One victory and I'm in the finals. This isn't even a challenge.
Staring into her own blue eyes, Akari Ayaka heard the chanting crowd from beyond the locker room, her match starting in less than three minutes.
Camilla Buckley had visited her and told her the current state of her opponent: three broken fingers and neck bruising.
She had been cryptic about how his injuries came to be, yet the cherry-haired girl had her guesses.
Noble bastard picked a fight with the wrong person… Wonder if he went after an Admiral or a Commodore. He wouldn't survive a Marshal so—
She winced, startled by a loud, iron screeching of a buzzer that rang throughout the stone halls.
That's my cue.
Taking one final long breath, she double checked her various assortments of weaponry—all verified and approved by the Guild.
As she wasn't versed in magecraft, her ability to bring more physical weapons increased, allowing her to wield a kitchen's worth of knives and a barracks' worth of guns.
Starting at her legs, two knives were hidden in each boot for a total of four, and a holster was bound tightly to each of her calves, housing two intricate flintlocks.
Each was loaded with six shots of mana-infused bullets that could pierce even a barrier spell nearly two centimeters thick.
At her thighs, she had additional magazines of ammunition that, with the proper time given, would allow her to use the remnants of the container as an incendiary device.
In contrast, she had decided to leave her torso relatively clear, adorned only with a few knives and a specialized dagger sent by her master as a special gift for the tournament.
Finally, her pistol hung by her side, its entire surface glowing faintly from the considerable amount of mana she had imbued into it.
There's no being more prepared than this…
Another bell rang signaling the one-minute mark, and Akar closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
When she opened them again, they shone with fierce determination.
Winning is the only option. There is no room for failure.
…
「Holy Bullet」
Akari ducked out of the way, throwing one of her knives towards Alaric, who conjured nearly thirty defensive barriers around himself.
Dammit! How the hell are you this much of a coward!?
Digging her feet into the mana-coated sand, she quickly reached for one of her calf flintlocks, while dodging another magical bullet only by the skin of her teeth.
「Divine Storm」
Alaric started conjuring another spell, but before the arena could even grow cloudy, the girl's finger was already wrapped around the trigger of her weapon, the sound of the weapon firing echoing throughout the stadium.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three shots were instantly fired, shattering through eight layers of translucent shields at once, and leaving the boy reeling as he tried to repair them.
Not letting up at all, she raced forward, holstering her weapons as she ducked past each and every barrage of spells he flung her way.
「Holy Arrow」
「Lightning Bolt」
「Mana Press」
「Holy Bullet」
Akari was left frozen as four differing magics shot forth at her, the inevitable damage they would cause coursing through her mind.
The arrow blazed past her cheek, only scratching it; however, the bullet tore through her hand, a red welt of blood spurring out like a stream.
Running at maximum speed allowed her to dodge the remaining two attacks, but the damage was already done.
As she attempted to reach for her blade, her entire fist spasmed.
He pierced the damn muscle!
Stopping dead in her tracks, she spun around to avoid another barrage of bullets, which flew narrowly past her head in an instant.
There was only about ten meters between the two, the distance ever-so-slightly closing by the second, making the white-haired noble sweat.
Releasing the grip on his staff, he clapped his hands together, performing some type of hand sign that drew a puzzled frown from Akari, an ominous feeling creeping up her spine.
What is he—
She wasn't left wondering for long as only a moment later, crystalline runes surfaced across every layer of the boy's flesh, the sound of skin sizzling resounding through her ears.
H-He embedded seals upon himself? I-Is that even…
Before she could even consider the legality of such a move, she was struck straight in the core, a bolt of liquid hot mana attempting to draw every ounce out from Akari.
No… You… Don't!
Balling up her right fist, which she could barely feel after getting her palm pierced, she slammed the solid stream of light that enveloped her with unbelievable strength, breaking it apart.
However, as she slid the safety off of her pistol, she felt every nerve within her urge her to dodge, and a split-second later, a flash of light so bright it could compare to the sun itself, blinded her vision.
Tilting her back in such a way that the beam would only graze her, she felt a shock of pure divinity enter her form.
Pure Holy Magic? Is that even possible when he's trying to kill me?
Spinning around, Akari kicked herself off the sand, allowing her to leap forward in a long lunge with her dagger now in hand, as the pistol had failed to exit its holster.
She closed the distance between the two in less than a second, tearing through one defensive layer after another, eventually reaching the juicy center.
Alaric's face as he watched his innermost circle being invaded was as satisfying as a victory for the girl; however, it wouldn't be as simple as that.
The next instance, his seals sparkled with brilliant light, their multitude of mana usage exceeding that of what a human body could even handle.
He's going to fry himself to win this damn battle!
Attempting to paralyze him and end the fight, she slipped behind him and aimed her next attack at his spine.
Her footwork was like that of a dancer, each intricate step a masterpiece that the crowd couldn't help but follow with their eyes.
Alaric, on the other hand, fought desperately to resist the descending blade.
She felt her blade tear through his cold flesh, a clean cut across the spine, but the muscles on his back were tensing, and his seals were glowing dangerously.
Feeling energy beginning to gather around him, Akari knew at that moment that she had to end this quickly.
Her hand glided across his neck, and her fingernails dug into the bruised axis of his collarbone.
The noble let out a yelp before throwing an elbow towards the pink-haired girl's abdomen, a pointless strike, yet a strike nonetheless.
Refusing to yield, Alaric raised his left foot before launching it backwards in a back kick, his right arm glowing with illusory light.
Dodging the kick, she grabbed hold of his right arm with her left hand and gripped it tightly, repositioning herself behind him, before jumping upward and placing her right leg against his back.
Then, in one horrible motion, she extended her leg fully while still gripping his arm, the guttural sound of the entire shoulder fracturing echoing like drums through the arena.
That wasn't all, however, as a moment later, the girl stabbed her dagger into his lower right back, piercing one of his kidneys and popping his appendix.
Akari Ayaka had no mercy when it came to fighting, a sentiment her master had drilled into her for the months he had trained her.
As instinct nearly took over, the blade ready to slit his throat and end this once and for all, she paused, a strange expression coming over her face.
Slowly, she leaned in towards the pale boy now pinned helplessly to the ground, her eyes scanning his now exposed back.
The very same seals as before covered a large part of his backside, but one thing stood out among the others.
In the very center, where she held her foot against, he had a larger mark, one that resembled a phoenix.
Her eyes widened, her grip releasing instantly, and the remainder of her strength being used to throw the boy as far as she could.
The moment he was about to hit the ground, she finally unholstered her pistol, firing ten shots straight at Alaric's head.
For a moment, no one really understood what happened.
Then, horrified gasps erupted across the stadium as the majority of the audience descended into chaos.
It was ten shots and ten hits.
Even the highest-ranking guests who had reclaimed their booth from Aaron Grimstall furrowed their brows questioningly.
In the entire arena, only one man did not say anything, a small smile coming over his face as he watched beside the three Sea Kings.
Opening his mouth slowly, Alex Lispentine spoke in a dream-like state, his eyes never once leaving the dead Alaric.
"You know of the crooked desire of nobles, yes? The one thing they crave more than power or riches?"
He looked between the three Kings only to receive silence, a light sigh coming out of his mouth.
"Lord Thorn, you would understand better than anyone. What the wealthiest people in this world desire is for their riches to be eternal."
Lispentine paused, the sight of the white-haired boy's body twitching nearly making him chuckle.
"Perhaps I've been unclear. That very same desire that those people cultivated was fulfilled some years ago, all thanks to the power of the Islander Mark of Wishes. In the Land of Deities, when the noble families learned that their King was on a rampage, they wished for only one thing."
Cauron's eyes seemed to widen as he realized what the guildmaster was telling him, a low laugh coming from his lips as he finished the man's words for him.
"Their combined wish resulted in the formation of an emblem. The phoenix one at that…"
They all gazed down at the bloodied stage, where Akari aimed her weapons at the fallen boy without hesitation, a look of disdain in her eyes.
Alaric, however, slowly pushed himself up, his hands instinctively reaching for his hair, which was matted with his own blood.
"Ahh, much better…"
He cracked his neck to the side to fix its alignment, and the audience watched in horror as the remaining brain matter leaked from the ten holes that tore through his skull.
However, with a flash of brilliant orange radiance, the wounds vanished, the victim looking as good as new.
Slowly, he picked up his staff from the stadium floor, his golden eyes now a flaming orange like a raging inferno.
"Now, little lady, shall I truly show you why I'm ranked second in this exam?"