Aaron was quick with the suggestion, "Tilia is undoubtedly our best bet, you're the only one who was able to go toe-to-toe with an Ace."
Horrow nodded, "I can agree, additionally since you were granted a powerful Title you may very well be our best bet."
Tilia wasn't so sure however, "Like I said I was only able to do that due to the trump cards I used during that time. The one I relied heavily upon the most won't be able to be used for another few days."
"A shame, then in that case-"
Wrock interrupted, "Hold on now, we still have an advantage we're not using."
Aaron's glasses gleamed, "Of course we do! I completely ignored that due to the panic. We know what the North's Aces are!"
Moving towards the projection Aaron rapidly fiddled with it, "The Aces are more than just incredibly powerful. They're talented in their respective fields. Each and every Ace is, at the very minimum, Fourth Stage. Our victories against them stem purely from the fact that everyone here is at Second Stage. Such a sharp drop in their strength is startling and puts them slightly off. Additionally many of their powerful abilities they could never use at Second Stage. It's by far the best restriction we could have on them."
Akiol asked, "If that's the case then why did Humive decide to send the Aces towards us?"
"I think only the Chief may have an idea."
"I'm afraid not, it seems like the North Head was intentionally keeping quiet about his intentions.", Horrow said shaking his head.
Aaron finished with his tinkering, "Aces of the North! First up is Ordained Maul, Heave! A heavily armored Berserker who has incredible tenacity. No ordinary attacks are going to work. You're going to need something special."
Kan'na scratched her chin, "A Berserker that specializes in defense? That's troublesome."
Givale offered, "Unless it has a lot of magic resistance I could probably erase it."
"Also Mira's strength could be useful."
Aaron changed the projection, "Next up is Nine, the Decode Eye. The bane of every magic wielder. By deducing their chants he launches counter magic before they could finish it off. He rarely fights but hardly anyone is willing to go against him."
"And the last one. . .", Akiol spoke as his eyes narrowed.
Aaron closed his eyes, "Yeah. . . the last one. Merin, the Sword Saint."
"What exactly is Humive planning here? Is this him stating that he sides with the West? Does he also want to see the downfall of the South Province?", Horrow began to mumble.
"Akiol, you've fought the Sword Saint before right? What are our chances?"
"Near zero.", Akiol put it bluntly.
"Are you not confident in taking Merin on?"
"No. Even if I were to use my trump cards the most I will be capable of doing is delaying the inevitable."
Akiol walked towards the edge of the South Spectator Box and stared directly in the direction of the North one. Gripping the edge he then said, "There might be something though. A gamble if you wish to take one."
Everyone's attention turned to him. Their eyes filled with interest, confusion, and a bit of hope. Akiol took a breath, "I can't guarantee this will work, but hear me out. . ."
~ ~ ~
Merin crossed her arms, "This is your grand scheme? Isn't this just plain bullying? I didn't take you as the kind to do this."
Humive chuckled, "Whatever do you mean?"
"Targeting the South like this? I thought you were siding with them?"
"Precisely."
Merin snorted, "Okay enough with being vague. You mean to tell me that because you decided to side with the South that you're targeting them in a battle of Aces? They don't even have Aces anymore."
"That's right, they don't have Aces. Each and every one of their representatives are Second Stage. Yet despite that they fought against two Aces, and what was the result?"
"A victory, and a loss."
"A victory! Some random Second Stage fighters! Although it was two against one they still beat an Ace! One even managed to fight to a standstill while being vastly outnumbered. Do you not see how amazing this is?"
Merin showed an annoyed look, "Get to the point here. You should be well aware that the only reason why I agreed to be an Ace was in case anyone desired to challenge me. I did not agree to be part of the challengers. If you do not give me a satisfactory answer I will pull out of The Arena."
"Alright alright. Just look at this with a deeper gaze. A Defender with an incredibly powerful War Sight. A Warrior with an energy we've never seen before. A Berserker with strength that transcends Stages. A young Dragon who wields a magic on the same level as the Time Dragon. A Pugilist who was capable of warping space with a single punch through sheer technique. One who is capable of peering in the future. A disciple of the Lord of Death. A Priest following the path of the once great Hero. A Spirit wielder who has potential to become a Martial Lord. And one we have yet to see in action. . ."
"You have yet to get to your point."
Humive spread his arms, "Just look at all of them! Can't you see it? Even when faced with insurmountable odds they're not despairing! Rather they're facing this serious, with full intention of not losing! I want to see it! I want to see what they're capable of if they're pushed to the absolute limit! What will they look like? How will they grow?"
Merin made an exasperated sigh, "So this whole scheme was to stimulate the South's Representatives?"
"No."
She looked at Humive with a bit of shock, "Then I'm not understanding."
"I did this for myself! I want to see it, personally. I want to see what kind of fight they will put up!"
". . ."
"So I ask of you, don't leave just yet. I feel we're going to see something very interesting."
"Fine, I'll participate in this little game of yours. But if it turns out disappointing you owe me."
"That works for me."
~ ~ ~
. . .
An individual walked up to the Arena. Having chosen their fighters, the South Province was now beginning to participate in the battle of Aces!
"That's their first choice? But they're going against the North's Aces!"
"Did they give up? I mean it makes sense. . ."
"I don't have any confidence on taking on an Ace. It's no wonder they chose this route."
Kan'na tied up her hair, "Oh the crowd is going wild. I can hear their cheers from here."
That was right! The first fighter the South Province set out was none other than Kan'na! Mana seemed to dance around her in joy, her eyes held an unfathomable amount of knowledge behind them. Nine crossed his arms and asked, "Someone who follows a magic class? Why would the South send you?"
"We were kind of hoping you would send Heave first, but that's a bit too late."
"Are you aware of why I'm even here? You should know I'm not a fighter."
"I assume it was to discourage us from sending anyone who specializes in magic. But if I'm wrong feel free to correct me."
"That would be correct, yet here you stand."
"Here I stand indeed."
". . . Let's see what you're capable of. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested, after all you're someone who was granted a Mark of the Arcane at such a low Stage."
"I thank you for the compliment."
Humive waited for the small exchange to finish with a slight smile, "As expected they're planning something interesting."
Merin crossed her arms, "This is that prodigy in the Arcane Academy right? The one who was granted special privilege."
"The one, you're looking at someone who somehow gained the fascination of mana itself. Now I think that's enough waiting.", switching his voice to be broadcasted he then began the match.
For the first minute no one moved. Unlike close combat classes when it came to mages the first and last move was equally important. Those lacking in mana perception were unaware of what was going on. For those who were. . .
Kan'na smiled faintly, "You're no joke! Not going to give me even a little leeway?"
"Do you need it?"
"Nope!"
They both were watching each other's reaction to various prodding of mana. Through this small exchange the mana swirling around them grew dense and acted a bit strange. As if unsure what to do.
Several magic circles appeared behind Kan'na, they formed extremely quickly and were small in size. Nine made a small move and a golden current passed through the magic circles. They stopped spinning and suddenly shattered.
"Oh that's not going to be fun.", Kan'na mumbled.
In just a second Nine had managed to decipher the magic circles and launched a counterattack to disrupt them entirely! Kan'na had hoped he wouldn't be as proficient in deciphering when it came to runes, but that was merely a flickering thought now.
If that was going to be the case her best bet would be-
Kan'na raised her hands and several more magic circles formed. As each one was completed a golden magic ripple went across and shattered them. Nine raised an eyebrow, "This speed, are you not afraid of messing things up?"
"I'm afraid time isn't something I'm granted often!"