"Tabitha and Kirche are indeed much stronger than Guiche. You've already had enough time in the spotlight tonight.
No one will underestimate you just because you're commoner familiars anymore, so why not just surrender now?"
Wood was Saito's fellow familiar, and to be honest, Wood's earlier words had earned some favor from Louise.
So, Louise didn't object to the idea of Wood stepping down and avoiding a confrontation with Tabitha and Kirche.
Although Kirche was her rival, Louise had to admit that Kirche was undoubtedly one of the most talented students at the academy.
As for Tabitha, there was even less to say—her magic skills were said to surpass those of some of the academy's teachers.
Moreover, both Kirche and Tabitha had powerful familiars. Kirche's familiar was a fire salamander, while Tabitha's familiar was a dragon, a creature of legend.
In duels, familiars could participate as part of the mage's power.
The reason Guiche didn't summon his familiar was simply that it was too weak, and he was overly confident that he could win alone.
However, "overconfidence" was not something you'd find in Tabitha. She had fought monsters alone since she was young, knowing that carelessness would lead to certain death.
In short, whether it was Kirche or Tabitha, both of them were far above Guiche in terms of magical power and the strength of their familiars.
Louise believed that even if Wood had the same strength Saito just displayed, his chances of winning were slim.
So, rather than end up battered like Saito, it might be better to just surrender now.
"Surrender? No way. You nobles have your honor, and we have our own.
And whether we can win or not, we have to try first—who knows, maybe we'll defy the odds?"
Wood walked calmly towards the field and pulled the sword that Saito had stuck into the ground.
"Although it's not as handy as my old weapons, it'll do..."
The sword, crudely made using earth magic, was naturally not comparable to a fine blade, but under the current circumstances, Wood wasn't in a position to be picky.
"I didn't expect a mere commoner to defeat Guiche, but we're not like that idiot.
If I had gone first, I might have lost due to carelessness. But now that I know your level, as long as I keep a safe distance, a swordsman like you has no chance against a mage."
Wood refused to surrender, and of course, neither did Kirche and Tabitha. With Guiche defeated, it was now their turn to take the field.
"Fighting one at a time is a hassle. Why don't you both come at me? Otherwise, you won't stand a chance.
You might think you're much stronger than that boy just now, but let me tell you—my level is far higher than Saito's."
During his multi-world simulation, even if Wood died, he wouldn't truly die. Moreover, the level of martial strength in this world was not very high.
With Wood's current abilities, he might not be able to sweep through the world, but at the very least, he could act with impunity. So why hold back?
Since his body was not the one from the pirate world, Wood could no longer use the "Six Powers" techniques that required a superhuman physique.
However, his master-level swordsmanship and his Haki's sensory abilities were still usable in this world.
Saito, under the power of "Gandálfr," had displayed strength comparable to a pirate with a bounty of 10 to 20 million berries.
If Saito was the unit of measurement, Wood felt confident that he could take on five Saitos at once without much trouble.
So asking Kirche and Tabitha to fight together wasn't arrogance—he truly had the strength to back it up!
Wood lightly swung the sword in his hand through the air, and a sharp wave of sword energy flew out, leaving a deep gash in the ground.
Wood's sudden display of sword energy left everyone present stunned. Even Kirche, who had intended to mock Wood, found her words stuck in her throat.
"Sword energy—this is a sword energy attack! Wood, are you really from the same world as me?
You must be from some fantasy world, right? Because even the greatest swordsmen in our world couldn't produce such an unscientific power!"
It was just an ordinary longsword, yet with one swing, it unleashed an attack as powerful as magic. This sight completely shattered the worldview of everyone at the Magic Academy.
As for Saito, upon seeing the external sword slash Wood had just unleashed, his expression was one of pure excitement and envy.
The locals might not understand what sword energy was, but as a modern otaku who had grown up with anime and video games, Saito recognized this power immediately.
"Sword energy? Are you saying this kind of power exists in your world?
Can you use a sword like Wood to perform such an attack?"
Louise looked at the trench left by Wood's slash with curiosity as she questioned Saito. She seemed to be realizing that her and Henrietta's summoned familiars were far from ordinary commoners.
"No, in our world, we know about sword energy, but it only exists in legends.
Wood must have gained this power, like I did earlier, after coming to this world and receiving special abilities."
Thinking back to how his body had moved on its own earlier, Saito quickly attributed Wood's power to their familiar marks.
Looking at Wood on the field, Saito couldn't help but feel envious. Compared to his ability to move more agilely, he envied Wood's sword energy even more.
We're both men—who wouldn't want to have a move that's both cool and powerful?
"Kirche, Tabitha, as he said, you should face him together. When facing a powerful unknown force, maintaining enough respect and caution is essential."
With Headmaster Osmond's words, Kirche and Tabitha had no reason to refuse, so they both stepped onto the field.
What seemed like a predictable duel was suddenly pushed to a climax by Wood's unexpected display of power.
Considering that Wood was a swordsman and could interrupt their spells during casting, Kirche summoned her high-level familiar as soon as she stepped onto the field—a fire salamander the size of an adult, capable of casting numerous fire-based spells!