Chapter 56

The Japanese girl and the Spanish-American — or whatever he was — didn't rush to start their fight.

Both specialized in spirit and ancestor magic, so their match was bound to be interesting. And since I'd never believe that a great witch wouldn't rig the results to increase the show's appeal, it was no surprise that Semiramis had matched them up for this exact reason.

How did she pull it off?

No idea. But I'd guess she'd simply transfigured the numbers on the slips at the exact moment before each contestant saw theirs. No ordinary magician could pull off such a seamless sleight-of-hand, and even most wizards wouldn't be able to do it so imperceptibly.

But the capabilities of an ancient witch clearly went beyond that, reminding me yet again that making enemies of them was definitely unwise.

Meanwhile, once the battle started, the contestants stopped sizing each other up and launched into their spirit summoning rituals. They intended to use the spirits as combatants while keeping their distance and supporting them with spells. It's precisely what makes Asian wizards so dangerous. Give them time to prepare, and they'll summon a swarm of mythological horrors from the magical world, while they stand back and keep you too busy to counterattack.

Outside of Asia, not even Africa really uses this approach. Central American traditions are an exception; ancient magic practitioners are rarer than rare these days. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mayan witch and her apprentice were currently the only ones of their kind.

"What do you make of it, Your Highness?" I asked, stepping aside to where Medea stood.

"There's plenty I could say, but what do you think?" she replied, turning her head slightly in my direction.

"The Japanese girl seems to be going for quantity. Her opponent, quality… but everything still depends on the compatibility of the spirits they summon."

"That's all?" the Colchian witch prompted.

"Not quite. Judging by the seals peeking from her hidden pockets, the Asian girl is planning to use them to offset any gap in quality between the spirits. Sergio only has a chance if he guesses this and summons something strong… But sometimes quantity does overwhelm quality, so it'd be smart of Miyoko to split her spirits' forces, delay his spirit, and take him down as fast as possible… For Sergio, he'd need to ignore her spirits and focus all his power on her." I laid out my thoughts, considering what else I'd do in their place.

Unfortunately, my knowledge in this type of magic was limited. For one, there's no magical internet to study on 24/7, and for another, Asians are incredibly secretive, so this knowledge isn't readily available or sold at a reasonable price. Eastern societies are so bound to clans that even European libraries seem open by comparison.

Spending exorbitant sums or exchanging my knowledge wouldn't be worth it either. Plus, there's no guarantee I wouldn't be given nonsense.

There's an alternative, of course: using less legal methods. But that requires a place and a mediator for such dealings. Europeans would be easily exposed, even if we altered our appearance. Our magic styles are too distinct.

So, if I do end up trying this in the future — which is quite likely — I'll need cover, something I don't have even a hint of yet.

"Not bad for a quick tactical analysis," Medea finally said, breaking the silence.

"I only pointed out the obvious," I shrugged, not thinking it particularly unusual.

"Many in my day… and even now, can't grasp even the obvious." She spoke with clear disdain, aimed at others, not at me.

"Well… I'd rather not be compared to such… unwise individuals, Your Highness."

"Many of them were older than you… or even your age." Given the context, her statement was a bit odd, but I understood her meaning. They were older than my current body, but my peers, considering my past life.

"My point still stands."

"And they're called heroes and legends today. Life is unfair."

"I had enough philosophy back in Hellas, boy. Now stop talking and keep your eyes on your potential opponents."

"Ja-wohl." I muttered, refocusing on the arena, where the blurred outlines of summoned creatures were beginning to form. Summoning rituals are essentially miniature and imperfect recreations of the connections between the ordinary and magical worlds, allowing semi-material entities to cross over. A lure, in the form of the wizard's magic, is first sent into the magical world — this magic differs from the ambient magic and is, in general, more… appetizing to such entities.

The Japanese girl completed her ritual first.

The outlines of several grotesque island creatures began to take shape: foxes with translucent, ever-shifting tails that seemed… unstable. Strange animals, reminiscent of nothing ordinary, as well as various chimeras that looked like extinct mammals from millions of years ago. The only way I could describe them was as "mystical Asian stuff," and that was that. I'm not versed enough in these unfamiliar creatures to explain them to any European.

She'd summoned about a dozen and a half.

Shifting my gaze, I quickly spotted the next summoned creature… It vaguely resembled a humanoid. Vaguely. Its arms and legs were in positions not quite right for a human. It lacked shoulders, with its arms emerging about thirty centimeters lower. Its legs… I'm not exactly sure what this part of the body is called anymore, but if we're talking about the hip bone, its legs seemed attached in front and to the side of it, leaving the space where human legs connect to the pelvis strangely empty.

The creature's face had a Mayan-style mask fused into its skin, and a cluster of bony protrusions ending in small spheres extended from its head, neck, and large hump. From its spine, or where its spine would be, emerged small, bluish tentacles, resembling exotic leaves. Red ones adorned its mask, and they moved as well. Altogether, the creature had an unsettling appearance. You wouldn't want to come face-to-face with it in the dark. At least Miyoko's creatures didn't look so creepy, and wizards can hardly complain about strange animal forms.

After sizing up each other's creatures, the summoners unleashed them into battle.