[Raul POV]
The match has concluded.
Miria de Coruna—the strongest student in the first year—was easily defeated by Leon from the Slavic Tsardom. It perfectly demonstrates how Anti-magic serves as a hard counter against mages like Miria.
"What do you think of my loyal servant's ability?" Princess Alisha asked me.
"I think his agility is quite impressive, but what makes him truly troublesome is his ability to neutralize his opponent's magic," I replied.
Seeing that I could deduce Leon's ability with just a single observation, Princess Alisha's expression shifted.
"Oh? So you were able to guess it right away," Alisha said, flashing a smile at me.
Of course I knew. I was the one who programmed every NPC skill in this game.
"You're correct. Leon possesses a Profound Codex called 'Anti-magic'," Alisha revealed. "However, that is not all he can do. He still has another card up his sleeve that he hasn't played in this tournament yet."
Princess Alisha smiled as she said that, as if she were trying to goad me into a guessing game.
Oh, do you mean his Wind-natured mana? I thought. I suspect his spells only serve to extend Leon's attack range. He also possesses the legendary sword, Balmung, though I doubt Tsar Feodor would permit him to use it here.
"You might be right, Princess Alisha. At first glance, his Anti-magic ability seems impenetrable," I told her. "However, I still see a flaw in his ability."
Hearing this, Princess Alisha's eyes widened in surprise. It seems she hadn't realized the flaw I was referring to.
I suppose it is natural that she wouldn't be able to spot it.
Currently, the Anti-magic ability Leon possesses is only at level one. There are three levels for each person's Profound Codex ability. With every level gained, the ability evolves to become significantly more powerful, covering the gaps or weaknesses inherent in the previous tier.
"Alright, let's proceed to the next match!"
The voice of the announcer cut through our conversation. The participants in the area refocused their attention on the arena.
"The second match will be between Viera Regnan and Princess Alisha Romanova!"
I watched as the archer from the committee I lead sighed. She seemed quite pessimistic about her chances of winning against the Princess.
"It seems it is my turn now," Princess Alisha said as she stood up from her chair. "That is one of your members, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't be too hard on her."
Princess Alisha said that with a playful smile before walking toward the stands to head down to the arena.
Watching her cheerful demeanor, I couldn't help but wonder: is she not at all anxious or afraid, considering she has less than two years left to live?
A short while later, Princess Alisha and Viera were standing in the center of the arena.
"Both contestants, are you ready!?" the announcer asked.
Both women nodded. Viera was already gripping her bow, while Princess Alisha looked as calm as if she had already won the match.
"The second match of the second round of the Grunbelt Academy Tournament, begin!"
As the match started, Viera fired two Magic Arrows toward Princess Alisha. However, an ice wall suddenly materialized in front of the Princess, blocking the attacks.
Princess Alisha shattered the ice wall into several pieces and launched them back at Viera.
The archer executed a forward roll to the right to dodge, then immediately fired three more Magic Arrows at the Princess.
Once again, the silver-haired woman summoned an ice wall. She shattered it and sent the ice shards flying toward Viera.
This time, the archer had to leap into the air using the Axio spell to evade the Princess's counterattack.
Viera readied her bow again. A dazzling light emanated from her Magic Arrow; she seemed to be combining it with a Penetration spell to pierce through the Princess's ice walls.
She unleashed the arrow, but this time, the silver-haired woman didn't create an ice wall. Instead, she summoned a magic circle.
An ice spear emerged from the circle and streaked toward Viera's Magic Arrow.
—BOOM!
The collision of the two spells caused an explosion in mid-air, engulfing the arena in an icy mist.
Viera landed on her feet, but Princess Alisha had already summoned three magic circles around her body.
This time, the silver-haired woman seized the initiative. A dozen ice spears shot out from the circles, hurtling toward Viera.
The archer activated an Acceleration spell and began running, desperately evading the barrage of ice spears.
Thunderous crashes echoed through the arena as the spears impacted the walls.
Viera managed to avoid the worst of the attack, but I could see several cuts on her body; a few of the spears had grazed her.
She didn't have a moment to rest, however, as Princess Alisha began creating more ice chunks and launching them at her.
The archer dodged again, and I noticed a light beginning to glow from her hands.
Moments later, a powerful gust of wind swept across the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the spectators' view.
This was Viera's wind magic—Dust Storm.
She was attempting the same strategy she used to defeat Senior Mariana earlier.
When the dust finally cleared, Viera was already behind Princess Alisha, moving constantly to stay within the woman's blind spot.
Across the field, Princess Alisha was scanning her surroundings, trying to locate Viera.
The archer then fired an Explosive Arrow at the Princess. This time, there was no sound from Viera's spell; it appeared she was using Silent—one of the abilities from her Profound Codex.
—BOOM!
An explosion erupted, but it wasn't because Viera's arrow had hit the Princess; it had struck a massive ice wall.
Viera looked stunned that Princess Alisha had detected the silent spell. In the previous match, even Senior Marianna hadn't been able to anticipate the attack at all.
Princess Alisha then shattered the massive ice wall and fired the fragments at the archer.
Taken by surprise, Viera couldn't dodge. The giant ice chunks struck her with brutal force, creating a deafening crash.
When the dust settled, Viera lay unconscious, her body covered in wounds.
"The winner of the second match is Princess Alisha Romanova!"
As soon as the announcer declared the result, cheers from the audience filled the arena.
Priests rushed onto the field to treat Viera, while Princess Alisha headed back toward the participant stands, seemingly unscathed and without a single scratch.
The only reason Princess Alisha was able to detect Viera's silent attack in her blind spot was because she possessed an ability called Sensing Mana.
Sensing Mana is a skill that can detect the magical activity of others and gauge the amount of mana within their bodies at a certain range.
That was why Princess Alisha was able to pinpoint Viera's shot.
With Sensing Mana, no one could hide from Princess Alisha if they utilized magic. Only through pure physical martial arts could one hope to approach her without being noticed.
Princess Alisha and Leon...
These two from the Slavic Tsardom both possessed abilities that acted as hard counters to magic.
"Alright, let's move on to the next match!"
The announcer began to call the next participants.
"Prince Vlad mel Dracul versus Raul de Garcia!"
***
[Vlad POV]
Hearing my name and that man's name called for the match, I smiled. The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.
I hurried out of the stands to wait for him in the corridor leading to the arena.
I am going to kill him in this match. To do that, I must destroy his Limiter ring—the artifact participants wear to protect them from magic or injuries that could cause death.
Surely the academy wouldn't blame me or hold me back if I "accidentally" killed a student here, right?
However, I wouldn't kill him right away. I would torture him first until he begged for mercy and pleaded with me.
I would humiliate him in front of all the capital's citizens and nobles watching today. I would tear Elena's perception of Raul de Garcia to pieces.
Once I stripped away Raul de Garcia's influence from Elena's life, only then would I be able to manipulate her as I pleased and turn her into a puppet who obeyed only me.
After waiting for a few moments, the man finally descended and approached.
I moved to block his path. His eyes finally locked onto mine.
"Prince Vlad? Is something wrong? We should head to the arena for our match," the bastard said.
"I'll be blunt with you," I told him. "The Kingdom of Draconia is not going to form an alliance with the Aragon Empire by marrying me off to Elena."
That's right. From the start, our plan was never to form an alliance by uniting the two families leading these nations.
I wanted to tell him the truth just to see that flat expression of his change. His look of indifference infuriated me.
I wanted to crush that face of his until there was nothing left.
"We are going to form an alliance with the Venetian Republic and destroy the Empire until nothing remains," I revealed. "After we crush the Empire, I will marry Elena, break her spirit, and turn her into a slave who lives only to serve me!"
I was revealing our secret plan to the son of an Imperial noble. But I wasn't worried about him spilling it. He had no evidence from this spontaneous conversation.
However, even after I laid out our plans, his flat expression didn't change at all, which only made me angrier.
"I'm going to violate Elena, forcing her to bear the children of the man she hates for destroying her country!" I smiled sadistically as I said it to him. "I will make her scream with pleasure every night until her soul is shattered!"
Well? Hate me! Show me your frustration! Get angry at me, because I love breaking people who harbor such deep resentment toward me.
Seeing the look of despair on their faces as I destroy their hopes makes my body burn with excitement!
It is a pleasure that simply cannot be put into words.
"Are you finished?" the man asked in the same flat tone as before. "If so, I will head to the arena first."
He then walked past me.
I turned around, watching his back as he walked away. Emotions and rage surged through my body. This man annoyed me so much. Never had I felt such an urge to destroy someone.
"I will make her life a living hell!"
He paused his steps upon hearing my shout.
Heh, finally feeling something, are you?
"Do as you please," he said flatly, before continuing his walk out of the corridor toward the field.
Tch, just you wait, Raul de Garcia. I will crush you in this match.