"Hey, I intend to finish what we started." Apollyon told Klaus. "See you in the finals"
"Ah yes, humor me more if you can get there" Klaus smirked.
Klaus and Calypso, the boy in the cloak, both stood up. The two boys were teleported in the arena; Klaus looked around in surprise.
The class was all holographically placed in the arena, and vice versa with a holographic representation of Klaus and Calypso on an exactly sized platform in the middle of the gym.
"You have two minutes to defeat your opponent, if the timer runs out and both are still standing, you will have a sudden death round after the first round is fully finished" Professor Argo said calmly and clearly.
The students nodded. Klaus threw his violin case upwards which disappeared and a violin materialized on his hands.
"Prepare to be captivated by my music, Calypso." Klaus said confidently
"I am sure this will be a fine duel." Calypso said calmly.
"The battle begins in three.." Professor Argo said over the intercom.
The two students prepared to take a stance.
"Two"
Klaus winked at Calypso, followed with a smirk.
"One"
Calypso took a card from his pouch hidden by his cloak and held it with his index and middle finger, then made a gesture that hid the card behind the cloak.
"BEGIN!"
Klaus began with a stroke on all of his strings on his violin, which sent out bolts of ice towards Calypso. Calypso on the other hand retaliated by flinging a card at the bolts with precision, which divided into the exact number of bolts that were sent flying towards him, neutralizing them.
Klaus then played a short melody, it felt as if there was a calm and serene forest.
Another bolt of ice at the end of each measure bounced around him. The bolt gained in size and turned into a spear that flung towards Calypso.
"Ah, The Hoarfrost Etude" Calypso said, who immediately threw a card at it.
"Ah, so you've done your research?"
"Of course, Magicians need as much information to be successful." Calypso replied, pushing his mask with his right hand. A card glowed a bright green and he placed it on the ground, with a sigil that glowed, one that Klaus recognized.
"Tenkai clan eh? I thought you guys are merely just full of card tricks?" Klaus said
"You're not wrong…" Calypso said, with a smirk.
"But don't avert your gaze even if the main event had just begun."
"Huh?" Klaus responded, oblivious to what he just meant.
"W-What is this?!" Klaus said as he tried to shake off the card.
The card had an eye print and blinked, which started pulsing. As that one card glowed, many more cards stuck on Klaus' body and started glowing.
"N-No way, I have to think of-"
The cards all detonated, which created a cloud of smoke that cracked the floor of the arena. The class was shocked to see the spectacle, while some were frightened by the sheer power.
"It's not even a minute yet.." Calypso turned around to walk away, where the smoke cleared too fast. Calypso immediately turned around to find Klaus, whose parts of his sleeves burned and wounded by the explosion.
"I won't... let you win..." Klaus said, prepared to take a stance with his violin.
"THAT EASILY!"
Klaus revealed his belt, which held different colored rosins. He picked a red one printed with a fireball, and immediately applied it, turning the bow hairs to molten red. Calypso ran towards Klaus to prevent whatever he was doing from happening but it was too late. Klaus strummed the strings and sent a blast that blew Calypso back with flames. Calypso got up only to notice several specks around him that gathered flames and materialized into daggers pointed at him.
As the daggers flew towards Calypso, he did a backflip and dodged several daggers. Calypso then swept his cloak at the remaining daggers, which disappeared seemingly out of midair; only for them to be flung back towards the violin wielding student.
Klaus then threw his violin upwards, and held out his hands, materializing gauntlets that have treble clef shaped buckles. The daggers were sucked back towards the center of his right palm.
"Phantom Art - Netherworld Grasp"
Klaus grasped his right arm. White Lightning converging behind him, started forming into a seven foot tall phantom that was surrounded by an icy gale. The phantom held a lantern on its right hand that released spirits. A violin also levitated in front of the spirit as well. It breathed an icy mist that started froze the ground beneath it.
Calypso jumped upwards, only to have the specter intercept the ascent by shooting icy thorns at him. Calypso was hit by them, pulling them out before it froze him further.
"Those cards all have a certain activation, but how does he do it?" Klaus thought to himself, puzzled at the whole ordeal.
Meanwhile, outside the arena, the portraits displaying the two combatants, showed bars under each of their portraits. Calypso's bar decreased to the 75% mark and Klaus' was roughly on the 60% mark.
As both students breathed in exhaustion, Calypso said:
"As expected from a prodigy, you're really strong."
"The same goes for you, I usually immediately win duels with my Phantom."
Calypso did not reply to his statement.
As Calypso held a card next his hip this time, he threw it towards Klaus, where he sliced it in half with the ice spikes, where it formed multiple cards and disoriented his vision.
As Klaus used other spikes to blow away the cards, Calypso vanished. Suddenly there was a smoke screen that surrounded Klaus, followed by a volley of cards that flew towards him from every direction.
Klaus responded by revealing another rosin cartridge where he slid his bow on. The bow hairs were now red, whereas when he played an energetic melody, the violin projected a flaming ring around him, which shot flaming quills outwards.
A shadowy figure was hit by the barrage. As Klaus went to clear the smoke, he realized it was a pile of cards that glowed red and suddenly exploded. As he prepared to turn the other direction, he was met by three Calypsos, all three held a card on different locations and postures, where they all threw cards at him. As Klaus attempted to deflect each one using flaming quills, the cards faded into dust.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Calypso appeared from the pile of cards and threw a card at him. Klaus sensed this and threw a spike at him, in which it landed a direct hit. The card missed its mark and Calypso's body fell. As Klaus prepared to celebrate, he realized that the body turned into crystallized butterflies.
"W-What?! A decoy?!" Klaus said out of shock.
He then played an aggressive tune, in which two swords appeared. Klaus sliced each butterfly with supernatural precision, but they kept flying.
Calypso swiftly jumped out of a butterfly, which appeared as if he turned back into a human state and raised both of his arms as he floated. The butterflies that surrounded Klaus glowed red all at once. Klaus in response attempted to play another melody before realizing that his bow disappeared.
"M-My bow!!"
"Under your cloak…" Klaus said out of breath.
"They have activators under them, right?"
This shocked Calypso, wondering how this musician found out.
"H-How did you-"
"Your cards are...crystallized…They start glowing depending on where you held them, right...?"
"You...did fancy tricks to activate a spell on each one... by touching those crystals.."
"A magician never reveals all of his secrets, Klaus. You managed to figure out one of my tricks. You have my respect." Calypso said, before he walked off to the exit.
"But, it will take a long time before you find out all of them."
"Swift Art - Triple Knot"
Klaus then noticed that the card he held multiplied and clung to his body. This process persisted until he was completely wrapped like a mummy.
Calypso jumped out of the card which was now on the floor.
"Now that you're immobilized, I guess you lose?" Calypso said, cocky about his victory.
Klaus struggled to move inside the card coffin, where it kept shaking.
"Just to be safe; Magician's Art - Serene Slumber"
The coffin then glowed purple on the inside and suddenly the shaking stopped.
There was no announcement, no bell that rang, and Calypso stood in the battlefield in confusion.
"Professor Argo, Klaus lost. Shouldn't I be teleported out by now?"
"Who says I lost?" A voice said from near Calypso.
"W-What?!"
Suddenly, a barrage of fireballs hit Calypso from a different location. It was Klaus himself.
"B-But how?! I trapped you!"
"Did you now? How about you unwrap the coffin" Klaus replied with a shrug.
As Calypso undid the spell, there was a ghost that took the image of Klaus that kept moving, which slowly vanished.
"Phantom Art - Ghostly Duet"
Calypso's eyes widened, where he thought "S-Someone managed to, out-trick me?!"
Klaus brushed his bangs swiftly and then switched rosins, the rosin was a green in color.
As he applied it on his bow, he played a tune that materialized roots that crawled along the floor.
Calypso in distress, threw all of his cards into the air and teleported in each one. Klaus smirked at this sight, whose only words were: "I knew you'd do that". His playing started to go in a staccato fashion, that caused vines grabbed each card.
"He's screwing up my options, he knows I jump to each card." Calypso thought, frustrated at the sight.
As he skipped past each card, reaching the card of the highest altitude, he jumped out.
Klaus, at the bottom of all of it, smirked. Calypso thought he managed to get away, only to realize that he was surrounded by flaming daggers. He attempted to block them by reaching for his deck of cards, but realized that he ran out. Calypso braced for impact and there was an explosion.
The smoke cleared, revealing that Klaus was exhausted, with Calypso on the floor, who was unconscious.
"Calypso Lot is unable to battle due to the damages gained. The victor of this battle is Klaus Cadenza"
Klaus, unable to contain his excitement jumped for joy, in which the rest of the class clapped, happy for him and amazed by the spectacle that they experienced firsthand. Hyas was screaming for joy, along with Soma and Calder. Isla cheered him on and Apollyon smirked, knowing that he'll eventually fight against him.
Klaus was then teleported out of the arena, where Professor Argo proceeded to make an announcement.
"That was a good fight wasn't it? I was thrilled to see two prodigies duke it out in a battle of wits and cunning power." Professor Argo said over the intercom.
"But, while Cadenza recovers quickly from Nurse Elthia, we will begin the next round!"
"Oh crap, I hope it's me" Hyas said, who was fidgeting from excitement.
"Calm down Hyas, I doubt it'll be one of us three in the next rou-" Lyra lectured, only to be cut off.
"Lyra Tau and Setsuna Ea, please stand and prepare for your battle"
"W-What?! A-Against Setsuna?!" Lyra said, in panic.
"What's wrong Lyra?" Soma questioned, oblivious of the match at hand.
Hana joined in "Setsuna Ea is known to be born into one of the three gang factions in Mainland Iota's slums. They're a group of delinquents that somehow got in this year's class."
"Wait, the Trickster Trio?" Soma said.
"Precisely, Setsuna is marked by the kitsune, Trompo, the guy in the brown is marked by the tanuki and Seth is marked by the Python."
"Looks like I go against the Bipolar Empress." Setsuna said, who was the female student that wore the ripped kimono.
"Ugh, not someone like her" Lyra uttered to herself.
"Good luck Lyra!!" Soma and Hana both said.
"GIVE THAT FOX A BEATING!!" Hyas said in excitement.
Lyra looked back and gave them a small grin, where she held onto her two katanas wrapped in bandages before she disappeared.
The two were then teleported into The Grid, which was reset due to the damages done by the previous battle.
Setsuna then held onto her sickle and crystal and smiled with a sinister expression towards Lyra.
"Oh how i've waited to beat the ever living crap out of you, Bipolar Empress." Setsuna said, with an enraged but also maniacal laughter.
"Yeah, and I've waited to shove you into a jail cell!" Lyra said, with a snarky tone.
"Like how your little brother attempted to?" Setsuna said, with a mocking tone.
Lyra's eyes widened, but tightened with rage.
"The battle begins in three…" Professor Argo announced.
Lyra clenched onto her swords.
"Don't….Even " she said.
"Two"
Setsuna took a stance, prepared to pounce on Lyra
"Begin….To..."
"One.."
"TALK ABOUT MY LITTLE BROTHER!"