" The winner of the confrontation is Yuichi Hanagawa."
…
" Thanks for the fight. You fought well."
As I turned my back away from my opponent, I then made a big mistake.
" You tricked me. I won't let you get away with this."
As I was walking away, Lucien had me cornered with his magic once again but this time around, he got the real me and not an illusion.
" I was supposed to win this round, but you deceived me with your trickery. You won't get away with this."
…
" Headmaster, we have to do something."
" What's his deal? I'm going to put a stop to this.
" Wait!"
The headmaster stopped when one of the instructors wanted to interfere in the confrontation. Why did he stop him?"
" Why are you stopping me, headmaster? We have to stop this fight immediately."
The headmaster was adamant about not stopping the fight. He then said:" Let's wait and see!"
" But, headmaster!"
" If he cannot get out of this situation, then, he doesn't have his place among us."
…
" Aren't you forgetting something, headmaster?"
Another instructor spoke out and said:" He has no aptitude for magic whatsoever. Letting this fight continue would be deadly.
The headmaster said in response while gazing at the fight:" He wouldn't have made it this far if he didn't have something special in him. Let's believe in him! This fight hasn't been won yet. We can predict who the winner of this confrontation will be just yet."
…
…
The two instructors were doubtful Yuichi had a chance in the fight that was currently taking place.
Arata Sugawara then joined in with the headmaster and said in agreement to his words:" He's not an ordinary kid. In the preliminary round, when there was only a minute remaining, he surprised all of us by making it back and qualifying."
Arata Sugawara recalled how that took place. He continued by saying:" He might not have any magical aptitude, but that doesn't make him any less than the candidates here today."
…
…
Getting back to the confrontation, Yuichi was in a bind. He started thinking about how to get himself out of the bind he was currently in.
(I've gotten this far, thanks to my hard work and determination. I can't give up now. That's out of the question! I need to find a way to liberate myself.)
" You're at my mercy! There's nothing you can do."
" I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. This fight isn't over yet. Just because you've got the advantage, that doesn't mean I'm beaten."
…
" You'll have to do better than that if you want to defeat me."
Lucien got irritated by my remarks and threw an attack on me which made me bleed.
(So, this is what getting attacked feels like. It hurts like hell.)
He kept hurting me with his numerous attacks while I was still tied up by his magic. The more attacks I received, the more pain I felt.
" That's cowardly!"
" He can't even defend himself."
" Let him go! This isn't a fair fight."
The candidates howled at Lucien for his cowardly act. He didn't feel the slightest bit guilty, however.
" Everyone here can see it, too, that you're a sore loser."
" Shut up! Shut up!"
His attacks right after that became more aggressive. If I didn't do something, I would certainly lose my life if he were to use one of his specialty attacks.
" You can do this! Don't give up!"
(That's right! The moment I give up, it's all over.)
Getting encouragement from the candidates as well as the audience gave me an idea that might just work.
(I've only used my tricks to create illusions so far, but if I were to use it some other way, maybe, just maybe---------------)
I closed my eyes and everyone was wondering what I was doing. Lucien, however, thought I had lost consciousness.
" He thought of something."
" I think so, too."
" Whatever he had planned would most certainly be extraordinary."
…
…
Back to the fight, Lucien let out a triumphant grin that could be heard from miles away.
Yuichi on the other hand still had his eyes closed. His concentration was impenetrable. The more his concentration grew, the more serene he got.
His cards started gathering around him, forming some kind of circle. Lucien started panicking when he saw the cards.
" How did those cards appear again? Didn't he lose consciousness?"
…
…
In the far back, some candidates were talking about the current battle at hand. One of them had a slight idea of what Yuichi was doing.
" Mind control. That's what this is."
" Mind control?"
" As he can only create illusions, he's trying to visualize something that looks a bit real. He's using his mind in that regard."
…
" It's risky, however! While he's in that dazing state, he can't avoid attacks, as he has to keep his concentration at all times."
…
" Flinching even for a moment would dissolve everything. That's why I said it's a risky move."
…
" His opponent would certainly take advantage of the situation and finish him off. That's not fair!"
" What do you want to do about it?"
" If he can't overcome this, he might as well give up now."
" Let's not forget that he's severely injured! He might not last for long. One more attack and he'll be out this time."
" Let's hope he lands his attack before that."
Back to Lucien and Yuichi's fight---------------
(Thirty more seconds. I need to last thirty more seconds.)
" Whatever you're planning, I won't let it succeed."
…
" I'll put a stop to your misery with this attack. Be grateful, it's one of my specialties."
…
…
…
" If this attack blows, it's all over."
" Is there nothing we can do?"
" We can't interfere or else we'll be disqualified. We need to have faith he'll make it out in one piece."
…
…
…
Lucien concentrated his energy on what seemed to be a tiny ball. He was getting ready to throw it at Yuichi.
(Ten more seconds!)
" Take this!"
Lucien threw the energy ball at Yuichi. The attention was on Yuichi who had yet to open his eyes.
The energy ball went at full speed. All were worried it was going to make its mark, however, at the last minute, the trajectory of the attack deviated and hit Yuichi's foot strongly.
(5 more seconds!)
" How did my attack deviate?"
The audience as well as the candidates held their breath at what had just happened right before their eyes.
" It wasn't far. Fortunately, the attack's trajectory deviated at the last moment."
" It didn't deviate or rather, someone made it deviate on purpose."
" Someone made it deviate?"
" You don't mean that---------------"
" That's exactly it! He deviated from the attack's trajectory and aimed it at his foot instead. That's clever, however with the blow he just received, it's getting hard to keep his concentration."
…
" One more of these attacks and he'll lose hold of his concentration."
…
…
" Don't play with me!"
Lucien concentrated his energy once more to fire another ball. While he was doing so, the cards around Yuichi started turning at full speed.
The audience was mesmerized, but Lucien thought nothing of it and kept at what he was doing.
(5! 4! 3! 2! 1!)
" Take this!"
Lucien fired another energy ball at Yuichi. All were looking at the energy ball with worry.
(0!)
" Now!"
Yuichi's cards, which were turning earlier at full speed, formed a boomerang that collided with Lucien's energy ball attack.
The tremendous effect of the two attacks shook the ground with intensity.
" That's a powerful attack! Are we sure he cannot manipulate magic?"
" He might just be lying as he said."
" It's not magic. It's just an illusion. The slight difference is that that illusion has been combined with mind control, giving it the impression of being real, but it's not."
When the attack stopped, Lucien had lost once again. He had a few bruises on his arms and legs as he used a barrier at the very last second to protect himself.
The hold he had on Yuichi disintegrated with his loss. Yuichi fell unconscious on the ground while shedding blood all over.
The medical physician came to him. Realizing the seriousness of his injuries, he asked one of his aides that he carried to the ward for treatment.
The remaining fights were postponed for an hour so that the field could be rearranged.
" This kid is exceptional. I'd like to have him in my class."
" I want to have him in my class too. I'm not handing him over."
" I saw him first as I'm the one who conducted the preliminary round and saw his potential as a result. He should be in mine and there won't be any further discussion."
" Enough, all of you! This round is far from being over, so control yourselves."
" Sorry, headmaster!"
" We apologize!"
An hour passed just like that, and the round resumed.
The remaining fights went on peacefully and moderately. After two hours of going back and forth, the round had finally come to a close.
The MC then spoke up:" The results of this round and the assignment of your classes will be announced tomorrow. You're all dismissed for the day."
The candidates started dispersing the room. The headmaster, however, was heading somewhere.
" Headmaster, if you're going to see that kid, we'd like to come along."
" Come along, then!"
The four instructors followed the headmaster to the ward where Yuichi was being treated.
When they entered the ward, Yuichi was very much still unconscious and the doctor and the aides were doing everything they could.
" How is he?"
" His condition is critical. He's not responding to the treatment we're providing so far."
" What does that mean?"
" We don't know yet. The attacks were of deadly importance. It's a miracle he lasted throughout the fight."
…
" We did everything we could to resuscitate him. The rest depends solely on him."
…
" Please, excuse me!"
…
…
…
" What do you think, headmaster? Will he make it?"
…
" Let's wait and see!"
The headmaster got out of the ward, followed closely by the three instructors. Arata Sugawara was the only one left in the room.
(Fight, kid! You can't die now, not after everything you've gone through to get this far.)