Until now, Mardol had been defeating his opponents using only swordsmanship without relying on magic.
‘If I can just strip off that armor, there’s a chance of victory.’
With this in mind, Ariel decided to maintain her distance and cast magic.
“Chain Fireworks!”
Ariel aimed for Pina’s feet and incanted the firework spell. Linear flames formed a sphere around the glass knight, and fireworks shot upward vertically, hitting the glass knight.
Kaboom! In an instant, a chain reaction of explosions occurred, slightly shaking Pina’s body.
“Did I take her down…?”
Seeing this, the red-haired mage murmured quietly.
“…No.”
But Pina, who was using the alias Mardol, paid no mind to her magic and simply walked forward, making thud thud sounds as she got closer.
[Ariel, it seems like you can’t pierce through that armor!]
At this rate, it was just like the previous match with Windy. The crystal-like glass armor slowly approached Ariel without showing any signs of damage.
“Is it really hopeless… then I have something in mind! Mardol!”
“Fire Ball!”
A sphere of flames formed in her hand. For some reason, she abandoned the fireworks spell and switched to using a basic fire-element magic.
A very basic beginner magic, at that. Right after that, she whispered something toward the fireball.
“…What’s your intent?”
“Who knows? Try to guess…! Mardol!”
Bang! Boom! Bang! She began tossing them like snowballs, causing Pina to slow down her movements as she faced them head-on.
“…This is tough.”
“It’s going to be hard to get close. Mardol!”
Pina sighed at the obstructed path.
From Iriel’s fingertips, a magic circle appeared, continuously producing fireballs that stopped the glass knight.
“…I have to use my sword.”
Determined to respond immediately, Pina drew the sword she had on her back, taking a stance as she focused to break the magic, raising her arm high.
“Grancia Style 4th, Grand Impact.”
Thud! Steel struck the ground of the arena, shaking the earth like an earthquake. A shockwave spread fan-like, causing cracks and debris to fly out.
[Once again, the Empire’s swordsmanship! This time it’s the 4th technique, Grand Impact! A technique that strikes the ground to attack a wide area!]
“Hyah…!”
Due to the vibrations, Ariel lost her balance and stumbled, causing the magic circle she was aiming to drop. Seizing the opportunity, Pina charged at her with Wolf Fang.
“Too bad, Ariel.”
It was a situation where anyone could see the glass knight clearly had the upper hand. All she needed to do was break through the mana barrier.
“S-Sparkla Flare!”
It happened then. Though she spoke in a slightly flustered tone, Ariel’s eyes held no traces of despair. The red-haired elf seemed to have a trick up her sleeve.
“Is it useless…?”
“…Really? Mardol?”
Whoosh! An unexpected event occurred.
The fireworks spell, which normally would have misfired in the wrong direction, ignited from within Pina’s glass armor, setting it ablaze.
“…I mixed my mana into the fireball earlier!”
Ariel shot out that comment to her temporarily frozen opponent.
“My flames burn mana, so if the armor gathers mana, there’s no way out! Mardol!”
Small flames that appeared to be linear emerged continually from the radiant white gauntlet-like armor.
“It’s just like dousing armor in oil! Hehe, how does that taste?”
Ariel smiled with a cat-like grin, signaling her happiness at her plan’s success. If the armor came off now, her victory would be almost assured.
*
Watching the scene unfold, I shook my head. I felt regret at not providing additional information to Ariel from my spot in the audience.
“…It’s a shame; normally, this would have worked.”
“What do you mean, Licht? Isn’t Ariel winning?”
“If the opponent is a masterpiece-level, you need to use equipment of the same class or an artifact-level gear.”
Otherwise, only an ultimate move would be effective. There was no way an item capable of withstanding the Demon King’s attacks would fall to such magic. I sighed.
“Binding her feet or temporarily stripping off the armor is all. No, even that might not be easy.”
“I get that, but even with the flames happening inside…?”
“The name Masterpiece is the very essence of the dwarves’ spirit.”
I hung my head. Even days ago, the restaurant featured that name in their dishes. They create masterpieces with utmost effort.
‘They say that when they make them, they focus so hard they don’t sleep. Then they celebrate with drinks to force themselves to catch up on rest afterward.’
There was no way mere fire magic could threaten it. The only reason Ariel momentarily halted Mardol’s movements was her overwhelming mana supply.
If other mages had faced her, they’d have lost without even a chance, just as Windy did.
“She has such a peculiar personality that she might not realize, but with just that, it’s tough to guarantee victory.”
I thought of the fake Holy Sword in my mind. It was a thing like my son, a replica made of an artifact of the same grade as a masterpiece.
With that, it should be possible to momentarily suppress that glass armor. My will would need to be stronger than that armor from the beginning.
This was my belief, forged through the Nameless Saintess. I would not lose to anyone.
But why was she putting so much effort into hiding her identity with that armor? She could have just had an ordinary outfit that was a masterpiece item. Doubts began to creep in, and things took a convoluted turn.
“…”
Arielle’s words started to resonate more deeply. Was it because she was a girl? Just as the question grew stronger,
“You’re right, junior. A Phoenix’s flame would need to be that powerful to be lethal.”
“Indeed, Nex-senpai.”
Hearing the purple-haired man’s voice, I lost focus. Watching someone get engulfed in flames began to fill me with terror.
‘This one’s pretty scary.’
Other magics didn’t feel real, but witnessing someone endure in flames was hard to watch. I squeezed my eyes shut.
I’m not actually watching the match; my helmet will let me go unnoticed.
*
How much time had passed?
“Waaaahhh!!”
I opened my eyes to cheers beside me, and I could not hide my astonishment as I looked at the arena.
“Mardol has cast Mirror Mirage! Statues mimicking the opponent’s movements will counterattack!”
I gazed at the scene, unable to conceal my shock.
“Indeed, it’s that technique I saw last time… Mardol…”
The blonde warrior’s puzzled words made my eyes widen. There were multiple Ariels, as if made from sparkling crystals.
‘She could do that too…?’
Though they were the same white color as the glass knight, the twin-tails and the robe of the mage were identical to reflections in a mirror.
Creating duplicates wasn’t limited to herself but could be applied to her enemies too. My understanding of glass magic had deepened. After all, I should have realized this from when she used it against me.
It seemed fitting that the Crown Prince was the protagonist. Even Ariel, who once was the main character, looked surprised, prompting me to consider how to confront this.
The basics of the game revolve around memorizing patterns.
That is, gaining an advantage in battle through information. If I lacked even this, I’d find myself in a very unfavorable situation.
‘Can she only replicate magic? No, according to Laplace, it appears she can imitate other things too.’
This was also why I’d been keeping my Mind Sword and Lily Sword Techniques hidden until now. I narrowed my eyes, concentrating to ensure I wouldn’t miss any movements.
*
Within Pina’s armor, fireworks and explosions kept erupting like fireworks. An attack that would normally be disregarded.
“…”
“Mardol, you can’t bring armor like that! We should fight fair!”
But this was a year-end exam. They could lose for exceeding time limits. Due to Ariel’s mana, the explosions were growing stronger, rendering her unable to move her body.
“…That’s true.”
She lowered her head, staring at her armor leaking fire. No matter how she looked at it, she had underestimated her opponent.
“…I’ll give you my respect, Ariel.”
“Where’s this coming from…?”
Pina lifted her head to look at the red-haired elf. Her wolf-like eyes sparkled behind her helmet. Golden light glowed as her spirit ignited.
“From now on, I’ll also use my magic.”
Lifting a hand to her chest, she summoned a magic circle connecting with her armor. Suddenly, it was as if a fire extinguisher’s contents had sprayed, emitting smoke. Ariel’s firework magic extinguished.
“I’ll give it my all, Ariel.”
“…Alright, Mardol, you’re a sword mage!”
Just then, as Ariel prepared to launch her next attack, the glass knight reached out a hand.
“…Mirror Shield.”
A massive glass wall rose between them like a defensive barrier. It was one of the techniques she had previously displayed.
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll keep trying until it does!”
“Sparkla Flare!”
Ariel incanted towards Pina beyond the glass wall. Since her thick mana filled the armor, there was no need for her to designate a direction explicitly.
“…Oh?”
She expected her firework magic to happen as before.
“Ah, this is from that time…!”
“Yeah, Ariel. It’s what you saw before.”
However, that prediction sadly missed, and two statues made of glass burst out from the wall, intercepting the Sparkla Flare.
“Mirror Mirage.”
One of the reasons she was able to withstand against the Demon King better than the Hero in the battle against the Magic Hat.
She could create duplicates of either herself or her opponents, reflecting their actions, she guarded both Ariel and Kainel from the Demon King’s attacks.
“Mardol. Isn’t this a bit overpowered?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
Ariel let out a wry smile seeing the glass magic that now appeared to be an enemy. It was like a mirror, perfectly emulating her actions.
“…This is a spell I’ve practiced hard since childhood, Ariel.”
Pina displayed a dissatisfied expression behind her helmet. She still felt a lingering pressure to become stronger.
In the end, capturing the Magic Hat was likely the key to her mother returning to normal.
“I just wanted to get stronger.”
As Pina finished her brief statement from behind the glass wall, the two duplicates cast the same firework magic at the red-haired mage.
