Ranking Battle 2
"Have both of you shown up?"
Professor Joshua Le Jerna Ashanterieur gazed at the approaching Kesera, swallowing a pang of regret. How much has changed because of that girl? Gail was an academy student that all the professors had their eyes on—a top talent with excellent study habits, high scores, and impeccable conduct. Every instructor had wanted him as their apprentice. But in an instant, that evaluation had plummeted into the abyss.
On the other hand, that Kesera... She was a peerless genius and a walking headache who had just entered the academy. Her unpredictable personality made it impossible to guess where she'd bolt off to next, but her skills were so outstanding that even though she already had an advisor professor assigned, others still eyed her covetously. From the start, her abilities had long surpassed those of the salaried professors who lacked some academic polish.
Gail had suffered a major blow from his defeat in the previous duel. Public opinion had tanked, and there had even been backlash questioning whether the academy's current scoring system was fair. ...Could he have stopped this fight? Part of him wanted to turn back time to the entrance exam if he could. But it was also true that he was intrigued by a clash between a prodigy and a genius.
As a specialist in Void Magic related to space-time, the circular void shield Kesera had used was breathtakingly beautiful to him. Even without a wand, casting magic with intent alone was a feat of such power that he himself could only manage it a handful of times. To give an example, it was like punching with a bare fist and shattering a steel door.
"Then, I'll ask the fifth-year White Badge student Gail Le Sorden Ksharanthelis and Kesera Le Armo Ascentrius. Do both of you consent to this ranking battle?"
"Meh~☆ Why even bother asking~☆?"
"I consent."
Professor Joshua sensed something off in Kesera's voice. Strangely, she didn't look well today. Her face was unnaturally pale, and she seemed somehow desperate. Which meant... for some reason, Kesera—the one who could be called the superior fighter—was getting impatient.
This could turn into a big incident. Joshua stroked his mustache and gripped his favorite Estellon wand tightly in one hand.
"Then, both of you pick up the wooden training wands and take your starting positions."
Gail and Kesera each grabbed a wooden wand already placed on the sparring field. Kesera's hands were so small that it looked more like a staff than a wand... but that wasn't important right now. The professor seized the flag for the ranking battle.
"Then, begin."
As the flag rose, both raised their wooden wands toward each other.
*
As the professor instructed, I gripped the wooden training wand. In that instant, I instinctively realized my body wasn't in good shape. No matter how blunt this wooden wand was, the moment you hold it, it links to the mage's internal mana. The wand acts as a conduit, drawing out the mana stored in the mage's body and extending it outward. That's why personal wands exist—they're tuned to your mana, allowing smooth release without strain.
But I never imagined that just grabbing this wooden one would make my insides feel this cold, with cold sweat breaking out all over.
"Hngh..."
Mana flowing through my bloodstream backlashed slightly. Was my condition this bad? If that quack spinster healer hadn't patched me up, I might have collapsed the moment I linked with this wand.
Crunch, crunch. Sand from the sparring field crunched under my feet as I headed to my spot. I had to end this quick— that loser already had a read on my skills from last time. Even speaking felt precarious, so I double-checked the wand for tampering, but nope, it was just my body failing me. Bare-handed magic was completely off the table like this.
"Then, the ranking battle begins!"
I wasn't going to lose. Winning this would give me enough points to drop a few classes this semester. Defeat wasn't in my dictionary.
"Begin!"
The moment the loser's professor raised the flag, dozens of icicle spears deployed around that pretty boy, just like before. Just watching his dainty magic made my head spin, hard to focus... but not all those icicle spears were plain ones.
"Pfft... lol☆ Rookie. That's all you got~☆?"
"Fire!"
The difference between incantation and chantless is as big as whether you use a wand or not. But chantless—manifesting exactly as you think—is way faster. Was he not skilled enough yet? Helpfully announcing the launch timing—
—Considering my current state, that was a relief.
Dozens of icicle spears floating around the loser shot toward me irregularly. But countering with void magic like last time would get me pierced. I could swat away the three mixed in with trig function magic, but with my mana, I needed maximum efficiency.
Dodge.
"Flight!"
⟨ Flight ⟩
"Think you'll escape?"
I kicked off and soared into the air, and the icicle spears' targets shifted instantly. But trajectories of already-fired spears don't change. They slammed into the ground one after another.
—Thud thud thud.
Just replicas via basic arithmetic, those icicle spears. But sharp enough that getting hit wouldn't end with torn muscles. The three with trig functions rocketed upward as my position changed, and the next batch targeted me again.
That's when it hit.
—Throb.
My mana plate—what you could call the mana heart near my solar plexus—clenched hard. Muscles cramped, bile rose in my throat. Mild dizziness hit, and I couldn't parse even those easy-looking icicle spears. No choice but to dodge, so I fed rotation into the flight spell again.
"Dodging well for a brat? Today, I'll make you apologize for those words."
"C'mon~☆ Bro... why not give up~☆?"
Talk big, but I had no room to spare. Altering flight trajectory needed calculations, and he was predictive-firing icicle spears I couldn't nullify with void magic. Plus, my mana was leaking out in waves more than expected.
Time to wrap this up. Those basic icicle spears mixed in steadily were a real pain, blocking high-level magic. Land and switch spells? But flames pooled where I was predicted to land.
"Pit of rising flames."
⟨ Pit of Rising Flames ⟩
"Tch... annoying☆"
I hastily corrected the flight path. Clashing with magic? His mana was overwhelmingly stronger—such a hassle. No chantless in this state. Incantation it was—
"Light!"
⟨ Light ⟩
Fast as speed itself. A straight shot of flame and wind combo. As the basic arithmetic light beam fired, Gail threw himself aside to dodge, and luckily, his icicle spear production slowed.
"Kgh...!"
"That's why~☆ Why so obsessed~☆?"
Time to land. Mana wouldn't cut it—dodge on stamina. I twisted my waist, barely grazing past an icicle spear, then touched down. Quickly chanted the next.
"Void Arrow."
⟨ Void Arrow ⟩
Void in a form he couldn't block unless it was the same void magic—it sheared off chunks of my mana. But I couldn't gauge how much to put in by eye. Poured in everything; my eyelids fluttered.
"...!"
Void energy generated at the tip fired. A spell that nullifies everything in its path. Caught off guard that I'd actually fire it, the loser stomped and used earth magic to evade.
"Integrate."
I integrated, and the hidden components in the original void magic burst forth. The basic icicle spears he'd fired scattered everywhere from the void orb. Gail rolled desperately but took direct hits from several.
"Kgh..."
The loser's muscles tore, blood spraying. Cheers from the onlookers swelled. And my mana... was finally running dry.
"Haa... haa..."
"Flame Shield."
⟨ Flame Shield ⟩
"Not bad."
I'd drawn blood, but no finishing blow. The pretty loser melted the embedded icicle spears with his flame shield. Then, I spotted void magic residue on his head.
"Haha... time to end it~ Integration☆"
Once more, I crammed every last drop of mana into the void residue and focused integration. Now space warped. No time to spare, I'd overfed mana into the integration constant during the process...
"What...?"
My magic slipped my control.
"Ah... kgh...☆"
"Miss Kesera!"
"Ah...☆ Ngh..."
"Wai... kaaaaah—!"
The spatial distortion from the void residue spread in the form of cracks. The bizarrely twisting space began tearing the opponent apart.