The Fight Intensifies.

Watching the incoming lightning, Ayumu quickly put his right hand onto the earth wall and swung it to the side.

The wall in Ayumu's hands expanded, following in his right hand's wake and covering one hundred and eighty degrees around the boy. The controlled projectile clashed into the expanded wall and disappeared. For just a second the entire arena was silent, in shock.

"Unbelievable!!!!" the caster exclaimed bringing the silence to an end, "contestant Fabian stretched his wall with his other hand to defend from the projectile! What a remarkably creative and fascinating spell!"

Meanwhile, Viktor was stunned.

W-what? His second hand also works!? And he can expand the wall on the fly?! Viktor exclaimed in shock.

It was only now that Viktor realized the trick behind Ayumu's spell. The full incantation was mure dereme cun manīs modeo.

There were several nuances to the cast that Viktor didn't understand at first.

The incantation contained the word manīs, not manō. Both of those meant hand, but the second one was in plural. That meant that there wasn't a particular hand that the spell was bound to, and Ayumu could control the wall with both. 

For controlled projectiles, such a technique would be incredibly difficult to implement as any superfluous movement could affect the spell's trajectory. Your other hand's motions were almost guaranteed to get in the way of your control. But with Fabian's controlled spell that didn't matter. Because the wall had to be touched directly to be manipulated, using both hands caused no interference.

But there was another thing about the spell that shocked Viktor even more.

In Ayumu's incantation, the verb modeo had an unusual nuance. Modeo simply meant "I control". When it came to controlled projectile spells, the meaning that was put into the word was something along the lines of: "to manipulate the trajectory and the placement of the spell". Naturally, Viktor assumed that it was similar in this case— that modeo was used to control the wall's location. But that wasn't it. On top of that Ayumu added another layer of meaning to it. In this case, control  referred not only to the placement of the wall but also its state. That included the wall's size, shape, and possibly even some other characteristics.

But how?! He only had a week to practice at best. Or... did he actually hold back during the first duel?!

It was one thing to simply attach a wall to the hand and fling it around, but more complex manipulations such as the ones Ayumu showed required a predetermined system that could control the spell. As mentioned previously, the amount of practice that went into mastering controlled projectiles was significant, so how had this boy learnt something so complex in the span of a week?

It was almost... almost as if he had had a predetermined system in his mind long before he created the actual spell...

What in the name of Deos Menid is wrong with this guy?!

***

While Viktor was trying to wrap his mind around Ayumu's new spell, the boy in question thought casually.

Wow. This is really just like using a smartphone. It's kind of like expanding and minimizing the phone screen... But instead of a screen, it's a wall. And instead of using two fingers, I use two hands. Pretty simple stuff.

Yes, the system that he had visualized was none other than that of a gadget he had used in his previous life. Tap gestures of a smartphone. By taking those gestures as a basis, transforming them to be performed with two of his hands as opposed to two fingers, and then extrapolating them into controlling a solid piece of object—he got a system that was easy for him to visualize and use without requiring long time to learn. The visualization process was as simple as: A wall of earth that I manipulate like a smartphone. One sentence and its done.

In other words, It wasn't something he had simply copied from Fabian's memories or replicated based on others' casts. He had thought it up in the span of the previous week. A spell that fully belonged to him and no one else.

While Ayumu was happy to see his own idea succeed in practice, his opponent didn't share his joy. The calm expression disappeared from Viktor's face, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

"You... Enough of your games and asinine spells. You're here to prove that you are a rightful wielder of roaring flash, aren't you?! Then fight my lightning with your own! Otherwise, what worth is there in your research!?"

In response to the warrior's words, Ayumu replied casually.

"I mean... why would I need to use it if earth walls work just fine? Frankly, what worth is there in your proud roaring flash if you can't even break through a basic earth spell?"

Those words momentarily stunned Viktor. But once he realized he was being made fun of, a wave of anger overtook him.

"Are you... are you saying that roaring flash is worth less than your damn dirt, you upstart?!" Viktor exclaimed, his eyes lit up in fury.

"Well..." Ayumu replied, "I'm not saying it's worth less. But if you can deflect one with an earth wall... then they're pretty much worth the same, don't you think so?"

That was the final straw for Viktor. His teeth practically screeched as he tensed up in fury.

"Although," Ayumu added, "Considering how much more mana it costs, you could argue roaring flash is worth less. Earth walls are at least economical..."

"Enough!" Viktor roared, "you will not disrespect roaring flash in my presence any longer!"

Ayumu smirked in response.

"Then make me do it!"

Viktor narrowed his eyes ferociously.

"Oh, I will," he replied and immediately started his incantation.

"Ab baculō fortis fulmar ferrit!"

Viktor's incantation was the most powerful lightning spell that both had in their arsenal.

Oh oh. He's really serious now, Ayumu thought, I don't think I can block that with an earth wall.

As Viktor started his incantation, Ayumu began chanting back. His spell of choice was the exact same as Viktor's.

A sharp, powerful lightning quickly launches out of my hand! It pierces all the obstacles on its way!

"Ab manō fortis fulmar ferrit!"

Both of them launched their spells forward. The lightnings flew, illuminating the arena.

Once again, just like a week ago two powerful spells clashed. It was a repetition of before: an arrow of lightning against a thunderous sphere of avarice. The arena shone brightly as the collision of magic produced a powerful flash that blinded everyone present.

"What an incredible clash of lightnings! What will be the result!? Will contestant Fabian prove himself as the rightful wielder of roaring flash? Or will he be exposed as a fake!?"

Even during this intense confrontation, the caster continued his commentary. His voice grated on Ayumu's nerves, and frankly, just added unneeded pressure. But he wasn't about to be phased by the caster's words. Now, others' opinions were no longer enough to sway him. For he had something much more important to care about.

Still, this is bad, Ayumu thought.

Viktor was going all out. His current spell was even more powerful than the one from a week ago.

Unlike the previous time, Ayumu didn't want his arrow to be so powerful that it would exhaust all of his mana reserves. Coloration could be a powerful tool, but when the emotions became too intense, the additional mana required for the spell became disproportionate to its increased strength. That's why Ayumu firmly decided not to rely on coloration. Especially considering the strategy he had for the duel.

Luckily, Ayumu didn't need to win the clash head-on. His goal wasn't to prove that he could dump all of his mana into one attack better than Viktor—his goal was to win.

Well, I guess I can borrow a trick from his book.

With that thought, he stopped supplying the lightning arrow with mana and instead began casting.

A wall of electricity appears before me and redirects its charge to the surroundings.

It was the exact same technique that Viktor used a week ago. If he could do it, there was no reason why Ayumu couldn't. It took quite a bit of practice, and just a couple of days prior to the duel, he was still doubtful of his ability to recreate this technique. But he succeeded against the odds.

"Mure fulme ante me voco!"

As the incantation resounded, Ayumu thought back on a simple idea that allowed him to succeed with this spell. 

Electricity is nothing more than a flow of particles. By itself, two lightning aren't some separate physical objects. So it is not surprising that when they clash, the flow can be partially redirected. If I just think about attracting the positive charge with negative, and negative with positive then it's not that big of a deal.

While Ayumu summoned the wall, the clash between his and Viktor's spells came to an end. His arrow was eaten by the voracious mass, and that mass continued its way towards Ayumu.

Wow, what power. I'm not even sure that I could break through this one with my best shot.

When the sphere collided with the wall of electricity, it stopped for just a moment. The wall lasted only a second before Viktor's spell consumed it. The sphere exploded, raising a massive cloud of dust.

"What a magnificent lightning! Viktor proves his mettle as the rightful wielder of roaring flash! But what about our other contestant, Fabian?! Is he still in the fight? Is the damage to his barrier within acceptable limits?!"

And as the dust settled, the audience finally saw Ayumu. He stood decently far away from the epicenter of the explosion. His barrier was bright blue, shining healthily.

"Aaaaannnnd—he's completely unharmed! What an amazing evasive feat!"

The audience exploded in cheers and applause.

What exactly is so amazing about jumping out of the way? Ayumu thought with some exasperation, was this exchange advantageous to me...? I'm not sure. it took one strong lightning and a lightning wall to evade, but Viktor's mana expenditure must also be significant... He definitely spent more than I did, but, considering the difference in our pools, it might not be enough...

It was then, that Viktor's face entered Ayumu's vision. The boy had a grim but triumphant expression on his face.

"It seems that I won this one, you upstart bastard."

Ayumu rose his eyebrows slightly and replied.

"Yeah, good for you I guess?" he said, confused by Viktor's vigor.

Viktor continued.

"Now... It's just time to crush you head on. Ab ba—"

But just as he was about to continue his fearsome assault, a loud voice resounded in the arena.

"You fool."

It didn't belong to the announcer or to any of the contestants. Instead, the words were that of a certain audience member who was watching the match carefully.

"I see that you've learned nothing, you foolish boy."

"F-father?!" Viktor exclaimed in surprise. 

The speaker was indeed no other than Dion Au Darius. It was likely a spell that made his voice heard to Ayumu and Viktor. The audience didn't seem to react to Dion's voice so Ayumu assumed that the spell only worked on the bottom of the arena.

"Since the beginning of the fight, you've done nothing but dance on the palm of the Berion boy's hand. He has been exhausting your mana reserves continuously while preserving his energy with efficient spells."

The count was completely correct. Ayumu had a massive disadvantage when it came to mana quantity, but considering Viktor's habit of only utilizing roaring flash and powerful buffs, he could turn that disadvantage into an advantage. That was his original plan going into this fight.

"And what's worse isn't even that you got tricked. It's the fact that you knew it all along and yet did nothing to change your course of action. All because of your eagerness to beat him in a direct confrontation."

"F-father! W-we should leave those discussions fo—"

"Silence! There is no honor in being stupid. Nor is there honor in looking down on your enemy. If you consider yourself a proud member of Dariuses, aim to strike him down with every ounce of strength you possess. Have I not told you to reflect on your behavior? If you don't take the matters into your hands right now, then I will do it for you."

"I... I understand, father! I will not disappoint you!"

Count Dion didn't reply to his son. As if he had already said everything that needed to be said, he went silent, determined to merely observe.

Viktor directed a fierce gaze at Ayumu. But the gaze wasn't the same as before. Now, there was clarity and determination to it. It was no longer about proving superiority. He was determined to win no matter what.

Welp. And here I was hoping he would just continue to play along with me. Too bad, Ayumu thought and sighed. Isn't it unfair that his dad just interferes like that? What is he—a helicopter parent?

While Ayumu was thinking something so greatly offensive that the count would be furious if he heard it, Viktor prepared a different cast from what he was originally planning.

"Augitar fortior!" he chanted as he prepared to rush at Ayumu.

Here it comes, the boy thought, From now on, it will be close range combat!

It was his biggest worry in the entire fight. Something that no amount of unique spells or magical mastery could completely solve. At least not in Ayumu's case. 

And so, Viktor approached.