“Now then, are both teams ready?”
Five minutes remained until the start of the match.
The time had finally come.
The two teams faced off against one another. Our gazes locked, and Hartnett-senpai stared me down with a look of pure disdain. Her eyes made it clear that she hadn't even considered the possibility of defeat.
But that was only natural. No athlete enters a match expecting to lose.
We were exactly the same.
In a way, this match was also a setup. It wasn't enough to simply win. Every other team would be watching this opening match, and they would undoubtedly be analyzing us.
“O-ho-ho-ho! I shall grant you a complete shutout!”
Hartnett-senpai laughed haughtily. Her two maids scattered confetti as if to punctuate her declaration. Since the match was being broadcast, perhaps her goal was simply to stand out.
Meanwhile, we watched the spectacle stoically.
We exchanged quick nods, communicating through eye contact alone. No more words were needed. All that remained was to focus on the battle.
Abby-san, acting as the referee, received confirmation from both teams and finally signaled the start.
“Then, let the Magics War, Qualifiers Match One—begin!!”
The moment I registered her voice, I sent the Inside Code racing through my body.
Six sorcerers dashed off simultaneously.
Among them, Hartnett-senpai and I surged to the front. Behind us, our respective teammates followed close behind.
“Fufu! It seems you're quite adept at handling Inside Code!”
I didn't bother answering her. Instead, I spoke to the two behind me.
“Amelia. Ariane. Picking up the pace.”
“Understood.”
“I understand as well!”
Acceleration.
We sped through the forest. From behind, I heard a startled cry of “What?!” but we had already left them in the dust, and the voice quickly faded into the distance.
We had decided to secure the first point in its entirety. To ensure that, we sprinted toward the base at near full power.
For this match, we had gathered all the data available on the opposing team.
Charlotte Hartnett. Casey Charlier. Cathy Charlier.
All three were sorcerers specialized in magic.
However, no matter how proficient they were with magic, we were superior when it came to simply sprinting through this terrain. Furthermore, I had realized during our brief side-by-side run that they were unaccustomed to forest combat. There was no doubt they hadn't put in enough field practice.
In the Point Capture qualifiers, securing all three points would guarantee victory. If the teams were evenly matched, the winner would be decided after the time limit based on who held the most Prima Materia.
We had no intention of letting the match drag on until the fifth and final point. We intended to settle things within thirty minutes.
“Alright. We’ve arrived. You two, get into position.”
“Right.”
“Yes! I shall do my best!”
Amelia stepped into the base while holding the magic tool hanging from her neck. Immediately, bright red Prima Materia began to accumulate inside the transparent, cylindrical device.
We had reached the first point first. Now, the defensive battle began.
Ariane and I would serve as the vanguard, while Amelia provided support from the rear.
“O-ho-ho-ho! It seems you are fast at running away, at least!!”
Our gazes crossed again. The three members of the enemy team arrived, and we glared at each other for a brief heartbeat before the battle truly opened.
“Casey! Cathy! Let’s go!”
““Yes, Milady.””
The three of them immediately attempted to invoke magic. However, there was a mandatory window of time required to construct code. Ariane and I were not the type to let such an opening pass.
We didn't need words. We sprinted through the forest, weaving through the trees of Kafka Forest as we closed into cross-range.
At this base, my job was to handle the Charlier sisters. Ariane would handle Hartnett-senpai. We had decided on these matchups before the match began, and Amelia’s primary support was designated for Ariane.
«Prima Materia = Encoding = Material Code» «Material Code = Decoding» «Material Code = Processing = Deceleration = Lock» «Embodiment = Material»
I let the code race through my mind in an instant.
The magic I invoked was Ice Wall.
I generated a towering wall of ice to divide the battlefield. I had already transferred the Chronos Lock I usually cast on myself to Rebecca-senpai. Because of that, though it wasn't yet perfect, I could use simple magic like this.
“Magic...?”
“And with such precision via Quick Magic?”
The Charlier sisters eyed me with suspicion. They must have gathered information as well, and they likely had intel suggesting I couldn't use magic properly. And yet, I had just used an Ice Wall of this scale via Quick Magic.
This also served as a demonstration for the other teams. Ray White can use magic too. I needed to burn that fact into their minds.
“Now then, Senpais. From here on, you'll be fighting me.”
It had been a long time since I felt like this—fighting alongside comrades. The Far East Campaign... I couldn't help but remember those days. That was a battlefield that could only be described as hell.
But things were different now. This was a match where we honed our skills against each other, and the goal was to seize victory through cooperation.
“Ray White.”
“Your strength.”
“It seems.”
“That it exceeds.”
“Our information.”
The Charlier sisters gripped each other's hands, lacing their fingers together. The spell they invoked via Quick Magic was Storm. It surged forth, surrounding me.
They likely intended to seal my movements, but they were still naive. I immediately leapt from the spot, jumping from tree to tree. Speeding along the treetops, I dropped down behind them.
“My apologies. Please, brace yourselves.”
““Eh...?””
Their voices overlapped. In the same moment, I grabbed both their arms and threw them roughly aside.
The senpais tumbled through the forest, but they managed to perform proper breakfalls. I didn't want to use too much power in this match, considering the trials ahead. For that reason, I was holding back to some extent... but I noticed that the gazes they directed at me were now filled with clear hostility.
“It seems.”
“We have no choice.”
“But to get serious.”
The opponents had also been testing the waters. However, after seeing my actions just now, they had clearly recognized me as a threat. That was fine. I wanted their focus to be concentrated on me at all times.
While winning the match quickly was a goal, I also wanted Amelia and Ariane to get used to the tension of a real competition.
After that, a dizzying rain of magic was unleashed by the two. I attempted to close the distance while evading the barrage, but as expected, they wouldn't let me into their inner circle again.
However, in terms of exhaustion, the burden on my opponents was far greater than mine. I was simply moving around, while the Charlier sisters were continuously invoking magic.
Checking my watch, I saw that about four and a half minutes had already passed. In another thirty seconds, it would be time to move.
The opponents also seemed to realize the first point was lost, as they immediately began to withdraw. It seemed they still had enough resources to make a calm judgment. They weren't letting their emotions take over; they were observing the state of the battle rationally.
Once we regrouped, we headed immediately to the next point.
“You two. Can you still go?”
“Of course! We’re taking all the next points too!”
“I can keep going as well! Let us continue according to plan!”
They were full of spirit. It seemed that through their coordination, they had been able to successfully suppress Hartnett-senpai.
And so, we sprinted toward the next objective.
I couldn't afford to be careless until victory was achieved. However, I felt a definitive sense of confidence—