Mixed Mana Arts III

(Is the upload schedule absolute shit right now? Yes. Am I sorry? No, I been seen some shit. Will it get better? Soon. Very soon. I promise, for real this time, that once school is over, I will get back to having a chapter out at least every two days. Nonetheless, enjoy the chapter!)

Side by side, we stood in a line, the dark tunnel leading to a bright light before us. To my left, Anna and Yanni. To my right, Jacob.

The darkness with the light at the end reeked of foreshadowing. Who knew this could happen in real life and not just in stories. This darkness was the current world I live in. Once I walked out into that arena, my life might change forever. Whether that change will be good or bad, only time will tell.

Jacob leaned into my ear and whispered. "I forgot to mention this before, but do not even think about using all six elements. Aside from the referees and the faculty, there are few who know about your talents. I suggest keeping it to water, wind, and lightning."

(If you are wondering, they don't publish the affinities of the students as that would be a national security issue. No one other than some government officials, the faculty, and his friends know about his affinities.)

I raised my brow and whispered back. "Why should I hold back? And why those three?"

Jacob scoffed and shook his head. "So naive. The other countries plant spies in their neighbors. Some even spread further depending on the information that is spreading through their networks. If they were to discover you, they'll stop at nothing to get rid of you. Wait until you're at least an Adept before revealing your talents since that is the rank of most assassins."

He continued after a deep breath. "For the three elements I suggested, water is your best element with how you handle ice. Wind and lightning are very similar. They provide reliable long range attacks while also giving you a burst of speed. You can also use lighting to improve the cutting power of your knives and wind to extend their reach."

I nodded. "Makes sense. Lightning also fits in with how I magnetize the balls. Let's do this."

In unison, the four of us took our first step towards the light, the regal colors of our MMA uniforms slowly being revealed as our shadows extended behind us. It was quite picturesque.

As we approached the edge of the tunnel, the roar of the crowd bled through the concrete. I imagined that this is what a boxer must feel like back on Earth. This truly was euphoric.

Through the roar of the crowd that was quickly becoming deafening, a booming voice pierced through, clear as day. "GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TONIGHT IS THE OPENING NIGHT OF OUR PRE-SEASON EXHIBITION MATCHES! Now, I just need to know one thing before we start. ARE YOU READY TO RUMMMMBLEEEEEEE?!?!?"

The crowd erupted, somehow becoming even louder than before. The stadium must be packed to capacity. Given that the academy's stadium can fit a few thousand people, I wasn't surprised.

The announcer then cleared his throat. "That's what I like to hear. For our first match tonight, the setting will be an urban tundra. Fortunately, we have some exciting teams to trek through the snow for us! First up, is a team with an almost unreachable bar set for them. With two royals, a noble, and a mystery man, who knows what they can accomplish. I give you… ZEPHYR!"

Anna turned towards us wearing a cheeky smile. "I think that's our queue."

Jacob rolled his eyes while Yanni and I chuckled. We emerged into the light together. The stage lights were blinding. I was honestly impressed that magic could replicate something I thought only possible through the use of electricity. Then again, there is still much to learn about this world.

As we walked out, there was a huge recess in the arena in front of us. Aside from a rim of about 5 feet around the recess, the entire arena was depressed into the ground. When we reached the edge, my mind exploded. I watched as the ground was literally being terraformed. Houses and buildings were being raised from the ground. Their roofs, covered in snow, ascended above the rim of the battlefield. To say the least, I was thoroughly impressed.

The announcer quickly got into introducing the other team. I wasn't really listening too attentively so I missed most of it. He said something about four lesser nobles from the same duchy. Nothing important since this is only an exhibition match. All they were to me were labrats to test my abilities on. I had never been in real combat after all. Hopefully Mrs. Warren's teachings will show some worth here. Their uniforms were all black so they would stick out like sore thumbs in the snow. We already had the advantage strategically.

The announcer waited a few moments after introducing them. "Our officials are in place so fighters take the field. The match will start 20 seconds after the last fighter enters the arena."

I felt no need to delay so I jumped right in. As I landed, the snow cushioned the fall, which was about eight feet. In the outer portions of the arena, it was wide open. Thus, the amount of snow was higher at about 3 feet. I could see that it was only about a foot within the town.

Once the four of us were in the snow, Jacob pointed to a church towards the edge of the town. He was the team captain since he is the only one with any semblance of military training. "That will be the core of our plan. Anna, get up high and provide cover fire when necessary. We'll signal you over comms when we need help. The three of us will sweep the village. I doubt any of them can beat us. There are only a few students in our year that can challenge us."

I nodded. "Roger roger."

All three of them looked at me with confused expressions.

I just shook my head. "Nevermind, local thing."

Jacob shrugged. "Well, get ready. The match will start in a few seconds and then we can move into the village."

The announcer's voice cut back in. "3… 2… 1… FIGHT!"

I touched my finger to the device in my right ear and injected some mana into it. "Can you guys hear me?"

Jacob immediately replied. "Loud and clear."

I nodded. "Good. Let's move."

Jacob ran with Anna towards the tower. She was the weakest in terms of close quarters combat so he would escort her there. It would be bad if the enemy also went for the same target and then ambushed Anna. She is key to the plan with her long range casting abilities.

Yanni fanned off to the left so I decided to go balls out - I went straight down what would be main street.

I had my senses stretched to the max so I was walking without a care in the world. Mages aren't able to hide their senses until they reach a higher level. I should really ask about the mage rankings later.

The arena was quite large, at least a few thousand feet across. This one was much larger than the one we had our orientation in. Thus, I walked leisurely without any interruption.

After about a minute, I estimated that Anna should be about to situate herself in the church tower. Almost like it was on cue, I heard her voice over comms. "I'm in position."

Jacob then spoke. "Affirmative. Yanni, Cal, you are free to engage. Don't forget callouts."

I smirked. Not only because I was now weapons free, but also because someone had entered the radius of my senses. Scratch that, two someones. "Two hostiles near main street, approaching my position."

Jacob quickly rattled off his orders. "Yanni, move into the side streets and through the buildings. Get behind them. I'll route over to you right now. Anna, watch my back as I'll be heading straight to Cal."

I smiled. This was going to get exciting. If all went well, we could use this to eliminate half the enemy team. I raised my right hand and patted the karambit that is sheathed on my chest, ready for action.