It was yet another day of the entrance exam tournament.
Today they were down to the top sixteen, which meant the end was already in sight.
Ash walked to his designated arena where his first fight of the day would take place.
Nothing unusual should have happened it was just a match like any other.
Yet once he stepped into the arena, he was welcomed by someone familiar.
"Ilyana?"
Ash asked her with a surprised expression.
"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised myself."
She replied before she flicked her hair and struck a pose.
"But I've prepared for such an occasion. Don't think for a second that this match will go as easily as the one two days ago."
Then she pointed at her arm.
"Especially now that I know that I'm safe."
"I'm curious how long you can hold on today."
While within the arena all the awkwardness Ash had yesterday was gone, as he spoke confidently.
Hearing Ash's barely hidden confidence, she confidently spoke up.
"Who knows Ash you might just lose today."
Hearing these words leave Ilyana's mouth Ash couldn't help letting a smile form on his face.
"Things have been getting boring anyways, I hope you can truly entertain me."
Both parties were already ready, weapons drawn, all preperations done.
*Bzzt*
The buzzer sounded and almost instantly Ash launched himself at Ilyana at speeds he hadn't yet shown.
Still Ilyana was well prepared not even bothering with her icicle shots.
She instantly erected a wall of ice, before summoning her spirits.
Ash still couldn't figure out what her goal was, so he did just as he did during their last match and shattered the wall with a strong Cleave.
*Boom*
As the ice shattered Ash was ready to move onto Ilyana, but she just wasn't there.
In place of where she should have been were only more walls of ice.
Still, the arena wasn't that large eventually she'd run out of space.
So Ash just kept on slashing through all the obstacles in his way.
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
The Cleaves came repeatedly, in quick succession.
But no matter how many walls he smashed through, more appeared.
It seemed like they were going in cicles around the arena, like a cat and mouse chase.
But then Ash broke one of the walls just like he had been till now and there she was Ilyana in all her splendor.
But rather than panicking or fleeing she just stood there, like he had just played right into her hand.
'Show me your scheme Ilyana.'
That was when Ash could feel that his feet were starting to slip.
He was walking on ice.
'Did she freeze the floor?'
But that was barely enough to stop him, with the belief that he wouldn't fall his Delusion kept him going.
'Too bad that it won't work.'
By now Ash wasn't far from her, but despite the fact he could see.
She was completely calm.
Then out of nowhere, Ash felt it a strong piercing feeling hitting his back.
Then came another and before long it became and endless stream of attacks.
Ash had hit the floor, suffering too much damage to stand up.
'I forgot about the summons!'
Using his willpower and Delusion Ash tried standing up, but Ilyana was already above him.
Then she let out a shot at point blank range, even Delusion wasn't able to help him here.
Ash felt completely defeated, he never thought that the opponent he beat so easily prior would outsmart his so onesidedly.
Still, he refused to give up and using his elevated physical strength and Delusion he rolled away, barely dodging all the other shots that came at him.
"Tsk."
Ilyana displayed her annoyance, before once again retreating behind her walls.
'She's moving like she knows my skill.'
Ash made a quick observation.
From what he could see, her whole strategy revolved around putting him in a situation where he'd need to use Delusion on multiple things and as such be unable to react in time.
Still now he knew her strategy and as such finally had the advantage once more.
Ash was just about to continue with his slashing when he felt a stinging pain go through his whole body.
He has been hurt by the attacks that happened prior.
But this pain also helped Ash come to a realisation.
'I should go for the spirits before I go for Ilyana.'
As such despite knowing which way Ilya had retreated he instead started heading in the opposite direction, hoping to find the spirits.
He smashed through the walls with practiced efficiency, not even needing to use Cleave.
And then he found it, one of the two spirits, just sitting there in the air between the multiple ice walls, just as Ilyana had been prior.
Ash instantly slashed at the spirit destorying it in one clean slash.
Seeing the shattered pieces hit the frozen floor Ash was filled with an instant sense of accomplishment, but then he felt it.
An icicle zoom past his head.
The walls were down again and Ilyana was on the attack, but the attacks missed.
You see Ilyana's assumption was wrong. Delusion wasn't limited to only a singular action, it was just that Ash usually never kept more than one task active at a time, but if he put his mind to it he could do it.
"Found you!"
Ash said out loud and launched at Ilyana without missing a beat, not giving her time to escape.
Then the whole arena lit up once again like it had many times before.
And Ash slashed down at Ilyana with full force.
*Boom*
The air reverberated.
Ash could feel the familiar sensation at the tip of his sword.
It was hard, Ilyana was now unable to fight.
He had won.
*Clap, clap*
The sound of clapping sounded becoming increasingly close.
"Congratulations, this means that you are now in the top eight."
Said calmly the towering Professor Erebus.
"You really like watching me, huh?"
"Well naturally, I expect you will be one of my students and sometimes us professors just take in favorites. I'd say you are my favorite so far."
"Wait... but aren't you supposed to be a professor of magic?"
The professors face displayed amusement upon hearing this.
"I don't see the problem with me being a professor of magic. Besides do you really think magic is so far from what you are doing? Like that skill of yours for example there is no way you could qualify that as anything, but magic."
'Is he talking about Delusion?'
Then Erebus looked at the frozen Ilyana, before slowly walking up to her.
"I suppose we should undo this, it's quite uncomfortable."
He lightly touched her arm and the defensive magic was undone and she was once again able to move.
"I lost."
She announced quite frankly, yet the annoyance on her face was barely hidden.
"I–"
Ash was about to speak up when Erebus talked to her.
"Losing isn't shameful at all, so long as you've learned something this altercation wasn't pointless."
"And also–"
Then he looked at Ash with a confident gaze.
"I suspect this one might win the whole thing... though there is one other good contender."
"A good contender?"
Ash asked curious to hear more.
"You'll find out soon anyways. For now I'd be more concerned with your next match, it might start sooner than later."
Then he just walked out from the arena, waving behind himself, same as he did before.
"He's an odd professor."
Ash remarked, while looking at the man walking away.
"Maybe, but I don't find him that strange. I'd say you are probably stranger."
"Wait... really I'm strange? In what regard?"
Then Ilyana's face flushed with something that said "this is exactly it".
"I'm talking about your inconsistent attitude. How your confidence changes in the span of seconds."
Ash could only look at her confused.
"But I'm always confident."
"Are you really?"
Ash wasn't confident enough to answer her questioning gaze, and thus didn't answer the question.
"Anyways are you fine?"
"Fine?"
Ilyana looked confused by the question.
"I mean mentally, since you lost are you not bothered?"
That was when Ash felt her suddenly kick his side.
"Are you an idiot? Of course I'm upset. What do you want me to do? Say how upset I am? But wait, I thought I already did that?"
"It's just... I don't know."
Then Ilyana stood up and walked past Ash.
"Anyways, see you during the opening ceremony I guess, I doubt we'll see each other before then."
And then she simply left leaving Ash standing alone in the arena.
'She says my attitude is inconsistent, but she seems like a way worse case than me.'
That was when Ash felt it, his sticker flashing. His next match has been found.
...
Walking through the training hall, Ash felt excited to see who his next opponent would be.
If he can expect a fight like the one he just had, he would not be disappointed.
So Ash just walked till he eventually arrived in his designated arena.
Standing there before him was a tall guy seemingly a year or two older than him.
"I'm Chase pleased to meet ya."