“Both Rayde and Cain have made names for themselves in this academy for being exceptionally skilled! I suspect there are plenty of people who think this match might as well be the grand finals!”
“Cain in particular is a crowd favorite, considering he won the battle expo last year. And if memory serves, he did it without getting a single scratch on him throughout. We’ll see if he can manage the same this year.”
“And if his track record is anything to go by, he might do just that! After all, he’s been here since the junior division, and nobody’s ever seen him lose! It feels like he’s on a different level compared to everyone else! He’s so dominant that there’s a certain appeal in just seeing him keep his streak going, but as a commentator, I’m hoping for a close match! Rayde, show him what you’ve got!”
“Hey, come on, what happened to neutral commentary? You can’t start taking sides.”
Both the play-by-play guy and the analyst were fired up for the match, and it showed in their commentary. Rayde tuned them out as he quickly scanned the spectator seats and found Sain watching him with an intent gaze. His attendant, Melia, was understandably absent — she had to be waiting at another arena for her own match — but Alicia and Marni seemed to have followed her there as well.
It sucks that Marni isn’t here... but maybe it’s better this way. Lets me focus better.
He revisited his memories of the field exercises last month. That day, he’d tasted something he hadn’t in a long time — defeat. And it had been at the hands of someone in the same year. Granted, he’d let his guard down a little, and he’d been utterly mesmerized by the magic that the dark elf Marni had unleashed. The latter factor in particular was a tad embarrassing for a fighter of his caliber, but it had undoubtedly contributed to his loss. His father was a central figure in his family, and his influence had resulted in Rayde favoring spells designed to be flashy and destructive. Ever since that day, he couldn’t get the image of Marni’s enchanting profile against the moonlit night out of his mind, and his head was filled with thoughts of one day sitting down with her and learning about the dark magic she’d used.
But right now, he needed to focus, because he was up against an opponent who clearly outclassed him. Like the commentators said, Cain Theresia had entered the magic battle expo in his junior year, and he’d gone through the competition like a hot knife through butter. Rayde had participated in that tournament as well, and he’d fought Cain, only to suffer a crushing defeat.
He looked across the arena at his opponent, whose eyes were cold and indifferent. Cain probably saw him as little more than small fry — a mere pebble on his path to victory — but Rayde was going to prove him wrong. He had to. As the eldest son of the Eldis family, losing twice to the same opponent was out of the question. It was a matter of pride and responsibility, both of which bore down on his shoulders with equal, crushing weight.
“Let’s start the countdown!”
A projected screen appeared in the center of the field, and numbers began counting down. Cain was motionless, his gaze sharp and still. Rayde, on the other hand, seemed like he was about to explode. His eyes were bloodshot, and he practically snarled as he fought against the flood of adrenaline pushing his body to act. He tightened his fists and noticed that his palms were coated with a layer of nervous sweat. He dismissed it. There was no shame in getting the jitters. No one would react differently — not when squaring off against Cain.
A palpable tension in the air quieted the crowd. Silence fell over the ring, and the two of them now commanded the unbroken attention of every person in the audience. Gone was the festive atmosphere, replaced by the cutthroat air of mortal combat. Someone gulped. It sounded as loud as a war drum.
“Let the match begin!”
Rayde burst into motion, sprinting at Cain before the commentator even finished his sentence.
“Grund Shot! ” he shouted as the earth underfoot flew into the air and hardened into bullets that shot toward Cain.
Rayde Eldis was strong. That much was clear to even an amateur’s eyes. What wasn’t as obvious, however, was that his greatest weapon was not brute strength but his battle sense. His crude appearance and abrasive manner hid an acute understanding of the dynamics of a fight. The Grund Shot he used right off the bat was meant to put Cain on the defensive. Earth magic like Grund Shot wasn’t as speedy as something like Sain’s Dark Ray , but it had a large area of effect, making it difficult to evade entirely.
Cain didn’t evade it. He simply held out his right hand and spoke one soft word.
“Lighto .”
Large spheres of light flew through the earthen missiles and erased them from existence.
“Wha—?!”
Rayde stopped in his tracks and stared at the empty air where his spell had been a moment before. Lighto was beginner-level light magic. It was supposed to be a weak, fragile spell, entirely unsuited to combat. Instead, it had swallowed his own magic whole. With a snarl, he produced a sword from the soil using Alchemia and attempted to bring the fight to Cain, only to be forced back when the cluster of light spheres — undamaged by having passed through his spell — kept coming and threatened to slam into his face.