Vasilios, Vice Director of Varangian, Hippolyte, Principal of Themiscyra, Blue Whale, Master of the Magic Tower, and Banshee, Vice Principal of Colosseo.
They were keeping an eye on the current situation of the tournament through a large artifact called the Extra Eyes.
Colosseo-23
Magic Tower-35
Varangian-45
Themiscyra-46
Deputy Director Vasilios and Principal Hippolyte stroked their chins.
"Looks like Mr. Hohenheim has found another prey."
"I guess it wasn't enough that he eliminated a bunch of students from the Colosseo just a moment ago, hohoho- be brave too."
Just a moment ago, the genius Hohenheim had unleashed an enormous amount of magic power, causing a sea of fire to erupt around him, killing about thirty Colosseo students.
Most of those who had already been defeated or were almost defeated were third-year aces, and even Dolores, Colosseo's favorite to win, was included among them.
The shock of the Colosseo students was even greater because the student council president almost suffered elimination from the beginning of the competition.
Afterwards, Hohenheim moved through the jungle as if there was nothing to worry about.
Another two dozen or so students from Varangian and Themiscyra were swept away by his tsunami of fire.
All of them were third-year aces who had the strength and experience to win.
'Hohenheim of a Thousand Buddhas', I think the nickname that has spread throughout the world is truly accurate.
He was on a wild ride, as if he was going to eliminate all the aces from the start.
Watching him in the mirror, the tower's master, the White Bearded Whale, smiled wryly.
"Hehehe- our 'smart-ass with high nose' is finally showing his true colors."
"...."
"Oh dear, here we go again with the Colosseo students. What else do you run into when you're having dinner?"
"...."
"I'm seeing Miss Dolores again, the woman who barely escaped with her life earlier. I guess the Colosseo isn't having any of this. Hehehe-"
The Master Whitebeard was unexpectedly talkative for such a huge beast.
However, Professor Banshee, Colosseo's vice principal, did not respond to his words.
"...."
A look of mild displeasure, but one that didn't seem to bother him.
But his gaze never left the mirror.
In the mirror, where Vikir and Dolores were holding hands.
Crackle!
The curtain of fire is torn.
The mud dried and crumbled into sand, and the sand melted into bubbling lava.
… Splat! … Splat! … Splat! … Splat!
Hohenheim walked over it.
"Whoo-hoo-hoo. Wormy Colosseo bastards."
His face is a 180-degree change from when he was leading the welcoming procession.
Perhaps this is his true color.
"It's time to turn the university rankings upside down. The best university in this empire is the Magic Tower. And I will be its greatest genius."
Hohenheim has always resented the fact that Magic Tower is second only to Colosseo in the university hierarchy.
And now, with all of his annoying seniors gone, he planned to take matters into his own hands and make his university the best it could be.
"...?"
Hohenheim's eyes narrowed.
Bubbling, bubbling, bubbling...
A large pot of coconut boiling in front of him, and the red stew within.
It gave off a delicious smell that caught the attention of Hohenheim, a picky eater.
He may be a genius, but he's not comfortable with the harsh conditions of the Red and Black Mountains.
Hohenheim was hungry and thirsty, too.
"...hmm. Is this a trap?"
Hohenheim looked around.
There were deep butt prints in the dry straw around him, as if someone had stayed nearby earlier.
Judging by their carefully constructed huts, pits, and bonfires, they had planned to stay here for a long time.
"Fufu, and then I came along and you abandoned everything and fled in a hurry."
There's no sign of the ambushers around. All they could see was a hasty evacuation.
What's more, in their haste, they'd dropped the grade markers on their suits.
It marked them as first-year students.
Hohenheim let his guard down.
If he was a first-year, he wasn't worth fighting.
He'd probably run away with his ass anyway, let alone ambush him.
So he was going to eat the stew in front of him.
"Still, I'll have to be prepared for archer fire, just in case."
In a jungle like this, archers are the most annoying opponents.
With that in mind, Hohenheim took a step forward.
Just then.
…Quack!
The thick log on the other side shattered and fell down.
"Hahahaha- I came here because I smelled something delicious, and this is what happened!"
Hohenheim frowned at the familiar voice that rang out.
Long, spiky, wild hair, and a build like a giant beast.
It was Juragio Bakiraga, the student council president of the Varangian Boot Camp.
"...."
Hohenheim quietly stretched out his hands forward.
Kurrrrrr!
The mud around him began to boil and emit steam.
Huffing and puffing...
With a crimson glow, the mud around them turned to lava.
However, Bakiraga smirked and stepped forward with one foot.
…Quack!
The ground flipped over and the lava rose upside down.
The mud underneath was still intact, and Bakiraga ran over it, swinging the greatsword on his back forward.
A pale aura of blue light emanated from him, thick as water vapor.
Hohenheim's eyes widened at the sight.
"Sword Expert Supreme... or is it Graduator!"
"Hahaha, you just became a fourth-class mage, how can I leave you behind!"
Even the elites of Magic Tower usually don't reach class 4 until they are in their thirties.
Similarly, the elite of Varangian don't step onto the threshold of the Graduator until their thirties.
Here, however, geniuses outside of these two standards were fiercely battling it out right now, with accomplishments years ahead of the average genius.
Dragon and Tiger (龍虎相搏). Throw the universe (乾坤一擲). It was a clash of the next generation of geniuses who would represent sword and magic.
Boom, boom, boom!
Bakiraga's greatsword sliced through the rocks and trees in front of him.
Hohenheim stepped back hastily, dodging the falling debris at diagonal angles.
"Give the mage time, and he will give you a headache."
Bakiraga charged, swinging his greatsword like a feather.
Even if it was low level Graduator, its power was absolute. The aura spun at high speed along the edges of the sword, cutting through everything it touched.
Even Hohenheim would lose all his HP in an instant if hit by it.
"Damn it, shields!"
Several translucent shields appeared in front of Hohenheim's eyes.
But.
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
The shields scraped and shattered with a loud crack.
Through the shards, Bakiraga's aura pushed in like the teeth and nails of a monster.
"It's over, Hohenheim."
Bakiraga's voice echoes out, terrifying.
Pow! Thud.
Hohenheim had to roll around on the ground to avoid a slash that cut off a chunk of his hair.
But.
Hohenheim is not so easily pushed aside.
Swoosh.
He rolled on the ground and stretched out his palms, burying them in the mud.
Bubbling, bubbling, bubbling...
The mud, heated by his mana, began to bubble and boil.
Soon, a thick vapor shrouded Hohenheim's body.
At the same time, the mud dried out, baked, and began to crack.
Flames leapt from the cracks.
The odds were increasingly stacked against the Bakiraga.
"...hmm."
Bakiraga couldn't see well enough through the blinding dust, smoke, and steam.
In the midst of it all.
Grumble! … Puff! … pop! … pop!
Fireballs shot out from beyond the barrier of fire, and what's more, lava created by melting mud creates a whirlpool on the ground.
All around is a dense forest. The humid, muggy atmosphere was being dried out by the firestorm.
As the hot, pungent smoke spread in all directions, the humidity gave way to dryness.
And then.
Pop! Fujijijijik! Grumble!
Even the trees, which had been merely blackened when exposed to fire because they contained a lot of moisture, began to catch fire.
Hohenheim's flame magic was so terrifying that it had enough firepower to force a forest fire in a humid and hot jungle.
Koooooooo...
As the jungle atmosphere changed drastically, an abnormal climate was created.
The locally heated atmosphere combined with the surrounding moist air to form a giant vortex, and Hohenheim's fiery flames streaked fiercely through the current.
Colosseo, Varangian, Magic Tower, Themiscyra.
All students from all schools spread out across the jungle could feel Hohenheim's absolute power as soon as they saw the presence of that huge pillar of fire.
Then, a huge firestorm erupted and engulfed Bakiraga.
"Ugh!"
Bakiraga let out a long stream of aura from his sword, cutting off all the wind-driven flames, but there was nothing he could do about it as the oxygen in the air disappeared and soot took its place.
…Thud!
In the end, Bakiraga was forced to fall to one knee.
And in front of him, Hohenheim stepped forward with an air of uncertainty.
"No matter how hard a genius tries, he cannot beat a genius. That's why a genius is called a genius."
At the same time.
…bam!
Hohenheim crushed Bakiraga's neck and struck the staff in his hand.
"That's the end of Varangian, though he was quite good for a lowly barbarian."
Hohenheim looked down at his feet with a sickening smile.
Then he turned his attention to the Bakiraga at his feet.
There, he sees the pot still sitting on the campfire.
Hohenheim reached out and scooped the distant pot into the palm of his hand.
"What a pity. The food looks pretty delicious. What should I do if I can't eat?"
"...Kill it quickly. Don't think this is the end."
Bakiraga frowned and spoke as if chewing and spitting out.
But Hohenheim laughed sardonically, as if he had no intention of doing so.
"Come on, this is our last competition of the school year, let's make it count."
Hohenheim wanted to show as much composure as a winner could show.
That was the performance of leisurely eating stew after the battle.
Soon, the red broth was in Hohenheim's mouth.
A leisurely smile spread across his face.
"Mmmm. This is really delicious...!?"
But.
Hohenheim's leisure didn't last long.
…gulp!
As soon as the spicy soup went down my throat and reached my stomach, I felt a strange signal in my stomach.