"W-what are you...?!" Stefan gritted his teeth, apparently still not satisfied with my response.
There was nothing I could do about that, though. My line of reasoning was for his benefit, whether he accepted it or not.
"I don't agree with this! Fight me fair and square!" He protested, raising his voice harshly.
For the usually collected and cool Stefan to lose his composure in such a manner—our match must have meant a lot to him. I could understand, more than most, the drive to fight someone. But, the kid also needed to learn the art of patience.
"Moderator, I'm leaving the stage now," I muttered, snapping Klaus from the surprised daze he found himself in.
"A-ah, I see..." The man muttered, eyeing me in disbelief.
"I don't accept this, moderator! Call him back to stage.
Stefan's elevated voice didn't stop my steady pace as I moved to the edge of the stage in order to leave.
"There's nothing I can do about it. He forfeited." I heard Klaus console the boy.
"The winner of this match is... Stefan Netherlore!"
With this declaration made, the audience responded dryly. It was a victory, but nothing about it felt like one. I felt several eyes on me as I walked back to my seat. It was an action no one would expect someone of my personality to take, after all.
Fortunately, Klaus knew how to read the room and quickly announced the next match without delay.
"Anabelle Frederick and Zesh Derkiond. Both of you should step out!"
My eyes darted at the girl who sat beside me, giving her a thumbs-up.
Ana nodded and sprang to her feet, sharply making her way down the stairs in excitement. I was partly grateful that none of my companions had decided to ask me the reason for giving up.
It saved me the time and energy required for an explanation. Plus, they probably overhead me talking to Stefan by using the enhancement Magic I taught them.
My eyes frolicked as I saw Stefan get off the stage with an air of disappointment hanging above him. He grudgingly accepted his victory and returned to his seat while Ana and her competitor climbed the platform for their duel.
'Another Middle-Class, eh? Show them hell, Ana.' I smiled in amusement.
"Begin!"
The moment Klaus gave the announcement, Zesh Derkiond, Anabelle's opponent, sprang into action.
Using enhancement magic to boost his movements, he closed in on the girl very quickly.
'Oh? So he's a close-combat battle-mage type?!' I reasoned in amusement.
It could be that, or perhaps the boy thought Anabelle was weak in close combat since the spell she used the last time was long-ranged. Magic-Users had their areas of specialty, not just comprised of elemental attributes, but also the type of magic to be used.
Some excelled at Area-Of-Effect Magic, while others were more Short-Range oriented. It was possible to have various specialties, but for a Lower-Class student, that would be expecting too much.
>FWOOOOSHHH!<
In a blur, the exemplary boy was already in front of Ana, ready to pounce on her with his electrifying fist.
>BAM!<
His fists connected with something—just inches from Ana's face. The moment his highly-volatile, lightning-coated fist hit the invisible wall that separated the two of them, I smiled.
'So, she's using my Invisible Barrier tactic, eh?'
Ana didn't know of SPELLCRAFT, so she simply used her Mana to execute it, unlike me—but it was still an impressive feat.
"W-wha—?!" Zesh cried out.
Unfortunately for him, his reaction time wasn't as quick as Ana's, and she had already prepared an attack of her own.
"[Wind Fall: Intermediate]"
Instantly, a heavy gust of wind fell and pushed Zesh's unsuspecting body to the floor.
>BOOOOMMMM!!<
The weight of the wind must have been unbearable as the boy groaned, falling flat-faced unto the ground. The arena floor shook as he began screaming.
'He's forcefully trying to get up by enhancing his body!' I noticed with a smile, watching the young boy glow with blue light as he struggled to get up.
The moment Ana noticed this, she tightened her hold on the spell and increased the force by which he was pushed down, causing him to fall helplessly to the ground again.
"Guarkk!!"
At this point, he must have started to hurt all over, but if Ana increased the pressure once again, his bones wouldn't be saved from damage. The match was over.
If the Zesh guy was sensible enough, he would—
"I-I give up! I surrender!" He cried, just like clockwork.
There was only enough pain a person could endure, especially at our young age. It was inevitable that he wouldn't be able to withstand much more thanks to his lack of experience in battle.
Ana deactivated her spell the moment he surrendered and Klaus arrived back on stage.
"The winner of this round is Anabelle Frederick!"
The petite girl beamed in excitement, slightly jumping as a result of her victory.
She began leaving the stage to return when Klaus suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder. His eyes were on the list, yet he prevented her from going anywhere. Was there a problem?
"Don't go yet. The next match is your turn again."
A heave of relief escaped my lips and I eagerly expected who would be next.
So far; I, Rias, Stefan, Maria, and Ana had passed. Three more were required to qualify.
"The contestants are... Anabelle Frederick and... Kuzon Midas!"
My eyes instantly bulged in shock upon the announcement.
'What?! Shit!' My mind sparked.
Kuzon rose from his seat—located to my far right—and gave a casual smile as he descended to the stage.
I gulped hard as I watched Ana's tiny figure standing beside Klaus on the stage.
'Why didn't I think of this possibility?'
Currently, I wasn't sure Anabelle could win against Kuzon, even with her remarkable talent. Besides, even if she could, I didn't want her to resort to her full power when it was just the Quarter-Finals.
'Quit, Ana! Just forfeit this match!' My intense eyes screamed as I looked at her.
She wasn't staring at me, though. Her eyes were on the boy who approached the stage—Kuzon.
