"No way…," Stephen spoke, completely surprised by the turn of events. "Allen has…"
With one final push, Allen managed to push through Simon's crazy amount of pure magical power. And with Allen's sword close and pointed at Simon's neck, Allen's victory was only moments away.
Everyone else sitting nearby Stephen could not believe what they were seeing. Thomas, Cecily, Rose, Sarah, and even Charles all tried to take in the scene before them.
The only one who didn't seem as surprised was August, who had just come back in time for the final round of the tournament, as he said he would.
With Stephen and the rest of them cheering on Allen the entire time, they were all excited by the turn of events. Their friend, Allen Fleming, had managed to turn the tables of the duel and defeat not only the strongest mage at the academy, but the current strongest child of Solomon Windblade.
Somehow deep down, I knew you could do it, Allen, Stephen thought, grinning. Out of all of us, you by far had the highest chance to get luck on your side and do the impossible. You have certainly showcased your skills and proven your worth.
But before Allen's victory could be announced and they could begin to celebrate, something almost no one anticipated had occurred suddenly, and without warning. Simon Windblade had pushed Allen back, and began to cast the largest spell Stephen had ever seen in his entire life.
An entire whirlwind of pure, unbridled air magic, it completely surrounded the entire arena below. Stephen lost visibility of both Allen and Simon, who were still down below.
"What's going on?!," Stephen asked, but realized his voice began to drain out under the sheer deafening sound of Simon's magic.
Stephen looked over at his friends, who seemed to be as confused as he was. They all tried to talk amongst each other, but it became exceedingly more difficult as the spell continued.
"How is this even possible?!," Stephen asked out loud, to no one in particular. "Not even I could do anything remotely as crazy as this!"
Stephen looked down below, as the whirlwind began to sweep the entire bottom of the arena, and began to reach up closer to the stands. Many of those seated close to the bottom of the arena began to freak out as they had to get up from their seats and run away from the whirlwind.
"This is going to surround the entire arena if left unchecked!," Stephen yelled out loud, as he tried to look around for something to do. "Someone is going to get hurt!"
Stephen and the rest of them managed to communicate the best as they could, with either hand motions or reading each other's lips. All of them ultimately decided to try to help whoever they could, but who was going to stop this?
There's no way the duel can continue like this, Stephen thought, as they all began to move around and help people who were close to the whirlwind get away. Aren't they going to just end the duel here? People are going to get hurt!
Stephen looked over at the one person who had the highest authority, that could most likely stop this all from continuing. But from what he could tell, he was doing absolutely nothing!
Solomon Windblade had stood up from his chair, and seemed to take in all the magic in front of him. He had a rather odd but unreadable expression. He seemed to be talking to the other Triumvirate officials, and even began to chat with the directors.
They don't seem to be trying to stop the duel!, Stephen thought, getting furious. This is just insane! No one could possibly-
Stephen then realized once again Allen was still down below, surrounded by the entire monstrosity that was Simon's magic. Was Allen okay? Did he pass out? What was going on?!
"Allen!," Stephen said out loud, even though he knew Allen couldn't hear him. "We're going to get you out of there!"
Gritting his teeth, Stephen chose to break away from the group to attempt to negotiate with his uncle, Solomon Windblade. Even if he's barely spoken with him before, he may at least decide to hear him out. This duel needed to stop immediately, or else people were going to get seriously hurt.
"Well, I'll be damned," Allen said out loud, even though he could barely hear his own voice. "I never thought I'd ever see this"
Already feeling fatigued from his earlier attacks, and cuts converting all around his arms and legs, Allen finally fell onto his knees, as he couldn't help but take in the scene surrounding him.
"And then there's my right arm," Allen spoke, as he examined his arm.
His right arm had sustained the most damage by far, from being weakened from his "magical strike" and receiving cuts from Simon's earlier spells. It almost felt weightless, as he held it with his left hand.
Funnily enough, my right glove on my right hand sustained no damage, Allen thought, as he couldn't help but chuckle. Whatever material it's made of, it's doing its job.
The same glove that helped prevent Allen from accidentally casting his fire magic coincidentally protected him from Simon's earlier spells. But even if it took no damage, Allen could no longer hold his sword, with his arm feeling slightly numb.
But with this whirlwind surrounding the entire arena, is there anything I can do?, Allen thought, as his eyes drifted everywhere.
Even if Allen still had plenty of energy in him, he doubted his sword could cut through any of this. This whirlwind was by far a monstrosity in its own right. This was by far beyond any A ranked student at this academy. Could a magical knight even do something like this?
Should I just give up?, Allen thought, as the fatigue began to catch back up to him. Should I just admit my defeat? Wait, would I even be able to admit my defeat?
With the whirlwind completely surrounding the entire arena, it almost deafened Allen's ears, to the point he couldn't even hear himself speak. If he couldn't hear himself speak, could they even hear him admit his defeat?
At this point, Allen might be forced to wait out until Simon's magic stops, someone manages to intervene, or even if Allen finally passes out.
With my fatigue finally starting to catch up to me, and the pain from all of my cuts, there's definitely a possibility I might actually pass out any second, Allen thought, as he finally sat down on the arena's floor.
As Allen finally began to gather his breath and ignore the pain everywhere, he finally let out a small laugh, as he began to realize the craziness that was everything.
Maybe I should really-
"Give up?," A familiar person from a distant memory asked. "You really want to give up?"
"I'm too tired!," a young Allen complained, as he fell onto the grass. The sun above began to blind him, as he looked up. "This training is too difficult! All I do is swing a sword around all day! When am I going to learn something important?!"
"Learn something important, huh?," William grinned, as he looked down at Allen laying in the grassy field. "There does happen to be a really important lesson I could teach you…"
"Really?!," Allen asked, as he finally sat up.
"Never give up," William proclaimed, as he leaned down to face Allen.
"Never give up?," Allen asked, confused. "Really?! That's not-"
"Even when things began to feel hopeless," William continued, pointing a finger at him. "Even when you begin to run out of energy. Even when things start to become painful. When you've fallen to the floor and things feel all hopeless"
"But-"
"You should never give up," William repeated himself. "Get back up. Try again. Fight until you are completely out of breath"
"That's-"
"You want to prove yourself, don't you?," William asked, as he stared at a confused Allen. "Despite your weaknesses, and the power you're forbidden to use, you wish to do everything you can to prove you're strong and you can succeed"
"Yeah," Allen finally answered. "I do"
"You want to become a magical knight, don't you? You want to be able to protect people, work hard, and be someone you can be proud of, don't you?"
"Yes, William!," Allen raised his voice, a serious look on his face beginning to form.
"Then don't give up!," William raised his voice, as he stood back up. "Fight with everything you have, both body and mind. Keep going!"
"Right!," Allen yelled, as William helped him get back up. "I'll-"
"-never give up," Allen said out loud, finishing the sentence of his younger self from his memory.
I really am an idiot, Allen thought, as he began to push himself back up. I really forgot the most important lesson William ever taught me.
From his duels against Nathaniel Rivertide, Rose Marion, Stephen Windblade, Thomas Terrastone, August Lionheart, and plenty of others, Allen had never chosen to give up. Sure, he had lost a few of them, whether official or practice duels, but in the end he had never chosen to sit down and give up, despite the circumstances.
I'm not going to win every duel, but I need to at least try, Allen thought, as he took in a deep breath.
Finally standing back up again and ignoring the pain, Allen once again took in everything around him. The whirlwind remained strong, encompassing his entire vision. Allen could not see anyone up in the stands, or the stands at all for that matter. Simon was nowhere to be seen, either.
He finally picked up his sword that remained lying on the floor with his left hand. Although he rarely ever holds his sword in his left hand, it was better than nothing at all.
Think, how can I defeat Simon? What can I do to stop Simon, even for just a moment?
In order to stop Simon, he would first need to know where he is. How could he locate Simon, in this blinding whirlwind?
Is there a way to see through the whirlwind?, Allen thought, searching for an answer. Is there a way to detect where he is? Wait-
Allen recalled how earlier in the year, he and his clubmates faced off against William to go on the club trip. William managed to detect where they were at any given time, by detecting their mana. Allen had temporarily "shut off" his mana to get a surprise attack in.
But, how does he detect other people's mana?, Allen thought, trying to figure it out.
Allen once again tried to recall memories of his past, where William would teach him how to use mana properly.
"How can I detect mana? Hmm, an interesting question," William said, a hand on his chin. "I'll give you a hint. Start with understanding how to detect and use your own mana before you try to detect anyone else's"
That doesn't really help!, Allen thought, after regaining his senses. Start with my own?
Allen already understands how to detect his own mana. He does so by usually closing his eyes, and concentrating as best as he can. He can feel his mana flowing through him, like small rivers.
Think. When I detect my own mana, that would be inward, right? Any magic around me would be outward. How can I detect magic outside of my own body? How can I 'feel' magic outside of my own body?
As he tried to draw a conclusion, the whirlwind remained around him. Just how could Simon keep this going for so long? And why hasn't anyone done anything about this?
If only my sword could stop this, Allen thought, as he tried to search around for answers. Wait, my sword!
Recently, Allen learned that his sword draws in outside magic, and then can release said magic. Allen releases the magic stored within his sword by concentrating his thoughts into actions.
What if, my sword worked similarly to how I use mana?, Allen thought. When I release the mana, I'm doing something similar to how I use my own mana. When it takes in mana, I simply cut through it and the sword does it automatically. An outward attack, taking it inward. The opposite of the magic already being there, and forcing it outward.
Allen began to rethink things. His mana remains inward, and to exert it, he helps it flow throughout his own body, until it allows him to move quicker. What if, that was simply a process of inward to outward. So, what if he did the opposite?
Hmm, so instead of trying to look within my body and then exerting it as I want it to, I just- that's it! It's that simple!
Finally beginning to figure it out and wondering how he didn't think of it sooner, Allen began to close his eyes once again, to begin to concentrate.
Starting with detecting his own mana, he felt it flow around his body, constantly being disrupted by his own fire mana he always finds difficult to quell.
Okay, let's try moving it outward, just like how I normally do things. Let's just do things a little differently!
Moving his air mana around his body, he began to exert it "outward", as if he was going to use it to move quicker like he normally does. But instead of opening his eyes and using it, he instead continued to concentrate.
Wait, what's this?, Allen thought, feeling a different sensation. Is this?
Almost as if he felt a force outside of him, he could feel his own mana exerting outward towards that force. The two began to slightly clash, constantly pushing Allen back.
This must be Simon's magic!, Allen thought. But instead of seeing it visually, I am feeling it. Okay now let's try-
Now only trying to concentrate on the "outside force" that he began to feel, the force began to grow stronger, until he could feel it outside of him everywhere. A constant whirlwind, spinning clockwise. And its strongest point was in the middle of it, where Simon most likely was. That's where he could strike.
"I did it!," Allen cheered, opening his eyes. "I-"
But after finally opening his eyes, he could not believe what he was seeing. Small, grey particles everywhere, constantly flowing around clockwise in place of where Simon's magic should be. All of the color around him began to drain, as he could only see the color of said particles. It was almost beautiful, if not for the fact that what he was seeing was the monstrosity that was Simon's magic.
"No way…," Allen said out loud, constantly looking around him. "Is this… is this what William always sees? Is this how he always knows where we are?!"
Finally beginning to understand the depths behind William's knowledge, everything began to start making more sense. Mana and magic… it was almost the same thing, just how it was expressed. This whole time, Allen kept thinking of them as almost separate things, mana converting to magic. But in reality, they truly were the same things, just expressed differently. It was a constant "game" of inward and outward, mentally and physically. What he was seeing was truly a sight to behold.
"But enough about that," Allen shook his head. "Now I need to take out Simon"
Allen could now easily detect where Simon was, by where the magic was most condensed. No doubt in the center of the whirlwind. But, just how could he even react to him, now that he knew exactly where he was?
I still have my sword, but I cannot get close just by constantly slashing around me, Allen thought, his eyes focused on his sword. Wait-
The sword could still cut through the magic, getting through. A very small space would be created before getting overlapped by the magic again, which wouldn't allow Allen through, only the sword.
Instead of just trying to push through, I'll instead force my sword through!, Allen thought, as he took in a deep breath.
Concentrating on the very little mana Allen still had remaining, he moved it towards his left arm, which was the only arm he could still use. Raising his left arm in the air, Allen kept his eyes remained exactly where Simon was. He moved his arm back for a moment, getting ready to throw it as hard as he could.
Now!, Allen thought, as he began to launch his sword forward.
Using the mana to move his arm as quickly as he could, he threw the sword as hard as he could, with the strength he could muster. The sword began to fly through the air, towards the most condensed spot where Simon was.
In just mere moments, the sword reaches Simon, right where his right hand was, still raised in the air, still constantly casting the spell. The sword happened to go through his fingers, but grazing the two it went between in the process.
With a loud howl of pain emanating from Simon, the giant whirlwind began to quickly dissipate, allowing everyone including Allen to see Simon in the middle of the arena, gingerly holding his fingers with his left hand. He held it close to his body, constantly letting out grunts of frustration.
Allen's sword had flown all the way forward, hitting the wall on the other side of the arena, and fell to the floor, just managing to fall right outside of the duel boundary zone.
With Allen's ability to see the magic particles everywhere (which he decided to dub "magical eye" for now) dissipating, color began to refill his vision as he took in the scene around him.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to immediately turn their attention back down to the arena below, where they could once again see Simon and Allen. No one uttered a single word, no doubt beyond bewildered. The twin announcers looked like they wanted to say something, to announce something, but they just couldn't. Allen had managed to pull off something they all thought was impossible.
Simon finally seemed to regain his senses. He started to put two and two together as he noticed Allen's sword missing and blood oozing out of the side of his fingers. Simon began to grit his teeth, as he glared at Allen.
Allen's attention swapped over to where his sword lay, still on the floor just outside of the duel boundary zone. Simon followed Allen's gaze, and saw exactly what Allen saw. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, as they both realized what Allen might try to do.
"Oh no you don't," Simon roared, as he began to lift his left hand, no doubt getting ready to cast a spell.
Left with limited options, and limited time, Allen began to run towards Simon, in an attempt to get the sword that lay some distance behind him.
As Simon begins to form his elemental circle and no doubt cast a last ditch effort spell, Allen realized if he got hit by this spell, it would be completely over for him.
Shoot, I won't have enough time!, Allen thought, as Simon's spell was moments away from casting. I'll have to attack him instead!
Stopping just short of where Simon was, Allen began to turn his body towards him, and began to launch a punch at him with his left hand.
Realizing what Allen was about to do, Simon began to change tactics. While still holding up his left hand, he used his right arm to brace for impact, ignoring the pain still coming from his right hand.
But instead of following through with his punch, Allen instead throws up his left leg, aimed straight for Simon's unguarded stomach. Before Simon could react, the kick landed, sending him falling backwards.
And now, to finally stop him for good!, Allen thought, as he took in another deep breath.
As if acting purely on instinct, Allen reached out his left hand towards his sword that remained laying on the ground. As if reacting to Allen's instinctual intent, the sword began to shake, before finally flying quickly forward, until the handle landed into Allen's left hand.
Finally looking up at him, Simon realized that Allen somehow managed to get his sword back. His face turned into a furious expression, as he realized the predicament that Allen was quickly forcing him into.
"Allen Fleming!," Simon yelled, through gritted teeth, no doubt still feeling the pain on his fingers. "I am the strongest! You shouldn't be able to stop me! How can you-"
As Simon spoke, he was trying to quickly lift up his left hand, no doubt trying to prepare another last ditch effort spell as he spoke. But this time, Allen will give him no chance to admit defeat. He learned his lesson the hard way.
"You may be the strongest, but this not so weakest mage just beat you," Allen cut him off, as his sword was aimed straight for him.
Hitting him with the flat of his blade, Simon was immediately knocked unconscious, and his body hit the arena's floor.
As Allen took in several quick breaths to regain his composure, the arena remained completely silent, now taking in the scene before them.
Simon remained unconscious, with Allen standing over him. Allen remained filled with fatigue and cuts all over, but the result was obvious.
"Uh- A- Allen Fleming has knocked Simon Windblade unconscious!," the duel referee announced, after confirming Simon's condition. "Allen Fleming wins!"
After a moment of short silence, Misa and Lisa finally stepped in, after coming back to their senses. "Allen Fleming may not be the strongest mage, but he is now certainly not the weakest! Showing all of us his true strength, the Proven Mage has defeated Simon Windblade!"
The crowd finally cheered, celebrating Allen's unexpected and grand victory. Almost everyone was up from their seats, hands all in the air, filled with excitement. Allen had managed to pull off what they thought was impossible - not defeating Simon once, but twice, against all odds!
Well, the first time wasn't technically a defeat, as I hadn't followed through, Allen reminded himself. But at the end of the day, I managed to push through and get to him twice.!
Finally mentally accepting his grand victory, and using the remaining strength he had left, Allen lifted his sword into the air, further assessing his victory. The crowd continued to cheer, as Allen formed the biggest grin on his face.
Finally turning his attention to the director's seats, he got a good look at Ellen and Mr. Garet. Ellen looked like she was freaking out, before she finally got up and practically ran out of the arena. Mr. Garet only looked at her for a second, before giving a respectful nod to Allen. And, was he smiling?
Allen turned his attention towards whom he wanted to see their reaction of the most. Standing up from his seat, Solomon Windblade had both a rather curious and interested gaze towards Allen.
Is he not upset that I defeated his own son?, Allen thought, as his attention remained on him. Just what could he be thinking?
Deciding to push those thoughts away for now, Allen decided to relish in his victory for today. But what would come after, he had no idea.
Before he could finally try to figure out what comes next, the fatigue and pain finally hit Allen at full force, as he began to lose consciousness.
Not again…, Allen managed to think, as he thought he saw his friends approaching for a moment. Oh well, guess I need the rest.
Finally slipping out of consciousness, Allen's body hit the floor. While today was certainly the most difficult one he's had yet, nothing can prepare him for what will follow.
Volume 11 End