[245] 6. Clash of Magic (5)
"I won't let this slide! I don't care about duels anymore!"
Closer gave up on magic and charged. In a brawl, there was no way he'd lose to Iruki, right? But that very thought was proof he'd lost his head.
The moment Closer threw his fist, an explosion equivalent to ten kilobusters detonated. His mental gauge plummeted and his knees hit the ground. If his synchronization rate hadn't been fifty percent, he'd have died on the spot.
Closer stared up at Iruki in a daze. A straight right immediately flew in and smashed his nose. Even the slightest touch now sent pain through him.
Tears welled in Closer's eyes.
"Waaaargh!"
"All right, shall I make an orc now?"
Rubbing his knuckles, Iruki spoke, and Closer snapped back to his senses and raised his hands.
"W-wait! I admit it! I lost—!"
Iruki's punch crushed his nose. Closer's heavy torso snapped back and the back of his head struck the ground.
Iruki grimaced and shook his hand. Clearly, not just anyone could throw a proper punch.
"Oof, that's a punch."
When Ethella declared the victor, the students erupted in cheers as if they'd been waiting for it.
Mark and Maria were especially ecstatic. Seeing the loathsome Closer utterly smashed felt like a weight had been lifted.
'Amazing. Shirone-senpai's friends are amazing too.'
Iruki was undeniably an impressive senior, but Shirone had never truly respected him. He'd simply assumed Iruki was one of those geniuses blessed by biological privilege—a common prodigy with a servant-complex.
But that had changed. Iruki's skill in toying with a kingdom-recognized Closer could not be dismissed.
Though Iruki wasn't popular at school, he was now drawing the attention of many girls. Apparently Maria was one of those who had long harbored resentment toward Closer.
"You're so cool, Iruki-senpai! You're the best!"
"Yeah! Wow, he's handsome!"
Iruki shrugged and stepped on the unconscious Closer's cheek with his right foot. Then, expressionless, he made a V with his fingers to signal victory.
The cheering died down abruptly. No matter how much one disliked someone, stomping on a loser's head was taking it too far. That eccentric personality would probably never change.
Seriel, who had watched the fight without even breathing, swallowed and asked Amy.
"Shirone and his friends… they said they'd come up next year, right?"
"Yeah. I think they said that."
"Right. I'll have to graduate somehow this year. If all of them move into the graduating class, it'll be a competition from hell."
Seriel was already a solid contender in the graduating class. Her comment couldn't be dismissed as a joke.
In fact, most of the graduating class wasn't laughing.
They were sending wary, guarded glances at the potential rivals who might block their graduations.
'I should be careful too. I felt it before… he's an incredible kid.'
Back in Class Five, Iruki had come to see Shirone once. They'd exchanged a few words, but Shirone had dismissed them as outlandish at the time.
Now, looking back, those absurd claims had apparently been reality for Iruki.
Shirone and Naid ran to Iruki with shocked expressions. Especially Shirone—he couldn't help but accept that the supposed trump card against him might not have been a lie.
Of course, it would be extremely difficult to put a number on everything returned and analyzed, but once the analysis was finished, no mage would want to fight Iruki.
"Iruki, that was amazing. I got goosebumps watching."
"Right. When did you practice that? You kept it secret from us."
"This was actually the first time I used it in a real match. During the break my father had me grind through equations. I thought I'd perform well in real battle, and it turned out to be easier than I expected."
At another time Shirone might have smacked him for bragging, but today he couldn't bring himself to hate Iruki.
With that, the overall score was tied, and their initial goal—sending Shirone to Dante—had been achieved.
While Sabina roused the unconscious Closer, Dante walked over. But he didn't speak to Shirone—he addressed Iruki instead.
"Good match. Cancellation. Impressive."
"You can't say that already. Your duel's going to be even more impressive."
Dante snorted. Cancellation was a pinnacle even professionals found impossible. In the end, first place in Advanced Class wasn't Boil or Shirone—it was Iruki.
"I thought it was over when you left the Royal School of Magic, but talent doesn't die, huh. That's even more frustrating. It would've been a better match if I'd faced you instead."
He spoke as if Shirone didn't matter at all. In truth, he thought a rematch with Iruki might boost the spectacle.
"I get what you mean. But that kind of complacency won't beat Shirone."
"Ha! Me? This country bumpkin? You should know my level. That will never happen."
"Do you know why I left Vashka? Because I thought there was no one there who could stop me."
Dante's expression hardened. It was an insult not only to him but to the entire Royal School of Magic.
"Maybe that wasn't true now, but at the time I believed it. I thought there was no one who could control the dangerous stuff in my head."
"So? Are there people here who can?"
"I met two. One turned me down, but one accepted. That one is Shirone. Whatever impression you have, if you think this is all there is to him, you'll taste the worst feeling next week."
Dante turned his gaze to Shirone. Why did everyone rate this kid so highly?
At first Dante had assumed it was just because Shirone was an unlocker. But a genius capable of Cancellation wouldn't judge by such crude standards.
The students listening to the two murmured among themselves.
It had already been revealed in last semester's Speed Gun test that Shirone could stop Iruki's rampage. But Iruki had said he'd met two people.
"Who on earth is the other one?"
"Couldn't it be Senior Amy? There were rumors before that Iruki was targeting Senior Amy."
Other names were tossed around, but unless Iruki revealed them, no one knew for sure.
In any case, the second duel concluded with Iruki's complete victory.
The students heading back to the dorms had fluttering hearts. Next week would bring the highlight of the big matches: Shirone versus Dante.
In their hearts they rooted for Shirone, but objectively they had to give the nod to Dante.
A dazzling record—472 wins in 472 matches. Next week seemed like it would crawl.
@
The day everyone had been counting down to finally arrived.
From morning the school buzzed with the arrival of new guests.
Students tidied their rooms, bathed, and dressed in their finest clothes.
Kilrain, the special correspondent from the Faculty Council, entered Alpheas School of Magic accompanied by a video archivist. Seeing students already gathered in Practice Hall 2000, a smile tugged at her lips.
'Even a provincial school can't escape Dante's reputation. It's still hours until it starts.'
Kilrain cut between Mark and Maria waiting in line and slipped into the hall.
"Excuse me. I'm a correspondent. I'll go in first."
Maria looked at her with fascinated eyes.
"Wow, that's Kilrain. I'd only heard her name in journals—she's prettier than I expected."
"Hmph. But I heard she's a hardcore Dante supporter. She might as well be an enemy."
As the match time approached, the hall opened. Shirone and his friends waited at the entrance and then entered.
Despite being an unofficial duel, the stage was lavishly decorated. The rumor that an event company had been hired last night seemed true.
The sleek physical blocks were spotless, and torches had even been set out to create atmosphere.
A video recorder had been installed where the entire practice hall could be seen. Unlike an optical camera that captures a single instant, this device could record the flow of time.
According to Naid, the optical crystals used in the recorder were Obscura B, which were 200 times more expensive than the Obscura A used in optical cameras.
They said these minerals formed in ultra-low-temperature dark chambers and couldn't be synthesized by alchemy, making them extremely valuable.
Because of that, Obscura B was handled by the state, and its use required approval from the relevant agencies.
"In short, the kingdom decided this duel was worth recording. If you win, your name will spread across the entire kingdom."
While Naid spoke as if it were his own concern, Iruki coldly faced reality.
"They probably approved it to record Dante, not Shirone. Few mages handle information magic like Dante. They'll likely use his match as teaching material for the Royal School."
"Tch! Whatever. It doesn't matter, right? Shirone will win anyway. Right, Shirone?"
Shirone wanted to smile, but his mouth wouldn't lift far. Soon he would face Dante. He was determined to do his best, but he couldn't be sure of the result.
On the way he met Canis and Arin. Though they habitually claimed not to care, they seemed interested in today's duel.
The front seats of Hall 2000 were reserved for teachers and officials, so Mark and Maria took the second row. Amy and Seriel had already claimed seats early on.
When Shirone walked up, Mark bowed.
"Good day, senior!"
"Shirone! Shirone's here!"
Seriel, like an eager dog greeting its master, grabbed Shirone's hand and led him over while Amy examined his face. He wasn't nervous, but he didn't look relaxed either.
Canis, who followed Shirone, raised a hand at Amy. Since returning from heaven they'd both been busy, so even if they'd acknowledged each other in passing, this was the first time they'd been in the same place for any length of time.
"Hey, Pumpkin. Long time no see."
"Where did you learn to call graduates 'senior'? Aren't you supposed to call me senior?"
The two, who'd been at odds even in heaven, were the same at school.
"Don't be so stingy. If you do that, do I have to call Arin 'senior' too?"
Arin actually didn't know how to respond.
"Of course Arin's an exception! You keep trying to link yourself with Arin, but that won't work with me!"
Shirone stepped in to mediate.
"Now, now. It'd be nice if you all got along. But why do you always end up fighting whenever you meet?"
Canis and Amy pointed fingers at each other and shouted.
Shirone forgot the duel's tension and laughed. The bad blood dated back to when the arcane intruded on the school; maintaining friendships without grudges was no small feat.
Mark and Maria, far younger juniors, couldn't join the conversation and watched from a distance.
Seeing them all gathered, Shirone's circle looked like one of the school's top groups. To Mark, the seven of them seemed like a walking legion.
At that moment, another legion—Dante and his group—approached from across the hall.
Mark, glaring at them, stifled a laugh. Their initial swagger when they first transferred had noticeably faded.
Sabina looked somewhat deflated, and Closer had bandages plastered across his face.
'Heh. Serves you right, idiots. I told you not to mess with Shirone's group.'
Dante's eyes fixed on Amy first. It wasn't conscious; she simply stood out. She didn't glow, but she seemed the clearest presence in the room.
The red-eyed Karmis family. Before entering the graduating class, she'd overwhelmingly beaten Boil and Pandora for first place. If anyone here deserved to be queen, she was the one.
"Hello. I've long heard of the Karmis family's reputation. I'm Aerhain Dante."
"Yes. Do your best—I hope you get a good result."