Nem and Patrick.
　 They were facing each other, waiting for the signal to start the match.

'Let's give each other our all,'
Of course it is.

　The two of them didn't have much to say.
　Nem looks the same as he usually does.
　And from Patrick, he feels something more confident than before.

　Patrick remembered Nito's words to "look back" at him.
　It was a mildly contentious breakup, but the rift was deep.
　If Nem was going to compete, that meant Nito would be in the audience as well.

'Nito's here too?'
I think he's in the audience.
I see.

　Unsure of what the confirmation was for, Nemu raised a question mark.
　Because only those who were there knew about the ditch.

''Now then, we will begin the semifinals!

　At that moment, the announcements ended and the bell sounded to announce the start of the match.
　The two men were greeted by cheers that seemed to envelop the venue, and the match began.
　It was abrupt for Patrick, who had been thinking about it, but he quickly switched it up with the bell.

'Patrick!'
'Oh!　I know!

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.
　It's a good idea to make sure that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things.

The Fire Spirit Rejection Regulated Salamander!

　Two colored flames, red and orange, covered Patrick's body.
　And the flames didn't undulate, they just went straight to Nem.

　This was the semifinals.
　This is the stage that those who have won a number of matches will reach.
　Nem is usually quiet and has no interest in showing off his power, so he didn't give the impression that he was particularly strong among the students gathered in this hall.
　But since he was a member of Nito's party, he was recognized.

　But at the point when he got to this point, it didn't change the fact that he was strong without reason.
　Being here is like a proof of that.
　That's why Patrick gave it his all from the beginning.
　This magic is Patrick's only strength.
　He trained until this day, and then obtained it.

''【Thunderbolt Demon Armor (Tonitorus Relic)!

　But it's the same for Nem.
　Nem is also willing to go all out from the beginning.
　There is no addition or subtraction.
　Then a yellow magic circle appeared underneath Nemours' feet and lightning covered Nemours' feet.
　This is a magical armor.
　But in the case of Nemours, it is still incomplete and can only be wrapped around his feet.

"Nemu will win!

　The lightning that had covered Nem's legs stabilized and turned into a boot-like figure with a bee and an electric current emanating from it.
　He glared at the swarm of flames that loomed ahead and instantly dodged and moved from there.

''What!''

　Patrick couldn't help but speak up and look in surprise. No wonder.
　Nem's movements were that much too fast.
　It was as if Nem Nem had disappeared from the scene.
　That is to say, they can't get a hold of you.

"d*mn it!　Where is it!
Patrick!　Calm down!

　Yui soothed Patrick's impatience.

''It's magic sensing!''

　The distraught Patrick regained his composure at Yui's words and immediately searched for Nem's magic.
　But he acted too late.

''Cat Wind Rage (Cat Food)!

　At that moment, Nem appeared right next to Patrick.
　Patrick didn't have time to turn around before he was struck in the face.

''Geez!''

　Patrick was sent wide and far away, spinning his body several times.
　With that, Patrick's flames disappear from the field.

　Although cat wind rage (cat hood) is one of the beast arts, it is a martial art that is especially passed down to the cat tribe among the beast people.
　The cat tribe mainly prefers to fight with their hands rather than their feet.
　Because of this background, this is called the cat fist.

''Ku...........''

　Patrick was vomiting blood, as if Nem's attack had cut the inside of his mouth.

　The damage from the cat fist was immense.
　It was a direct hit. It could be said that it was better that he hadn't passed out.
　Patrick managed to get up, but his legs were wobbly and seemed to be twitching.

'Patrick!' Yui approached with concern.
''Large ... strong. This much.

　It shouldn't be okay.
　Nem, on the other hand, has a relaxed look on his face.
　But he's not caught off guard.

''Yui.........''
Yes!
'Once again I'm going to put out the fire again. It's the only thing I've got right now.

　Patrick stomps on his dizzy legs, trying not to fall.

　Patrick had only focused on magic to this day.
　That's why he didn't train kumite.

　Nem, on the other hand, has high physical ability due to the fact that he is a beastman.
　In particular, the cat race is an agile race.
　In addition, furthermore, Nem has trained not only in magic, but also in physical training.
　In his travels with Masamune, he has actually witnessed live combat.
　Unlike Toa and Sufilia, he had also actively participated in combat.
　In other words, there is a huge difference between Patrick and Nem Nem in terms of experience.
　It's not just about how advanced your magic is.
　It's about how much damage you can do to your opponent.
　Currently, Patrick's magic was powerful, but it wasn't practical.

''You must surrender!　You can't beat Nem in Patrick!

　The game had only been going on for a few minutes.
　But the entire hall was convinced that Patrick was going to lose.

''Fire Spirit Rejection, Rejected Salamander!

　Another two-colored flame erupts from Patrick's body.

'I've already given up on that magic!　It's powerful, but slow!

　Although it was Yui's magical power to promote stability, it's still not easy because of the increased density.
　In addition to that, if you want to increase it to speed.
　It was still too early for Patrick to be at that stage.

''You must extinguish the flames and surrender!　Otherwise, Nem would have to get serious about it!

　There was still room for Nem.

'You're serious?　Huh ... are you taking it easy?　Well, then, go ahead and try it out!　I want a real fight!

　If the other party was not Nem, but an adventurer who was around, Patrick would be laughing at this point.
　It wasn't something that a mere student, especially one with no real battle experience, would talk about as a "real fight".
　If this wasn't the academy, he would have just been embarrassed.

　But Nem responds to Patrick's thoughts.
　He was not going to taunt his master's friend.

'It must be over in a moment!

　The look in Nem's eyes changed.
　Noticing, Patrick split the two colored flames into two parts and released one of them at Nem.
　Then he wrapped himself in the other and built a defense of the flames.

'I'm not going to lose!'

　Patrick followed Nem's movements with his eyes, making the fire move like a snake.
　But it was as if Patrick's magic didn't reach him.

　Patrick lost sight of Nem again.

''d*mn!'' He looked around the entire field, searching for Nem. 'Where is he!　Where are you!

　But there would be no answer.
　No matter how much he looked around, there was no sign of Nem.

'As you wish!　You must put a stop to it!

　He heard Nem's voice from above the field.
　Patrick noticed it and looked up at the sky.

'There it is!'

　Patrick opened fire at the falling nem and gathered the flames around him.
　But it was too late to realize it again.

'It's the last! -- "Aun's Demon Bowl (Ashura Brachyum)!

　A white magic circle wrapped around Nem's body.
　Nem clasped his hands together and assumed a worshipful pose.
　The sound of his palms clasped tightly together echoed.
　At that moment, a large hand arm appeared from the ground on either side of Patrick.
　They were large hands shaped from the ores and rocks used in the field's materials.

''Nah!''

　Suddenly, Patrick couldn't move his body.
　The two arms joined together as Nem's hands moved, pinching and squeezing Patrick.

'Guhaha!'

　The hall was quieted by the magic.
　This was not earth attribute magic.
　It's earth attribute magic.

　Unlike the earth attribute that uses magic power to create earth, the earth attribute that uses magic power to rule the earth.
　It was a very advanced magic.

　When Nem landed on the ground, the two arms released Patrick and collapsed back into rock and sand.

　In the rubble, there was Patrick's white-eyed, unconscious form.
　At that moment, the audience cheered loudly.
　Therefore, an announcement was made announcing Nem's victory.
　Patrick still didn't know that he had lost.

　It wasn't until a little later that he realized.



　The infirmary.
　There was Patrick, who had woken up and was nowhere to be found.
　There were only two people beside him, Sarah and Yui.

'Well I must have lost.
Patrick...

　They had no words to call on.

'No, it's okay. A loss is a loss. And I'm nowhere near as good as Nem. I knew that all along.

　Sarah searched for the words to call.

'Maybe Nito was right after all. I'm a hothouse-raised kid with no idea of reality. I'm no match for an adventurer who's been through a lot of field work in real battles.

　Of course, with Patrick's current strength, at least an A-ranked monster should be easy.
　No A-ranked one would be able to take that fire and stay safe.
　But if he makes a mistake on his first move and gets bitten, that's different.

　A wizard's weapon is magic.
　But when they are chanting, they have the most gaps.
　One-on-one, you can still cover the gap.
　But what about when surrounded by more than one?

　Even if you have the tactic of spirit magic in your hand, you can't win by itself.
　For someone like Nem, who also has tactics and a strategy in his head, he can't win with just unfinished spirit magic alone.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them. I'm not going to falter like this.''

　Sarah and Yui laughed in relief.

'It's just the beginning, Patrick.'
Yeah.
You'll have to learn a little at a time from now on. ─ You will learn to do this little by little from now on, because goals are important, but rivalry is a small thing. They are small, but they are the small things that will define you for the rest of your life.

　Patrick knows what Sarah meant by her words.
　But he doesn't think of it that way.

'I'll go down the path I know is right. I won't give up on my friends. I will help him, just as you helped me. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be what you think I am.

　Sarah didn't say anything back.

　It was all a story we wouldn't know until 'the time' came, and we didn't know if 'the time' would ever come.

'Let's go back to the hall,'

　The finals will take place.
　The tournament table is divided into two groups, right and left.
　There are also two left and two right-hand sides, which can be broken down into four smaller groups.
　Patrick, Alice and Nem are in the right half of each group.
　Since the preliminary round is a winner-take-all tournament, the finalists from both sides of the tournament table, left and right, will face each other in the final.

　However, no one knows yet that the final round will end in a surprise ending.