——— Mira ———
Minho seemed even more unsure of himself than he was before the battle with Kimus or that practice with Celestine. In a way, it was understandable considering that Tanguy's massive monkey, which Minho called 'King Kong' did look impressive indeed. Apparently, the form we saw back in the classroom was a 'smaller' version of his actual form just to fit into the room, and that already looked huge. There was no knowing how big it might be in its actual full size.
I wasn't going to let that stop us at this stage though.
I had to win this Contest for that reward from the Emperor Himself - most likely a Magical Gem that could give me the power to be the mage I wanted to be. This wasn't just for my sake, I had the hope of all the future generations of the Kakwaszavoot Clan on my shoulders.
One thing that bothered me and I learned to pay extra attention to was my mana usage. I never really had a big problem making flashy illusions, or even an illusion of myself, but it seemed that making multiples of other entities - like Minho yesterday - seemed to drain me fast.
Well, I had a bag full of Celestine's chocolates with me though… which should last me for a while.
I suppose that girl isn't half as bad as I thought…
The battlefield was marked by four flags in each corner, making a giant square - much bigger than the one we made for the duel with Kimus.
Minho and I stood right by the boundary, as far as possible from the center line, which was allowed. Tanguy stood in about the middle spot of his half but had not unveiled his King Kong yet, which was also allowed until the start of the fight was announced.
Sir. Odobert, the referee for our match, stood at the center circle and laid down the rules.
"Right. I want a good clean fight. No direct attack on the Master, neither between the magi nor by the summoned monster. Masters can use strengthening magic to their summoned monster, or attack the opponent's summoned creature directly."
No direct attack on the Master was one saving grace for me.
"There is no out of bounds as boundaries have magical walls and you will not be able to leave the battlefield. The match lasts 30 minutes and if no monsters are defeated, it ends in a draw. The victory condition is when the monster is defeated, by which I mean it is no longer capable of fighting. The Master also reserves the right to yield and declare defeat."
OK… I would never want to yield, but if I have to choose between losing my Human in the first match and going out in the league phase and keeping him alive so we have two more matches, I will choose the latter.
"Minho."
"Yes."
"We are going to give our best, but if, for whatever reason, you feel that you cannot continue and you are going to die, then let me know."
"That's very generous of you."
"I just don't want you to die. We have two more matches, fool."
"Are you guys ready?", Sir Odobert asked.
"Yes, Sir!", Tanguy and I answered loudly.
"Let the match begin!"
There already had been quite a few matches before ours, and all of them were good - and sometimes impressive - entertainments. Today was like a carnival with plenty of cheers and applause at every battle, excitement in the air, and tingles of anticipation running through my veins.
It reminded me of the circus days with my family.
I missed them.
But that's why I was here.
Tanguy immediately unveiled his King Kong, and boy… it was truly a marvelous sight to behold and everyone held their breath before erupting into a thunderous applause.
The beast stood maybe about forty times my height, covered in black fur that had a lovely sheen, and the face of a monkey that would have been considered good-looking by its peers.
As the massive monster and Tanguy stood looking down at us, contemplating its move, I glanced at Minho and saw that he was clenching his fist, but they weren't trembling. But rather, he seemed he was still deep in thought, trying to figure out how to defeat this monster.
Well… looks are important after all. I know that better than most.
"Minho, are you intimidated?"
"Yes."
"Why is that?"
"Just look at that thing!"
"I will count to three and snap my fingers. Take my cue - look at that monster and give it the best scream you can."
"We are going to provoke it that way, Mira."
"Or we might even intimidate it."
"Huh?"
"Trust me. I'm good at this."
"I'm not sure…"
"I can hold it for 200 counts, so do your best to find a way to defeat it within that time. What I'm going to do should buy you some time."
"How's that going to work?"
"The look of a Human Demon has been disappointing so far-"
"Well, excuse me-"
"- but not anymore! Three, two, one - go!"
Without fully understanding, Minho placed his trust in me. He opened up his arms, leaned forward, stared straight into King Kong's eyes, and let out a primal scream. This, as Minho expected, provoked the monster greatly and it replied in return with a scream of its own, which was far, far, far greater and scarier than Minho's.
I could hear the spectators laugh at this glaring disparity between the contestants.
I closed my eyes and started to internally recite a spell I learned from my father. It was a pretty useless spell with no permanent toll on my body, used mostly for pranks. But this was the perfect one to use for this occasion.
How Minho would end up looking was out of my hands though once the spell was cast. Just like the Mirror of Despair, this Illusion spell worked off the target the spell was cast on. It would draw upon the darkness that resides within the target and change its appearance to that of a monster, and thus its final image would depend on the wickedness that resides in it.
Once I was done reciting the spell, I opened my eyes and observed Minho.
It was absolutely grotesque.
His eyes first turned bloodshot red, then glowed like burning flames. Spikes came out from his spine but they weren't like the usual monster spikes. Instead, they looked more like rusty blades of kitchen knives. His fangs grew large, jutting out of his mouth, with his enlarged tongue licking his lips as he smirked with a devilish grin.
He grew horns that spiked out of his head, at least as long as the length of my forearm. Their tips looked like they had been cut off and blood dripped out of them. His left hand burnt with blinding white light, while his right hand was engulfed in the darkest black flame.
Claws grew out of his toes in the shape of large, long, and sharp hooks. But they too seemed cut off at the tips and were bleeding profusely.
A tail also sprouted out from his back, aligned with the blades along his spine. It was like a dragon's tail but instead of scales and spikes, it had rusty blades with chips on their edges.
The Demon then screamed, screamed as nobody had ever heard before. His voice hit multiple notes at the same time - from the deepest of the lows to the highest of the highs.
Everyone blocked their ears and winced. Some were trembling in fear, some were walking away from the battlefield. The 'front row' around the boundaries was no longer coveted. Everyone wanted to get away as far as they could from this monstrosity.
Today, the legendary Human Demon finally showed its true form.