Day three featured Shield Down Pairs and Pillars Break Pairs finals. Men's matches in the morning, women's in the afternoon, so Tatsuya's responsibilities didn't overlap. Yugen watched from the command tent, tinkering with a foldable terminal.
"All good, Yugen-kun?"
"Shuji and Leo's final adjustments were done yesterday. Once Leo's defense held in qualifiers, the opponent's loss was sealed."
During Shield Down pair practice, Leo blocked Kirihara's High-Frequency Blade and Sawaki's Mach Punch, proving his defense was top-tier. Yet, Leo, drawing from the Yokohama Incident and Parasite Incident, felt it was "still not enough."
Leo's defense magic was troublesome enough, but Shuji's fire-based Tenjin magic sliced through opponents' reinforced pillars as if mocking them. In the first match of the Men's Pillars Break Pairs finals, the opponent's pillars were down to two.
Cutting objects is often tied to wood (wind) attributes, but other attributes can cut too. Shuji, from the Miyamoto family, excelled in swordsmanship, mastering the imagery of slicing. Tenjin magic's trait—gaining power by "consuming" modern magic—made reinforcement backfire. Shuji moderated power to avoid damaging the venue.
The Men's Pillars Break Pairs finals were nearly assured, and for Women's, Shizuku's Phonon Tears could sweep if needed, so Yugen wasn't worried. Tatsuya likely planned strategies for both.
For Shield Down Pairs, both men's and women's were polished. Juzumi's magic suited Contact-Type Gram Demolition and close-range targets but struggled with remote psion projection. Recalling a magic scholar's comment—that Juzumi's "core" strongly attracted psions, a Linker Core trait—Yugen secretly analyzed it with Osiris Sight. Juzumi's Linker Core was exceptionally unique.
Gram Demolition, the strongest counter-magic, isn't widespread due to high psion consumption—a misconception. It doesn't use the magic calculation area but converges psions from the Linker Core. Uncontrolled psions dissipate into the air, causing excess consumption. Tatsuya, with immense psion reserves and unconscious control over leaking psions, mastered Gram Demolition efficiently. "As expected of Onii-sama," Yugen thought.
Juzumi's Linker Core had an exceptionally high psion convergence and emission rate. Magic formulas leaving Juzumi via the Gate had their psions absorbed as atmospheric, rendering remote or emission-based magic ineffective.
"Never thought you'd solve Juzumi's issue like that," Tatsuya said.
"Just a shift in perspective," Yugen replied.
Tatsuya altered Juzumi's mindset, Chiaki improved the Blast activation sequence, and Yugen provided a new spell: Shield Demolition. It mimicked Contact-Type Gram Demolition on a shield, combining hardening magic traits. It nullified opponents' defensive spells and shattered their shields. Recognizing the shield as part of Juzumi's body eliminated the need for remote control, as hardening magic is convergence-based. Opponents, misled by Juzumi's inability to use air-based magic, lost countermeasures, while Juzumi drew aggro, freeing Kirihara.
The Men's finals pitted First, Second, and Third High. First and Third each won once, leading to a de facto final. Third High's players, relying on prior info, were stunned as Juzumi blocked compressed air masses. Kirihara destabilized the ring with vibration waves, and together, they shattered the opponent's shields, clinching victory.
◇ ◇ ◇
Day three results: First High took first in both Men's and Women's Pillars Break Pairs and Shield Down Pairs.
In Women's Shield Down Pairs, despite facing Third High in qualifiers, Sayaka's swordsmanship precision and Erika's near-sonic speed overwhelmed opponents, blasting them out—mostly due to Erika's shockwaves. Erika griped, but teased Leo upon his arrival, a trait of their childhood friendship.
In Women's Pillars Break Pairs, Tatsuya outsmarted Shinkuro's strategy. Planning to counter Kanon's Minefield by balancing pillars on a single point, Third High was thwarted by Kanon's Resonant Vibration Minefield and Shizuku's Phonon Tears, destroying all pillars for victory.
Sweeping all four pair events, First High led with 460 points after day three, far ahead of Third High's 260.
Day four featured Pillars Break Solo finals—Women's in the morning, Men's in the afternoon. Yugen and Miyuki were in top condition.
"Brutal, as expected," Yugen said.
"Don't say it out loud," Tatsuya chided.
Miyuki dominated her two finals matches with Shiva Raid Edge and Diamond Dust, sealing victories in under ten seconds. It risked traumatizing opponents, but Miyuki, unfazed, captivated with her smile. Tatsuya muttered a reprimand as Yugen watched from the waiting room.
Yugen could adjust his CAD but, due to Tenjin magic's complexity, entrusted final tweaks to Tatsuya, partly at Miyuki's request.
"Adjustments done. Check it," Tatsuya said.
"No issues. Great work," Yugen replied.
Backed by Tatsuya, Yugen entered the Men's Pillars Break Solo finals against Shoki and a Second High player. In the first match, Yugen activated Meteorite Fall at the start, destroying four front-row pillars, using them to spread dense fog across the field. Even with psion perception, projecting magic through limited visibility is tough, even beyond high school magic standards. The rattled opponent couldn't see Yugen's pillars, and he destroyed the remaining eight with Meteorite Fall, securing victory.
In the second match, Shoki defeated the Second High player with Explosion.
The third match, Yugen versus Shoki, was the de facto final. Last year's rookie Pillars Break saw Yugen win instantly with Tensho Kenran. Shoki didn't know Yugen had no intention of repeating that.
As the blue start lamp lit, Yugen projected magic across the field. Shoki, unaware or not, cast Explosion to target all of Yugen's pillars.
(No interference this year? I'll exploit that complacency!) Shoki thought.
Shoki, puzzled but assuming Yugen's overconfidence from last year, activated Explosion. He didn't notice Yugen's faint smile.
"Shoki, did you think I'd let complacency or arrogance slip, even after last year?"
As Shoki triggered Explosion, fog engulfed the field. Unlike the first match, Shoki grimaced.
"Guh…!? (What's this massive psion surge…?)"
Direct attacks were banned, so high-density psions filled only the field with 24 pillars. Mages perceiving psions for magic were forced to sense them, affecting Shoki mid-cast. His Explosion damaged only his own front four pillars.
Yugen used Tenjin magic Gori Muchu to generate high-density fog and psion fields, disrupting perception, alongside Phase Burst and Mirror Force in a multi-cast. He stored Shoki's Explosion power, redirecting it with Phase Burst to Shoki's pillars—a simple tactic. Sparing some pillars, Yugen aimed to showcase his next spell.
As Shoki paused, Yugen raised a hand toward the fog.
"Your Explosion won't touch me—checkmate."
From his general-purpose CAD, Yugen activated Zero Ocean Blast. Water vapor erupted from Shoki's field, falling as a misty shower on the audience. The fog cleared, leaving Yugen's pillars intact. Facing Shoki's stunned expression, Yugen exhaled, adopted a serious look, closed his eyes, and bowed. With a 2-0 record, Yugen won the Men's Pillars Break Solo.
◇ ◇ ◇
Day four results: First High took first in both Men's and Women's Pillars Break and Shield Down Solos, completely outpacing Third High. With a revamped second-year roster, the results were convincing.
In Shield Down, Yume and Sawaki won all matches with blitz tactics, securing victories effortlessly.
Inquiries about used spells flooded in, but Yugen, involved in activation sequence tweaks, rejected them as Kagurazaka family policy to prevent tech leaks. The National Magic University hinted at Index registration, but couldn't press Yugen, the Kagurazaka heir who countered the spring anti-mage movement. Ueyama and Kagurazaka's firm stance halted further inquiries.
Revealing one activation sequence could disrupt the USNA, a modern magic leader, forcing a policy shift. Confirming the Linker Core's existence would render Gate-based modern magic obsolete. Yugen wouldn't tolerate foreign interference but had no desire to revolutionize modern magic. Relic replication was established and experimentally reproducible, but Yugen entrusted it to the Ueyama family, deeming public release unwise.
"Miyuki's in high spirits," Shizuku said.
"Don't pinch my side," Yugen replied.
Shizuku understood her position and knew Miyuki slept in Yugen's room. Despite being a fiancée, her overwhelming spring break experience made her wary of over-dependence. Pinching Yugen's side was her small rebellion.
"Congrats on the win, Yume."
"Thanks, Yugen. Honestly, it felt too easy."
"Don't push it. Only Erika could match your speed among friends."
At Third High, Kazuko took second in Women's Roar and Gunner Solo, and Kanna second in Women's Pillars Break Solo. They weren't weak, but Ceria and Miyuki were exceptional.
The tea party, limited to avoid overcrowding, included Tatsuya, Miyuki, Yugen, Himeri, Yume, Shuji, Shizuku, Honoka, and Kento. Others, led by Toya, enjoyed a tea party at the work vehicle.
"Miyuki, Shizuku, and Himeri could keep up, right?" Yume said.
"That'd wreck the venue," Himeri chided.
"Agreed," Shizuku added.
"Even I can't go that far," Miyuki demurred.
Yume's remark was checked by Himeri, supported by Shizuku, while Miyuki humbly agreed. They knew Divine Assembly required honing, but Yume had no intent to showcase it at the Nine Schools. The looming Steeplechase and German issues were the real reasons.
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