The clash of auras demands precise and sharp judgment at every moment.
Because the counter wasn’t anticipated, because the trajectory of the sword veered slightly, because she was deceived by the opponent’s feint, one could end up losing absurdly easily.
However, if one side is a wizard, there’s a need to design the situation on a grand scale rather than fixating on meticulous movements.
Emika did everything she could to create an opening for Cecilia.
[Cast: Adela]
Emika made it her top priority to drain Cecilia’s health.
The unique magic honed through countless practices was cast in the blink of an eye.
She plunged her sword into the center of the magic circle at a staggering speed,
Whee-ing!
The engraved gear spun toward Cecilia and flew at her.
Kwaaaah!
But Cecilia evaded the attack just as swiftly.
The spot where she had stood now bore a small crater.
Emika pulled another magic circle to prepare for a second bombardment.
A taut balance, repetitive movements.
Someone needs to break the mold through variation.
Cecilia, who had been circling around Emika, suddenly stopped her steps.
Embracing a complexly designed mechanical wand, she murmured the casting words.
[Creation: Fix User Coordinates]
[Cast: Adjust Drag Coefficient]
A sharp barrier was created right in front, led by the Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber.
She finally accepted the close-range duel Emika had so desperately desired.
Cecilia did not slow down; she charged at Emika even faster.
[Cast: Arc Discharge]
[Cast: Sonic Boom]
The atmosphere in the stadium was reaching a fever pitch.
The triple casting, deemed a divine state, summoned a thunderstorm along the conical magic wave.
The sword couldn’t cut water; air and lightning even less so.
Cecilia, now close to Emika, wore a vicious grin, seemingly confident of her victory.
She slowly released the wand she had tightly gripped and darted sideways like a squirrel.
An immense energy coalesced and then erupted.
[Unique Magic: Manubia Laplesia]
Kwaaaaaang!
The tip of the drill-shaped barrier opened up, and a flower of electric currents blossomed.
Sparks flew wildly along the path where the thrown wand passed.
The crowd, biased to think that just reaching the quarter-finals was a stroke of luck for a 13-year-old, was directly refuted by Cecilia.
-“No way, she pushed Katsuhata this hard?”
-“Is she going to be this year’s stellar supporting character again?”
-“This is insane, absolutely insane!”
-“A 13-year-old with triple casting, unique magic, and transformation? Just achieving one of those makes you a genius, yet she has all three…”
-“If she continues like this, it’s going to be one of the most unprecedented upsets, haha!”
-“Jeongbae, I’ll be eating well~ Jeongbae, I’ll be eating well~”
“It’s not over yet.”
I remarked while glancing at the scoreboard.
[Quarter-Finals Match 60]
[Katsuhata Emika] [87% | 11%(⚠️Non-Restorable)]
[Cecilia Nieto de Sampaio] [35% | 31%]
-“Oh, just barely safe…!”
-“Haha, that’s like being on the goal line in soccer.”
-“This is life.”
-“Even among that, she didn’t take any water damage, that subatomic barrier is solid as hell, haha!”
-“If she takes just 1% damage, it’s over. Essentially, she lost.”
-“How are you going to turn this around!”
-“The Japanese are acting up again, and this is what they get, haha!”
The public’s prediction that Katsuhata Emika would easily win flipped instantly.
Cecilia had forced her to the brink, and the unpredictable unique magic also played a role.
“Emika seemed to think of slicing the magic with her sword. Whether by coincidence or prediction, the unique magic cast by Cecilia was an expanding type, and Emika incurred an irretrievable loss.”
-“Is this really the quarter-finals? My heart is pounding.”
-“The casting speed of both is inhuman.”
-“GG.”
-“The drill suddenly blooming in front of me is just ridiculous, haha!”
-“Who would have thought this young dark horse would take down Emika?”
“It’s become extremely disadvantageous, but the outcome is still uncertain. Cecilia just lost her wand in that last attack and suffered a significant backlash. In contrast, Emika can draw out as many spare lightsabers as she needs. There are still 4 minutes and 51 seconds left. Now Emika’s on the offense while Cecilia is in the defense.”
Emika stood up and cast the Demon King’s Horn again.
It seemed she was trying to squeeze her aura to the limit.
Though her expression barely changed, the trembling of her hands revealed her distress clearly.
“Cecilia has released the Demon King’s Horn. It seems she has exhausted her mana. Slow play? That’s unlikely; if there was any mana left, she would have grabbed her wand. Just about casting one more spell… Oh, Emika made a decision.”
The stadium packed with Japanese spectators fell silent.
Perhaps it was because they sensed imminent defeat, or it could be that they clung to the slightest hope of a comeback win.
Bearing the heavy pressure, Emika stepped forward.
[Simple Cast: Demon King’s Horn]
[External Manifestation: Tip]
A lightsaber, identical to the ruined inherited sword, was summoned into her hand.
The sword she was familiar with would provide stability to her mind and body.
Probably because the practice sword was the original, its tip was blunt, but considering it was still a lightsaber, that didn’t matter.
A sword infused with ideology and will burns and cuts through whatever it touches.
Shuaaaak-!
When it was the time to push on, relying on instinct rather than reason, all those years of practice and experiences would guide her.
Babababam-!
Cecilia concentrated the aura on her arm to minimize damage to the barrier.
Even so, slowly, so very slowly, the barrier began to wear away.
[34% | 30%]
[33% | 29%]
-“Time is running too low.”
-“If she plays the turtle strategy it won’t be breached.”
-“That sword is moving fast as hell, I’m just trying to keep my eyes on it.”
-“You can feel the desperation, it’s kind of pitiful too,ㅠㅠㅠ”
-“She fell so easily last year; how much does she want to win this time?”
Packed with meaning and rationale, the exchange of attacks and defenses surged over and over.
Words could no longer keep up with the movements.
Abandoning commentary, I hugged my covered knees and quietly watched.
‘How could Emika win here? Is there a weakness in Cecilia that we don’t know about?’
As I nervously bit my nails, it happened.
Ching-!
Cecilia bizarrely allowed a low attack, one that she could have easily evaded.
A chunk of the barrier was ripped away at her calf, and a new barrier was restored in its place.
‘Why isn’t she dodging that?’
No matter how much I furrowed my brows and pondered, there was no reason for Cecilia to not evade it.
The camera that had been focused solely on Emika finally switched to Cecilia’s face.
Her pupils were over-expanded, nearly obscuring the irises.
Moreover, her focus was always on Emika’s shoulders, arms, and torso.
‘Her eyes are glazed over… right now, she doesn’t even notice her low side is being attacked!’
The symptoms experienced when too much adrenaline is released.
While some might call it being in a state of perfect focus, it should never be experienced in a duel where multiple variables must be accounted for.
Thinking back, Cecilia had only entered professional dueling after graduating from university two years ago.
That meant, compared to the other participants, her actual combat experience was overwhelmingly lacking.
Consumed by the obsession of not letting slip the victory she had grasped, she found herself trapped in a self-inflicted predicament.
“If this goes well, no, there’s a high probability that Emika will win.”
I muttered to myself, and the viewers exploded with question marks.
-“Where’s the reversal coming from?”
-“The momentum is good, but there’s still too much barrier left.”
-“2 minutes left, and 20% is still remaining.”
-“That’s some insane reflexes. Not even one vital point has been allowed to slip through.”
-“At this rate, Emika might cramp first.”
-“Count down the days to Japan’s downfall, 100… 99…”
“Cecilia isn’t blocking her lower side now. If you look closely, she hasn’t blocked any attacks coming below the knee. If Emika maintains this rhythm, alternating upper and lower strikes, there’s bound to be an opening at some point, and they should aim for it.”
The initiative in the attacks, even the rhythm had been stolen.
The magnitude of this crisis cannot be known unless one experiences being on the field.
Cecilia must be feeling like she’s warding off blades flying out of the utter darkness.
-“Huh? Wasn’t she blocking well down there earlier?”
-“Nah, if you look closely, the barrier keeps restoring itself.”
-“That’s true? Why isn’t she blocking?”
-“Not blocking those lower cuts? Why?”
-“How did you catch that, NoName!”
The lightsaber clipped awkwardly right at her knee.
Rather than blocking or even accepting the hit, the girl crumbled in an awkward position.
Emika seized the opportunity without hesitation.
Chijijiji!
A fierce blow struck her side.
Realizing the gravity of the situation too late, Cecilia tried to use magic to push her away.
[Cast: Adjust Friction Coefficient]
While it might work in the early parts of the match, such grapples won’t work in the later stages.
Standing gracefully on the slippery ice, Emika prepared for the final blow.
At that moment, another twist of fate occurred.
“Hahaha! My Aura Heart has been a bit blessed, you little punk!”
“…!”
Cecilia’s elation reverberated throughout the stadium.
She licked her lips like a snake and chanted the casting words.
“Delayed Casting! Glacis Ion Trap!”
So excited she was, she directly snatched Emika’s wrists as if she were trying to keep up with the spell.
The cold emanating from the magic circle froze their hands solid.
Seeing the subdued environment around, the drone flew close to capture their voices.
“Let’s just stay still like this for a minute?”
“Cee! Hwaaap!”
“When did my barrier wear down this much? I was shocked when I glanced at it!”
“Let go of this!”
“Hehe, just wait a little. I’ll definitely win and make sure you’re not embarrassed for getting knocked out in the quarter-finals.”
“When did you set this magic trap?”
“As soon as the match started? I instinctively felt like it would come down to a close match with you. Just a gut feeling!”
Delayed casting consumes relatively less mana.
The mana required to establish the magic circle had been infused earlier.
Combined with an exceptional mana recovery rate, the tide began to turn in Cecilia’s favor.
-Ah, it’s over.
-Seriously insane genius!
-That De Sampaio is truly a monster…
-Last game was a tight 30-minute battle with the Italian, and now this? How does her stamina hold up?
-Is this the awe of being ranked first in the great Swiss generations?
-Oho, mentions of that are forbidden in this room.
-With that kind of sense, even NoName would struggle.
-She’s not just smart; she’s read her opponent’s tendencies perfectly.
What? Even I’d struggle?
Come on, that’s just overdoing it.
This room has been too intense on the hits against me.
I chuckled to myself, crossing my arms.
“Great work, everyone. Despite the ups and downs, Emika has won this match.”
-???
-Eh? But it’s 10.1% to 12.3% barrier-wise, right?
-“Just accept the result, NoName!”
-“Where’d you see that…?”
Cecilia’s chatter showed no signs of stopping.
“When Katsuhata sister pressured me at the end, I thought my heart would explode. Who knew that dull NASA battle simulator would help at a time like this? Truly, there’s nothing useless in this world!”
“You’ll learn now. Languages that chatter non-stop are of no use.”
“Uh-huh?”
Emika lowered her head.
The Demon King’s Horn magic circle continued to spin wildly.
“Hah!”
Emika opened her mouth wide.
Cecilia mistakenly believed she wouldn’t be able to cast external manifestation or magic as long as her hands were bound.
Emika’s bluff had landed perfectly.
Countdown: 5 seconds.
Under extreme pressure, Emika calmly drew the magic circle with the power of the Demon King’s Horn.
Cecilia, realizing the danger too late, tried to dispel the magic circle, but Emika’s casting speed was much faster.
A red light flickered in Emika’s mouth.
I watched the scene with delight, announcing the identity of the magic to the viewers.
“Unique Magic, Hiding Tongue Sword.”
Over a month of full training meant she could certainly produce that unique magic at least once.
I knew she would one day use that in real combat.
So many men who face women start by subduing the wrists first and moving their face in close.
*
[Unique Magic: Hiding Tongue Sword]
Jiiing—!
A lightsaber rapidly shot out from Emika’s mouth, striking Cecilia right in the center of her forehead.
Clang-!
The pure sound of the mana barrier being shattered echoed gently.
Cecilia, struck by the unexpected blow, was pushed back about five steps and fell on her backside.
“Ugh, my head…”
The hot July wind flowed in through the hole in the barrier.
It was only when she personally felt it that Cecilia realized she had lost.
“No way, did I really lose?”
She could only watch Emika with a stunned expression.
And the last victor of the quarter-finals was wrestling with an imperfect unique magic.
“Ugh—uh, cough! The sword got caught on my neck… Hah! My lips!”
[Quarter-Finals Match 60]
[WIN: Katsuhata Emika (Japan)] [77% | 10%(⚠️Non-Restorable)]
[LOSE: Cecilia Nieto de Sampaio (Brazil)] [12% | 7%(☠️Total Destruction)]
