4.16.

BOoom! BAng!

Shockwaves exploded, causing a large whirlwind of energy to whip outwards. The barrier flickered, mana sparks could be seen crackling over the invisible barrier. The audience gasped in awe, seeing how the protective barrier which protected them shook intensely.

["Riestallia Academy successfully defended against Crue Magic Academy's bombardement!"] The emcee's voice buzzed throughout the arena.

The colosseum was located somewhere in Rika Nation. The given name for the place was Suntory Amphitheater, a reference to a well known orchestral hall back in the hero's world.

Din raised his wand, Sequence raised his hands towards the clear blue sky. The mages behind him began to channel mana into the grand spell.

Twelfth Starfall.

As a complex magic array formed in the sky, a dense state of mana began to circulate around his hands. It wasn't large, with a diameter of around five meters, moreover, the projectile itself was less than half a meter in diameter now, mostly because Sequencee had decided on further compressing the mana to increase the force and propulsion.

New Dawn Magic Showdown.

It was quite the chunni name for a competition that involved spells that could wipe out entire cities. But of course, with the passing of the ages, many of the legendary grand spells have faded into the anals of history. With the end of the war between humans and demons 500 years ago, there was no need to continue developing more and more destructive spells.

The existence of the magic concert was to retain this inflexible branch of magic. While it may serve an aesthetical, or cultural purpose now– in the future, there would perhaps be a need to revive the latent potential this field of magic is capable of.

The rules for the showdown are as follows.

Each ensemble can bring at most 35 members. The magic tools used should be within regulation standards. The winner is decided by the exchange between the grand spells. Both ensembles will take turns attacking and defending until one side runs out of mana– or loses two strikes. Of course, there are other factors to be considered, so a panel of judges are also there to make observations.

The limitation for the ensembles here is the amount of mana each team was provided. As most of the grand spells require a large amount of energy, the need would be supplied by the wands and staff used. They have to empty their staff of mana and recharge it before the match as stipulated in the rules.

So while it may be good to go all out and blast through the stage with a powerful spell, if this causes their mana to run out, the team will be unable to endure till the end. It's not simply a battle in regards to how strong a spell is, but also the efficiency of managing resources.

The white magic circle crackled. A strong vortex formed.

The green buzzer lit up, signaling that the other team had completed their defensive grand spell.

Both ensembles were not in direct line of fire, and were protected inside a strong defensive membrane to protect against the backlash of colliding spells.

"Fire."

The loud sound of ripping air tore the silence. A trail of light struck the hexagonal barrier formulated by Crue's Magic Academy. Starfall smashed right through like paper, slamming against the ground with a tremor.

The audience couldn't voice their shock before the next Starfall fell half-a-second later. Again, blowing a hold into their defenses. Twelve Starfall projectiles emptied in six seconds. Sequencee could hear his ears buzzing even though he had already worn earplugs.

["Riestallia Academy easily tore through their defenses! It's unprecedented!!"]

{-Lives-

Riestallia Academy: 2

Crue's Magic Academy: 1

}

"Ah, no wonder the spell is so familiar," Risa said.

"Do you think our school will win this time around?" Shiro asked.

"Who knows.. but based on cliche, it's very likely."

"Still, the magic is quite something.." Evelyn narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. Yes it is quite something," Aaron said.

The assembled for Crue's Magic Academy had a small discussion before proceeding with their spell.

Din angled his wand to signal to everyone that they will prepare Warp Net again.

The mages readied themselves, Sequence pointed his hands to the front.

The magic circle on the opposing side began to dilate. An intense storm could be heard brewing from the inside.

Mana channeled into Sequencee's hand stretched into an invisible barrier. Many lattice-like points to the net's structure came together to create a multilayer-thick barrier. With properties like those found in the chemical bonds of polysaccharide, it created a flexible but strong film.

A green buzzer came on-on their side. A flash of blue light whipped across the sky and struck the membrane hard. Many of the links in the membrane structure exploded to the lightning, creating a tear which would repair itself.

More lightning poured out from the magic circle like an overflowing waterfall. It kept striking the defensive barrier, the speed which it tore exceeded the speed it could repair itself. Mana sparks would be seen each time a joint popped, creating a scene of mini fireworks.

The fierce storm of lightning only stopped after a full minute. While Sequencee had to adjust the defensive membrane to reinforce one particular point of enemy attacks, none of the lightning got through in the end.

"Okay, it's our win now," Daizo said.

"As expected of a mage like him," Quora said.

"The selection of the spell itself was great. Sometimes it has more to do with strategy than skill, you know?" Nynim said.

"As long as our academy wins this round, we'll advance to the semi-finals," Leticia said.

"Too bad they banned betting. If they had it, I would've chucked my savings into our school," Nynim laughed.

"Do you want to try the new popcorn flavor? Looks like a nice snack," Schwii asked Iona.

"The decision is yours to consider, master," the maid responded.

"Popcorn? Where?!" Nynim jolted.

The second round of Twelfth Starfall, similar to earlier, easily tore through Crue Magic Academy's defenses. It was a flawless victory for Riestallia.

{-Lives-

Riestallia Academy: 2

Crue's Magic Academy: 0

}

["Give it up for the underdog of this year's magic concert!"]

Cheers buzzed through the crowd. Both ensembles left the stage. After a short break, the next two teams will begin their match.

If there was one thing that people enjoy about the magic concert, it's the hard pounding feeling of two grand spells slamming into each other. It's like riding an unmoving roller coaster with an unpredictable firework show. Different from the exhilaration of duels, magic concerts are where fans of big explosions come to dawdle.

Another aspect about magic concerts is that the competition doesn't take a long time. There are only a couple teams at any one time; one for each academy. So the longest it would take is around three days to settle the matches.

As such, it is normally regarded as the prelude to the exhilarating duels people look forward to.

"Good job!"

"We totally beat them down good!"

"And we still have so much mana left after the match, it's stupid!"

"Hey, I think we'd actually clinch the grand prize this time!"

Clap. Clap.

Everyone's attention gathered to the conductor at once.

"Great work out there everyone. While we may have entered the semi-finals, please don't be conceited in thinking it would be smooth sailing like how it was with our previous opponents. Things will be much more different in the matches to come. As an aside, I thank you all for your hard work."

"""Yes Mister Din!!"""

After resting a while in the rest area, Sequencee made his way to the spectator's platform. The break was over, the next teams were headed up on stage.

'Good luck Linton.'

Covenant's Academy against Eluive Academy.

Sequencee saw Leticia and co. fighting over popcorn. He made his way over to them.

"Congratulations on entering the semi-finals," Dorry called out.

"Thanks."

"That was a damn powerful spell. Looks hard to maintain," said Daizo.

"Sequencee, do you want to try some?" Leticia shook the popcorn basket at him.

"Thanks– hm? This tastes good."

"There are more flavors there you could try. I could get you whichever one you'd like?" Schwii said, eyeing Leticia a little dissatisfied.

"Nah, it's fine."

'It makes my fingers sticky.'

"What a surprise! Last year's runner up against the champion! What will the results be?!" The emcee's voice echoed.

Sequencee sat down with them. Schwii brought popcorn to his mouth. Sequencee picked the popcorn off her hands.

"Who do you think will come out on top?" She asked.

"Eluive."

"Really?"

"Covenant. Why would you even choose Eluive?" Leticia asked, her face darkened.

"It's just a guess. As much as I'd like to support the Convenant's Academy because Linton is there, I feel like Eluive has that edge.."

"Edge? I think they should burn in hell," Leticia's low voice reverberated.

Her words surprised both Sequencee and Schwii.

Both teams had only revealed two of their spells so far. While there was no limit to the number of grand spells you can prepare, most typically only prepare four. Two defensive spells, two offensive spells.

The match began with Convenant's Academy striking first.

There is a slight advantage to being first, however, the downside was that in the overall, if the team that began first lost, they would not be able to enter the reclamation round. The reclamation round is to put basically, the loser bracket whereby the losing teams can face off again to win a spot back into the main bracket.

As would any grand spell, a strong wind covered the colosseum. Many sparkling beads began to form near the magic circle by Covenant's Academy. Each bead glimmered as an oppressing force pressed down against everyone's hearts.

'How would it play out?'