Book Eater

Chapter 36: Tournament Finals (4)

I want to win against this person! I want to be friends with this person!

For the first time in her life, she was feeling joy and enthusiasm. How long had it been since she had last felt like magic was fun?

The moment her emotions exploded within her, Sylvia’s stagnant circles started to rotate. The final bricks of the 5th Circle’s wall fell away, and she took a bold step forward.

Wuooooong!

The entire stadium trembled as Sylvia released a torrent of magic power. Wind whipped her hair as her magic power erupted in a joyful explosion. It was still too early to call it the 5th Circle, but Sylvia had definitely gone beyond the boundaries of the 4th Circle.

“I want to win!” Her thoughts came out unconsciously. Whether it was due to the boiling magic power or her red cheeks, Sylvia seemed quite different from usual.

Theodore paused at her bold declaration before laughing. “Yes, I also want to win.”

He had always been trying to catch up to someone. When he had been a child, it had been the magicians in his stories. When he entered the academy, it had been his seniors. When he repeated a year, it had been his classmates. He had long gotten tired of running behind others.

So, from now on...

“This is the last one.”

Theo activated Gluttony’s abilities. [Magic Power Amplification] and [Attributes Affinity] triggered in succession, causing Theo’s Circles to revolve as magic power began to accumulate in his body. He still had one trump card left.

Convinced of their victory, Theo and Sylvia drew on everything they had.

Woong, woong, woong, woong!

The stadium started to shake as the magic power radiated from the two contestants in successive waves. This was already beyond the level of mere disciples. Some magicians in the crowd forgot about the barrier protecting the audience and silently started casting their own barrier spells in preparation.

Sylvia was the first to move as she started to float into the air, supported by blue magic power.

Levitation. Is she concerned about a surprise attack from underground? It isn’t a bad decision.

As a 2nd Circle spell, Levitation was nothing special. It simply allowed one to float freely in the air. However, it was a versatile spell when one was facing underground attacks or range attacks. It was a decent countermeasure against Theodore’s earth magic. However, it also created a stationary target for Magic Bullet.

There was no way Sylvia would forget that, so Theo narrowed his eyes as he tried to guess her countermeasure. Blue magic power swirled around her as Sylvia completed a spell in a few scant seconds.

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“... Ice Shield?” Theo murmured.

It was a bit too large to be called a shield, and it wasn’t translucent enough to see through. This might have been the shield she used to block the Double Blaze Shells. Six shields formed a perfect hexahedron around Sylvia, blocking her from view. Indeed, it was a carefully thought out countermeasure.

There is no way to penetrate that shield with a clumsy Magic Bullet. If I can’t see her, I can’t aim precisely. If it misses, I’m wide open for her counterattack.

Should he gamble on Magic Bullet or accept a frontal confrontation? Sylvia had left the decision to him. She probably had spells ready for a head on confrontation, but could she break the spell Theodore was envisioning? The entire battle hinged on this exchange. The one who had the better trump card would win.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Theo accepted her challenge.

He would use the strongest magic possible with the attribute he had the highest affinity in. Both of them had excellent offense and defense, but he was willing to bet that his two trump cards wouldn’t lose to her ice magic. He still had two Blaze Shells in his Memorize slots, and two more open slots.

“Giant of the earth, I command you to throw the stones…”

He started the chant for the 4th Circle spell, Catapult. After finishing the five measure long chant, he gathered the magic power and pushed it into a Memorize slot. He then quickly stored another Catapult in his last slot.

With this, his preparations were complete.

Sorry to trouble you.

[Hoooung...]

Theo reached out to the exhausted Mitra and waited for Sylvia’s ice shield to expire. It was meaningless to attack when the shield would naturally fall away. He could also tell from the rising magic power that his opponent’s preparations were almost over as well.

“Amazing.”

Ice started to form on the cracked floor of the stadium. This was a phenomenon that was only ever seen with ice magic above the 5th Circle.

Any human caught within the chill would die instantly. Although water magic was inferior to fire magic in killing ability, no one had ever dared to claim it didn’t have killing ability.

However, Theo didn’t back down and faced the cold. As the edges of his robe started to freeze, the ice shield melted to reveal Sylvia. The temperature in the stadium fell even more rapidly.

“Master of the cold, Ymir. Show your strength to those who dare to ask for it...!”

Theo recognized the simplified chant for the 7th Circle spell that could bring winter down on an entire forest. Sylvia had clearly modified the magic formula for her own use. While it could not reach the level of the 7th Circle, it was still far beyond a normal 4th Circle spell!

Blizzard...

.

A murderous blizzard started building up inside the stadium.

Let’s go, Mitra!

Theodore also fired the spells he had prepared.

Memorize. All Slots Open. Double Blaze Shell. Double Catapult.

Four 4th Circle magic spells were triggered at once, but two fireballs and two stones couldn’t possibly resist the might of Blizzard.

As Sylvia called the fearsome Blizzard into existence, Theo felt his skin beginning to freeze. He needed to act before the damage absorbed would cause the crystal to break.

He spoke clearly. “Fusion Magic.”

Theo imagined the greatest disaster that Earth could produce. Early humans believed it to be the manifestation of God’s wrath, and cowered in fear at its coming. Orange light peeked out from between the cracked stones as magma sizzled, and a molten rock fell from the sky.

“Volcanic Shell!”

It wasn’t just a stone covered in fire. The combination of the most destructive attribute and the most durable attribute created an attack that mimicked the pressure and violence of an actual volcanic eruption.

Kuooooh!

The two Volcanic Shells cut through the Blizzard’s outer layers like a knife through butter. As the two Volcanic Shells collided with the howling nucleus of Blizzard, the resulting explosion blinded and deafened every spectator in the stands.

RUMBLE! BANG!

Ash twirled lazily through the air between wisps of steam. Theo had been forced to trigger a blessing in order to withstand the shockwave. All of his magic power was consumed, and he could only hold his last crystal with trembling hands.

My limit… This fight... isn’t over...

If Sylvia walked out, then it was over. Theo was physically and mentally exhausted, but he was too anxious to let himself relax. Theodore couldn’t use Hawkeye anymore, so he had to wait until the dust sank down gradually.

Damn.

He could see a blurry Sylvia slowly walking toward him.

“... You, what’s your name?”

Sylvia admitted she didn’t know his name, but Theo couldn’t help smiling. He parted his dry lips. “Theodore Miller.”

“Can I call you Theo?”

Do whatever you want.

His vision was fading. Everything sounded like nonsense right now.

“Then Theo, let’s play again next time...”

He heard the thump of a falling body, and then the sound of a crystal shattering. It sounded so far away...

“... Huh?”

Theo glanced down blearily at the crystal in his hands. It didn’t even have a single crack in it, so where did that sound come from? Was it a hallucination?

Theo looked up and stared at silver hair that was splayed across the ground. If she was down there, who was standing?

- The winner of the Pupil Tournament has been decided!

The host’s loud announcement echoed through the stadium and into Theo’s ears.

- The winner of this tournament is Participant Number 132, the disciple of the Red Magic Tower’s Superior ranked Vince Haidel! Theodore Miller!

“Whhhhhooo!” The audience cheered and clapped.

No one could contain their excitement and admiration for the fierce battle that they had just witnessed. It was the re-enactment of the oldest of rivalries, as fire and ice competed for dominance. That last clash had been especially spectacular. Perhaps not even two Average ranked magicians could perform such feats.

As the two mentors looked at each other with satisfied expressions, Theo crumpled to the ground as his legs finally gave out. It was a comical finish to a breathtaking battle.

***

“She was a formidable opponent,” Vince said as he wrapped a bandage around Theo’s swollen forearm.

A healing potion was applied to the wound, but it would still throb for three or four more days. Theo nodded as he checked the bandages. “She was tremendous. Truly a genius.”

In fact, Theo knew that he couldn’t have replicated what Sylvia had done during their battle. He would never be able to imitate his opponent so naturally even if he grasped the concept they were using. The speed at which she had grasped theoretical concepts and immediately applied them in practical contexts was nothing short of monstrous. Furthermore, her learning ability wasn’t at all inferior to Theo’s. He’d gone through an intensive training program in the last two or three months and had barely won the match. Above all, Theo’s body was still too weak to display all of Alfred’s experience.

I still have a long way to go...

No matter how much of a fraudulent advantage the grimoire gave him, Theo still needed to focus on his own growth. Theo frowned absentmindedly. Memorize was useful, but he shouldn’t become dependent on it. He needed to train Magic Bullet further.

Vince saw Theodore’s frown and tapped his shoulder. “Well, how about you admire your victory instead of her genius today?”

Theo’s brows relaxed. “Even if you say so… I still can’t believe it.”

Vince snorted. “It’s all about winning. Now, can you get up?”

Theo wanted to fall asleep, but he forced himself to his feet. The awards ceremony would be held shortly after the Pupil Tournament ended. It was a meaningful event he couldn’t miss, even if he had a severe injury.

His right forearm was a bit sore, but fortunately, it didn’t stop him from moving. Vince handed him a robe and asked, “You haven’t worn a robe before, right? I’ll help you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“First of all, put your arm here...”

Vince guided Theo on how to wear the robe, transforming Theo into a wealthy nobleman. The robe was made of a luxurious black fabric, and Theo looked impressive in it. It gave him a bit of a noble’s air.

Vince nodded appreciatively. “Hrmm, now you look like a gentleman.”

Theo adjusted his collar. “Something feels a bit awkward...”

Vince patted his shoulder. “It can’t be helped since the robe isn’t tailored to you. Just wear it until the end of the awards ceremony. You’re allowed to participate wearing your original clothes.”

“Eh? Then why did you borrow this robe?”

Vince tapped his red robe with a grin. “I heard His Majesty will be appearing at the awards ceremony. So, shouldn’t I prepare the basics?”