Flames Without End
The flames overflowed without end. Even without direct contact, the sheer heat peeled away skin, and pus oozed thickly from the wounds. 'Togun can't handle this alone.'
In common parlance, mages who reached the level of expert or higher were granted the title of archmage. The same applied to other fields of study—once someone attained five stars, they were said to have mastered their discipline. Four stars, then, marked those who stood just one step away from that expert realm. No matter how powerful the Anti-Magic Sword in Togun's hands might be, it was never meant for a student to wield against such an opponent.
That was why Jeon Raydel had tried to restrain Aaron from the rear while Togun held the front, but Aaron proved far more cunning than expected.
'I can't see clearly.' The ultra-high-temperature flames blocked electromagnetic waves, interfering with Jeon Raydel's detection. Only by concentrating could he barely make out hazy silhouettes. Sensing through his mana how mercilessly Aaron was pressing forward and how Togun was being driven back, Jeon Raydel thrust his lightning-wreathed hand ahead.
Whoosh!
He yanked it back just as quickly. The moment Jeon Raydel withdrew his arm, finger-like roots burst from the ground like trees sprouting from below. Having read the underground ambush in advance, he dodged and retreated. At the same time, two familiar presences approached slowly from behind him.
"Volcano, huh. It really is hot. Almost burned my fingers."
"Isn't that obvious?"
The burly man pulled his fingers from the earth and blew on them with a huff huff. The woman beside him shot him a look of exasperation. Both voices were familiar—Baraki Nepiri and Silvia Cristel. Like Aaron Dice, they were representatives of Benedict Academy participating in the Academy Tournament. The appearance of two three-star mages, each on par with Jeon Raydel, made his expression harden.
"It was a trap?"
The battlefield split into two fronts with the sudden arrival of the pair. That meant they had been waiting for their moment to appear. 'They didn't show themselves right away because they were searching for Arina?' Aaron had only revealed them after unleashing his full power. That must have been the signal—confirming Arina wasn't nearby.
'Can I win?'
Receiving no answer to his own question, Jeon Raydel quietly stepped back as the two approached. Compared to Togun, who had to face a four-star mage directly, his situation was better. Still, two fully realized three-star mages were no easy opponents either.
"Why not just give up nicely?"
The situation was utterly hopeless. In chess terms, it was checkmate in all but name. No moves remained; all that was left was to wait for the opponent's declaration. Baraki's suggestion to surrender sounded unbearably sweet.
"……"
Yet Jeon Raydel drew up his mana without the slightest hesitation. He had already despaired enough yesterday facing enemies he could not defeat. 'Even if I can't win……' At the very least, he would not show a shameful face to the children who had followed him this far. If he gave up first, he would have no right to look Togun—who had risked his life for victory that morning—in the eye.
"You're still going to fight?"
"Of course. I have to take down the seniors before Togun falls and go help him."
Normally, the captain's role in this tournament was to be protected by teammates while enduring. But Jeon Raydel was the kind of person who had grown sick of being shielded. He would protect others. Togun, fighting Aaron. And beyond him, Arina, buying time against Chris. That was what he believed a captain's duty to be.
"……"
The obsession born from the Dark Wave incident. The sense of justice Jeon Raydel had newly carved into himself in Vivaldi Territory. At his resolute words, Baraki scratched the back of his head as if annoyed. He had wanted to preserve Aaron's condition as much as possible, since they still had to face Chris later. Judging by the junior's reaction, however, letting this slide was impossible.
"Why? You already knew he'd react like this, didn't you?"
"Still, I held out a little hope."
"Let's just finish this quickly. Staying in this heat too long is making me crave a cold cola."
Silvia summoned wind into her palm. The air superheated by Aaron became a scorching gale that whirled around her. Crackle-crackle! Jeon Raydel countered with a violent surge of electricity. Current and wind intertwined in the air, and the resulting thunder-wind shattered the surrounding terrain. Just as Jeon Raydel prepared to calculate a new spell while sensing Baraki charging through the thunder-wind—
BOOM!
Someone burst through Jeon Raydel's perception from behind and sprinted forward at incredible speed. A savage beast's roar echoed. A figure clad in pure white fur blocked Baraki's path and raked its sharp claws across his jaw without mercy.
"Baraki!"
As Baraki was knocked backward by the unexpected blow, Silvia cried out his name. At the same moment, someone nullified her storm and sent multiple spells slicing through the gaps in her mana.
"Kyaaah!"
She screamed and tumbled across the ground. The volcanic heat seared into her cheek through the dirt. Confused about what was happening, Silvia lifted her head—just as a spirited voice rang in her ears.
"Well said, first-years! If you guys had tried to give up too, I would've actually cried!"
The one who appeared, shielding Jeon Raydel, was Ennya Dexspin, representative of Lorelei Academy. She puffed out her chest proudly and shouted boldly at Silvia.
"I'm pissed off! Chris and Aaron Dice both act like they're so great and look down on us!"
She knew. Their chances of winning the tournament had already vanished. The opportunity to catch the scouts' eyes had flown away as well. Apart from Benedict Academy and Sirionella Private Academy, every other school had long since become mere extras meant to highlight the two four-star mages. Ennya understood that fact, yet she was not magnanimous enough to accept it quietly. Petty, selfish, and narrow-minded to a fault, she had decided: even if they couldn't win, she would at least give those two a massive middle finger.
"Everyone, now!"
At Ennya Dexspin's signal, several students around her raised their arms in unison. The artifacts strapped to their wrists symbolized that each was a team captain. As they shattered their own bracelets, Ennya grinned in their midst.
"From now on, let's fight for real!"
Losing the bracelet meant they could no longer score points. Normally, that would be the end. But for them, this was only the beginning. Only the captains who broke their bracelets were eliminated from the field. The other two members could remain until they suffered fatal injuries. In other words, the captains vanishing along with their bracelets was a declaration that they would never give points to their opponents, even in defeat—and proof of their determination to spite them even if it meant abandoning victory.
"From this moment, every member of the Academy Alliance will devote our full strength to supporting Benedict Academy's B Team!"
The only team still capable of competing with four-star mages in this tournament. Unlike the other teams that had given up on winning long ago, these were the ones who kept charging toward victory, biting and clawing at Aaron and Chris's ankles. The underdogs who ultimately drew the two mages' attention and suffered concentrated attacks. Their fight from the position of the weak left a deep impression on Ennya Dexspin as well. She thought: perhaps, if it were them, they could surpass the four-star mages rampaging through the tournament and claim the Academy Tournament championship.
"We will become kingmakers."
Not Aaron Dice. Not Chris either. They would make Benedict Academy's B Team the new king. It was probably the only way left to regain the scouts' attention. Emotion and reason had both reached the same conclusion. All that remained was to act on what was already in her mind.
At her words, the numerous mages surrounding Silvia fixed her with determined gazes and aimed their spells at Silvia Cristel.
"What is this all of a sudden……"
A short distance away from Silvia, someone stomped down on the back of Baraki's head as he rose while rubbing his struck jaw. Thud! His face slammed into the ground with a heavy impact. Standing atop him, a man draped in white fur growled in a menacing voice.
"Revenge for the first day, you bastard!"
Ilon Doyan. Though not part of the alliance, he had harbored a deep grudge against Baraki Nepiri ever since the maze escape event on the first day. Convinced that his chance for revenge had finally arrived, he bared a savage wolf's smile and thrust both hands behind his back.
Transformation magic—form change: Silver Fang.
Sharp claws wreathed in blade-wind surged toward Baraki's broad back. Whoosh! But before the attack could land, a sharp spike erupted from the ground behind Ilon. Baraki's claws, extending from beneath the earth, pierced through Ilon's body and flung him off.
"These little……!"
"Not a chance!"
Baraki rose with an enraged expression. Ilon Doyan, cloaked once more in blade-wind, leaped powerfully toward him.
"Now's the time! Go!"
The enemy of my enemy is my ally. As if proving the saying, the unexpected reinforcements tied down Baraki Nepiri and Silvia Cristel. Startled by the turn of events, Jeon Raydel belatedly came to his senses at Ennya's shout and bowed his head to her.
"Thank you for your help."
"If you're grateful, then win. If you lose to those guys after all this, I really won't be able to sleep for days out of sheer frustration."
She meant it. She had swallowed her pride and even played babysitter to first-years who had joined via special invitation. Losing after all that would make her so furious she might actually burst into tears.
"Understood."
Though he couldn't see her fierce expression, her desperate resolve reached Jeon Raydel clearly.
"We will win. No matter what."
Responsibility was a heavy word. Taking responsibility was never something to be said lightly. He had felt that truth keenly while leading the children in the Academy Tournament, yet Jeon Raydel spoke the word once more. He believed it was the only way to repay those who had helped him.
'This match, I absolutely cannot lose.'
Shouldering the expectations of many, Jeon Raydel turned his back on Ennya with a wry smile. He had never intended to lose in the first place, but now defeat was even more unthinkable.
'I will win.'
Cloaking his entire body in lightning, Jeon Raydel dashed toward the noisiest spot nearby—the place where Togun and Aaron were fighting.
"Yeah. That's enough."
Glancing at the retreating Jeon Raydel, Ennya let out a small chuckle.
"Why are you doing this to us? What did we even do wrong!"
While individually canceling the spells fired by numerous participants, Silvia protested in frustration. Ennya snorted and began weaving her magic.
"If you're better than me, then everything you do is wrong."
It was the kind of line that would have earned applause and laughter if Jealousy had heard it. The humiliation Ennya had endured throughout the Academy Tournament had finally caused her inferiority complex to explode. She ground her teeth.
Mental magic: Mental Impact. It struck mana directly into the eardrums to deliver a shock to the brain. The same spell that had just nullified Silvia's scorching wind was cast again. In the momentary gap created by the new storm, countless spells tore through at once.
"You kept bragging about your elemental magic being specialized for combat! Serves you right!"
How ugly. Ennya, intoxicated by the tangible advantage she had never experienced since entering the tournament, looked down at Silvia. Silvia ground her teeth in turn.
"I'll make sure to eliminate you no matter what!"
"Try it if you can! Without Aaron Dice, you can't do anything anyway! Stop acting like some elite!"
"What did you say?!"
The high-level battle between three-star mages devolved into a childish, petty war of words. Mana surged violently with rage.
"Die!"
With adrenaline flooding her system, Silvia squeezed every last drop of mana from her three stars and swung a scorching gale like a hammer, fury blazing in her eyes.