Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Magic Clash (5)
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“I won't let you get away with this! I don't care about the duel anymore!”
Closer gave up on magic and charged at him. In a physical fight, there was no way he could lose to Iruki, right? But that very thought was proof he had lost his reason.
The moment Closer threw a punch, an explosion equivalent to 10 kilobusters erupted. His mental strength gauge plummeted, and his knees hit the ground. If it weren't for his 50 percent sync rate, it would have been an instant kill.
Closer looked up at Iruki with a dazed expression. A fist immediately flew in and struck his nose. Now, even the slightest touch of a fingertip was agonizing.
Tears welled up in Closer's eyes.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Now, shall we start making an orc?”
As Iruki said this while caressing his fist, Closer snapped to his senses and raised his hands.
“W-Wait! I admit it! I lo—!”
Iruki's powerful punch crushed his nose. Closer's heavy upper body snapped back, and the back of his head hit the ground.
Iruki grimaced and shook his hand. It seemed that hitting people wasn't something just anyone could do.
“Ouch, my fist.”
When Etella declared the victory, the students erupted in cheers as if they had been waiting for it.
Mark and Maria, in particular, were ecstatic. Seeing the detestable Closer get beaten to a pulp was a great relief.
‘Amazing. Senior Shirone's friends are amazing too.’
Iruki was certainly an incredible senior, but he had never respected him from the heart. He just thought of him as one of those common geniuses with Savant Syndrome, blessed with a biological advantage.
But now, it was different. He had to acknowledge the skill it took to toy with Closer, who was well-known in the kingdom.
Although Iruki was wildly unpopular at school, he was now receiving flirtatious glances from numerous girls. It seemed many people, like Maria, had pent-up feelings against Closer.
“You're so cool, Senior Iruki! You're the best!”
“That's right! Wow, he's so handsome!”
Iruki shrugged, then stepped on the unconscious Closer's cheek with his right foot. Then, with a nonchalant expression, he made a V-sign with his fingers, a sign of victory.
The cheers abruptly stopped. No matter how much they disliked him, stepping on a defeated opponent's head... That eccentric personality of his would probably never change.
Seriel, who had been watching the fight without even breathing, gulped and asked Amy.
“Shirone and his friends... you said they're moving up next year, right?”
“Yeah. I think that's what he said.”
“Right. I've got to graduate this year, no matter what. If all of them move up to the graduating class, the competition will be hell.”
Seriel was a skilled student who had established a stable position in the graduating class. But her words couldn't be taken as just a joke.
In fact, most of the graduating class students weren't smiling.
They were merely sending looks of caution and vigilance toward the formidable competitors who would stand in the way of their graduation.
‘Well, I should be careful too. I felt it before, but... he's a truly remarkable kid.’
Iruki had come to see her when she was in Class Five. They had exchanged a few words, but his claims were so absurd that she had dismissed them.
But thinking back now, what seemed absurd then must have been reality for Iruki.
Shirone and Nade ran to Iruki, their faces filled with shock. Shirone, in particular, had to admit that Iruki's claim of having a secret weapon to defeat him was not an empty boast.
Of course, calculating the cancellation was extremely difficult, but once the analysis was complete, it was clear that no mage would want to fight Iruki.
“Iruki, that was incredible. I got goosebumps watching.”
“Seriously. When did you practice this, keeping it a secret from us?”
“Today was actually the first time I used it. During the break, my father made me solve formulas until I was dead tired. I thought I'd be good at it in a real fight, and as it turns out, it was pretty easy.”
Any other time, they would have smacked him on the head for bragging, but today, they couldn't bring themselves to hate him for it.
With this, the score was tied, and the initial goal of sending Shirone to face Dante was achieved.
While Sabina was waking the unconscious Closer, Dante walked over. But the person he spoke to was not Shirone, but Iruki.
“That was a good match. Cancellation. Very impressive.”
“Don't be so impressed yet. It'll be even more impressive in your match.”
Dante scoffed. Cancellation was the highest level of mastery, impossible even for professionals. In the end, the top student in the advanced class was neither Boyle nor Shirone. It was Iruki.
“When you left the Royal Magic Academy, I thought it was over, but talent never dies, I see. That makes it all the more regrettable. It would have been a better match if I had fought you instead.”
He spoke as if Shirone wasn't even a consideration. In fact, he was thinking that arranging a rematch with Iruki would be better for publicity.
“I know what you mean. But with that complacent attitude, you'll have a hard time beating Shirone.”
“Haha! Me? To this country bumpkin? At your level, you should know. That will never happen.”
“Do you know why I left Bashuka? Because I thought there was no one there who could stop me.”
Dante's expression soured. It was a statement that insulted not only him but the entire Royal Magic Academy.
“I don't know about now, but that's what I thought back then. That there was no one who could control the dangerous substance in my head.”
“So? You're saying there's someone like that here?”
“I met two. One refused, but the other accepted. And that person is Shirone. I don't care what impression you have of him, but if you think this much makes you the best, you're in for the worst feeling of your life in next week's match.”
Dante turned his gaze to Shirone. Why did everyone hold this kid in such high regard?
At first, he thought it was simply because he was an Unlocker. But a genius capable of using Cancellation wouldn't judge by such a low standard.
The students listening to their conversation began to murmur.
The fact that Shirone was the one who could stop Iruki's rampage had been revealed during last semester's speed gun test. But Iruki had said he met two people.
“Who on earth is the other person?”
“Maybe Senior Amy? There was a rumor going around before. That Iruki was targeting Senior Amy.”
Besides Amy, several other names came up, but unless Iruki revealed it himself, there was no way to know.
In any case, the second match concluded with Iruki's complete victory.
The students' hearts pounded as they returned to their dorms. Next week was the highlight of the big match: the duel between Shirone and Dante.
In their hearts, they cheered for Shirone, but objectively, they had to give the edge to Dante.
A spectacular record of 472 wins and 0 losses. It felt like time would pass slowly next week.
@
The day they had been counting down to had finally arrived.
From the morning, the school was bustling with activity to welcome new guests.
Students cleaned their dorms, washed themselves, and put on their best clothes.
Kiline, a special correspondent from the Teachers' Council, entered Alpheas Magic Academy accompanied by a video archivist. Seeing students already gathered in Training Hall 2000, a smile touched her lips.
‘As expected, even at a regional academy, Dante's reputation is incredible. There are still hours before it starts.’
Kiline cut through the line between Mark and Maria and entered the training hall.
“Excuse me. I'm a special correspondent. I'll be going in first.”
Maria watched with fascinated eyes.
“Wow, so that's Kiline. I've only heard her name in academic journals. She's more beautiful than I expected.”
“Hmph, even so, I hear she's a die-hard Dante supporter. To us, she's no different from an enemy.”
As the time for the duel approached, the training hall was opened. Shirone also waited in line with his friends at the entrance before going in.
The stage was so extravagantly decorated that it was hard to believe this was an unofficial duel. The rumor that they had hired an event company last night to decorate seemed to be true.
The smooth physical blocks were spotless, and there were even torches set up to create an atmosphere.
A video recorder was set up in a position with a clear view of the training hall. Unlike an optical camera that captures a single moment, it was a device that could record the flow of time.
According to Nade's explanation, the optical crystal used in the video recorder was called Obscura-B, which was a whopping 200 times more expensive than the Obscura-A used in optical cameras.
It was a mineral that formed in ultra-low temperature darkrooms and couldn't be synthesized through alchemy, which made it highly valuable.
As such, Obscura-B was handled by the state, and its use required approval from the relevant authorities.
“In short, the kingdom decided that Shirone's duel is worth recording. If you win this, your name will really be known throughout the entire kingdom.”
While Nade was excited as if it were his own affair, Iruki faced reality with a cool head.
“The approval was probably granted to record Dante, not Shirone. Mages who can handle information magic as well as Dante are rare. They probably intend to use it as teaching material for the Royal Magic Academy.”
“Tch! Whatever, it doesn't matter, right? Shirone's going to win. Right, Shirone?”
Shirone wanted to smile, but the corners of his mouth wouldn't lift easily. In a little while, he would face Dante. He was determined to do his best, but his opponent was not someone against whom he could be certain of the outcome.
On the way, they met Canis and Arin. Though he habitually said he wasn't interested, it seemed today's duel had piqued his curiosity.
The front seats of Hall 2000 were for teachers and staff, so Mark and Maria had saved seats in the second row. Amy and Seriel had also claimed their seats early on.
When Shirone walked over, Mark bowed his head.
“Good morning, Senior!”
“Shirone! Shirone's here!”
Seriel ran up like a puppy greeting its owner, grabbed Shirone's hand, and brought him over, while Amy studied Shirone's face. He didn't look nervous, but he wasn't relaxed either.
Canis, who was walking behind Shirone, saw Amy and raised his hand. Since returning from Heaven, they had both been busy, so while they had acknowledged each other in passing, this was the first time they were together in one place.
“Yo, Pumpkin. Long time no see.”
“What's this? Is that how you talk to a graduating senior? Aren't you going to call me 'Senior'?”
The two, who had been rivals even in Heaven, were the same at school.
“Don't be so uptight. By that logic, should Arin call me 'Senior' too?”
In fact, Arin wasn't sure how she should greet them.
“Of course Arin is an exception! I see you keep trying to lump yourself in with Arin, but that won't work on me!”
Shirone stepped in to mediate.
“Come on, now. It's better if everyone gets along. Why do you two fight every time you meet?”
Canis and Amy pointed at each other and shouted.
“They're the one who always starts it!”
Shirone forgot his pre-match tension and burst out laughing. Then again, their bad blood went back to when Arcane invaded the school. The fact that they maintained a friendship at all showed they didn't hold grudges.
Mark and Maria, being much younger juniors, couldn't join the conversation and just watched from a distance.
Gathered in one place, Shirone's crew was made up of the school's top-class students. At least in Mark's eyes, the seven of them felt like a walking legion.
Just then, another group that could be called a legion—Dante's party—approached from the other side.
Mark, who was glaring at them, let out a smirk. Their aura was completely different from when they first transferred.
Sabina looked somewhat dejected, and Closer's face was covered in bandages.
‘Hehehe. Serves you right, idiots. You shouldn't have messed with Shirone's crew.’
Dante's gaze first fell on Amy. It wasn't so much a conscious choice as it was that she was so beautiful he couldn't help it. She wasn't literally glowing, but it felt as if she was the only one in sharp focus.
The Carmis family of the Red Eyes. Moreover, before entering the graduating class, she was number one, having overwhelmingly defeated Boyle and Pandora. If anyone here were to be hailed as queen, there was no one more fitting than her.
“Greetings. I have heard much of the Carmis family's reputation. I am Dante Airhain.”
“I see. Work hard and I hope you get a good result.”