The Thing I Can't Give Up (3)
The first strike from a mage, having the longest time to prepare, almost always carries the greatest power. When that strike comes from two mages who have entered the ranks of true masters, the aftermath of their collision needs no explanation.
Boom!
The very air reverberated and tore apart. No lightning was visible, yet a savage thunderclap split the sky. At the same time, the shockwave from that first collision swept across the training ground. Cracks spiderwebbed across the worn floor while clouds of dust billowed wildly. The knights' cloaks whipped and snapped in the violent aftershock.
“Ugh…!”
Maxim shielded his face with his palm. Through the gaps in his fingers, past the haze of dust and wind, he could just make out the situation. The first exchange had gone to Christine.
She had not moved a single step from where she cast her spell, yet a long furrow had been gouged into the ground beneath her opponent’s feet. The two mages seemed to have gauged each other’s skill in that single clash. Christine wore an indifferent expression, as though everything had unfolded exactly as expected. Her opponent, however—Rione Becker—could not hide the bewilderment that Christine’s ability far exceeded her predictions.
“...!”
Rione Becker’s lips moved rapidly. A spell took shape in the air before her. Christine simply waited, calm and unmoving, for the incantation to finish. Yet even in the face of such arrogance, no hint of humiliation touched Rione Becker’s features. The hierarchy between them had already been established.
She’s strong.
Maxim thought as he watched Christine. He had known she was talented, but he had never once seen her fight in earnest. Whenever he jokingly suggested a spar, she would merely frown and refuse.
A knight chanting her spell, and Christine quietly observing. After that first collision, this match had already moved beyond the realm of simple victory or defeat.
The moment Rione Becker completed her magic, a circle of light bloomed in the air and chains of pure mana shot forward. They hurtled toward Christine, seeking to bind her. She spared the incoming chains a single sidelong glance and murmured something. Maxim caught the shape of her lips.
Not bad.
That was Christine’s assessment of Rione Becker’s spell. The chains coiled like a serpent, looping smoothly around her. Still, Christine made no move to counter. Rione Becker yanked her outstretched hand back and clenched it into a fist.
Clatter!
The intangible chains of light shrieked like metal scraping metal as they tightened. Christine allowed herself to be bound without resistance. With a ratcheting sound, the chains locked down completely, lifting her feet clear off the ground.
“....!”
Rione Becker continued chanting without pause. The chains ground tighter with a crushing noise, squeezing Christine’s body. Her feet dangled in the air.
If she keeps standing there like that, something’s going to break.
Maxim worried inwardly, but his concern proved unnecessary.
Crash!
If one had to describe the sound, that was it. Rione Becker’s magic shattered. Even an amateur could see that the chains had possessed a solid, sophisticated structure—yet they collapsed at a single word from Christine.
Rione Becker urgently activated the reserve circle she had prepared. Multiple strands of glowing chains rained down on Christine from every direction. This time Christine did not simply stand and wait. With light, economical movements she dodged two of them, then deployed a barrier.
A golden magic circle resembling her own hair unfurled in the air.
Bang!
The falling chains slammed against it, spraying sparks of mana. Rione Becker, apparently expecting the barrier to hold, showed no surprise and pressed the attack once more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yet Christine’s defense did not so much as crack. If the fight continued this way, Rione Becker would be the one at a disadvantage. Realizing this, she withdrew her chain spell. The links vanished into the circle as though being sucked back into an anchor.
Christine descended lightly to the ground. She raised a single eyebrow at Rione Becker standing across from her. The gesture seemed to ask, Is that all?
For the first time, Rione Becker’s face twisted with anger.
“....”
She began another incantation. Small orbs of mana light appeared above her head. The next instant, power swirled around her and sank into her body—physical enhancement. Rione Becker was shifting to close-quarters combat.
The long-range exchange had ended. Her figure blurred, and suddenly she stood within striking distance of Christine. Christine took one light step back and raised another barrier. The golden circle appeared between them.
“Hah!”
For the first time since the match began, a battle cry tore from Rione Becker’s throat. Barrier or no barrier, she drove her fist forward with the clear intent to shatter everything in her path.
Clang!
Christine’s indifferent mask finally cracked. Her eyebrows twitched; she reached out to reinforce the barrier. But before she could finish the incantation, Rione Becker’s punch broke through.
With a sharp crack, the circle fractured, then exploded into fragments. Christine was sent flying backward. She halted in mid-air, an expression of genuine disbelief on her face.
“...Your style is remarkably aggressive.”
The first words she had spoken since the match began were utterly characteristic of Christine. Rione Becker answered calmly.
“A mage fights however she chooses. You are simply committed to a different approach than mine.”
“I’ll respect that method. Even if I don’t understand it.”
The purely defensive atmosphere around Christine shifted. The mana permeating the air began to whirl and pour into her. Maxim recognized it as the same body-enhancement spell Rione Becker had used moments ago. Though less ferocious in presence, the power it contained was hardly inferior. Christine’s refined aura felt even more threatening.
She cracked her knuckles with an audible pop and began walking slowly toward Rione Becker. Fighting spirit rose like heat haze between the two mages, five meters apart.
“Well, since I respect it, I’ll match your style.”
“You are quite arrogant.”
She held absolute dominance at range, but…
Maxim frowned as he watched Christine. He wondered how she would fare in a true close-quarters brawl. The one time he had taught her some hand-to-hand techniques, she had shown decent talent. Interest now gleamed in his eyes. Just how far can she go?
“Do not assume that an advantage at distance guarantees superiority in close combat.”
At Rione Becker’s displeased words, the ground beneath her feet exploded. Her speed increased dramatically. Her charge surpassed even that of a fully trained knight. The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Rione Becker pivoted on her right leg, twisting her entire body. Her left leg whipped toward Christine’s face. While most onlookers believed the kick would land, Maxim clearly saw Christine’s raised right arm.
“Do not assume that losing at range means you will win in close combat.”
Christine provoked her opponent with words that were entirely her own. Rione Becker’s brows drew together. What followed was a brutal exchange that hardly seemed like a battle between mages.
Rione Becker shifted stance and threw a punch. Christine tracked the movement of shoulder and elbow exactly as Maxim had taught her, calmly slipping the blow. When the follow-up left kick came, she blocked it cleanly. She reached out with her free left hand to grapple, but her arm was simply too short. The moment her fingers closed on empty air, Rione Becker seized the opening and shoved her away.
Once distance opened again, both mages simultaneously cast offensive spells. A flaming arrow and an ice spike collided in mid-air and detonated.
Boom!
“...She’s far more impressive than I expected.”
“They said she was a genius who abandoned the Magic Tower. Looks like it was true.”
“The awl in the pocket always pokes through eventually.”
The knights murmured in admiration. Maxim felt a quiet swell of pride. After all, she was the comrade who had stood beside him through two difficult years.
Bang!
The two mages had already returned to close combat. Whenever Rione Becker unleashed a flurry of punches, Christine either deflected or evaded them all. When Christine countered with a kick, her opponent likewise failed to land a clean hit. As though they possessed infinite mana, they maintained their physical enhancements while instantly launching attack spells the moment an opening appeared.
Little by little, urgency began to bleed into Rione Becker’s movements. She seemed to have realized that a war of attrition would only worsen her position. Christine did not miss the change in tempo. After calmly parrying another strike, she finally seized Rione Becker’s shoulder. Rione Becker’s expression stiffened. Just as Christine’s eyes flashed with certainty of victory—
“Enough.”
Theodora’s voice rang out, ending the match. Both mages froze in place as though they had locked eyes with a basilisk. Frustration colored Rione Becker’s face; regret touched Christine’s.
“Christine Watson, you pass. Congratulations. Both of you, return to your positions.”
Rione Becker committed no breach of etiquette by protesting or asking to extend the fight. She stepped back cleanly and offered a polite bow.
“Thank you for the bout. Your skill is truly excellent.”
Christine stared at the offered hand with a slightly awkward expression, but she could not refuse it. She shook hands somewhat clumsily.
“Yes… thank you.”
Even as she returned to Maxim’s side, she could not wipe the dissatisfied look from her face.
“Congratulations, Christine.”
“Thank you, Vice Commander… But it ended on such an unsatisfying note.”
Seeing her obvious regret, Maxim let out a small chuckle despite himself.
“Disappointed you couldn’t reach a clear conclusion?”
“I wanted to show you how well I learned from you.”
“You did more than enough.”
At his praise, Christine’s lips curved into a bright smile.
“Next… Hans Wagner, step forward.”
Theodora called the next candidate. The summoned knight walked forward with heavy steps, his confidence clearly shaken by the previous fight. Maxim watched the next match while mentally mapping out who his own opponent might be and how he should fight.
After three more duels following Christine’s, a consensus formed among the knights. Christine Watson was the Raven Knight Order’s mutant. The three remaining existing members who had challenged the selection test could not last even ten minutes, let alone fifteen. They were eliminated one after another.
Amid the metallic tang of blood mixed with dust and sweat that now hung over the training ground, the latest defeated knight walked down the hill with slumped shoulders.
“Now it’s your turn, Vice Commander.”
Christine said, turning away from the departing knight’s back. Maxim feigned nonchalance and joked.
“If I fail too, this order’s honor will truly hit rock bottom.”
“It never had any honor to begin with.”
Christine laughed. Then her expression grew serious as she warned him.
“Don’t push yourself.”
“I know.”
As Maxim loosened his shoulders, he felt a gaze from the platform. Theodora was watching him.
“Next, Maxim Apparte, step forward.”
Maxim walked out at her command. Since four knights had accompanied them, it seemed they intended to have one of them fight again. Excluding Rione Becker—the mage who had faced Christine—none of the others showed any sign of fatigue. Every previous match had ended far too quickly.
They’re no help right to the end.
Maxim clicked his tongue inwardly. He reviewed every movement the knights had displayed, every flow of mana he had observed. From that, he reached a simple conclusion.
There was no need to overdo it.
A sharp light settled in Maxim’s eyes. His heartbeat slowed far below its usual pace. The breath leaving his lips was cool, not heated. He summoned the blade that lived in his heart and closed his fingers around its hilt.
He waited for Theodora to name his opponent, but she remained silent. Was she actually hesitating over whom to choose? It seemed unlike her. When Maxim’s quiet gaze turned toward the platform, she finally spoke.
“Vice Commander Maxim Apparte…”
Strength slowly filled the hand gripping the hilt. He scanned the knights standing with unshakable poise. Whoever it was, he would face them.
“I will face him myself.”
This is insane.