While Kiseki are showered with praise, Ranata is rained with shoosh and boos.
Something like "Why would he used magic in a duel? This is a martial mock battle."
Favoritism,heh? Are these crowds here all such idiots? Look, even the girl who get to have the taste of his stick earlier by her own body doesn't have any protest. (AN: No Lewd Thought, Okay, Dear Readers? :p ) Why would everyone else pick a bone about it? Beside, she also used Martial Arts that is only slightly different than Magics first. Why is no one pointed that out? Are they all blind? While thinking like that, Ranata leaves the arena to meet up with the girls.
"So, you really do can beat my sister. You have my compliment." Chikane comes up to him. "Would you like to rest a bit before we duel? You have fight for a long time, after all."
"Yes, please. Thank you."
"You are welcome, it is not a worhty fight if I fight a weakened opponent anyway." Showing her rarely seen smile, she shows her appreciation to the boy. "So, you are not only skilled in fight, but also in magic?"
"Haha, not as skilled as you sisters, though. I can only cast Tier I Spells."
"Hmm.... That's already quite good. I looked forward to our duel."
After resting for 10 minutes, there is still some time to practice as the fourth batch of students also comes up to the arena. This time Ranata chooses a long wooden sword while Chikane picks a pair of twin swords, one is longer and one is shorter.
Nitouryuu style? I remember she have two swords in her waist, but aren't they have the same length? Nah, no use thinking about her weapon of choice. Better prepare for a long battle. As she already see my trick, there is no way I can pull a surprise attack so easily as earlier as she would be keeping her guard up now.
And sure it is, as the referee have shouted "Start!", instead of rushing forward, both of us are still standing, observing our enemy.
"Not starting? Then I will go first."
After saying that, Chikane make a stance with the swords in both hands while casting a spell. "[Water Ball] !" Five shots of water balls are launched at me.
Oui, casting magic right from the start? Now you are asking it. "[Fire Ball] !"
As I can only shot three balls of fire before the the water balls reach me, I must move to the side to evade the remaining two water balls. As our magic clashes, fire and water cancel out each other and make a smoke screen which fills the entire arena.
Now, with the spectator's and enemy vision blocked, I can do whatever I want.
To further thicken the smoke screen, I cast [Smoke] Spell and then hide underground using [Burrow].
Sure enough, as I have planned, the moment the smoke screen thicken and obscuring her sight, that girl will launch her magic in all direction. Our discussion about tactic and strategy before are proven to be very useful in that I can probe into her usual tactics and prepare the counter measure for it.
With her sight blocked, she would need to probe my position by launching magic attacks in all direction and feel in which direction her magic are blocked or countered.
Sure, I will play along with your game, my girl! Come, come to me, I will prepare many traps for you!
I launch a [Fire Ball] from underground to meet one of her [Water Ball].
Not long after, a barrage of [Water Ball] comes from her direction to rain on the place I casted [Fire Ball] from. Pausing for a while, she send another wave of [Water Ball] and I repeat what I do earlier.
After three times she stopped though. Either she learned of my trick or she has exhausted her mana. After all, she have shot many barrage of [Water Ball]. I took a peek in her direction from below the ground and cast [Appraisal] after I see her silhouette. Her mana are really getting thin, maybe she can only launch three to five spells before she exhaust her mana.
Eh!? A very big [Water Ball] are suddenly shot right to me. I quickly jumped out from my hiding hole before being splashed a bit by the [Water Ball] that crashed on the ground.
"Found you.... To think that you hide in underground all this time. No wonder all my attacks can't reach you..."
"Hehe, your mana are exhausted now, why don't we ended this fight now?"
"Sure." She suddenly leap to my front while brandishing both of her sword.
I immediately follow with my own strike.
After that, until the fog clear out, we are locked in tight combat. We fight slashes with slashes, strikes with strikes, sweeps with sweeps. I always try to keep my distance as being too close to her will only make her attacks become faster and quicker to reach me.
My reaction time are barely able to keep up with her speed. Everyone else in the Hall have finished with the mock battle and the seminar have been pratically ended.
But it seems like all the students, teachers and some elders are still staying to watch our battle unfolded. Well, not everyday you can see a battle of both magics and swords anyway. I quess that's just a good show for them to watch.
Kiseki are cheering both for me and her sister. Oh my, thank you for your support. I will fight with all my best for you! (What am I thinking anyway, I quess my brain must be flooded with adrenalin right now. All I can think are fight, fight, and fight.)
As the fight drags on, fatigue begin to creeps on me while the girl's attack are becoming even sharper and quicker. Girl, are you a fighting machine!? Don't you know what it feels to be tired? I guess dragons are such a wonderful creature. With that kind of stamina, it is no question that they still have a lot of descendants despite being the rate with the lowest fertility rate (And again, what am the author thinking, writing this kind of thing in this novel that is supposed to be read by even the kids?)
Anyway, it's clear as crystal that sooner or later, Ranata will succumb to her flooding attacks if he didn't do something. It's only thanks to him having a higher level than her that he can still stand up against her until now.
Parrying and dodging all the incoming slashes, sweeps, cuts, and slices that comes continously from two directions at once, he cracks his brain hard with all his might to find a solution to win the duel.
Her mana is already depleted, but her flowing flurry attacks doesn't allow the time window for him to cast any spell. The only thing he can do is rely on skill to win.....