Kyle was as surprised as Abbie, even he who could chant insanely fast, still can't do it while talking non-stop.
Just as he was about to leave his seat and return to the dormitory, as he hasn't exhausted himself, he met Henry.
"Hey Kyle, It's been a while!"
"Yeah, I've been doing some training" replied Kyle slightly guilty as he hasn't seen his friend during these four months. Obviously, they were in the same class, so they caught each others' eyes sometimes but they still didn't talk much, as Kyle would always rush to the library whenever he was free.
"'Some training' my ass! For four months you wouldn't get out of the library unless there's a class. Don't tell me you forgot about me?!" said Henry, sarcastically, yet Kyle still felt nervous, given that Henry doesn't usually tell jokes.
"Well, never mind that. What did you think about today's matches?" asked Henry, looking forward to Kyle's opinion.
"It was a close match at the start in both of them but the alchemists easily got overwhelmed after. There's something fishy!"
"Hahahahaha, I wasn't expecting you to notice that, yes there indeed is something fishy. Actually, Hunter and Davis could've easily won their matches from the start, yet they didn't, so that they don't cause the alchemists to stop training their puppet manipulation technique after figuring out how weak it is!
Puppet manipulation isn't really used by alchemists unless there's an emergency or they're not being protected by guards who are usually stronger than them."
"It felt useful though, being able to manipulate multiple puppets and making them even use magic, making them fight for you!" replied Kyle, as he was tricked by such a performance as well.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong, puppet manipulation is best used on a battlefield, there it's even passed around in the form of a technique to even battle mages of higher ranks so that if they were not fighting, they could use puppets to do it for them and in hoards.
Yet, in a 1v1 it's one of the most useless techniques, that's also why alchemists are always protected even when they possess a high rank."
Kyle understood that although it's weak and basically useless, if junior alchemists learn that they're wasting their time on a weak technique they might stop training it which would be bad, as that is the only protection technique they have.
"You were pretty impressive today! Wiping out your circle as soon as the Professor announced the start," said Henry.
"Well, that's nothing compared to reaching the low tier of the 4th circle!" replied Kyle.
"You know, I'm not buying that lie the Headmaster spread about the secret technique. I'm sure that you're the one that got it. Otherwise, it would be impossible to reach your current rank without it.
The milestone of the 3rd circle is even harder than that of the 4th circle! So your achievement would be even crazier, especially without intaking any elixirs."
"A-Ahem anyway, Do you know how Hunter managed to chant while talking?" asked Kyle trying to change the subject, as anymore would just make him spill the secret.
"HAHAHAHA, alright, alright, you can keep the secret. I don't really care, you see, it was a secret technique of the Duchy of Gi, where it allows a person to chant while talking, although all of the main families can do it to a certain extent as we did in our last battle, only the Duchy of Gi can do it while talking completely. I wasn't expecting him to master it this fast though!" said Henry
"I guess he wanted to show off that he didn't have to go through the entire tournament because he was weak, just that his opponents were too strong" continued Henry.
"That makes sense," replied Kyle.
The two continued to chat for a little longer, then returned to their dormitory.
Kyle didn't train this time, he wanted to be in peak condition for tomorrow's battle.
The next day came, and the arena was once again filled with a crowd, Kyle was disappointed as the time for his battle and the battle between Hunter and Davis was at the same time, meaning he couldn't see it even if he finished his battle fast.
Kyle got over that by the time he reached his arena, and was ready to fight. The sixteen battles were arranged in order with Kyle's battle going first.
He was matched against Leon Lewis, son of Count Lewis in an anonymous method unknown by the crowd, yet no one could doubt its authenticity as it was the Academy who was responsible for it.
Kyle and Leon got into their respective stances and rushed to each other the moment the Professor announced the start of the match.
Kyle was first met with a quick punch to the abdomen. Kyle neither blocked nor dodged it, instead after receiving the punch, Leon was met with an expressionless Kyle showing the difference in strength. Kyle instantly held the hand that punched him and twisted it with the same force that punch had. What differed, however, was the non-use of mana.
Kyle twisted Leon's hand that was coated with mana without even using mana, just pure physical strength.
This was the strength Kyle had accumulated from the decrease of imbuing mana while training the technique The Emperor gave him, which made his physical strength skyrocket.
Leon let out a shriek representing the pain he was in that echoed all over the arena. He then, passed out, which resulted in Kyle's quick victory.
Once again, Kyle didn't use any technique, making him the most mysterious participant this year.
Kyle didn't enjoy tormenting his opponents, yet he was forced to. He realized that overwhelming his opponent while keeping his techniques a secret was the best way to win this tournament, as it showcases his powers and keeps his aura of mysteriousness, making future opponents fear him without them being able to plan against him.