NOVEL NEXT chapter 26
26
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Let’s have a match.”
As they stepped onto the stage, Yuskal smiled and extended his hand for a handshake.
With a chiseled appearance and a gentle smile, he was like the epitome of an elite man.
“Yes, I’ll do my best as well.”
After shaking hands and stepping back, the instructor who would act as the referee announced the start of the match.
As planned beforehand, I tensed up, ready to counter if Yuscal’s magic came my way.
Given the significant gap in skill between Yuscal and me, launching an initial attack would be futile.
It was more practical to take a defensive stance and wait for an opportunity to exploit a sudden opening in his defense using my energy.
Since such opportunities would be rare, I resolved to be extremely cautious.
“Why is he just standing there?”
It was when I found it odd that Yuscal wasn’t launching an attack.
“Indeed, as rumored. Can’t see a thing.”
Yuscal, with arms outstretched, scanned the unarmed surroundings, looking puzzled.
As if someone who had given up searching for something.
“What can’t you see?”
“Trying to deceive me?”
“······Yes?”
What’s this about deceiving? Unable to comprehend the gibberish, I tilted my head, to which Yuscal, as if understanding everything, sighed and explained.
“I may not see it, but you’ve probably dispersed magic within the unarmed area. Setting a trap, waiting for me to make a move. That’s why you’re just standing there, trying to make me move first. Isn’t that right?”
“······.”
“But what now? I have no intention of budging an inch from here.”
Yuscal smiled as if he had blocked all my possible moves.
“I’ve prepared for your boasted ‘nullification magic.'”
“Nullification magic?”
As my face contorted in confusion, Yuscal opened his mouth with an expression as if to say he had to explain even this.
“Invisible, intangible magic.”
“···Ah.”
Was nullification magic referring to energy manipulation?
However, unlike Yuscal’s description, energy was not an all-purpose force that could be dispersed in all directions like he implied. It wasn’t as vast in quantity as he made it seem, and unlike shooting a gun, energy was a force that stuck to my hands and feet, not separating from my body. It was more like a third arm.
Unlike manipulable magic, once energy detached from the body, it became uncontrollable.
As long as I moved the energy contained in Gram’s scabbard, it was fine, but…
Anyway, as I made a face indicating I understood what nullification magic was, Yuscal laid out his speculations.
“Since you can’t attack where I am, there seems to be a limitation on the range instead of hiding traces. Or maybe there’s a ‘trigger condition.'”
“······.”
This is why people need to have a decent head on their shoulders.
Yuscal, with his sharp mind, was restricting himself with endless conjectures.
Finally finishing his lengthy analysis, Yuscal raised his arm.
“If you can’t sense it, see it, or touch it, make it so you don’t need to.”
With a worrisome aura emanating from his wristband, I swallowed hard.
“If I get hit by that incorrectly, it’s game over.”
I tensed up, fearing the overwhelming energy that seemed like it could overpower me even if I used Icarus’s ring and didn’t fully nullify it.
Whoosh! The energy from the bracelet spread in all directions, enveloping the entire unarmed area in a green light before disappearing.
And nothing happened.
“······?”
What have you done just now? Perplexed, I looked at Yuscal.
“Huff, hoo.”
Yuscal was breathing heavily as if he had just completed a strenuous task. However, his face was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Yuscal chuckled.
“You look puzzled, not knowing what I’ve done.”
“Um, yes. What did you do?”
“I declared this unarmed area as my magic domain. No one else can use magic except me. So······”
Yuscal wiped the sweat off his forehead, smiling mischievously.
“Whether it’s antimagic or whatever, it means magic can’t be used.”
······.
Yuscal seemed to have used quite a remarkable spell to block ‘antimagic.’ He didn’t even know if that ‘antimagic’ was real ‘anti’ magic······
“Wow, a magic field. Yuscal, that guy, seems determined to win.”
“So that’s the end of the top student of the first year.”
“Well, if you can’t use magic itself even with antimagic, there’s no way out.”
I was the only one bewildered; the audience was continuously expressing amazement from the stands.
Of course. A magic field was a spell that even ranked at the top in the fourth circle.
Among the second-year students, Yuscal was probably the only one who could unfold a magic field.
A vast amount of magic to encompass an area, along with precise control of high-level magic, was necessary for the magic known as a magic field.
And Yuscal was quite exhausted from the recoil of using that ‘magic field.’
“Hoo, let’s finish this.”
Yuscal’s bracelet glowed, and three clusters of white light appeared.
First-circle magic, three magic missiles.
Since Yuscal had poured all his strength into unfolding the magic field, it seemed difficult for him to cast spells beyond that level.
······Hmm.
Feeling oddly impressed by his pathetic grandeur, I scratched my cheek.
So, this······
“Is this a fluke?”
Pew pew pew!
As the three magic missiles flew towards me, I effortlessly deflected them with my energy, leaving Yuscal stunned with wide eyes.
“H-How could that happen······!”
Plop!
Struck on the head by the energy, Yuscal staggered backward.
······.
The entire audience fell into a momentary silence at the unexpected outcome.
“Instructor.”
···Ah!
The adjudicating instructor, belatedly coming to his senses, declared my victory, prompting a delayed applause from the audience.
And then,
Ring!
[Grade Battle Quest, Victory in the Battle with the Promising British Youth, Yuscal Arseiwah.]
[Congratulations! You will be rewarded with 3000SP and ＜Sensory Block＞.]
······It seems like a genuine victory.
***
“What’s happening right now?”
Seo Harin couldn’t comprehend the situation where Yuscal had collapsed.
Clearly, Yuscal had activated his ‘Magic Field’ properly, making it impossible for Yihaesol to use magic within it.
That’s why when Yuscal released three magic missiles, Seo Harin thought the match was decided. However, the result turned out to be the opposite.
At that moment, Jung Haejun, who was lost in thought with his arms crossed, opened his mouth as if he understood.
“It’s a magic barrier.”
“A magic barrier?”
When Seo Harin widened her eyes, Jung Haejun nodded.
“Yuscal’s response was accurate. Unfolding a ‘Magic Field’ to preemptively block unknown abilities is undoubtedly a standard method. But if you know in advance that someone will unfold a Magic Field, you can sufficiently counter it by firmly building a magic barrier.”
Just like how a breakwater can block incoming waves, building a magic barrier in advance allowed one to escape the influence of the Magic Field. Seo Harin knew this fact as well. However.
“Wouldn’t it be risky to build a magic barrier while under attack?”
Building a magic barrier required significant concentration. If attacked during that time, one could be defenseless.
Upon Seo Harin’s observation, Jung Haejun also nodded.
“That’s why Yihaesol is even more remarkable. He was probably standing still at first to build a magic barrier. If Yuscal had attacked at that moment, the victory would have been Yuscal’s.”
But Yuscal didn’t attack. Thinking that Yihaesol, who was standing still, was setting a trap using non-magic, rather than hastily attacking, Yuscal chose to unfold the Magic Field.
Jung Haejun concluded.
“So, Yuscal entered the psychological battle already defeated by Yihaesol from the beginning.”
“…Did he foresee that far ahead? Two moves ahead?”
Surprised, Seo Harin blankly watched Yihaesol, who was lowering his guard.
“Yihaesol is truly a fearsome guy.”
Jung Haejun nodded as if exasperated.
***
Yuscal’s defeat engulfed the students in tremendous shock. Unlike Eun Soback, Yuscal was a formidable opponent equivalent to a 3rd-year student.
The fact that a 1st-year student defeated such a student caused even the spectators to be shaken. However, Yuscal’s defeat was just the beginning.
In the 1st-year class, there were monsters like ‘Amelia,’ ‘Nicolai,’ ‘Cheon Woojin,’ and other supporting roles who could easily handle 2nd-year students.
Originally, the Grade Battle was a biased event to make the main characters shine.
For the 2nd-year students, it was a dark event, but it was inevitable.
To make the main characters shine, sacrifices were necessary.
“That’s a bit harsh.”
Looking down at the unarmed combat, Eungaye wore a rare grim expression. I scratched my head as well.
In unarmed combat, an unexpected tragedy was unfolding. And the student leading this tragedy was none other than Han Seyeon.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
The 2nd-year senior, wielding a sword, frantically roamed around unarmed combat, dodging here and there.
With dual pistols in her hands, Han Seyeon continuously shot without giving the opponent a chance to approach.
Moreover, since she was using magic as bullets, there seemed to be no worry about running out of ammunition.
“Who said a sword is superior to guns?”
I muttered in disbelief.
It seemed quite unreasonable to apply the common sense of Eternity, which stated that a sword was overwhelmingly advantageous over a gun in a one-on-one duel.
An unknown senior from the second year, who hadn’t even wielded a sword properly, spent the entire time running away aimlessly, only to end up as a sacrifice to a magical bullet.
Although the senior, who had fainted, was carried off the stage with a bitter expression, the audience erupted into more enthusiastic cheers than usual.
It was all because of Han Seyeon, a beautiful lady whose eyes sparkled at the peculiar weapon known as the “twin pistols,” causing young students to go wild.
Even though the seniors who left with the carried off seemed overly excited, they appeared somewhat problematic…
Anyway, after Han Seyeon’s match, the following match was even crazier.
It was a showdown between Austin and Cheon Woojin, the top two second-year students.
Due to my interference, Cheon Woojin, who had been filling up on confidence facing Yuska in the original, ended up facing a much tougher opponent.
“What level is this?”
The match between the two, where swords and fists clashed, destroying everything but themselves, was enough to make the spectators’ blood boil.
“But isn’t his arm broken?”
I was astounded by Cheon Woojin’s relentless swordplay, even with his wrist shattered by Austin’s punch.
Kwaang!
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. The arena shook as if it had encountered an earthquake.
“What, what’s happening?!”
“Did an accident occur somewhere?”
“Should we evacuate?”
As the arena trembled, bewildered students murmured.
Soon after, an Eternity official who appeared to be a security guard showed up in the arena and leaped onto the stands.
Although it seemed like he was having a serious conversation with an instructor, their distance was too far for their voices to be heard.
Yet, I could figure out the situation.
“…It’s a terrorist attack.”
[A group terrorist attack has occurred at Eternity Academy.]
[Warning: Casualties are expected.]
[Target: Amelia Romano]
The notification of the terrorist attack appeared on the status screen.
…It was the beginning of Amelia’s imminent death.