Chapter 369

The clash of auras demands precise and sharp judgments at every moment.

Due to not considering a counter, a slight deviation in the trajectory of the sword, and being fooled by the opponent’s feint, one can end up losing in vain.

However, if one side is a mage, there is a necessity to design the situation more strategically rather than getting fixated on detailed movements.

Emika made every effort to create an opening for Cecilia.

[Cast: Adele]

Emika prioritized draining Cecilia’s stamina.

The unique magic honed through countless training was cast in the blink of an eye.

She thrust her sword into the center of the magic circle at an incredible speed,

Whiiing-!

The engraved gears spun and flew towards Cecilia.

Kwaaaang-!

But Cecilia evaded the attack just as swiftly.

A small crater formed where she had been standing.

Emika once again drew the magic circle and prepared for a second volley.

The tense balance, the repeated movements.

Someone had to break the mold through variation.

Cecilia, circling around Emika, suddenly stopped her steps.

Embracing a complicated-looking mechanical wand, she whispered the casting words.

[Formation: User Coordinate System Fixed]

[Cast: Drag Coefficient Adjustment]

A sharp barrier was created in front, led by a simple formation generator.

Emika had finally agreed to the close-quarters battle she so desired.

Cecilia charged towards Emika even faster without losing her speed.

[Cast: Arc Discharge]

[Cast: Sonic Boom]

The atmosphere of the stadium grew more intense.

Triple casting, evaluated to have reached the divine realm.

A lightning storm surged along the conical wave of magical power.

Swords cannot cut water, and air and lightning even less so.

As Cecilia approached Emika with a sinister smile, she seemed convinced of her victory.

She gently let go of the wand she had been tightly gripping, slipping away like a squirrel.

Enormous energy condensed and was released all at once.

[Unique Magic: Manubia Raplesia]

Kwaaaang-!

The ends of the drill-shaped barrier opened up, blooming a flower of electric current.

Sparks erupted wildly where the hurled wand passed.

Cecilia directly contradicted the public’s prejudice that only reaching the quarterfinals at the age of 13 was to be appreciated.

– No way, pushing Katsuhata this hard?

– Is she a top-tier supporting actor again this year following last year?

– This is insane!

– Triple casting at 13, unique magic, shapeshifting; achieving any one of them would qualify her as a genius, yet she does all three…

– If she turns it around from here, it will be an unprecedented turn of events, hahaha.

– Jeongbae, enjoy your meal~ Jeongbae, enjoy your meal~

“It’s not over yet.”

I glared at the scoreboard and said.

[Quarterfinals Match 60]

[Katsuhata Emika] [87% | 11% (⚠️Unrecoverable)]

[Cecilia Nicole de Saampaio] [35% | 31%]

– Oh, just narrowly safe…!

– Hahaha, this is like being on the goal line in soccer.

– This is life.

– Not taking any water damage in the meantime, the microparticle barrier looks solid, haha.

– Even with just 1% damage, it’s over. She’s essentially lost.

– How are you going to turn this around!

– Oh, the Japanese are making a fuss, how amusing. Haha.

The public that had predicted a smooth victory for Katsuhata Emika was abruptly overturned.

Cecilia cornered her to the brink, and the unpredictable unique magic played a significant role.

“Emika seemed to think about cutting the magic with her sword. Whether by chance or prediction, the unique magic cast by Cecilia was an outwardly focused type, and Emika suffered an irreversible loss.”

– This is the quarterfinals; my heart is pounding.

– Both casting speeds are inhuman.

– GG.

– It’s ridiculous how the drill spreads suddenly right before your eyes.

– Who would have thought this young dark horse would beat Emika?

“It has become extremely disadvantageous, but the outcome is still uncertain. Cecilia lost her wand due to the last attack and suffered considerable backlash. In contrast, Emika can pull out as many spare lightsabers as she needs. Time left is 4 minutes and 51 seconds. Now, Emika has taken the attacking position while Cecilia is in defense.”

Emika stood up, once again casting the Horn of the Demon Lord.

It seemed she was trying to squeeze her aura to the limit.

Her expression showed little change, but the trembling of her hands betrayed her panic.

“Cecilia has canceled the Horn of the Demon Lord. It appears she has exhausted her mana. Is it a slow play? That can’t be; if she had mana left, she would have also brought her wand. Casting one more time at the most… Oh, Emika has made a decision.”

The stadium, packed with Japanese spectators, fell silent.

It could be due to sensing defeat, or perhaps they were holding onto a thread of hope for a comeback.

Carrying this heavy pressure, Emika stepped forward.

[Easy Cast: Horn of the Demon Lord]

[External Manifestation: Tip]

A lightsaber, identical in shape to the legendary sword destroyed long ago, was summoned into her hand.

The familiar sword would provide mental and physical stability.

The practice sword being the original, the end was blunt, but as a lightsaber, that meant nothing.

A sword filled with ideology and will burns and cuts everything it touches.

Shwaaaah-

It was time to let instinct take over rather than rational thought and push forward.

The years and experiences of relentless practice guided her.

Pababababat-!

Cecilia concentrated her aura on her arm to minimize damage to the barrier.

Even so, slowly, very slowly, the barrier began to wear away.

[34% | 30%]

[33% | 29%]

– Time is running out.

– If she is planning a tortoise strategy, she won’t break through.

– The speed of the sword is incredibly fast; I can barely follow it with my eyes.

– I feel the desperation, yet at the same time, it’s heartbreaking.

– She fell so uselessly last year; how much does she want to win this year?

The significance and reasoning behind the exchange of blows overflow in every moment.

Words can no longer keep up with the movements.

Having given up on commentary, I began to silently watch, hugging my blanket-covered knees.

‘How can Emika win from here? Is there a weakness in Cecilia that we are unaware of?’

Just then, as I bit my nails in contemplation,

Clang-!

Cecilia needlessly offered a lower attack that she could have dodged with enough distance.

The barrier peeled away near her calf, and a new barrier filled the spot.

‘Why isn’t she dodging that?’

No matter how much I frowned and pondered, there was no reason for Cecilia not to dodge that.

Finally, the camera, which had been focused solely on Emika, captured Cecilia’s face.

Her pupils were dilated wide enough that her irises were barely visible.

Moreover, her focus was only on Emika’s shoulders, arms, and torso.

‘Her eyes have glazed over… She doesn’t even realize her lower body is being attacked!’

A symptom experienced when adrenaline is excessively released.

Some may refer to it as being in a state of hyper-focus, but in a duel where multiple variables must be considered, it should never happen.

Thinking back, Cecilia only entered professional dueling after graduating college two years ago.

Thus, she must be overwhelmingly lacking in practical experience compared to other participants.

Caught in the obsession of not being able to let the momentum slip away, she fell into a self-sabotaging situation.

“If things go well, no rather, it seems very likely that Emika will win.”

As I muttered to myself, the audience collectively cast question mark hooks.

– I don’t see any chances for a comeback!

– The momentum is good, but too many barriers remain.

– There are still 20% left with 2 minutes remaining.

– Her dynamic vision must be incredible; she hasn’t allowed a single crucial strike.

– At this rate, Emika might cramp first.

– Countdown to Japan’s downfall: 100… 99…

“Cecilia is not blocking her lower body now. As you can see, she’s not blocking any attacks coming below her knees. If Emika continues to maintain this rhythm, alternating between upper and lower strikes, a gap will surely appear, and that’s when she should strike.”

The initiative and rhythm of the attack have been stolen.

You wouldn’t know how significant this crisis is unless you were directly involved in the match.

Cecilia must feel like she’s fending off blades flying at her from the pitch blackness.

– Eh? Hasn’t she been blocking well from earlier?

– No, no, if you look closely, the barriers are continuously restoring.

– Really? Why isn’t she blocking?

– Not blocking lower strikes? Why?

– How did you catch that, Unspecified?

The lightsaber awkwardly caught at the tip of her knee.

Not blocking, and not merely taking the hit, the girl crumpled in a clumsy posture.

Emika didn’t miss the opportunity and penetrated the gap.

Chizizizik-!

A powerful strike sliced through her side.

Awakened by the shock, Cecilia finally tried to push her away with magic.

[Cast: Coefficient of Friction Adjustment]

This kind of grappling wouldn’t work in the latter part of the match, even if it had been in the early stages.

Standing gracefully on a slippery icy surface, Emika prepared for the final blow.

In that moment, another twist of fate occurred.

“Hahaha, my aura heart has been a little blessed, you little rascal!”

“…!”

Cecilia’s exhilaration echoed loudly in the stadium.

She flicked her serpent-like tongue over her lips and uttered the casting words.

“Delayed Casting! Glacis Ion Trap!”

In her excitement, she managed to catch both of Emika’s wrists.

The cold air seeping from the magic circle froze their hands solid.

Seeing the quieted environment, the relay drone flew close and captured their voices.

“Let’s just stay still like this for exactly one minute?”

“C-C! Hwaah!”

“When did my barriers wear down so much? I was surprised when I checked for a moment!”

“Let go of this!”

“Hehe, just wait a little. I’ll definitely win this so that it won’t be embarrassing when you fall in the quarterfinals.”

“When did you set up this magic?”

“Right after the match started? I had a feeling we’d have a close battle until the time out, you know. Just a gut feeling!”

Delayed casting consumes relatively less mana.

This is because the mana required to construct the magic circle was supplied earlier.

Combined with her exceptionally high mana recovery rate, the momentum tilted towards Cecilia.

– Ah, it’s over.

– She’s truly a brilliant genius!

– Saampaio is a monster, no joke…

– She fought for 30 minutes with the Italian last match, and now this? Does she have any stamina left?

– Is this the awe of the number one in the great generation of Switzerland?

– Ah, mention of that is prohibited in this room.

– With that level of intuition, it would be tough even for Unspecified.

– Not only is her intellect admirable, but she perfectly grasps the other person’s tendencies.

What? You think I would struggle too?

Such nonsense should be kept in check.

This room is too harsh on me.

I smiled wryly, crossing my arms.

“Thank you for your efforts. Though it was full of ups and downs, Emika won this match.”

– ???

– Eh? Barriers at 10.1% to 12.3%?

– Accept the result, Unspecified!

– What are you looking at…

Cecilia’s chatter was unending.

“At the end, when Katsuhata was pushing hard, I thought my heart might explode. Who would have thought that boring NASA combat simulation would help in a moment like this? There’s truly nothing useless in this world!”

“You’ll learn now. That incessantly chattering language is pointless.”

“Hmm?”

Emika lowered her head.

Still rotating, the Horn of the Demon Lord magic circle.

“Haaah.”

Emika opened her mouth wide.

Cecilia mistakenly thought that as long as her hands were bound, Emika wouldn’t be able to use her external manifestation or magic.

Emika’s bluff worked perfectly.

Countdown: 5 seconds.

In a desperate situation, Emika calmly drew the magic circle with the Horn of the Demon Lord.

Cecilia, belatedly sensing danger, tried to dispel the magic circle, but Emika’s casting speed was far faster.

A red light flickered from Emika’s mouth.

I watched that scene with delight, conveying to the viewers the identity of the magic.

“Unique Magic, Lingering Tongue Blade.”

Having trained for a solid month, it was enough time to generate at least one unique magic together.

I always knew that one day I would use that in real combat.

How many men are there who would subdue the wrist first and lean in when the opponent is female.

* * *

[Unique Magic: Lingering Tongue Blade]

Jiiiiing-

The lightsaber that shot out rapidly from Emika’s mouth struck Cecilia squarely in the center of her forehead.

Clang-!

The clear sound of the mana barrier shattering resonated gently.

Taken aback by the unexpected strike, Cecilia was pushed back about five steps and fell on her rear.

“Ugh, my head…”

Hot winds from July flowed through the gap of the broken barrier.

Once she felt this, Cecilia realized her defeat.

“No way, did I lose?”

With a dumbfounded expression, she could only watch Emika.

And the ultimate victor of the quarterfinals was wrestling with a somewhat faulty unique magic.

“Ugh, ah, ck! The sword got caught in my neck… huff! My lips hurt!”

[Quarterfinals Match 60]

[WIN: Katsuhata Emika (Japan)] [77% | 10% (⚠️Unrecoverable)]

[LOSE: Cecilia Nicole de Saampaio (Brazil)] [12% | 7% (☠️Total Destruction)]