99　Eishou Match 2

　The matter of the first match had a tremendous impact on all the spectators.

　One of the people who received the biggest shock was Eishou Muratti Tricolori.

　The moment he saw the "Lightning Attribute・Fifth Form" spell...The moment he saw the magic circle deployed by Second, he stood up and shouted out involuntarily.

　Delight. Astonishment. Excitement. There were no words to describe the intense emotions raging the wildest in his 36 years of life.

　I knew it, it exists. It exists in this world. A [Magic] I had yet to see exists――!

"...!!"

　Muratti stared at the young man's every move as he exercised this unknown [Magic] in the center of the arena, a gaze so intense it could figuratively bore a hole through him.

　This was the moment where he had been the most focused in his entire life.

　Like a child watching a movie, absorbed in the special effects he was seeing for the first time. With his mouth agape, he simply kept staring at the gushing electric strikes.

　To him, this lightning magic was more of a pleasure, higher than any other activity. More than sleep, more than food, more than a woman's body or any kind of drug.

　There it was, a further look into the abyss of [Magic] which he had always been seeking. It was as if it had suddenly materialized and descended in front of him, so direct, too stimulating, and ultimately extremely shocking. The kind of euphoria and zenith that came from having your brain exposed bare, and a bucket of pure pleasure dumped over it.

　And, ultimately.

"How glorious!!!"

"It's finally time, Alpha. After we're done here, you'll be mine."

　Semifinals of the Eishou matches.

　Nil Weissroy versus Alpha Promenade.

　A match between a handsome elven man with light-blue hair and a serene elven woman with long dark-brown hair and big breasts, wearing black-rimmed glasses.

　The rumors among people said he would have the upper hand. This because this was the first time Alpha was participating, placing her below Nil in both experience and ability.

"Uh, um, I..."

"Huh? What's the matter?"

　When Alpha opened her mouth to speak, Nil questioned her with a conceited expression.

　After a moment of silence, Alpha turned her gaze towards Nil and spoke in a strong and determined tone, one never seen on her.

"I will not lose."

　Behind those glasses, her fighting spirit flared up.

"..."

　And that unexpected defiance caused Nil to become silent for a moment.

　Until the day before yesterday, Alpha had given up on even trying. She thought this was her destiny as a woman born in the Promenade family, that this was for the good of her household, that it was going to be okay, after all, she had no other choice.

　But.

　The battles she saw for the Issenza and the Kisenshou titles gave her, for the first time in her life, courage.

　The beauty of pushing oneself to the limits in order to attain victory. The value of devising strategies, improving oneself, striving for victory, and seeking strength. And the coolness of those who stood up, even when they knew they would ultimately lose.

　She strongly yearned for it.

　And she too strongly wished that she could do the same.

　Being a young girl of only 100 years old made her think like that.

"Did that man say something to you?"

"...Even if he did so, what of it?"

　Nil was a keen observer. If there was something different now・・・It had to be because of that man.

"I'll win. And after this match is over...prepare yourself."

"――!."

　A cold chill ran up Alpha's back.

　Nil's eyes instantly turned savage. This was the true nature of the man who wore that mask of conceitedness.

"Participants, to your position!"

　The referee spoke out.

　Keeping a distance from each other, Nil and Alpha moved into place.

　Then.

"――Begin!"

　Finally, the signal to start came.

　...Interestingly enough.

　After that, it was strangely one-sided.

　By all possible means, Nil kept trying to hit Alpha.

　And Alpha kept firing First Form spells at the last moment, from the very edge of the range.

　Nil was starting to get impatient. The reason being, none of his attacks were hitting. But this was no wonder, after all, Alpha was focusing her efforts on evading rather than attacking. Even during the casting of First Form[Magic], which required the least amount of time to cast, when she detected an attack coming from Nil, she canceled her spell in a moment and moved to take evasive actions with all her might. Her fighting style was the very definition of caution.

　Then, whenever she saw an opening, she shot a First Form spell of her own. Earnestly evading and then shoot at the first chance. A textbook example of hit and run tactics. Although the First Form spells were the lowest in terms of attack power, they were the fastest means of attack in the [Magic] system. Nil was forced to deal with that, therefore unable to attack as he wished.

　But adapting to that, Nil adopted the hit-and-run tactics using the First Form spells. However, things didn't go that well for him.

　In the current situation, it was difficult for Nil to take back the initiative from Alpha. Even if he tried to aim for a counter, if you wanted to offset [Magic] with [Magic], it must be of the same attribute. As such, since he was only reacting to her spells, it was inevitable for him to fall behind. Therefore, as he tried to deal with every spell hurled his way, he ended losing the initiative. Plus, if he tried to attack her while ignoring the impact on himself, having already been hit several times by Alpha's First Form spells and going by the current pace, Nil would be the first one to fall.

　――A stalemate.

　Impossible, there's no way this could be happening to me.

　However, no matter how much he thought about it, Nil couldn't come up with any good countermeasure.

　...Frustration. At this rate, I'll never get my hands on Alpha, he thought. And adding to that, he would be ridiculed for the rest of his life as "The man who lost to the Promenade's daughter in a match for their engagement".

　Impatience. Anxiety. Restlessness...

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

　Nil howled, trying to sound intimidating. He threatened Alpha, continuously hurling abusive words her way.

　But Alpha was unconcerned. She just calmly evaded, kept her distance, and continued to shoot First Form spells.

　Yet, this wasn't that easy.

　It was like trying to defuse a bomb while having an annoying drunken person in the same room. It required a concentration impossible for a common person.

　And so, thirty minutes passed.

　The match's duration was one hour. In other words, the point of no return.

　If things continued this way, Alpha, who had done more damage thus far would be the winner, by decision of the referee.

"...!"

　It was when twenty minutes remained in the game that Nil finally had a flash of inspiration.

　He remembered the previous match between Second and Cesta. The strategy that Cesta took was to approach Second while he was casting his Fifth Form spell and release a Third Form one.

　――"I have to get closer".

　Then, at that moment, he decided to deliberately eat the First Form spell in order to earn him time for his own chanting.

"It has to be now...!"

　Nil sprinted towards Alpha, unguarded.

　Keeping her usual distance, Alpha prepared and shot her First Form spell.

  "――!!"

　Nil braved it and ate the First Form spell. Then, while receiving it, he began casting a "Water Attribute・Third Form" spell, and immediately activated it――

"Kyaaa."

　At last, Alpha took a hit, receiving the blow straight on.

"Ha, haha, I did it!"

　Nil was greatly pleased.

　The power of a Third Form spell was greater than that of several First Form ones.

　In other words, if the fight went on like this until the time expired, Nil would be the winner by the referee's decision.

　...On top of that.

"Serves you right! Now I'll let you have a taste of that stupid strategy you were using!"

　When Alpha went down, the attacker and attacked roles switched.

　It was now Nil's turn to play hit-and-run with Alpha.

　Still, Alpha kept on dodging with all her might. She continued to respond to his attacks. However, the chance for a counterattack never came.

　Fifteen minutes remaining.

　If things kept going the same way, Alpha would lose.

"..."

　However, there was nothing she could do.

　She was about to give up. About to slip down that cliff she had worked so hard to climb. Like this, she would just turn back to her old self. To that feeble person she was before she began longing for 'strength'.

"――Don't rush!"

　A loud voice came from the spectators' seats.

　A man's voice that sounded familiar. She didn't have to turn around to know whom that voice belonged to.

"Ggh...!"

　Strangely, her legs regained their strength. Courage filled her body once again. And the energy to face her challenge sprung forth.

　Since he said that, there must still be a chance to win somewhere. She was convinced of this.

　...I don't want to lose.

　She could feel her heart throbbing.

　Reaching this point, her emotions were high on display.

　And so, she suddenly remembered his words.

　Keep the Third Form as the ace up your sleeve and use it only as a distraction――

"...! Here I come!"

　A realization dawned upon her.

　A distraction, in other words, to trick your opponent's eyes. To lie, deceive, lead astray.

　Alpha promptly dodged Nil's "Water Attribute・First Form" spell, and then quickly began to cast a "Wind Attribute・Third Form" spell.

　There's no way she can finish the casting in time. Everyone was aware of that.

"How stupid! You're just wasting your time!"

　Seeing the chance, Nil began casting another "Water Attribute・First Form" spell and decided to dodge after completing it.

　Here, the difference in their personality came into play.

　The cautious Alpha would have immediately canceled the First Form spell's casting and focused everything on evasion.

　Nil, however, thought: "If my opponent is casting a Third Form spell, I have the leeway to evade after I hit her with my First Form spell".

　His thought process was in fact correct. The casting of a Third Form spell couldn't be completed that quickly.

　...But.

"You are the stupid one!"

　Alpha had canceled her "Wind Attribute・Third Form" spell just 0.3 seconds into her chanting.

　The Third Form spell was just a distraction. To make the other person think "She's casting a Third Form spell"――A fake-out.

"What!?"

　Not a moment later, a "Wind Attribute・First Form" spell hit Nil head-on. It was the First Form spell she chanted in place of the Third Form one.

　And once again, the offensive and defensive positions changed.

　Time remaining, barely ten minutes.

　Nil still had the upper hand in the total amount of damage done.

　However, Alpha was extremely calm.

She felt like that person was telling her "Don't rush".

　Afterward, she continued with her hit-and-run tactic, in neither a rush nor with a change.

　Not being fooled by Nil's gap closing or his attempts at a fake-out, she slowly and steadily continued with her methodical strategy using the First Form.

　...And then.

　One minute remaining. The amount of total damage take was finally reversed.

"――Match over! By points, Alpha Promenade wins!"

　She was victorious.

　　＊　＊　＊

　Final match of the Eishou tournament to decide to Title challenger.

　Just before the match began, I exchanged some words with the big-breasted bespectacled elven girl, Alpha Promenade.

"Um, Second Issenza. Thank you very much for the other day."()

"About the advice?"

"Yes. Without your advice from that time, I would have lost."

"Don't worry, still, you're talented. It's only been two days since you heard my advice. I think you have great perception."

"...T-Thank you for your kind words."

　When I praised her honestly, she shyly turned her head down while her cheeks died a crimson color.

　I can't really tell her expression from behind those glasses, but I'm sure she's bashful.

"Participants, get ready."

　Following the referee's instructions, we moved to our positions, a distance away from each other.

　Well then. This time, let's go calm and easy.

　Since the first match was a flashy one, it's important to bring the pace a bit down here. If they keep on eating junk food, the audience's stomach will upset. Isn't it kind of gross to eat greasy food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

"Begin!"

　We bowed to each other.

　Alpha's strategy seemed to be the same one she used against Nil, hit-and-run using "Wind Attribute・First Form" spells.

　This time, I'll ban myself from using Lightning Attribute magic. After all, Alpha can't offset it. One of the reasons why Lightning Attribute is strong against the other four attributes in interpersonal battles is because it is impossible to counter it by hitting it with [Magic] of the same attribute.

　If I don't do this, the match will be too one-sided. And that would be boring.

"Say, did you know about this?"

　I said so after dodging Alpha's First Form spell・・・・・・while lying on the ground.

"W-What are you doing...EHH!!"

　Apparently, Alpha took notice of it right away.

　Indeed, if you cast [Magic] in this position, it becomes difficult to properly see the magic circle that appears at the feet of the caster. In other words, it becomes difficult to detect the attribute and rank of the [Magic].

　It's a very primitive, but still, quite tricky technique. However, I don't want to use it much because it is unsightly.

　Then, while still lying down, I activated the "Water Attribute・First Form" spell. Although Alpha was delayed by a beat, she also responded by casting a "Water Attribute・First Form" spell. Quite good observation powers if I say so myself.

"Not bad. Then, how about this?"

　Next, I chanted a "Wind Attribute・First Form" spell. Seeing this, Alpha began to distance herself from me in an attempt to avoid it. That is the basis of the hit-and-run tactics. Man, I'll be troubled if she does that, or that's what I would normally say...

"You kidding me!?"

　My "Wind Attribute・First Form" spell was fired towards my feet.

　By jumping at the same time as the wind pressure from the spell is applied, your body can jump high at a 45-degree angle.

　It's a little painful, but...With this, you can close the distance in one fell swoop. And then.

"This is・・・Not counted as moving・・・・・so you can cast spells."

　By starting the cast at the moment of your jump, it is possible for a normally unthinkable situation to occur, "casting while moving".

　As I approached Alpha, who had tried to flee out of my range, I landed while casting a "Fire Attribute・Third Form" spell.

"But you have to be careful because if you make mistake while landing, the spell will go poof."

　While giving her a few pointers, I completed the preparation for the Third Form spell.

　Alpha was just at the right distance. I could shoot the Third Form spell at any moment.

　It will definitely hit. Considering the difference in attack power between me and Alpha, this was only inevitable. She can't take any effective action, so she's stuck.

　...But. I dared to wait for a moment.

　I wanted to see how Alpha would react. She has good sense. And I still have a lot to teach here. So, if you were to ask me, I would still want the match to continue to keep on coaching her.

"Ggh...!"

　Then.

　Alpha did something surprising.

　On that spot・・・She laid down.

"...Ahh, amazing."

　That was the best response I could think of.

　By casting laying down and hiding your own magic circle, you can force your opponent to become agitated due to not knowing what the opponent would do. A 'suspicious move' that invites the other party to make mistakes.

　But that's not all. It was only a few minutes ago that I taught her the casting laying down thing.

　And nevertheless, she showed an application of this. In the best possible way, in this helpless situation where she's cornered.

"Let's keep going a bit more."

　I shot the "Fire Attribute・Third Form" spell a bit in front of Alpha and then retreated a distance away.

　I want to see more and more of what she does. And I want to teach her lots of things.

"Yes...!　I'll be in your care!"

　Alpha, having suffered some damage due to the aftermath of the Third Form spell, answered with a pained expression.

　...And thus. Some tens of minutes passed.

　We continued our long coaching match in the eyes of the crowd.

　Many different comments could be heard from the audience seats, such as: "Stop with your flirting!", "This isn't a match anymore!", "Is it the boobs?!", "I bet it's the boobs", "We'll have a very loooong talk when we're back home, Master", "I'm huuuuungry!".

　Isn't this fine? It sure is okay once in a while. And it was quite educational, right? I bet you guys learned a lot too.

"Match over! Winner, Second Firstest!"

　The referee announced loudly.

　Alpha and I shook hands with a pleased expression and then left the stage.

　Well then, it's finally time for my match against the Eishou.

　I wonder what kind of person is he? In any case, I'm really looking forward.