Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: Magic Clash (3)
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“I’ll make you pay!”
Savina charged without even having the energy to cast Haste. Her opponent wouldn't be in any condition to cast Plasma anyway.
At that moment, shocking words came from Nade’s mouth.
“I lost.”
At the sudden declaration of surrender, Savina, who had been aiming for Nade's neck, hastily stopped her charge.
She wanted nothing more than to finish him with her own hands, but attacking after a surrender meant disqualification.
Now that it was over like this, it didn't feel like a victory, and for some reason, she was left with a bad taste in her mouth. But she could just tell herself that Nade had used up all his strength in their final clash.
“Hmph, you got lucky. Kneel and formally admit your defeat.”
Nade immediately kept his promise. He was already on his knees, so all he had to do was move his lips.
“Alright. I lost.”
Savina's face crumpled. The reason she'd set such a rule was to enjoy the miserable sight of someone steeped in defeat. But she couldn't sense any of that bitter emotion from Nade.
“Are you even a man? How can you kneel so readily after losing to a girl?”
“I lost, so I'm saying I lost. And honestly, it's really embarrassing. Can we be done now?”
Like someone who had truly been defeated, Nade hung his head low and walked back to his friends. She felt it would have been less infuriating if he had at least laughed as if to deny the outcome.
Thadd watched the retreating Nade and licked his lips.
*‘He could have gone on a little longer. Savina was nearly out of steam, too. Still, you did well, Nade.’*
The duel ended sooner than expected. Any Class Four student was bound to have at least one spell with high destructive power.
In a real battle, there weren't many opportunities to cast them, but this duel was a good matchup with similar skill levels, allowing for a clean contest of strength against strength.
Reaching his friends, Nade squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head, overcome with an unbearable sense of apology.
“Shirone, Iruki! I'm sorry! I lost! I'm so, so sorry!”
“What are you talking about? We're fighting as a team. I can't guarantee I'll win either. It's okay, you did your best.”
Iruki added a word.
“For you, that was pretty good. You've improved, at least.”
Honestly, he hadn't expected Nade to go this far. During the fight with Lucas of the Parrot Bandits, he had given up completely, but it seemed he had gained a bit of control recently.
“I'm going to head back to the dorm and rest. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. You must be tired, go get some rest.”
Shirone couldn't object to that.
And so, Nade blended into the crowd of students and left the training grounds. But the place he headed was not the dorms, but a secluded park. Only after confirming that no one was around did his true feelings burst out.
“Agh! Dammit! You idiot!”
He had wanted to be a source of strength for Shirone. But Savina was truly strong, and if the duel had continued any longer, the price he would have had to pay would have been beyond imagination.
He still needed the shelter of the academy.
“Ho ho ho! So this is where you were? Acting so calm, but I see you're so ashamed you could just die, right?”
A sigh escaped Nade automatically. He turned around to see Savina, who had followed him at some point.
“Do you still have business with me? The duel is over.”
“No, I think I have some unfinished business. To be honest, I'm quite displeased. I don't know why, but I get the strong feeling that you haven't properly accepted your defeat.”
“I even knelt. What more do you want me to do?”
“That's what I'm not sure about. How about you try kneeling here one more time?”
Nade didn't have the patience to deal with Savina's unreasonable demands. He only felt sorry for Shirone and pathetic for being useless to his friend.
“Just think whatever you want. I won't say anything even if you go around spreading rumors that you're stronger than me, so just leave me alone. I'm leaving.”
The moment Nade turned to head for the dorms, Savina spoke.
“I did a little digging, and it turns out the West family is quite famous, huh?”
Nade’s steps came to a dead stop.
“I've never seen such a train wreck. From what I hear, the head of the house is a jobless gambler, and the lady is an outcast in high society, right? Rumor has it she's famous for living lavishly despite having nothing…!”
A sound like rolling thunder was heard.
Suddenly unable to breathe, Savina saw the world spin chaotically. When she came to her senses, she was in the middle of a deep forest, slammed against the trunk of a tree.
Nade, who was gripping her throat, leaned his face in close.
“Say that again.”
“Gack! Gurgle!”
As Savina’s eyes locked on Nade’s face, she was paralyzed with terror. It wasn’t an expression a human could make. Not a villain, not a psychopathic killer, but simply a monster.
*‘I’m going to die here...’*
It wasn't a guess; it was a certainty. If she had been caught by a murderer, maybe, but no fool in the world would expect mercy after being bitten by a beast.
“Do you want to live?”
Savina nodded her head frantically. As her consciousness began to fade, she wet herself without realizing it.
“Should I snap your neck? Or should I boil your blood?”
Savina didn't understand what he was saying. Her legs moved on their own as if the connection between her mind and body had been severed.
“Hnngh! Hnn!”
Nade’s face contorted as he gathered electricity in his hand. He was planning to evaporate her blood right then and there.
The moment the power concentrated in his palm, a person's face came to mind. Her voice gently soothed Nade's inner beast.
*‘Nade, isn’t one mistake enough?’*
Nade’s eyes were so bloodshot it looked as though he might cry tears of blood. But gradually, a hint of humanity returned to his pupils. He released Savina’s neck and slowly backed away.
“Gasp! Cough!”
Savina collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. She still didn't know what was happening, but her lungs desperately sucked in oxygen.
“You won, and I lost. That's all that happened today. Understand?”
Savina nodded. No matter what command came from Nade's lips, she was prepared to nod unconditionally.
But as if that was enough, Nade left the forest. Just before he reached the exit, his steps halted. He slowly turned his head to look back at a large tree.
*‘Hic! What do I do? Did he see me?’*
Pandora, hiding behind the tree, felt her heart pound. She had come to get revenge on Savina, but by chance, she had witnessed a scene she never should have seen.
Nade's voice reached her.
“Pandora, I've taken the revenge, so you can go back.”
The fact that he mentioned her name was a warning not to escalate the situation. Though she was hidden by the tree and couldn't be seen, Pandora covered her mouth and nodded.
Nade left the park with a miserable heart. In the end, it always came to this. He wished it would rain and wash everything away, but the sky, like his heart, was just gloomy.
“Iruki, I will never become a mage.”
@
The weekend of the second duel arrived.
Nade and Savina's duel had been a hit, drawing an even larger crowd than the previous week. In particular, if Iruki lost, the third duel would be canceled, so many predicted a more intense battle than last time.
Perhaps because of this, even the teachers who had claimed to have no interest in kids' fights were awkwardly smiling and loitering around.
While Etella, the referee, went over the checklist, Shirone and Dante's group waited on the sidelines.
Savina's expression was grim. The trauma of the assault in the forest still hadn't faded. No, rather than fading, it was getting worse, and she had been suffering from nightmares every night.
As the match time approached, Closer began to warm up. After loosening his muscles with advanced stretches uncharacteristic of a mage, he jogged in place and looked back at Dante.
“I'll finish this. No need for you to even step up, right?”
The rule was that the first team to get two wins would end the contest. But Dante knew that as long as Olivia was in charge, such a thing would never happen.
“The duel won't be canceled, though.”
“What? Why?”
“Our master wants Shirone to be crushed. She's already filed a special request with the faculty. The school won't want an event like this to be canceled, either.”
“I see. So even if I win, you and Shirone will still fight.”
“But the stage will be different. If we take two wins, we can make Shirone's defeat even more miserable. That would probably be the best outcome.”
“Kukuku. Alright, I'll set the perfect stage for you.”
When Etella gestured for them to come to the center, Iruki and Closer walked forward. After the rules were explained, Closer, as if showing off his tall stature, looked down at Iruki and spoke.
“When Anti-Magic hits you, you get that tingle in the bridge of your nose, right? But fighting me won't be like some Anti-Magic. Ever had your nose broken? By a fist, I mean.”
Iruki did not answer.
“It hurts like hell. Hurts so much you cry your eyes out. From now on, I'm going to smash your nose flat like an orc's. Even if you scream for me to stop, I'm going to keep beating you. Sounds good, right?”
A wicked smile spread across Closer’s lips.
“Why aren't you saying anything? Scared? Well, too bad. The match has started, and you're about to get beaten to a pulp. In ten minutes, you'll be screaming with blood pouring from your nose. You'll probably lose a few teeth, too. That ugly face of yours is about to get even uglier.”
Etella intervened.
“Refrain from idle chatter before the duel. Both of you, go to your designated positions.”
Closer shook a large fist at Iruki, and as he returned to his spot, he formulated a strategy based on the information he had studied before the duel.
Iruki's specialty was the fast targeting of the Detachment-type and the Focal Point Explosion, which had no travel time. Above all, as a Servant user strong with Sequence Formulas, a preemptive strike was likely impossible.
From 60 meters away, Closer wriggled his fingers, deciding on his initial response. Since his own specialty was defense rather than offense, following a standard approach should be fine.
“Begin!”
The moment Etella's signal fell, a multi-barrage explosion erupted around Closer. As he shielded his face with both arms, his eyes filled with surprise. An explosion right at the start. The Detachment-type spell shrinks in size the farther it travels. The fact that it flew 60 meters without him taking a single step meant it was a truly top-tier Sequence Formula.
Shirone smiled bitterly. He had already felt it during the speed gun test, but the power of a Sequence Formula using logarithms was incredible.
In fact, Iruki's score on the speed gun test was the highest in the magic academy's history, second only to Shirone after he unlocked Immortal Function.
The students stared, mesmerized by the sight of Closer's large frame being swallowed by flames. Even with a 50 percent sync rate, taking consecutive hits could be dangerous.
Finally, the smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing Closer's form. The earthen wall that had protected his entire body crumbled away, revealing his face, which was smiling leisurely.
“Keke, is that all you've got? It tickles like a mosquito bite.”
He had enhanced his body with the passive skill Earthrise and even cast Earth Skin, which protected him with a barrier of soil. An explosion of that level couldn't even send a shock through him.
Closing the distance with teleportation, Closer reversed the dynamic and forced the duel into close combat.
“Rock and Roll!”
As Closer swung his hand as if scooping up dirt, the ground rippled, and the surface began to roll up.
A boulder, growing to three meters in diameter, crushed the spot where Iruki had been standing and rolled past.
Iruki escaped with teleportation. But the moment his feet touched the ground, the surface collapsed as if a trap had been laid.
“Kukuku! This is the end!”
Having sealed Iruki's movements with Earthquake, the signature spell of earth magic, Closer followed up with the Eruption spell. The friction generated from compressing the earth caused an explosion. Nearly five tons of earth and sand erupted from the pit Iruki had fallen into.
Iruki shielded his face with both arms and flew up. Inside his head, the Detonation Equation was rapidly unfolding.