Marcuse walked through the hallway on his way back to the preparation room.
As he walked, a certain white-haired, purple-eyed student passed him by.
He held a wooden sword and was walking with fierce conviction.
"Good luck. I expect to fight you in the last match."
Marcuse turned back and said with a big grin.
Danny smirked and tilted his head slightly at his brother.
"If not me, then who else?"
Marcuse chuckled and resumed his walk.
********
Danny entered the arena and looked at his black-haired, brown-eyed opponent.
Momotaro, too. Just like Danny held a wooden sword in hand.
"The opponents of the second match of the semi-finals are Daniel, the smartest low-level demon! And Momotaro, the Oni Clan's heir!"
The announcer called.
There were fewer cheers than in the last fight, but the crowd still roared.
"Are you ready?"
The announcer asked them.
Neither opponent answered. But unlike before, they didn't directly launch into battle.
Instead, they bowed to the announcer and then to each other before taking fighting stances, waiting to see who would make the first move.
This was not their first duel this week, and neither one was planning to lose this one.
They stood quietly for a while before the announcer decided it was time for the battle to begin and chose to go along with the opponents' spirit.
"Hajime!"
He called, and the two demons launched at each other, sword in hand.
This fight was more than a mere match in a tournament. It was an uncontrolled fight that let both opponents, who were evenly matched in their previous fight, show their true prowess.
The two wooden swords hit one another and directly exploded into woodchips after a single swing.
Both Danny and Momotaro grinned as they understood this was a real fight, unlike their draw before.
"Ftach Chalal!"
Both opponents chanted, and rifts in space appeared by their side.
They each reached with their hand into the rift and pulled out their weapon.
Momotaro pulled out his ōkatana, and Danny drew out his dagger.
And as quickly as the match stopped, it resumed.
"Tēza Yātarā."
Danny whispered and vanished from view.
Momotaro was startled for a second, but as soon as the half-human vanished, he reappeared in a rather uninspiring direction.
Danny teleported directly behind Momotaro, but Momotaro, with his great fight experience, was able to quickly redirect his attack.
"Tēza Yātarā."
Danny chanted once more and reappeared in a crouching position with his knife nearing Momotaro's back.
Momotaro could do nothing but push through the pain of the stabb as he could not evade Danny's attack.
They exchanged a few swift swipes at each other as each blocked the other's attack with perfect precision.
"Shakunetsu No Chōbatsu No Honō!"
Momotaro chanted, and his sword was engulfed in scorching flames that no low-level, half-human could just stand by.
Danny took a large step back and rethought his approach.
He needed to get rid of that flame!
"Imperium Magicae!"
Danny chanted, and the flames weakened.
He couldn't completely extinguish it because it would take too much energy and concentration from him, but it was good enough.
Danny resumed his attack.
The longer this fight took, the more the two opponents became frustrated.
They couldn't let it end in a draw again!
Momotaro took a sharp breath, and his strength grew. He put more magic into his strength enhancements.
Danny could feel the magic energy flowing in his opponent's body and felt like hope was lost.
There was no way for him to match this strength.
"Kadur Esh!"
Danny called, and a massive ball of flames spawned between the two opponents.
Danny used this opportunity to take a couple of steps back and swallow another pill like the one he had taken before.
This was not a good choice in the long run, and there was no way he could fight Marcuse after the side effects of overconsumption kicked in.
But to win this fight, he needed to turn it into a war of attrition. And without this pill, he just didn't have the magic capacity for this.
"Tēza Yātarā."
Danny chanted and appeared behind Momotaro.
The fireball hid him as he took the pill and teleported, so the Oni had no way of expecting this sudden counterattack.
Danny kicked Momotaro into the fireball and then finished the spell with the ball's detention.
Momotaro took the blast from point blank, and his still standing was a great show of the Oni Clan's high endurance.
The explosion left Momotaro disoriented, and before being able to get back to his senses, Danny launched another round of attacks with his knife.
The difference in this round, compared with the others, was that before, Momotaro blocked Danny's attacks, but now the Oni Clan's heir was unable to do so, and Danny attacked him until he fell.
After Momotaro was rendered unconscious, Danny put his hand on Momotaro's body.
"Ripui."
He chanted, and Momotaro's injuries healed.
Danny smiled, knowing that he both won and Momotaro, an opponent he respected, wouldn't die.
Then, suddenly, he fell to the ground as well.
He sighed and looked at the sky.
These were the effects of the second pill. He lost all strength, won't be able to move a muscle for a few hours, and won't be able to cast any spell for at least two days.
Luckily, his magic control was unaffected, so he still had a level of self-defense.
"The winner of the match is Daniel, the smartest low-level demon!"
The announcer called and then crouched down to Danny.
"Are you okay? You'll have to fight in a couple of minutes."
The announcer asked worriedly.
"No can do."
Danny chuckled.
"?!"
The announcer was startled.
"But you knocked your opponent unconscious. You have to fight."
The announcer added.
"I overexerted myself and am unable to fight anymore."
Danny explained.
"Well... Fine then."
The announcer sighed and then rose.
"Because of some unexpected circumstances, Daniel is unable to fight in the finale. So Marcuse. The prince of Hell wins!"
The announcer proclaimed.
This was a rather anti-climactic ending, but they can't force a student to fight.
After the arena was mostly emptied, Chaos came and put Danny on his back.
"You know. Marcuse was very disappointed by that ending."
The Greek demon said.
"What can I do? I can't walk. Let alone fight."
Danny said.
And they both sighed.
How relieved Danny was that the next two days were the weekend. Who knows what would happen if, for some reason, he needed to fight while still in this state?