"So, the next battle will be between Vivien Deterim and Miguel Warden. Oh, what a fight it will be! An experienced warrior, a master of the spear, can she break the myth of the superiority of mages over warriors, or will she succumb to the eternal fate? And on the other side, a very powerful fire mage, rivaling the magical strength of many professors and compensating for the lack of magical concentration with close combat skills. What do our commentators think?
"Pfuh," the Rector pulled out a pipe from somewhere and, ignoring the protests of those around him, began to light it. "Of course, Miguel's magic and hand-to-hand combat skills make him a formidable opponent, but in close combat skills, Vivien surpasses him. If she can counter his magic with something, then the victory in this match won't be so obvious."
"Oh, do you think she has an ace up her sleeve?"
"I believe she doesn't even suspect it herself."
"What do the others think?"
"I'm rooting for Vivien!" Werner nodded affirmatively.
"And I'm rooting for Vivien too!" Kurone clenched her fists excitedly.
"And why?" Vina already knew the answer, but she had to ask.
"Because we don't like him!" Both students growled the same phrase in unison.
"I see, you won't get anything reasonable from them. And Levris, what about you? Hm?"
Levris sat with her face turned towards the wall, sadly running her fingers through her hair.
"Haauu, I was really hoping he would win. Not the entire tournament, of course, but at least a couple of matches. And now... Haauuu," the teacher quietly howled in the corner.
"It seems we shouldn't expect a coherent answer from her either. Rumy, maybe you can at least say definitively who will win?"
"A couple of months ago, it would have been Miguel, but now the girl will take him down! Golem grinned smugly.
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because I trained her," the audacious teacher proudly patted herself on the chest.
"Well, now we'll find out. Participants, please enter the arena."
The spearwoman prepared hesitantly for the battle, checking how her armor was fastened and making sure her spear was well-sharpened.
"Sister," Miriam decided to give her final advice, "don't rush into the attack right away; he likes to ignite his opponents at close range. Try to find the right moment."
"Yeah, I know, I know!!" Vivien ruffled her hair. "Still, it would be much easier for you to deal with him."
"I have a tougher fight ahead. So you better not lose, and I'll do my best too."
"Of course, if we don't aim for a showdown in the finals, what's the point of participating at all! I won't lose, and you don't let me down."
The twins exchanged spirited high-fives. Asura and Krito approached them.
"He will probably try to enchant your weapon with fire magic. Wear thicker gloves," Asura gently embraced Vivien. "He's not as skilled and invincible as the mages from this guild, so I believe in you."
"Yes, Lady Asura!" The spearwoman appreciated the Guild Master's behavior and turned to me with a displeased look. "I'm grateful to you for the weapon, and now it's time to test it in a real battle. But remember, in this tournament, we are rivals, especially with the members of other guilds!"
"Well, well, don't worry. I just came to wish you luck," seizing the moment, I hugged the girl tightly.
"Hey! How dare you!" With a shout, she pushed me away and quickly turned towards the exit. "What an impudent guy, he doesn't have enough of his own girls."
"Krito???" Asura narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. "What did you do?"
"Nothing, just slipped a small amulet for good luck."
The spearwoman, inspired by her friends, descended towards the arena, where at the base of the stairs, the fire mage was already waiting for her.
"Well, shall we have some fun, Vivien?" Miguel sneered and licked his lips.
"What a repulsive guy. At least I won't have any guilty conscience about this," the spearwoman couldn't openly say it, after all, her opponent's father was an important person.
The contenders stepped into the center of the arena, greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. The first match had excited the spectators, and they wanted to see even more.
"And here are our heroes, who is stronger, the warrior or the mage? The brave spearwoman or the mighty mage, who will win?! The first, but far from the last battle of mage against warrior begins right now!!" Vina's voice joyfully welcomed the fighters.
"Remember, the fight will continue until one of you surrenders or is unable to continue. Let the battle begin!" The Rector signaled the start of the fight.
Vivien took the spear in one hand closer to the blade, gripping the handle behind her back, preparing for an attack. Miguel ostentatiously began adjusting his gloves, which served as his weapons, pretending to give the warrior an advantage.
"You can attack; I'm not sure it will affect my victory," he taunted.
"You talk too much!" The spearwoman leaped forward with lightning speed, simultaneously thrusting the spear forward in her right hand. The mage stepped aside and grabbed the blade with his left hand; the spear clashed against his gloves with a clang. "Steel weaving?"
"Yes, they have not only golden crosses on the backside; all the gloves are made like chainmail to help me deflect cutting weapons."
Taking a step forward, he attempted to strike the girl's face with his right hand. Spinning clockwise, the girl evaded the attack and caught the spear with her second hand. Seizing the moment, she wrested the tip from the mage's hand and executed a powerful circular strike. The mage leaned towards the ground, propping himself with his left hand, and the spear swished over his head. Performing a cartwheel, he gathered an orb of fire with his free hand and hurled it towards his opponent, but the girl noticed the trick and, using the spear as a springboard, leaped far back from the enemy.
"What's this? Afraid of fire?" Miguel grinned smugly.
"No, I just don't like falling for cheap shots."
"Well then, try to do something better."
The girl gripped the spear with both hands, tilting the blade towards the ground, and with a powerful swing, leaped towards her enemy. The mage parried the straight descending strike with both gloves, and the girl used the recoil to jump back and deliver a second strike with the tip on the reverse side of the spear. The edge flew within an inch of the arrogant mage's nose, and he stepped back. Spinning on one leg, Vivien continued to press on the enemy, delivering blow after blow. The mage kept retreating, trying to regain balance to fend off the attacks. After taking a dozen steps, he found a moment between the attacks and, enveloping his foot in flames, struck back at the girl from the turn. The magical attack caused the spear to bounce back, and seizing the opportunity, the mage struck the spearwoman's abdomen.
"Cough," the blow sent Vivien flying several meters back. She touched the spot where she was hit; it was scorched from the impact. The mage discreetly used fire magic to enhance the strike; it looked like an ordinary blow but caused more damage to internal organs. "Dirty trick."
"Did you say something, Lady Warrior? Are you giving up already?" Miguel rubbed his hands with satisfaction.
"Not a chance!" The girl caught her breath and rushed towards the opponent again. She lunged at the mage's torso, but he sidestepped and tried to counterattack the spearwoman. Spinning in place, Vivien delivered a circular strike, but the mage intercepted her spear by grabbing both ends with his hands.
"I'm tired of your tricks; let's see how you manage without your spear," the mithril near the mage's hands began to redden, apparently trying to melt the metal in close contact.
"Thanks for living up to my expectations," the girl smiled and jumped up, using the spear as a bar, and made a somersault. With both feet in combat boots, she pushed off from the surprised mage's face and elegantly landed a few meters away from him.
"You little wretch!" Miguel wiped blood from his split lip and looked at the girl with less playfulness than before.
"I can keep going like this for a long time," the girl tried once again to close the distance to her target.
"I won't give you such a chance again," with less than a meter between them, a pillar of flame erupted from the ground, propelling the girl backward. "I don't have to play with you so closely."
As the girl got up, Miguel threw two more fireballs at her, and she had to leap sideways. The mage tried not to let the girl get close, attacking her with fireballs, and every time she attempted to approach, he pushed her away. "You coward!" With nowhere to run, the girl had no choice but to defend herself with her spear. With each deflected fireball, the spear heated up, and faint symbols began to appear where the impacts hit.
"I'm just using my advantages," Miguel gathered a dozen small fireballs in his hands and threw them at various parts of the girl's body. While she managed to deflect some, she still received a couple of hits, and her shortened warrior's attire began to smolder in those places, exposing her delicate skin.
"You beast!" Vivien rushed at the enemy and fearlessly passed through the wall of fire. She lunged at the mage's chest, but he grinned and clasped the spear with both palms.
"Brave, but foolish," the mage gathered flames in his hands and began heating the spear. From the heat, the metal reddened, and barely noticeable symbols appeared on it.
"I'll still beat you!" Digging her feet into the ground, the girl threw herself onto the spear. To avoid the blow, Miguel deflected the spear's tip to the side and struck her abdomen with his knee, following it up with a powerful fireball.
The girl was tossed into the air, and with a fist strike, Miguel sent her flying. "I think she's ready," the mage smirked, looking at the girl lying on the ground five meters away from him.
The spot where he hit her with his knee was scorched, and the leather armor melted, exposing the girl's abdomen, with a burn visible from the last hit. Despite these injuries, she didn't release her weapon from her hands.
"Sister!" Miriam watched the battle, unable to do anything. "Come on, show that scoundrel!"
I leaned over the balcony's edge to see the satisfied grin on Alfred's face. Though he presented himself as positive, humiliating opponents brought him pleasure.
"Give me your bow," I turned to the twin, and she handed me the weapon with suspicion.
These blades were linked, which meant she could hear me even from this distance.
"VIVI!" I shouted with all my might, hoping she would hear me.
The spearwoman lay on the arena, breathing heavily, but she had no intention of giving up. Slowly swaying, she got on her knees and, leaning on her spear, stood up. The fire mage grinned maliciously, anticipating his triumph over the girl, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she locked eyes with me, and I conveyed the message I wanted to say. With one hand, I pointed to her chest, more specifically to a small pocket on her armor where I had hidden a tiny note.
"What does this fool want at a time like this? I need to do something. I can't stand losing like this," Vivien stood on the arena, her reason slowly leaving her. The pain in her side made it difficult to breathe, but Krito was still trying to say something. "Something on my chest?"
The girl slowly reached into the folds of her leather armor and retrieved a small folded piece of paper with just one word written on it.
"Release?" The girl didn't understand what it meant, but her weapon reacted to the word. Her body slowly became enveloped in a fiery aura, and the symbols on the weapon's hilt lit up with a bright red glow. The spear's blade embraced the flame, and it grew significantly in size. With such a weapon, the spearwoman found her second wind. She no longer trembled from pain; as long as she could defeat her opponent, she could forget about the pain.
"What the hell?! How are you using magic??" Miguel noticeably panicked. He was already prepared to celebrate his victory, but it seemed luck had turned.
"I have no idea, but it doesn't matter!" The girl slammed the spear's tip into the ground, and the fiery impact propelled her forward. The mage struggled to create a wall of fire in front of himself, but the girl easily cleaved through it with her spear. "It won't help you anymore!"
Turning around, the girl conjured a fiery sphere on the tip of her weapon and forcefully thrust it into the mage's chest. Miguel was thrown back with a heavy cough and attempted to create another fireball, but the girl swiftly closed the distance and delivered a powerful slashing strike with the flaming blade. The spear's blade passed by the mage's body, but the flaming part went through him, leaving a deep gash on his torso and tearing his clothes to shreds. The impact sent Miguel flying towards the wall, and he crashed into it, falling to the ground.
He looked up and saw the blade held at his throat. "And what do you have to say now, mage?" Vivien stared at her prey like a hunter looking at a defeated boar.
"I surrender," Miguel closed his eyes and raised his hands; victory was now in the hands of the warrior.