After the end of the consolation game, the setting for the final match was announced to be the "Open Field".
Hearing this, both sides had equally illuminating reactions.
In Third High's pavilion, there were even cheers of victory.
"You called it, George."
"We got lucky, Masaki."
While they managed to rein in their reactions to the news, the two of them failed to hide their elated smiles.
"Now it comes down to whether that guy takes the bait......"
"He will. On the open fields with no cover whatsoever, he has no other options aside from throwing down in a one-on-one shootout."
"He'll try to break through there because that guy has 'Gram Demolition' as a trump card, eh......"
"Precisely, Masaki.
While his tactics smack of ambushes and surprise, in reality everything is founded on a complex series of calculations.
If he knows that there are no direct countermeasures, he may still choose the road less traveled and elect to spring out a surprise attack.
However, since he can still use 'Gram Demolition' as a direct counter, logically, he would choose the avenue of attack that has the highest chance of success."
"While you will suppress the defender and the guerrilla."
"The defender isn't the problem. His Fortifying Magic seems legit, but there's nothing else to write home about.
The guerrilla player...... Seems to specialize in Ancient Magic. Based on his name, he's most likely a Magician from the 'Yoshida Family'. The fact that he remains a complete mystery does give one pause, but when compared to Ancient Magic, modern magic owns the decisive edge in speed. Without any cover on the open plains, this is definitely in our advantage."
"Furthermore, you still have an ace in the hole with the 'Cardinal Code'."
"Unfortunately, our opponents seized the Newcomers Division crown from us...... But at the very least, Monolith Code will belong to us!"
"Exactly, leave it to me!"
Hearing Kichijouji's words, Masaki nodded boldly.
"The 'Open Plains' without a hint of cover...... This will be a harsh battle, Onii-sama."
Miyuki's words exemplified the thoughts running through everyone who came to cheer them on.
"No, it's far better than the valley or urban settings. We would never stop if we started grousing."
His words not only bewildered Miyuki, even his teammates — Leo and Mikihiko turned around in confusion, prompting Tatsuya to launch into another explanation.
"The Ichijou Family's 'Rupture' is a technique that transforms liquids into gas, using the expanding force to wreak havoc.
For members of the Ichijou Family, using water vapor to initiate explosive attacks is the simplest of tricks.
For Ichijou-kun, the valley arena is synonymous to preparing a gigantic keg of explosives for him. Likewise, an urban setting would be filled with water pipes.
On the other hand, the open plains have no fluids that can be turned into 'explosives'. Even the 'Prince' himself wouldn't be able to call up water from underground to create explosions.
Of course, the woodlands or rocky areas would be more preferable...... But we should be thankful that it wasn't the valley, which would be the bleakest condition for us."
While the Year 1 students all wore a "So that's how it is" expression, the upperclassmen still wore grim faces.
"......Still, you're still forced to fight on an open field with no cover against a Magician who specializes in bombardment, so this disadvantage remains."
"Shiba, do you have a plan?"
After Mayumi's question, Hattori also spoke up.
Hattori actively striking up a conversation with Tatsuya was an incredibly rare event.
Similarly, Tatsuya wasn't able to completely hide his shock at this turnout, hence his response was half a beat slow.
"If they insist on using their original tactics, honestly I don't see how we can turn that around...... However, Ichijou-kun seems to be particularly fixated on my presence. If I can get into close combat range, then I have a few options."
"Isn't close quarters combat forbidden?"
"I'm in the clear so long as I don't touch him. I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
At Kirihara's question, Tatsuya smiled without much confidence.
The finals for the Newcomers Division Monolith Code.
While it could be said that the arrival of the players drew a huge clamor from the audience, it would be more in line with the truth to say that confused squabbling reigned supreme among the audience.
Exposed beneath a myriad of curious stares, Mikihiko adjusted his hood and pulled it down even tighter.
On the other side, Leo wasn't wearing a hood as he tried his hardest to duck his face and use the robe's collar to cover himself.
"Well...... So our getup is hilarious after all."
"The usage is just how I explained."
The abrupt answer was like the final nail on the coffin, clearly signifying "Resistance is futile".
"......Why us......"
Mikihiko bemoaned this fact to the only person not wearing the mantle and robe — Tatsuya.
"As the vanguard, there's no point in wearing anything that would obstruct physical movement."
Regardless, Mikihiko's objection was easily turned aside by combat practicality.
"That scoundrel...... She must be laughing herself silly now......"
Leo didn't clarify exactly "who" he was talking about, but for the two other people present, nothing else needed to be said.
"Ahahahahahah...... My, my sides are killing me~. What is that, WHAT is THAT! Ahahahahaha......"
Just as the three of them surmised, Erika was roaring in laughter in the stands.
"Erika-chan, please stop......"
After Mizuki tried several times to bashfully persuade her, Erika's laughter finally dropped to a level that was more normal.
"......Ah~, I'm dying. No wonder everyone's eyes are drawn to the things that Tatsuya-kun thinks up."
"......I think Erika's the one who's being watched right now."
Next to Erika, Mizuki shyly hunkered down.
"Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't help myself there. I promise to stop messing around now, so cheer up, OK Mizuki?"
"Seriously...... Please do!"
After she could feel the gazes (she didn't have the courage to visually verify this) around her stabbing towards her turn back to the arena, Mizuki finally raised her head.
"But, what exactly is that?"
Since there were no obstructions on the open plains, the audience could directly view the entire arena. Even so, the distance was still far enough that details were hard to make out, so everyone was watching the large screens for details on the players' expressions, just like in the other competitions.
Erika was watching the images on the main screen that depicted Mikihiko and Leo standing in First High's territory.
After watching for a few more seconds, she shook her head as if to say "might as well raise both arms now".
"Nope. I still can't tell what they're trying to do. Since this is Tatsuya-kun after all, I'm sure he's not just doing this for show."
"......Lots of 'spirits' are gathering on Yoshida-kun's robes......"
"Huh?"
An unexpected response answered her murmuring. Erika turned to one side and sucked in a breath as she saw Mizuki remove her glasses and an incredible light dancing in her eyes.
While a minority in the audience believed that Leo and Mikihiko's garb was out of date or from the wrong century, very few people laughed outright in derision. The thought that dominated the minds in the audience was what were the "robes" and "mantles" being used for.
Still, for their opponents, they couldn't just use the word "curiosity" to wave it off.
"Are they just doing this for show?"
Hearing their teammate's speculation, Masaki and Kichijouji both shook their heads.
"That guy knows George's background...... Is this his solution to 'Invisible Bullet'?"
"It's true that my magic doesn't have much in terms of penetrating power...... Still, it's not so simple that a mere piece of cloth can stand against it, so it's hard to believe that he would rely on such an amateurish countermeasure."
"Or this is done to make us think there is some strategy at work here?"
"That possibility is not altogether zero, yet......"
Masaki's words became vague.
"......I don't understand. Was he saving this all this time for this moment......"
Kichijouji bit his lip. It was precisely because he prided himself on his intellect that he was particularly frustrated.
"We advance recklessly, but forcing ourselves to contemplate something that cannot be discovered now is pointless. There is always some degree of risk when using force to win."
In order to cut through Kichijouji's befuddlement, Masaki spoke up in a forcible tone.
Despite this, Masaki himself wasn't immune to this perplexity.
What aroused curiosity from the audience was nothing short of a source of great wariness to the enemy.
The players and auxiliaries were oblivious to this, but there was another reason behind the ruckus.
The reason came from the observation deck near the board chairman's room.
A completely unforeseen visitor had arrived.
"Kudou-sensei! Why are you here?"
Elder Kudou, who usually watched the matches from the screens in the VIP lounge near the main headquarters, had personally come to the visitors' observation deck.
"Even I like to occasionally come here for a look."
Kudou Retsu nodded generously to the board members that all stood to welcome him and sat in the leather chair that was hastily prepared for him.
"Of course, it is our honor to host you here, but......"
But, why now? In face of this silent query, Elder Kudou frankly replied.
"It's nothing really. I just noticed a rather interesting young man."
The moment before the match begins was undoubtedly the time when a player was at their most nervous. No matter how confident they were or how great their odds were all things became questionable at this time. This was no playoff that was the best of a series, this was single elimination where everything came down to the line in one match, so it was only natural to be uneasy at being uncertain of their opponent's strength.
That being said, their nervousness vanished the moment the starting signal sounded.
Once the battle was initiated, there was no room for further doubt.
Once the signal was lit, both sides began bombarding one another.
They were using long range magic attacks.
The audience was overjoyed at this result; whereas, the supporters in First High's stands were shocked into silence.
There were approximately 600 meters between the two fields.
The distance was shorter than the woodlands or valley settings, but in terms of range for firearms, this was still a stretch for the effective firing range of assault weapons. This was the range for sniper rifles.
At the same time, both sides were firing at one another with CADs shaped like automatics as they steadily approached one another step by step.
Tatsuya was dual-wielding twin pistols just as he was during the preliminary and semifinal rounds.
On the other side, Masaki had swapped out the Generalized CAD he used during the semifinals for a Specialized CAD.
While the CAD in Tatsuya's right hand was responsible for intercepting enemy attacks, the CAD in his left was retaliating. Realizing this, Masaki abandoned his defense and concentrated on attacking.
The ensuing result was,
The originally disparate gulf in firepower widened even further.
Compared to Masaki's "shots" that possessed the power to decisively end the engagement, Tatsuya's "shots" could do nothing aside from trying to tie up his opponent.
However, his attacks were not telling. This level of Oscillation-Type Magic was too weak to rate actual defense, as a Magician's unconscious Data Fortification would protect themselves.
The number of attacks was also overwhelmingly inferior.
Despite having many tricks up his sleeve, Tatsuya was undoubtedly weaker in terms of pure technical skills. Yet, not only was he exposing himself to his opponent's attacks, he was accurately shooting down each of the incoming attacks at a distance that the naked eye could barely ascertain. Just this point alone was awe inspiring.
"Such courage!"
A nameless Year 3 male student quietly gasped.
"Is he really a Course 2 student?"
A female player asked one of her teammates.
The upperclassmen were expressing their surprise not because of the strength of his magic, but because he maintained his mental concentration despite suffering severe bombardment from his opponent.
Yet — Mayumi, Katsuto, Suzune, Azusa, Hattori...... Each of them wore grim faces.
Right now, both sides were still feeling each other out, but every step Tatsuya took forward put him more and more on the defensive and subsequently, he was retaliating less and less. This point was blatantly obvious to all of them.
Compared to the players and members of First High, Kichijouji felt an altogether different shock in Third High's territory.
Tatsuya was currently using Oscillation-Type Magic.
Yet, in the three matches leading up to this moment, Tatsuya was using Nonsystematic and Weight-Type Magic.
(He managed to alter the design of his Activation Sequence in a mere two hours......?)
Kichijouji shook his head to dispel the cobwebs.
No matter how skilled his CAD calibration skills were, the calibration process had no bearing on the match itself.
What determined the outcome was only how he chose to wield the result of his calibrations.
This was not the time to appreciate his calibration speed. That was the "perplexity" that may lead to an accident in battle—
"Proceed as we discussed, I'm heading out!"
"Understood, leave the rear to me!"
He hadn't even noticed his hubris towards the enemy team before his eyes. Kichijouji looped around Masaki's rear and charged towards First High's territory.
Since Kichijouji charged out of allied territory, the match had entered a new phase. Nonetheless, the audience's attention was largely still focused on Tatsuya and Masaki's ongoing struggle.
To be able to endlessly release powerful magic, Masaki's talent was truly worthy of praise.
Regardless, Tatsuya's "Gram Demolition" that unerringly struck down Masaki's magic was even more moving.
Few members of the audience were aware of high level Counter Magic like "Gram Demolition". "Gram Demolition" demanded an excessive psion count, so even researchers specializing in the field had few opportunities to catch a glimpse of this magic.
Even without knowledge on the subject, the large screen that displayed the psion movements clearly showed the scene of brilliant psion shells striking, shattering, and then erasing the Compression-Type Magic Sequences.
This was a glorious, dreamlike image that set one's heart aflame.
Magicians who could perceive the psions and the spectators who possessed latent magic talent had no need for the large screen and could only bow before the psions wildly dancing in a storm of magic before their eyes.
Unbound by reason or logic, they were held spellbound by this spectacular air show.
Presently, Tatsuya focused all his attention on shutting down each of Masaki's attacks.
Even so, he still took note of Kichijouji emerging from Third High's position.
Like a chain reaction — in reality this was a direct result of seeing Kichijouji's advance, Tatsuya's hitherto steady pace accelerated to a run.
Masaki didn't panic in the slightest at Tatsuya's change of pace and calmly launched Compression-Type Magic at Tatsuya.
His run failed to adopt any evasive maneuvers.
It's not like his opponent was using his eyes to aim, so that degree of evasion was meaningless.
As he ran forward, Tatsuya concentrated on the mass of energy formed to alter the Eidos in the air and sent a bullet made of psions — "Gram Demolition" straight into the mass, shattering Masaki's magic before it could materialize.
Nonetheless — with the distance between them drawing ever closer, aiming was more simplistic. While physical distance was not a direct factor, the closer the physical target was, the easier it became to perceive its proximity and existence.
Especially when aiming air-like objects that are not usually visible. The closer the target was, the easier it became to take aim.
Of course, in this situation, the only target at hand was Tatsuya himself.
Fifty meters from Masaki, Tatsuya ground to a halt and was unable to completely nullify Masaki's attacks.
The compressed air that Tatsuya failed to bring down came crashing towards Tatsuya.
Tatsuya relied on his five senses to detect their trajectory and deftly used his physical techniques to avoid them as he continued to advance towards Masaki.
Unable to advance straight forward, the dozens of yards between them became an insurmountable wall for Tatsuya.
"So, he's finally reached the point where he can't hold back any more."
Seeing Tatsuya forced into a corner, Yamanaka actually remarked happily.
"Please be serious, sensei. Even Tatsuya-kun can't rely on only his five senses to completely detect the early warning signs of magic invocation and Invisible Bullet. Given the current situation, we can still use a 'sixth sense' as an excuse in place of 'Eye of the Spirits'."
At Fujibayashi's vigorous defense, Yamanaka smiled devilishly.
"Really? That's true, while he can fool those third and fourth rate scrubs...... It's hard to imagine he could pull a fast one under the eyes of that gentleman."
Yamanaka's line of sight was resting on Elder Kudou, who was watching the match with abundant interest from his seat in the chairman's lounge.
Fujibayashi only spared him a quick glance before switching back to Tatsuya.
Kichijouji was looping around the fringe of the arena as he advanced towards First High's monolith. When he came within 100 meters of First High's territory, Leo barred his path.
Finding it odd that the defender was so far forward, Kichijouji fired off an "Invisible Bullet" as he ruminated on this.
No, more like he was about to fire.
"Wha?"
In front of him, a black wall obscured his gaze. Leo had removed his mantle and held it unfurled before him.
A metallic plate flashed towards Kichijouji's flank like a storm of blades.
Facing the flying blade from the Weaponized Integrated CAD, Kichijouji immediately activated Move-Type Magic and sprang backwards to avoid the blow.
On its heels, a powerful gust chased after him.
Kichijouji used Weight-Type Magic to reduce inertia his body was suffering and used the force of the wind to reduce the gust attack.
(How meddlesome!)
Kichijouji muttered in his mind and aimed the "Invisible Bullet" at Mikihiko.
He chose to first remove this irksome fire support.
However, the moment his gaze fell across the gray robes, he was suddenly unable to detect the target's proximity.
Like a heat wave disrupting the focal point of a camera, the gray figure became fuzzy and hard to grasp.
(Illusions!?)
They had taken advantage of the fact that "Invisible Bullet" required visual confirmation. The moment Kichijouji realized this, he also detected the blade of the "Mini Communicator" slashing downwards at his head. Unable to dodge, he could only close his eyes and await the impact.
"Gah!"
Yet, Leo was the one who cried out in pain as if all the air had been forcibly expelled from his lungs.
The blade Leo swung was sent off target and buried itself into the earth. Leo was flung aside by the blast and crumpled to the floor.
"Masaki!"
He was saved! Sparing the words of thanks, Kichijouji called out the name of his protector.
Kichijouji, who had completely fallen into the enemy's trap, was plucked out of danger by Masaki, who was still bombarding Tatsuya's position.
His fingers quickly danced across the screen of his CAD as Kichijouji brought up Weight-Type Magic.
The force of gravity abruptly intensified, sending Mikihiko "plummeting" downwards helplessly.
Kichijouji abandoned fixating on his favorite magic and poured on the magic to crush Mikihiko into the earth.
Completely suppressed, Mikihiko could only expel the crushed air out of his mouth.
Tatsuya did not idly watch this scene pass by.
The split second that Masaki diverted his attention to Kichijouji, Tatsuya immediately closed the gap to within 5 meters.
For someone with Tatsuya's physical skills, this was but a paltry display of his prowess.
Yet, his target still remained one step away.
Masaki's face clearly betrayed his agitation.
Rather than being a panic brought on by terror, the instincts of a soldier who had survived the battlefield told him he was in danger.
A continuous chain of sixteen compressed air bullets, far surpassing the limits laid down by the rules, came swarming towards Tatsuya.
The Counter Magic Gram Demolition was a technique that used compressed psions as bullets to forcibly eradicate Magic Sequences.
Due to its forceful nature, this was a highly inefficient technique.
Unknown to the common man, Magic Sequences also differed in strength.
The Magic Sequences forged by someone of Masaki's caliber could not be so easily disassembled, so overwhelming force was used to forcibly annihilate it, which required an outrageous amount of compressed psions. Even for Tatsuya, this was not an inconsiderable sum, though it was far beyond what an average Magician could produce even if they spent the entire day working at it.
Yet in this instant, he had to dispel 16 shots.
Even though Tatsuya instantly made the call that Gram Demolition wasn't going to make it in time, he resolutely refused to use "Decomposition". He stubbornly stuck to his orders to keep classified magic under wraps.
He hid the fact that he was capable of "decomposing" information structures through "Gram Dispersal" and met the attack with "Gram Demolition".
The ensuing result was a given.
After bringing down 14 of the shots, the last two hits struck home on Tatsuya's body.
Seeing Tatsuya begin to crumple towards his feet, Masaki spat out "Shit!" in deep regret.
While in a complete flight or fight mode, he had released magic that surpassed the rules for destructive power. He realized this point the moment he released his magic.
This was only a few seconds after the fact, so the panel of judges might not have noticed yet.
The red flag hadn't been raised yet, but he was profoundly aware that he was about to be disqualified for violating the rules.
That realization caused precious seconds to slip from Masaki's hands.
His mind was completely blank as he concluded that there was nothing he could do to avert that.
[Multiple rib fracture. Liver ruptured. Massive internal bleeding.]
[Combat level dropping below optimal conditions]
[Auto Restoration Ability \ Auto Activate]
[Magic Sequence \ Uploading]
[Core · Eidos · Data \ Retrieving from storage]
[Restoration \ Commence — Complete]
—This sequence was completed even before Tatsuya could even consciously realize this.
Subconscious signal processing vastly outstripped conscious signal processing in terms of speed.
By the time he realized he was collapsing, his flesh had already been restored.
Within easy grasp of his fingers, a pair of motionless legs could be seen.
Tatsuya had no clue why Masaki stood there frozen and completely defenseless.
Currently, that reason did not concern him.
Before he even took the time to dwell on that subject, his body had already risen to its feet.
He took a step forward with his right foot and stretched his right arm past Masaki's face that was appalled with shock.
The right hand that stabbed forth was never intended to strike Masaki, and just as it passed Masaki's ear an explosion that was on the same level as a flash bang sprang from Tatsuya's right hand.
The roar rendered the observation deck utterly silent.
Even Kichijouji, who was still locked in combat, couldn't help but stop his actions and turn to look.
On Tatsuya's right hand, his thumb was pressed tightly against the tip of his index finger as he held his inter-crossed fingers before him.
Under the gaze of the all the players, judges, spectators, and supporters, Masaki sank to the floor while Tatsuya powerlessly fell to his knees.
"What? What the heck just happened?"
Her face and voice unified in complete panic, Mayumi inquired of her neighbors.
No one answered her.
Neither Suzune nor Azusa could answer Mayumi's question.
"......He snapped his fingers and then amplified the volume."
The answer came from Katsuto, who was directly across from Suzune.
"......That sounds about right. He simply amplified the sound wave. Such a cacophony would likely rupture his eardrums and the semicircular canals, thus incapacitating Ichijou-kun. Certainly well within the confines of the rules."
Suzune said after Katsuto.
"While the sound was amplified many decibels higher, the magic that was used earlier was solely from the Oscillation System. That's why Tatsuya-kun, who doesn't excel in activating magic at high speeds, could still accomplish this in such a swift manner."
"That was obvious right from the start! Anyone could tell that from seeing the right hand!"
However, Mayumi's mood seemed to blacken even more at these explanations.
"I am asking why was Tatsuya-kun able to rise after sustaining Ichijou-kun's attacks that should have crippled him!
Wasn't Tatsuya-kun taken out right there!?
His counter with 'Gram Demolition' was clearly not in time, right!?
He should have taken at least two hits!
So why has Tatsuya-kun taken damage that is beyond the maximum threshold for destruction and is still able to continue to fight!?"
"Saegusa, calm down!"
Mayumi took the news that Tatsuya might have sustained terrible injuries extremely poorly, as evidenced by her ashen face. Katsuto tried to calm her in a solemn voice.
"I saw the same scene, but the truth of the matter is that Shiba stood on his feet and moved in a manner that someone with grievous injuries is simply incapable of and defeated the enemy. Based on his current appearance, he appears to have suffered damage from the sound attack he released and not any other major injury."
"But......"
"Isn't Shiba an expert in antiquated martial arts? Rumor has it that the older styles contained physical arts that could strengthen the body and techniques that could mitigate blows directed towards the body. This is probably something similar to that."
"............"
Even though she wasn't entirely convinced of the veracity of Katsuto's words, Mayumi still recovered her calm.
"Our knowledge does not make up the entirety of the world. Magic is not the only 'miracle' out there.
In addition, the match isn't over yet."
"......You're absolutely correct. I apologize, Juumonji-kun. Sorry, Rin-chan."
As Mayumi was reconciling with Suzune, the battle entered a new phase.
"No matter when I see his Self-Restoration, the sight always impresses me to no end."
Fujibayashi turned a half skeptical look at Yamanaka, who was happily remarking on the situation — albeit with an appropriately lowered volume to account for the crowd around them.
"......Did you really see Self-Restoration actually activating? I, for one, didn't see the psion waves generated by spell activation."
"Neither did I. I doubt Kudou-sama noticed either. That being said, the speed of his Self-Restoration ability has long since surpassed the realms of human cognition speeds."
After reaching this point, Yamanaka finally noticed Fujibayashi glaring severely at him.
"Ah, no — I didn't see anything. Of course I didn't see Shiba Tatsuya-kun use some sort of theoretically impossible Self-Restoration ability. Seriously, his endurance is superhuman. How interesting!"
Yamanaka said lightly while indulging in delighted laughter. Fujibayashi stared at him in perplexity.
"Regardless, please don't call him in so you can run experiments on him. He's one of the only two people in this country, and rumored to be among the 50 or so precious assets with Strategic-Class abilities!"
"Somehow, I don't think he's such a weakling that he'd fall apart after one or two experiments."
"Whether he would fall apart is not the problem here!"
At this merciless scolding, Yamanaka quickly shrank his neck in.
"Fine, but no matter how we slice it...... He used that thing, just like Fujibayashi said he would."
"Indeed, Ichijou-kun is simply too tough an opponent with a low quality CAD. I think that even Flash Cast would be legitimate here."
"Single Systematic Flash Cast, eh. Oh well, at least he managed to keep our secrets."
The ones who wanted Flash Cast to remain a secret were the Yotsuba Family and not the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. This ability was considered too unethical for even the military to adopt.
The Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion labeled Tatsuya's original magic as classified. Even in the direst straits, Tatsuya stuck to his guns and never used "Decomposition", only activating his Personal Restoration ability, which was something that no one could identify even if they saw it anyway. This way, Tatsuya only drew the attention of the masses. Otherwise, from the military's perspective, a prized military asset like Tatsuya should be constantly protected from the influence of foreign elements.
At the same time, that would also severely limit his personal freedom. If the situation developed in that direction, the military would be forced to consider opposing, no, flat out countermeasures against Tatsuya. While his words were irksome, Yamanaka actually heaved a sigh of relief at the current outcome.
"The CAD in his left hand is calibrated for Oscillation-Type Magic precisely to cover for this. He's just as prudent as always."
"If that's a high school student, there is something seriously wrong with this world. But, Flash Cast...... If he was an enemy, that sort of speed would be a terrifying threat."
Fujibayashi expressed her sincere acknowledgement of Yamanaka's words.
"Indeed...... That's practically brainwashing the brain into carving the images of the Activation Sequences into memory, then directly recalling the Activation Sequence from memory without the aid of a CAD. This ability completely bypasses the need for the CAD to spread and read the Activation Sequences......
In his situation, the calculation area in his consciousness has taken this to the next level. By being able to construct Magic Sequences from memory, he also avoids the time needed to construct Magic Sequences in real time...... This way, he has absolutely replaced the deficit in processing speed."
"More like made up for and then some. Do we even have someone in the troop that can beat the speed he just displayed? Even Yanagi, who shares the same systematic talent, is only barely able to match him."
"......True, I can't think of anyone else."
The two of them were no longer watching the match.
They were solely focused on Tatsuya, who was still kneeling on the ground.
Kichijouji was utterly panic stricken.
He could not believe the scene that lay before his eyes.
Masaki was stretched out on the ground.
Even though his opponent, Tatsuya, was also kneeling on the floor, light still dwelt within his eyes.
In other words......
(Masaki, lost......?)
This was an altogether unbelievable sight.
An implausibility that simply couldn't occur.
Originally, even if there was a minuscule chance the team could lose, the possibility that Masaki would fall was practically zero.
"Kichijouji, watch out!"
Kichijouji snapped out of it upon hearing his teammate calling out to him from their original position and activated "Lightning Rod" magic on reflex.
The grass became the focal point of the lightning attack and grounded out the electrical force.
Kichijouji finally realized that his opponent, who should have been crushed into the ground by Weight-Type Magic, was panting as the long robe whipped about him and glaring at him.
When the roar reached his ears, Mikihiko had no idea what had just happened.
He didn't have the leisure to personally witness his surroundings.
Still, when the pressure forcing him into the ground suddenly vanished, he quickly rolled to a safe distance and got to his feet and spontaneously adopted evasive maneuvers.
Then, he finally took a good look around him.
Leo had been knocked unconscious.
Tatsuya was on both knees. Even though he hadn't fallen, he didn't look like he could continue.
And next to him, Ichijou Masaki stretched out his full length on the ground.
(You did it, Tatsuya!)
Mikihiko once thought that Tatsuya could find a way through anything; yet on the other hand, he also felt: "Even Tatsuya is......" Fired up by the achievement before his eyes, Mikihiko leaped up with renewed vigor.
Not that Mikihiko's condition was any better.
Maybe, he was the worst off of the three.
A sharp, stabbing pain accompanied each laborious breath.
Even if the ribs weren't broken, he probably couldn't avoid minor fractures.
Due to the exorbitant amount of time under stress, he was a little light-headed right now.
His back was still in pain from being violently thrown to the ground. Mikihiko cursed the hardness of the earth despite the grass in the privacy of his mind.
However — he was not about to surrender.
In the worst case scenario, he still had to go one on two.
No, fear had no place in his heart, this was the savage truth of reality. Even so — defeat was not an option.
Tatsuya conquered the "Crimson Prince".
At the very least, he was going to show him that he could take down "Cardinal George" — it was this "obstinacy" that drove Mikihiko to stand on shaky legs.
He manipulated his CAD to release a lightning attack. At the same time, he channeled magic into the gray robe he wore — psions that had been digitized.
His image was consumed by the spirits of "shadow" hidden in his robe.
Shadows are not synonymous with darkness.
The outline of an object could be traced by its shadow.
As independent information bodies of "shadow," the spirits of shadow could disrupt the light and darkness that made up the silhouette in order to hamper an opponent's ability to identify and aim at the target.
The spell originally belonged to the Yoshida Family and him by extension, but Tatsuya was the one who provided the robe as supplement, rewrote the software of the CAD to its current peak condition, and suggested that he use this spell to distort his image.
It was all thanks to Tatsuya that he could come close to matching his previous self — though Erika believed that he had surpassed his past — in terms of magic.
For someone with his family background and history to be forced into such degrading tasks was the ultimate humiliation, and Tatsuya was the one who gave him the opportunity to prove his mettle on the battlefield.
Along the way to the finals, Tatsuya was also the integral cog that made their advancement possible.
At this rate, at the end of all things, all the laurels would fall on Tatsuya.
Upon realizing this, Mikihiko bit his lip and funneled new life into his wavering legs.
—I will not rely on Tatsuya for everything!
—My pride forbids me from doing so!
—No matter what it takes, I will have my vengeance!
—Kichijouji Shinkurou, how you have dragged me into the mud!
—Come, allow me to return the favor!
These were the proud, grandiose, and arrogant words that Mikihiko spoke to himself.
Tatsuya said it already.
He already told me.
It is not you, Mikihiko, who is lacking. It is the spell itself.
Then—
(Tatsuya, allow me to prove the truth of your words!)
He ignored the magic that shot around his body.
Shadow magic had displaced an illusion of himself several steps away for the enemy to shoot at.
Putting faith in his own abilities, Mikihiko typed a long string of commands into the large smart phone-shaped CAD hidden in the inside of his robe.
Next, he took his right hand off the CAD and slapped the earth next to his feet.
Most Generalized CADs use two numbers and a confirmation key for a total of three keys to begin an Activation Sequence.
Higher quality models, especially the high tech smartphone ones, had features that included auto complete and selection of high efficiency magics, so one key stroke was all that was necessary to activate magic.
Yet today, Mikihiko hit over 15 keystrokes.
That was 5 times as many moves as the usual Generalized CAD needs for magic invocation.
Nevertheless, Mikihiko used a fraction of the normal time to complete the steps for Ancient Magic.
Since the number of key strokes for each Activation Sequence was the same, Mikihiko had no need to hit any extra keys. He wasn't planning on combining five magics into one Magic Sequence, he was setting for the continuous activation of five magics.
This was a technique that unfolded in increments.
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