"Ready..." The announcer raised his arm in a form of a vertical line.
The signal that was about to break put all of the first participants at the edge. They frowned their expression while facing forward. They were looking straightly through the large pool, their objective didn't leak out. Using the power of their legs, they balanced their position in a form of a stance, reaching the first surface of the pool.
"Go!"
A large sound of a firework blew off the whole place engaging everyone in a thrilling composition. The race has started and the time has taken off in an instant. With the three referees giving them the colored flags that were assigned for the first bout, Eita and the rest of the first contestants grabbed them quickly and dived into the pool.
All of the seats were filled with shouting complications. Judging from the audience's intensity, they are more likely to be cheering to the Section A's group, however, despite the large impact, the first member of Section A's group wavered while Section B took first place. Eita placed second with his body being able to move fast in the first few minutes.
"Is he using his magic already?" Huck knew that the game has started. He watched the play from a large distance but he was able to dissect what is happening even though he is quite far away.
The continued splashing of the water eventually died, halting the progress of the speed. Eita tried to swim minimally to control his stamina and position. The thing is, the most average speed he can manage didn't reach the connection of Section A and Section B. Almost feels like he was trying his best to only use his physical stamina instead of using body enhancement magic. With this in mind, Section C's percentage of winning the first bout turned into a shaft of hope.
I am going to keep up with this for a while, I don't know if the other participants are using magic already but I need to keep my magic unused until I reach the last standpoint. Eita breathed slowly. He was managing his way on the deepwater filled with some obstacles that can be passed through by sliding. Despite not using any form of magic, his movements as well as the consecutive wave of his legs to move forward are giving him enough speed to keep up with his tied position for Section B.
"Eita! Eita! Eita!"
"Hey! Eita! Do not lose!"
The cheering from the side of Section C has begun. Eita was able to hear the cheer and it gave him a little boost of confidence. With this in mind, he remembered the strategy that they have planned during the meeting with William. By placing the stick of the flag to his mouth, he gradually increased the pacing of his swimming by using both of his arms and legs to generate enough vectors to receive water resistance against the pressure.
The bubbling source of the water was cut off through the middle location and the pressure was minimalized. However, as he reached the mid-point of the game, he was already tired out. Section A managed to catch up with the pacing of both Sections and they are now hovering over the first one to see who is going to pass the flag.
Damn it, time is over, huh? Guess I'll use it!
Without wasting any time, Eita tried to slow down his pace to relocate his mana into his body to give him a body enhancement skill. This form of magic raises an individual's energy to keep on going while also raising their adrenaline to compose or generate a form of heat that can be used as fuel to keep moving fast. By closing his eyes, he tried an advanced magic skill of body enhancement. He cast it without any chant and only used his mind.
An orange glow emitted from his body, the movement of his muscles retracted and he became more agile and faster over the first minute.
Seeing the pleasant and surprising change on his body, the whole crowd ultimately backed off the rail as soon as they saw Eita racing through the first bout.
"What the?"
"Woah did you see that?"
"Section C's group started rushing!"
With a couple of panicking from the other group and sections, Section C's cheering dominated the entire venue. The rest of the crowds were focused on Eita's gradual speed increase and it looks like hope was on their side.
"Damn it! He got us!" David on the shade clicked his tongue while frowning his lips.
"What?" William looked at him.
"I should have composed a better strategy for them!" He continued. They don't know that William is the one who taught them, David and Wency calmed each other down.
"That was a perfect execution of skill and a smart strategy..." On the balcony on top of the whole venue wherein the masters are staying, a particular person stood on the side.
"Hmm?" Master Himawari took a glance at who it is.
"Oh, you're here as well, Jones?"
"Yes, Master. It is been a while since I've come here to celebrate the sports event." He replied as he took a seat down near the table with the other masters.
"You seemed to have disappeared for like five months, where the hell did you go?" Miss Julia asked.
"Oh well, you know how my job works, right? I cannot leave my position as the vice president of the Magikill Federation. Not when William is not in command right now." He smiled as he answered.
"Yeah, that lazy guy is here coaching our students," Julia responded with a pout.
"What? Sir William is here?!"
"Yeah, well, you can just talk to him after the match. I know that your job is pretty much difficult as of today because of the prominence of modern magic. But then, you could use more hands if you have managed to gather more workers."
"I appreciate the concern but Sir William will laugh at me if I did that so..."
"Anyway, what were you saying earlier? About the strategy of Class C" Julia was concerned over the fact that Eita took first place in the first round.
"Ah, that? Well, they are pretty smart for someone who uses their body composition more than magic. You could see that the boy used his magic at the last minute rather than on the first stage. The reason why he did that is that he was conserving his mana until he reached the backdoor of the first bout. It was a well-executed strategy in advance. He could've used it in the first place but then he only managed to reach a tied position using his physical movements. Don't you find that amazing?" He explained the properties of Section C's strategy.
"I take it that Sir William is the one who planned this one as well, right?" He continued.
"I don't know, I wasn't able to reach their session because I am busy. But I think you're correct about that since he was the one coaching them."
"I see. That is really cool, as expected of Sir William." Jones retracted back on his seat and leaned on the side in order to see the rest of the match.
With Eita being able to surpass the line streak of the other Section, the cheering became louder.
Nice! I passed through them! I can see Aldi over there!
Eita raised his body from the water to get a set of air. He grabbed Aldi's arms and placed the flag on his.
"Good job you playboy..." Aldi smiled and so did Eita.
"I am counting on you..."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
With that, Section C was able to start the relay race with an advancement of ten seconds. An interval that will change the flow of the game.
"And that is the end of the first round! With Section C being able to pass their flag onto the next contestant, followed by Section A! It looks like they were on the line of fire as well! And now! Reached by Section B! It was fortunate!" The announcer had taken on the mic to explain the game of the first match.
Aldi began diving in on the second line and started rushing over to the middle of the pool. He is far more agile than Eita itself and he has a strong body composition. A balancing part of his body is making him unfazed from the pressure of the pool. He did the exact same technique that Eita used by holding the flag using his mouth and then using his arms to generate a lot of waves.
"Woy! What's with Section C's speed?! They don't use magic but I can feel the intense amount of speed on their part!" Someone from the other section complained about the strategy.
"Yeah, this is quite troubling, the way they used their body in order to proceed and then using their magic on the last is pretty much the game-changer of this time. But then again, I am wondering how they were able to train their body in such a short time." A few discussions on the opposite side began flaring up, surprised by the sudden play of the last Section.
They already know our strategy, it wouldn't take some time before they can procure a counter for it. I need to bring this flag as quickly as possible before they shatter our chance! Aldi burst through the water and started diving to minimize the pressure of the waves. The bubbling force wouldn't be able to halt or slow down his movements if he is diving down.
"Heh, he's quite pretty good with their swimming..." Aran smiled.
"I agree." Eutara nonchalantly concur.
As they notice the big change in the flow, Section A and B got into an impasse while Aldi kept ongoing. He was not feeling any changes or pressure on his body.
Good, I have managed to play well, now I just need to use my skill in the end!
However, upon reaching the middle part of the location once again, Section B and Section A raised through the ranks and overtook Aldi's position
"Woah Woah Woah! What is happening right over here!? Section A and Section B just started bursting in the water! Would they be able to surpass Section C this time?!" The announcer stopped the roaring of the cheer for Section C as they realized that the two formidable opponents have begun switching their gears in an instant.
What the hell is happening? I was supposed to be on first! Aldi was now feeling the pressure on his muscles and bones. He had no choice but to cast the body enhancement skill upon unleashing the waves. He started going on pace once again and he was tied with the first two sections.
"And now Section C finally entered the state once again! With all three of the participants gauging upon each other! Who would be the first one to pass the second flag?"
"This is bad..." Jones muttered to himself. Julia noticed his comment and hung her head on the side.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Section A and Section B look like they finally knew the trick on stopping the last-minute strategy." He answered.
"What? How did they do that? That was supposed to be a secret strategy!"
"No, it is not anymore if you consider the pattern that Section C has been planting from the very start. At the very least, they start off by using their physical body energy and then using magic at the end of the line. The only possible solution to break this loop is by optimally increasing your pace using more magic. In other words, Section A and B are using their advantages as a magic-user to apply pressure on those who only have a small portion of magic on itself."
"So, knowing the weakness of Section C which is their lack of mana and magic composition, they used that in order to gain more speed..."
"Yeah, it is trouble for Sir William because his ultimate strategy was founded before they could even reach the third round of the match." Jones bit his fingernail on his thumb.
Damn it! We have no choice! We won't be able to hold back now!
After a brief moment, Section A and B reached the third line and they started. Aldi came in last and passed the flag to Rishin who's been on edge lately.
"Don't mind me! Just go! Use your skills already!" Aldi shouted and Rishin nodded.
He dived in the water and started using his body enhancement skill. With their solution for their problem being shattered by the usage of mana, Section C was in a deep predicament during the time of the bout. Hogging the victory on the early game is pretty much difficult at this point because they are already found out.
The only reason why their physical composition is trained more than their magic is that they are more confident with their natural talent. If the other section knew about the conservation of Mana, they would more likely to use their strength at the early stage rather than step back to match the pacing of our gameplay. They are pretty clever to think of this counter, this is now the battle between each of their supposed strength. The battle of might, Body vs Magic. Who's going to conquer?
Rishin reached the middle of the pool and they are now halfway through the end. However, using magic is more exhausted than usual. He lost his speed and concentration and he was now left in the middle with his body movement getting sluggish.
Damn it, is it the end of our game?... How pathetic... It looks like we had no match for Section A and B after all... I wish we have that kind of magic... He fell into the bliss of despair. Without any more choice, he was operating on autopilot even though he was already tired with the use of his mana.
"Come on, Rishin! You can do it!" Riggord shouted as he was dead near to him. Reaching his state, he grabbed onto the railing and took the flag from Rishin.
"Sorry, Riggord..." He hung his head.
"Don't worry about it! I will be catching up now!" Riggord dropped the conversation and started diving into the water. Section C lost a few meters from the first two sections.
I hated the fact that we have no chance of winning because we are dead meat when it comes to magic. It is like getting discriminated against because you don't have enough magical power in the first place. Our only weapon in this fight is our determination and resilience when it comes to physical attributes. I hate to admit it but we were kinda jealous about the presentation of those who can use their magic at any time. My only choice on this match is to match my pacing with them. Riggord didn't do the strategy as well and started his stroke without thinking of a way to get past the two Sections.
"Just a bit more!" Huck shouted as he saw Riggord struggling in the middle.
Damn it! We've had enough of their passive expression of magic! The fact they were able to use it without losing focus is pretty amazing already! He gritted his teeth.
I have no choice then... Let's try this... As the game-changer of their round, the Section's training is not limited to one source of strategy only. Riggord slowed down his pacing and started propelling himself in a random motion that everyone had noticed.
Hmm, what is he doing? William got closer.
A new technique of swimming that he eventually used to his advantage in order to gain some speed. By casting himself with a spell that is used to condition his energy and his muscles. He conjured another spell that protects his bones and strengthens his core body. It was a double-edged blade that Riggord has studied in order to procure the first place.
With his confident smiling, he performed advanced magic and physical swimming technique. A rather speedy technique that William didn't teach.
"Hey, don't tell me he is planning to–" David noticed the difference in his previous stroke.
"A BUTTERFLY STROKE!?" Jones shouted from the distance.
"What is he doing?"
A butterfly stroke? No way, did he really learned that in a short amount of time? Even William was surprised about the fact that he has managed to learn an advanced move and used it to his advantage to gain more speed. Instead of a normal stroke that the other participants are trying to do, he was able to fully execute a massive flutter of physical distribution that can easily change how the average speed maintains.
To perform the butterfly stroke, start horizontal with a stomach facing the bottom of the pool. Bring the arms simultaneously over the head and push them into the water to propel someone forward and bring them up out of the water again to repeat. As it moves the arms into the water, it will push the head and shoulders above the surface of the water.
The legs will perform a dolphin kick, which requires the legs to stay together and straight as it kicks them similar to how a dolphin's lower body and tail move. Move the body in a fluid wave-like motion.
"A deafening chance! A butterfly stroke coming from Section C?!?"
"Heh... Nice going, Riggord." Huck mumbled.
The roaring of the audience came into silence and then fell into another loud banquet of cheering. It was perfect timing. By using his two magical skills, and his ability to use and advance the form of a swimming stroke, Riggord exceptionally reached Huck's position with a 30 seconds interval from the other Section, bringing them the victory of the fourth flag.
However, he was struck with his fatigue as soon as he passed the flag.
"You did well, man... That was pretty awesome!" Huck landed a thumbs-up upon his face and Riggord smiled.
"Yeah... It is your time to shine now, Prince of the Iron Fist..." Riggord said as he rests his body on the railing near the ground.
With Huck having the flag in his hand, he put it on his mouth and began diving even further. He almost reached the middle of the last edge of the pool while the others are beginning to switch places yet again.
"Section C took the lead again! What an amazing improvement from their last position. Will Section A and B pass through?"
"Hey, Jones. You shouted earlier about the thing that he used, what was it?" Julia is so inquisitive when it comes to these competitions.
"Huh? Oh yeah... He definitely took the advantage of his knowledge. That fourth guy is pretty clever and well trained."
"Hmm?"
"He used another method of swimming called the Butterfly stroke, you noticed that in their first round of the game they are trying to win by racing with the same movements right?" He asked.
"Well, I did see that they were on a loop of some kind, but what is the difference?"
"The freestyle stroke that everyone did on the first round is probably the fastest to exist in the entire cluster of techniques, however, some people are not cut out to perform better with this one. When doing the freestyle stroke, you are crawling your body out in the open water on a horizontal line while keeping your arms swaying in a windmill form. This will make your body move forward in a straight direction while you flutter your legs up and down. This technique is common in most races but it is hard to keep up if you lack the training to do so."
"I see, so that's why they are kinda tired after doing that. Then how about the butterfly stroke that you said?"
"Well, if the freestyle strokes enable you to move forward by keeping your arms and legs intact throughout the whole pool, the butterfly strokes make a path that is pretty much easier to execute without hasting. In other words, instead of using your arms and legs, you rely on the motion of your body and you don't stress your muscles by stretching them again and again. The butterfly strokes exhibit a zigzag motion that is preferably more difficult to maintain but easy to move. At this point, the boy moves in a dolphin-like action, he has a more relaxed technique."
"Wait, then how come that he is much faster if he doesn't move that much, wouldn't those who use the freestyle presses more?"
"Well, I am pretty sure that he embedded some magic into it to keep the motion. And he is quite trained as well so I am confident that he was able to execute it perfectly without losing that much speed. Section C may be more vulnerable when it comes to magic, but strategizing their versatility, composing different techniques, and executing them in terms of any methods is their forte. They are the conquerors of this match." He explained.
It was an ongoing feat between hope and despair, Section C is leading the first bout more than the other two sections. It is terrifying to think that those who don't have that much magic were catching the first to align themselves on the finish line.
"You can do it, Huck!" The cheering on their section dominated the entire arena. A much more precarious event was holding Section A and B's throne. A completed match without any cheating. The fact that they were able to survive that one is pretty amazing. Though in an honest remark of the masters, all they think is that Section C is some kind of monster.
As soon as he approached the alignment of the pool, Huck used his skills and doubled them in order to gain more speed. He accelerated the whole sector and found himself on the finish line on the first bout. Since Lia was the first on the cycling bout, she immediately took the flag from Huck.
"And the first bout has finished, with Section C on the winning line! The most difficult to declare and the most unfavorable had won the first match! The unpredictable outcome had turned into the most awesome moments of the whole competition!"
The cheering grew more loudly, it was inevitable. The banner that they made on the opposite side had turned sour because of the fact that the other sections have lost. The votes were streaking in for Section C's achievable outcome. They were implying that they are far more unpredictable and great.
"He did it!"
"Yes!"
"WHOOO!"
The second match will now begin momentarily. Lia hopped onto her cycling bike and started preparing.
It was amazing that they could pull out something special at the end of that feat. I didn't know that they were hiding something on their sleeves. As expected from the boys. Can we do that as well though? I am pretty calm but deep inside me is the pressure that I am feeling from nervousness. I don't want to be a burden on my team. I have no choice but to win!
As she increased her mana capacity in an instant, the gradual release of the green magical circle beneath her put the audience in a blank state.
"Wait, what the hell?"
"Is that?"
David and Wency's reaction was full of abstract confusion.
"Is she using an advance magic source?"
"Hehe" William did a smug.
The green magic circle glowed in the whole place, preparing to extract her mana. She began to imbue her magic onto her bike and it showed a lot of improvements.
"Don't tell me, Section C is able to cast Advance magic?!"
"When the hell did they learn that?"
Julia leaned back to her seat with the same smugness as what William is expressing. Noticing her giggle, Jones looked at her.
"What? Why are smiling like a criminal?"
"Nothing~"
"Advance modern magic type 2: Inceptetus!"