After the spectacle Kenji had created Intervening in Luck's fight, the examination resumed its steady pace. Fights came and went with varying degrees of impressiveness—some brutal, some technical, and some simply one-sided affairs that ended before they truly began.
Magna had emerged victorious from a tough brawl against another commoner, his fire magic ultimately overwhelming his opponent's earth defenses. Klaus had dispatched a minor noble with clinical efficiency, his steel magic cutting through his opponent's water constructs like they were made of paper. Sol had crushed her opposition quite literally, burying the unfortunate girl under a mountain of earth that required three people to dig her out afterward.
The fights ticked by one after another, and Kenji remained leaning against his pillar, still without a partner.
It was an ironic situation, really. After his display in the first fight—subduing Luck, who most examinees had already pegged as a monster—people were actively avoiding him. They'd seen what he could do, and nobody wanted to look incompetent in front of the captains by getting demolished in seconds.
So Kenji waited, hands in pockets, not particularly stressed about the situation. Eventually someone would need a partner, and he'd get his turn. It was just a matter of time.
He was proven right when he spotted a boy making his way through the thinning crowd of examinees, heading directly toward him. The approaching figure wore modest clothing—neither expensive enough to suggest nobility nor cheap enough to mark him as desperately poor. His brown hair was neatly kept, and a dark silver grimoire hung at his side.
Kenji gave a small nod of acknowledgment as the boy drew near.
The boy hesitated slightly before speaking. "Hi, my name's Ash. From Kikka. Nice to meet you."
"Name's Kenji. Nice to meet you as well."
Silence stretched between them as Ash seemed uncertain how to continue. The awkwardness began to grow uncomfortable, and Kenji, getting impatient, said in a slightly forced tone, "Was there something I can help you with?"
He already had a pretty good idea what this was about.
"Oh, right. Uh, haha." Ash rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was wondering if you had a partner for the fights yet?"
"Nope, not yet. Seems people have been avoiding me. How about you?"
Ash shook his head. "Not yet either. Want to be partners since we both haven't found one yet?"
Internally, his thoughts were more calculating: If I can beat him, I'll impress all the captains and be guaranteed a spot.His expression hardened with determination.
"Yeah, sure, I'm down," Kenji replied easily. "Let's go tell the proctors. I think the exam's almost over—don't want to miss our chance."
He started walking toward the registration area. Ash remained lost in thought for a moment before hastily following to catch up.
They walked around the outer edge of the pit where another fight was currently in progress. In the background, they heard the shout of a proctor announcing yet another winner.
At the desk, two Magic Knights sat surrounded by scattered papers and forms. Kenji drew their attention with a casual wave. "Hey, can the two of us sign up as partners? It's not too late, is it?"
One of the knights looked up, glancing at a sheet that was nearly full. "Nope, just sign your names here"—he pointed to two columns with names filling most of the available spaces—"and wait for your names to be called."
"Thanks."
Both boys signed quickly and moved away to wait. Kenji found another wall to lean against while Ash stood nearby, still mostly silent.
After a moment, Kenji's curiosity got the better of him. "So what made you want to fight me?"
Ash looked over, seeming to force himself to calm his nerves before shrugging with affected casualness. "Well, you drew a lot of attention during the exam. Thought I'd ride that wave and gain something from it."
Kenji laughed. "Haha, straightforward, aren't you?"
Ash shrugged again, maintaining his composure. "No point hiding it. I don't plan on losing, but even if I do, I imagine putting up a good fight will get me some favorable points in the captains' eyes."
"Can't blame you for that. Looking forward to it—this might be fun after all."
After a stretch of silence, Ash asked, "So where are you from?"
"Hage. In the outskirts of the forsaken realm, up north."
That got a reaction. Ash raised an eyebrow, looking Kenji up and down again, reassessing his expensive-looking clothing and confident demeanor. "Huh, really? Wouldn't have guessed that. What's with the outfit? You're dressed like you've got money."
Kenji shrugged. "Comes with my grimoire. Don't ask me why—it just does."
Ash furrowed his brows in confusion, about to probe further, when a loud voice cut through the arena.
"Ash of Kikka and Kenji of Hage, please proceed to the pit!"
Kenji hopped off the wall and started walking forward. "Well, I guess that's us. Good luck." He glanced back with a slight smirk. "You seem like a good guy, so don't worry—I'll give you a chance to show off."
Ash looked both confused and slightly aggrieved as he followed. "Let me show off, huh? How generous," he muttered sarcastically.
As they approached the center of the arena, the colosseum began to buzz with anticipation. Kenji's turn had finally come, and everyone was curious to see what the white-haired examinee with the four-leaf grimoire would actually do in a proper fight.
Up in the captain's viewing area, Yami yawned heavily before speaking. "Looks like it's boy wonder's turn. This should be interesting." Despite his casual tone, he unconsciously leaned forward, his eyes narrowing with focus.
Nozel scoffed audibly, his disdain for Kenji still evident.
The other captains also paid closer attention, their various conversations dying down as the two fighters took their positions.
Randall, the vice-captain of the Crimson Lions, chuckled at Nozel's response. "Why, this boy with the four-leaf grimoire has caused quite the stir. I'm looking forward to this one—maybe we can get a better picture of his magic with this little spar."
He focused back on the arena, where both fighters now stood facing each other across the pit.
The proctor raised his hand, looking between both combatants to ensure they were ready.
"Begin!"
Kenji smiled lazily, one hand already sliding into his pocket. "Well, let's see what you got, Ash."
In response, Ash opened his dark silver grimoire with determination blazing in his eyes. "Well, after what you said, I'm not making the mistake of holding back at the start. Blade Magic: Blade Projection!"
The announcement made Kenji cringe internally—why does everyone insist on shouting their spell names?—but what followed was genuinely impressive.
Over sixty blades of different sizes and shapes materialized from Ash's grimoire, scattering across the entire arena and filling the sky like a metallic constellation. Swords, daggers, spears, axes—each one hovering in place, awaiting their master's command.
Kenji raised an eyebrow, genuinely interested. Oh, this magic is pretty similar to that village chief's from the anime, isn't it?
He was pulled from his musings when several blades suddenly shot toward him at frightening speed, approaching from multiple angles simultaneously.
The first blade came for his head. Kenji tilted his neck to the left, letting it whistle past his ear. Two more followed immediately—he stepped right and ducked low, both weapons passing through empty air where he'd been standing a fraction of a second earlier.
Then twenty blades moved at once, converging on his position from every direction.
Hands still in his pockets, Kenji began to bob and weave through the deadly rain of steel with the casual ease of someone out for an evening stroll. His movements were minimal, economical—each dodge was precisely calculated to avoid the blade by the smallest possible margin.
Up in the viewing area, Charlotte spoke first. "This Ash has great control over these projectiles. This is not easy to do for someone who just received their grimoire. He has potential."
The other captains nodded in agreement.
Randall added with an appreciative chuckle, "Yes, but unfortunately it seems his control isn't affecting this Kenji much. Quite the performance he's putting on." The last part was said with obvious amusement as he watched the boy continue dodging with his hands still casually in his pockets.
Nozel frowned deeply. "The boy has no respect for this examination, acting in such a way."
William's response was measured and thoughtful. "Quite the contrary. I believe he could have ended this fight already if he wanted to. He seems to be giving young Ash a chance to display his talents."
That observation caused several captains to reassess what they were watching with new understanding.
Down in the arena, Kenji continued his leisurely approach toward Ash, slowly but steadily closing the distance despite the continuous barrage of blades.
Ash, growing increasingly frustrated, created even more weapons—doubling, then tripling his output until over a hundred blades of different shapes and sizes filled the air. He sent them all toward Kenji at an even faster pace, trying to overwhelm him through sheer numbers.
Well, I suppose this has gone on long enough, Kenji thought.
He pulled one hand from his pocket and casually grabbed one of the approaching blades mid-flight, plucking it from the air as easily as picking an apple from a tree.
His grimoire opened for the first time in the fight—a thin white tome with four leaves and a large X across the clover symbol.
Snap.
The blade in his hand began to transform, rippling and reshaping itself into a long white sword with an X at the hilt—the same elegant weapon he'd created during the previos test.
Ash frowned, feeling the sudden loss of control over that particular blade as Kenji began running toward him, deflecting the approaching projectiles with quick, efficient sword strikes.
Panicking slightly at the rapid approach, Ash guided all the blades around the arena to converge in front of him, creating a dense wall of steel between himself and his opponent. He needed to keep his distance—close-quarters combat would nullify his advantage.
Snap.
To the spectators' eyes, both fighters suddenly appeared two-dimensionally on the ground, as if the entire battle had been flattened into a painting on the arena floor. They could see Kenji weaving through the blade barrier in this strange flat space, each movement leaving trails of color like brushstrokes.
Snap.
Both fighters returned to normal three-dimensional space, but the rapid changes of scenery had completely disoriented Ash. In that moment of confusion, Kenji wrapped himself in mana and burst forward with enhanced speed.
Ash blinked, and suddenly Kenji was directly in front of him, the white sword's blade pressed gently against his throat.
Kenji smiled warmly. "Well, it was a good fight. You've got some cool magic."
Ash stumbled backward and fell on his rear, breathing heavily as the reality of his defeat sank in.
The proctor's voice rang out across the arena. "Winner: Kenji of Hage!"
Kenji snapped his fingers, and the white sword transformed back into the original blade Ash had created. He stuck it into the ground beside the fallen examinee and walked away without looking back.
Up in the captain's viewing area, reactions were varied and intense.
Yami leaned back with a satisfied grin, smoke curling from his cigarette. "Interesting kid. Very interesting."
Jack's unsettling smile widened. "That magic, I want to see if I can cut through it kekeke"
Charlotte's expression remained neutral, but her eyes showed clear interest. "Impressive control and combat awareness. He would be a valuable addition."
Gueldre nodded eagerly. "Did you see that blade transformation? The versatility alone—"
Nozel remained silent, his frown deepening as he watched Kenji return to his casual position against a pillar, hands already back in his pockets as if nothing significant had happened.
William's mind was working overtime, analyzing everything he'd witnessed. Dimensional manipulation, matter transformation, enhanced physical abilities, and that four-leaf grimoire. He's powerful, but he's also an unknown quantity. Not one of us, not part of the plan. A variable that needs careful monitoring.
Randall laughed heartily. "Well, that settles it! We're definitely going to see some bidding for this one!"
Dorothy, who had been sleeping through most of the fight, opened one eye and smiled mysteriously before drifting back into her dreams, as if she'd seen something in that dimensional shift that no one else had noticed.
The examination was drawing to a close, but the real competition—the selection phase—was only just beginning.
____
Note: my bad guys kinda dragged this arc out a bit, finishing it up in the next chapter. The squad votes were fluctuating between the Black Bulls and Blue Rose so I was giving it time to get new votes before finishing.
Thanks for reading!