Alice still stared at the relative Tesfia.
　She then brought forward the rest of the circle that was waiting to be activated, but no slashes were released from it. Next, the light faded and the inside of the circle reflected the scenery at the back.
　He stopped thinking about activating it because he refrained from wasting his magic power.


　♢ ♢


　The one who is most surprised by this situation is Tesfia herself. I'm not sure if he's consuming quite a bit of magic power just to maintain it, but his face was twitching. Even though it was a spur of the moment thing, I didn't expect that a magic that was only thrown was wielded like an actual weapon, so although I was stunned and sorted out my head, I was only confused in the end.
　Even so, it is still thanks to Ars's training that they were able to maintain it like this. The fact that it was prevented is undeniably a coincidence, though.
　It was simply because he decided that he could only counter it with a high-level magic as high as the Icicle Sword. Even if it's not as powerful as the main body, two direct hits of slashes will not be enough. In my head, I only had the idea that if the magic had enough magic density to cut two slashes, that was the extent of it.

　Of course, I remember the part where I used the Icicle Sword to express it for that reason. But I also realized that I couldn't make it in time, as a matter of course. That's why it's hard to understand.
　Then he took one look at the ice sword he had created and let out a bitter smile.
　In exchange for being in time, there was also a very ugly icicle sword. The blade is not nearly sharp enough to cut. Even so, it is probably powerful enough to be a weapon.

　Now I can consciously reconfigure the coordinates with variables, but even that alone is a challenge. It's not in a very fightable state.
　Quickly, Tesfia stops thinking and sharpens her body's senses to make her body remember the current state. It's because I'm better at making my body memorize the situation than I am at making my mind think rashly. When I blocked the slash, I protected my face with my arm, but then I remembered that the sword was waved in conjunction with it.

(Then.........)

　You don't move your relative position, but fix it, while you move it with the swing of your arms. It's like moving your hands in your head.
　Then the sword tilts a little bit as I imagined.

(This will work!)

　I nod vigorously to the ice sword that listens to me easily without the slightest lag, and my hand is caged in strength.
　It's an unsteady feeling, to the point where it could crumble away at any moment if you're not careful, but that's fine for now. It's a power that is hard to get as long as it's useful. And even though it was spur of the moment, there was no certainty that the same magic could be expressed immediately.

　Although Tesfia had knowledge of this sword, she was not certain how she had constructed the magic.
　As he turned his left arm to hug his body, the sword also slowly turned in the opposite direction in front of Tesfia.
　I use whatever objects I can use. The corners of his mouth are fished up in a grin.

'You've done it.'

　It opened up to dispel the arms with great force.
　The interlocking ice swords were dispatched sideways as they cut through the smoke. Perhaps it was from the weight, but I managed to endure it even as my body was pulled back. If she could reconfigure her coordinates more constantly with variables, she wouldn't be able to be swept around, but it would be difficult for her to do so now.
　She stumbles a bit, but holds firm. Even though she moves as if she were waving her arms around, her magic power continues to decrease just by maintaining it. She's relying on her senses, but if she didn't constantly project a minimum amount of coordinates, it was likely to fizzle out at any moment.

(Not for a long time.)

　The Icicle Sword is a substantive substance that uses magic power as its medium and is made manifest through a process called magic. However, as long as its constituent element is magical power, the supply of magical power is necessary to keep it an entity forever. The amount of magic power had already decreased to the point of being ridiculously low.

''Now it's our turn.''

　With a wry smile, Tesfia ran as fast as she could.
　Alice, too, decided that close combat was the only way to go now that Shire Wraith was prevented, and started to move.
　A sword fight rang out.
　The repetition of the same thing gradually cornered Tesfia, and the tip of the ear snatched at her cheek. But then it is a different scene than usual.
　Before I can pull off the snatched spear, an icy sword approaches from right beside me with Alice's eyes, pushing the air away.
　He quickly bends down to let it pass, but instead, Tesfia's kicked-up foot catches Alice in the abdomen. The spear's belly allowed her to avoid a direct hit, but she was blown wide open.

　Alice bit her teeth happily at the unfavorable battle situation. It's not an exaggeration to say that he was turned over by that one swing of the giant sword.
　Of course, if you receive a blow, that's all you need to win the game. Even if you were able to prevent it, with that kind of power, your own body is sure to fly easily through the air.
　When he stopped while leaving friction marks on the ground, Tesfia, who had been chasing him, brought down the AWR from the upper level with great force and the interlocking ice swords darkened the vertical shadow.

　Dong!　The echoes of the earth tell of its power, crushing the ground with ease.
　It's a good thing that I was able to get a hold of it in the nick of time, but if I received that thing, I don't think I could get away with it, even though it would translate into psychological damage. A chill runs down your spine as you listen to the raw sound of destruction.
　And when I took a glance at the remains of the cave-in, there was a definite cold air prevailing mixed in with the dirt smoke. The bottom seemed to be frozen.

(So much magic...)

　Alice looks at Tesfia and gains a lot of insight.
　It must be quite enduring. Her expression is not spare, and she glances at the ice sword with a sharp gaze, as if she is sharpening her nerves.
　He's also breathing heavily, of course, and that's true of himself.

(Fear's pushing himself pretty hard, too.)

　This meant that it had turned into a short term battle.
　Neither of them had that much magic power left in each other. Right now, Alice probably still had more to spare. However, in order to break through that Icicle Sword, she would have to take a reasonable risk as well.
　The only way, in a manner of speaking, was lectured by Ars, but she was told that she had no training and that she would never be able to handle it with her current level of skill. I burst out smiling, glad to hear it now.

(I'd bet on trying rather than ending up with nothing to do.)

　It wasn't in Alice's nature to be one or the other, but she couldn't afford to do that. If she didn't carry it to at least a last-minute match, she might be able to avoid it.
　I understand that it's difficult because it's doubtful that I can even buy myself time against the current Tesfia. Still, since he was the only one fighting, he made up his mind that it was up to him to arrange the battle situation for better or worse.

　The magic power has also been reduced to no small degree by having the circle fixed. There is still no respite. However, it's not entirely useless, as the presence of this also succeeds in making the Tesfia's attention always focused on it. Besides, this will be used later on and fixed right above it.

　Alice crosses blades with Tesfia again, knowing that it is reckless. Even though a simple slash will have its share of minutes, if you go deep and get one shot, that's it. I can't attack it outright, but that's good.
　The red hair is stretched across his forehead as he crosses Tesfia's sword and accumulates a little damage to his body. Ideally, the conversion to psychological damage would distract her from consciousness due to the dull ache and break the spell, but Alice's best friend, the one she knows, is here to push the limits of her power.
　To the Alice who knows her, that's just wishful thinking. There was no need here to say that it would be nice if that happened...Alice herself did not want such a resolution.

　They are not turning away from each other's gazes as if their heavy breathing was ignored. Because both bodies understand that a moment's carelessness can be fatal.
　The reason why Tesfia also can't take a big step forward easily to hit a blow is because Alice's spear is moving cautiously, as if the blade will crawl deep into the limb if there's an opening. It's already nearing the limit of how much he can maintain the Icicle Sword. The pain of slowly slicing through your body is transformed into a dull ache, so you're in a state of desperation as your concentration is about to be disrupted.

　It was a paper-thin attack and defense that Alice couldn't even allow herself to take a single shot. It was a tightrope battle in which the taut strings could break at any moment.


　The spectators in the stands were gasping for breath and hoping that the battle would continue forever. The splendid handling of spears and swords is like a martial art that attracts people. The tightrope walker-like scene brings a choking sense of tension.
　Your hands are sweating. I watched the back-and-forth battle with my eyes as if they were plates.　
　And right after I instinctively sensed the bubbling atmosphere--.

''Kyah!''

　The only sound was such girlish grief.

　Alice's breath leaked out of her lungs as she crashed into the wall in a straight line with great force, her face contorted in pain and headache as her breathing was disrupted. The circle that was floating also made a metallic sound and fell to the ground without force.
　It went in just a little deeper and succeeded in inflicting a slightly deeper gash on the Tesfia, but the accumulated fatigue from the previous years only made its legs stick to the ground just a little bit more. It was because of this that it was baptized by the Icicle Sword's fierce baptism. It was barely able to maintain consciousness even now because it had interrupted the AWR on the bias.
　He fell to the ground with his back to the wall and fell to the ground but did not let go of the AWR in his hand.

　In a haze of vision, Alice put her hands on her knees and brought Tesfia, who was also breathing roughly, into view.
　It would mean that Tesfia was damaged to the point where she couldn't immediately follow up. The two of them seemed to run out of power sooner or later even if they did nothing, but gradually a powerful light dwelt in their eyes and made them exchange glances with each other.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha, Fia's at her wit's end, isn't she?
Hah, hah, well, you can still go.

　Tesfia, who painfully meditated with one eye closed, was by all accounts a strong one.
　You'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Tesfia, as she suspected, sat up.
　At the same time, she took a deep breath.
　Crisply pulling her jaw, she starts to walk slowly, and gradually the interval between the crossed legs becomes faster.

(Now..................decide)

　Alice thrust her free hand forward. Then one of the circles was fixed in front of her while maintaining a certain distance in front of her. I've heard that a mere sheilwraith is classified as a middle-grade magic to begin with. There's no way to counter the ice sword with the current Alice. But there is one way.
　That's the other performance that this AWR circle has [Amplification].
　Until now, the magic released from AWR's main body was duplicated and released from the circle, but the one I use now activates magic through the circle.
　By doing so, the magic released through the circle doubles the magic released from the main body. Ars said as if he were boasting. He said that if you pass through a maximum of three circles, the power of the spell can be increased eight times by simple calculation.
　But he also said it would require tremendously precise technology.
　That's why Ars says that the rings are also AWR. In other words, it was ridiculous that one person had to use more than two AWRs and also activate separate magic at the same time, but now I was grateful for that.
　It would be impossible to do all three suddenly. Considering the possibility of being able to do it, we'd have to try one circle, or double it. What should I do to double it, or is [Amplification] classified as magic in the first place?
　There's no way to answer that question even if you think about it in your head. In the end, there's no choice but to do it. Somehow, I have a feeling that Ars's training up to now may be related to this.
　When you focus your attention, a small magical formula carved into the rim of the ring reveals a weak light, and the ring expands slightly, creating a warm film of light inside. It was even like natural sunlight that could not be reproduced by a pseudo-sun.

　Tesfia also draws the ice sword diagonally downwards, this time holding it in both hands. Did it work in conjunction with the sword?
　And all the magic power is poured into it. As the Icicle Sword was compressed, its body was tight and sharp, and its shape was completed into an unmistakable sword. The crystal-clear, illusory sword becomes one size smaller, but the unmistakable concentrated magic power is only the result of enhancing the sword just now.

　The distance between the two men closes - the spears drawn to each other's limit, and the blade swings down on the opponent as if the sword had been played.

''Shire Wraith Doubling (Double).''
"Zeppelins of the Ice World.

　Shire Wraiths were released into the circle, and the slashes pushed up to increase in power as they tried to break through the membrane.
　The ice sword, which had turned into a long, long sword, spat out an enormous amount of cold air and began to freeze the air in a crackling manner.

　As the two collide, the sound is muffled first, followed by the cold air, which is blown across the ground and around the two of them with an impact sound that echoes in the bottom of their stomachs. Then, in an instant, the cold air spread out like a circle, and then it was sucked into the center all at once.
　Everyone closed their eyelids reflexively in the dazzling light that enveloped the players, and covered their ears in a hurry at the sound of the explosion that came late.

　Then, ten seconds later, someone in the audience stunned and with his mouth open, cleared his throat in a dry voice, ''Ah.......''
　Those who had been watching the fight as they pointed, and the two girls who had been fighting up until now were lying on their backs as their gazes were sucked in.
　The ground that had caved in to accommodate the two of them speaks to their power.
　Anticipating the horrific situation, it's no wonder that everyone is worried about the safety of the two girls. They are lying there without moving even a twitch.
　However, the safety of the two men was soon discovered. You can find a number of things to do with your life as well as your life style.

''Were you alright Alice?''
'Yeah, I don't move my body, though. What about Fear?
Me too ... and my head hurts.

　Even with their eyes turned to the ceiling, they both blurted out a "pfft" as if it was somehow terribly funny, despite the sickly headache they had.
　However, they immediately said, "Ow tatat........" and frowned.
　I bit my lip lightly and endured the pain as if it was even funny.

''Haa~, but what happens in a case like this?

　Tesfia throws a question about which is the winner.
　But--

''It doesn't matter. I don't care who wins or loses, I was able to fight as hard as I could, and that's all that matters... I'm satisfied with that... I'm satisfied.
Yeah, me too.

　'Ahhhh, I'm so tired!' said Tesfia, spreading her extremities in a large shape, and with a satisfied smile, 'I thought we could win that, though - halfway through.'

I was going to win from the start.

　Alice said plainly with a mischievous smile, and Tesfia replied, "You were so wobbly before we started.

'But I didn't expect Fia to use her new magic at the last minute.
Me too....

　Tesfia sissy and tilted her face up.

'But that one came to me because your mother showed it to me once. It's almost unconscious. It's pathetic.'
'No, it's not. And even if it was, it's amazing that you could use it at that last minute.
'Hmmm. Really?　Speaking of greatness, Alice was the one who told me that the last one had a hidden gem like that.
'Haha, Al taught me that one too, and it was like he told me you were too quick. But that was the only thing I had to do.

　Alice, whose cheeks were slightly stained with embarrassment, summed up her impressions by saying, "It was fun.
　The fact that this is not a lie is obvious from the expression on her face. The same is true for Tesfia, who felt that she was satisfied with what she had accomplished.

　And when the buzzer of the end of the game sounded when I forgot about it.

''..........!

　He pulled his chin back and stared at the screen that came down directly above him.

'Hahaha!
'Hmmm........ouch!　I don't know how this happens.
But ... maybe this is a good thing.
Yes.


　The words [Draw] were displayed on the screen.
　And the air was filled with cheers that seemed to break the dam.
　The two of them who had played an overwhelming game were given a round of applause with lavish praise. Their name will be widely known through this tournament.
　The applause and cheers continued even after the two girls were stretchered off, and the applause and cheers lingered until the next game began.
　The game between students of the same school is exactly the same as the game between students of the same school, and they are building each other up as friends. The match between students of the same school is truly a confirmation of that, and is deeply engraved in the minds of those who saw it with a sense of refreshment.


　Tesfia and Alice, who were carried on a stretcher, were taken directly to the infirmary.
　Immediately, the players of the Second Academy of Magic, led by Felinella, rushed in and showered them with lavish praise.

''That was a really great match, you two. Regardless of the outcome, I'm proud of the fact that you fought a battle that the Second Academy of Magic would not be ashamed of.

　A draw is actually not an uncommon occurrence. However, as a rule, that case depends on the circumstances. In the case of qualifying, we dare not create a draw, and if everyone decides that it's a draw - in this case, it's the judges among the tournament committee members - we may have to rematch the day. It is said.
　In the case of the main match, and in the case of a draw between two players from the same school, they will not decide the winner, but will leave it to their school. This means that the second Academy of Magic will advance to the final, but the choice of which player to send up will be left to their school.

''Yes, we're happy with that.

　Tesfia nods resolutely on the bed at Alice's plea for consent, "Hey.
　The two of them are receiving an IV drip on the bed early. Of course, it's due to the headache, but the depletion of magic power seems to be more serious than that. This is the only thing we can do is to wait for them to recover naturally.
　It's not much different from extreme fatigue, so there's no problem as long as you rest.

　After such a great game, I've seen the way people look at the girls. The upperclassmen would not look down on them because they were lower classmen. On the contrary, they are looking ahead of us.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you.

''Well, it looks like the two of you got the better part of it, and we should do our best too.

　Felinella pats Illumina's back as she stands a step back next to her and pushes her out.

''I can't afford not to produce results as an upperclassman if I'm only active in the underclassmen. Hey, Illumina.
In the case of the two of you, you are head and shoulders above the rest. But we'll deal with it for good.

　Illumina says with a face that doesn't lose its seriousness and erases any smile.
　Of course, the fact that she's not in a bad mood doesn't surprise me, as I've seen a bit of Illumina as a person over the past few weeks.

'Speaking of which, is Loki gone?　Feri senior.
What are you talking about, Loki is already on his way to the game.

　After teaching Tesfia's questions to be funny, he turned to the screen.
　The infirmary was also equipped with an LCD screen showing the venue of the match, albeit on a smaller scale.
　The game did not appear to have started yet, but there were less than five minutes left in the game.

You can watch the match while taking a rest. We'll be back, but don't dawdle.

　I thrust one of my fingers out to show her the belly of my finger and she looked at the bed alternately in a sisterly tone.

'I understand. I can't move anyway.

　Alice let out a sigh with one eye closed.

'I'll take care of the rest.'

　With that, Felinella and the others left the infirmary.
　There was no immediate preparation for the match, at least not immediately, as the progression of the match would change when it came to the main game.
　Semifinals are played from year one to year three. Finally, the finals would be arranged by grade.
　So the two of them would have at least five more games to rest.

''Hm?　Is Ciel good?

　Tesfia looks at Ciel, who is still in the infirmary, which is supposed to be empty.
　Then she brought a chair and placed it exactly between their beds.

'Since we're here, why don't the three of us watch?
Okay, but wouldn't it be better to see it live?
No, it's fine. You can't see through a screen or look directly at something you can't see.

　Cielle let out an embarrassed giggle and scratched her cheek.
　Alice immediately realized that she wanted an explanation, though.

'We don't know everything about Loki, either, so don't expect us to.
Yes, sir!
Come on, it's starting.

　One blackmail from Tesfia sent all three of their gazes towards the screen as they were sucked in.