That was Sakura's Imaginary Magecraft. It interferes with the space of Imaginary Numbers, summoning entities from the spirit world, transforming them into various offensive means at the caster's will.
At first glance, it reminded Shiomi of the Britannian Moss, but it was different—this was a purer, more direct form of power.
Not attaching a Curse was the correct approach. Not because it would harm Shiomi, but because it would likely be returned in full force.
The claw snapped open suddenly, striking directly toward Shiomi's head. If he took this blow head-on, even he would leave a significant opening. He exerted force at point-blank range. Reinforcement Magecraft granted his body greater strength, forcing Melusine to struggle to maintain her footing. Then, without warning, he released the force.
Losing her balance, Melusine had to roll backward to avoid Sakura's magic.
Boom—! An explosion rocked the shore. As expected, it missed.
After a few rolls, Melusine stabilized herself on one knee, surveying the battlefield. Olga Marie fired Gandr repeatedly, while Shiomi dodged left and right with subtle movements.
"Ugh..." she muttered, a bit embarrassed. Such a minor spell couldn't even cause any interference. Shiomi hadn't counterattacked immediately because Baobhan Sith's Magecraft was already prepared, and he wanted to assess the situation first.
From nothingness, four tornadoes closed in on Shiomi.
"A magic duel, huh..." Shiomi smiled, raising his hand to inscribe a string of Runes. "I'll give it a try too."
Baobhan Sith immediately felt her control over the magic growing strained. Or more accurately, controlling the four tornadoes was becoming difficult. Her father was using the Runes to seize her Magecraft. Once taken, these formed spells would bypass their activation phase, instantly turning into Shiomi's own attacks.
"Runes are the basics!" Olga Marie crossed her arms, with four Rune stones held between each pair of fingers.
With a flick of her hands, she tossed all the stones forward. They were quickly devoured by the tornadoes, shattering within their eyes as magic energy surged outward.
"Huh?" Shiomi was slightly taken aback.
"Better than nothing. I always keep Runes on hand," Olga Marie chuckled smugly.
What truly startled Shiomi, however, was Marie using a Rune to cast Magecraft. She imbued it into the tornado summoned by Baobhan Sith, altering its magical wavelength and temporarily nullifying Shiomi's usurping magic.
It was like in a tug-of-war, when the losing side suddenly disrupts the winning side's footing, causing the momentum to shift. Until the unbalanced party regains their footing, that brief window becomes an opening for counterattack. Even if this window was incredibly fleeting—just a few breaths' worth of time.
"My resolve is firm! My shadow strikes with the sword!"
Seizing the moment, Sakura ignored the howling winds, opened the gate to the Imaginary Numbers space, and summoned the Shadow Soldiers to surround Shiomi.
'Panta Rhei.'
Shiomi's voice, cool yet tinged with amusement, carried through the tornado's dust and sand, reaching the girls' ears.
"Not good!" Baobhan Sith noticed the anomaly, quickly flipping through the grimoire, activating the next spell, "Tidal Surge!"
At that moment, Sakura raised her wand high, summoning thunder from the sky to strike the violent whirlpool of waves Baobhan Sith had conjured.
The seaside battlefield erupted into chaos.
Test personnel monitoring the simulation through familiars and analyzing various conditions reported the situation to Touko, who oversaw the live combat test.
"Magic energy within the barrier is stable! We can continue!"
"Of course. The crucial part of this test hasn't even begun yet. Besides—" Touko pushed her glasses up. "Regardless of how the girls fare, at least he's thoroughly enjoying himself."
"Well, he is picking on the weak," Scáthach shrugged. "My beloved disciple has no scruples whatsoever."
"Since victory isn't the goal, the most important thing is how to get the children to unleash their full power," Morgan remarked. "But with only this many people, they can't possibly defeat my husband..."
Artoria chuckled. "Even in a simulated battle, unless we join the fray ourselves, summoning all the other combatants wouldn't be enough to overcome the current Tenkei."
"The others might want to try entering—"
Skadi noticed Mash, Ritsuka, and Gray running over to Touko to request mid-match entry.
Since Shiomi wouldn't object, he could use this simulation to gauge everyone's strength and prepare more effective strategies.
"In that case, why not have everyone join?" Touko smiled. "We can gather ample data all at once—Da Vinci will be delighted."
She had just approved Gray's request to join the simulation and turned to inform Morgan.
"Hold off on sending those three kids in..." Morgan gestured with his chin. "After the first round of Magecraft duels, Melusine has already switched to aerial combat gear."
Amidst the chaos, Melusine hadn't forgotten the simulation's original objective. She switched to aerial combat gear and began sweeping her weapons down from above, bombarding the area where Shiomi was located.
"Ouch..."
Shiomi carefully dodged Melusine's attacks while mentally assessing the speed.
Purely in flight capability, it was similar to the Valkyries' 'Svanhvít.' However, as the user, Melusine—the incarnation of Albion's left limb—possessed innate prowess surpassing that of Odin's daughters.
Thus, the performance gap was bridged by sheer skill. Melusine demonstrated remarkably adept maneuvering and aerial combat techniques.
Even if Shiomi relied on Magecraft to fly, it would be difficult to match this speed and seize Melusine's opening for a counterattack.
But... enemies in the Lostbelt might not be so straightforward.
Moreover—
"Father, don't forget about us. Simulation battles are one-against-many, you know."
Baobhan Sith sheathed her Spell Tome and charged with a slender warhammer, only to be parried by Shiomi's spear.
"I know. But why do you favor this weapon, exactly..." Shiomi felt like complaining. "Morgan and I are both better with spears. Did I forget to teach you spearmanship?"
"I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps I'm simply more accustomed to this weapon," Baobhan Sith pondered. "Maybe... I knew how to wield this weapon even before I became your daughter."
"Back then..."
Shiomi couldn't quite recall either, since during the Pilgrimage years, Baobhan Sith had mostly followed Morgan rather than serving under him.
"An opening!"
Baobhan Sith swung her hammer gleefully, catching the distracted Shiomi off guard.
"You never learn the good things, but you've mastered the art of distracting your opponent with words."
Shiomi couldn't help but laugh bitterly, realizing he'd inadvertently included himself in his own criticism.
He could tell that in today's mock battle, the four of them were determined to win at all costs.
If they all passed, he could grant them a wish as a reward.
Shiomi silently contemplated this to himself.