Although the professors were the first to notice, thanks to their advanced sensory abilities, the students in the seating area soon noticed Magnus's rapidly healing injuries as well.
"Wait a second... Is it just me, or are his wounds closing up?" asked one student, doubting their own words.
Hearing this, another student squinted, trying to see Magnus clearly. "Huh? What are you talking about? I don't see anything."
Another student chimed in, "Yeah, I don't see anything either. After all, healing is—wait a second..."
The realization hit the students in waves, with Velis being one of the first to notice. Slumping down in her chair, she placed a hand on her head, her face showing a dumbfounded look as if she had seen something impossible.
Almost every healing spell is a sub-category of magic that requires Master-level mana control and knowledge at the bare minimum. That would mean Cain is a... Pseudo-Master level mage. But how? That doesn't make any sense.
It wasn't as if Adept-level students were rare. In fact, unless they were kicked out of the academy for subpar talent and ability, practically all students who graduated would reach the Master-level, having a chance to either stay with the academy or join the military. However, it was the age that threw not only Velis off, but the academy staff as well.
Takerth Academy only accepted students who were fifteen at the youngest and twenty at the oldest. As such, it was natural for students who enrolled there to have been trained and taught the basics of magic or aura by their families. However, never in the history of the academy had there been a Pseudo-Master level student under the age of twenty, whether mage or knight.
In fact, a student would already be considered a genius by the academy for reaching the Adept-level before they turned twenty. However, Cain, who now stood in front of nearly the entire student body, was the exception, and this realization was dawning on each student, causing a ripple effect through the crowd.
As for Velis, she honestly felt a bit relieved beneath all the shock. She had lost to someone she had no chance of defeating in the first place.
"How did you even find someone like that and get them to join our faction, Luden?" Blair asked, looking at Luden, who was staring down at the field with a star-struck grin on his face. Luden couldn't help but laugh before answering.
"I trusted my instincts." Hearing that, Blair turned his attention back to the field with an unreadable expression. None of the other faction members spoke; they were either lost in their own thoughts or too surprised to react. Celia felt the same; her emotions had flipped, with Magnus being grievously injured one second and suddenly healed the next.
Still, while everyone had their own reactions, the only people who seemed completely unaffected were those sitting at the very top platform within the arena.
"That wasn't a healing spell," Vlaslor stated simply. Eveline didn't respond to his words, remaining silent, her smile indicating her amusement at the scene and everyone's reactions. On the other hand, the Headmistress nodded in agreement.
"Indeed," she added, her voice tinged with mischief.
Although most of the academy staff may have missed it, even with their incredible sensory abilities, there was no way the three of them wouldn't have noticed. During that entire process, they could tell that no mana was being transmuted or changed, and Magnus certainly hadn't used aura to alter the properties of his own body either. No, what they had just seen was 'creatio ex nihilo', the creation of something from nothing, a feat that defied entropy.
[Master, do you feel any discomfort?]
Basker's voice echoed in Magnus's mind as he slowly stretched his torso and moved his previously injured arm. He felt practically no soreness at all, and any remaining pain was purely residual, which caused him to give a simple reply.
No, it healed perfectly. If I'm being honest, I'm surprised that it worked so well considering this is the first time we've tried it.
Magnus had learned a lot about biology while studying the bones Luden gave him in his room using the spell catalyst; however, he had seen and learned even more when he used the spell catalyst on his own body. In that brief period when his mind was overloaded with information and images of his inner workings, he saw the various moving cogs that kept him alive.
He had gazed upon the millions of microscopic injuries that littered his body, normally unknown to him, as well as the other injuries that continuously appeared every second of every day, even as he just lay on his bed. Whether it be superficial scars on his skin, tissue degeneration, and damage, or the assault of countless diseases, he had gotten a chance to see it all.
Although a lot of this information was now useless to Magnus, as it had become a jumbled mess in his mind that even Basker couldn't properly sort through or discern, he could still vividly remember certain details of it. For example, the various intricate mechanisms his body employed to heal the damage it received, as well as the enlightening realization that everyone's bodies were truly unique—even among identical twins, there would be differences in DNA.
This uniqueness was the key, giving Magnus access to the two factors he needed. Armed with a clear understanding of his body's cellular composition and what the healing processes entailed, Magnus could fully utilize the Command Console to target and replicate the inner workings of his body, even though he no longer had the spell catalyst on hand.
By visualizing the specific microscopic actions needed for repair, Magnus could accelerate the healing process far beyond what his body could achieve naturally.
Unlike traditional healing, which relied on the body's resources and time-consuming biological processes, the Command Console operated independently, drawing no energy or materials from Magnus himself. It was simply a matter of providing the visualization, and the Command Console handled the rest, whether it was cellular proliferation for tissue regeneration or hemostasis to stop bleeding.
He could even ensure that not a single scar was left behind. This also meant the issue Gozif brought up to Magnus about him bleeding out was, in truth, not an issue at all.
It doesn't matter how much of my blood spills onto the ground; as long as I'm still conscious and able to think clearly, I can make as many new blood cells as I want in an instant.
As for what he was going to name this ability, he decided to keep it simple and just call it what it was: [High-Speed Regeneration].
At the same time, Gozif was contemplating his next move, feeling stuck. The realization that Magnus—or Cain, as Gozif saw him—was likely a Pseudo-Master level mage had shaken him to his core. Still, as he watched Magnus slowly move his limbs and body, checking for issues, Gozif's hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword. Every fiber of his being screamed that he needed to act now, his body tensing up in response.
Then Magnus turned his attention to Gozif. The dark eye sockets of his mask met Gozif's gaze, triggering an immediate reaction.
Pseudo-Master or not, I can't afford to lose; no, I won't lose!
Psyching himself up, Gozif reinforced his will, which had started to crack under the pressure of his spiraling thoughts. Without warning, he rocketed forward, his aura surging around him as he boosted every aspect of his physical abilities, holding nothing back.
"Grounded Arts: Interluding Flash!" As he spoke, his form disappeared, becoming an abnormally distorted blur streaking through the world, ready to cut anything in its path at a speed approaching half that of sound. The glint of his sword was the only thing visible as he crossed the distance to Magnus in less than a second.
But even after that lightning-fast attack, Gozif realized he hadn't felt his blade strike anything, causing him to swiftly turn around.
Did he dodge it? But where did he-
The answer came as he saw something flying towards him from above. Raising his sword, he quickly parried it out of pure instinct, only for the object to explode on contact. Though his aura absorbed the damage, the force still sent him skidding back a few feet as he looked up.
High in the air, Magnus was in a free fall after jumping to avoid Gozif's attack. However, he wasn't just falling. As he descended, Gozif saw various mana constructs forming around Magnus, woven together with a mix of black and white mana. They ranged in shape and size, from different types of swords and blades to more conventional projectiles like arrows and spears.
It was as if an armory had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Upon seeing this, Gozif acted quickly, rushing in a random direction as the variety of weapons around Magnus rained down onto the field below. A chorus of explosions echoed through the arena. Some simply hit the ground, causing small craters; others tore through the rock and dirt, burying themselves deep underground while upheaving the earth. A few even tracked Gozif-like heat-seeking missiles.
Facing all of this, Gozif pushed his ability to its limits, dodging everything he could while absorbing the force of the explosions using his aura and striking down the attacks that followed him with his blade. The scene was so chaotic that his figure was lost even to the crowd as he vanished among a haze of dust, debris, and rampant explosions of mana lashing out in every direction.
But even amidst this chaos, Gozif was thinking of a plan.
He didn't avoid my Interluding Flash through teleportation, which means he still doesn't have spells like that available to him. Plus, the fact that he's using long-range attacks so abruptly like that proves that he still needs to keep his distance from me to fight effectively. In that case, as long as I can get close, I have a chance!
Practically no student in Takerth Academy was an idiot; sure, their personalities varied and some traits were even self-destructive, but all of them had been trained in practically every significant academic category since birth to be here. That alone meant they were capable of adapting in combat instantly if necessary.
As Magnus landed on the ground and the barrage of mana construct spells stopped, Gozif quickly turned mid-run, making a beeline through the clouds of dust as he rushed directly towards Magnus, but not from straight ahead. Bursting from the smoke, he already had his sword raised, his eyes locked onto Magnus's back, and slashed down without hesitation. There was enough force in the slash that the air pressure alone cleared out the dust around them.
Yet once again, Gozif didn't feel the sensation of hitting anything; instead, he felt his arm being grabbed.
"Wha- But how?" Gozif asked, his voice filled with confusion as he looked at Magnus. Not only had Magnus managed to turn around and react to Gozif's attack, but he had also grabbed the hand that held his sword, stopping the strike entirely. Even now, Gozif felt as if his arm had suddenly been locked in place, no matter how much force he exerted.
"Getting this close to me was a mistake," Magnus said through his mask, causing Gozif to grit his teeth as he raised his free arm to throw a punch. But before he could, Magnus made his move first. Raising the arm he was holding Gozif with, Gozif's entire body was suddenly whipped into the air so fast it became a slight blur.
For a moment, it looked as if Gozif's body had turned into a rope that Magnus was swinging around before he swiftly lowered his arm and slammed Gozif's body into the ground with so much force that it shattered.
What is this? He's supposed to be a mage, right? You're telling me he can use enhancement magic to this degree as well!? Dammit, I have to break free-
But before Gozif could finish his thought, Magnus yanked him out of the indent his body had made in the ground, letting go of Gozif's sword-wielding arm and leaving him anchorless in mid-air. In that instant, before Gozif could even try to regain his footing, Magnus spun around and kicked him directly in the ribcage. On impact, Gozif felt something strange, as if his aura, which should have made strikes reliant on raw strength pointless, was being crushed.
It made no sense; aura was immaterial after all. Nothing physical could interact with it unless a knight gave their aura that property. Yet, despite how illogical it was, that was what was happening. Gozif's aura was being crushed with sheer, absolute strength.
And because of that, Gozif coughed up a mouthful of blood as he was sent hurtling across the field, slamming into the walls of the arena. The walls instantly activated their runes, canceling out the impact and stopping Gozif forcefully.
"He- Hey, I'm not the only one who just saw that, right?" Sylas asked, turning to everyone else with a confused look on her face. Seraline nodded slightly before answering in a deadpan tone, her focus still locked on Magnus's figure.
"No, you saw correctly. I don't know how, but Cain's attack completely ignored Gozif's protective aura." Perhaps it didn't mean that much to mages, who probably weren't even paying attention to such a thing, but to knights like them, who relied on their aura to protect themselves, what Magnus had just done was somehow even more terrifying than the feeling they had when they learned he was a Pseudo-Master level mage.
This was, of course, noticed by more than just them. Resir, who was standing on the other side of the stands, wore a mix of dismay and anger on his face as he watched everything unfold. Initially, things seemed to be going smoothly, but now the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse for their faction.
Back down on the field, Magnus didn't waste a moment thinking. He had all his actions planned out in his mind. He crouched low before launching himself in the same direction he had just sent Gozif, using the Command Console to extend his legs with absolute force at a speed no normal human could hope to match.
"Ugh..." Gozif groaned in pain as he slowly got to his feet, clutching his chest. He was still processing what had happened and how he got hurt, but when he looked up, he saw Magnus flying directly towards him. His eyes went wide. Pushing himself, he quickly dodged out of the way as Magnus's leg slammed into the wall of the arena, using the Command Console to cancel out the recoil of the strike.
The runes activated, yet it didn't matter; Magnus's leg still punched through the stone, ignoring the protective magic entirely. Still, Gozif didn't have time to think about that; everything Magnus had done up to this point had already surprised him so much that he didn't even bother thinking about it.
Instead, while Magnus's leg was still stuck in the wall, Gozif launched an attack of his own, striking at Magnus with his blade. But Magnus quickly countered, forming a mana construct sword in his left hand, deflecting the strike upward while also freeing his leg.
Dammit, I can't overpower him at all!
The deflection left Gozif wide open as his sword-wielding arm was forcefully pushed away by Magnus's mana sword, which had already begun to dissipate. The next second, Magnus raised his opposite as if going in for a hook, causing Gozif to in turn raise his own free arm to guard himself. But mid-swing, another mana construct began to form: a massive gauntlet of mana surrounding Magnus's hand, nearly as long as Gozif's torso.
The moment the strike hit, Gozif felt waves of mana violently rippling through the air, assaulting his entire body as he was once again slammed into the wall of the arena. With his aura weakening, the impact rattled Gozif's brain in his skull, making him unable to think clearly, even as Magnus reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. He only began to come to as he felt himself being spun around rapidly and thrown high into the air, toward the center of the arena.
At that moment, as he hung in the air, Gozif saw another mana construct taking shape. It took him a moment to realize what it was—a massive blade nearly twenty feet tall, falling toward him. It started slow, but as gravity pulled Gozif down, it also pulled the blade, sending them both plummeting from over a hundred feet in the air.
Shit, I can survive the fall with the level of aura I have left, but if that mana construct hits me, it'll be over!
Despite the beating he had taken from Magnus, Gozif had managed to hold onto his sword. Now was the time to use it. His aura erupted, channeling through his being and into his blade, encompassing it entirely as he moved it through the air. It was as if his blade was a vacuum, drawing in the air around him and circling it like a cyclone, growing more powerful by the second.
"Aerial Arts: Tempest Blade!" he shouted, swinging at the descending mana-blade. Gozif launched a gale of concentrated winds traveling hundreds of miles per hour. Magnus, watching from the ground, saw the two forces clash: mana and concentrated winds, releasing a deafening grinding sound.
Yet, within seconds, the winner was clear.
"It- It's too much! How can such a large mana construct have this much power without being affected by the spirits' suppression?" Gozif yelled as the gale in front of him was torn apart by the sheer force of the descending mana blade.
In a last-ditch effort, he held his sword flat to defend himself. As the mana blade made contact, it pushed him down like a meteor, digging both itself and him into the ground. Torrents of mana were released in two directions, leaving a massive gash across the entire length of the arena's field, nearly a meter wide and over a dozen feet deep.
Slowly, Magnus made his way to where the massive mana blade was dissipating. Reaching the edge of the miniature ravine he had created, he looked down, surprise flashing on his face.
Huh, knights really are something else, huh? Even after a hit like that, he's still just barely conscious. Though I guess I did hold back quite a lot since I didn't want to accidentally kill him.
Gozif's sword, which he had used to defend himself, was shattered and snapped in half, and a massive bloody wound had appeared on his chest, exactly where the mana blade had struck. Yet despite all that, he was still moving slightly and making sounds, showing he was just barely holding on to consciousness.
As Magnus was busy looking at Gozif, Eredim teleported back onto the field behind him. But he didn't immediately say anything or move. His gaze was locked on Magnus, knowing it was him under the mask, just like the other professors. As a student in his class, Eredim knew Magnus was gifted, at least intellectually. The boy remembered everything he was taught and could answer questions about any topics they went over almost flawlessly, in even more detail than he initially described, proving he studied even during his free time.
But this was on an entirely different level.
It was only when Magnus turned around and looked at Eredim that the professor snapped out of his thoughts and walked over to check on Gozif and make his announcement, his words echoing for everyone to hear.
"The winner of the second match is Cain!"