—Boom!
A blinding flash like a stun grenade coincided with a thunderous roar.
"Whoa!"
The instantaneous shockwave nearly knocked me off my feet.
The raw firepower was inferior to the Dragon’s Hellfire or Jelasis’s flames, but the sensory overload was devastating. My vision was wiped white, and a high-pitched ringing echoed through my skull. Amidst the distortion, Edward’s voice reached me.
"The strong hone their five senses, but that sensitivity can also be a weakness."
I immediately cast Recovery Magic on my eyes and ears, but something enveloped my body before I could finish. Probing the magic through my blinded vision, I sensed an intense, focused heat—not a roar or a blast, just pure, searing flame.
"Naturally, I accounted for the possibility of you reconstructing your defense. After all, I’ve seen it once before."
A localized cyclone slammed into the Barrier surrounding my body, and a flurry of wind blades began a frantic dance against the surface. What followed was a relentless barrage: Water Bullets, Stone Pellets—a full parade of Four Elements Magic.
It was essentially a man-made typhoon. He truly lived up to the name of House Etherdam, the family that commanded the heavens.
"If I assume you can minimize and repel my Magic Power itself, then the match is decided by the opening move."
"I see."
The storm and the ringing finally subsided. Edward’s voice sounded much closer now, dangerously clear.
"F-Finally, the smoke has cleared! What on earth is this!?" the announcer’s voice screamed over the speakers. "Competitor Edward’s sword—it’s piercing Competitor Laguna’s chest!"
A collective gasp rippled through the audience. They were witnessing a scene of carnage that had no place in a student competition.
"Guh..."
Coughing up blood in front of Edward felt like he’d finally gotten his revenge for our previous encounters.
"If you maintain a Barrier around your body at all times, how do you manage the output? You cannot block everything," Edward said, his eyes burning with intensity as he slowly leaned into the blade. "Is it set only for offensive magic? No. A Brave doesn't prefer long-range magical duels; you prefer the front lines and close-quarters combat. You wouldn't leave yourself vulnerable to physical strikes."
"You’ve been... watching me closely..."
"You live your daily life with that Barrier active. For it to be practical, speed must be the filtering factor. I predicted that you have it set to automatically block attacks of a lethal velocity."
He had reached that conclusion just by observing me? He was such a genius it actually made me a little jealous.
From the very first move, I had been caught in a series of nested bluffs. He hadn't lowered the oxygen concentration; he had released something else entirely. That flashbang effect was likely hydrogen. Manipulating chemical concentrations to trigger an explosion in an oxygen-rich environment wasn't exactly practical mid-fight, but magic made the impossible possible.
Was he serious?
Manipulating the specific components of the air rather than just the atmosphere as a whole was perhaps the most absurd application of magic I’d ever seen. Edward was famous for his "ladies first" gallantry, but now that he was bald, had he moved on to escorting atmospheric molecules?
At this point, my jealousy turned into amusement. It was so ridiculous I wanted to laugh.
The flash was meant to blind me, and the subsequent magical barrage was meant to keep me from reconstructing my Barrier. But even that was a distraction. While I was focused on the blades of wind and flying stones, he had slowly, methodically thrust his sword into my chest.
"Heh... not bad, Edward."
I hadn't intended to underestimate him, but I had been interested to see what he would do. While I had planned for an exchange of hands, Edward had intended to go all-in from the very start. He had completely outread me.
"I told you I would give this everything I had," Edward said, staring straight into my eyes without a hint of an opening.
As the audience held its collective breath, I let out a laugh.
"Hahaha!"
"…?" Edward’s expression flickered with confusion.
Incredible. You’re really something, Edward.
"You’re the first person of our generation to break through my Barrier in its perfect state through your own strength."
However...
"Your 'all-in' only went as far as piercing my heart. And even with a punctured heart, I don't stop."
Edward’s eyes widened as I took a firm step forward. Blood began to pool around my feet, drawing small screams from the spectator stands.
"What’s wrong? If you swing that sword sideways, it might all be over, you know?"
"…As if you aren't the one holding it in place."
He had managed to pierce me, but I had already reinforced the area to ensure he couldn't put enough leverage into the blade to slash me open.
"Hahaha! In that case, hurry up and let go of the hilt!"
"Guh!"
I punched Edward back. A sickening, tearing sound echoed as he was sent flying. Glancing at the sword hilt still stuck in my chest, I saw the reason for the sound—the skin from his palm was still stuck to it, matted with blood.
I see. He hadn't been able to let go.
"…Guh… If the tip of the blade had wavered even slightly within that magical storm, I might have missed my mark," Edward gasped from where he landed. "So, I burned my hand to the hilt to fuse them together."
He had come at me prepared for self-mutilation just to land the blow.
"I like that spirit. You’re strong. I’ll give you that."
I yanked the sword from my chest and applied Recovery Magic to seal the wound. It had been a long time since my blood had boiled like this. I could feel my Magic Power seething, as if the very blood on the ground was ready to ignite.
"Now then, shall we move on to Round 2?"
Actually, I think it’s my turn.