Chapter 7: Mock Battle
A/N: Before the chapter starts, I just want to to say that I'll be posting the next chapter tommorow to make up for last week.
—————
-??? PoV-
"Resurrection magic, you say? Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, my lord. The reports are consistent. The student Anos Voldigoad possesses the ability to use resurrection magic."
Two figures, one sat on a throne and the other knelt before it, conversed in a dimly lit chamber. The one on the throne, his features obscured by shadows, leaned forward with intrigue.
"Resurrection magic is something even the Djinns were unable to do. How can a mere mortal, a human at that, be able to use magic that us Asuras aren't capable of?"
"Shall I get rid of the boy, my lord? If his powers are a threat or if he possesses knowledge beyond our understanding, eliminating him would ensure Agrona wouldn't become aware of it."
The figure on the throne remained silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. Finally, he spoke, his voice deep and commanding, "No, do not act hastily. Observe him closely. He might be useful as an asset. If he indeed holds the power of resurrection, it could prove valuable in the future. I want to know more about this anomaly. Monitor his actions, and report back to me regularly. If possible, make him an ally, but if he proves to be a hindrance, dispose of him discreetly."
"As you command, my lord."
The kneeling figure bowed before disappearing in a shadowy mist.
"Anos Voldigoad... Where have I heard that name before...?"
—————
-??? PoV-
"W-What?! Resurrection magic?! Are you sure about this?" A man wearing a dark robe and a plain white mask with two small eyeholes and a smile crudely drawn where the mouth should be paced nervously in a dimly lit room. His piercing gaze fell on the hooded figure sitting at a table.
"Yes, Master Draneeve. Reports from our agents within the academy confirm it. Anos Voldigoad indeed possesses the ability to use resurrection magic," the hooded figure replied, his voice muffled.
Draneeve clenched his fists, a mix of excitement and anxiety washing over him. "This is unprecedented. Even the High Sovereign is unable to revive the dead. How can a mere human boy achieve what the most powerful beings cannot?"
"I do not know how he acquired such a power, Master Draneeve. However, it poses both an opportunity and a threat. Anos Voldigoad's potential is unpredictable, and we must proceed with caution."
"You're right, it could be a valuable asset to our cause, but if he falls into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous. Keep a close eye on him. If the opportunity arises, we must ensure that he aligns with our interests," Draneeve commanded, his eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"As you wish, Master Draneeve. We will continue monitoring Anos Voldigoad's actions and report back to you promptly."
—————
I made my way to my first upper division class: Team-Fighting Mechanics I.
The classroom—or field, to be more accurate—was on the far side of the academy, where all the upper division classes were held. It was a large grass field encased by high walls with runes engraved in them. The field was dotted with several obstacles, seemingly placed at random. At the top of one of the walls was a small room protected by a glass enclosure. I assumed it was used as a viewing platform for the other students. At the base of the wall near the viewing platform there was a small structure marked with a red glyph: the healer's office. There were bound to be injuries here, so it made sense to have a healer on hand. Two men in white robes were milling about, looking bored.
Some students had arrived before me, and I immediately noticed some familiar figures talking to each other.
"Ah! I suppose it wouldn't be unexpected for the commander to be in an upper division class." Curtis Glayder waved at me as soon as he realized who I was. Grawder, Curtis' bond, was lying right next to him with his eyes closed.
"Good to see you again, Commander!" Claire Bladeheart smiled brightly. "We have to try not to embarrass the disciplinary committee, right?"
"Then you should do your best to do just that," I retorted.
"Hey!" Arthur Leywin also waved in greeting while having Claire's arm around his neck, most likely in pain. They're quite close, it seems.
"Is this the whole class?" I replied, turning back to Curtis. I'd heard that this was one of the most popular classes, but there was only room for a fairly small number of students.
"There should be a few—ah, there they come!" Looking back, I saw several more students approaching.
"Princess Tessia is as beautiful as always," I heard one of the students murmur.
Tessia was walking toward us with a small group of students, chatting with Clive Graves, the student council vice president.
She noticed Arthur and seemed about to greet him, but then she noticed Claire's arm around his neck. She narrowed her eyes, then turned her head slightly and looked away.
Clive, oblivious to Tessia's mood, gave Arthur a death glare, his narrow eyes becoming even sharper.
"Good afternoon, Princess Tessia!" Not bothering to remove her arm from around my neck, Claire smiled and waved at Tessia.
"Pleasure," she responded, her expression fierce. As she walked past us, she secretly snuck in a pinch to Arthur's side, and causing him to jolt upright in surprise.
"I wonder if she's in a bad mood today," Claire pondered.
"Good, everyone's here!" a loud voice suddenly boomed over the field. All the students started turning their heads to see where the voice had come from, but I looked straight up at the massive hawk-like mana beast hovering over the field.
This beast was at least four yards long, and its wingspan was well over eight yards. With its sharp talons tucked underneath it, the hawk slowly descended, revealing a well-toned woman standing on its back, a giant sword strapped to her back.
How interesting. Humans of before preferred to have hawks as their flying familiars. However, that was just a custom—other familiars were used as well. But, I never saw hawks become this large before.
"Welcome! My name is Professor Glory, and I will be your instructor. This flare hawk is Torch, my precious bond."
The first thing I attempted to do was measure the stage of our professor's mana core using my Magic Eyes. Although her defenses around her core would've made it difficult for any student to see, it wouldn't be a problem for Magic Eyes that were used to seeing one's source. Her core was a dark silver, and the strength emanating from it indicated a considerable level of mastery. She was at least considerably more skilled than Professor Geist.
Giving me a confident smile, she hopped off her flare hawk and made her way around the group of students in her class. She studied each student as she passed, taking a closer look at some of them, before making her way toward me. She knew I was inspecting her.
Hmm. Is her instincts that acute, or is she simply more perceptive than the others? Noticing one who is gazing into your abyss is considerably difficult and usually indicates a higher level of perception.
"I have to say, you have set the bar pretty high for all of the other classes," she announced after inspecting an elven boy with blonde hair. She took quite a bit longer to inspect the disciplinary committee and student council members, nodding every once in a while.
"Well, if it isn't my newest colleague, Anos Voldigoad. It's a pleasure to meet you." Professor Glory gave me a playful grin, as if she was itching to tease me.
The other students started murmuring in confusion.
One of the upperclassmen raised his hand. "Professor Glory, is that true?"
"Well, for those of you who didn't see him at the commencement this morning, Anos is a freshman who's the disciplinary committee commander. A real prodigy if I do say so myself. And yes, he's also the newly appointed professor for the Practical Mana Manipulation class you all took during your underclassman years." She gave me a firm pat on the back.
"What?!"
"You can't be serious, Professor!"
"If that brat is a professor then I'm the king!"
"What has this academy turned into? Accepting a freshman as a professor?"
"How is that even possible? Even the best upperclassmen these days don't get picked to be professors, but that first-year did?"
How noisy. If they wanted to complain, they should say it directly to my face.
"Now, now! Before we jump straight into complaints, we should have more faith in the director's decision. Anos has proven himself, to some degree, by beating the professor who taught the class previously."
"But Professor Glory, the underclassmen professors aren't all that great anyway. I bet any of the upperclassmen could beat most of them!" Another round of complaints broke out, but I was growing quite bored.
"To be honest, I'm itching to test how strong you really are, boy. Unfortunately, Director Goodsky has made it clear that we are not to do that. So your classmates here will test you in my place!" She put her hands on her hips, grinning in anticipation.
I could see a sudden fire raging in some of the students' eyes as they looked at me. Their thoughts were etched across their faces, clear enough to read the words.
'I'm going to kill this bastard.'
'Who does this brat think he is?'
'Murder, murder, murder, murder…'
'I'm jealous. Why is he getting all the attention? He needs to die.'
"As much as I would love a good fight, I don't fight those weaker than me. I'm not great at holding back, you see; and the director asked me to reduce the number of people I send to the infirmary." I shrugged.
"Oh, come on—that's no fun, now is it? For us to show you the proper respect, you must demonstrate a certain amount of skill, you know? Just to prove that you're actually qualified to be at the upper-division level. Isn't that right, class?" she shouted.
"Yeah!"
Was this some sort of military school? Why did I always have to prove myself in whatever situation came up?
"What did you have in mind, Professor Glory?" I just accepted the challenge, deciding that it might be an amusing way to pass the time.
"Fear not—I am a just and fair woman," she said sweetly.
What a liar.
"We will begin this semester with a little game. Aren't I so nice?" By the look on her face, she was more excited than anyone about this. She continued, "So! What kind of game should we play… a mock team battle? War?"
Curtis raised his hand. "How about having the four disciplinary committee officers on the same team, Professor? That could be a good way for us to work on teamwork as well." Claire nodded in agreement next to him.
"Hmmm, not a bad idea," she responded, rubbing her chin.
"But Professor, Curtis and Claire have had more training than the rest of us. It wouldn't be fair to have them both on the same team as him," a tall, black-haired teen argued.
"That's true…. Aha! I know—the DC team will have Anos playing the role of king, and the team will take an immediate loss if he gets put out of battle. I think that should be fair. Now, what about the other team?" She was muttering about possible candidates, as if talking to herself, when a hand rose.
"Professor. How about having Princess Tessia and me as their opponents?" Clive suggested.
"What?" Tess turned her head to Clive in surprise, but before she had the chance to object, Professor Glory clasped her hands.
"Oh, now things are getting interesting! But it would be unfair to have two against four." She looked around at the group of students.
"I'll volunteer to be on the student council team," the blonde-haired elven boy said, leaning on his staff.
"Ah—Mr. Lucas Wykes, our other genius freshman. Very well. It will be a good chance to assess your abilities as well. We just need one more person." I could tell she was having a twinge of doubt. Maybe she'd heard rumors about him.
"I'll do it." A young teenage boy with long black hair, three earrings on his right ear, and two on his left ear, came forward.
"Leorg Indu? I guess you're volunteering as revenge for your brother." Professor Glory smiled, seemingly enjoying the dynamics at play.
Several students groaned with disappointment that they wouldn't get the chance to beat me up and be on the same team as the student council president, but everyone was clearly excited to see the match.
"The match will have a time limit of thirty minutes, after which we will have a short discussion and analysis of what we've seen. Gear up!" With that, a pile of what looked like exercise gear dropped to the ground out of Professor Glory's dimension ring.
Becoming serious, she said, "This is special equipment designed by artificers to measure the amount of damage being dealt. If it takes damage past the threshold that's encrypted into it, it will activate and release a shrill noise. Anyone who chooses to ignore this warning and continues to fight or cast spells will be immediately expelled from my class, and may face other consequences regarding your enrollment. This rule applies to all upper-division fighting classes in this academy, so engrave it into your brains. All of you are advanced enough that protecting yourselves with mana shouldn't be a problem. And let me be clear: This equipment will not protect you. You can be injured while wearing it. I'd prefer not to make our healers do any work this afternoon." Clearing her throat, Professor Glory shouted, "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes!"
"Good! Now, you eight gear up." She got back on her bond, and the rest of the students headed toward the viewing platform.
Curtis patted my back before picking up his gear. "Well, it seems we're going to have an early practice session. Let's do our best, Commander. I always wanted to see how strong you are."
"We can't embarrass the DC name now, can we? I'll be taking your spot if you do!" Claire grinned wickedly.
Arthur was near the side getting help from Tessia putting on the arm wraps. I wonder what Arthur's relationship is with the elven princess.
Claire started stretching, and Curtis mounted on his lion, Grawder.
"Even with Grawder, we're still at a disadvantage because they have three conjurers, and Clive is a long-range augmenter. It's an instant loss for us if your gear activates, so that seriously limits our options." Claire leaned on her unsheathed sword while stretching her leg back.
"She's right. Claire and I don't really know anything about yours and Arthur's fighting style, so we'll match your pace. Our priority will be protecting you while we get in range to do some damage," Curtis said, petting Grawder.
"That won't be necessary," I said, gearing up. I looked at the assembled teams, assessing my opponents. "They'll be expecting us to make a defensive formation since I'm the 'king.' Instead, I have a better idea."
Professor Glory's powerful voice echoed through the battlefield. "Let the match commence!"
—————
I activated my Magic Eyes to listen in to their conversation. Their voices immediately reached my ears.
"They'll probably aggressively charge at us head-on, knowing that if they move slowly, they'll just be target practice for us," Tessia muttered, analyzing the situation.
Clive nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It's a common strategy when facing a team with a defensive advantage. Let's use the standard procedure then."
The student council team assumed a formation, ready to face the oncoming attack.
I see. They plan bolster their defenses and counter our expected aggressive approach. It seems like they've put thought into countering our perceived strategy. But now— Gatom.
My vision turned white, and before I knew it, I was above the student council team and was falling at a rapid speed.
"Look above!" Tessia was the first to notice my unexpected descent.
"When did he get up there?!" Clive shouted, realizing the sudden change in the situation.
"Doesn't matter! Attack him while he's in the air!" Tessia commanded.
Their team adjusted quickly, preparing to attack as I descended, but it was too late. I slammed my feet into the ground, causing a shockwave that sent them flying. Dust filled the arena, blocking everyone's vision momentarily.
—————
"*Cough* *cough!" Leorg coughed as he stood up, shaking off the dust. "You wanted to split us up and engage in one-on-one duels to make it more advantageous, correct?"
I smirked. "At least you aren't as dull as you brother, in the tactical sense at least."
"Although you think you'd win if we all fought one-on-one, you seem to forget one important thing." Leorg grinned, revealing his sharp canines. "All I have to do is best you in battle, and we'll win the entire match."
Against my will, laughter bubbled up from the pit of my stomach. "Bwa ha hah! You, will defeat me, you say? Why don't you go ahead and try, then? "
Veins bulged on Leorg's forehead, clearly annoyed by my laughter. "By the way, thank you for looking after my little brother."
Is he implying that he disposed of Zepes? He seemed stronger than his younger sibling, but I can't say he left a favorable impression.
"It would have been much nicer if those words were said to avenge your brother, but alas."
"He has disgraced our bloodline for being bested by a mongrel. My only concern is ensuring that the Indu name isn't further tarnished."
By 'mongrel,' did he mean me? I don't like to pick fault with every little thing, but if I were a mongrel, then what would that make him? A speck of dust..? Was he okay with that? It was as comical as using "your mother" insults in a fight between siblings.
"Brothers are meant to stand by one another, are they not?"
"How naive. Power defines one's place in the Indu clan, and weakness is not tolerated."
Good grief. Who was the naive one here? There was no point killing Zepes simply because he was weak. Even the weak had their uses. In my time, reducing one's allies for no reason was the kind of folly that led to one's downfall.
"It seems you have a mistaken understanding of power."
"What drivel. I should have expected as much from someone who plays around with their enemies. Enough talk. Let's settle this on the battlefield."
Leorg whispered silently as he casted a spell, his mana forming a swirling vortex around him. I observed, unimpressed.
The next moment, dozens of balls made of fire emerged from the vortex, shooting towards me. He had opted for a wide-scale attack, perhaps hoping to overwhelm me with sheer numbers.
I sighed, casually blowing out the flames with my breath. "Is that the best you can do?"
Leorg gritted his teeth, clearly frustrated by my nonchalant response. "Very well," he continued. "I shall prove to you the difference between us.
A magic circle appeared in his palm.
Was that...?
Black lightning crackled around Leorg's hand. The sparks multiplied until he was covered in a meter-thick dome, then exploded outwards until half the arena was enveloped in the myriad of bolts. The barrier field around the stands was hit by the aftermath of magic and let off a barrage of sparks.
"Do you see now?" Leorg said grandly, raising his lightning-clad arm to the sky. "This is true magic—magic that could never be imitated by the likes of a commoner like you!"
Then, he swung it down towards me.
"Thunder God's Wrath!"
The black lightning expanded several hundred times in size, twisting into a typhoon and blowing apart everything in the arena. Shards of debris rained down from above.
Gradually, the dust cloud cleared, and Leorg emerged from the haze. He had exhausted nearly all of his magic but had somehow managed to survive. Then he saw me.
"Wha—?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "How did you take a direct hit from Thunder God's Wrath...and walk away unharmed?!"
His spell had been reasonably powerful, but he'd made one fatal mistake. Although its name and principles have changed, it was undoubtedly the same spell.
"All magic spells have an element of predictability. Your Thunder God's Wrath is just a variation of an ancient spell, and I'm particularly familiar with its predecessor." I calmly approached him as he staggered back.
"What are you talking about?! Thunder God's Wrath is the Indu family's special technique passed down through generations! It's an original spell!" Leorg protested, desperation creeping into his voice.
I sighed again. "Of course you won't know the truth."
I lightly tapped on Leorg's protective gear, releasing a high pitched shrill that meant he was eliminated from the match.
I walked away from the exhausted Leorg, leaving him stunned and defeated.
"Let's see how they're doing..."
I activated my Magic Eyes to observe the battlefield.
—————
-Professor Glory PoV-
Well now. Lucas is better than I've heard.
Inferno's Cage was a pretty tough spell to master, yet he was able to cast it while running backward. He was barely thirteen and he could already use a domain spell? The world sure was changing. A half-elf like him using fire-attribute magic—even Princess Tessia—they were all monsters. I got shivers down my back imagining how strong they'd be by the time they graduated.
But Arthur Leywin… What the hell was he? Lucas Wykes had awakened a few years early thanks to his elf lineage, and I could sort of understand the level of control he had with his spells. Being of pure elven lineage—and from the royal family—guaranteed that Tessia Eralith's skills were a few levels above anyone else near her age. But Arthur?
As soon as he flashed through the field to confront Lucas, I felt a cold sweat break out. The way both the wind and earth naturally gravitated toward him, danced around him—he wasn't controlling the elements with his commands like a typical mage. No, he was in perfect harmony with the mana surrounding him, as if the elements were mere extensions of his limbs.
Lucas seemed to be taking Arthur seriously. Good thing, too, or he probably would've lost instantly. The Inferno's Cage spell encompassed Arthur and Lucas both in a large dome of fire. I could tell Lucas was a bit worn out after using it, but this was a continuous spell; he could leave it activated until he ran out of mana, which I didn't think would happen anytime soon. The dome, made up of tiny orbs of fire, was a death trap used by conjurers to gain the advantage against augmenters or agile mana beasts.
The tiny orbs could shoot out beams and bullets of fire anywhere inside the dome, leaving the augmenter occupied enough that the conjurer could cast more spells, uninterrupted.
I turned my focus to Curtis Glayder and Tessia Eralith. As expected, Curtis was having a hard time. I'd had the chance to observe the elf princess practicing with our director once, and I had to say, the way she battled was exquisite. She was a conjurer, but her staff was actually a sharp blade made of a unique wood that was lighter but harder than most metals. Casting buffs on herself and using spells in sync with her movements, she had danced between conjured vines with a speed faster than even some trained augmenters, using wind-attribute mana to aid each motion and action.
Due to her mixed style of conjuring spells and close combat, she had no notable weakness. When I compared it to my own way of fighting, I could only admire how graceful and beautiful her style was.
Claire Bladeheart, on the other hand, was gaining the advantage on our student vice president. Clive was a rare long-range augmenter, and he wielded a short bow capable of firing arrows at an almost unbelievably fast pace. He would have an advantage against most augmenters, but Claire was more than a match for him. Her style mimicked that of her uncle—that stick, Kaspian. With her dual elements, she created spears of wind and fire from her rapier. She had yet to reach her uncle's level, but with constant training, I was confident she could surpass him.
On the other side of the arena, Anos Voldigoad and Leorg Indu were still locked in their confrontation. Honestly, it wasn't much of a battle. Leorg's fireballs were powerful, but Anos seemed to effortlessly negate each of them. Anos's calm and composed demeanor contrasted sharply with Leorg's frustration and desperation.
Suddenly, a large amount of mana was gathered by Leorg, and black lightning began to crackle around him.
Shit. Is he seriously going to use that? Thunder God's Wrath is the Indu family's most prized and powerful technique. The power it can unleash can reach one whole core color above the user. I didn't expect Leorg to resort to such a measure this early in the match.
As the black lightning expanded and enveloped the arena, I held my breath. Anos remained unfazed, even as the destructive force of Thunder God's Wrath wreaked havoc. The dust and debris settled, revealing Anos standing there, unscathed.
Leorg, on the other hand, looked exhausted and defeated. Anos casually tapped on Leorg's protective gear, triggering the elimination signal.
Did he really just take on the Indu family's most powerful technique without a scratch? I wasn't even able to sense a single spell used to block that spell.
A smile crept up my face and my hands trembled in excitement at the thought of being able to witness the development of a mage who could perhaps become the pinnacle of power in this school—maybe even this continent.
A roaring sound caught my attention, and I turned. It seemed Princess Tessia and Prince Glayder's battle was reaching its climax.
Curtis Glayder's uniform was full of small gashes and nicks. Curtis had done fairly well against Director Goodsky's star pupil, I had to admit, although it was probably only because of his bond that he had been able to last this long.
"You've forced me to do this, Princess Eralith. Please be careful! Phase one—King's Wrath!" Prince Glayder roared as his body glowed.
He was activating the acquire phase of his beast will. Curtis rarely chose to use his beast's ability because he didn't consider it his own power. I had to hand it to him—he had the right mentality. Some beast tamers chose to only use the unique powers granted by their beast will instead of honing their own. Thus, though still strong, they never really improved themselves in the long run. In order to maximize the effect of the beast will, the user needed to strengthen his own power.
As Curtis activated his beast will's first phase, a noticeable transformation occurred in him. Each person displayed a different level of visible change, and Prince Glayder's was significant. His spiky, deep red hair and eyebrows became longer and messier, and the straps that wrapped around his arms tightened as his muscles expanded. His canines extended, becoming visible as he roared.
I whistled. This sight never failed to impress me.
I shifted my gaze to Princess Tessia, who was standing on top of a carpet of vines. Her face looked unnaturally pale. Perhaps she'd taken damage and I hadn't noticed.
I was at quite a distance from Tessia and Curtis's battle since I was circling Lucas and Arthur's, but when I infused my eyes with mana, I could make out beads of sweat rolling down the princess's face.
"This is my most powerful attack," Prince Glayder boomed, his voice vibrating with power. "If you can take this on, I'll admit my defeat. Prepare yourself!"
"World Howl!" Mana gathered in front of Prince Glayder's mouth as he invoked his breath attack. World lions had a powerful move which they used as a last resort against their most powerful enemies—a beam of condensed earth-attribute mana that could shred anything in its way if not blocked properly.
I looked at Tessia again, beginning to worry, and I could see her mumble an incantation. Then the unthinkable happened.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone