The match of the summoning genius from the Necromancer School, Dick, was not flashy, but it had a captivating charm that drew the audience in.
Simon and Kamibarez were applauding from the stands, but Meirin wore a sullen expression, resting her chin on her hand. "…Ah, it's definitely the same group member who won, but why do I feel so embarrassed?"
"Hahaha!"
- A-class student Meirin Villenne.
C-class student Ivan Varshani, please come to the waiting room.
Upon hearing the announcement, Meirin stood up.
"Well, I'll win easily and come back."
"Go for it, Meirin!"
"Do well."
As Meirin headed to the waiting room, she ran into Dick, who was coming up from the stands.
Dick, looking pleased, spread his palm for a high-five, but Meirin passed by with a haughty snort.
"Tsk! She has no charm at all."
Dick grumbled as he approached Simon and Kamibarez, giving them high-fives.
The three of them chatted cheerfully about the duel evaluations when Meirin appeared in the center of the arena.
Her opponent was Ivan Varshani from C-class, a sturdy aspiring martial artist.
"This match should be interesting."
Dick said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Will Ivan take her down, or will Meirin knock him out first?"
"Go for it! Meirin!"
Following the referee's instructions, Meirin and Ivan approached each other and shook hands.
"I didn't expect to face such a big shot right from the first round."
Ivan said with a grin.
"You should remember this moment as an honor for your family, commoner."
Meirin withdrew her hand and crossed her arms haughtily.
"Soon, you won't even be able to look me in the eye."
"Maybe. But I believe that being trampled by a commoner now will be a good experience for you."
"Funny."
The two exchanged light banter before turning their backs and walking away.
Ivan, a former boxer, had a body built from countless training sessions, while Meirin appeared delicate and slender, as if she had never even touched water.
Finally, the two stood facing each other at a distance.
The referee checked both students and shouted, "Match start!"
As soon as the word was spoken, Ivan dashed toward Meirin, his feet pounding the ground. 'Don’t let her do anything! Push her back until she can’t breathe…!' In that instant, his pupils widened.
Suddenly, black flames erupted right in front of him.
Whoosh!
Ivan slammed on the brakes and changed direction.
It was dangerous.
Though he wore protective gear, he could feel the intense heat making him sweat.
"Oh my, how simple."
Meirin said, conjuring black flames at her fingertips.
"Did you think you could win just by rushing in blindly?"
With a whoosh, Meirin unleashed a torrent of flames, and Ivan dodged, looking for an opening as the battle unfolded.
Simon, watching from the stands, gasped in admiration.
"Impressive. Did she complete Dark Flare that quickly?"
"No." Dick shook his head.
"That’s a lower-tier black elemental magic, not Dark Flare. Dark Flare takes much longer to cast."
Black elemental magic.
It was a modern reinterpretation of the elemental magic of pure mages, now obsolete, using black as its basis.
Whether it was fire or ice, it had a hint of darkness.
Even if a pure mage and a necromancer began their incantations at the same time, the black elemental magic would be completed much faster.
Its power was stronger, and it was easier to control variables.
It was truly a superior version in every sense.
"Just like the Ivory Tower."
The Ivory Tower had once been a sanctuary for mages, also known as the 'Mage Tower.' However, as time passed, the Ivory Tower changed, and in modern times, necromancers became the mainstream.
Still, perhaps due to its unique old character, most necromancers from the Ivory Tower specialized in black elemental magic based on black mechanics.
Meirin was no exception.
"Hah!" Meirin swung her arm, and flames stretched out like a wall, blocking Ivan's advance.
Ivan, retreating just in time, gasped for breath.
[Meirin Villenne: 100%]
[Ivan Varshani: 71%]
'This is definitely tricky.
I’ve only been dodging, and my gauge is already this low…' Ivan wiped his mouth with his hand and doubled the amount of black energy in his body.
He felt himself heating up more and more.
'No need to think too anxiously.
I just need to keep her from casting big black magic while distracting her.
Just one chance…!'
"I told you earlier, didn’t I? Commoner."
Meirin smiled and revealed her left hand, which she had hidden behind her back.
Whoosh!
"Thinking simply."
A black flame of a size incomparable to before surged from her left hand.
Ivan's mouth dropped open. 'Huh, when did she complete Dark Flare?'
In fact, it was only recently that Meirin had mastered the 'multi-casting' of Dark Flare.
With her right hand, she rapidly fired off light black flames while slowly preparing Dark Flare with her left.
With this growth, she, the top student of A-class, had reached a level of perfection.
Now that she possessed Dark Flare, there was no need for minor distractions.
Meirin let her right hand drop and intensified the flames in her left.
"The match is decided. Are you going to continue?"
"I think it’s a bit early to say that!" Ivan's lips twisted.
His heart raced, and the blood in his body boiled.
'No matter how powerful the black magic is, if I can’t hit her, it’s useless!' Ivan pushed off the ground and leaped.
His speed was so great that it seemed like an afterimage.
Just as Meirin was about to swing her left hand toward him, Ivan twisted his body in the opposite direction.
She flinched and retracted her left hand.
If she had cast it then, she would have wasted the hard-earned Dark Flare.
'Haha, I won't let you throw it!' Among the aspiring martial artists, Ivan was a speed type based on black energy manipulation.
During these 1-2 minutes, he was confident he was faster than anyone in Kizen.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ivan circled around Meirin, teasing her.
Meirin, with Dark Flare at the forefront, moved her head and body vigorously but struggled to catch Ivan.
'Do you understand, noble? The level of black magic and winning in a real fight are completely different issues!'
Ivan suddenly stopped accelerating, caught Meirin from behind, and charged like a flash.
His fist, enhanced by black energy, aimed for the back of Meirin's head.
Ivan grinned, anticipating victory.
'…!'
However, Meirin's shoulder naturally twisted, and her head tilted to the side.
'She reacted to that?!'
Ivan's fist sliced through the air as their eyes met.
She smiled at him defiantly.
"Did you think my martial arts were weak?"
The bubbling black flames from her left hand engulfed Ivan's body in an instant.
Whoosh!
The two crossed paths and emerged.
The massive explosion and heat caused the audience nearby to raise their arms in front of their faces.
[Meirin Villenne: 94%]
[Ivan Varshani: 0%]
The referee raised his arm.
"Match over! The winner is Meirin Villenne!"
With a whoosh! Ivan, engulfed in black flames, knelt on the ground with a look of disbelief.
Meirin tossed her hair behind her ear and smiled brightly.
"Try harder, commoner. From the lower squad, that is."
Applause and praise erupted from all corners of the stands for her nearly perfect match performance.
"Ah, really."
Dick chuckled.
"It’s unfortunate, but she did so well that I can’t even criticize her."
Simon nodded with a smile.
"Kizen is all about skill."
As Simon watched Meirin from the stands, many thoughts crossed his mind.
As he continued to win match after match, would there come a day when he would fight Meirin too? If that day came, how would he respond to her Dark Flare?
But for some reason, the right side had grown unusually quiet.
Simon turned his head.
Clatter, clatter.
Kamibarez was trembling with a pale face.
"…Kamibarez?"
"It’s my turn now."
She wiggled her fingers. "…Simon, Dick, and Meirin have all won. If only I… if only I do well…"
"You don’t need to feel too pressured."
Meirin returned to the stands, her face still glowing with excitement from her victory, but she didn’t show it as she saw Kamibarez trembling.
After Meirin returned to the stands, two matches passed.
As time went on, Kamibarez's face grew paler.
"Guys! Look over there!" Dick pointed.
"It’s Professor Silaj! She came to watch the match…!"
Simon quickly covered Dick's mouth, but it was already too late.
Meirin glared at Dick with a look of disappointment.
"Seriously, you have no sense."
It was only natural for Silaj, a professor of blood flow, to take an interest in Kamibarez, who belonged to the Ursula family and was a vampire.
Upon seeing Silaj, Kamibarez's trembling intensified, and Dick scratched his head awkwardly.
- A-class student Kamibarez Ursula.
C-class student Egiir Atelier, please come to the waiting room.
"I-I’ll be right there!" She jumped up from her seat, and the three of them cheered her on more enthusiastically than ever.
"What kind of style does Egiir have?" Simon asked after Kamibarez left.
He was starting to find enjoyment and interest in this duel evaluation.
"Pure textbook."
Dick summarized neatly.
"He doesn’t have any particularly outstanding area, so he’ll probably fight by combining various fundamentals. I’m curious how our extreme attack-type blood flow user, Kamibarez, will break through."
"Our Kamibarez has overwhelming specs. She’s from Ursula."
Meirin said, crossing her arms.
"The problem is how much she can stay calm…"
"Yeah."
A moment later, Kamibarez and Egiir appeared in the center of the arena.
Egiir was a tall boy with a neat appearance.
The two shook hands as instructed by the referee.
"Nice to meet you."
"I-I’m looking forward to it…"
With a face full of tension, her voice lacked any confidence.
Egiir, who had been imagining the wild image of the Ursula vampire, was completely taken aback by the different demeanor of his opponent.
'Is she really from Ursula?'
Watching the drooping girl, he felt a twinge of pity, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Soon, the two distanced themselves and activated their cores, preparing for battle.
"Are both students ready?"
"Yes!"
"Y-Yes…"
The referee nodded.
"Then, we will now begin the duel evaluation between Kamibarez Ursula and Egiir Atelier."
With a tense atmosphere hanging in the air, the referee dropped his arm and shouted, "Match start!"