“He’s quite the talented contender, isn’t he?”
There was no denying my honest admiration for Carlos’ sudden ambush.
Senna tilted her head upon hearing my mutterings.
“What do you mean? Was it just a last-ditch effort because he thought he was going to lose?”
“Tch. Don’t you get it? This is why non-combat roles are…”
“Hey! So what is it then? Just tell me already! How amazing was this move of his?”
“Alright. Ariana, how did you see that kid’s attack? What do you think his intention behind such an attack was?”
I truly wanted to know.
Had Ariana’s insight improved as much as her skills had? After all, from what I’d seen so far, she relied more on instinct than strategy in battle.
“Uh… Hmm…”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ariana wore a flustered expression. Too abrupt, maybe?
“Well, like… uh… what was his intention?”
I flashed her a gentle smile despite her hesitation.
“It’s fine even if you’re wrong. There’s no way you could possibly know what he was thinking. For all we know, it might’ve been exactly as Senna said—a desperate last attempt.”
Still, I was certain Carlos had attacked with clear intent. Sure, he may have been letting himself take hits up until now, but that kid’s sharp. He’s like a fox hiding under a bear’s mask.
And aside from my students, Ariana and Senna, he wasn’t falling behind at all. Plus, he’d dominated other matches despite giving his opponents the first move.
“My thoughts go like this.”
Emboldened, Ariana carefully began her analysis.
“Amy must’ve been confident in her victory, preparing a powerful magic spell to cut off any chance of escape. She attacked right before completing it, likely aiming to disrupt the timing or perhaps counting on Amy making a mistake and failing the spell.”
Senna blinked curiously.
“Why didn’t he attack sooner? If he still had the energy, he could’ve prevented her from using Black Point Explosion. Isn’t that too risky?”
“That would make countering harder. Had the timing been different, Amy would’ve canceled her spell and created distance.”
Ariana’s reasoning made sense. Statistically speaking, Amy was hit when her spell was 99% complete. No mage likes canceling a spell right before completion, especially not high-tier ones requiring complex calculations.
Senna squinted again, pointing toward the arena.
“But Amy’s spell did finish, right? Since she wasn’t taken out, doesn’t that mean it failed overall?”
“That’s…”
She hadn’t thought that far yet. Still, I was satisfied. Understanding this much would help her greatly in future battles. Nodding, I explained further.
“I doubt his goal was to make Amy fail her spell, though that would’ve been ideal. The real aim was to trigger her spell prematurely, throwing off her calculations. In short, messing with her planning.”
“Oh!”
“Huh?”
This time, Senna understood while Ariana blinked in confusion. It was understandable—this was something only mages would grasp fully.
“Magic is about controlling phenomena. It’s broader and more potent than swordplay, which means mages must always stay calm and calculate every situation meticulously.”
One common mistake rookie mages make is miscalculating their spells, leading to failure. If the spell fails after activation, it can endanger the caster, causing injuries, fatalities, or property damage.
“So Carlos disrupted Amy’s calculations. He probably figured the only way to win was by making her suffer from her own magic—even if it meant harming himself in the process.”
“Even if it hurt him too?”
“It was part of his resolve to win. Without such determination, defeating Amy would’ve been near impossible.”
Even I would’ve taken the same gamble. By the first attack, the odds were clear—there was no way she could be beaten otherwise.
But did his plan succeed? We watched silently as the smoke from the explosion cleared within the arena.
***
“Phew…”
Through the haze, Amy slowly caught her breath, completely blindsided. Everything had been a ruse. Waiting patiently for that single opportunity, enduring pain while maintaining a low stance—all leading up to the moment her spell completed.
Realizing Carlos’ intentions, Amy fought through excruciating headaches to survey her surroundings. Her vision flickered unstably due to straining herself to suppress the premature detonation of her Sunburst technique. One misstep, and flames would’ve engulfed her entire body.
“I thought I wasn’t letting my guard down…”
Her decision to cast her most powerful spell for a surefire finish turned out to be a mistake. Who would’ve guessed he’d exploit that?
“Stay calm. I still hold the advantage…”
At that instant, Carlos emerged from the lingering smoke.
“!”
[Roheim Swordsmanship: Leveling the Ground]
[Fire Magic: Flame Barrier]
Reacting instinctively, Amy erected a defensive barrier and hastily retreated. But Carlos wouldn’t let go of the upper hand he’d seized. Despite visible burn marks covering his body, he swung his massive blade with full force at Amy.
“Grrr…!”
Her unstable mental state caused her brain to waver as she channeled mana into another spell. Clenching her teeth, Amy pushed forward regardless.
[Fire Magic: Fox Fire]
A torrent of blue flames charged towards Carlos, but the incomplete casting weakened its power significantly.
“Haaat!”
Carlos noticed this and abandoned defense altogether, unleashing his sword technique.
[Roheim Swordsmanship: Splitting the Gemstone]
His heavy blade sliced cleanly through the magic, cutting through it effortlessly like paper. The sword continued its trajectory straight toward Amy’s head.
“Damn…”
As the blade drew closer, Amy bit her lip. Attempting to activate her Mirage Illusion technique, she instantly realized it would fail.
Despite the approaching blade, Amy refused to look away. Instead, she focused all her remaining mana into her final protective shield, searching desperately for a way out.
“Ah… Is this where it ends?”
“Perhaps mages really can’t defeat knights…”
“This student from Don Quixote deserves praise.”
“Such brilliant foresight.”
The spectators watching the match anticipated Amy’s defeat, having noticed her mana overload—a condition caused when a mage forces a spell without proper focus. In this state, they can barely manipulate mana effectively, essentially rendering them immobilized.
“If only she’d been more cautious…”
“It’s too late for regrets now.”
“What a shame. She was clearly championship material.”
The mages present shook their heads sympathetically as Carlos’ blade reached Amy’s head.
Accepting her loss, Amy slowly closed her eyes.
‘Is this really the end…?’
Suddenly, Allen’s voice echoed in her ears.
[Linear attacks are easier to dodge. If you move early, you can alter its trajectory. Wait until the last moment…]
Recalling Allen’s countless movements over time, Amy instinctively twisted her body at the last second. The blade narrowly missed her by a hair’s breadth.
“!”
Taken aback by the unexpected maneuver, Carlos froze momentarily, his all-or-nothing strike thwarted. Realizing this was her final chance, Amy unleashed a concentrated burst of immense mana through her tiny fist.
“Ugh…!”
The impact stunned Carlos, who couldn’t believe the sheer force coming from a mage’s punch. Unlike the spells he’d endured earlier, this one delivered concentrated mana in a single point, piercing through his steel-like defenses due to its unpredictability. His knees buckled under the pressure.
“Die!”
Seeing his lowered head, Amy executed a spinning kick taught by Allen during downtime as self-defense training.
“!”
Unable to cry out, Carlos staggered backward after being struck squarely in the jaw. Seizing the opportunity, Amy delivered the finishing blow.
[Fire Magic: Fireball]
The small fireball—a basic spell usually reserved for beginners—struck Carlos once more in the chin. The consecutive impacts rattled his brain, which was relying solely on spiritual power to wield his greatsword.
Thud!
Finally, his ironclad physique gave way.
“Haa… Haa…”
Amy’s fiery gaze dimmed as silence enveloped the arena, broken only by her labored breathing. Minutes passed before the announcer declared the verdict.
“And the winner is… Amy Helios!!! After an intense battle, Amy Helios of Minerva Academy claims victory!!!”
WAAAAAH!!!
The audience erupted into cheers, amazed by the magical reversal where a mage defeated a knight with raw fists.
“Damn, that was exhausting…”
With those final words, Amy collapsed onto the arena floor, losing her tenuous grip on consciousness after securing her win. Both victor and vanquished lay unconscious, testifying to the ferocity of the fight.
Clap clap clap clap!
The crowd applauded enthusiastically, celebrating the incredible display from both competitors.
[Olympia Quarterfinals Match 1: Amy Helios vs Carlos Hugo]
Winner: Amy Helios
