A fierce light blazed above Joshua’s head.
Narrowing one eye, he swung his sword toward the sky.
CRACKLE―!
Brilliant sparks scattered.
For a fleeting instant, the thunderous collision silenced the noisy spectators.
Then everyone doubted their own eyes.
“Th-The spell was cut apart?”
“It is far too early to be surprised.”
Joshua took one step, then another.
His opponent entered the range of his sword.
The boy swung his weapon precisely at the Staff.
“Th-This cannot be!”
In desperation, Odius manifested a First-Circle spell.
The condensed electrical energy flew toward Joshua, only to explode suddenly against the ground.
The unexpected impact knocked aside the hand holding his sword.
‘Did he deliberately target the ground to buy time?’
It was a decision worthy of praise.
The two Squires concealed themselves within the thick cloud of dust and caught their breath.
Joshua focused every one of his senses upon the surroundings and prepared for another spell.
‘…It is coming!’
Powerful mana surged from every direction.
It was the Second-Circle Lightning Element spell, ‘Thunderstorm’.
Even Joshua could not block every attack crashing toward him from all sides.
Therefore, he used the Snow Mountain Form to reduce the damage and threw himself into the cloud of dust.
“You will not get any closer!”
Odius pressured Joshua with the chanting speed he had developed through countless hours of practice.
Light flashed without pause.
Joshua’s mana armor shattered faster than he could reconstruct it.
Odius also moved quickly enough that closing the distance was no simple matter.
‘…The Mages of this age are remarkable.’
His ability far surpassed that of swordsmen his age from a hundred years ago.
Even so, Joshua could not retreat when he had to prove the value of the sword.
He needed to shock everyone with an overwhelming victory.
At the same time, he had to conserve the Sacred Eye for what came afterward.
‘I will use every method available to me.’
The boy removed the scabbard from his belt.
Enduring a spell that exploded at close range, he hurled it toward the source of the nearby presence.
“Urgh!”
The scabbard flew through the murky smoke and struck Odius squarely upon the instep.
Taking advantage of his opponent’s momentary hesitation, Joshua rapidly closed the distance.
A blue gleam flashed across Odius’s eyes as Joshua entered striking range in an instant.
Left with no alternative, Odius fired another First-Circle spell into the ground, just as he had before.
However, the same tactic would not work twice against Joshua.
BOOM―!
The moment the spell exploded, Joshua kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.
Then he brought down his sword, its blade wrapped in blue Aura.
Odius hurriedly raised his Staff, but a mere wooden pole could not block a weapon honed by conviction.
“Stop!”
The Referee finally intervened.
Joshua immediately twisted the path of his sword and cut through empty air.
Having felt his life threatened, Odius released his broken Staff and collapsed onto the ground.
“The victor is Joshua of the Galahad Knight Order!”
The declaration of victory rang through the Arena.
“Wh-What did I just witness?”
“He cut through magic. How is that possible?”
“That blue Aura… It belongs to that Joshua, does it not?”
“Has the legendary knight been reincarnated?!”
Sensing the return of a hero, the entire crowd rose and applauded.
Joshua basked in the overflowing glory and raised his sword toward the sky.
As though declaring that the sword had not yet died.
Later, while walking through the passage leading back to the waiting area, the boy calmed his excitement and sank into thought.
‘…The age has certainly changed. If I had thrown my scabbard a hundred years ago, I would have been subjected to every imaginable insult.’
It was a method of fighting the Joshua of the past would never have chosen.
However, his thoughts and values had gradually begun to change after meeting Sezelin.
He had started understanding the practicality pursued by Mages and appreciating the sweet rewards it produced.
‘Are ideals truly nothing more than shackles restraining progress?’
Unable to reach a conclusion, Joshua swallowed the question and looked toward the girl waiting to greet him.
“Thank you, Joshua. It was incredibly satisfying when Odius collapsed.”
“You can do the same, Lunae. Seize glory with your own hands and enjoy the honor of victory.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
“Do your best.”
Joshua lightly patted the girl’s shoulder before watching the Duel from the waiting room.
‘The Mages of the Paladin Order all use Light Element Magic. This will not be an easy battle for Lunae, who uses the Dark Element.’
It was what one might call an unfavorable affinity.
Nevertheless, Joshua did not doubt that Lunae would win.
“So you are the one those Murginu bastards were talking about. A Mage discarded by a Ducal House? I suppose that tells me everything I need to know about your ability.”
“…Say whatever you like.”
There was another reason she had been expelled from Murginu.
The girl remained calm despite her opponent’s provocation and tightened her grip upon her Staff.
“Begin the Duel!”
At last, the Referee raised his hand.
The two Mages simultaneously traced Casting Formulas through the air and prepared their spells.
“O darkness, your master beseeches you. Grant death to my enemy.”
The Second-Circle spell, ‘Living Burial’.
Formless hands emerged from the shadows and attempted to drag the enemy beneath the earth.
However, her opponent belonged to the Paladin Order.
He laughed at the darkness encroaching upon him.
“How pitiful. Darkness is useless against one protected by the Supreme God!”
A spell manifested from the boy’s Staff.
It was a Second-Circle spell that scattered vast light across the entire battlefield.
As every shadow faded, Lunae’s attack rapidly disappeared.
A brilliant sphere then rose high into the air and shot toward the girl.
‘The circumstances are unfavorable, but you can overcome them.’
Joshua silently encouraged Lunae within his heart.
Perhaps his feelings reached her.
The girl released a short breath and chanted instead of evading.
“Have you already surrendered?”
“…No.”
Her eyes widened with determination.
The final stroke was added to the formulas filling the air.
‘May the darkness that swallowed my heart… now roar toward the world.’
Pitch-black smoke erupted from Lunae’s Staff.
The hollow brilliance enveloped within it gradually lost its light.
“Th-This cannot be!”
The darkness spread farther, dyeing the brightly illuminated Arena black.
Lunae did not hesitate.
She poured attacks upon her opponent.
Driven onto the defensive, the boy quickly summoned light and attempted to reverse the situation.
Even a firefly appeared bright within complete darkness.
A First-Circle spell was enough for him to defend himself with relative ease.
‘An unfavorable affinity remains an unfavorable affinity.’
After catching their breath, the two Mages resumed the battle.
Light and darkness represented a conflict that had existed since the beginning of creation.
One fought upon the teachings he had received from the Paladin Order.
The other fought upon the suffering accumulated throughout her life.
Both Mages struggled to prove the paths they had walked.
“How dare darkness rise before the sacred light of the Supreme God!”
“…I am merely showing the life I have lived.”
If that opposed the will of the gods—
If a god rejected her life—
Lunae was willing to turn her back upon that god.
‘…Why should I worship a being that never once looked back at me?’
The girl barely swallowed the blasphemous words.
At the same time, Joshua’s face appeared within her mind.
Lunae had been battered by this wretched world, releasing silent groans that no one heard.
The only person who had approached her was that boy.
“How dare you smile in the middle of such a desperate battle?”
“Hmm… I suppose I’m happy.”
Lunae had begun smiling without realizing it.
Continuing to pour out darkness, she turned her head toward the waiting room.
As expected, her eyes met Joshua’s.
‘You are doing well, Lunae.’
He nodded as though praising her.
Strength entered the hand gripping her Staff.
She now had a reason not to lose.
She still did not understand the honor or glory granted to a victor.
However, she wanted to repay the boy who was cheering for her.
‘…I am still practicing this spell, but I can do it.’
She deliberately created distance and evaded the enemy’s attacks.
The moment she stopped releasing magic, the Arena was once again flooded with light.
Nevertheless, she remained calm and continued tracing the Casting Formula.
Even when an explosion erupted at close range, she refused to move.
She focused every one of her senses upon the Staff.
With each stroke of the Magic Formula, she engraved another painful wound from her past.
Then she completed the final stroke and wore the smile Joshua liked.
“O darkness, your master beseeches you. Imprison my enemy for eternity.”
It was the world Lunae had once seen.
A pitch-black space into which not even a single ray of light could enter imprisoned her opponent.
Even if he was a Squire of the Paladin Order—
Even if his brilliance had been granted by the Supreme God—
Within the narrow prison, his own light merely blinded him.
Instead, he felt his life threatened by the darkness preparing to explode.
“I-I surrender!”
In the end, the opponent abandoned any attempt to escape and raised the white flag.
“The victor is Lunae of the Galahad Knight Order!”
At last, the girl’s name echoed throughout the Arena.
“Lunae!”
“Lunae!”
“Lunae!”
The spectators began chanting her name.
It felt as though the suffering of her past had healed, if only slightly.
“This Galahad cohort has many talented people.”
“As expected of a prestigious house with such a long tradition.”
“I look forward to seeing how they develop.”
Meanwhile, Joshua, who had watched the battle from the waiting room, moved toward the passage through which Lunae would return.
When the girl finally appeared, she looked at him with eyes that seemed to crave something.
“That was an excellent Duel.”
“…Thank you.”
“Does the glory of victory taste sweet?”
“I am not certain… but it feels good.”
“I am glad.”
Having received what she wanted, Lunae lowered her head and smiled brightly.
Joshua’s praise pleased her more than the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators.
The two then sat side by side and watched the next Duel.
“Participants in the sixth match, please enter the Arena.”
As the announcement sounded, someone flew gracefully into the waiting room.
Her black hair was neatly arranged in two braids.
It was the girl who always used Flight Magic because she dreamed of becoming a bird.
“I’ll be back, Brother. Cheer for me too.”
“Of course.”
Leaving him with a casual wave, Serena headed toward the battlefield.
“Do you know the Ashen Princess?”
The moment she disappeared, immense attention fell upon Joshua.
Every nearby Squire crowded around him.
“…The Ashen Princess?”
“They say only ashes remain wherever she passes.”
“What does that even mean…?”
“It means she shows absolutely no mercy with her Magic. More importantly, what is your relationship with her?”
“You are the first person that prickly, insufferable girl has ever approached on her own!”
The Academy Squires were especially persistent.
Joshua hesitated briefly before sighing and answering.
“Serena is my younger sister.”
“Is-Is that really true?”
“Please tell me how I can become close to her!”
“…Attract Serena’s attention.”
“How?”
“Become stronger than Serena. Or take up a sword.”
Every Squire immediately returned to their seat.
Joshua inwardly celebrated his success and focused upon the Arena.
“It is an honor to face such a renowned genius. I hope to learn from you.”
“Yawn… This is going to be boring anyway. Hurry up and attack.”
Serena insulted the opponent who had treated her respectfully.
Joshua’s eyes widened at this unfamiliar side of his younger sister.
“Begin the Duel!”
BOOM―!
A Third-Circle Fire Magic spell manifested through Chantless Casting.
Looking at the opponent who had been eliminated immediately, Joshua could not help but laugh helplessly.
‘…What a monster.’