[Raul PoV]
The next morning, I walked toward the academy's main arena. Outside, crowds of students were already packing the gates. Many were buying betting tickets, trying to predict who would emerge victorious in the upcoming battles.
I entered through the VIP gate specifically reserved for participants, noble guests, and military officials. I then made my way to the stands designated for the competitors. It appeared that everyone participating in the tournament was already gathered.
"Ah, Raul. Late as usual," Elena said, offering a smile.
Prince Vlad was sitting beside her. He gave me another mocking smirk, identical to the one he wore at the party the previous night.
"My apologies, President. I had some preparations to make before the matches began," I replied to Elena.
"Hee~ Is that so? Will you be more serious this time and finally use your Nature Mana?" Elena asked, looking quite excited.
I simply shrugged without answering and took a vacant seat. From my vantage point, I could see the arena was filled to capacity. The academy gates had even been opened to the citizens of the capital so they could witness the students' performance. The goal was to demonstrate that Grunbelt Academy stood far above the common magic and martial arts schools found elsewhere in the Empire.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 212th Grunbelt Academy Tournament!"
The Promoter stepped into the center of the arena to open the year-end event. For the record, this academy is nearly 250 years old. It was founded in the year 370 of the Frankia Calendar, just after Queen Isabella began her reign over the Land of Aragon, which was still a Kingdom at the time.
"Currently, we have a total of 32 participants who will fight for the title of the academy's strongest for this year!" the Promoter shouted again. "Tell me, who are the champions you predict will win it all!?"
As soon as he asked, the stands erupted with students shouting the names of their favorites.
"Senior Jerome will definitely win!"
"Princess Elena is the strongest!"
"Brian won't lose to the Seniors!"
Hoo~ Not a single mention of my name among the shouts, huh? Well... it's not that I care about support or anything; on the contrary, I'm entirely indifferent to it.
"Alright! Without further ado, we shall begin the first match: Viera Regnan of the second year versus Mariana de Cinamon!"
Upon hearing their names, both girls stood up and left the stands for the combat arena.
Mariana de Cinamon, huh...? If I recall correctly, she's a Brawler, just like Scarlett. In terms of technique, they aren't much different. However, Scarlett possesses stronger magic than Mariana. This will be a difficult fight if Viera cannot escape the pressure Mariana is bound to apply. Honestly, Viera is at a disadvantage given their respective classes.
Let's see just how far the training I gave her will take her.
The two participants entered the arena. Viera summoned her magic bow. For this tournament, participants are equipped with the same limiter ring artifacts used in the first stage exam. The artifact activates once a participant's body reaches its limit, at which point they are declared eliminated. Additionally, a participant is disqualified if they utter the word "surrender." The match does not stop until one of these two conditions is met.
"Are both participants ready!?" asked the Promoter, who had now moved to the edge of the arena.
Viera and Mariana nodded, both women taking their fighting stances.
"The first match of the Grunbelt Academy Tournament... Begin!"
Immediately after the signal, Mariana lunged toward Viera using a combination of Charging and Acceleration techniques, launching a punch infused with red lightning.
However, Viera appeared to have predicted Mariana's movement, dodging to the side using Axio magic. Mariana, however, refused to let the distance grow, knowing Viera would be free to shoot her if she did. She pursued Viera, red sparks flickering around her feet—a sign she was using Nature Mana to move with explosive speed, similar to Elena.
Seeing this, Viera canceled her shot to focus entirely on evasion. Mariana's fist nearly grazed Viera's face; the archer managed to dodge just in time. But Mariana didn't stop there; she unleashed a series of right and left hooks, continuously cornering Viera. Yet, none of Mariana's strikes connected; Viera evaded them all with ease.
For this tournament, I had instructed Viera to train her Agility and Observation skills rather than increasing her offensive power. This was because, unlike before, she would have to rely entirely on herself for defense; there would be no teammates to provide her with the space or time to snipe her enemies. She had to create those openings herself to win in an open area.
"That archer is going to struggle."
"Exactly. Fighting an open-field match against a speed-type Brawler like Mariana is a nightmare for her."
The participants in the stands commented on the battle. It seemed they expected Mariana to win easily.
Mariana then launched a rapid-fire combo. The archer couldn't dodge every strike of the high-speed assault. Viera evaded two punches, one landed squarely on her shoulder, and she parried the last two with her hands. Mariana didn't pause after the combo; her leg was suddenly shrouded in red lightning as she launched a kick toward Viera's head.
Viera blocked the kick with her left arm. However, her body was still sent flying because she couldn't perfectly brace against Mariana's sheer power. Viera tumbled across the ground, rolling before trying to stand. Blood trickled from her mouth, indicating she had taken significant damage from the impact.
Viera's left hand began to glow, signaling she was about to cast a spell. Seeing this, Mariana rushed to close the gap. However, as she drew near, a sudden gust of wind erupted in the duel arena. Dust billowed up, obscuring the view of the spectators.
This was one of Viera's wind spells. It seemed her counterattack was beginning.
5 seconds...
The arena was still shrouded in dust, preventing us spectators from seeing the condition of the participants.
10 seconds...
The dust began to fade, revealing Mariana standing warily in the center of the arena. On the other side, Viera appeared behind Mariana, letting loose an arrow. However, the arrow only grazed Mariana's shoulder as she moved just in time.
Wincing in pain, Mariana spun toward the source of the magic arrow, but she looked completely confused. This was because Viera had already dashed into Mariana's blind spot the moment the Brawler started to turn.
"Hey, why does Mariana look so lost? Isn't her enemy just running around behind her?"
"Exactly. She should be able to hear and sense an archer constantly positioning themselves at her back."
The participants here commented again, baffled by what was happening. What Viera was performing was the trick I had taught her: Vanishing Step.
Humans have 180-degree vision, which means they have an equivalent 180-degree blind spot. Vanishing Step is a technique where the user constantly moves into that blind spot. It requires high Agility and Observation to sync one's movements with the enemy's.
However, coupled with Viera's Profound Codex, Silent, her movements and attacks made no sound at all. This created an illusion for Mariana that the attacks were appearing out of thin air. From Mariana's perspective, Viera was vanishing in a wide-open arena. She likely thought the archer was using Invisibility or Illusion magic.
Viera continued her "Shoot and Run" tactics on the bewildered Mariana. Blood and wounds began to mark the Brawler's body, yet she refused to yield. Mariana's body was suddenly engulfed in red lightning. She screamed the name of her spell, and bolts of lightning began to discharge in every direction, aiming to flush Viera out.
However, the archer dodged by leaping into the air, keeping herself within Mariana's overhead blind spot. Positioned directly above the Brawler, Viera's bow began to glow intensely—a sign of her ultimate attack.
Mariana glanced up, finally realizing Viera's location. But it was too late. Viera released a magic arrow that streaked toward the Brawler at high velocity.
—Bomb!
A massive explosion occurred as Viera's attack slammed into Mariana. A cloud of smoke once again filled the arena. Shortly after, Mariana's body was seen lying on the ground, covered in wounds. A red light enveloped her, signifying that her limiter had activated.
That meant... Mariana was eliminated, and Viera had won the first match.
"The winner of this match, Viera Regnan!"
The Promoter's voice broke the silence of the arena. Soon after, cheers and applause erupted from the spectators.
"Was that one of her Profound Codices?"
"Incredible! Mariana actually lost to an archer!?"
Several participants nearby reacted to Viera's unexpected victory. The training she had undergone had clearly yielded impressive results.