A bronze-colored sphere of defensive magic?
Yuuki examined the spell before him and gave a subtle nod.
No wonder this guy managed to join the Green Praying Mantises. Regardless of what kind of person Sekke was, just judging by his magic alone, it was indeed quite impressive.
It balanced both offense and defense, and its durability looked solid as well.
If Yuuki wanted to break through that magic sphere, he'd have to use the Wind Magic spell he'd replicated from Yuno.
"The match is already decided."
"With that kid's mana level, there's no way he's breaking that barrier."
"Damn it, that guy got to fight him first! I wanted to go against that runt too."
"He's just a peasant from some backwater village. Like someone like him could ever join the Magic Knights."
Mocking voices echoed around the arena—hardly anyone believed Asta could win.
Perhaps the only ones who did were Yuuki and Yuno.
Surrounded by a storm of sneers and contempt, Asta's expression remained calm and unshaken.
He'd already been through enough disappointment.
He'd finally gotten his grimoire.
Finally caught up to Yuuki and Yuno's footsteps.
There was no way he'd stop here!
"In that case… I'm coming!"
Asta took a deep breath and fixed his steady gaze on the arrogant opponent standing inside the bronze magic sphere.
Sekke waved casually.
"Go ahead—don't hold back."
He wore a smug grin, seeing Asta only as a stepping stone.
But the moment the word "back" left his mouth, Asta vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared before Sekke.
Before Sekke could even react, the black greatsword came crashing down.
The bronze sphere shattered instantly—like paper crushed under steel.
"Huh—?"
Sekke's eyes went wide.
Boom!
With a dull crash, he was slammed into the ground and knocked unconscious before he even realized what had happened.
The arena fell into dead silence.
Countless stunned gazes turned toward Asta, who stood there calmly, holding his rusted greatsword.
Yuuki smiled faintly.
No matter how shocked everyone was, the exam went on.
All sorts of magic filled the arena as the duels continued, dazzling even Yuuki.
Especially among the nobles—their spells tended to be stronger, their power clearly boosted by their naturally vast mana reserves.
Watching this, Yuuki couldn't help but understand.
No wonder the nobles and royals looked down on commoners.
Born with overflowing mana, they naturally came to believe they were superior.
Come to think of it…
Yuuki's eyes flicked briefly to the stands, where a man wearing a half-face golden helmet sat—William, the captain of the Golden Dawn.
It was said that the reason royals and nobles of the Clover Kingdom were born with such immense mana… was because their ancestors stole it from the Elves.
Soon, it was Yuno's turn.
Just as Yuuki had predicted, a noble challenger approached him.
Even though Yuno held a four-leaf clover grimoire, to some nobles, he was still just a filthy commoner.
They merely saw him as a stepping stone to show off their own strength.
The match unfolded much like in the anime.
The noble's powerful Lightning Magic was effortlessly blown away by Yuno's superior spellwork.
Yuuki knew well—at this age, in a pure mana duel, no one could overpower Yuno.
Only magic with special restraining properties, like Chain Magic, could pose a real threat to him.
Time flowed on, and the exam gradually entered its later stages.
Finally, a brown-haired young man wearing an ornate outfit approached Yuuki.
"My name is Miasa Kubar. Would you be my opponent?"
Yuuki gave a calm nod. "Sure."
They walked side by side toward the arena.
As they went, Miasa spoke in an even tone, eyes still fixed ahead.
"To be honest, I'm surprised. I heard you, Yuno, and that odd one—Asta—all come from the same village. Besides him, both you and Yuno are rare talents."
"A single remote village producing two geniuses—that's quite unusual."
He chuckled softly.
"So, what are you trying to say?" Yuuki asked flatly, eyes still on the arena ahead.
"This world never lacks geniuses," Miasa said. "So what if you join a Magic Knight Squad? Do you even know how many 'geniuses' join every year?"
He smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with disdain.
"Do you know why the Magic Knight Squads recruit new members every year?"
By now, they had both reached the center of the arena.
They stopped and faced each other directly.
Miasa's face carried a bright smile, but his gaze dripped with contempt.
Yuuki stayed silent.
Not that Miasa expected an answer anyway.
"It's because those so-called commoner geniuses are already dead," he sneered.
"You're only fit to be our dogs! Even if you make it into the Magic Knights, we can just assign all the deadly missions to you."
Leaning forward, Miasa grinned wildly, his words laced with malice.
Genius? What a joke.
Four-leaf clover grimoire? So what?
Yuuki's expression remained as calm as ever—no anger, no resentment.
He simply didn't care.
That calmness threw Miasa off balance.
This wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
Before he could think further, Yuuki took a few steps back, widening the distance between them.
"Can we start?" he asked, turning slightly toward the referee.
"Begin the match!" the judge called.
"Tch, whatever."
Miasa shrugged, lifting his wrist as his grimoire floated before him.
"Fire Magic—Blaz—"
Clang!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Chains shot out from thin air around him—wrapping around his body before he could even finish his chant.
The flames he'd just conjured fizzled out instantly.
"M–my mana—what happened to my mana?!"
Miasa struggled in panic, realizing his vast mana had completely vanished—locked away, unreachable.
Across from him stood Yuuki, holding his silver grimoire in one hand, his expression utterly serene.
"Chain Magic—Binding Iron Lock Formation," he intoned quietly.
(End of Chapter)
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