"And this concludes the mock battles between Class A and B," says Azrael.
"Well, that was quite the magic trick, was it not, Vice-headmaster Elizabeth?"
"Enough," she says, glaring at Azrael. "His probability magic made it possible for him to win that."
"Oh? But what's wrong with that?"
"It's a cheap trick."
"Is that so?"
"Are you teaching your students to be street magicians who resort to such trickery?"
Is she trying to bait me with this pathetic attempt at insulting my class? Azrael sighs, then looks into her eyes, "We could speak about how you just insulted my students, or we can speak about seat rank twenty-six and this Academy's sin."
"What are you ranting on about?"
Azrael looks at Kailani and says, "She never participated in the entrance exam, did she?"
"And what of it? It is not uncommon for a talented individual to be exempted from the entrance exam."
"Yes, it is not uncommon. And she does have more talent than anyone else in the first-year group. Too much talent, I would say. That makes me wonder, where does her strength come from?"
"I should also question your recent actions."
"About what?"
Elizabeth smiles and continues, "Since this is a Class A vs Class B, let's show off in front of our students."
Azrael stares at her, cautious. "Why would you, Vice-headmaster Elizabeth, want to duel me? I would not survive an onslaught from one of the Ten Wands of Gaia."
She smiles. "Ten Wands," she snickers, "I haven't heard that in a while." She walks forward and says, "However, I think you are mistaken, Professor Azrael. When I brought up the duel, it was an order, not a request."
My eyes are unique. They allow me to see the colour of a soul. The colour of your soul tells me all about your personality, no matter how expertly you act. I have seen many colours that can determine a human's purity. However, the woman walking before me has a soul as black as night.
Azrael walks after her. "What's this?" asks Aerial, intrigued.
They stand a distance from each other. The tension thickens as Class A and B students anxiously await this legendary duel. A sudden crack in one of the glass shards signals the start of the match. Both Azrael and Elizabeth fire a flurry of minor projectile spells. The clashes of their attacks are like fireworks. They stop after a smokescreen, large enough to envelop the entire arena, forms. Despite losing visible sight of Elizabeth, Azrael remains calm. She appears like a cannonball from the smoke.
"What magic does Vice-headmaster Elizabeth use?" asks Tyson.
"Wind magic," replies Arthur.
"Wind Magic? Like Aerial?"
"No, it's different," interrupts Scarlett. "The Vice-headmasters magic is many times more powerful than Aerials. The flurry of spells she fired initially is equivalent to the tornado spell Aerial used."
Tyson is overcome with fear; however, his face wears a nervous smile. "So, this is a fight between top-class magicians?" he mutters.
Yes, this is the domain of the very best; however, Tyson, if you are fired up after the starter, what will you feel when you see the main course, thinks Arthur.
Azrael jumps back and says, "Nether Arts – Skeleton Wall." skeletons rise from the ground creating a wall between him and Elizabeth.
"Notus of the South, lend me your power. South wind, as powerful as a raging sea, tear down all obstacles in my way. Wind Magic – Storm Torrent," chants Elizabeth. The wind rages like a tornado and blows the skeletons to smithereens. Elizabeth continues her advance forward.
I cannot let this turn into a battle of attrition. I need to end this quickly. However, her relentless attacks never stop. I will need to wait for the perfect chance to—
As Azrael dodges Elizabeth's attacks, deep in thought, he steps onto a crack in the ground and falls. Elizabeth takes advantage of this and starts her chant. "Notus of the South, lend me your power. Create, in this fool's hand, a bow of wind. Wind Magic: Creation – Notus' Bow." The wind swirls in her hands and forms a bow. She pulls the string and says, "Boreas of the North, lend me your power. Under the moonlit night, the cold wind whisks. The owl stares down at the world with its icy gaze. O, Devouring One, become a stream of frigid wind and pierce through my target like the cold gaze of an owl. House his corpse in a shelter of eternal ice. Wind Magic – Frost Wind of the Devouring One." An arrow forms in the drawn bow. She fires it at Azrael; however, he dodges it. The arrow freezes the ground where it lodges.
"Ice?" questions Yukio. "I thought she uses Wind Magic." He looks at Arthur, "You seem to know what her 'true' magic is. Don't hide it."
"She uses Wind Magic," insists Arthur.
"Then how can she fire frozen arrows?"
"Her magic is like mine," confirms Scarlett.
"What do you mean?"
"The Four Cardinal Elements: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth, are ruled by the spirits. Therefore, we must contract with the spirits before we can use magic."
"Is that not identical to Spirit Magic?" asks Yukio.
"Our magic is often compared to spirit magic; however, there is one key difference."
"What is that difference?"
"Magicians who use one of the four cardinal elements can only contract with the leaders of the Spirits. Or, The Four Spirit Kings, as they're often called."
"But that does not explain Professor Elizabeth's use of Ice Magic."
"I don't know much about the Wind Spirit King," confesses Scarlett.
"There are four kings," declares Arthur.
"Yes, Scarlett said that already," says Yukio, annoyed.
"You misunderstand. I'm referring to the Wind Spirit King. There are four of them."
"Four!?"
"The North Wind, Boreas; The West Wind Zephyr; The South Wind, Notus and The East Wind, Eurus. Together they are known as the Wind Spirit King. And to answer your initial question, Yukio, Professor Elizabeth invoked the power of the North Wind, Boreas, known for his icy winds – capable of freezing magma."
"So, Professor Azrael is facing five opponents."
"That is the sad truth, yes."
Elizabeth aims at the sky and fires a flurry of one thousand arrows. They fall randomly throughout the arena; however, Azrael survives the first onslaught. "Excellent, Professor Azrael. You are the first person to survive that attack. However," she aims to the sky again and fires off more in the second onslaught. "Can you survive my next wave?" sneers Elizabeth.
Boreas, The Frost Wind of the North. Zephyr, The Spring Breeze of the West. Notus, The Storm of the South. Eurus, The Autumn Wind of the East. They were all given life by my sister Gaia. Fighting their conduit… is sad.
"Devourer of The End. Mine name beeth Azrael – Primordial God of Death. I command thee, open thy belly. Bottomless in its entirety. Quaff this ignorant storm. Humble thee who beeth foolish enough to attempt mine demise. Nether Arts: Summon – Beelzebub." The arrows freeze in the sky. So does everything around Azrael.
A cloud of smoke breezes into the arena, filling it. A deep voice starts laughing inside this mist. "Primordial Azrael," says the voice, "Thy art far from The Beginning. Hath thine siblings finally forsaken ye."
'My current situation is none of your business, demon,' snaps Azrael. 'Just follow my command.'
"Thy art as feisty as a bull since time immemorial, Primordial Azrael," mocks the voice. "Thou knowest mineth summoning price, no?"
'Yes. I have prepared your price. Three years' worth for ten minutes in the Mortal Realm.'
"Three years!! Dost thou intend to testeth mineth patience, Primordial Azrael!?"
'If not five, then how much do you want, demon?"
"Thou needest hand a decad."
'A decade? Just how greedy can you get?'
"Nay, not greed. That is mineth brother's domain."
Azrael clicks his teeth. 'Five,' he demands.
"Ten."
'Seven.'
"Ten."
'Five and a portion of my aura. Final offer.'
Beelzebub goes silent for a while. "Deal," he says, snickering. "What shalt mineth task beest?"
'Devour all the arrows that woman fires off.'
"And?" asks the demon, disappointed. "Shalt I devour this child's soul?"
'You will do no such thing, Beelzebub.'
"Thee has't grown soft, Primordial Azrael." Beelzebub remains silent as he scans the audience, noticing a familiar presence. "What of the realm intruder?"
Azrael glances at the students and says, 'Leave them be. They will reveal themselves in time.'
The smoke disperses and a demon – four metres in length; black-red, leathery skin; eyes darker red than sapphire; horns like elephant tusks growing from the furthest parts of its forehead and jaws like a shark – appears. It turns its head to the sky and opens its mouth as wide as a hippo. A vacuum-like sound is created as Beelzebub devours the two thousand arrows in the sky. After ten seconds, the sky is clear of arrows. Beelzebub pukes red dirt, which layers above the sand and glass shards.
"Done. Now I shalt restart time."
'Good. And remember, Elizabeth will fire another round of arrows. I want you to devour those; however, remain unnoticed by everyone until I say so.'
"Understood," says the demon as he turns into smoke and disappears.
Time slowly starts moving again. Elizabeth – still wearing her snicker – looks to the sky. She looks down and notices the Nether Soil. Her expression changes to confusion. Furious, she glares at Azrael and asks, "What did you do?"
Azrael stays silent.
"Does anyone know what he did?" asks Scarlett. Everyone looks at Azrael, as confused as Scarlett and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth smiles. "It doesn't matter. I will fire more arrows." She now aims directly at Azrael. "Let's see you handle ten thousand arrows, Professor Azrael!!"
She fires. The arrows travel like lightning; however, a void-like crack appears in the atmosphere before Azrael. The arrows are all absorbed into the gap until none remain. Elizabeth's face is drowned in fear and confusion. "W-What did you do?" she asks hesitantly.
"Do you know the theory behind nether energy?" asks Azrael. He places his hands together, "There is a connection between the realms. This connection is small. Very small."
"What does that have anything to do with my question?" snaps Elizabeth.
"Nether energy is not as powerful in the Mortal Realm as it is in the End. The same goes for mana and aether energy in the other realms. However, if you use a catalyst from The End, what do you think I can achieve here in the Mortal Realm?"
"No… you can't…" she says, frightened.
"Beelzebub, devour her soul," he commands. Beelzebub appears behind Azrael.
"A… demon…" mutters Yukio.
Beelzebub opens his mouth and starts sucking the air in the arena. Elizabeth, who is slowly dragged into Beelzebub's suction, struggles to anchor herself and stumbles to the ground. "No..." she says. She tries to dig her hands into the nether soil to anchor her body but it does not halt her body pulling closer to Beelzebub. "I..." She hesitates at first but when the sand breaks apart in her hands, her body is tugged towards Beelzebub. Before she is devoured, she screams, "I give up!!"
Azrael claps his hands. Both Beelzebub and the nether soil disappear. Elizabeth, who was dragged through the sky, falls to the ground. "With that, class is dismissed," he says, smiling.
—Meanwhile, in a dark corridor below Magus Academy.
After Elizabeth's defeat at Azrael's hands, Ubel hastily walks towards a large door. He presses his head against the door. "Finally," he says, "Your seal will soon be broken, my darling, Karma. Only nine left."