Safa already knew, at least one of them would be going up against that Londo student. And honestly, it was probably for the best that it turned out to be Liam.
Out of everyone else, with his highly enchanted weapon and his system, Liam was the one who could pull off the most
magic-like
moves without giving anything away. He had a way of blending in, making it seem as though his abilities were purely magical.
Out of all the top students, Londo was also the one sitting apart from the others, alone, as he made his way down toward the arena.
"Well, well, well," Chiba said with a bright smile stretching across her face. "Looks like we might finally get our first win on our side. I was starting to get depressed thinking all of the transfer students were going to best us. No offense." She quickly added the last part, glancing at Yolden.
"Hey, I think I wouldāve lost against Safa, too," Chiba admitted with a shrug. "Itās just one of those things. But I really do think Londo will win, he always does."
"Hey." Liam spoke up, grinning. "Youāre looking at someone whoās been counted out more times than I can remember. But every time, I rise to the top and prove them all wrong."
He paused, letting that hang in the air.
"How many times could I have died by now, and yet here I am."
With that, Liam turned and started walking down toward the stage, leaving the ranked students slightly confused by his words.
"How many times could he have died?" Yolden asked, puzzled. "Did he... have a rough life or something?"
"We all... went through our struggles," Raze answered quietly before anyone else could speak. "You might think weāre talented, or that it was easy for us to get here. But the truth is, we went through a lot. Thatās why weāre as strong as we are."
Hearing Raze speak with that weight in his voice, no one questioned it any further.
"All right, who do you think is going to win this one?" Redrick asked. "My betās on Londo."
"Oh, I can see why," Luka replied. "Londoās never failed at anything heās been tasked with. I believe we havenāt even seen the limit of his strength. Honestly... I think he could even best Piba if they were matched."
"The studentās really
that
special?" Wilton asked, surprised.
"Thereās something about him," Luka said. "Almost as if, if you were to imagine what a
perfect mage
would look like, itād be Londo. At times, I swear... it feels like he evolves mid-match."
"Evolves so fast," Luka added, "that he can overcome any situation."
"I think youāre all counting out the transfer student too fast," Panla spoke up. "Originally, we all thought he cheated on that test, no one doubted it. But truth be told, since he got here, heās done things even
beyond
my understanding."
She crossed her arms.
"He was accepted by the enchanted wand. Heās been able to complete complex magical formations. He hasnāt failed at any task since arriving. Iād say... this is a very good match-up between the two."
Both Liam and Londo had now entered the arena from opposite sides. The ring lit up, ready to begin at any moment.
For now, Iāll just use the wand,
Liam thought, pulling out the enchanted weapon.
If things get tough, Iāll pull out the sword and strike with that. But Iām pretty sure, with my system and the wand, Iāll be able to predict where heās going to be and break through all of his defenses.
Just then, as Liam glanced toward Londo, and the crowd, he noticed a message popping up in his system.
Oh, thatās right. There was that task Raze gave all of us,
Liam remembered.
To say that phrase to all the students. I was logging the information with the system... and I added everyone the others asked about, too.
Another message blinked.
Itās telling me now, Londo is the only one we havenāt asked yet. Well... might as well ask now and complete it properly. Otherwise, the notificationās going to bug me forever.
The glow around both combatants dimmed. Liam raised his arm, and with a swift motion, swung it downward. His wand unleashed a powerful, loud lightning strike.
Both the students and the teachers gasped in surprise. They hadnāt expected so much power from a single strike. They naturally assumed it was coming from Liamās vast Mana, but that wasnāt the case. The strike had been amplified by Liamās Qi, infused into the swing.
"Fear the Unseen!" Liam shouted.
The students around the arena blinked, murmuring.
Was that... a spell?
Some of them swore they had heard those words somewhere before, but couldnāt quite place it.
Maybe Liamās warning Londo,
others thought,
telling him to fear unseen attacks that are coming next.
Meanwhile, Raze stood watching the situation unfold, arms crossed.
Well,
he thought,
I guess thatās one way to deliver the phrase. No doubt theyāll approach Liam after this.
Since there was no response from Londo, Liam followed up with another strike, swinging the lightning wand once more.
But this time, Londo raised his arm and subtly redirected the strike, conducting the attack along the outside of his blazer, harmlessly away from his body.
Then Londo dashed forward, a powerful gust of wind pushing behind him.
Liamās eyes narrowed. Using his system, he kept tracking Londoās movements, firing lightning strike after lightning strike. But just like before, Londo somehow blocked or deflected every single one.
When Londo closed the distance, Liam swung his wand downward, but the lightning struck nothing but the ground.
Heās right by my side now,
Liam realized.
But if I swing again, theyāll know itās not pure magic.
Then, Londo leaned in close, so close that only Liam could hear him.
"For we are always near," Londo whispered.
****
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