Ugh! She’s strong!
Stronger than I imagined!
My most powerful magic was effortlessly broken.
And the attack just now…
I stop flying and land on the ground.
For me, who can’t engage in close combat, this is as good as stepping into the jaws of death, but with magic that fast, I can’t stay in the air.
With my sluggishness, I’d never be able to dodge it.
“Too easy…”
That was definitely on purpose.
“Too easy? I’m just fighting on my own terms.”
The battle between Tsukasa and Mathias earlier comes to mind.
That was the fate of someone unaccustomed to close combat when forced into it.
I can see my own future as that.
To avoid it, I can’t let her get close.
“Saint Flame!”
I point my staff at Toko and release intermediate-level fire magic.
“Blizzard!”
Toko counters with intermediate-level ice magic.
Our spells collide.
“Ugh!”
I quickly use a teleportation spell and shift 10 meters to the right.
The spot where I was moments ago is frozen, devoid of my flames.
“Teleportation spells… troublesome.”
Who’s she kidding?!
Despite both being intermediate-level spells, my flames were completely extinguished.
Such is the difference in magical prowess.
And… my magic power is…
I take out a potion to restore my magic power and drink it all in one go.
Even if it’s just a placebo, it’s better than nothing.
“Rich, aren’t you?”
I made it myself!
“Flame Edge!”
I launch blades of fire toward Toko.
She looks at them intently, then lightly dodges.
“Didn’t you see the fight between Nagase and Mathias?”
I saw it!
But now I understand.
This woman moves like Tsukasa.
“What’s your relationship with Tsukasa?”
“Huh? I thought you were going to say something rare, and that’s it? Ohhh… now I get it.”
Toko makes an intensely unpleasant face suddenly.
“What is it?”
“Ugh… what’s he thinking?”
“Is that your true nature?”
“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, this is enough. Just lose already… Cocytus!”
As Toko releases an ice spell, I cover my body with my cloak.
It begins to freeze instantly.
“Ugh…”
“―That was an expensive coat, wasn’t it?”
I look down and see Toko sitting in my cloak, propping her chin on her hand while looking up at me.
“How did you get there!??”
Why is she there!?
Teleportation?! No, it must be super-speed from reinforcement magic like Tsukasa’s!
“You have an impressive cloak, but you shouldn’t turn your back to the enemy in the middle of a fight.”
“Ugh!”
I try to teleport away.
But Toko grabs my staff before I can.
“Nope!”
Grinning, Toko slaps me with the heel of her palm on my stomach.
For a moment, I thought time stopped, but somehow I manage to hold my ground, moving a few steps back.
“Hmm?”
Toko examines her own hand.
“Ugh…”
My stomach hurts…
But I survived.
In that instant, I used reinforcement magic to fortify my abdomen.
Tsukasa had said Toko would definitely aim for my solar plexus.
“Reinforcement magic… why?”
Toko narrows her eyes at me.
“I’m from a warrior family.”
“Hmm…”
Toko’s demeanor has changed.
“Saint Flame!”
I point my staff at Toko and release intermediate-level fire magic again.
But Toko dodges by leaping to the side without using magic and proceeds to rush in.
Before I know it, the distance has closed.
“Ugh!”
I try to point my staff, but Toko appears before me quicker, raising her hand.
Thinking she’s about to cast a spell, I instinctively swat her arm away.
But the arm I swatted is no longer there.
“Huh?”
Looking down in panic, I see Toko has placed her hand on the ground and unleashed a spinning kick.
The kick lands on my leg and I lose my balance effortlessly.
“!”
I manage to avoid falling by breaking my fall, regain my stance, and point my staff at Toko.
But her feet are already in front of me.
“―Ouch!”
Toko swings her leg and kicks the hand holding my staff.
The staff flies far away.
“Ah…”
This is bad.
Without my staff, I won’t be able to use magic…
“Good job.”
I snap my head up and look at Toko.
She’s already created distance and has her hand raised toward me, charged with significant magical power.
This… an advanced magic spell is coming!
“Ugh! Inferno!”
As Toko releases an ice spell, I counter with magic of my own.
Fire and ice collide and disperse.
“Wow! Amazing! You had a trump card after all!”
Toko seems impressed.
“Huff, huff…”
The last hope is gone…
My only winning plan was to take advantage of any gap and hit her with my other advanced spell, this Inferno.
It was thwarted.
And using magic without my staff has cost me considerable magic power.
To reverse the situation at this point…
“Do you wish to continue?”
Toko looks at Ms. Jenny.
Ms. Jenny looks at me…
Defeat, huh…
No!
“Ugh!”
I use the teleportation spell to move.
I grab the fallen staff and stand back up.
“You’re still going?”
Toko narrows her eyes and lowers herself into a stance for the first time.
But the stance is one I’ve seen many times.
And Toko’s feet twitch slightly.
“Flame Edge!”
The moment Toko moves, I send a blade of fire flying.
Toko flashes a surprised look for a moment but easily dodges and closes the distance.
She stretches out her hand and grabs my arm.
“!”
I remember I shouldn’t retreat and step forward.
“Hmm~”
Toko lets out an impressed sound, but soon swipes my feet from under me.
I’m unable to break my fall this time and slam my back hard, but I point my staff.
“Flame Edge!”
I cast a spell at the looking-down Toko, but she vanishes immediately.
“Cough… cough…”
I cough because of the blow to my back.
Still, I somehow manage to stand, but now my right leg feels off.
I injured my leg, did I?
The pain isn’t unbearable, but the situation is grim.
I lift my head and look at Toko, who has created distance.
Toko slightly leans her upper body to the right.
Seeing it reflexively, I move left, dragging my right leg…
Toko is intently observing my right leg.
“Ugh…”
I’m starting to dislike martial artists.
Like Tsukasa, they read the situation accurately.
“Huff…”
I can’t go on anymore…
I have to finish it with the next strike.
I lean on my staff and channel magic power.
Toko lowers her stance accordingly.
“I see…”
Just as Tsukasa said.
Toko won’t use magic.
In this situation, if she were to just shoot spells from afar, I’d eventually run out of magic power and lose.
But she isn’t doing that.
It’s not mercy; it’s because the more she pushes, the more she’ll attack in her preferred way.
Toko glances at my right leg and rushes in, tilting her upper body to the right.
Attacking my weakness from the right.
I know it.
Toko’s movements are the same as Tsukasa’s.
That’s why I know…
“Fake!”
I aim my staff at the left where Toko isn’t.
And Toko suddenly appears at the tip of my staff as if drawn in.
“What!?”
“Flame Edge!”
I release Flame Edge, sending blades of fire toward Toko.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
At a timing that was undoubtedly impossible to dodge, Toko blocks the fire with her fist and swats it aside.
She approaches me, grabs my arm, and strikes with a palm heel.
“Say that to me!”
I twist my body and pull on Toko’s arm as I grasp it.
“Eh?”
I drop low, pulling Toko over my shoulder and throw her.
After slamming Toko to the ground, I point my staff at her prone form.
“My win!”
I declare it and channel magic into my staff… channel, it…
“That’s enough! Charlene Iver is the winner!”
The teacher grabs my arm and stops me.
“Eh?”
I reflexively look up at the teacher.
She shakes her head.
Toko is still staring blankly.
“So… is it?”
I lower my staff and, like Toko, remain dazed while looking down at her.
Toko and I lock eyes for a while before Toko stands up and walks out of the training ground.
The stands erupt in cheers and applause.
I walk in the opposite direction, listening to the sound.
Once I step out of the training ground, I punch the wall.
“Ugh!”
My win?
Yeah right!
I used magic at the end.
I definitely used it.
But the beginner-level Flame Edge didn’t come out.
My magic power… was depleted.
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