***

[ I will now explain the rules of this battle! Applicants, please pay close attention, as the same rules will apply to your own exam should you choose to enter the tournament! ]

Yukiko and Ryugo now stood on opposite ends of the field below, while Tenshi remained on the stage above.

Large system windows appeared just beyond the seating area, displaying a live video feed of the battlefield.

[ If you direct your attention towards the system windows, you’ll find that both our combatants are equipped with crystals on various parts of their bodies. ]

Just as Tenshi said, both Yukiko and Ryugo were wearing small crystals atop their clothes. They were no larger than a pinky finger and distinctly diamond shaped.

[ These crystals are the key to “scoring” each match. Each member of a team will enter with seven crystals. Four are attached to each arm and leg respectively, with one for each limb, two are attached to the front and back of the chest, and the last crystal can be found on the back of the neck. ]

He gave a few moments for us to confirm this on the video feed.

[ These crystals will be your “targets” in combat. They are highly durable, so even a direct hit against them will protect the wearer from critical damage. On top of that, they’ve been specially designed to absorb mana directed at the wearer, so mana-imbued attacks do not necessarily have to hit the crystals directly. ]

A new video feed appeared, showing a close up view of Tenshi on stage.

From within the palm of his hand, he revealed one of these crystals, tossing it in the air before throwing a heavy punch towards it.

Crack!

The crystal’s colors faded as it shattered to the ground.

[ Each crystal is worth a set number of points. For destroying a limb crystal, your team gains one point. For destroying either of the chest crystals, your team receives three points. However, bear in mind that only one chest crystal may be destroyed for points. Lastly, destroying the neck crystal will also grant your team three points. ]

He added one last bit of information with a smile.

[ If any one person receives four or more points of damage, they are eliminated from the battle. ]

“They’re making these rules almost as punishing as real battles…”

[ Now, let the battle begin! ]

[ Ryugo has activated < Title Ability | Oceanic Avatar (Lv. 6) > ]

So he wielded a water attribute… and with a considerably high level ability as well…

[ Yukiko has activated < Aura Ability | Alter Zone - “Snowfield” > ]

And Yukiko had already advanced her aura zone to an alter zone?!

Neither of them wasted a single second waiting for the other.

A great wave of mana rushed from Ryugo’s core, concentrating only in both his hands. As that energy grew more and more dense, it rose high into the air, forming bright aqua trails.

That wasn’t just a concentrated aura– There was no way that mana density could be classified under the same term–

“OCEANIC AVATAR! TWIN EELS!”

The two of them rushed in headfirst, releasing the full intensity of their mana.

As she did before, Yukiko brandished her dagger, only this time, it looked considerably different than before.

The hilt was about the same, but the blade seemed significantly thicker than how I remembered it. On top of that, a sizable opening had been intentionally carved into the backside of the blade, with indentations resembling the grips of brass knuckles.

What amazed me the most was that her speed and precision far outclassed her greatest feats from two years ago, even with such an odd weapon.

Yet, somehow, against this blade sharpened to a deadly extent, Ryugo was managing to strike it head on with his bare fists, the eel-like currents of mana flowing behind his every movement.

Without a drop of mana allocated to anywhere else in his body, he was managing to fend off Yukiko’s insanely fast attacks with his hands alone.

These two were on a completely different level–

First Dance: Layered Snowstorm

Was she already preparing to finish the battle?

Flashes of blue and white clashed throughout the snowstorm created by Yukiko’s alter zone.

Her first dance had been countered.

Second Dance: Falling Thrust

The transition between the feint and the thrust was almost instantaneous, tearing through Ryugo’s eels.

“AVATAR RELEASE!!”

In an unexpected motion, the eels following Ryugo’s fists flew free, blitzing towards Yukiko in a writhing whirlpool.

Third Dance: Ice Pick

She pierced through the center of the whirlpool with a swift strike, causing Ryugo’s mana to dissipate around her and fizzle out.

Her strongest dance was already canceled out…

All of their crystals were still intact.

Fourth Dance: Lunar Crescent

“WHAT?!”

The people sitting near me suddenly jumped back at my exclamation.

“Sorry–”

I felt stupid for being surprised.

Of course she’d develop new techniques to accompany her growth.

Her blade traveled forwards in an arc, sweeping low near the ground.

In its motion, it began accumulating the already present mana in the air from her alter zone, causing her dagger to glow and extend in a brilliant white.

“AVATAR EVOLUTION! TWIN SEA SERPENTS!”

Mana returned to Ryugo’s fists with even greater ferocity as he swung again to counter Yukiko’s attack.

Clang!

They were still evenly matched.

Fifth Dance: Rising Glacier

She let go of the hilt and slotted her fingers into the alternate grip, directly striking back at Ryugo’s oncoming assault.

The intensity of their clashes only continued to grow.

“AVATAR RELEASE!!”

The now sea serpents flew forwards again, forming a raging storm that put the previous performance by the eels to shame.

Sixth Dance: Blizzard Rush

Yukiko returned her dagger to its usual grip, drawing it back as a swirling current of mana gathered around the blade.

Another thrust.

The gathered mana burst forth in a storm of its own, striking the sea serpents with equal strength.

Their attacks canceled each other out once more.

“IT’S TIME TO FINISH THIS! AVATAR ASCENSION!!”

The previously destroyed sea serpents manifested behind Ryugo, now swimming in the air completely detached from his body.

Suddenly, they began consuming one another, biting at the other’s tail while moving faster and faster.

Soon enough, they turned into a single ring of rapidly pulsing mana.

Then, the ring surged ahead, taking the form of a single draconic head with its jaws agape.

“SUPREME SEA SOVEREIGN!!”

This guy was crazy– Just how in the world could one person continuously throw out so many attacks imbued with so much mana?

Faced with this overwhelming presence, Yukiko only stared straight ahead with uncaring eyes.

[ Yukiko has deactivated < Aura Ability | Alter Zone - “Snowfield” > ]

She deactivated her alter zone at a time like this…?

She broke into a sprint, baring her dagger towards her opponent.

Yet, against such a beast of mana and with her own alter zone deactivated, I couldn’t begin to imagine how she’d seize victory now–

“Seventh Dance…”

Ryugo’s concentration broke.

The supreme sea sovereign flickered for just a moment.

I took my eyes away from the video feed and looked directly at the true battlefield. 

My sixth sense…

So that’s what caught Ryugo’s attention–

The alter zone had vanished, but the mana that composed it was still there.

All that mana of Yukiko’s that occupied a majority of the battlefield until moments ago was now condensed into several tiny snowflakes, gently drifting into Ryugo’s field of vision.

Each snowflake carried a mana density that rivaled the moment when Aria snapped.

There was simply no way– How did she–

Then, I saw it.

Moving alongside Yukiko within her hands, two distinct presences stood apart from her own aether.

That dagger of hers… was forged from– no, contained two shards of the Key of Creation.

The battle ended in an instant after that.

She had mastered the conceptual technique behind her brother’s “Verse 1.”

The ability to extend one’s aura to create a “road” upon which one could nearly instantaneously travel.

In that instant, she blitzed through the supreme sea sovereign and past Ryugo before stopping.

I guessed that to most people in the audience, it seemed as if she simply teleported.

Each and every one of Ryugo’s crystals crumbled to the ground.

[ AMAZING!!! Yukiko holds on to her title as Captain of the First Division, seizing victory with 10 points!! ]

A roar of cheers erupted from the stadium.

“Hah! I put up a good fight, but you were just that much better! Alright, I’ll be content as Captain of the Second Division for now.”

With hearty laughter, Ryugo left the stadium alongside Yukiko, who, although remaining silent, carried a slight smile across her lips.

How hard she had worked in the time since we last saw each other… Had I fallen behind…?

No– I couldn’t sell myself short just yet.

Soon enough, I’d be standing beside her, and soon enough, we’d be standing on the same battlefield.

I still had to show her that I upheld our promise.

I’d get through this exam with my aura and shard alone… and use the power Seraphim and I had refined to right the wrongs of our pasts.

I still had the fruits of my efforts waiting for their moment to shine.