"Second Round, First Match Selection Exam, Group B wins!"
The announcement of the match result, broadcast through a magic amplification device, began to echo across the complex arena.
Asta, feigning weakness and using magic traps combined with physical digging, lured Kirsch into a pit. He then used his demon-slayer sword to knock out the careless royal.
He was planning to set more traps for anyone who came to rescue Kirsch when he suddenly heard the announcement that his team had won.
"Huh? We won?"
Asta pricked up his ears, listening to the echoes, "Didn't we just take care of one guy? Why are they saying we won? Is it Captain Magna's trick? Nah, Captain Magna's way of doing things and his brain probably couldn't come up with something like this, right?"
"Tch."
"Shorty, I never thought you'd be able to judge other people's intelligence?" Zora scoffed at Asta, "This is a sound spread by a magic amplification device. Do you think the opponent would prepare for that?"
After speaking, he dispelled the trap magic he had just set and turned to walk out of the cave, no longer bothering with Asta behind him or Kirsch in the pit.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Asta chased after him, holding his demon-slayer sword.
"Idiot! We already won."
"Huh? How?" Asta was stunned, "Could it be… Nancy?"
Stepping out of the cave entrance where he had lured Kirsch, Zora stopped and looked back at Asta: "It must be her. That woman… seems much stronger than we imagined."
"Hehehe…"
"No wonder she asked you earlier why you didn't just directly attack the opponent's magic crystal…"
Asta blinked, seemingly not quite understanding Zora's words, "What do you mean?"
"Because she never intended to rely on us to win in the first place. When she found out you had the strength to win but inexplicably stopped, she would definitely think something was wrong with you."
"When individual ability is insufficient, teamwork becomes especially important. But when individual ability overflows, teamwork becomes relatively superfluous."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think if the Wizard King were to fight a Mage of the same level, he would need you? Nah, forget it." Zora waved his hand, not intending to say more: "You just need to know that because we held back a relatively strong royal, we won very quickly."
"That's right… that's what happened."
"???"
——————
"Next up—"
"Second Round, Second Match, Group E: Finral, Leopold, Haman, versus Group G: Langris, Sacai, Fragil!"
The two teams participating in this match did not cautiously probe each other like Asta and Kirsch' teams. Both teams charged directly at each other as soon as they entered the arena.
Their battle strategy was simple and reckless.
Each team left one person to guard their magic crystal, while the other two launched a fierce attack on the opponent's magic crystal.
The battle unfolded dramatically. Fragil faced Leopold and Haman, while Finral went up against Langris and Sacai.
Compared to the offensive and defensive battle between Fragil, Leopold, and Haman, the fight between the Vaude family brothers, both Spatial Mages, was clearly more interesting.
"Oh, what's this? My brother, who couldn't stand the pressure and left home… is now choosing to face me alone?" Langris taunted Finral.
As members of the Vaude family, which has produced Spatial Mages throughout the history of the Clover Kingdom, Finral and Langris were full-blooded brothers, but their circumstances were vastly different.
One was loved by his parents since childhood, specialized in offensive spatial magic, and became the Vice-Captain of the Golden Dawn at a young age. The other, under immense pressure, left home and served as the Black Bulls Squad' driver.
Langris showed no mercy to his brother, "Forget it, let me end this battle with one blow."
A dark spatial sphere appeared in the air and was thrown towards the magic crystal behind Finral. But just as the dark spatial sphere was about to touch the magic crystal, Finral slightly opened his hand, and a spatial gate appeared out of nowhere. The dark spatial sphere collided with the spatial gate and instantly dissipated.
"This…" Langris was somewhat surprised that this incompetent "brother" who couldn't learn any offensive spatial magic could block his attack.
Finral wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed: "It worked! Good thing I confirmed with Imperial Knight Kob beforehand that once spatial magic clashes, the flow of magic power will collide and cancel each other out!"
"Heh heh…" Langris laughed mockingly: "I never thought that lazy… good-for-nothing brother would become my natural enemy."
With a hint of sarcasm in his words, Langris acted ruthlessly, launching dark spatial spheres that would tear flesh to shreds upon contact, fiercely shooting them towards Finral and the magic crystal.
Finral repeatedly opened spatial gates to nullify the incoming spatial spheres.
"Are you planning to keep defending until our magic crystal is destroyed? Do you think I'll let you have your way?" Langris said, releasing spatial spheres faster and faster.
Finral was struggling to cope. In a moment of distraction, a dark spatial sphere grazed the edge of the magic crystal, scattering glittering fragments across the ground.
"Phew…" Finral took a deep breath: "Perhaps not, so… I'm not planning to sit back and do nothing!"
"This is my new magic!"
His grimoire quietly flipped open.
"Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel's Flap!"
A cyan spatial sphere shot towards Langris.
——————
On the viewing platform, Magic Emperor Julius was watching their battle with great interest, "Ah, ah~ an offensive and defensive battle between Spatial Mages is quite rare! Both of them are quite formidable!"
His eyes sparkled with light.
"Go, go, Fragil, go!" Sesk and Gosen were cheering for Fragil, who was fighting Leopold and Haman, on the platform, almost ready to unfurl a large banner.
"How ungentlemanly! Two men attacking one woman!" Gosen commented on the unfair situation as he watched the battle unfold.
"There's nothing that can be done, right? After all, both sides have the same strategy, so there will always be one person facing the attacks of two Mages." The Purple Orca Mage beside him retorted, "And besides, this should be considered a real battle."
"On the battlefield, there are no men or women, only Mages."
"Even so, there should be a little chivalry, shouldn't there? Two people ganging up is still too much." Gosen argued, unwilling to admit defeat.
"…"
As the two argued, Bai En and Nancy chatted nearby.
"You performed very well just now. You seem to have adapted to that version of yourself." Bai En said to Nancy, recalling her swift victory over Magna and Sol.
"I have you and Captain Rill to thank for that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made such great progress since returning from the Dwarf Kingdom."
"Thank Captain Rill more, after all, he put in more effort."
"Heh heh…" Nancy smiled, "I already bought a special gift for Captain Rill at the last Star Festival."
"…"
"...By the way, Mr. Bai En, if we meet in the finals, please don't hold back. I want to see how far I can go, and also see if I can win once."
"Oh, don't worry, I don't plan to hold back. I'll give it my all."
Their conversation abruptly ended, and their gazes returned to the battle between Finral and Langris…