After several seconds of silence, Klein suddenly appeared a few meters away from the plumes of blinding smoke.
He seemed perfectly fine despite being caught in such a terrifying explosion.
Except...
... That wasn’t at all what happened.
"Hehe," Klein chuckled while walking closer to the site of the disaster. "What an easy fight."
The current Klein wasn’t covered in any soot or burns.
He looked perfectly fine, sporting an arrogant smile on his handsome face. It sharply contrasted with the horror his Rune had just caused to the stage.
As for how Klein accomplished this result, it wasn’t too difficult.
’My first Rune was [Another]. It let me create a duplicate that took on the [Ignite] Spell. Under the commotion, I used a second Rune to blend with the surroundings. It’s not perfect invisibility, but since Derek was focused on my clone, I was able to operate with the least amount of scrutiny.’
Unfortunately, while the [Another] duplicate had improved strength, stamina, and speed thanks to the Magia Klein poured into its activation, it was lacking in other areas.
It could not use Magia, thus it wasn’t able to cast any Spells or graft any Runes while fighting Derek.
It also couldn’t speak or easily change expressions.
That was why the duplicate didn’t say anything and maintained a stiff expression throughout its interaction with Derek.
Klein could only control minute changes in its expression due to their mystical connection, and he used this when Derek openly suspected him of using an Enhancement Rune.
The duplicate’s facial twitch was meant to mislead Derek.
To fool him into thinking he had found the right explanation, not knowing that Klein had sneaked behind him to graft another Rune.
The plan was rather straightforward.
Klein’s clone would overwhelm Derek with its physical prowess and lead him to the trap he set.
Even though the duplicate would also be caught in the explosion, that wasn’t consequential. In the end, his true target would have no way to escape his predicament and would be severely injured as a result of the blast.
If not for the lifesaving effects of this sparring room, he would die.
"Let this be a lesson to you..." Klein chuckled aloud while watching the smoke slowly disperse. "Next time, you’ll think twice before defying me."
He turned away from Derek and faced his two sisters. Emma was loudly cheering while Melanie maintained her quiet state.
’How’s that for going overboard?’ Klein proudly smirked under his older sister’s scrutinizing gaze.
He knew she disapproved of his actions, but what of it?
’You’re just a placeholder because Dad isn’t around. The only reason you still have that position is because I’m not an official Magus yet.’
Klein knew his sister’s days were numbered.
There was no need to show her as much reverence as he used to in the past. Someone like her, with her D Grade Talent, would never amount to much in a Magus Household.
At the moment, she was even worse than Derek.
"What are you waiting for?" Klein barked at her without an ounce of reverence.
He was already done with this farce.
The fight was over.
"Call it."
Melanie shook her head.
The fight... was not over!
"How—?!"
Klein hurriedly turned towards the drifting plume of smoke and saw Derek kneeling in the rubble.
His right arm was outstretched while his left hand supported it.
Despite being at the center of such an absurd explosion, he was completely unharmed.
How could that be?!
Before Klein got an answer to that question, Derek parted his lips and let out a Spell.
The chant shocked all who heard it.
"Spell #11..." With a hoarse whisper, the words of power manifested and formed an embryo of sheer terror.
"N-no.... H-h-h-how i-i-is t-this h-h-happe-pening?!"
Klein’s stutter was completely drowned by the sheer brilliance of the Magia that coalesced before Derek’s trembling palm.
"... Blast."
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The brilliant burst of blazing energy shot through the air and instantly closed the distance between the brothers.
"S-Sp-Spell... S-Spell—!"
Before the agitated Klein could recover from his stutter and properly cast a defensive Spell, his opponent’s Spell was staring him right in the eye.
The end... had promptly arrived.
Like a torrent, the fiery projectile collided with Klein’s helpless body and lifted him from his grounded position.
It pushed him away, sending him several meters away from Derek before finally erupting into a similar explosion that would have ended Derek.
The detonation was smaller in scale this time around.
More compact.
However, the damage was unmistakable.
Klein’s unconscious body was flung out of the stage while the blast remained contained because of the transparent wall.
Without any need to speculate or deliberate, the result was clear.
"Derek wins."
Melanie declared, much to his delight and the chagrin of Emma.
The latter worriedly looked at her brother, who had become a human pile of smoking flesh.
Her concern skyrocketed once she realized he was out of the stage.
The lifesaving Magecraft was most effective on the stage. Its potency would rapidly plummet once one left it.
"K-Klein!" Emma rushed to her brother while Melanie remained still.
Melanie didn’t say much, but she was truly impressed.
The challenge was to land a hit on Klein, but who would have thought Derek would actually beat him so brutally?
It wasn’t an understatement to call the outcome a miracle.
’He has an unbelievable pool of Magia, and the Spells he can use far exceed what someone at his level should be able to utilize...’ Despite thinking of this, Melanie knew the most important thing that contributed to the battle’s eventual outcome.
’His sense is extraordinary!’
Although Klein hadn’t noticed what Derek had done to achieve his victory, how could such a thing be hidden from someone like her?
Although she was a spectator and could not interfere with the battle, she could still use some Spells to observe. Thus, Melanie seriously followed the sequence of events and was met with genuine surprise when she realized Derek’s strategy.
Yes, Klein had truly fooled Derek with the use of his duplicate. However, Derek had somehow noticed this change at some point in the fight.
’It was right after Klein kicked him. He used a Spell back then, with [Illuminate] only serving as the distraction.’
That Spell was one that Melanie had used in front of Derek before.
— [Trace].
’Back then, I used it to detect the poison in our food. Derek used it this time to confirm that the Klein in front of him was a clone. He also found the real Klein setting that trap behind him.’
Instead of reacting to this new information, Derek pretended like he suspected Klein of using Enhancement Magecraft.
This gave Klein the confidence that everything was going according to his plan.
Then, the most shocking thing happened.
Derek actually fell for Klein’s trap!
He triggered the explosion.
However, what Klein couldn’t see was that Derek had protected himself at the last minute with yet another Spell.
It was the transcribed Spell of the Rune used to create the transparent wall of the sparring hall.
—Spell #53: Wall.
’[Wall] only defends against specific kinds of Spells or Runes, and they must be preset before the Spell is activated. Since Derek already knew the nature of Klein’s trap, he was able to defend himself from the explosion. Then, while Klein was distracted, he recovered his strength and used his trump card... Spell #11: Blast.’
That was how he won.
Melanie went over everything in her mind, and although she had clarity regarding the events that took place, she grew increasingly perplexed when she deeply analyzed it.
’How was Derek able to use three Special Tier Spells in the same battle?’
This was her first question.
However, her curiosity didn’t end there.
’He was able to detect Klein’s trap, but how could he translate the Rune to detect what kind of effect it would have? Runic Linguistics is only taught in the Academy, and he hasn’t even enrolled. In addition, he shouldn’t even be able to know and effectively use so many Spells since he was denied access to any useful material until recently.’
How was someone who had been Inept and without the knowledge of Magecraft less than two weeks ago capable of achieving something so impressive?
Melanie had no clue.
"B-big sister, Klein isn’t breathing!" Emma’s desperate shouts woke Melanie from her daze. "Please help! It’s very serious!"
Melanie sighed and nodded.
She cast one final suspicious look at Derek before walking towards her injured younger brother.
If she delayed any further, Klein’s life could really be in danger.