enemies had no chance to defend. The electrical energy coursing through the armored white beast's body merged with the sheer physical force of the chariot. Kazue drove it forward and slammed into Reginald and Hae-rin once more. The second impact was even more devastating than the first. Both of them were hurled backward like dolls, crashing into the debris behind them, unmoving. Their bodies hit the ground hard, twitching only slightly before falling still.

They were alive, but unconscious. Silence settled over the ruined battlefield.

Kazue and Kurayami came to a halt not far from the impact site. The chariot behind her vanished, breaking apart into particles of light. The armor around the tiger cracked and then dissolved. The girl was barely able to remain standing, her legs wobbling from the exertion. She fell to one knee and used the edge of the golden dragon shield to support herself.

She let out a strained breath and muttered.

"Adam was right… The shield was only to be used once they were weak enough."

She tried to stand but couldn't. Her muscles refused. The power she had unleashed had taken its toll. Kurayami fell beside her, panting heavily, his body shuddering as the electricity faded from his fur. They were both completely exhausted.

A moment later, footsteps approached. Kazue turned her head slowly to see Li walking toward her, his face calm but tired. His clothes were torn, and his spellbook barely hovered beside him, flickering. He glanced at the unconscious enemies, then at Kazue.

"We have to secure them before they wake up."

He said simply. Kazue shook her head slowly.

"Don't kill them. We made a deal with Meera."

Li paused, then nodded once.

"I won't. But I need help to tie them down."

He extended his hand toward her. Kazue looked at it, then smiled faintly and reached up with her left arm. He pulled her up slowly. She staggered, then found her balance with his help.

Kazue exhaled, chuckling softly.

"Not bad for the worst duo, huh?"

Li didn't respond right away, but his lips curved into a rare, satisfied smile. The girl raised her hand and extended it toward him, palm open. He sighed once, but didn't hesitate. He lifted his own hand and gave her a solid high five.