"The tournament has finally reached its second half! We’re moving into the fifth round, and while the number of matches is starting to dwindle, this next one is a real showstopper! Well, I know every fight from the fifth round onward is a must-watch, but I still can't help but draw your attention to this one!"
At the sound of the live commentator’s voice, the spectators—who had been busy swapping impressions of the previous match—erupted with renewed excitement for what was to come.
The announcer surely understood his audience; his voice continued to stir them up, pushing the crowd's fervor to its limit.
"And why? Because this next bout is something of a clash of styles! On one side, we have a man you all know well. His fame exploded across the Bestia Empire during the Spring War and has only grown during this tournament. He’s the B-rank adventurer with the alias Crimson, the one who leaves a wake of devastation wherever he swings his great scythe... Rei!"
Rei appeared on the arena stage just as his name was called. The Death Scythe was gripped in his hand, and he wore his Dragon Robe with the hood pulled low over his head, as was his custom.
Even though his appearance was familiar by now, many in the crowd still murmured the word "Grim Reaper" as they watched him walk.
"And next! Reaching this stage of the tournament as a pure mage is nearly a miracle in itself! His spells are released with short incantations, and while the individual power of each shot may be small, he overwhelms his opponents with sheer volume. And if they ever leave an opening, he unleashes large-scale magic! If given enough time to chant, would even Rei find him a handful?! He is the formidable mage who masters the three attributes of Earth, Water, and Wind—the man known by the alias Magic Wind... Yuitol!"
Following the announcer’s lead, the mage named Yuitol stepped onto the stage. He looked exactly like what most people imagined when they heard the word "mage." He appeared to be in his thirties, clad in robes and carrying a staff roughly one hundred and fifty centimeters long.
Despite Rei’s lack of an ability to sense magic power, he felt a certain weight from the man’s presence, suggesting the staff was a magic item of significant quality. A circlet sat upon his head, and several rings—all likely magic items in their own right—glinted on his fingers. His frame wasn't muscular like a warrior's, but he looked visibly agile.
Magic Wind... If his alias is anything to go by, he specializes in the wind attribute among the three. I need to be careful with his equipment, too. There’s no telling what kind of magic items he has hidden under those robes.
Rei’s evaluation was based on his own experience with items like his Mithril Knife and Sleipnir's Shoes. Yuitol seemed to share the sentiment; the look he cast at Rei was thick with caution.
"Rei... I knew you were strong, but facing you directly like this, I can't help but feel it. It’s overwhelming."
"The same to you," Rei replied. "Making it this far as a pure mage is no easy feat. You have my respect."
Though phrased as praise, Rei’s tone carried a subtle implication that Yuitol was still no match for him. Yuitol gave an amused smile.
"Heh. Since I’ve come this far, I’d like to see just how much further I can go. I have no intention of losing here!"
With those words, Yuitol brandished his staff, signaling his resolve to fight with everything he had. The referee, deciding that the pre-match talk had reached its conclusion, shouted loudly.
"Match, start!"
Yuitol took the initiative instantly. He leveled the tip of his staff at Rei and rapidly chanted a spell.
"Ice Spear, according to my will!"
As the announcer had mentioned, it was a short chant. Two ice spears manifested behind him.
"Icicle Lance!"
The spears hurtled toward Rei. Despite his surprise at Yuitol leading with ice instead of wind, Rei waited until the last possible second before twisting his body to evade. However, the spears didn't just fly past; they curved sharply in midair and homed back in on him.
Homing capability? And from such a short chant?
Rei was impressed but held his ground, leveling the Death Scythe. The handicap he had set for this fight was to win using magic alone, without physical strikes. Fortunately or unfortunately, he had only used magic during the qualifying rounds. To defeat an opponent like Noise, he needed to master his most exceptional abilities—and while Rei preferred melee, his true, raw talent lay in his immense magic power.
"Flame, burn my enemies according to my will."
His incantation was just as brief as Yuitol's. A fireball roughly thirty centimeters in diameter formed at the tip of the Death Scythe, which acted as his magic catalyst.
"Fireball."
Guided by the scythe's movement, the fireball shot forward. The spectators thought it was a futile move—Rei had only launched one fireball against two spears. They expected him to rely on his physical ability to dodge again. Yuitol likely expected the same, judging that the opening exchange would end in his favor.
However...
A roar echoed across the arena. The fireball collided with the first spear, creating a massive blast of flame that consumed both the target and the second spear trailing nearby.
To Yuitol's disbelief, his ice spears didn't just break; they melted away instantly. He knew his magic shouldn't be that fragile. This wasn't a matter of spell formulas—it was a difference in raw power, the density of the mana itself.
Yuitol could produce similar results if he poured an extreme amount of mana into a spell, but that was a waste of energy. Usually, imbuing fifty units of mana into a ten-unit spell only yielded a marginal increase in power. It was always better to use a high-cost spell from the start.
Does he possess enough magic power to afford that kind of waste?
Yuitol finally grasped the scale of Rei's mana reserves. He knew he was talented, but the man before him was in another league entirely. He steadied his shaken resolve in an instant.
Focus. Mana isn't everything. Spell construction and tactical choices make the mage. He might be powerful, but he’s a magic warrior, not a specialist. I shouldn't be at a disadvantage!
He chanted through the lingering smoke. "Wind, tear everything apart." Three wind blades formed on his staff—more than the spears from before. He hoped the smoke would hide them, and against any other opponent, the move likely would have worked.
"Flame, manifest before me," Rei's voice echoed from within the haze.
"Flame Wall."
A barrier of fire surged up, burning away the smoke and incinerating the wind blades instantly. Yuitol groaned. If he had known Rei was constructing these spell formulas on the fly with those short chants, he might have lost his heart entirely. Rei was essentially improvising.
However, because they were improvised, the effects were short-lived. The wall vanished after about thirty seconds.
Short chants mean short duration. I need to be more precise.
Rei’s scythe blade glowed red as he chanted.
"Flame, manifest according to my will. Flowing Flame!"
As he swung the Death Scythe, a trail of fire snaked toward Yuitol like a hungry tongue.
"Ngh!"
Yuitol struck his staff against the floor, pouring mana into it. Green vines erupted from the ground, forming a thick wall between him and the flames. The air filled with the scent of burning vegetation. The collision lasted only a few seconds before the fire died out.
Tch, I really have an issue with the duration of the flames.
Despite the fire vanishing, the vines were scorched. But then Rei’s eyes widened in surprise. The destroyed vines swelled up, reinforcing the wall instantly.
"Stone Lance!"
The moment the wall was repaired, Yuitol’s voice rang out. Rei instinctively leaped away. Spikes of stage masonry changed shape into spears at the very spot he had been standing. They continued to sprout, chasing Rei across the arena.
"Tch, this is getting tedious. In that case!"
He leaped back to gain distance. The stone spears followed, but the gap gave him the time he needed to chant.
"Flame, become arrows that burn everything and fall like rain."
Roughly fifty flame arrows manifested behind him.
"Shower of Flame Arrows!"
The arrows rained down, turning the ivy wall into an inferno on impact. Yuitol realized he would eventually be overwhelmed. He stopped the stone spears and devoted all his mana to maintaining the ivy wall, trying to weather the storm.
It was a total blunder. No matter how much mana Yuitol poured into his staff, the gap between them was simply too wide. The ivy wall was engulfed in flames within seconds. Yuitol tried a desperate counter with water spears, but the heat was so intense that his magic evaporated into steam before it could touch the fire. Realizing he had no chance of victory, Yuitol surrendered, bringing the fifth round to a close.