Dick’s match hadn’t been flashy, but it was captivating in its own way. While Simon and Kamibarez applauded from the stands, irin rested her chin on her hand, looking unimpressed.
"Ugh, my own teammate won, so why do I feel so embarrassed?"
"Hahaha!"
’—Student irin Villenne of Class A and student Ivan Barshany of Class C, please report to the waiting room.’
Hearing the announcent, irin stood. "Well, I’m off to win this quickly."
"You can do it, irin!" Kamibarez cheered.
"Do well," Simon added.
On her way to the waiting room, irin crossed paths with Dick, who was heading up to the stands. Beaming, Dick held up his hand for a high-five, but irin just sniffed haughtily and walked past him.
"Tsk. She doesn’t have an ounce of friendliness in her," Dick grumbled before high-fiving Simon and Kamibarez instead. As the three of them chatted excitedly about the duel, irin appeared in the center of the arena. Her opponent was Ivan Barshany from Class C, a Combat Magic aspirant with a powerful build.
"This one will be interesting, too," Dick said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It’s a question of whether Ivan can close the distance before irin takes him out."
"Go, irin!" Kamibarez shouted.
Following the referee’s instructions, irin and Ivan t for a handshake.
"I didn’t expect to face such a big shot in the first round," Ivan said with a wide smile.
"You should consider this mont an honor for your family, commoner," irin replied, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms arrogantly. "Because soon, you won’t even be able to look in the eye."
"Hmm, maybe so. Still, I think getting trampled by a commoner right now will be a good experience for you."
"Ha-ha."
After a brief, tense exchange, the two turned and walked to their starting positions. Ivan was a forr boxer, his body honed into a weapon through years of relentless training. irin, by contrast, was slender and delicate, looking as if she’d never done a day of hard labor in her life. Finally, they stood facing each other. The referee checked on both students, then lowered his arm.
"Match start!"
The instant the match began, Ivan exploded off the ground, charging straight for irin. ’Don’t give her a chance to do anything! Overwhelm her...!’ Suddenly, his pupils dilated. A wall of black fire erupted directly in his path.
Ivan slamd on the brakes, swerving hard to avoid the flas. That was a close call. Even through his protective suit, he could feel the intense heat, and beads of sweat dripped from his brow.
"Oh my, how predictable," irin said, a small black fla dancing on the tip of her index finger. "Did you really think a simple-minded charge was enough to win here?"
The battle fell into a rhythm: irin unleashed a barrage of fireballs, and Ivan dodged, searching for an opening.
Watching from the stands, Simon let out a gasp of admiration. "Incredible. She can already cast Dark Flare that quickly?"
"No," Dick said, shaking his head. "That’s a Jet-Black elental spell, a tier below Dark Flare. A full Dark Flare takes much longer to cast."
Jet-black elental magic was a modern necromantic recreation of the elental spells once used by pure mages. Whether fla or ice, the magic was characterized by a faint blackish tint. It was far faster to cast than traditional magic, more powerful, and easier to control. In every sense, it was a complete upgrade.
"Spoken like a true child of the Ivory Tower," Dick remarked.
In the past, the Ivory Tower had been a sanctuary for mages, often called the Magic Tower. But over ti, it had adapted, and now necromancers ford its mainstream. Still, so of its old traditions remained. Most necromancers from the Ivory Tower specialized in Jet-Black elental magic rooted in Jet-black Dynamics, and irin was no exception.
"Haaah!" irin swung her arm, and the flas stretched into a long wall, blocking Ivan’s path. He leaped back just in ti, panting for breath.
[irin Villenne: 100%]
[Ivan Barshany: 71%]
’She’s tough. I’ve only been dodging, and my barrier is already this low...’ Ivan wiped his mouth and doubled the amount of Jet-Black circulating through his body, feeling a surge of heat. ’Don’t get anxious. Just keep her distracted, prevent her from casting any big spells. I just need one chance. One...!’
"I told you before, didn’t I, commoner?" irin smiled, revealing the left hand she had kept hidden behind her back. "You’re simple-minded."
’FWOOOOOOOOOSH!’
A black fla, incomparably larger than anything she had cast before, roared to life in her palm. Ivan’s jaw dropped. ’When... when did she cast Dark Flare?!’
In truth, irin had only recently mastered the art of multi-casting. While her right hand had been firing off rapid, low-level fla spells, her left had been slowly and deliberately preparing a full-powered Dark Flare. With this new skill, the top student of Class A had taken another step toward perfection.
Now that she had Dark Flare at the ready, she had no more need for petty diversions. She let her right hand fall to her side and focused on feeding the fla in her left.
"The match is over," she declared. "Will you continue?"
"I think it’s a bit early to be saying that!" The corner of Ivan’s mouth twisted into a defiant smirk. His heart hamred against his ribs, his blood boiling. ’No matter how powerful the spell, it’s useless if you can’t hit your target!’
Ivan launched himself forward, moving so fast he seed to leave afterimages in his wake. Just as irin prepared to unleash her spell, he veered in the opposite direction. She flinched, pulling her hand back. If she had cast it then, she would have wasted the Dark Flare she had worked so hard to create. ’Heh, she won’t risk throwing it away!’
Among the Combat Magic aspirants, Ivan was a speed specialist. For the next one or two minutes, with his tempo at its absolute peak, he was confident he was the fastest student in Kizen.
He circled irin, toying with her. She kept the Dark Flare aid forward, her head and body swiveling to track him, but she couldn’t seem to get a lock.
’Do you get it now, noble? The power of a spell and victory in a real fight are two completely different things!’
Ivan abruptly stopped his circling, appearing behind irin before lunging forward like a flash of light. His Jet-Black-enhanced fist shot toward the back of her head. He could taste victory.
However.
irin’s shoulder twisted, her head tilting just enough for the blow to miss.
’She reacted to that?!’
His fist sliced through empty air. For a split second, their eyes t, and she gave him a triumphant smile.
"Did you really think my combat skills were weak?"
The seething dark fla in her left hand instantly engulfed Ivan’s body.
The two fighters shot past each other. The spectators closest to the arena shielded their faces from the heat of the massive explosion.
[irin Villenne: 94%]
[Ivan Barshany: 0%]
The referee raised his arm. "Match over! The winner is student irin Villenne!"
Engulfed in black flas, Ivan sank to his knees, a look of utter disbelief on his face. irin casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly. "Try harder, commoner. In the lower squads."
Applause and praise rained down from the stands for her nearly flawless performance.
"Ugh," Dick snickered. "She’s insufferable, but she’s too good to criticize."
Simon smiled and nodded. "At Kizen, skill is everything."
Watching irin, he found himself lost in thought.
If he kept winning, he mused, the day would eventually co when he would have to face irin. How would he even begin to counter her Dark Flare?
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden silence from his right. Simon turned his head.
Kamibarez’s face was ashen, her leg bouncing uncontrollably.
"...Kami?"
"It’s my turn," she whispered, her fingers twisting in her lap. "Simon, Dick, and irin all won. If I... if I can just do my part..."
"Hey, don’t put so much pressure on yourself," Simon said gently.
irin had returned to the stands, her face still beaming from her victory. Seeing Kamibarez’s state, however, she quickly tempered her excitent.
Two more matches passed after irin’s return, and with each passing mont, Kamibarez grew paler.
"Guys! Look!" Dick’s arm shot out, pointing. "It’s Professor Silage! He ca to watch the—!"
Simon clamped a hand over Dick’s mouth, but it was too late. irin shot Dick a look of profound pity.
"You’re so hopelessly clueless."
It was only natural that Silage, the professor of Hemomancy, would take an interest in Kamibarez, a vampire from the esteed Ursula family. At the sight of him, Kamibarez’s trembling intensified. Dick scratched his head, his face burning with embarrassnt.
Just then, an announcent ca through. "Student Kamibarez Ursula of Class A and student Egir Atelier of Class C, please report to the waiting room."
"I-I’ll be going now!" she squeaked, bolting from her seat. The three of them rallied around her, offering more earnest encouragent than ever before.
"What’s Egir’s style?" Simon asked after she had gone. He was starting to find this whole dueling evaluation rather exciting.
"The epito of textbook," Dick summarized. "He doesn’t excel in any one area, so he’ll likely fight by combining various fundantals. I’m curious to see how an aggressive hemomancer like Kami will break through his defense."
"In terms of raw power, our Kami is overwhelmingly superior. She’s an Ursula, after all," irin remarked, crossing her arms. "The only problem is how nervous she’ll get..."
"Yeah," Simon agreed.
A mont later, Kamibarez and Egir walked to the center of the arena. Egir was a tall, clean-cut young man who shook hands with Kamibarez at the referee’s instruction.
"Good luck," Egir said.
"L-Likewise... it’s a pleasure..." she stamred back, her voice utterly devoid of confidence. Egir, who had been picturing a ferocious Ursula vampire, was taken aback by her timid deanor.
’Is she really an Ursula?’ he wondered. Seeing the dejected girl, he felt a pang of pity, but he knew he couldn’t afford to go easy on her.
Soon, the two put so distance between them and activated their Cores, preparing for battle.
"Are both students ready?" the referee called.
"Yes!" Egir confird.
"Yes..." Kamibarez whispered.
The referee nodded.
"Then, the dueling evaluation between Kamibarez Ursula and Egir Atelier will now begin." Amidst the palpable tension, the referee’s arm dropped. "Begin!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers