Festival (10)
Festival (10)
[ He threw sand! He just threw sand!! ]
[ Haha, if it's not a cold weapon or an artifact, there's no requirement for the referee to inspect it. Truly... remarkable preparation. ]
When he opened the hand that had been gripping his shield, a handful of sand scattered.
Having watched exactly how his comrades had been taken down, he'd prepared for nearly every possibility. He was ready for spitting, for feints toward vital points a man shouldn't target, for everything.
But sand.
-Pfft!!
You can train your vision, but you can't harden your actual eyeballs. Colin had no choice but to shut his eyes against the sand that engulfed his face.
Whack—!!
At the same moment, a heavy impact slammed into his shin, and his body toppled over involuntarily.
"Kuh-hup?!"
Then the massive shield smashed into Colin's face as he pitched toward the stage floor.
[ Ah... that's going to be rough. ]
[ Truly, absolutely no mercy in those hands. Arena Academy!! ]
The commentators shook their heads, gazing pitifully at Colin, who lay sprawled on the floor like a corpse after rolling several times across the stage.
The referee stepped onto the stage and checked on Colin, who lay unconscious.
[ Colin unable to continue. Park Dae-soo, victory. ]
Priests who had been waiting below the stage came up and carried the unconscious Colin away.
Crunch.
Jossi kept his face composed and glanced sidelong at Arthur, who was grinding his teeth secretly. He smirked inwardly.
'Heh heh, acting all high and mighty and refined all by yourself.'
The high-rank matchups offered no visible path to victory.
That meant they had to secure every point they could get from the mid-to-low ranks. Only then could they sketch out a scenario for a narrow win.
But reality?
【 A.A 70 : 161 R.A 】
They were ahead by more than double the score. Yet no one looked at the scoreboard and smiled. Because from here on, only the top-ranked matchups remained.
The duels from 9th place up to 1st.
The highest-point matchup, 1st versus 2nd, was already as good as lost. That alone was 59 points. And the 3rd-place match was unpredictable.
If they lost the 3rd-place duel as well, they'd have to hand over another 28 points.
Just that alone narrowed the score gap to a hair's breadth.
The problem was that the students in the lower ranks were also remarkably skilled.
On top of that, there were no fewer than two Rare Ability users among them.
A faint smile traced Jossi's lips as he tapped his thigh with his index finger.
'If this goes well...'
He might just strip that damn bastard's mask off and make him choke on it.
Jossi, who couldn't have cared less about Royal Academy's victory, concealed his gleeful thoughts and watched the matches that followed.
【 A.A 70 : 183 R.A↑】
【 A.A 70 : 206 R.A↑】
[ Choi Myeong-hyeon falls just short by a razor's margin and drinks the bitter cup of defeat! ]
[ That was a truly nail-biting contest. ]
[ Indeed. Now this finally feels like the Ceremony we know. ]
Royal Academy took two straight wins in the 9th- and 8th-place matches.
The crowd cheered.
Not because Royal Academy won, but because the Arena students in those two preceding matches had fought purely with their own abilities and skill.
'Damn it... why aren't they using dirty tricks?'
Jossi worried they might ride the momentum and keep winning until they clinched victory outright.
【↑A.A 94 : 206 R.A 】
【 A.A 94 : 232 R.A↑】
[ An Jin-su... the matchup was simply too unfavorable. ]
[ That's right. An Jin-su's heavy sword is something you can barely even block. But as Demyua just noted, the matchup was terribly unfavorable. Facing Helen, whose specialty is ice magic, no less. ]
[ Both his feet froze solid, and he was rendered utterly helpless. ]
In the 7th- and 6th-place duels that followed, each side traded one win.
[ Five matches remain, correct? ]
[ Yes. Five matches remain. And for Arena Academy to claim victory, they must win all five of those remaining matches. ]
His worries were becoming reality.
Jossi was hiding his growing anxiety and biting his lip when it happened.
"Keira Knightley, Nicholas Holt."
The First Prince, who had stayed silent until now, rose from his seat.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The two students Arthur had called stood and approached him.
"Under no circumstances are you to lower your guard. And you must defeat the enemy."
"We will meet your expectations."
"We will never disappoint you."
"I believe in you both."
Jossi, who had been watching Arthur's display of pure affectation from the side, clenched his teeth.
'You damn bastards!! Why are you suddenly pretending to be honorable, you pieces of shit!!'
They'd been perfectly happy to spit, gouge eyes, and target vital spots, so why were they putting on airs now? Jossi was so frustrated he felt like running over to the other side and personally informing Keira and Nicholas of their weaknesses.
[ The students who will fight what may well be the final match are taking the stage. ]
[ Arena's new face, Na Ju-hee, a student who possesses the Rare Ability of Elementalization. And Keira Knightley of Royal Academy, who also possesses a Rare Ability, psychokinesis, and specializes in earth-type magic. ]
[ Fire versus earth. If we consider only elemental affinity, Na Ju-hee is at quite a disadvantage. ]
[ That would be true for an ordinary fire-type mage. However, the Elementalization ability Na Ju-hee has awakened is a remarkable power that renders such affinities meaningless. ]
While the commentators talked, Na Ju-hee and Keira stood on the stage.
The referee, having finished inspecting their equipment, stepped down and began the count.
When the count reached five, the commentators from every country fell silent.
The referee's voice rang out across the silent stage, announcing the end of the count.
Fwoooosh──!!
Na Ju-hee's entire body was engulfed in red flames.
At the same time, an enormous shadow covered the entire stage.
Keira swallowed hard against air so scorching it was hard to breathe, and looked up.
Fwooruruk──!!
A colossal fireball hovered in the air above the auditorium.
It was large enough to swallow half the stage, blazing as if it were another sun entirely.
-I... I surrender.
[ ...Ah, I-I surrender! A declaration of surrender!! Na Ju-hee is the victor!! ]
[ Did I not tell you? This is an ability that ignores elemental affinity. Ordinary fire-type mages may possess strong resistance to fire, but that does not make them completely immune. If they mishandle a spell too powerful to control, they themselves suffer the worst damage. That is the nature of fire-type mages. But Na Ju-hee's Assimilation is different. The Na Ju-hee you are watching right now is fire itself. No flame can harm her now. ]
[ Ah, yes... thank you for the explanation. In short, Keira judged she could not handle the fireball that just appeared in the air and surrendered, yes? ]
[ Correct. ]
While the commentators chattered on, the two students descended from the stage, and the scoreboard updated.
【↑A.A 119 : 232 R.A 】
[ Ah, the 4th-place students are taking the stage right away!! ]
[ Park Dae-geun of Arena Academy and Nicholas Holt of Royal Academy. ]
[ A duel between hammer and sword! A matchup we haven't seen in quite some time. ]
Park Dae-geun, gripping a heavy two-handed warhammer, and Nicholas Holt, the classic knight, stood facing each other.
The two showed no personal emotion, settling into their stances with grave expressions. The moment the count ended, Park Dae-geun stepped backward, and Nicholas rushed in swiftly to close the distance.
-You'd have had a decent fight if you'd just brought a sword.
-Tch...!!
Nicholas nimbly dodged the warhammer that Park Dae-geun swung in apparent alarm, slipped inside his guard, and drove his sword into Park Dae-geun's abdomen.
Shunk!!
With the sound of thick flesh being pierced, the tip of Nicholas's sword burst out through Park Dae-geun's back. It had happened in the ten seconds since the match began.
-I surrender...
-Thanks for walking right into my grip.
The giant hands that had held the warhammer clamped down firmly on both of Nicholas's shoulders.
-If you're looking for serious injury...
Under the crushing pressure that threatened to shatter his shoulder blades, Nicholas poured his strength into twisting the sword he'd stabbed into Park Dae-geun's abdomen, intent on shredding his internal organs.
Crack!!
But no matter how much force he applied, the blade wouldn't move.
-What...?!
-Feeble bastard.
Crunch!!
-Aaaaagh!!
With a sickening noise, Nicholas's shoulders collapsed inward, and his knees struck the floor at the same instant.
【↑A.A 146 : 232 R.A 】
Three matches remained.
But the contest was already effectively decided.
KURUNG──!!
Blue lightning swept across the stage.
【↑A.A 174 : 232 R.A 】
When his turn came, Jossi glared at the stiff-faced Arthur and ascended the stage with a light step.
'Getting beaten isn't my hobby, but just for today, I can roll around happily.'
Jossi intended to roll around just enough and then surrender.
That way, he could return to his seat and enjoy the sight of that rootless damn bastard flailing about like a fool.
But there was one thing Jossi had overlooked.
Whiiik──!!
"...?!"
The moment the match began, shadows rose from beneath his feet and bound his mouth, hands, and feet.
Yoon I-seul approached the bound Jossi slowly.
"Personal feelings... I can't exactly say I have none."
She narrowed her eyes, her moist lips parting slightly.
Don't hang around him.
Ssssshhh─!!
**
【↑A.A 203 : 232 R.A 】
"The kids who lost today get three hours of special training the second we're back."
Baek Ha-na rose from her seat, leaving Kang Han-na growling behind her.
"G-good luck..."
"Yeah. I'll be back."
She gently took the hand of Nam Seo-hee, who was cheering with a pale, drained face. She also lightly tidied the bangs of Na Ju-hee, who had completely collapsed beside her.
Both of them had pushed themselves to the point of mana exhaustion for her sake.
"I gave her a proper warning, so she won't come bothering you at the closing ceremony party."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Baek Ha-na bowed her head to Yoon I-seul as she passed and climbed onto the stage.
"Ha-na... please end this as fast as you can. I'd really like to get back to the hotel early today."
"Haha..."
At Jaden's deflated voice from behind, Baek Ha-na awkwardly scratched her cheek. Even she hadn't imagined her own classmates and the upperclassmen they'd lost to previously would go to such lengths.
"No issues. You may wear them."
Baek Ha-na received her half-gauntlets back and pulled them on.
Shortly after, the referee descended from the stage.
"Lady Baek Ha-na?"
"...?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been waiting for the count to begin, raised her head.
"My name is Arthur Philip."
"Ah, yes."
Thinking it was just the usual pre-fight greeting, she was about to give a perfunctory reply.
"I will compensate you later, so would it be possible for us to put on a decent show together? I will surrender when the time is right."
"...?"
Put on a show?
Baek Ha-na was about to say something when the referee's count began.
"Artifacts, elixirs, high-quality armaments. I'll give you anything."
"..."
Baek Ha-na gave no reply.
Instead, she just clenched her fist a little tighter.
[ ...2, 1, begin. ]
Shing!
As the referee's count ended, Arthur Philip drew the treasured sword at his hip.
"...?"
Then he was baffled.
[ What's this? Has there been some kind of problem? ]
[ Well, I'm not sure... ]
Baek Ha-na, who always closed the distance at a speed the eye couldn't follow and ended things in a single blow, was simply standing still.
"...!!"
Only one person thought anything of it.
Arthur Philip took her inaction as acceptance of his proposal and moved.
"Hyaat─!!"
He closed the distance in an instant, letting out a measured battle cry that seemed dignified without being excessive, and slashed his sword down toward Baek Ha-na.
Clang─!!
"...?!"
And he saw it.
His own sword snapping in two against a fist clad in a black glove.
"Wai—"
The fist that had snapped the sword detonated against Arthur Philip's philtrum.
KABOOM──!!
Arthur Philip flew off the stage, leaving a long afterimage behind.
【↑A.A 233 : 232 R.A 】
It was Arena Academy's victory.
**
[ Instant kill!! Jane Moore executing a literal lightspeed instant kill!! ]
[ Prince Absalom fought hard, but sure enough, it's impossible against Jane Moore. ]
[ That's right! Unless you are the Ice Queen, no one can stop her! ]
[ Isn't there something even more important than that? ]
[ More impor— Ah!! First Academy wins the championship!! With this, they successfully defend their world number one ranking for five consecutive year— ]
The smartphone screen turned black, and the video and sound that had been playing fell silent.
'That took a while.'
The ceremony, which had stretched on for a full fifteen days, had finally ended.
Sure enough, First Academy took the championship.
'If it weren't for the Association, we might have won it ourselves.'
Whether due to Kang Han-na's rage-fueled training bearing fruit or not, they defeated Royal Academy and advanced to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals. But the evening before the semifinals began, an emergency communiqué came down from the Association.
The communiqué stated that the Ceremony was not practical combat sparring, but rather an event to promote harmony between academies and improve public perception of the Awakened, and that acts such as spitting, eye-gouging, and the like were henceforth prohibited.
When Kang Han-na read that communiqué, she tore at her hair and wailed.
For that reason, they lost in the semifinals to the team that had just taken second place, then defeated China in the third-place match to barely hold on to third place.
"Well then, I'll be off."
"...Um."
Claire caught my sleeve as I was about to step out the door.
When I turned my head, she was stealing glances at me and asked,
"W-will you be able to attend the party tomorrow...?"
"The party."
"Yes..."
I recalled a past conversation she'd had with Baek Ha-na and answered.
"I may be a little late, but I will attend."
"I-is that so. Understood... ngh..."
I bent slightly and pressed my forehead to Claire's.
"So you, who don't even attend the party, are asking me if I will."
"I-it's an official function, so..."
She discreetly averted her gaze.
Gently.
"Nnn..."
I stroked her hair once, then turned around again.
The real reason I had come to England.
'Forgetting Spring Water.'
It was the first day of the secret auction.