[Alisha's POV]
The match has ended; both were declared eliminated because each of their limiters activated. This means that whoever wins after this will head straight to the final round.
Looking toward the field, a black-haired man is seen sleeping on the ground, and on top of him is a blonde-haired woman who is also unconscious, lying comfortably on the man's chest. I feel that the goal of their fight was not to win, but rather just to have fun and enjoy the adrenaline. They seemed not to care about this tournament and ignored the fact that they were being watched by tens of thousands of people.
Remembering that match, the abilities they possess made me a little surprised. So far, I have never seen swordplay greater than what Elena showed from people our age. Not only that, the speed she possesses is crazy; even my eyes could not follow her movements.
However, the most surprising was not Princess Elena, but that black-haired man. Without a doubt, I saw him use Redirect Impact with my own eyes. In my country, only Old Man Rasputin can use this technique, with a success probability of only fifteen percent. Not only Reject Impact, he can also use Redirect, both of which require great Mana control if one wants to use them correctly.
I hate to admit it, but it seems the mana control he possesses is far greater than mine. Besides that, until now Raul has never shown the strength of the Nature Mana he possesses! Why does he always insist on not using it? I am certain he could defeat Princess Elena easily if he used magic from the Nature Mana he possesses.
What is he trying to hide?
"The next match, Princess Alisha Romanova against Luis de Cantabria!"
The voice of the Promoter broke my small train of thought. Finally, my turn has arrived; that means if I defeat this man, I will advance directly to the final. I wonder, who will be my opponent?
***
[Elena's POV]
My entire body feels very painful...
Opening my eyes, I see a room that has an aroma like medicine. It seems after I fainted, they brought me here to treat my wounds. How long have I been unconscious? In the end, I still could not defeat him...
My heart is still throbbing remembering the fight with him earlier. That was very enjoyable; only with him can I enjoy fighting with all my strength. However, all of that was still not enough; he always has an answer to overcome the abilities of the enemies he faces.
He is also still holding back from using the Nature Mana he possesses. This indicates I am not yet strong enough to force him to use it. I must become stronger, and I should speak with Uncle Raymond when the academy vacation arrives.
I want to tell him about this man, a fighter who is able to compete with me despite having magic and fighting talent that are more inferior than mine. Hmmm... I think I will go to his place during the practical exam later when the third academic year begins. I will surprise Raul with how far I have developed when we meet again at that time.
Just you wait... I will become stronger than this.
***
[Raul's POV]
My body is still not fully recovered, even though I have already been healed by the Priests and rested for several hours. However, I must see the rest of the other matches. Currently, I am walking toward the special stands for the participants. Upon arriving there, it appears only Princess Alisha is still present here. I approached and then sat beside her.
"Ah, you are awake, Raul," said Princess Alisha, who greeted me. "You missed several matches."
"Is that so? How far has this tournament progressed?" I asked her.
Princess Alisha then pointed toward the field in response to my question. I then looked in the direction she pointed; a blonde-haired man was seen facing off against a white-haired man.
"The tournament has entered the semi-final round," Princess Alisha said casually. "Brian and Leon will fight to face me, who has already qualified for the final round."
Brian against Leon, huh? It seems this will be an interesting fight. Leon with the Anti-magic he possesses against Brian, who possesses unlimited mana. I think if Leon does not defeat Brian quickly, then he will have difficulty fighting that Hero.
It is true, Anti-magic is a very Overpowered ability. However, he will not be able to use it continuously, and this ability has certain limitations if it is still level one.
"Then, between the two of us, you are the first to be eliminated in this tournament, Raul," Princess Alisha said. "That means you will treat me to a date and explore the capital after this, right?"
That's right, I forgot the bet we made during the first night. I inevitably have to clear my schedule to accompany Princess Alisha later. Even though I planned to visit Joff Bozes to see the development of the trading union he built with my money.
"Alright, Princess Alisha," I said to her resignedly. "A promise is a promise; I will show you the charm of the Imperial Capital, which is greater than your country in the north."
Hearing my words, Princess Alisha chuckled. "I will look forward to it, Raul."
"Are both participants ready!?"
While we were chatting, we suddenly heard the voice of the Promoter who was about to start the match. Returning to look at the arena field, I saw Brian and Leon nod and then unsheathe their respective swords.
"The second match of the semi-final round, begins!"
After the Promoter announced the progress of the match, Brian and Leon then activated Accel magic and then approached each other. Brian began to perform an attack combo against Leon; the white-haired man was seen trying to parry and avoid. However, several cuts were seen on his academy uniform, indicating Brian's attacks managed to hit him.
Leon jumped backward to maintain distance, but Brian was seen chasing him, not giving him space to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Leon appeared calm and then held his sword with two hands. He then slashed his sword even though Brian was still far from the reach of his blade.
Brian's face was shocked; he stopped his steps and then held his shoulder, which was seen to be bleeding.
"Flying Sword magic, huh?" I muttered.
"You can tell immediately as well, it seems," Princess Alisha said, looking at me.
What Leon did was coat his sword with wind Nature Mana, and when slashed, the magic enveloping it would be thrown and then hit the target. Actually, this is not a unique magic at all. However, for those who are not used to fighting sword players who fight from a distance, they will certainly have difficulty.
"Arrghhh! I will not lose!" Brian shouted.
His body then began to be enveloped by a golden light that would increase his magic attack power and physical ability. He again darted toward Leon, but the white-haired man would not let Brian approach easily. He again slashed his sword repeatedly to launch the same attack as before. Brian then performed a zig-zag movement to avoid all of Leon's attacks.
Not long after, he arrived in front of the white-haired man and then launched a horizontal slash.
- Tang!
Leon withheld Brian's attack with his sword. However, his body was pushed backward, indicating Brian's strength was far above Leon's with the buff he possessed.
"I will not let you escape!" Brian shouted while again chasing Leon. The blonde-haired man again slashed his sword. However, this time Leon could easily avoid it.
Brian's face looked shocked at what happened; suddenly the golden light enveloping his body disappeared, causing his speed to decrease again and resulting in Leon being able to avoid his attack.
- Bam!
Leon kicked Brian's face hard until his body was thrown down and then rolled on the ground. When Brian came to approach Leon earlier, the white-haired man activated the Anti-magic ability he possessed, so the buff on Brian's body disappeared.
Brian is truly very stupid; did he not see the previous match that Leon can neutralize any magic? He will only waste mana if he continues to come at Leon with his magic. However, with the Infinite Mana possessed by Brian, I think he will not have a problem regarding this.
"Wind King Legacy!"
Leon's body was suddenly enveloped by a green-colored light after shouting the name of his magic. This is the Buff he possesses to increase speed and strength. He then darted to approach Brian; the yellow-haired man again activated his buff, and his body began to be enveloped in golden light.
However, when their bodies were close, the buff possessed by Brian again disappeared because of the Anti-magic effect Leon possesses. The white-haired man then attacked Brian relentlessly; Brian's body began to be filled with Leon's sword-cut wounds.
- Tang!
Brian withheld Leon's slash with his sword, but because of the difference in strength, Brian's body was pushed far backward.
"Justice Spirit!" shouted Brian, activating his Buff again.
The spectators began to cheer for Brian not to give up. It seems they support the Hero more than a student from a foreign land.
"Is there something wrong with Brian's brain?" Princess Alisha said, looking confused. "He already knows his magic will not work around Leon, yet he still insists on using it."
It is true, what Brian is doing at a glance is reckless and rash. However, this strategy is quite suitable for him, who has an unlimited mana capacity. No matter how strong the Anti-magic Leon possesses is, it still has limits and uses mana. Now is the time for a battle of attrition. Can Leon topple Brian before he runs out of mana? Or is it Brian who is able to survive and turn the situation around? These two things will determine the match between the two men.
"Agghhhh!"
Brian was seen thrown again after withholding Leon's attack. However, he could not rest at all because from afar, Leon was already performing his Flying Sword magic. He tried to avoid it, but unfortunately, several attacks managed to hit him. His body now appeared covered in fresh blood. In both close-range and long-range combat, Brian lost decisively to Leon.
"Give up!" Leon shouted at Brian. "You have no chance of winning at all against me!"
Brian slowly got back up with the help of his sword; his legs were seen shaking because he had received many cuts from Leon's sword.
"Give up, you say? Don't joke! My dream is to become the strongest Knight in this country!" Brian shouted passionately. "I will not take back my words, because that is my Knight way!"
Wow... Very cool words, Uzumaki Brian-kun! I am touched hearing it to the point of wanting to vomit.
The blonde-haired man lifted his sword upward with both hands; it seems he is going to use the AoE from his Profound Codex—Incursio. A golden-colored light began to emerge from Brian's body and then gathered, centered on the sword he was gripping. The wind around the arena began to blow due to this large Mana reaction.
"Stupid! No matter how many times you try, the result will still be just as useless!" shouted Leon, who created an Anti-magic Barrier around his body.
"I will be the one who wins! Roar, Incursioooo!" shouted Brian while slashing his sword, which was already enveloped by his Nature Mana.
A magic wave like an ocean wave surged toward Leon. However, the magic wave stopped when it hit Leon's Anti-magic Barrier. Slowly, the magic wave launched by Brian began to shrink and shrink until nothing remained.
"Still not enough! Roar again, Incursioo!"
Brian again launched his AoE attack toward Leon. The white-haired man was seen surprised that Brian could use it repeatedly. However, it seemed he did not have time to think about that.
- Boom!
Leon again activated his Anti-magic; Brian's magic wave was again withheld.
"More, I will not stop until victory is in my hands, Incursioo!"
Brian continuously attacked Leon with the AoE from the Profound Codex he possesses. The light produced by that magic began to dazzle my vision.
"This is crazy! How is it possible he can continuously launch magic that large!?" Princess Alisha said, shocked to see Brian's action. "Is he not afraid of experiencing the Mana Exhaustion phenomenon!?"
Ehemm... Eheemmm...
Sorry, Princess Alisha, I was the one who gave him that Overpowered ability when making this game. Brian can continue to spam magic without stopping at all because of the Codex he possesses, which is Infinity Mana.
- Crack!
Leon's Anti-magic Barrier began to shatter; it seems he was starting to run out of Mana due to using that ability too often.
"Aaarrghhhhh!"
With that shout, Brian once more launched the same magic wave toward Leon. This time, the Anti-magic Leon made shattered into pieces, causing him to be swallowed by the magic wave Brian launched previously.
An explosion was created when Brian's attack hit Leon; dust flew, blocking the view. Not long after, Leon's body was seen lying on the ground. It seems he was already unconscious after receiving that powerful magic.
"The one who advances to the final round of this tournament against Princess Alisha is... Brian!"
After the Promoter announced the winner of the match, Brian clenched his fist and lifted it upward. The spectators who saw his heroic action began to cheer, praising Brian's fight.
"Too bad Leon had to be eliminated in this tournament," Princess Alisha said with a very cold tone of voice. "Don't worry, Leon. I will avenge your defeat in this tournament."
Ughhh... It seems Brian will be in trouble during the final round later against the woman famous for the nickname Frosty Monarch.