When the match began, Argus curled his lips into a fearless smirk.

  "Show me how much you've polished your skills. Come at me."

  "Oh, you don't even have to ask. I'll show you."

  My opponent was the genius Argus. If I didn't throw everything I had at him, it wouldn't even be a contest. In previous matches, I had held back to conserve Magic Power, but for this one, I knew I had to keep that active at all times.

  Accelerate.

  《Falspeed》

  Cloaking myself in the power of the wind, I boosted my agility to its limit.

  "Going with that right away? Fine, me too."

  I could see the wind energy swirling around Argus as well. It seemed he had activated the same 《Falspeed》. Now our speed was equal.

  Against previous opponents, whose movements were sluggish compared to the range and velocity of magic, dodging directly was almost impossible. They had no choice but to counter magic with magic to cancel it out. But this situation was entirely different. At this speed, magic would be easily evaded unless timed perfectly with a strategy.

  Instead of a static exchange of spells like in the earlier rounds, this would be a high-speed battle where both sides were constantly in motion. It meant this match would be fundamentally different from anything that came before.

  Alright, let's go. First, a warm-up.

  A flaming fastball.

  《Volket Shot》

  I fired a fireball at Argus, sacrificing power for increased speed.

  "Whoops."

  But no matter how fast it was, it was still easy to dodge if it wasn't a surprise attack. So, I added another layer. Timing it exactly when he had just finished his evasive maneuver, I split the fireball.

  《Split》

  The fireball burst into several smaller orbs that scattered through the air. One of them was on a direct collision course with his new position. However, he remained calm.

  "Not a bad idea, but each individual shot is too weak."

  With a minimal use of Water Magic, he extinguished the incoming fireball instantly. It was a dignified maneuver befitting an elite. But that was within my expectations. I continued the assault without pause.

  "I'm not done yet!"

  《Volket Shot》

  Shot. Shot. Shot. Shot. Shot.

  I fired the same spell over and over, splitting them each time. He dodged or parried every single one.

  "This is a boring attack," Argus remarked.

  "Is it? Take a good look around you."

  "—Hoh."

  Following my words, he looked around and seemed slightly surprised. I hadn't been firing blindly. The small orbs that Argus hadn't extinguished weren't wasted; I had kept them hovering, surrounding him. Hundreds of fireballs were now locked onto him.

  "And? What's the plan?"

  "The countless scattered fireballs... will be wrapped in wind to become one!"

  Spiral up. Tornado of fire.

  《Fire Tornado》

  I used Wind Magic to trigger a violent cyclone, drawing in all the hovering fireballs to form a massive pillar of flame. I gradually narrowed the vortex toward Argus at the center. There was no escape.

  "I see. So that's how it is!"

  He laughed joyfully, showing no sign of panic. Suddenly, with Argus as the epicenter, a powerful gale spinning in the opposite direction erupted. It easily dispelled the vortex of fire from the inside out. It was a feat of pure brute force, made possible by his overwhelming Magic Power—which surpassed my own.

  Damn. It didn't even land a clean hit.

  Sensing my disappointment, Argus spoke in a consoling tone.

  "Actually, that was pretty good. I'll give you credit for making me use real magic for the first time. I'll praise you for that."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. It seems you've prepared well over this past month. As a reward, I'll get a little serious."

  "I was waiting for those words."

  I didn't want to fight the usual "training mode" Argus; I wanted to pull out his true strength and go all out. Hearing him acknowledge me made me genuinely happy.

  "Though, it's no fun if it ends too quickly."

  Argus made a thoughtful face. Ends quickly? He sure talks big. As I felt a bit annoyed, he seemed to have a flash of inspiration and nodded to himself.

  "Alright. As a handicap, I'll announce my spells before I cast them."

  "Are you sure? Doing that..."

  Announcing a spell meant the opponent would know exactly what was coming and when. It was an absurdly generous move. I tilted my head at his overconfidence.

  "It's fine. It'll make things just about even."

  He insisted. Now I really felt like knocking that smug look off his face.

  "Don't underestimate me too much. I'm going to strip that cocky expression right off you."

  "Heh. Try it."

  He held his hand toward the ground and declared:

  "Manifest. Magic Statue of Sand. 《Kelentio》."

  The sand beneath him began to swell, rapidly taking a humanoid form. Gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd. When it was finished, it was a giant over five meters tall, boasting a majestic presence like a guardian deity. Argus sat calmly on its shoulder and gave an arrogant explanation.

  "This statue, infused with Magic Power, is harder than iron. I'll try not to crush you since that would be dangerous, but if you take a direct hit, it's game over."

  Internally, I was thrilled by this new type of magic. That's Argus for you. He does things no one else can imitate. Seeing my expression, he grinned.

  "Nice face. Here I come!"

  The giant statue unleashed a punch parallel to the ground, gouging the sandy floor as it moved. Even with his "mercy," the attack was terrifyingly powerful. Because of its size, the movement appeared slower than a human's at first glance, but in reality, it was deceptively fast. I pivoted my body and barely managed to evade the blow.

  But he didn't stop there. The arm swung back for a horizontal sweep. I kicked off the ground hard, performing a backflip over the arm. As I saw the massive limb pass directly beneath me, I landed safely. This light-footed agility was a result of the grueling training I had endured in my male form.

  I felt a brief sense of relief, but there was no time to rest. I immediately took a stance and fired back.

  Cut through. Water blade.

  《Tilka》

  From the empty space in front of me, an ultra-thin laser of high-pressure water erupted, flying in a straight line toward the sand giant. It was like a water jet cutter. If I fired it with enough intensity, it should cut through even magically hardened sand. I intended to shred it.

  But Argus kept his composed expression.

  "Not that easy. Reflect. 《Arlrect》."

  Just as the attack was about to reach the statue, a wall of light manifested. When the water blade hit it, the spell didn't vanish—instead, it maintained its full power and reversed its trajectory, flying straight back at me!

  A reflection spell!

  I ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding the water stream that had turned its fangs on its master. The 《Tilka》 streaked past my head and struck the wall of the arena, carving a perfect, thin hole through the stone.

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  Whoa... I knew I was aiming for power, but that was merciless even for me. Close call.

  "Hey. Look away and you die."

  I snapped back to reality to find the giant statue looming over me. I tried to run, but I was out of time. I had to kick off the ground while practically prone; I couldn't get any momentum and could only manage to roll away. A split second later, the giant's foot swept through the spot where I had been.

  Continuous attacks followed—hands, feet, one after another, trying to pin me down. I was so busy evading that I couldn't even stand up. I let out a weak complaint.

  "W-wait a second!"

  "There's no 'waiting' in a fight, idiot!"

  The assault continued. I finally found a gap to stand, but I had been driven all the way back to the arena wall. It was the exact opposite of the Fire Tornado earlier. This time, I was the one with no place to run. Total crisis.

  But then, I realized this was my biggest chance. I lured the statue in until the last possible second. As the arm closed in, I used Wind Magic to leap into the air. I vaulted onto the top of the arena wall, and from there, I jumped onto the giant's outstretched arm before it could retract. I slammed both hands down on the sand.

  There's only one thing to do.

  Sand, return to your original form!

  《Magic Dispel》

  As I surged my Magic Power into it, the sand statue could no longer maintain its shape and crumbled into a pile. A massive round of applause erupted from the spectators. It made me feel a little better. Argus, having jumped off the collapsing giant, looked impressed.

  "Dispelling it? You really are something."

  "Thanks for the smug compliment. So, you planning on doing that again?"

  Honestly, it would be a pain if he did. But since I knew the trick now, I figured I could manage. Argus shook his head.

  "Nah, that was just for fun. It looks good for the crowd, doesn't it?"

  He laughed heartily. Thinking back, he hadn't used any other magic while the statue was active, even though he surely could have used them to corner me more efficiently. That's when I finally realized he had been playing with me. I felt annoyed again. I was being serious here!

  "Didn't you say you were getting serious?"

  "I said a little serious."

  "Tch. You're such a jerk."

  "Ah, fine, I get it. This time, I'm actually serious. I'll show you something even more incredible."

  "Heh. I'm looking forward to it!"

  This time, exchanging banter while fighting to our hearts' content... I was enjoying it from the bottom of my soul. Argus also had a look of pure excitement. That energy seemed to spread to the audience; everyone was genuinely enjoying the match. The atmosphere was filled with heat and sportsmanship.

  Then, Argus's expression shifted to one of genuine focus.

  "Fire, Lightning, Water, Wind, Earth, Ice, Light, Darkness. The eight primary magic attributes."

  "What about them?"

  "Yu. I'm about to treat you to a lovely octet of advanced spells."

  I swallowed hard. In the order he just listed, he began chanting advanced spells one after another, setting them into a standby state. Eight simple spheres—each glowing with the characteristic color of its attribute—manifested around him. It looked like the spells would erupt from them.

  Everyone in the arena, myself included, was awestruck by his seamless, flowing chanting speed and the perfect precision of each spell.

  《Volark》 《Delbart》 《Tiloum》 《Falvarn》 《Kelmaska》 《Hiloum》 《Arllion》 《Kilveil》

  Soon, the advanced spells of all eight attributes were lined up. They hovered in a slow orbit around their master, Argus. The fantastical sight reminded me of the seven-colored magic lamps on the night of the festival. It's beautiful, I thought for a moment.

  But in reality, these spells weren't for show—well, they certainly were a beautiful show for the spectators, and maybe he intended it that way—but terrifyingly, every single one of them was pointed at me. Absolutely overwhelming.

  Wait, wait. If I take all of those, I'll definitely die!

  I felt a cold sweat run down my spine. Sensing my panic, Argus gave a maddeningly cool smile and said:

  "Don't worry. I'll stop them if you fall before it's over."

  "So I just have to do this, huh..."

  "Yeah. Here I go!"

  Eight despairs rushed forward, filling the arena. Which ones are the most dangerous? Figure it out!

  I quickly decided: the burning 《Volark》, the frostbite-inducing 《Hilholm》, and the light bullet 《Arllion》 and dark spell 《Kilveil》—which I didn't know how to cancel. I had to avoid at least those four.

  So, my answer was:

  First, I fired 《Tiloum》 and 《Volark》 at his 《Volark》 and 《Hilholm》 to cancel them out. That was all I could manage in terms of long-range negation in the time I had. Next, I used my speed to evade the paths of 《Arllion》 and 《Kilveil》.

  That left four more. I had cleared the deadliest ones, but I was out of options. Since I knew I couldn't dodge everything, I made a choice: I charged straight into the Water Magic 《Tiloum》—which seemed the least dangerous—while firing my own 《Rafalus》. The power was slightly reduced by my wind spell, but the sheer force of the current nearly knocked me unconscious.

  Adding to the assault, the Lightning Magic 《Delbart》 arrived. Just like the technique Alice and Milia used, the synergy between water and lightning sent a violent shock through my entire body.

  "UAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH—!"

  However, unlike the full-power combination from those two, these were just standard advanced spells. The power wasn't quite at that level. Screaming in pain, I staggered, but I didn't collapse. I succeeded in breaking through the water stream.

  But the attack wasn't over. The final two—the blades of the raging wind 《Falvarn》 and the massive boulder 《Kelmaska》—were closing in.

  As a fan of Wind Magic, I couldn't allow myself to be beaten by 《Falvarn》. Using the fastest, most practiced sequence, I chanted a fusion of wind and water.

  Go!

  《Hurricane》

  It was modeled after its namesake. It was nowhere near the power of a real one, but it was still a formidable spell.

  《Hurricane》 collided with the two incoming spells. To my credit, it managed to completely erase the wind blades of 《Falvarn》. However, it couldn't shave down the massive mass of 《Kelmaska》. A giant rock loomed before my eyes.

  I collided with it and was sent flying. Though I managed to break my fall, the impact felt like being hit by a car. The scenery blurred as I bounced across the sand several times before coming to a halt.

  My head was spinning. My entire body throbbed with a creaking pain. I coughed up a bit of blood; it seemed I had taken some internal damage.

  When I looked up, visibility had worsened significantly due to the intense exchange of magic. Hardly anyone would be able to see us now. I had lost sight of Argus too. But in times like this, the spell Milia taught me during our training was perfect.

  See through everything.

  《Arlcumber》

  As the veil of light enveloped me, the fog cleared instantly. I could see that Argus was also looking directly at me, likely using some method of his own to track my position. Despite being the one who had unleashed that hell, he sounded genuinely worried.

  "How is it? Are you at your limit?"

  "No. Not yet. I can still... go...!"

  The grueling training with Inea-sensei had given me the mental fortitude and strength to endure pain. I had nearly died many times. Compared to that, this was...! The damage was heavy, but I could still fight. I staggered to my feet.

  Argus spoke with a voice full of surprise and admiration.

  "You can still stand after taking all that? Truly impressive. To tell you the truth... even for me, that last move used up quite a bit of Magic Power."

  "Eh?"

  I was surprised. But thinking about it, firing eight advanced spells at once would naturally drain most of anyone's Magic Power. His attack, while flashy, had a lot of waste since I could dodge some and didn't need to counter all of them. Why would he do something so inefficient when he knew it would cost him so much?

  He answered immediately.

  "Well, I just wanted to use a bunch of attribute magic at once to surprise everyone. Maybe I was trying a bit too hard to look cool."

  "Hey, you..." I'm not a prop for your performance, damn it.

  "But I was being pretty serious. That's the truth."

  "Is that so?"

  I glared at Argus with judging eyes as he made excuses without the slightest hint of remorse.

  "Besides, I still have Magic Power left."

  "Hmph."

  "...Alright, my bad."

  "Heh."

  Sensing my blatant displeasure, he finally seemed ready to face me properly.

  "Right then—alright. In respect for you enduring that, I'll use Gravity Magic. It seems you're ready to handle it now."

  Hearing that, I felt my spirits soar. Finally, Argus was going to use Gravity Magic. Making him do so had been my goal even before the match.

  "Is this finally 'serious-serious'?"

  "Yeah. Have high expectations."

  The visibility had yet to clear. Our battle entered its next stage.

  "Add weight. 《Granselbit》."

  As he declared the spell, an intense gravitational force slammed into me. It felt as if my body weight had increased several times over. Guh, so heavy... I can't move. I'm going to be pinned down. This was bad.

  Counter it. Anti-gravity.

  《Granselribit》

  It made things slightly better, but sadly, it was far from negating the effect.

  "Hoh. But it's useless. That spell I taught you is just the absolute basics of Gravity Magic. Here!"

  He held out his hand, and the gravity intensified. My weak anti-gravity spell was now like a drop of water on a hot stone.

  "And now, this! 《Volket Dahra》!"

  A massive fireball began to fall from above, gaining momentum as it was pulled down by the gravity. That's bad. I wanted to intercept it, but Water Magic wouldn't work. Because of the gravity, the water would just fall straight down the moment I fired it. Wind—and lots of light blades. That might work.

  Blades of wind, kick it away!

  《Fal-Lancer》

  I generated countless wind blades. They worked together, slamming into the fireball all at once. As intended, they shredded the fireball into small pieces and blew them away.

  I managed to scrape through. But while I was occupied just surviving, Argus was already moving to his next attack with total composure.

  "Heh. Then how about this? Attraction. 《Gransel-Lot》."

  My body lifted off the ground, and I was sucked toward him like a magnet.

  "UWAAAAAAAAAGH!"

  "Heh. Your posture is wide open. A flash of darkness. 《Kilbash》."

  A sharp, pitch-black blade flew in a straight line toward me. At this rate, it would be a direct hit. Damn it, I won't lose!

  Ever since I heard the name "Gravity Magic," I expected he would do something like this. I had prepared a spell specifically for this day. When I first met Argus and almost crashed into him, I had tried to use wind to dodge, but I had only ended up flipping my body horizontally. Taking a hint from that failure, I had thought of something. Even in mid-air where I had no freedom of movement, with this...

  《Fal-Spin》

  By venting wind, I skillfully twisted my body in mid-air. I limited his attack to a mere graze on my side, and using his own gravitational pull to my advantage, I accelerated even further.

  "What!?"

  He was shocked by my unexpected movement. The crisis turned into an opportunity. Now it's your turn to take this! This is another one I prepared just for you!

  Absolute Freezing Domain.

  《Absolute Zero》

  I unleashed a rapid-fire spell that pinpoint-froze the target area instantaneously.

  "Tch!"

  Argus scrambled to dispel the gravity magic and immediately retreated from the spot. But my spell was slightly faster. Ice latched onto a part of his body. Although it didn't hit a vital spot, the fact remained that I had dealt damage to him for the first time.

  Yes! I did it!

  My heart was filled with a sense of achievement and the drive to keep going as I stared at Argus. Having been on the receiving end for so long, I probably had quite a satisfied smirk on my face. Argus began peeling off the ice that could be safely removed. He looked more impressed than ever.

  "You surprised me. You had a hidden ace like that."

  "Well, yeah. Though I don't have as many tricks as you, Argus."

  He laughed from the bottom of his heart.

  "I love it. This is getting more and more interesting. Keep entertaining me!"

  "Of course. I'll keep going as long as I have strength left."

  I was pretty unsteady, and I didn't have much Magic Power remaining, but I wanted to enjoy this fight for as long as my physical endurance allowed. That's what I was thinking.

  "Alright. Next is this. Repulsion. 《Gransel-P—"

  DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

  At that moment, a gargantuan explosion roared from the direction of the spectator seats.

  "What!?"

  "What happened!?"

  Argus cut off his spell and spun toward the sound. I looked in the same direction. The arena was still filled with lingering mist, making visibility poor. But for us, who had our vision cleared with magic, we saw it clearly. We couldn't help but see it.

  A section of the spectator seats had been gouged out. It was no longer a place for people to watch our match. It was no longer a place filled with excitement and joy.

  It had been transformed into a scene of carnage, scattered with corpses and chaos.