Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Duel (3)
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"..."
Crackle.
Ferris wanted nothing more than to kill the man standing before him right that instant.
No, even if he didn't kill him, he at least wanted to smash that smug face to pieces.
He simply couldn't comprehend who this guy thought he was, so casually offering to concede the first ten moves.
"...You. You've crossed the line into outright arrogance."
"Who knows? Like I said before, I'm not sure which of us is really the arrogant one..."
The spectators listening to their exchange—professors and students alike—were all stunned.
Most of the students here were nobles.
They knew Ferris well as a member of the Golden Generation and the top prodigy in magic.
But they knew next to nothing about Aren, the guy who had suddenly appeared and claimed the top spot.
Of course, they'd heard rumors—that he'd set the academy's all-time record, or that he'd put on an incredible show in his duel with Veronica.
But students didn't take rumors at face value.
Only a handful had actually seen Aren in action compared to the total number of students, and there were no recorded videos available.
To be precise, the professors had them... but students couldn't access those, so it was as good as not existing.
In the end, it was only natural for most spectators to see Aren as the arrogant one.
'It's the exact opposite, though.'
Aren had no intention of correcting their misconception.
Once he crushed Ferris in front of everyone, they'd figure it out on their own.
He flashed a bright smile.
"Enough grumbling. Let's prove it with our skills. As I said earlier, I'll concede the first ten moves. Do you accept?"
"...Hah."
Ferris haughtily lifted his chin.
And then.
"I accept."
"?!"
"???????"
"Wh-what?"
"He... accepts...?"
The crowd's shocked murmurs reached even their ears. No one had expected Ferris to take the offer.
As far as they knew, Ferris was the embodiment of pride.
When it came to magic, he acknowledged no one except his master, the Magic Tower Lord.
And yet... Ferris had accepted?
On the surface, it sounded like he'd admitted Aren was superior.
But.
"However, I'll end you in a single move."
No need to drag it out to ten. One strike would suffice.
Ferris intended to show him just how arrogant and presumptuous it was to concede even a single first move, let alone ten.
'Suffer a humiliating defeat and reflect on your mistake.'
Demonstrate the overwhelming gap with one attack.
That was all.
The professor serving as referee stepped forward, and the duel began.
Ferris didn't attack right away.
Instead, he slowly put distance between himself and Aren, analyzing him.
'His defense is solid.'
To Ferris's eyes, there were no gaps in Aren's guard.
Not magically, nor physically.
'Cheap tricks won't work.'
Aiming for a defensive flaw, or distracting him for a surprise attack.
Those ploys wouldn't fly.
And Ferris had no desire to win that way anyway.
He saw such victories as the desperate acts of pathetic losers.
So.
'Overwhelm him completely.'
There was no other option.
Not for a victory that would satisfy Ferris, nor to fire the signal shot erasing the stain of not claiming top rank.
Unleash attacks that ignored all defense and retire him in one hit.
So.
'Go all out from the start.'
In an instant, an enormous surge of mana poured from Ferris.
Rumble-rumble-rumble———!!!!!
The mana flooding the vast training hall was so vast it filled the space, vibrating the air and tearing at the very fabric of reality, mirroring its master's temperament.
But it wasn't an attack.
Merely the foundational preparation for the magic to come.
Ferris seized control of the space with his mana in the blink of an eye.
"Hmm."
Ignoring Aren's odd grunt of admiration, Ferris focused on his spell.
The mana dominating the space drew in all the ambient mana particles, and in an instant, countless bolts of lightning materialized in the air.
The whole process took about one second.
An impossibly short time for ordinary people, but more than enough for a mage like Ferris.
Crackle-crackle-crackle———!!!
"...Hup!"
"...Whoa."
"I-isn't this dangerous?"
Ferris stood tall like the god of lightning himself.
Now, with a flick of his finger, the sky full of lightning would rain down on Aren.
The spectators instinctively predicted Aren's defeat.
No matter how much Aren struggled, it seemed impossible for him to surpass Ferris's magic.
The absurd control to command hundreds of lightning bolts at once, the immense mana condensed into each one, the computational power to generate it all in seconds.
In that moment, the crowd truly understood why Ferris was the Magic Tower Lord's disciple.
The instant that spell activated... nothing would remain but ashes.
Even with high-tier defensive magic layered across the training hall, it was natural to assume a direct hit from Ferris's spell would threaten his life.
Lydia, watching from one side of the stands, went pale, but no one paid her any mind.
"I'll grant you one last mercy. Surrender."
"Surrender, huh..."
"Yes. You don't want to die, do you? So surrender and live quietly. I'll even overlook making you drop out of the academy."
Ferris spread his arms wide in a showy display.
At his gesture, the lightning bolts in the air crackled with massive currents.
But.
"You're all talk."
"...What?"
"It looks like you're some loser laying down insurance because you lack confidence in your skills."
—No girl would fall for that.
Aren sneered at the frozen Ferris.
"If you're the one who challenged me first, just show off your magic nicely... instead of yapping so much."
"...Hah."
The spectators gasped, doubting their ears.
"...I was going to go easy on you, but no more. This is the path you chose—vanish in agony before my eyes."
The moment Ferris twitched his finger, every lightning bolt spewing currents converged solely on Aren.
The mana-made thunderbolts plummeting to a single point fused and merged into a massive cluster, exploding enormously upon striking the ground.
Kaboom-boom-boom-boom———!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ferris's thunderstrike engulfed the area where Aren stood, reducing the training hall floor to ashes.
Everyone thought that was the end of Aren.
But.
"...How...?"
Aren stood there unscathed.
Not pushed back a single step, as if nothing had happened.
Ferris and the spectators felt a profound sense of dissonance.
"Is that all you've got? It tickles."
"You bastard...!"
Not only completely unharmed without a scorch mark, but dismissing the magic as a mere tickle—Ferris deployed another spell.
Cranking his computational power to the max until his head throbbed, he unleashed his incantations.
A storm of lightning and chain lightning generated in that split second.
Both spells struck Aren simultaneously—
"Seven chances left now."
"Kuh...! How dare you...!!"
No damage at all.
From that moment, Ferris unleashed magic in a frenzy bordering on rampage.
Mana condensed in the air, lightning swept the ground, bolts rained down, massive thunderbolts crashed toward Aren multiple times.
But.
"Huff... huff..."
"One last chance."
Aren calmly counted them off.
He had conceded exactly ten first moves.
Now, only one remained.
If he couldn't retire Aren this time... Ferris's defeat was certain.
Everyone here had predicted Ferris's victory, but the reality unfolding before them was the complete opposite.
Even Ferris himself.
In the end, Ferris poured out every ounce of his mana for one final massive thunderbolt...
Crackle—!
The bolt fizzled out pitifully just before Aren.
"Now it's my turn."
The concessions were over.
Now, it was Aren's turn.
In that moment, Ferris instinctively sensed his own defeat.
There couldn't possibly be a peer mage above him, especially not some ordinary-looking guy like this claiming top rank, surpassing him.
That's how the duel had begun.
But...
The result was.
"...Ah."
Ferris blankly stared at the mana condensing at Aren's fingertips.
The compressed mana formed a massive spear, steaming in the air.
"You called this thunderstrike, right?"
It was an arranged version.
Immediately after, the spear radiating lightning shot toward Ferris at Aren's command.
A strike meant to pierce everything in one go and reduce him to ashes.
The instant it slammed into him.
————………………………!!!!!!!!!!!
A colossal flash engulfed the world.